Big Blue Boys Scouts are outdated. True, there are very few who don't recognize Superman but when was he last time he was relevant? You would probably have to go back to the days of moon pies and drive-in theaters from which he was created.

Or, if you want to go by basketball terms, when big men still ruled the Earth.

The thing about comic book characters, however, is that true icons never truly die. They simply get revamped. Placing modern twists on legends while keeping true to the spirit of what they represented is never easy. Dwight Howard simply makes it look that way. 

Perhaps, that is why we have willingly accepted Howard taking on the mantle of Superman even as the first one still roams the paint.

Our heroes have changed. As our world has become more complex, so have the figures that fill the funny books, giving rise to brooding anti-heroes and anti-establishment.

Flawed heroes-like Allen Iverson-are appreciated for being relatable. Displaying abilities far beyond those of normal men but troubled with the same temptations.

Then there are those like Kobe Bryant, blessed with God-like abilities, who fall prey to their own arrogance or personal demons only to seek redemption towards the end. Their journey from riches to ruin, and back again, enticing scores of followers.

But for every Spawn, Punisher or X-man that has risen and fallen from prominence, it is the simplicity of Superman that has stood the test of time.

Why? Because he represents what draws us to comic books in the first place: The ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Wonderment. Fun, plain and simple.