I promise you—maybe—that this will be the last time I harp on about Superman as made by the Mego Corporation.

But it’ll be tough.

Because this figure—this exact one—is an engine of the time machine that powers both the book and this blog.

And here’s the part that really messes with collector logic:

The most important Superman in my collection is, by grading standards, a beater.

Busted rubber band.
Missing chest emblem.
Frayed cape.
Batman’s boots instead of Clark’s proper red ones.

Second… or third… or fourth hand. Found in the wild. Clearly lived with. Clearly used.

And somehow, it hits me in all the right places.

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Totem Lens — The Survivor

No matter how much mindfulness, self-examination, or Jungian lens work I put this figure through, it still has a hold on me.

And I finally stopped trying to “outthink” that.

Because this Superman doesn’t represent perfection.
He represents survival.

This is not the hero frozen in mythic pose.
This is the hero who’s been dropped, repaired, improvised, and kept going anyway.

The busted elastic isn’t damage.
It’s evidence.

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Shadow Acknowledgment (Without Apology)

Collectors are taught—quietly, constantly—to chase “better.”

Better condition.
Better completeness.
Better versions.

But here’s the shadow most of us don’t name:

We confuse replacement with healing.

We think upgrading the object will fix the feeling.

This Superman refuses that lie.

Because if I replaced him with a pristine example, I wouldn’t be restoring meaning—I’d be erasing the proof that meaning survived.

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The Line in the Book That Changes Everything

Buried in the book is a quiet truth that unlocks the whole thing:

Your collection isn’t about what you kept. It’s about what kept you.

That’s the liberation.

You don’t need the best version.
You don’t need validation from grading scales.
You don’t need permission to love the one that held you together when you were still figuring things out.

This entire project—this book, this blog, this conversation—isn’t about toys.

It’s about recognizing that what endured with you matters more than what endured untouched.

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This Isn’t Just About My Beater Superman

This is about the parts of you that didn’t come through clean.

The patched-together confidence.
The borrowed boots.
The missing emblem you would have had to redraw for yourself.

If you’re waiting to feel “complete” before honoring your story, you’ll be waiting forever.

This Superman didn’t wait.

Neither should you.

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Spark Action

Today, don’t look for the best piece on your shelf.

Look for the one that looks like it’s been through something.

Ask yourself one question:

“What did this help me survive?”

That answer is where the real power lives.

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Closing Reflection

I won’t apologize for loving this figure.

The only apology I’d ever owe is if I didn’t help expand the way we talk about collecting—away from condition and toward connection.

Because sometimes the most powerful time machine isn’t mint.

It’s just honest.

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Thanks for joining me on this never ending journey of recapturing the moment, memories and feelings.

Now, Go Play!

Jim
01/03/2026

P.S. Don’t be afraid to subscribe, share, comment and just enjoy what you love. You have permission,