Dan Morris: All of us have great powers within

Comic-books (and I use the hyphen in tribute to the late, great Stan Lee, who supposedly always insisted on it) were a love that I happened upon when I was 17, and one that has remained with me ever since.

My attraction to them was one born out of a number of things. I was always a keen artist as a kid, and during my time at school had developed an appreciation for different styles, with pop art certainly being one of them.

I’d also always had a strong imagination, and loved fantastical tales of good versus evil involving spectacular powers, abilities and flaws belonging to both sides.

Not only that, I was always very interested in people and what made them tick, and realised from quite an early age that the key to any good story is the relatability of its characters, even if its setting is bizarre and otherworldly.

As much as anything, I’d also begun to find subculture fascinating, and as any comic-book fan will attest, subculture and the world of spandex-clad superheroes go hand-in-hand.

Or rather, they used to...

Since the protagonists of the Marvel and DC universes have jumped into the medium of film with full gusto, the idea of comic-book subculture has begun its journey down the road to becoming an oxymoron.

The fact of the matter is that characters including Thor and Iron Man, who used to be delicately cherished in the bosom of only a few, have now achieved monumental mainstream popularity.

Of course, this is in no short order due to Robert Downey Jr’s quick wit and Chris Hemsworth’s big daddy biceps (fair play lad). But that being said, there is a reason beyond any superficial draw that characters from the comic-book pantheon have resonated so strongly with an audience that may not have been attracted to their traditional medium.

It’s a secret that the comic-book community has kept for decades, but it’s a very simple truth – these characters are good, and it’s because they’re relatable.

When I was 17, I was a skinny kid with minimal athletic prowess (you remember, from some time ago, the incident involving my foray into hurdling).

I got along fine in the world as an average physical specimen, but I remember that on my first trip to a local comic-book shop (Oh yeah, they’re a thing here too), I was undeniably drawn toward stories of a skinny dude like me who – thanks to a bite from a pimped-up arachnid – had inherited physical abilities beyond both his and my wildest dreams.

With great power comes great responsibility...

This feels like the part where I’m about to confess that, inspired in that moment, I dedicated myself thereon to a secret costumed existence fighting crime and helping the helpless.

Sadly, not quite. I’ve got a bit of a problem with heights, and, ‘journalist-who-lives-a-double-life-as-a-superhero’? It’s been done.

Though, while reading Spiderman comics didn’t literally make me reach for my cape, I was captured by the idea of a supposed ‘ordinary guy’ being capable of extraordinary things.

Comic-books are full of such protagonists that – despite their fantastical characteristics – people are able to identify with metaphorically, and draw inspiration from.

I was able to do this from reading about them, and I suspect it’s what a lot of the audience of superhero flicks have been able to do when seeing them on screen – even if they don’t realise it’s happened.

They’ve been inspired by surprisingly relatable characters, and this what has kept them coming back, and led the comic-book movie genre to flourish.

Relatable characters in fiction have been a source of inspiration to people for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Inspiration is an essential commodity for the soul, and people will subconsciously look for it wherever it can be found.

As a teenager I found inspiration to strive for the extraordinary by reading about fictional heroes. At the moment, people need look no further than out of their windows to see real life inspirational heroics in practice.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all, and has proven one thing beyond all doubt.

You don’t need a cape to be a superhero.

Every day in this very paper we have seen stories of ‘Star Neighbours’ going above and beyond the call of duty to support their communities in this time of crisis.

We have seen spotlights shone on NHS workers battling the virus and doing all that they can to save lives and protect others.

We have heard about the food producers working to help families remain well supplied, and about the delivery drivers ensuring that goods reach the areas in which they are needed.

And – with monumental significance – we have heard about the people who are doing their bit just by staying at home, and helping to reduce the spread of this sickness.

All of us so-called ‘ordinary’ types have the great power to help stop Covid-19 just by being patient and playing by the rules, and with that does indeed come great responsibility.

If we continue to use that power for the remainder of lockdown, we – like the heroes of comic-book fiction – will cement our place as part of something extraordinary.

After seeing the fantastic approach that the majority of people have taken to the coronavirus pandemic, I won’t have to look to a comic for inspiration for a while.

Well, apart from for my wardrobe. I never said I didn’t occasionally wear the spandex...