E D I T O R ’ S
M E S S A G E
E d C o m e y - L a w C l e r k t o U. S . B a n k r u p t c y Ju d g e M i c h a e l G. Wi l l i a m s o n
Happy Mother’s Day
To all the moms out there, you are superheroes in my book.
I
“To be a superhero, you need a power that is more
exceptional than any power a normal human being could
possess.” — Stan Lee
I suppose Lee, who led Marvel Comics for two decades
and created the likes of Iron Man and Spider-Man, is an
expert on the subject. But he’s wrong.
Let me explain. Recently, I saw Captain Marvel. In the
movie’s opening scenes, we meet Vers, a member of
Starforce, an elite unit of the Kree alien race, which is
in the midst of an intergalactic battle with the Skrulls.
As the story unfolds, we learn Vers is really Carol
Danvers, a U.S. Air Force pilot who crashed testing an
experimental jet engine designed to allow the Skrulls
to escape the Kree. Because of
the crash, Danvers developed
the ability to absorb energy
and shoot photonic blasts from
her hands. Eventually, Danvers
(who becomes Captain Marvel
after learning her real identity)
realizes she must take on the
Kree, but she fears she’s not
strong enough to do so — even
with her superpower.
Maria Rambeau, Danvers’
former co-pilot in the Air Force,
gives her a pep talk:
“You are Carol Danvers. You
were the woman on that black
box risking her life to do the right
thing. My best friend. Who supported me as a mother
and a pilot when no one else did. … And you were the
most powerful person I knew, way before you could shoot
fire through your fists.”
The most powerful person I’ve ever known couldn’t
shoot fire through her fists either. But, in my mind, she
had all the qualities of a superhero.
6 >= ? / ? - ) * < ? : 5 ; 2
+??.38>?7>0=<1
My mom had a tough life. She was raised by a single
mom who had to work waitressing jobs just to make ends
meet; had to drop out of nursing school to care for her
sick grandmother; and after my dad died, was left to raise
four boys (ages 14, 11, 10 & 8) alone. Armed with only a
high school education, she worked every job imaginable
— cleaning houses and repaving driveways in the Florida
heat among others — just to get by.
Though no one would’ve begrudged her for doing so,
not once did she complain about her lot in life. Despite
seemingly having the worst luck, she was the most
optimistic person I knew. Even though she never had more
than a couple dollars to her name, she had the kind of class
that comes from being content with who you are. She was
funny, humble, gracious, kind,
and tough as nails. As I’ve thought
about her since she passed away
last July, I’ve realized these aren’t
qualities she was born with —
they came from choices she made.
According to comic book
historian, T. Andrew Wahl, DC
Comics tried to capitalize on the
feminist movement in the 1960s
and 1970s by stripping Wonder
Woman of her powers. As Wahl
explains it, DC Comics’ approach
was “Super powers don’t make
the hero. It’s the heroic choices
they make that make the hero.”
Being a mom requires making
heroic choices every day. I was blessed to be raised by a
mom who made those heroic choices. I am also blessed to
be married to a woman who makes those heroic choices,
to have nieces and nephew who are raised by moms who
do, and to be friends and work in a professional community
with women who do. I don’t care what Stan Lee says, to all
the moms out there, you are superheroes in my book.
#