Am I a Superhero to My Sons?

Raising kids in my hometown means that my past and present are always colliding especially at the movies. I'd like to think my own story will have a heroic ending.

- By Kevin Wilson

I live in the same county where I grew up. So when my family and I drive to the Oldham Theatre to see a movie, almost always a superhero movie, because it seems like there's a new one every single week, it's hard not to remember eating Jolly Ranchers in this same theater while watching Batman in 1989. My sons, 14 and nine, are sitting in the same chairs that I sat in when I was their age, and they have to hear me say, every single time we go to the theater, "You know, I saw my first Batman movie in this very same theater." And they say, "Yes, god, we know. And you ate Jolly Ranchers from the concession stand." And I say, "But not the Jolly Ranchers that you kids eat-" And they interrupt to say, "Yes, they were a different size. We know. Dad, the movie is starting."

Watching the new Batman movie means that the entire time, I'm thinking, Michael Keaton was a very good Batman, and then thinking, Val Kilmer was criminally underrated as Batman, and George Clooney was Batman? Jesus, and Christian Bale was supposed to be the last Batman I ever had to deal with, and I never saw any of the Ben Affleck movies when he was Batman. I used to go see all the superhero movies.