BY Jeff Ruffolo
Remember the name – Stan Lee.
The name may not be familiar to you but unless you have been living in a cave, you certainly have heard of Spider-Man, Thor and The Avengers.
To you, they may be comic book movies.
But to me, they are just as alive as you and I.
I hate going to the dentist and when I was a six year old boy, my Mother took me to the dentist on the promise that I could buy one – only one – comic book when it was over. That was all I needed to hear and raced her to the car. In the early 1960’s, Marvel Comics cost only .12 cents (today they are $5.00) each and I became an avid reader and collector of dozens and then hundreds of Marvel comic books. Fast forward to today, there are tens of thousands collected over the decades.
A bit obscene to be sure, but the magic of picking up a copy of The Avengers every month was magical. Each page brought to life not only the coolest heroes but the most despicable villains like Kang the Conqueror, Dr. Doom, Galactus and The Inhumans.
Every night I would go to sleep reading of these marvelous adventures – all written and coming from the mind of Stan Lee. Did reading comic books help me in my life? Without question yes.
Whatever sparks the mind and imagination of a young child (and gets them away from counter-productive video games or television) should be heralded as a major step forward in the wonder of education and learning.
More next week …
