Rhode Island Comic Con 2024: Who Is the Best Superhero?

The Rhode Island Comic Con is set to begin November 1.

What better way to ring in this year’s festivities than with a little comic fandom. So, we polled some of our writers and asked them one question: What superhero do you most identify with and why?

Below are some of the answers we compiled for your reading pleasure. Read below to see Motif Magazine’s picks for their favorite Rhode Island Comic Con superheroes!

Rhode Island Comic Con Writer Picks

John Kotula and Bobby Forand are two of our illustrious writers at Motif. John is well known for his thoughtful On the Cover profiles of many of Providence’s fabulous artists. Bobby writes on a multitude of eclectic interests. We asked them to share their favorite comic book superhero in honor of the Rhode Island Comic Con 2024, and this is what they had to say:

Popeye the Sailor Man: John Kotula

My father was in the Navy during World War II. He had a hula dancer tattooed on his bicep.
Originally, she was naked, but at some point, he was ordered to cover her up, so she had a
grass skirt and a bikini top. He could make her dance, or at least jump around, by flexing his
bicep.

For the record, flexing my bicep has never done much of anything. That may be one of
the main differences between me and my father. Once at a traffic light he jumped out of our car
and punched out the driver in front of us to teach him some road manners. Despite our differences, something we had in common was our love of Popeye.

My dad quoted him frequently. “I yam what I yam an’ that’s all I yam,” “That’s all I can stand, ‘cause I can’t stands no more,” and “I’m strong to the finich, ‘cause I eats me spinach.”

One time when I was in about fifth grade, I was searching around my parent’s bedroom, probably looking for loose change or cigarettes. I found a shoe box with some of those little cartoon porn books called Tijuana Bibles. There was one featuring Popeye and Betty Boop. I was mightily impressed!

I’m Popeye the Sailor Man,
I live in a garbage can,
I like to go swimmin’
With bow legged women
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.

Batman: Bobby Forand

Batman has always been my favorite comic book character and the type of superhero that I would like to be. He has a calming cool to him, whether he is portrayed as a dark and flawed individual or campy with dad-joke one-liners. He’s tough and doesn’t show fear, even in the most stressful of situations. His alter ego can blend in the background, which is a feat considering his extreme wealth. He doesn’t let anyone know anything unless he wants them to. 

While Batman would be the superhero I’d choose to be, it’s not to play with “wonderful toys” or fight evil supervillains (seems like most real-life supervillains just run for public office, which Batman couldn’t do much about anyway). Batman is an expert detective with an uncanny ability to know when people are in trouble. The world is full of people who are in trouble, whether it be financially, intense medical/emotional needs, homelessness or anything from the wheel of life trauma. I would use my Batman skills and resources to help those people work through their crisis. There would be no need for violence, though a “Thunk!” could always be used to celebrate a victory. 

Instead of prowling the streets looking for criminals, I would search for those struggling independently. I’d then use my financial and investigative resources to determine their needs and put them on the right path. It’d be good vs. good where readers would root for everybody (until the do-gooder personality wears thin, but that’s a future problem), and everyone would win most of the time. Being human, there will always be failures and things that go awry, but the heart will always be in the right place. There will be a secret identity to remain anonymous. That’s in the design phase, but it may include some sort of stealth jet pack or invisibility pajamas.

Who Is Your Favorite Superhero?

Comic book characters hold a special place in our hearts. We cheer on their wins and agonize over their losses. We attach their character traits to some of our own. It is in this way, that we make them real-life heroes in our hearts.

Who is your favorite comic book superhero? Let us know in the comments below!

Be sure to visit the Rhode Island Comic Con 2024 from November 1 through the 3rd at the Amica Mutual Pavillion in Providence. You may just see one of your favorites among the cast and characters.