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And now, in tribute to the style of Ian Watson on the Avengers message board, I now present: Why CrazySugarFreakBoy! is a Lair Legionnaire Saturday, 14-Aug-1999 07:03:53
Sure, we all know that CrazySugarFreakBoy! became a costumed crimefighter out of his enthusiasm for the superhero lifestyle espoused by his favorite comic books. And yet, the question remains, why would such such stories appeal so much to a person that they'd actually go the next step of taking on the massive day-to-day responsibilities of such an unusual calling? Hopefully, the brief summary of points listed below might explain the most important factors in Dream's decision. ----- 1. In the few years of early childhood that they spent together, Louis taught his son about the Native American spirit legends, a series of cultural myths much more polytheistic than most modern Western European religions. Therefore, Dream’s mind was already equipped to handle the concept of a Pantheon of Gods who interacted with the human beings of Earth on a semi-regular basis. 2. Although he’s held a succession of jobs in his fifty-odd years of life, most of Louis’ eclectic assortment of occupations can be simplified to two career functions. He’s served as an electronic engineer, as he was in the Air Force and still is now, to a smaller extent, on the tribal police force, and as a trained soldier, serving the military in defense of his country, and in the law enforcement of his reservation homelands later on. Thus, the primary ideals that he passed down to his son were those of both an inventor and a warrior; fix what’s broken, and defend what you love. 3. When Louis abruptly left his son as a child, Dream was deprived of a father figure, and resorted to hero worship as a means of filling this sudden absence in his family unit. Indeed, before his mind had even started running to the symbolism of comic books yet, he had already created an imaginary mentor named “The Harlequin,” with whom he embarked upon many pretend travels and games as a small boy. 4. Because the conditions of his childhood were less than ideal, especially after Louis’ departure, Dream was predisposed towards hiding in worlds of fantasy to avoid dealing with any unpleasant parts of reality, such as the fact of his father being gone away now. Not long after his creation of the Harlequin character, he also discovered the swords and sorcery school of fiction through novels such as The Hobbit. Although he went on to explore other genres of art and writing, his early exposure to these epic stories was enough to convince him that the true purpose of life was to live out those tales of adventure he’d read. 5. Just as he adopted the essential basics of his father’s moral code, his mother taught Dream about the importance and practical application of those beliefs in his everyday existence. It was from watching her unflinching determination in the face of frightening obstacles, such as the educators who sought to send her son to “special” schools, that Dream got a sense of how to stay brave against far more formidable foes. Granted, Dream’s boyhood memories of caring for his mother after she was beaten and raped were heavily filtered through his comic book-distorted view of events, which explained away her injuries by telling himself that she was a superhero who’d gotten worked over by the bad guys. However, the sight of his protector, whom he’d previously thought of as fearless and invulnerable, in so much pain must have deepened his subconsciously engendered desire to ease the suffering of others and set the world right, to “save the damsel in distress,” so to speak. ----- As an epilogue to this piece, it's worth noting that, while Dream grew up on a healthy diet of J.R.R. Tolkien, his favorite book of all time is the classic science fiction tome DUNE, by Frank Herbert. I leave it to those of you out there in the audience to discern how many aspects of that story arc have mirrored themselves in the events of Dream's real life. ----- Orion: "Our story is a generational one. Most men eventually become their fathers, or so I'm told." Superman: "I wouldn't know." - The New God become old, and the Man of Tomorrow whom tomorrow has passed by, sharing a moment of bitter reminiscence in DC's Kingdom Come. Kirk Boxleitner, United StatesNavy journalist and occasional scribe of Dreamcatcher Foxglove's exploits |
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