Adam’s Weekly Blog: Superheroes and Me

Salutations and various other forms of greeting beginning with the letter s. Ya boi is back with another weekly blog.

Halloween is over for another year, now all that’s left is bonfire night, aka the one night of the year I can’t walk two feet without some random person with a multi coloured explosive making me jump out of my skin, and the massive corporate monster which is Christmas time, which I have been dodging like some sort of peppermint flavoured plague since August.

Of course with the ending of October comes the ending of Taletober- thank you for all your support and kind words for our readings, gave me all those warm fuzzies. And of course, big congratulations to Alex for winning our Halloween Costume Contest with his chilling Eyeless Jack costume. As someone who’s early teenage years were often spent browsing creepypasta and freaking myself out before bedtime, I can say it put a smile on my face.

Anyway, that’s not what I want to talk about today- I’m branching into my roots as a nerd and talking about superheroes. Why? Because this is my platform and I can do whatever I want and you can’t stop me!

If you’ve been following my blogs, or just know me in person, you’ve probably noticed my love for costumed individuals saving lives. I often make recommendations of superhero media in my monthly favourite’s blogs, and make obscure references to it. So today, I wanted to shed a light on just how much superheroes mean to me, what they could mean to one of your loved ones, and their general importance to media, and the world as a whole, to nerdy folk like me.

Our journey starts when I was a wee lad. By the time I was six years old not only did I realise that early morning cartoons were superior to the watered down after school cartoons, but also that my older sister was not aware that early in the morning, so wouldn’t force me to watch Bratz or other similar drivel. I had free reign over the remote and I felt powerful! Of course I loved to watch Pokémon, the Diamond and Pearl series back then, but there were four other shows that were always on my watch list- the Justice League, the Legion of Superheroes, Spectacular Spider Man and of course, still my favourite superheroes, the Teen Titans. I hadn’t been exposed to things other than Disney movies back then, so seeing these quirky individuals beating up bad guys really blew my mind. I loved Beast Boy, Raven, Spidey, The Flash, Timberwolf, and so many of these awesome characters that would appear on my screen; I figured out their personalities, their characters, and came to a stunning realisation.

These were the little guys.

I was an awkward kid, not sporty, not popular, and was often the target of a lot of not-nice stuff. But take someone like Spider Man, a young science geek who could kick serious butt. I started relating the fact that against these heroes were fighting against villains, who I saw in my bullies. I knew that these awesome superheroes wouldn’t be like the adults in school and turn a blind eye, but would fight against them. I knew from a young age that I was better than them- they were the Jokers and Lex Luthors of the world, and I had hope from these cartoons that they wouldn’t get their way. Of course, fifteen or so years later I have not checked up on any of these people- I don’t really want to, so I can’t see if that hope came to fruition. But still, I know in my heart that no matter who they are today, they were always the kind of people the heroes wouldn’t accept. And heroes were cool!

I would start getting into comic books, and even drew some of my own during high school. They were… embarrassing to say the least… believe it or not it was a collection of various anthropomorphic animals fighting against an evil duck. I had a ninja monkey, a tiger princess from outer space, and a sloth that was able to change people’s clothes into underwear- I know, not very combat practical, but funny as hell.

Of course nowadays, my repertoire is expanded, with the anime My Hero Academia allowing my personality to be seen for the first time in a superhero setting with the main character Deku, a shy and awkward guy who is learning to be powerful, as well as an appreciation for many other characters, DC and Marvel alike. Superheroes have also helped me reach out to people- my closest friends I met on a superhero chat forum, and they are some amazing people from all over the world I couldn’t live without.

I’ll run through a few of my favourites from the popular two comic companies, figuring y’all don’t want me talking about Deku for ages. The final two are more anti-heroes, but you cannot deny what awesome characters they are.

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Beast Boy- DC

This hero has been my favourite ever since I was a little kid. Garfield Logan, or Beast Boy, is a green guy from the Teen Titans who is able to transform into animals. I’ve always been attracted to this power and it would be the one I would choose if I got the opportunity to be a superhero. Beast Boy himself is super laid back, funny, and I always liked seeing his antics. Right now, an amazing Teen Titans graphic novel series by Kami Garcia is being serialised, and I absolutely love how she wrote Garfield in it- and his relationship with the other Teen Titan (and admittedly my first crush), Raven. I can’t get enough of his amazing personality, and wish the Teen Titans Netflix series did him more justice.

Spider Man- Marvel

As stated, Spider Man, or Peter Parker, is a nerd. He got bullied, and was never a popular kid. Even when he got his superpowers, it still happened. It makes him infinitely more relatable than any wishy-washy Disney protagonist who always gets what they want and has everyone love them. Still, Peter remains a good person, and has some pretty cool powers too. Reading Spider Man comics, or watching the movies, it’s always a good laugh, and I can’t help but smile when Spidey is around.

Also there isn’t an argument, Tom Holland is the best movie Spider Man, closest to the comics.

Hulkling- Marvel

This love is a pretty new one, but a big one nonetheless. Despite his name, Hulkling isn’t a hulk at all, but actually a hybrid of two warring alien races, which joins the Young Avengers. I love me some big strong monster heroes, but Hulkling, or Teddy Altman, is a gentle giant, kind of a dork and very loving and protective, sort of like I am. However the real meat and potatoes of why I love this superhero is that he’s Marvel’s LGBT poster child, along with fellow young avenger Wiccan, who he is in a relationship with. It blew my mind seeing this representation in my favourite media, and ever since, I have held Hulkling close to my heart. I just hope Disney don’t butcher him when he and Wiccan make it into the MCU. If you’re interested in this more niche hero, check out the Young Avengers comics, or read the Empyre omnibus.

Harley Quinn- DC

I often say that while Marvel has the best stories, DC has the best characters- and that’s true of Harleen Quinzel, or Harley Quinn. I know what you parents are thinking, Margot Robbie in a scantily clad outfit being super violent. But there’s a lot more to the character.

I first came across Harley in the cartoon The Batman, an edgier, grungier version of Batman for the modern audience. Not only did she become another early crush in my life, but it got me interested in her comic origins. She’s a tragic character, with so much depth, and DC has given her so much amazing development. She’s even a member of the Justice League in modern comic canon, making her a full time hero! She’s funny, and has gone through so much yet still remains a great character. I’m not going to stop loving Harley!

Loki- Marvel

Lately, brother of Thor and villain of the Marvel Universe Loki has taken on an anti-hero role, and I love to see it. I’m big into mythology and stories from other cultures, so Marvel’s delving into Norse Myths makes me very happy, especially Loki. He’s an eccentric, flamboyant pansexual who’s just here to mess with people and have a good time- and I love that. With the Loki TV series, the current comics, and one of my favourite novels, Where Mischief Lies, he’s gotten a more heroic role, one that I think is very deserved. I love Thor a lot don’t get me wrong, but his sassy little brother is always going to be much dearer to me- and I can’t see where he goes next.

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I could have talked about so many heroes, Deadpool, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Flash, Aquaman etc, but in the end, I don’t want to go on forever about this. But hopefully you can now understand how comic books and superheroes appeal to me, have helped me grow and allow me to see myself, and the little guys in general, take a stand against oppression and justice. Superheroes are not racist, homophobic, sexist, or anything that is a big problem with people in our society- they fight against those who think that way. And that’s something pretty special in this day and age…

Thanks again for tuning into my weekly blog. If you want to see me talk about more things that interest me, anime or dungeons and dragons perhaps, let me know! I always love seeing people’s feedback.

Happy November and take care y’all!