The Real Superhero?

After reading and watching the Watchmen, I began to really think about the whole idea of being a superhero. In my mind originally, I pictured superheroes as the greatest version of oneself; super abilities, morally straightforward, and fighting for the sake of mankind. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all possess these traits, but are they really superheroes? They live in a imaginative world, with no real life scenarios that take place that we, as readers, can reflect and find connections with these make believe heroes. Sure, writers and artists reflect what they create on the times at hand, by incorporating global events like Vietnam and the Cold War. But these superheroes are still fictional characters living in an almost perfect world, were the good guy trumps the bad guy, and the good versus evil aspect always ends with good on top. Now, when I look at Watchman, I see what a “real life” superhero is. These are not even heroes, but just your average Joe bored with their lives and saw putting on a costume as a way to better themselves and to find their identity. Their world is much like our world, where rape, drugs, violence, and corruption fuels society. The society that they “help” rejects them and sees them as outcasts, officially banning them of their duties by an act created by the United State government. The only true “superhero” in the story is Dr. Manhattan, but he so disconnected with humanity that he really just acts as a robot working for the government. Overall, what I am trying to say is that this graphic novel is incredible. As weird as it sounds, I want to see more novels like this. I enjoy reading books and things related that the characters in the story face problems and actually fail them. I HATE happy endings, because not every story has a good guy win in the end. I apologize if I offend anyone’s love for superheroes, but this is just how I feel  about the concept.