There is hardly a superhero franchise more retarded than the Power Rangers. And yet, it clicks with a worldwide audience in a way few others can. The past few months saw much of young India (including this blogger) wallowing in Power Ranger stupidity with a glee that made marketers and advertisers cry with joy.

So I got to wondering… what is it that makes Power Rangers work? To what insanely dense part of my psyche do five masked, garishly-costumed, kung-fu-fighting teenagers and their equally dimwitted antagonists appeal?

This is the first of the gods know how many part series of posts I have long wanted to write about my favourite storybook heroes. Ironically, I start with an anti-hero.

There is no mistaking Doga for one of Raj Comics’ cleaner heroes. He doesn’t have the powers to avert natural disasters or tackle alien menaces. The human menace on the other hand, is just his element. He gets his hands dirty. He kills.

I love Superman. I love him almost as much as I love myself. And I love him considerably more than I love Batman. But you know why Batman stories take the cake? Because they are so much more than just fistfights.

Superman is generally pictured as the leader of all DC heroes. This is attributed to several things including his smalltown upbringing and his level-headed nature. I couldn’t agree more. It is because of this that I am the Superman fanatic I am. But let’s go over the idea of the ‘leader’ again.

Just thought I should clear some things up. I saw the posters to Hrithik Roshan starrer Krrish and noticed he was being called India’s first superhero. Before him it was Shaktimaan who was labelled thus. Even Spider-Man India got to be called India’s first.

Superhero myth or even comic books in general have never been any part of India’s public consciousness. But I must bite my lips, cut through the hoopla and say that a fact is a fact.