TheWRITEaddiction.com

I have to admit, that when the challenge was put out to write about a comic book hero who’s story of origin inspired us, I was not sure what I would do.

My wife has a deep love and knowledge of most comic book heroes, but I did not.  Oh boy, how do I pull this one off?!

Well, I started researching.

This “story of origin” had been a running theme, dare I say a buzzword, in our little writing group… and I’ve either been so busy or disconnected from things that I did not even connect all the dots of where it stemmed from.

Folks, this is getting into the “psychology” of the great comic book heroes!

Where they have come from? Where they have been?  What happened in their life to have given them the powers we know today?

These are the questions that the story of origins dare to answer, giving the readers the backdrop of who they are today.

So now I’m suddenly more tuned into the comic book mind set.  This has heart and connects us to the essence of what defines their spirit.

After being inspired by Green Arrow and his desires to help those less fortunate than him, I couldn’t escape my connection and fascination with Captain Marvel.

Young Billy lost his parents suddenly to an accident on an archaeological dig.  Now homeless, he wondered into an underground cave and found seven statues representing the seven deadly sins of man.

Now you’d have to be hiding in a big cave yourself to have not seen Seven, the movie that never lets you forget what those seven deadly sins represent.

This is where he met the Wizard Shazam, who chooses Billy to take on the special powers by saying his name aloud and transforming into a grown Captain Marvel.  He’d have to repeat his name again to go back into the form of young Billy.

Okay, I’m officially caught hook, line, and sinker. Shazam is an acronym for some of the mightiest in Greek Mythology.

Solomon – Wisdom

Hercules – Strength

Atlas – Stamina

Zeus – Power

Achilles- Courage

Mercury – Speed

What I love about the Captain Marvel  story is that it’s essentially about growing up, realizing the responsibility that comes with being an adult, and trying hard not to lose your innocence along the way.

This is a  story about a  boy who had some tough life circumstances come his way, and then realized he  had the responsibility to do the right thing, even if it meant leaving his own dreams behind – is one that really resonates with my life today.

I’m a new father with an international family that has had to leave my own country, and business we started to grow with passion and excitement, one with massive potential –  behind.

It’s now about the responsibility of being a new father, and seeing life through a very different lens than I had before and having the courage to see new dreams and possibilities in front of me.

I hope that Captain Marvel and his strength, stamina, power, courage, and speed (gifts bestowed to him by Shazam) will help inspire my own life and new responsibilities as I walk a road less traveled.

At the very least, he got me hooked back into the wonderful world of comic book heroes.