Grit and Determination
Superman: Up in the Sky is one of my favorite comics to circle back around to every once in a while. Written in 2019 by Tom King, Superman: Up in the Sky tells a breathless story about Superman as he travels around the galaxy, looking for a young girl that has been kidnapped by aliens from her home in Metropolis. In each issue Superman finds himself facing a Herculean trial that he must overcome in order to get the next bread crumb of information that will lead to the girl.
Superman: Up in the Sky # 2. Written by Tom King with art by Andy Kubert.
Issue #2 jumps off with Supes getting into a boxing ring with a mercenary who has been hired to stop Superman's search in its tracks. Mighto offers a wager that if Superman can beat him in a straight up fight, that he'll give up his client. If not, he goes home to Earth and forgets about finding the girl.
In full Rocky fashion the fight stretches the full 12 rounds across multiple, visceral pages. The best Superman stories don't focus on what Superman can do, but who he is at his core. And at his core -- what defines the 'super' in Superman -- is that he does not give up. Not ever. When he breaks it's not because he took a knee, but because he left it all on the field. This book -- for me -- is a reminder of that we can all be a little super if we can find it in us to get back up when we fall.
Whether you are a Superman fan or not, it's a book with a lot of heart, and I can't recommend it enough if you find yourself needing to be inspired while also enjoying a banger of a story. If you are anything like me and you occassionally begin to feel worn around the edges and in need of something to give you that spark to get back up and keep going, look no further than Superman: Up in the Sky.
This last bit is about to get a tad political, so feel free to check out here if that's not your jam.
You sure? Okay then...
The heroes of my youth like He-Man and Superman taught me something that has lived in my bones my entire life. It's that the purpose of power is to know when not to use it. That being the strongest person in the room means you also have the responsibility to be the kindest.
The gentlest.
It's why at 25-years-old, when I stumbled into a job as a circulation clerk in a public library, I found a life of service that I wanted to live. I married a woman who also lives a similar life of service, though in a different professional field than my own. When you live in service to others, you are made acutely aware of the marginalized and underrepresented in a way that is a little harder to see if you are just caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
The life of public servants is always harder when the people in charge don't believe in service to others. And we are living in that time now. We live in a time where our government is being weaponized against its own citizens. That may sound scary or melodramatic, but this isn't headlines and news articles for me and mine. It's life in technicolor. And while I'm relieved to see that some of our checks and balances are holding, I'm realistic enough to know that this administration will try to circumvent those checks to power in any way they can.
Maybe you agree with me, and this time has you feeling as scared and angry as I am. My advice to you is simple: find your path of service. Find some small way to directly impact the life of another in need. It's different for everyone, and that's okay. We don't all have the resources or circumstances to walk the same path. But we can all help in some way, and helping each other reminds us that we are not alone, and that we have some small measure of power in this world.
Maybe you don't agree with me, and you've been conditioned to see the plight of others as an agenda. Maybe you cast a vote in favor of this new administration of ours, thinking it will improve your life and make you safer. While I do extend you the courtesy of not assuming your personal decision was one driven by bigotry or racism, I won't delude you. You made a decision based on insecurity and fear. And while there is a lot to feel insecure and fearful of, this administration won't address those things. They will talk about those real issues -- issues that we can all agree are a problem. But they won't fix them, because to do so undermines their core interest: keeping power and using it to benefit themselves at the expense of the rest of us. Even you. I also invite you to find a path of service, because it grants us perspective. It helps us make sense of things and gives us a measure of control over our insecurities and fears.
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