Michael Miller

Reflections 323: Harrison

February 25, 2012

Reflection #5

            When I was a kid, me and my brother, Scott, would always “play stories” because we saw something in a TV show or movie that we really liked and would act it out in our own versions. One story, in particular was about guy coming back to a baseball field he used to play at with his childhood friends, similar to The Sandlot, and he would go on an adventure with them to solve one mystery that had been haunting them for years. Scott and I came up with many stories back then, some that were great, and some that were just plain strange. But that one was played very often because we loved having stories like that to tell especially if a superhero was involved in which we created ones from superheroes we idealized way back when.

            In my adult life, I’ve come up with many problems that were either easy to solve, or hard because of complications or my own hesitations. I remember when I first got to Scotland last semester for a study abroad; I was very nervous to be there because I had never been away from everyone for that long. But I decided to make the most of it by exploring the city, and country, as much as I could to 1. Keep my mind busy and 2. Find out more about the culture that I would be in for 3 months. It wasn’t easy for the first few weeks, but as school started and went on, it became easier to engage in everything and enjoy myself.

            While watching “Captain America: The First Avenger,” I was fascinated by how Steve Rogers was able to rescue captured soldiers from the clutches of the Red Skull and escape with minimal damage and entering without being seen. This showed me how much he had work on his feet to avoid being noticed and helping out people he thought needed protection. This made him a great hero in my book.

Michael Miller

Reflections 323: Harrison

February 19, 2012

Reflection #4

            One day, I was walking on my way towards work where I would be playing a very prominent role in the play I was recently working on. But then, suddenly, I fell into the trap of one of the Joker’s practical, not to mention, deadly jokes where we all got stuck in flypaper and slowly the gases that were infused within them would make me, and the others who were also caught in the mess, insane. But then, suddenly, Batman comes out of nowhere and manages to freeze the sticky tape making it easier for us to escape. While we were all running, I managed to see Batman and the Joker having their little fight and I was just amazed how quickly Batman reacted to everything that was going on and was able to subdue the Joker with some of his knock-out gas. This made me realize how much Batman has been underappreciated and how much we need him in our everyday lives.

            When I told friend how much I appreciated him, it took him a second to look at me with a strange face, as if to ask, why? These made me realize that we don’t normally tell people how much we appreciate them for all that they’ve done and so when they hear it, it takes them aback by what they just heard from us. I personally expected this sort of reaction, but I was glad that I said it because everybody needs to know that they are being appreciated and just that little compliment might help someone get through the rough day that they might have had.

Michael Miller
Reflections 323: Harrison
February 19, 2012

Superman: Great or Not?

 I am not the biggest fan of Superman, mostly because he seems to much like the perfect superhero and that to me does not seem like what a superhero should be like because, if you forget his vulnerability to kryptonite, he can pretty much do anything: fly, shoot lasers from his eyes, and is bullet-proof. While I do like the concepts behind how he was made and he has evolved over the years, I do not like the superhero in general because he does not grow on me like some other superheroes do, like Spider-Man and Iron, both of whom are my favorite superheroes because of how relateable they are to me. Now you can all have your opinions of Superman and all his glory but I personally believe that there are greater and more impressive superheroes out there than Superman and all his glory.

Michael Miller

Reflections 323: Harrison

February 5, 2012

Reflective Essay #2

            Secret identities and real identities are shown throughout the comic universe that it is sometimes hard to determine which is the known and the unknown. For example, when we are reading a comic we see the superheroes as themselves, but when they go back to their identities that everyone else sees as normal, it can be hard to let their true sides show because of keeping it all under wraps. It can sometimes be shown that the person everybody thinks they know is secretive and less “known” than their superhero counterparts. So if we continue to think, we may come to the conclusion that the superhero becomes the real identity and the secret identity is now associated with the “everyman” just like Superman with Clark Kent being his secret identity.

            Superhero morale is something of a mystery to mere mortals like ourselves because it’s hard for us to fathom how we might handle a situation if we ended up with superpowers and something was attacking a place on the planet. We can infer that, just like Uncle Ben said to Peter, “With great power, comes great responsibility” because the more you use your “gifts,” the more looked up to you are going to become because of your obligation to use your powers to help people in a time of need. But when is it okay to put those obligations aside in order for your “real” life to move forward. Personally if I had to choose between a job I was obligated to be at versus having dinner with that special someone, I might have to choose my job because without a job, you don’t have anything to support yourself or, family, with making it more difficult to cope with life. But that’s only my opinion, superheroes deal with this dilemma on a daily basis, making it ten times as difficult to make up their minds.