The marvelous world of comics

Izaan Masud

Dylan Lobo was five when he got his first comic, an issue of Justice League of America (JLA) from the 90s, from San Francisco Comic Con. His dad, who had brought him to SFCC, was a fan of comics himself and wanted to share his love of comics with his son.

“He actually was the one who gave me Halloween costume ideas as superheroes when I was young. He would always find or show me his old marvel comics to me when I was younger,” Dylan Lobo said.

Nolo Lobo, Dylan’s father, got into comics through his cousin, Dylan’s Uncle Joe. Joe would always bring Nolo along when he went shopping for comics.

“They did a lot of things together, like skating and watching movies. Uncle Joe eventually brought my dad to a pharmacy like an old school drug store, and there was a plastic rectangle bin of rows of comic books. They would just go through the bin like it was an archive or rows of folders in those office buildings. That was the old way for collecting comics,” Dylan Lobo said.

Dylan Lobo quickly fell in love with the colorful pictures and the exciting action, just like his dad. This led him to start his own collection of comics.

Comic collecting has been a niche hobby since the Silver Age of comics; however, in recent years, it has become far more prominent, with comic book movies and conventions such as Comic Con becoming facets of popular culture.

While most comics aren’t sold for millions of dollars, there is a vibrant market for selling comic books. According to Publisher Weekly, comic sales jumped 62% in 2021, and the industry generated $2 trillion.

However, the cost is not just monetary, as the difficulty of finding comics has also rose.

“Comics used to just be $2-3 an issue. Due to inflation and limited availability to paper issues, comics have skyrocketed to like $5-8," Dylan Lobo said, "Like even that first appearance of Deadpool was at a starting price of $300.”

Variant covers can come at an even higher price due to their rarity, with many starting at $25, a far cry from the $2 they used to be.

For some, collecting comics does boil down to being an investment, something to buy at a certain price and resell when it becomes rare. However, for Lobo, collecting comics comes from an appreciation of the medium.

“I would rather collect just to enjoy the character’s journey and inspiration and even the art and the writing,” Dylan Lobo said.

While the colorful artwork and the exciting stories were appealing to Lobo, what truly drew him into comics was the humanity of the heroes.

“My favorite comic book character when I was

young would probably be Spider-Man or Batman. I am surprisingly still a fan of them now since I love street-level superheroes. They’re human and have personal issues like us. That’s what makes them so lovable,” Dylan Lobo said.

Spider-Man is a great example of comics’ ability to resonate with audiences. Peter Parker is a normal man who juggles multiple heavy situations at once. However, he always gets back up.

The core message at the heart of Spider-Man’s character, “With great power comes great responsibility,” appeals to the potential for good in humanity.

While comics have become more mainstream due to the popularity of comic book movies and video games, some still shun comic books as childish material. However, many believe comics can carry the same thematic weight as any other art form.

Characters like Daredevil and Batman are often used in stories to explore themes of justice, while others like Tony Stark address heavy topics like substance abuse.

“They’re entertaining while also being informative in sciences and philosophical views,” Dylan Lobo said.

Comic books aren’t strictly about superheroes, nor are Marvel and DC the only major comic book publishers. For example, Star Wars has used comics to expand its canon since the original movies. These have attracted many who weren’t interested in comic books to the medium. Ian Lang, a senior at Carlmont, was not a fan of comics, but they found that the Son of Dathomir series was a worthy addition to the Star Wars canon.

“I found it very easy to adjust to comics because a lot of the things I'm reading, I already know about the lore and what characters are which. Comics are also way easier to digest. There are fewer words, and the pictures really help you get immersed into the universe you're in,” Lang said.

Other cultures have different forms of comics, one of the most famous being Japanese manga. Publisher magazine found that manga is becoming very popular in the United States. Many famous mangas like Death Note and Ghost in the Shell have been adapted into Hollywood movies.

However, many of these adaptations have been criticized as poor representations of the source material. Quinn Mansfield, a senior who recently got into manga through Death Note, believes these stories are hard to adapt due to the differences in Eastern and Western storytelling.

“Techniques differ most from manga to western media by means of pacing and background. A lot of the time, mangas will take a lot of time covering prior events or flashbacks over the course of multiple chapters, whereas western media generally has one constant flowing story,“ Mansfield said.

Choosing which comics to collect can be a daunting task with so many different genres. Dylan’s advice is to choose what comics look appealing to you.

“Collect what you like and collect it if you’re really into it. Don’t buy it mainly because of the fact it’s popular. I continue to collect comic books because of the way the writers and art interest me,” he said.

Richard Rider is a bullied teenager who recieves powers from the dying Nova Prime. Rider used these powers to help alien races and eventually joins the New Warriors and Nova corps.

Whether it’s Miles Morales, Miguel O’Hara, or Peter Porker as Spider-Ham, every SpiderMan shares the trait of resiliency, standing up for good no matter the odds.

After a chemical spill Matt Murdock, a Catholic lawyer, is blinded, but his other senses are heightened. After boxing like his father, he took up the mantle of Daredevil. Much of his story centers around his faith and belief in justice.

Art by Glydelle Espano

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