It's a Bird! It's a Plane!

I have always had an affinity...some would say an obsession with the Man of Steel -- Superman!

Other super heroes may come and go in popularity, but for me, Superman is, well, the MAN! I collect super memorabilia, live for new comic books and get unnaturally excited by new TV series and new movies.

I'm not alone -- there are many of us, and we even count Jerry Seinfeld and Shaq among our fellow devotees.

Number one question I am asked by people -- particularly Laura-newcomers -- is "what's with the Superman thing?" It must seem odd to folks that a Masterpiece Theatre aficionado with an art history minor and an unholy love of Miss America would also be a Superman gal...but I am.

So here's the answer: It all goes back to my Dad.

When I was very young, my Dad took me to a traveling arena show called "Disney on Parade" -- basically a predecessor to "Disney on Ice" with all the Disney characters performing in a traveling show. I must have been about 7 years old.

Frankly the show didn't do too much for me...until the second act...when Peter Pan actually flew into the arena...I was mesmerized!

He could fly!

To hear my Dad tell the story, I became obsessed with flight...ran around the house jumping off things (which made him nervous, to say the least). I think it was an attempt to get me to stop playing Peter Pan that first brought Superman into our lives.

I mean, let's be honest...Pan was cool...but mostly flew around not accomplishing too much.

I remember the day he first brought home a Superman comic for me -- it wasn't a "real" comic, it was a promotional comic promoting "Superfriends" -- a Saturday morning cartoon show that his TV station was soon to begin airing.

But I was drawn immediately to Superman -- he could fly! And he helped people! And frankly, there was NO ONE with more talent among the Superfriends:

Wonder woman needed the invisible (lame!) plane...Aquaman was NO HELP outside of the ocean -- and if you took the gadgetry away from Batman, all you had left was an obnoxious rich guy.

Superman was the REAL DEAL.

He appealed to me on so many levels -- strange visitor from another planet (which was how I felt most of the time!) Dual identity -- mild-mannered reporter by day! And he could always save the day!

But it was the Christopher Reeve film two years later that really captured my imagination.

I remember seeing the trailer before a Disney film:

The John Williams score...and then the words flying across the screen:

YOU
WILL
BELIEVE
A
MAN
CAN
FLY!

When the film opened...no one other than Dad would go with me... and when Superman first took off over Metropolis, I recall thinking that nothing could ever be better than this!

Me...and my Dad...and Superman!

We loved it so much, we stayed for the second show!

And a monster...er...FAN...was born!

Thirty years later I still enjoy my love affair with Superman -- still obsessed with all things Kryptonian.

And I still can't think of Superman or crack open a comic, without thinking of me and my Dad...sitting in the dark theatre...believing a man could fly...