2 T H E T U S C A R O R A R E V I E W 2 0 2 2 comic. Unfortunately, I discovered a character with the same name and concept already existed when I played Mortal Kombat with a friend, but I still think I did an exceptional job for how young I was! When I was a teenager, I noticed the movies I saw, books I read, and video games I played with my buddies somehow all seemed to relate to mythological gods and goddesses. Taking the information I learned in class, I began to wonder if the characters I grew up loving were largely based on Greek mythology. I was surprised to learn that many of them were, in fact, made in the likeness of the mythological beings I was learning about. With that information, I decided to start learning more about the gods and goddesses and how they were later portrayed by someone else centuries later. I was fascinated by how Aquaman and Poseidon were as much alike as Wonder Woman and Hera. I had no idea that comics would lead to a new appreciation for Greek mythology. Not only did comics help to improve my reading skills and knowledge about Greek Mythology, but they also had a profound effect on my personal life. When I met a girl who was interested in sitting in the apartment and watching all of the Avengers movies with me, I knew that there could possibly be a future here. Seven years and two kids later, I am married to that woman and have weekly family dinners watching the newest episode of WandaVision. I was not expecting something as small as a fondness for comic books and superheroes to become a bonding experience in my marriage. We have a large collection of DVDs and can always pull one out for an impromptu date night inside. My daughter is even partially named after an object in the first Thor movie, and she chose to name her cats after Guardian of the Galaxy characters. The family I created is just as engrossed with comic book characters as I am. Looking back at that four-year-old boy flipping through the pages of a Spiderman comic book, it is unbelievable to see the grown man I am today calling my daughter’s name and being reminded of that little kid. I can not see an end to my love for comic books, movies, games, or knowledge I have gained from those interests. I had no idea something as simple as a book filled with colors and sound effect words would end up influencing so much of my life. I am forever thankful that four-year-old me chose to look at comic books. I would not have had many of the bonding experiences that I have had today if it were not for his making that choice.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQxMTc1