Comic Books

There is a soft spot in my heart for comic books. Growing up, I was a big collector and reader of them. My particular interest revolved around stories involving super heroes. As it was for many kids my age - and perhaps even today - my comic book world revolved around two primary universes: DC and Marvel. On the one hand, there was Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. On the other, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Iron Man, X-Men, and Thor held sway. There were other heroes on each side, of course, but these were among the main ones. It was all fun and, to me, made for lots of fun reading. But as I aged and moved through the latter part of my high school years and then onto college, my interest in comic books waned.

Now, here I am a grandfather and not all that far from entering into full-time retirement. Guess what I did just a few days ago? That's right. I went down to a local comic books store and purchased a bunch of old comics. Since then, I feel as if I have been visiting with old friends. Fun stuff. I confess, however, I am not finding the writing to be as compelling as I remembered. Nor are the plot-lines quite as gripping as I recall. Still, these many years later, I can appreciate this form of communication perhaps in a way I did not when much of my world revolved around these special communiques.

Creating these characters and coming up with adventures for them month after month required a great deal of imagination. Even more than that, such vision did a great deal to spur my imagination and, no doubt, that of many others like me. Now, coupled with the many super hero movies being produced these days, it is as if the imagination industry is one steroids. To that I say "bravo!" Active imaginations coupled with a clear sense of reality is a good thing. Together they provide the basis for brighter tomorrows.