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Post by rberman on Oct 17, 2023 11:50:37 GMT -5
Here's one I found heartwarming. There was a little boy with Down Syndrome who was obsessed with superheroes and refused to wear his hearing aid because "Superheroes don't wear hearing aids." His family contacted Marvel Comics. Marvel sent him some comics in which Hawkeye talked about wearing his hearing aid. They also created a new hero for him, Blue Ear, who used his hearing aid to fight crime. Sometime later, Blue Ear reappeared as a character in a one-shot comic book that Marvel produced for the Children's Hearing Institute, an NYC-area nonprofit which helps children with hearing aids and cochlear implants. In it, Blue Ear gained a secret identity as Doctor Pedro Perez, who works with Tony Stark. In the comic book, a tween girl with a cochlear implant has an adventure alongside Blue Ear and Iron Man, in the process gaining Solid Light powers like the ones Kamala Khan used later on the Ms. Marvel TV show.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 17, 2023 12:33:34 GMT -5
DC's Christmas With the Superheroes #2 has some excellent stories that really do present messages of hope and good will that fit the theme... Paul Chadwick did a nice story of Superman stopping to help a stranded motorist who is about to commit suicide.... The bulk of the story is just Superman sitting down and listening to the man relate his problems (wife is divrocing him, hasn't had a relationship with his daughter, in years, painful skin condition) Superman listens, then just offers advice, to get in touch with his daughter and rebuild, especially since his condition is ultimately terminal. He gets the man back on the road and points him towards a nearby farm, where he can stay, until the storm passes, where he will be welcomed (guess who lives on the farm?). Just a simple tale of listening to someone in need and helping them, with just conversation and advice. Eric Shanower has a tale of Wonder Woman, staying with her friend, Julia Kapatelis, over the holidays, Another old friend of Julia's, a pastor, also comes to stay. Her friend's husband has been having an affair, with a church councilwoman and is divorcing her. The congregation knows and she feels horrible and is undergoing a real crisis of faith. She meets Wonder Woman and is at first shocked and surprised, but WW is genuinely interested in her duties as a minister and Sharon (the pastor) seems to speak with some pride at what she does. WW speaks of her role and they see the similarities, though the question of the Greek Gods does create a barrier. However, they share communal activities, like baking and preparing dinner and listening to carol singers passing by. WW attends church services with Julia, Sharon and Julia's daughter. Later, Sharon goes down to put a present under the tree and finds WW, in tears, having her own crisis of faith in her mission. Sharon listens and the counsels Wonder Woman and helps her through the crisis, which in turn helps Sharon deal with her own crisis, and both women find renewed purpose in their work. The other stories in it are good, dealing with Christmas spirit or how Robin brought light and joy into Batman's world; but the final story, by Alan Brennert certainly makes comics a better place, if not the world. It's called "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot" and features Deadman, who inhabits people, to feel a human touch, while he is tortured by the joy he witnesses, but can't experience. He soon regrets the fact that he is stealing the experience from his host body and departs, in despair. Then, a young blond woman appears, who can see him, in his true form and speaks to him, as he laments that this is some reward, for all the good he does. The woman questions if reward is why he does what he does. He laments that he used to thrill to the adulation of the crowds and it does eat at him that people don't know what he has done for them. The woman removes his facemask to reveal the face of Boston Brand, then, in a few simple words, tells him what true heroism is, at the core.... Her time is up and she starts to leave and Boston asks her name.... And for a brief moment, Kara Zor-El lived again. That was as fine a Christmas gift as I ever got and the story brings tears of joy, every time I read it. That makes my world better.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 17, 2023 12:41:55 GMT -5
We've seen a few Teen Titans covers already, and this book I remember in particular. I spoke of it to my social worker of a dad, and he confirmed how accurately the problem of runaways was described in the comic. Kids who flee home for any number of reasons (but often parental abuse), moving to anonymous cities and falling prey to pimps and other scum... Dad was very affected by such situations. (Under his bearish appearance, he had a heart of gold).
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