Happy Birthday Superman (and Batman, and Spider-man, and Wonder Woman, and …)

I’ve been reading comic books for the better part of 33 years, and as a kid I remember DC Comics having this column each month called “Ask the Answer Man!” I think the writer of the column was Bob Rozakis or something along those lines, and readers could submit questions for him to answer—hence “The Answer Man”. Anyway, one time someone asked him what Superman or Batman’s birth date was, and his answer was pretty sensible and something I’ve always remembered. He gave a date of February 29th. Now, why would he have picked that date? Well think about it: Superman has been around since 1938. Batman came along the next year. Even Spider-man, who was considerably younger, premiered in the early 60’s, and would be in his 40’s in “real life”. How do these guys stay so young looking? Well, it’s because they only have a birthday once every four years! Try not to think too hard about it—but it is fun to think about nonetheless.