In response to the outpouring of appreciation for Stan Lee from comic book fans soon after Lee's death in 2018, comedian Bill Maher wrote on his website an essay titled "Adulting," in which he suggested comic book culture is childish and stupid.
Later, on Larry King Now, Maher added: "A culture that thinks that comic books or comic book movies are profound meditation on the human condition is a dumb fucking culture."
I don't care much for Maher. Never did, really, even though he and I probably share similar world views on many topics. He works the clever-guy gimmick a little too hard for my taste, and that's off-putting. He mocks people who have different beliefs and lifestyles than does he, and his mockery is mean-spirited. He questions the intelligence of people based on their regional accent. He pokes fun at the discipline of people who are overweight. He mocks people for having religious faith.
I may understand and even agree with some of his viewpoints -- I'm an ardent atheist, after all -- but I wouldn't presume to think the answers I found work for me in my life can or even should apply to others.
He's an arrogant prick. So my initial response to Maher over his comic book hating was: "Fuck you." But, that didn't feel satisfying. Something continued to nag me about his comment for days after.
That's because Maher's comments are specifically about me, and people like me. People who found the culture of comics to be an inviting, interesting, and educational space. Comics played a key role in shaping who I am. Here are some examples:
1. I grew up in West Virginia, which has a predominantly white population. Further, I lived my first 18 years in Nicholas County, WV, which had more than a 98% white demographic, and an even higher percentage of that identify as Christian. While there I rarely met or interacted with people different from me in culture or race.
I learned about racial diversity from comic books. Reading about Black Panther, Black Lightening, Tyroc (from the Legion of Super-Heroes), Falcon, Power Man, and more helped me understand aspects of black culture I could learn nowhere in real life. Many of those stories were about the challenges racial minority heroes faced fitting into a white majority society. My 10 year old self was paying attention.
I learned that from comic books.
2. I learned about social justice from comic books. Captain America fought Nazis and Jewish persecution. Early Superman comics -- and the hero was underpowered then compared to his modern day version -- was focused almost solely on fighting for the common man against greed. Green Arrow and Batman taught me that it's not the billions you have that makes you powerful, it's how you use your resources to improve your community.
I learned that from reading comic books.
3. Outside of public school teachers I knew no women who worked outside the home. Women in my family and their female friends worked hard to raise children and manage the home, but they didn't consider professional careers. And most saw themselves as being subservient to their husbands. It was the way things were then and there. It was obvious to me, even as a child.
Wonder Woman taught me that women can be equal to men in intelligence and determination, and that a woman can be a leader of both men and women. Female comic superheroes like Black Orchid, Vixen, Mary Marvel, Black Canary, Invisible Woman, and the Wasp taught me more about feminism than I would ever have learned about it from observing my surroundings. Women are strong.
I learned that from reading comic books.
4. I'll never forget the DC Comic storyline "Snowbirds Don't Fly," in which Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy fights a heroin addiction. I felt sorry for Speedy, but I felt more empathy for Green Arrow as he tried to help is friend recover. The storyline helped me see the effects of drug use on those who love the addict. I learned about inclusion from the pages of early X-Men. Their plight fit perfectly with the challenges of all minority types trying to fit into a majority society. I learned about teamwork from Justice League and Justice Society tales. And far-out realities in comics -- parallel universes and multiple worlds -- made me interested in, and caused me to read more about, science.
I learned those things from reading comic books.
5. Perhaps the thing I learned most from comics is that "with great power comes great responsibility." Spider-Man stories taught me that people with power, whatever that power or authority may be, should wield it judiciously and with thoughtful humility. Otherwise, you're just a bully picking on people who have less power than do you.
Bill Maher, who has great power based on an HBO show and millions of fans, should learn that from reading a comic book.
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