When Childhood Habits Have More Meaning

Now im sure anyone in their youth has read comics and I have to say that instead of ruining your perception of the world, comics (not that shitty archie and supandi crap) but real comics have got so much hidden meaning that it turns my head inside out wondering how they ever went unnoticed under the radar. To cite a few examples i'll bring books that i've read in my youth in this discussion.

#1 - The Incredible Hulk
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Most ppl say oh its about a guy turning into a green monster and destroying everything in sight but on further inspection, its actually about a guy fighting inside demons to make sure hes not a menace to society. teaches kids to keep their anger in check and even if they can let things go loose and cause havoc not to do so. I remember reading my first comic about Bruce Banner and how hes so mild mannered but the demon inside needs to be culled or else it will cause problems. The movie on this comic did not do as much justice as it should have infact it failed where the comics have done so well over the years. i remember Stan 'the man' Lee giving Bruce the power to control his change and that made the comics even more interesting to read.

#2 - Bob Kane's Batman
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Now, alot of people just watch Batman and say wow nice gadgets, funky car, millionaire lifestyle, James Bond in the dark. what they dont see if who Bruce Wayne really is, a kid who is so mangled on the inside because of his parents death that he familiarizes himself with the darkest animal that there is in the animal kingdom and then goes on a vigilante mission. Enemies like Two Face, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, etc in the original Batman series actually shed light on more human imperfections and the very place of Gotham really can be disected to show how modern society and law fails and darkness has truly got the upperhand in the modern world.

#3 - Uncanny Xmen
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This used to be a staple diet of mine till Scott Lobdell stopped writing for them. The initial series with the original Xmen tackled issues of non-acceptance in society based on the fact that mutants were just normal humans that looked different. The later series of the uncanny and brotherhood got a lot more into the issue and how the Genoa crisis clearly showed racism in the modern world. Top class writing for Marvel standards that have now gone totally pop and have lost their meaning.

#4 - Amazing Spiderman, Peter Parker Spiderman, Spiderman
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By far the most loved comic book character ever made. Peter Parker is the average joe showing responsibility and what better model for kids growing up. Its almost like ObiWan telling Luke about the way of the force lol. This book deals with a guy who has real-life problems and yet finds the time to deal with villains. granted the earlier issues were mostly done with the fact of just having a hero come around and save the day but as the Amazing Spiderman got into the clone issues as well as the Kraven issues it showed Pete in a much more human light struggling for money, running from the public, dealing with a personal meltdown and the demise of Ben Riley, Gwen and Flash Thompson.

#5 - Superman
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Im sure at some point in our lives Clark Kent made us jump off high beds in the hopes of flying lol but even this comic book with all its flare and supernatural workings shows a man who has the power to take over the entire world but he doesnt. instead he goes thru life hiding his true abilities and helping a race that he could snap in an instant.

There are so many more that ive read over the years. Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Fathom, Witchblade, etc. But ive got to say that no matter the writer, no matter the era, no matter how many iterations the writes and artists go through there is always some moral point to take home from these comics. Be it racism, the power of responsibility, the mere fact of showing us how society is fucked up or just people running away from their own insecurities these books have the power of teaching and sometimes emulating these heroes can show us a better way. So the next time someone says that 'Comics will rot your brains' take a step back and have a nice chuckle for what do they know about lol.

cheers
MEL