For as long as I can remember, I was a big superhero dweeb. Anything Marvel, DC, or indie comics I have probably seen, but I was never a big comic book guy. I didn’t like reading much as a kid. I would have Spider-Man 2 playing on loop in my DVD player all day long, but wouldn’t pick up reading material. However, in the summer days when I was 7 or 8, my dad would take me to his job. At the time, he was working at a restaurant, and I couldn’t do much to help. This was also right before smartphones or tablets were used to entertain kids, so I didn’t have much to do. A couple of times before he clocked in, he would take me to a convenience store the next block to find things to keep me entertained. He would buy me drawing pads, crayons and pencils.
One day, he noticed that they carried packs of comic books. Each packs contained about 3 comic books. They had different characters from different companies, and no comic book actually related to the plot of any of the others I got. But he bought them for me and I spent my day at his job reading them. In all honesty though, I probably just looked at all the pictures. However, I did genuinely enjoy the comic books. My dad would tell me how he loved comic books growing up; he was a poor farm boy in Mexico and he barely scraped enough change, but comic books were an escape from his tough real-life situations. This was his way of introducing one of his favorite childhood pastimes onto me.
Most of my older comic books were thrown away because I wasn’t responsible enough to take good care of them, but I recently began the hobby again. I’m trying to pick up the new series and story arcs, which is especially tough since many series can date back to the 60s and 70s. I also like to pick up graphic novels because they compile multiple issues that have one story arc.
Superhero media has always been something I delved into. As a child, I watched the movies and cartoons, and now I’m trying to keep up with the original source material in comic books. Something about extraordinary feats has always dragged me into comic books and the science fiction genre in general. To me though, superheroes like Spider-Man mean more than just physical strength; while I may never have the ability to swing across New York City, Spider-Man constant struggle with life and his willingness to help others despite it inspires me and millions of others. Batman helping others so they don’t have suffer through the loss of loved ones like he did early on in life is something that many people can relate to in some way or another. The superhuman traits of comic book heroes are great, but what makes a character so memorable is how we see humanity, society, and ourselves in them.
I liked how in depth you where in describing your history with collecting comic books. It’s great reading about what made something so significant and important to someone. Especially if they’re so passionate about it.
Hey Kevin! it was great being able to read about your comics, it was so interesting to read about your interest in comic books and how you’re trying to pick up series from the 60’s and 70’s, I’m an album collector so I know difficult it can get to try and collect something that’s out of print, it’s so stressful lol. It was great reading your post and I really like how you explained in detail how you came to like comic books and how that interest has grown over the years for you.
So interesting! The fact that your father loved the comic books too as an escape from the harsh reality shows how significant comic books can be! Overall, love how you began in the first paragraph. I was hooked because of the details you bring in to show the reader how your love for comic books started.