Comics week continued
If you read my blog on Wednesday, you may remember me mentioning a friend at whose house I discoved a pile of comics on a visit where I (as usual) woke up waaaayyy too early. Well, some choose to call him Tim. Tim James and I met because we were both Freaks. Yes, I use a capital "F." That's because the theatre group that we were part of, which did local plays, the haunted house, dinner theatre, etc. called ourselves The Freaks of Dutchess County. And when some of the us moved out of the county (due to angry mobs or the call of Hollyweird), we took to calling ourselves The Freaks of the World. Grandios, perhaps, but so far no one has challenged our title. Go figure.
I never thought to see Tim in daylight, let alone the sunshine state. He was known as our resident vampire, rarely sighted before dusk, always in black or, if particularly upbeat, dark gray. But low and behold, we've managed to end up in the same state, about an hour and a half away. His wedding anniversary and my book release are the same month. Coincidence? Well, yeah, but that's so anticlimactic.
Anyway, as a long-time comic fan, I asked Tim to post on the topic from his perspective and here it is:
The World (or at least Comics) According to Tim
I enjoy reading a good story. A great book that holds my interest and refuses to be put down is one of the greatest joys in life. The same can be said for short stories, movies, plays, magazines and even comic books. Comic books are not mindless stories meant just for children. The comic books of today tell tales with fascinating people and amazing deeds. They contain humor, inspiration, tragedy and triumph. As an adult in my forties, I am asked why I like comic books. It is because I like good stories. The story of Kraven’s last hunt from Spider-Man was more about relationships, strength of character, love and loss than two people in spandex pounding on each other. Comics of today teach lessons that often can’t be talked about in other media. Unfortunately this is because people look at the comic media and don’t take it seriously. When the HIV epidemic came to be and people didn’t know much about it, the Incredible Hulk had one of his friends come to him because he was dying from AIDS. The majority of the story took place next to a hospital bed. The Hulk struggled to comfort his friend in his last moments. The most memorable instant came after someone mentioned that they had forgotten to ask how the friend came to be infected with HIV. The Hulk asked what difference it would have made, this person was the Hulk’s friend and he was there for him when he was needed.
Spider-Man constantly teaches that doing the right thing is often the hardest thing to do, but is always the right thing to do. Constantly striving to be the “good man” that he believed his Uncle Ben to be while living with the guilt he carried for his Uncle’s death, Peter Parker pushes himself to do the best he can and lives with the consequences that life rewards him with. Thor reminds us that we all have greatness within us, but that we need to know humility to achieve true greatness. The Fantastic Four represent the family we all know. We all have our problems and we would sometimes like to clobber our brother, sister or spouse - but we won’t let anyone else do it and will always come together in a crisis. Captain America, or rather Steve Rogers, believes in his ideals and never settles for anything less. He knows that there may be consequences, but he has faith and renews the faith in others.
But my favorite comic character of all time is Doctor Doom, a super villain. You may ask how a villain came to be my favorite, and the favorite of many, many others. Like many things in the comic world things are not always black and white. Doom may seem a despot and villain, but to the people in the kingdom he rules he is their King. The lives they lead may not be the same as ours, but that doesn’t make their lives wrong. Doom gives his subjects peace, work, health. There are no locks on any doors in Latvaria, because they don’t need them. And the world wouldn’t need them if Doom ruled the planet, like he believes he should. There is no one better suited for the job. Ok, that does sound a bit villainous doesn’t it? He’s still my favorite.
So if you like stories about people battling for what they believe in against insurmountable odds, soaring through time and space or over the rooftops of skyscrapers, of wizards in training and dictators being overthrown, of men trapped in bodies that can’t touch or feel, families protecting that which is truly important then you can see a movie. Or read a book. Or take in a play. Or even spend time with a comic book. I enjoy them because they are all good stories.
I never thought to see Tim in daylight, let alone the sunshine state. He was known as our resident vampire, rarely sighted before dusk, always in black or, if particularly upbeat, dark gray. But low and behold, we've managed to end up in the same state, about an hour and a half away. His wedding anniversary and my book release are the same month. Coincidence? Well, yeah, but that's so anticlimactic.
Anyway, as a long-time comic fan, I asked Tim to post on the topic from his perspective and here it is:
The World (or at least Comics) According to Tim
I enjoy reading a good story. A great book that holds my interest and refuses to be put down is one of the greatest joys in life. The same can be said for short stories, movies, plays, magazines and even comic books. Comic books are not mindless stories meant just for children. The comic books of today tell tales with fascinating people and amazing deeds. They contain humor, inspiration, tragedy and triumph. As an adult in my forties, I am asked why I like comic books. It is because I like good stories. The story of Kraven’s last hunt from Spider-Man was more about relationships, strength of character, love and loss than two people in spandex pounding on each other. Comics of today teach lessons that often can’t be talked about in other media. Unfortunately this is because people look at the comic media and don’t take it seriously. When the HIV epidemic came to be and people didn’t know much about it, the Incredible Hulk had one of his friends come to him because he was dying from AIDS. The majority of the story took place next to a hospital bed. The Hulk struggled to comfort his friend in his last moments. The most memorable instant came after someone mentioned that they had forgotten to ask how the friend came to be infected with HIV. The Hulk asked what difference it would have made, this person was the Hulk’s friend and he was there for him when he was needed.
Spider-Man constantly teaches that doing the right thing is often the hardest thing to do, but is always the right thing to do. Constantly striving to be the “good man” that he believed his Uncle Ben to be while living with the guilt he carried for his Uncle’s death, Peter Parker pushes himself to do the best he can and lives with the consequences that life rewards him with. Thor reminds us that we all have greatness within us, but that we need to know humility to achieve true greatness. The Fantastic Four represent the family we all know. We all have our problems and we would sometimes like to clobber our brother, sister or spouse - but we won’t let anyone else do it and will always come together in a crisis. Captain America, or rather Steve Rogers, believes in his ideals and never settles for anything less. He knows that there may be consequences, but he has faith and renews the faith in others.
But my favorite comic character of all time is Doctor Doom, a super villain. You may ask how a villain came to be my favorite, and the favorite of many, many others. Like many things in the comic world things are not always black and white. Doom may seem a despot and villain, but to the people in the kingdom he rules he is their King. The lives they lead may not be the same as ours, but that doesn’t make their lives wrong. Doom gives his subjects peace, work, health. There are no locks on any doors in Latvaria, because they don’t need them. And the world wouldn’t need them if Doom ruled the planet, like he believes he should. There is no one better suited for the job. Ok, that does sound a bit villainous doesn’t it? He’s still my favorite.
So if you like stories about people battling for what they believe in against insurmountable odds, soaring through time and space or over the rooftops of skyscrapers, of wizards in training and dictators being overthrown, of men trapped in bodies that can’t touch or feel, families protecting that which is truly important then you can see a movie. Or read a book. Or take in a play. Or even spend time with a comic book. I enjoy them because they are all good stories.