Why I Love Marvel Comics
Marilyn: Be careful with Marvel.
Me: You should've told me that 15 years ago.
My long and tortured love affair with Marvel Comics under the cut:
As I mentioned in my last fandom entry, I was taken in hook, line, and sinker by the toyetic cartoons of the 80's. However, what had easily the biggest influence on my life was the cartoon known as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
It was so cool, Spider-Man was funny and had all these amazing powers. And he was everywhere! Toys, video games, etc. Through the toys (which came with cards) and the arcade games, I learned more about Iceman and his friends the X-Men.
It wasn't long before the X-Men got their own cartoon in 1992. Around that time, a store called The Dream Factory opened in my local mall. It sold comic books. What was a comic book?! I don't know, but it had Spider-Man, the X-Men, and a new issue would come out once a month EVERY MONTH! And these comics had reached hundreds of issues, there was no sign of stopping!
My first comic book was Spectacular Spider-Man #199, which guest-starred the X-Men. It was so much fun, I read it over and over! At the end of the issue, the villainous Green Goblin, who somehow knew that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, kidnapped his wife, Mary Jane. The next issue #200, promised to be a milestone and special anniversary issue. Spectacular Spider-Man #200 was simply amazing...the Green Goblin turned out to be Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn, and even though he was crazy and wanted to ruin Peter's life, he eventually came to his senses just in time to save Spider-Man, at the cost of his own life.
It was a pretty intense issue, and I was hooked. Being familiar with the Marvel Universe through the card series, I was curious about the Fantastic Four, and in addition to reading Spider-Man every month, I hopped aboard the Fantastic Four train to read the World's Greatest Comic Magazine! I was a casual X-Men reader but could really sink my teeth into X-Factor, and eventually the new book, Generation X.
I bought the toys and video games, and my love of the Marvel Universe expanded, reading titles like Avengers (Heroes Reborn may be briefly drop Fantastic Four), Captain America, Daredevil, X-Men on a regular basis, Spider-Girl...basically my high school years (1996-2000) greatly expanded my love for and knowledge of comics. And there were movies then too! Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man when I was in college...what a time to be alive.
Although Post-9/11 Bill Jemas-era Marvel was dull. It was a time of decompression, and I feel like only Brian Michael Bendis could do it well. Favorite heroes of mine like the Human Torch and Hawkeye got their own books, but they were boring. The Ultimate Universe made me a bit uneasy because they didn't feel like the Marvel heroes, but at least their books weren't pissing me off.
That era ended soon enough, what with Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo's Fantastic Four and all, but then came Avengers Disassembled. That was...bleh. Yeah, I no longer liked Bendis. I had been reading Marvel long enough to know that he was writing everyone stupid and out of character and the change-ups were just to grab attention (Spider-Man and Wolverine on the Avengers? Gimme a break!). The big events were fairly stupid, House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion...World War Hulk painted the Illuminati in a bad light, and the heroes became unheroic (Xavier was ruined in a different story). But nothing topped what they did with Spider-Man. After talks and attempts to make Spider-Man single again, they finally did it, they had Peter and Mary Jane sell their marriage to Mephisto to save Aunt May. BLEH!
Being in school, I'm down to about 5 Marvel titles a month, and I'm behind. The Spider-Man thing really burned me, and no matter how inconsistent Marvel is as a whole, they'll still publish at least one thing a month that is enjoyable. Plus, the cartoons and movies continue to be awesome.
Needless to say, when I saw that Marvel Studios was looking for interns, I applied immediately! They called me for a phone interview last week, and I bragged about my skill, so they had me come in for an in-person interview. I think it went well, but it sounds like they have a lot of applicants.
They said it would take about a week to get back to me, and I still haven't heard from them, so I'm nervous. I told my advisor about it, and she said they may not be the best company to intern with. I wouldn't get to sit in on any meetings, but I would be doing some research for them and typical office duties.
Eh, I have no idea...I need an internship, though, and soon!
Me: You should've told me that 15 years ago.
My long and tortured love affair with Marvel Comics under the cut:
As I mentioned in my last fandom entry, I was taken in hook, line, and sinker by the toyetic cartoons of the 80's. However, what had easily the biggest influence on my life was the cartoon known as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
It was so cool, Spider-Man was funny and had all these amazing powers. And he was everywhere! Toys, video games, etc. Through the toys (which came with cards) and the arcade games, I learned more about Iceman and his friends the X-Men.
It wasn't long before the X-Men got their own cartoon in 1992. Around that time, a store called The Dream Factory opened in my local mall. It sold comic books. What was a comic book?! I don't know, but it had Spider-Man, the X-Men, and a new issue would come out once a month EVERY MONTH! And these comics had reached hundreds of issues, there was no sign of stopping!
My first comic book was Spectacular Spider-Man #199, which guest-starred the X-Men. It was so much fun, I read it over and over! At the end of the issue, the villainous Green Goblin, who somehow knew that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, kidnapped his wife, Mary Jane. The next issue #200, promised to be a milestone and special anniversary issue. Spectacular Spider-Man #200 was simply amazing...the Green Goblin turned out to be Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn, and even though he was crazy and wanted to ruin Peter's life, he eventually came to his senses just in time to save Spider-Man, at the cost of his own life.
It was a pretty intense issue, and I was hooked. Being familiar with the Marvel Universe through the card series, I was curious about the Fantastic Four, and in addition to reading Spider-Man every month, I hopped aboard the Fantastic Four train to read the World's Greatest Comic Magazine! I was a casual X-Men reader but could really sink my teeth into X-Factor, and eventually the new book, Generation X.
I bought the toys and video games, and my love of the Marvel Universe expanded, reading titles like Avengers (Heroes Reborn may be briefly drop Fantastic Four), Captain America, Daredevil, X-Men on a regular basis, Spider-Girl...basically my high school years (1996-2000) greatly expanded my love for and knowledge of comics. And there were movies then too! Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man when I was in college...what a time to be alive.
Although Post-9/11 Bill Jemas-era Marvel was dull. It was a time of decompression, and I feel like only Brian Michael Bendis could do it well. Favorite heroes of mine like the Human Torch and Hawkeye got their own books, but they were boring. The Ultimate Universe made me a bit uneasy because they didn't feel like the Marvel heroes, but at least their books weren't pissing me off.
That era ended soon enough, what with Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo's Fantastic Four and all, but then came Avengers Disassembled. That was...bleh. Yeah, I no longer liked Bendis. I had been reading Marvel long enough to know that he was writing everyone stupid and out of character and the change-ups were just to grab attention (Spider-Man and Wolverine on the Avengers? Gimme a break!). The big events were fairly stupid, House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion...World War Hulk painted the Illuminati in a bad light, and the heroes became unheroic (Xavier was ruined in a different story). But nothing topped what they did with Spider-Man. After talks and attempts to make Spider-Man single again, they finally did it, they had Peter and Mary Jane sell their marriage to Mephisto to save Aunt May. BLEH!
Being in school, I'm down to about 5 Marvel titles a month, and I'm behind. The Spider-Man thing really burned me, and no matter how inconsistent Marvel is as a whole, they'll still publish at least one thing a month that is enjoyable. Plus, the cartoons and movies continue to be awesome.
Needless to say, when I saw that Marvel Studios was looking for interns, I applied immediately! They called me for a phone interview last week, and I bragged about my skill, so they had me come in for an in-person interview. I think it went well, but it sounds like they have a lot of applicants.
They said it would take about a week to get back to me, and I still haven't heard from them, so I'm nervous. I told my advisor about it, and she said they may not be the best company to intern with. I wouldn't get to sit in on any meetings, but I would be doing some research for them and typical office duties.
Eh, I have no idea...I need an internship, though, and soon!