by Ryan Burton

Created on: May 02, 2008

Place your bets!

For many years, there has always been the debate about comic book superheroes, and which is the greatest of them all. Chief among these arguements is the ultimate debate: Superman Vs. Batman. If someone were to ask me who is the better, I would say that there is no contest. They are both supreme heroes in their own manner, and that they are the Washington and Jefferson of the Superhero.

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and was introduced to the world in 1938. His story is basically about being the sole survivor of the planet Krypton. He is an alien who uses his powers to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. Superman is basically the ideal hero (the first comic-book superhero mind you)who is a Christ-like figure. He doesn't kill, and fights to protect & serve not just the good of his city (Metropolis), but of the whole world.

Batman was created by Bob Kane (although the other un-credited creator is Bill Finger) in 1939. After Superman became such an identifiable character, there was huge demand for more superheroes. Only Batman is a hero who doesn't have superpowers. He is an ordinary man named Bruce Wayne. As a child, he watched as family was shot down by a street thug. After years of dedicating his life to avenging their deaths (learning many fighting skills, detective brilliance, and have wide selection of high-tech armory at his disposal), Wayne takes on the disguise of bat which will drive fear into the hearts of criminals in his home world of Gotham City. With his alter ego known as the Batman, Wayne becomes a vigilante against many criminals alike.

There is really not much difference between these two icons. They are both orphans who may have lost their parents by different sets of circumstance, but they both dedicate their lives to protecting the innocent. Although Superman protects Metropolis, he protects parts of the world as well. So in a way, the world is his Gotham City.

The late Christopher Reeve (Superman) had once said the only difference between them was that one could fly, and the other had a cool car. That is a fair arguement for anyone who thrills for either type of exhilaration, but in the end...its the same thing.

Many should not forget that Superman was not always the big boy scout as he is today. During the 30's, the character had done his share of vigilantism. He was seen beating up wife beaters, fighting against munition dealers, and dealing with companies who mis-treated their employees.

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