The Wisdom of Spider-Man that Everyone Should Read

Happy Hallowe’en! Our house had all of 13 kids show up (and we bought a 90 piece box of Mars candy, so guess whose loaded up on sugar now, baby!) Two of the door-knockers were dressed as Iron Man, and my nephew KitKat was dressed as Spider Man, so yay, go Marvel! Not a single Batman or other DC costume this year, which kinda saddened me. Isn’t Batman a Hallowe’en staple?

So yesterday, I had half an hour to spare at The Stockyards Mall and decided to enjoy an Apple Cider while catching up on the comics I recently picked up at Red Nails II, including Marvel’s AXIS Revolutions #1, which turned out to be an entirely satisfying comic.
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And The Moral of The Story Is…

This comic (and the entirety of the AXIS series, really) is a bit nostalgic in the way that it has a purpose outside of merely entertainment. Its not just a fun story to read, but there is also something for the reader to take away and try to actualize in their own day-to-day experiences. I was raised to believe that comics were a form of social commentary, and this particular comic is so very blatant on its stance of current societal attitudes, and the ever-alarming lack of compassion.

It’s much like a breath of fresh air; I literally whispered, “Finally.” out loud, once I finished the last page. Finally, we have a comic that begs and nurtures its readers to grow with a level of maturity that encompasses civility.

Rich vs poor, he vs she, old vs young, these are some of the piquing conflicts we get to see Spider-Man’s view and how he plans to handle with care. I’m not going to give the ending to this story away, which is why I whole-heartedly encourage you to pick up this issue and read it either on your own or with your family, and challenge you to try to live by the wisdom imparted within. In fact, I’m heading back to Red Nails II this weekend, and if there are still copies left, I’m going to pick one up to give away here (keep an eye out for that contest!)

Here’s a hint of what lies in store for you though: the general concept behind the AXIS series is a plea for individual and societal attitudes to change, to not let hate win. The ambigram “AXIS” title on every front cover of this series is the first clue; illustrating for us the need for bad/evil to, once and for all, be turned on its head. The catch though, is that we first need to look within ourselves to cut away that hate and anger. It’s a particularly powerful message that needs to be read by the masses.

If you see me standing on a corner of Yonge/Dundas square handing out copies of AXIS to pedestrians, don’t look surprised. 😉

So… do you still read comics? It’s not just for children (and if you believe it is, make sure your kids are reading age appropriate issues, as there are issues out there specifically for an 18+ viewership.)

Have you picked up the AXIS series yet? What do you think?

And how do you read your comics? Are you looking for the best way to read digitally? If you’re looking for a new tablet/netbook/2 in 1, ask me any questions that you may have on what to look out for!

Tiny disclaimer (mostly to keep Google happy): I’m required to disclose once more that there is a relationship between Intel Canada and Geek with Style. I just love their work!