"Elemental power - a simple grandeur of conception - that sticks in the soul and finds its way to the corner of one's smile."
Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero by Larry Tye is the story of the history behind the world's most beloved and enduring hero. Initially created as a villain in 1933, Superman was later revised as a hero by Jerry Siegel and drawn to resemble movie star Douglas Fairbanks Sr. by Joe Shuster (Clark Kent was molded after Harold Lloyd).
I have always liked Superman. I still remember when my mom took me, an eight-year-old, to the big city to see Superman: The Motion Picture starring Christopher Reeve. It was a big outing, not only the city… but a movie!!!!
I read everything I could about the movie beforehand, kept every article, studied every picture, and learned the bios of the stars and crew. Heck, I knew what the movie was about before I even entered the theatre.
But you know what? For those two magical hours I truly believed a man could fly. And Christopher Reeve will always be “my” Superman.
Since then, Superman has always held a magical hold over me. I have a huge Superman collection, which I love and my wife abhors. Lately the collection had to suffer due to kids, rent, food, etc. but at least it’s easy to buy me presents. My son, who at the age of three and despite a constant brainwashing from his old man, decided to follow Batman (probably just for spite), has an ongoing battle with me about who is the “greatest superhero.”
I’d like to think I’m winning, but really, is there such a thing as winning an argument with a five-year-old?
I got this book from the local library. When I took my kids there a few weeks ago my son spotted it on the “New Books” shelf, grabbed and proudly presented it to me. You know I had to check it out.
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