This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Super Heroes Saving Regular People

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I recently picked up the X-Men graphic novel With Great Power that also features (you guessed it) Spider-Man, and collects X-Men #7-11 (the 2011 volume). Within the first dozen or so pages were three really short mini-stories, perhaps a page or two each, in which three member of the X-Men intervene in some comparatively simple situations where they save a person falling from a bridge, stop a robbery and solve a hostage situation. Angel, Colossus and Wolverine are shown individually as the prevent the negative results of the aforementioned situations, and I honestly enjoyed the opening pages far more than the rest of the story.

I think that’s because I love watching heroes that may not often be in street level situations react to them. Superman stopping a bank robbery isn’t shown as much in comics as the occurrences of Spider-Man doing the same; heroes that are frequently seen stopping world ending threats aren’t often seen stopping the corner store from being robbed. So when these moments happen in comics, I get stupidly excited (it’s also why I’m drawn toward heroes that don’t tend to be overly powerful, either).

Characters who are often seen as, or are, gods (Superman, Thor or the Hulk) being seen helping, or having an impact upon the common man often serves as a reminder of why the world sees them as heroes. Sure, Thor can go and save one of the other realms, but the postmen and women doing their regular jobs will never know about it. So it’s those rare moments that we get when we see a hero stepping out of their regularly scheduled programming to stop a robbery that are what I wanted to highlight today in a truncated column.

Saving the world, galaxy or universe stories are great, but sometimes I want to be reminded of the fact the Superman could casually save my life as I plummet to my impending doom as a result of the cable snapping when I wash a skyscraper’s windows. I want to think that Colossus will stop a taxi because someone’s ankle is caught in a drain. In short, I want to be reminded that superheroes will actually save regular people in between stopping Darksied and Apocalypse.

That’s why I think these stories are Underrated.

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Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.