Clark Kent's story is an amalgam of science fiction and fantasy. He came from another planet, Krypton; that's certainly science fiction. His powers, no matter how you throw "bad science" explanations for them (a yellow sun giving him powers ranging from flight to heat vision) are pure fantasy. He is a good example of what I call science fantasy.

On Marvel's side of the fence, the best examples are mutants, especially the X-Men. Again, their mutation is the stuff of science—they have an extra gene in their DNA which provides them their powers. But those powers themselves are so far fetched as to fall into the realm of fantasy. Even Peter Parker, the spectacular Spider-Man (and I personally can't wait for the new movie coming out in May!), can't escape being classified in both fields. The spider that bit him was, in one version, radioactively mutated; in another version, it was genetically mutated. Either way, that's science fiction. However, Peter's spider-powers are so…ahem…off the wall that there is really no science to explain them, especially his so-called spider-sense.

In all of their cases, and more, the array of villains against them fall into both categories as well.

It is this very confused identity superheroes face that comic books, and their television and movie offshoots, are often dismissed when compared to "real" science fiction or even true fantasy.

In many ways, though, the superhero is perhaps the most important archetype in either science fiction or fantasy today. The really good superhero characters—the Batmen, Supermen, Spider-men, and X-Men of the world (and don't forget Wonder Woman and others, too)—may make mistakes, but they always learn from them, improve themselves, and provide a higher moral standard we can all aspire to. This has become especially important in the wake of September 11, 2001.

There is no mistaking that superheroes, and rightfully so, are taking sort of a back seat to real life heroes such as firemen, policemen, the military, and so on. At the same time, the superhero story allows us to (usually) take a healthy break from the troubles of the world and provide inspiration for a better world.

There is a nobility in these characters (perhaps a grim nobility in Batman's case) that speaks to us in a way that no other characters can. They are today's Round Table, calling us to a higher duty. Sometimes that nobility comes off in ways we don't like. Superman, for example, has been called the ultimate Boy Scout. I disagree with that for the most part, but not completely.

Batman never uses a gun.

The X-Men fight for humanity just as much as for mutants.

Superman was raised by the Kents.

"With great power comes great responsibility" —Ben Parker, to his nephew, Peter, before the coming of Spider-Man.

Uncle Ben's quote really sums up why I still think all superheroes are relevant and needed in today's world. The quote can be applied to anyone—individual, group, or country—in nearly any situation. Having control over a child is great power, whether that be as a parent, teacher, or doctor; raising that child is the great responsibility. Having the largest, best trained, best equipped military, along with the most productive economy (despite the current times) gives America great power; leading the fight against terrorism and yet tempering that fight with compassion toward all peoples is the great responsibility.

Superheroes can be our guides. When faced with tough decisions, we can ask ourselves, "What would Superman do?" I'm not talking about what super power he would use, I'm talking about what choices he would make. Some decisions these modern day gods face are tough. In the comics right now, Batman is being accused of murder—with a gun, no less! We, as readers can have faith that he did not do the deed, but the larger question is how Batman deals with being suspect and crime-fighter. Superman recently faced down a virtually intergalactic war—what choices does a Superman make when faced with the prospect of having his adopted home completely destroyed? Peter Parker recently decided to return to his old high school as a teacher after being faced with fundamental questions about how he gained his powers and what it means to have them.

My apologies if I'm focusing on the men here. Neither Marvel nor DC has a great track record of dealing with super females. DC's done a better job recently, in my opinion, by giving Oracle, Black Canary, the latest Batgirl, and others their own title, "Birds of Prey." From everything I can tell, it has some of the best writing and stories about relationships among superheroes that I've heard of in some time, if ever. They, too, offer moral lessons we can all learn from.

In the aftermath of September 11, superheroes need to, figuratively speaking, stand side by side with our real life heroes. Police officers and fire fighters, for example, remind us of the everyday heroes we all can be. They deal with the real world, the here and now. Super powered heroes, or fantastic crime fighters, remind us of life's hardest choices. The situations may be high adventure, even the consequences unreal, but the morality—the responsible way they exercise their power—are positive examples we can all learn from.

Sure, we all fantasize about flying through the skies under our own power. And we all wonder what it would be like to have amazing psychic powers. As children, these were, perhaps, the only things that drew us to comic book superheroes. Now, as adults, we realize there was another message hidden beneath all the fun: This is how we should live our lives.

And that is why I'm announcing a new feature here on Demensions simply titled "Super." Each month, I'm going to take a look at a different superhero character, or group, and discuss where I think they fit into this pantheon of role models. Keep in mind that I haven't really read comics in nearly 10 years (they were simply eating up too much of my take home pay back then). However, there are great websites that help fill in the gaps, and I'll be mentioning those, too. In any event, I'll be discussing the characters, not so much their current predicaments. After all, the characters themselves are, basically, the same ones that were introduced to us so many years ago.

The first column will appear next month and it will, of course, focus on the big blue guy himself, Superman. See you in 30!