Introduction
Ryder here, and I’m looking for a proper way to launch our discussion of the comic book medium. I would like to discuss my favorite books, movies and games in the future, but where to start? I figure the best way to start is to look at my own introduction to the medium. Since I want this to be a DISCUSSION, I would like involvement from the comic book community. This leads me to—
What was your first introduction to comic books. I mean your first REAL introduction to anything comic related. Was it an old movie? a new comic issue being marketed in a store window? Or maybe an old video game you found in your parents attic? Now a days, comics are such a huge thing, found in virtually every medium, but I remember a time when comics were much more scarce. We all know about the MCU, to which after 11 years of movies, is still dominating the film industry. But what about back in the day, when a superhero movie was a huge gamble? No doubt times have changed, but I’m curious to know your introduction to comics.
As I try to think back to my own introduction, Im greeted by various memories happiness, excitement and even sadness. As far as I can remember, my very first introduction to anything comic book related, was a Wolverine action figure my father gave me. My brother received a Flash figure, and this i believe was my first introduction to Superheros. I also remember my parents renting a VHS copy of Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin, and we loved it. To be fair, what kid doesn’t love Batman, even with the quality of that film. Soon after that comes the 90’s Spiderman Cartoon. My brother and I have countless hours invested into that show, and as a result, Spiderman became a huge influence in our lives. Not long after, Sam Raimi’s Spiderman came out and naturally it blew my mind. Now, all this happened when I was very young, I’d say around the ages 4-8, so I’ll be honest most of these memories are very vague and may not be entirely accurate, but its a rough sketch of the past.
My true introduction to comic books specifically, lies within an old video game for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 2. Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance. This game is what I declare my introduction to the medium, and what I tell people when they ask. Me and my brother invested countless hours into this game, and I mean countless, and it definitely dominated the Playstation 2 era of gaming for us. Through this game we were introduced to the Avengers, Fantastic 4, MANY more members of the X-men, Deadpool, Black Panther and so many more iconic heroes. Not only was the main story captivating and insanely fun, but there were many mini games and easter eggs that helped elaborate on the various heroes. Their relationships with each other, their origins, their friends and enemies were all established and fleshed out throughout the game. For a time, it was my base knowledge on Marvel, and I still find myself coming back to the game all these years later.
So if you happen to check out this quick little blog, leave a comment of when you were introduced to the medium. Tell us what your favorite game, movie or comic is? What character do you relate to the most? I plan to dive deeper into specific aspects of the medium in the coming weeks, maybe talk about another game or movie, or dive even deeper into Ultimate Alliance. However I deal with these little blog updates, only time will tell. Until next time, this is Ryder.
