Hello!
My name is Jimmy Champane, and I’m returning as a Student Blogger this year. I am also the Editor-In-Chief of The Anchor, Hope’s very own campus newspaper. Below you’ll find the first post from my column, #nofilter. If you like what you see, you may want to consider writing for The Anchor when you attend Hope yourself!
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This past summer I re-fell in love with comics. I crazy that I ever fell off the train because anyone who has come within ten feet of me at any point in time knows how much I love Marvel movies. If I’m remembering correctly, it was because Marvel killed off Peter Parker again, (yes, again), and I decided I was done with the cycle of death and guaranteed resurrection that Marvel seemed to be caught in with all of my favorite heroes.
I don’t know what made me do it, but one day last April I decided to look up reviews for the Spider-Man series that started up after Peter’s death, ‘Superior Spider-Man.’ I couldn’t believe my eyes. Every single one of the 31 issues had received a score above a 9/10 from countless review outlets. I decided right then and there to give Marvel another chance by purchasing the entire ‘Superior Spider-Man’ collection from ComiXology.com, and boy, am I glad I did.
What I found was an incredible story about what happens when one of the biggest villains in all of comics, Dr. Octopus, switches bodies with Peter Parker and then sets out to be a better Spider-Man than Peter ever was. Spider-Man lost his wit, his empathy, even his classic costume, but what replaced him was not only hilarious in its own right, it was genuinely exciting to read. By taking Peter Parker, a character that Marvel won’t even let have kids so they can keep him young, out of the equation, Spider-Man was able to travel down one of his darkest paths yet.
Anyone who kept up with the news last summer undoubtedly heard that two of their key characters, Captain America and Thor will have some major changes happen in their respective series this fall. Sam Wilson, commonly known as Steve Rogers’ African-American sidekick, Falcon, will take up the helm and shield of Captain America. In Thor’s neck of the universe, something will happen rendering him unworthy to hold his trusty hammer, Mjolnir, and his title will be taken from him by a woman who is unknown at this time.
Of course, whenever big comic book characters get replaced, there has been a massive uproar from internet trolls, keyboard warriors, armchair lawyers and the kinds of people who make fifteen Twitter accounts just to sling homophobic slurs at writers. I think a few years ago, I would’ve reacted in a not-so-great fashion too. After seeing how amazing something like this can turn out when it’s done with care, I have an incredible amount of confidence in Marvel to get this right.
The good thing is that if they mess it up, and let’s be honest there’s always a chance they will, Marvel isn’t killing Steve Rogers or Thor. Steve just got his Super Soldier Serum removed so he’s about 90 years old physically right now, and Thor just gets to wield a crazy battle axe and he at some point will receive a metal arm. That being said, I think I’ll try my hardest to enjoy it for what it is. I’ll also keep in mind that with ‘Marvel’s The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron’ is looming on the horizon, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll see Steve Rogers and Thor back in action soon.