Truth, Justice and the Catholic Way

By Melissa August, Amanda Bower, Val Castronovo, Ling Minhua, Ellin Martens, Julie Rawe, Sora Song, Joel Stein, Josh Tyrangiel and Rebecca Winters

HOLY COMIC BOOKS! To appeal to young Catholics, the Vatican has approved a comic book about the life of Pope John Paul II, with emphasis on his soccer-playing, ski-slope-bombing youth in Poland. "He really wasn't a geek!" insists the comic's narrator, Grandpa. Comparisons with other comic-book heroes make us wonder why no one thought of this before.

BATMAN

ALTER EGO Bruce Wayne COOL CAR Batmobile TRAGIC PAST Parents killed when he was a child URBAN PERCH Gotham ARCHENEMIES Riddler, Penguin, Joker SUPERPOWERS Batlike reflexes; dizzying array of gadgetry WEARS A CAPE? Yes

SUPERMAN

[ALTER EGO] Clark Kent [COOL CAR] No need [TRAGIC PAST] Home planet destroyed [URBAN PERCH] Metropolis [ARCHENEMIES] Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Metallo [SUPERPOWERS] Faster than a speeding bullet; ability to leap tall buildings [WEARS A CAPE?] Yes

POPE

[ALTER EGO] Karl Wojtyla [COOL CAR] Popemobile [TRAGIC PAST] Mother died when he was 9 [URBAN PERCH] Vatican City [ARCHENEMIES] Communists, Beelzebub [SUPERPOWERS] Transubstantiation; hot line to Jesus [WEARS A CAPE?] Yes