Ben's classroom. Mike finally gets to give his lecture. He starts, "The male figure has been worshipped from Michelangelo's David all the way to Captain Astro." There's even a slide show behind him, showing various comic book heroes dressed like overdeveloped Russian figure skaters. Mike continues on about "strength" and "musculature," but falters. Could be due to the snickering students in the front. Ben nods at him reassuringly. Mike gives his head a shake and sighs, "I'm sorry, you know what? I haven't a clue what homoeroticism in literature means, I just know that The Flash looks good in tights." God rest his soul. Mike says that he started reading comics when he was a kid: "At first, it was fun. I liked the stories, and I liked the pictures. It was a great escape from all the shit -- uh, sorry, the stuff that was bugging me. And my mom didn't want me to read them." But once he realized he was gay, Mike says that he read them for a different reason: "Because, in ways that maybe were not intended, these superheroes were a lot like me. You know, at work they were meek and underappreciated. They were the guys that never get laid --" That gets a laugh. "-- And when they're around other people, they can't let anybody get too close for fear that their true identities would be discovered." But despite all the obstacles they face on a daily basis, the superheroes he read about still survived. Mike concludes, "I believe the same about us. That's what the comics have shown me -- that despite everything, we'll survive. And we'll win." Ben smiles proudly. Oh, please, please, please, don't make him like the Demon. I really want to like this guy.