I find the stories from comic books
most interesting because of how it appeals to regular people. Usually about a hero and their struggles
fighting crime within a crime infested city at the same time battling an internal
struggle. Weather it is hiding a secret
identity from the people he/she loves, or upholding the laws of a beautiful
city. Either way the life of a comic
book hero is something most of us can admire when we read it.
I was surprised when my 5-year-old
son showed an interest in one of my old Uncanny X-Men comics. He didn’t know the names of the characters or
knew what the comic was about, but he loved seeing the drawings. Bit by bit I
would explain the characters and eventually take him to a comic book store to
get his own comic books.
I found it weird that he would
always compare himself to the character Hank Maccoy or Beast. Beast is a fury blue scientist with super
human strength and agility but under his gifts, he struggles with being a
mutant and wanting acceptance by regular humans. His blue fur is a something Beast cannot
hide, making him stand out even more then other mutants within the X-Men comic
series. I could not understand the
connection with my 5-year old son and a fictional furry blue scientist.
It finally
came to me when I took him to see the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past. When the movie introduced the character Beast,
my son focused completely on him and did not look away. Hearing how nerves Beast was about
confronting people, and how he would have to talk himself into being brave
reminded me of my son when he had his first day of kinder garden. My son had to practice being brave when
meeting his new teacher for the first time.
He also was nervous when meeting new kids, not knowing if to play with
them or not to be there friend.
My son even
at 5-years old identified a piece of himself within the story of a comic
book. He related to the character on a
personal level and found that they both share insecurities beyond what is on
the surface.
So if my
5-year old son can relate to a comic book character I know we all can.
