SuperWHO?

I had to chuckle at my six-year-old son, Grady. He's wearing a black velvet mask/headpiece that's cooler than Zorro's. He has a black shirt, pants, gloves and cape. The only part of him that doesn't look like midnight is his pale, freckly cheeks, nose and chin, and his tooth-deprived grin.

"Dad," he says, "can you think of a good superhero name for me?"

"Hmmm," I respond thoughtfully. "It depends. What are your super powers?"

"Oh, I haven't decided yet," he replies casually. "I'll think about that AFTER I finish my costume and come up with a cool name."

That's modern culture. Form first, then function. Image, then impact. Perception, then purpose. Appearances, then accomplishments. Covers, then content. Many seem more concerned with the packaging than the product.

Back in the day, wasn't actually DOING something super or heroic a prerequisite for being called a superhero?