This Just In...

Well, no, I don't really have a newsflash or anything for you, I just thought I'd give you a break today from the regularly scheduled programming that is the descriptions of conception and baby birthin'. One can only take so much, and then, well, you know - even slasher films have overkill.

Today we're watching Spider Man 3 on the 'ole DVD. We saw it in the theaters, but it's one of those movies you just gotta watch again. I mean, there's mom, apple pie, baseball and Spider Man. It's just one of those things that comes with being American.

Now, I'm an old skool comic book fangirl. I've collected comics since my junior year in high school when an old boyfriend got me interested in them. For years I followed the works of the fantastic Stan Lee, from the X-Men to all the other Marvel Comic books with any measure of fame. I was as deeply involved with the characters as any "regular girl" would be in the daily soaps. My "Patch" and "Kayla" and "Bo" and "Hope" had names like Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue and Gambit. I have, since the very beginning, been deeply engrossed in their histories, their stories and, most importantly, what they stood for.

The movies for all of these comics were not at all disappointing. Some might say that they didn't stick close enough to the story for any true fan to enjoy them, but I differ. I say the movies for Spider Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, The Hulk (as bad as it was) stay true to the spirit of those comics, focusing instead on "staying true to the story" and more on the interactions between the heroes and "normal humanity", and the struggle of those heroes to remain true to themselves, their humanity, and those they care about. That's what comic books have always been to me.

Parents see comics as a waste of time. They see them as a way to avoid doing homework, a way for kids to sequester themselves in their bedroom and do God-knows-what. What parents don't realize that a lot of times, comic books teach valuable lessons that kids might not get otherwise. Where else can you find a group of people who are hated because of who and what they are (prejudice, anyone?) and who fight to change the way society thinks about people and things that are different from them? You'll find that in the X-Men. Want to learn lessons about a troubled youth who is unsure how to balance life, love, and responsibility (oh, yeah, and there's that radioactive spider bite stuff) who is actually not just a do-no-wrong superhero; he has flaws, he makes mistakes, and he owns up to them and does his best to make them right. You can find that in Spider Man.

They're far from a waste of time. If used correctly, they're a vehicle to teach children that society isn't perfect; we have our flaws as a human race, but if we work together we can learn from each other and not only overcome our differences, but manage to get those differences to work for us.

Now, I haven't read and collected comics for a few years now, and they may have changed. My bet is that they haven't, at least not that much. If the new books don't reflect what I'm talking about, then the older books (from the '90's) are more than likely fairly easy to find. Give 'em a shot, keep an open mind, and besides, you might enjoy 'em, too.