Why I Love Comics

My friends who know me (or strangers that have had conversations of more than 3 minutes with me) will tell you that I love comic books. The reason for this love, nay, this passion, is that they inspire me. Now to those of you who look down on comics as something that is meant for 8 year olds, or alternatively, something that is read by guys with no life, I can assure you that you are right on only one of those accounts.

However, just because some guys who read comics haven't got a date since 1998 does not mean that that is an accurate representation of us as a whole. Anyway, like I said, comics inspire me. What makes great literature is not fancy descriptions of nature or a depiction of eternal love. What makes great literature is the stories capacity to make us sympathise and relate to its characters. I once personally offended my wife because I said something mean about a character in a book that she personally related to. That is great writing.

I can't quite explain what its like to read a comic and be moved as Captain America, or Spiderman or Batman comes through once more. You have to read it for yourself. It is something that is subtlety set up by master craftsmen who know how to tell an unreal story in a very real way.

But it’s more than just that. Superheroes, by their very definition, are super. They are beyond what we experience in this world. They are legendary, heroic figures that fight the battles that shape their world. They are titans amongst men.

That is the sort of life I want to live for God. I want to be a heroic and legendary figure. But just as Superman doesn't save people to see his face on a lunchbox, I don't want to be a hero for my own glory. I want to bring glory to God in the same way that Superman or Captain America glorifies justice. I want to be a hero that inspires others to live righteously and to live for God.

The greatest thing about comics is that ultimately they are stories about ordinary people who can do extraordinary things. I don't know about you, but I believe that that is the call for every Christian's life. That is something that I can relate to.