Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is a time to stop and appreciate all of the fathers, and father figures, in our lives. Being a nontraditional entity myself, I thought it might be fun to stop and appreciate some of the fictional father figures in the Comic Book world. Trying to save the world while also trying to raise the next generation is no small task, but many characters in the comic universe undertake it none-the-less.

In no particular order, here are my 3 favorite Super Fathers:

1. Animal Man (Father of two kids, Cliff and Maxine).
2. Batman (Father of Damian Wayne).
3. Mr. Fantastic (Father of Franklin and Valeria).

These three family groups represent a wide range of what it looks like to be a parent. And despite being super heroes, they exhibit many of the qualities that we see in fathers today. Some do this better than others, but that's to be expected. And while having children who have super powers may create some special challenges, they must still face the more typical ones that many of our fathers face, such as deciding whether and when to let the children help out with adult problems, where to find a sitter, when you need to let them go and make their own mistakes, and when you need to step in and save the day. It can be a tough job, but somebody's got to it. And for those that do it well, I am grateful.

So I salute you, father-figures of the world. Happy Father's Day. Super powers or not, you're all super to me.

~SB