I have good reason to take superheroes seriously.

Most of my memories of childhood are two-dimensional. I was a haunted child, my father having died in an incident of street violence in Pittsburgh when I was 2 years old. That sort of early loss and awareness of death affects you, and by grade school I was often withdrawn or angry, but there was one place I found refuge: comic books.

My favorite character, as my mother likes to remind me, was Spider-Man. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was in Spider-Man that appealed to me before kindergarten, but it was powerful enough that I taught myself to read on his comics when my mother tired of reading them to me. Or so she tells it. I don't really remember.

Childhood memories are unreliable, and to tell the truth, I really don't have any solid memories of anything until pretty much high school. I remember the feeling of childhood, more than events: Memory comes in flashes and emotional aggregates. I remember feeling safe, or not safe. I remember feeling scared, or sometimes happy.

And I remember Spider-Man in a series of iconic images: Spider-Man battling The Vulture high in the New York skyline, the Green Goblin tossing Gwen Stacy off a bridge to her doom, Peter Parker – Spider-Man's alter ego – leaving his costume in an alley trashcan and walking away. And in the end, I remember Spider-Man reclaiming his mask, standing up to villains because someone has to.

"With great power there must also come – great responsibility," wrote Spider-Man creator Stan Lee, in the character's first appearance, in “Amazing Fantasy” No. 15. Spider-Man had to fight because he was able to, because he could do things other people couldn't. It's the kind of thing that makes an impression on a kid.

Fast-forward to today, and Spider-Man is everywhere: Stan Lee's face is painted on a mural outside the Hangover Pub on Green Street, and next door, in the restaurant Broth, the walls are adorned with iconic comic book images of both Spider-Man and the X-Men, along with the scrawled lyrics from Biggie Smalls songs. Spidey's in the movies, too, with a small-but-important role in the “Avengers: Endgame” in addition to his own tale, “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Both movies are blockbusters, with the former having just become the highest-grossing box office of all time, passing “Avatar.”

You would think it's a good time to be a comic book fan, but is it?

This Business of Super-Heroes

“Definitely,” says Ken Carson, the general manager of the comic book store That’s Entertainment in Worcester. The answer is a little surprising … conventional wisdom says that the comic book industry is in decline, with Forbes magazine saying that sales for 2018 were down 1% in dollars from 2017, and nearly 6% by volume, a trend that has continued for quite some time. But evidently, things are looking a little rosier on the corner of Park Avenue and Lois Lane, as is observable on a recent Saturday afternoon visit, which saw the store bustling with life.

“There isn’t the same blockbuster growth that there is in the movies,” says Carson, “but comic sales for us have been holding steady for the past couple years. Sometimes it translates very explicitly, someone will come and say, ‘I just saw the Wonder Woman movie' … They’ll recognize that it’s the source material.”

Certainly, superheroes seem more popular than ever: You can’t turn around without seeing them on television or in movies. Numerous critics keep predicting the end of the bubble, but they seem to miss the point: That there’s a reason for the popularity of these sorts of stories.

“I guess one of the elements is wish fulfillment,” says Carson. "You can put yourself in the heroes’ place, and think of what it would be like to have superpowers.” Carson recounts the apocryphal tale of Jerry Siegal, creator of Superman, thinking to himself on a hot Cleveland night, “If only I could fly.”

Carson says there’s also another side to the appeal: that superheroes can “often right wrongs that have no practical solution. People think, ‘if only someone had the power to do something about this … ' whatever injustice they’re thinking of at that moment. 'Why are these things happening in the world,' and from that, we imagine a superhero who actually can do something. It’s a way to alleviate all that frustration.”

Holding Out for a Hero

“There has always been a special place in my heart for superhero comics,” says rapper Sean-Michael Leon Brooks, who performs under the name Leon Legacy. “There is something irrefutably compelling about watching a hero in action, putting everything on the line to save others and stand up for what's right, even if it costs them their lives.”

Rapper Angel Geronimo, who performs under the name Death Over Simplicity, concurs, saying, “I find some superheroes appealing because of their use of their gifts — super strength, speed, flight, etc. — to help others, rather than live as a mythological god to the people below them, which in my opinion goes against the ‘think of only yourself’ mentality that is very common today.”

Looking back from adulthood, it seems obvious that part of the appeal of superheroes to me was a deep-seated, inarticulable desire to be rescued. I wanted a Spider-Man or Superman or whoever to save me from that void in my own chest. It's a common enough desire, I suppose. We look for that sort of security in religion, politicians and family, and sometimes those things fail us. We need only look to the newspapers to realize how often those things can fail us, and how horribly.

Fictions are different. The right story can speak directly to a person's particular demons, and begin to transform them. Somewhere along the way, I stopped overtly looking for superheroes to save me, and instead, I wanted to be one. I wanted to stand up to bullies and help people. In retrospect, that was probably a bit of naivety and vanity, but it's still probably healthier than where I started.

In a lot of ways, what draws people to particular comic books is a highly personal and individual experience. Fitchburg teacher Alison Miles says she loves them because they’re “quick reading, engaging stories and visually pleasing.” Worcester pharmacy technician Eric Fair says he likes, “The fantasy aspect, escapism and storytelling.”

Worcester artist Scott Boilard says he loves the art. “I've always primarily bought comics if it had unique and or very high quality artwork and design,” he says, adding, “my collection is very varied.”

Worcester-area artist Veronica Fish, who among other work has recently finished a run on the all-ages comic “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” for Archie Comics, working with her husband, artist Andy Fish, says she’s re-reading the original "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,” a Japanese manga comic by Hayao Miyazaki, and "Winterworld" by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino. Miles, too, noted that while she reads comics, most of them don’t feature superheroes.

“I don't know if they're more popular,” says Andy Fish, “The movies certainly are, but superhero comic book sales are not all that strong. There are so many non-superhero books that outsell them like the recently ended ‘The Walking Dead.’ When you travel to different countries you find comic books are a popular medium but there are very little superheroes — so they remain an American thing.”

Perhaps, but they’re certainly culturally persistent, and for many readers, a goodly part of that is nostalgia. Local singer Dale LePage said, “I read them because it brings back such incredibly fond memories of my childhood.” Lancaster-native musician Reggie Bates, currently of New Hampshire, says, “I still collect, but only specifically from the era I grew up on (’80s-’90s X-Men and their relative titles). I’ve been meaning to check out a more recent title but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I still pick up standalone graphic novels as well.”

It seems, for many readers, the love of comics becomes frozen in a particular time, or evolves. Some, such as Geronimo, have maintained a love of superheroes with comics in other genres. “Currently, I'm reading 'Saga,' which is a fantastic story of various species in conflict in space. I'm really excited to pick up ‘House of X’ (an X-Men story) written by Jonathan Hickman when that is released this month. And every few months I catch up on ‘Walking Dead’ comics.”

Others, such as Brooks, echo Andy Fish’s sentiment, saying, “It’s been a while since I have picked up an American comic book, to be honest. There's just so much going on with every single hero all the time, so many different comic books and timelines. Once you kind of fall away for a little while it can be kind of intimidating to come back and try to play catch-up when all of your favorite heroes have done so much.”

Never-Ending Story

That torrent of story and continuity has proven to be both a feature and a bug for both comic creators and fans. Recent efforts by DC Comics to “reboot” their characters’ continuities in an effort to attract a new audience, jettisoning decades of stories, left readers befuddled and angry, forcing the company to “reintroduce” old story elements. For some of these readers, the complexity is part of the appeal. Chris Denmead, host of WCUW’s “Radio of Horrors” program, says he likes “the plot left hanging on some issues, wondering what is going to happen next.” He’s not alone.

“You’re talking about long form stories that have developed since as far back as the ‘60s,” says music promoter Barry Dennis, “with complex characters and intertwined stories and relationships. Marvel Comics has a story arc with Tony Stark (Iron Man) that dealt with his alcoholism; Hank Pym (the original Ant Man) abused his wife; Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman from ‘The Fantastic Four’) was in a love triangle with her husband and the Sub-Mariner.”

Dennis feels that the length of time relationships are given to develop in comics gives them more emotional impact than they may have in a movie or a handful of episodes of television.

“I don’t think people realize that all the time,” says Carson, pointing out that some of the plots in superhero movies or TV shows “boil down decades of complex, sprawling comic book continuity to a couple of hours, and I think people sometimes don’t realize that what they’re watching has usually played out in comics.”

Carson admits that’s a double-edged sword, pointing toward the recent film “Dark Phoenix,” which he admits he hadn’t seen, but was aware that it was poorly regarded by critics and fans. He says the story, which played out in the pages of “The Uncanny X-Men” from 1976 to 1980, is generally considered one of the greatest superhero comic stories ever, which made its box office flop a surprise to many.

“You try to adapt a story that took decades to build up the emotional punch," says Carson, noting that audiences had spent very little time with actor Sophie Turner in the role of Jean Grey. “Without that attachment to Jean Grey, how can it be devastating?”

The flipside of that disconnect is the death of Tony Stark in the movie “Avengers: Endgame.” Audiences had watched actor Robert Downey Jr. shine in that role through the bulk of 22 movies over the course of 10 years, and had become emotionally invested in his story.

“Watching a movie or TV show is very different,” says Geronimo. “Music for one. If I do listen to music while reading a comic it's usually not orchestral scores accentuating every big battle. Action sequences are awesome, seeing Dr Strange use his magic, Hulk smashing things, and hearing what Spider-Man's web 'thwip' might actually sound like. But the mediums are so economically different. For example, comics can create story arcs that last years and draw from decades of lore and storytelling, killing off any character the story requires. Movies on the other hand have to make extreme amounts of money to cover production costs, keep their contingent of stars in their roles, and will only greenlight a sequel when it makes sense financially. It's been amazing to see the (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies and TV shows, and the (DC Comics Extended Universe) using what comic readers have been enjoying for years, which is continuity and a shared universe for their various super powered beings. The ‘Walking Dead’ show has lost its star actor, while the comic Rick Grimes can continue forever with support of the fans. I enjoy it all, but the experiences are different.”

(Note: “The Walking Dead” comic will be ending in October, for what appears to be creative reasons.)



Carson says comic books are often an “idea factory” for Hollywood, but that “you definitely have to put more time into comic reading than movie-watching in order to participate in the comic book hobby, but I think that’s more rewarding.”



‘You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly’

Certainly, I thrilled to superheroes on TV in my youth. The Adam West “Batman” was in reruns, in all its campy glory, and I loved the Saturday morning cartoon exploits of Captain America, Iron Man and especially “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends,” which paired Spidey inexplicably with a minor X-Men character, Ice-Man, and a new character, Firestar (who has since been introduced into the comics.) But they were always an addenda to my comics addiction, never the main attraction. They were fun, but even as a child, it was clear that they lacked the depth. Even the Christopher Reeve “Superman” movie, as spellbinding as it was, wasn’t a substitute.

Memory, as mentioned earlier, isn’t a reliable tool, particularly childhood memories, but I distinctly remember the thrill of that film, of seeing Superman come to life. I, as the advertising slogan went, believed a man could fly. But that moment of cinematic magic never replaced my love of comics, it simply added to it. For others, the route was reversed.

“Reruns of the 1966 ‘Batman’ TV show with Adam West got me to seek out Batman comics,” says Andy Fish. “Even as a kid, I thought the more mysterious ‘dark knight’ type of Batman in the comics was more interesting than the do-gooder of the TV show. I loved the combination of action, mystery and sometimes horror. My other passion at the time was Universal Monsters, so Batman in the comics sort of touched both bases.”

If anyone knows about the dichotomy between comics and their dramatized counterparts, it's Andy and Veronica Fish. The character they’ve been working on lately, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, is also featured on a more adult-oriented Netflix series, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

“The Netflix series is based on the comic book ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,’ which for one reason or another has been stalled out. The relaunch we did was more in line with ‘classic’ Sabrina, which has been a character in the Archie-verse since the early ‘60s — but there are certainly some darker elements to this series and I'm sure Archie did the relaunch to capitalize on the TV show. Overall it stands on its own as a more ‘all ages’ version of the TV show,” said Andy Fish.

Of course, the other Archie characters are also getting darker televised makeovers in the CW TV show, “Riverdale,” but the point being: Consumers are becoming accustomed to there being multiple versions of the same characters in different mediums. For example: How many versions of Batman and the Joker are currently being featured in film, TV and comics? Once, comic book companies and studios would never have allowed that duplication, but now the audience takes it in stride.

“It’s very interesting,” says Carson. “Superhero movies, are maybe the biggest movies in Hollywood, but comics haven’t had that same exponential growth in readership. Part of it is in that word, ‘readership.’ I would see that with people who say they loved ‘Lord of the Rings.’ They’d say, ‘I haven’t read it yet, but I loved the movies.”

Just Like Starting Over

I’ll confess, I’ve quit buying comics on numerous occasions, although I’ve never stopped reading them. The first was when I was attending college in England, and the cost became too burdensome. More recently, I quit because of the expense, and because I had trouble keeping up with fractaling stories that spread over numerous titles. I don’t even mind that sort of story, but it gets expensive.

Looking through the new comics racks at That’s Entertainment, I find I’m not even sure where I would begin if I were to start again. Sorana Gatej, the store’s marketing manager, says that she fields that sort of question all the time.

“I ask a lot of questions,” she says, of how she helps a new or returning comic reader begin. “Start with genre first: horror, mystery … find out what they like to read, or what movies they like to watch.”

She says if they’ve never read a comic before, she’ll walk around the store with them, and focus on current titles and first issues.

During the short visit, Gatej manages to convince several customers to buy the first graphic novel collection of “Locke & Key,” a comic written by novelist Joe Hill, son of novelist Stephen King. The comic is being developed as a Netflix show. It seems the cycle continues.

Still, it’s hard to deny that so much of what dominates popular culture starts with the humble comic book. “Hundreds of thousands of people read comics,” says Carson, “Whereas tens of millions go to the movies. It’s interesting what an effect that small audience has had on the larger audience."