First of all, I apologize for the lack of posts on this site. I have been extremely busy with school ,but luckily this is the week of finals so I will have more free time soon. While writing my final English essay on my favorite song (Which is currently "Space man" by Trav B Ryan), I began to think about the impact that comic books have had on me. When combined with my absence on this site and the recent release of Avengers: Infinity War, I decided to come back to write about the impact the comic book industry has had on me.
The Omnibus that became my favorite comic book
I had bought comic books from a really early age and after a successful year at school, my reward would be to go to the local comic shop to buy one comic book. As a young child, this was one of my absolute favorite things in the world. I don't remember the very first comic book that I ever bought, nor do I remember the first comic book that was gifted to me but I do remember my first favorite comic book. My first favorite comic book was an Ultimate Spider-Man Omnibus that my grandfather gave me when I was really young. The book that was written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Mark Bagley. I was in love with this graphic novel that showed the amazing Spider-Man in his teenage years. To this day, Teenage Spidey remains my favorite version of Spider-Man. For many years, I considered comic books as nothing more than just entertainment. It wasn't until fifth grade that I began to understand the industry on a deeper level. During my years of middle school I was bullied for not being as athletic as the other kids and for being the best in our grades in certain classes. I was punched, called names, and even had my water bottle poured all over my textbook by one of the many class bullies. I had one really good friend through middle school and that was it. One day, I found the Spider-Man collection that had been stuffed away in my dresser. I pulled it out and I began to read it. I read the whole thing within the day. As I read, I began to relate to the character. I understood how Peter Parker felt when he was bullied for being nerdy, not fitting in, or not being great at sports. I understood what it was like to want to do good in the world and care for people but I was stuck being the "little guy". I was awkward and shy in social setting and tended to keep to myself. I began to notice that I would use humor as an outlet for the stress and troubles I had. When I heard people laugh, it made me feel better and forget about the troubles that I have. The story that Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley had crafted began to speak to me through the panels. I watched Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy and fell in love with the character all over again. I wanted to be Spider- Man. Now, the story didn't instantly change my life but it gave me hope and inspiration. It inspired me to not longer take the abuse that life was giving me. I would stand up for what's right and give other's hope in anyway I can. I was able to start seeing things in a more positive light and keep a smile on my face. Spider- Man remains my favorite superhero because in many ways I can still relate to the wall-crawler.
I guess you could say my love for superheroes began here. I was always a fan of the characters, even before I could read I could identify Superman, Batman, Spider- Man and the Hulk. It wasn't until years later that I began my passion for comic book collection. The lessons I learned through comic books were never forgotten. With each new comic I collected, I learned a new lesson in some way. For example, through the Flash I learned to always move forward and through Captain America, I learned to stand against evil no matter the odds and to be loyal until the end. Each hero has a lesson that can be learned from them. Superman reminds us that hope is not lost. Ant-man shows us that our past does not define us. Batman proves that we can overcome any heartache or trauma. Green Lantern shows us that we can do anything we set our minds to. Iron man teaches us that there is nothing wrong that we can't fix in some way. The X-men prove to us that its okay to be different despite what other people may say.
Hope
Understanding
I truly believe that people can learn things from comic books. They give hope and inspire us to be something better. Yes, comic book characters may be fictional but there are heroes in the real world that serve to inspire and bring us hope too. These people may be soldiers, policemen, a family member, a close friend or a stranger. I didn't focus on those people in this article since I wanted to focus on how comic books impacted my life, especially Spider-Man. I think Aunt May sums up my article best in the following quote from Spider-Man 2. I will also include the video clip for this if you would rather hear the motivation that can come from heroes.
"He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero—courageous, self-sacrificing people setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them…cheer them...scream their names. And years later, they’ll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on a second longer. I believe there’s a hero in all of us…that keeps us honest…gives us strength…makes us noble…and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most – even our dreams. Spider-Man did that for Henry and he wonders where he’s gone. He needs him. "
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