I’ve been ill most of my life. I have had some heart problems, trouble breathing and nervousness since I was born. But I stayed active. I was inspired by Batman, the Power Rangers and other things I adored to take up gymnastics and martial arts. However, when I was 15, I started to get really ill. Staying awake was a problem, my body was in pain all of the time, and my muscles would go into a heavily weakened state. Eventually I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A lot of the time it was heavily dismissed because people saw it as being lazy, or if my brain was having some serious trouble processing anything, I came off as very dumb. Something that I am deeply self-conscious about. Having ME is not only physically draining, but psychologically damaging.

When I started going in for tests and trying to find ways to get better (still trying to figure it out) I started diving more heavily into Superhero comics. This increased even more when I started university. Superhero comics became a form of salvation and inspiration for someone who used to fight in tournaments, and now has to constantly think about conserving energy.

For someone like Batman, I found myself questioning how he gets things done. He spends the day building his cover as a playboy millionaire, and his nights patrolling the city. Add on to that time for research and training. When does he sleep!? I still wonder this now, no matter how much I read. However, recently going through Batman: Knightfall, I greatly appreciated that they paid attention to how much energy being Batman takes. The Batman was broken in more ways than one by the time Batman and Bane meet.

Superman does exactly what he says on the tin. He provides this amazing home. Especially when going through tough times. A prime example is All-Star Superman #10, however the Superman the Exile Omnibus is also amazingly comforting. Clark, despite being the amazingly powerful being known as Superman, struggles with many of the same worries and set backs that we all do. We see this often in retellings of his origin, but to see it when he’s already established is like an extra piece of him saying “even I have my weak days”.

The somewhat recent Heroes In Crisis was something I was greatly looking forward to for these very reasons. I decided to trade wait for it, and despite all the negative opinions I was hearing, it spoke to me. Was it perfect? No, but when is anything? But there were moments that really shone through and felt personal.

Life can get extremely difficult. Sometimes it’s illness, other times it’s work, unexpected incidents, personal and emotional struggles. But superheroes can be a reminder of so much other than fantasy and action. Sometimes they are a reminder that even gods have low days.