Guest Author, Charles Parker, shares his POV on the origins of Peter Parker… also known as SPIDER-MAN along with some other awesome recommended reading on origin stories!

What is a hero?

Myths and legends that date back hundreds of years telling epic stories of beings larger than life and display noble qualities like courage, selflessness, and responsibility. Those who put their life on the line to help those in need and inspire hope within the hopeless. Our modern heroes are no different. Whether they can fly faster than a speeding bullet, do whatever a spider can, or smash his opponents with the power cultivated by his predecessors; A hero is one who stands their ground against injustice, evil, or stubborn cats stuck in trees. To save those who can’t save themselves. 

Dive into the history of one of DC, and the world's most memorable and iconic superheroes with Geoff Johns (writer) and Gary Franks’ (illustrator) Superman: Secret Origin (2009). A newer take of a post-crisis Superman origin story told from the perspective of the last son of Krypton himself. From Clarks earliest memory all the way to the beginning of his tenure as the protector of Metropolis, this six-issue secret origin series displays the modern origin of the Man of Steel.

Spectacular, Amazing, Ultimate; whatever you call him, just don’t forget the hyphen. Spider-Man is one of the most popular heroes of all time. From comics to cinema, he’s loved by all types of audiences around the world. Follow the web headed wall crawler through his career as an uneasy crime fighting teenager to an experienced world saving hero in Marvel's 80th anniversary event; Spider-Man: Life Story (2019) written by Chip Zdarsky. The story starts in the mid 1960’s, when Peter Parker was originally bitten by the radioactive spider that gave him his powers in Amazing Fantasy #15. This origin story doesn’t shift the timeline to our modern era like the ultimate comics, but that doesn’t take away from the amazing art and story being told through the lens of nostalgia and deep Marvel history. This six-issue series is a must read for those who want to understand who Peter Parker and Spider-Man really are from beginning to end.

“People…are not born equal”. In a world where 80% of the world's population is born with super powers called “quirks”, it’s impossible to think you wouldn’t be born with one. However, that is the unfortunate reality for our main protagonist, Izuku Midorya also known as “Deku”. Follow the inspiring story of this young boy, who always had the spirit of a hero, fulfill his dream as he is trained by the #1 hero and his personal idol, All Might. Per All Might's request, Deku joins Japan's top hero school in order to learn how to control this power passed on to him. However, it is easy to see just how outmatched he is compared to the other students who have had their quirks much longer than he has. How will he ever manage to keep up? Will he be able to control this power in time to fight against the evil quickly rising in Japanese society? Find out all this and more in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine series, My Hero Academia(2014) written by Kohei Horikoshi.

IMPORTANT WORDS & PHRASES TO KNOW

• Post-crisis: Used to describe items, characters, and even realities that still exist after the 1985-86 limited DC event Crisis on Infinite Earths. 

• Krypton: The home planet of Superman and the alien race known as Kryptonians. 

• Metropolis: The city under Superman’s protection and home of Clark Kent. 

• Ultimate Comics: The re-imagined and modern interpretations of classic Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, The Avengers, X-Men, and more. 

• Amazing Fantasy #15: The very first appearance of Spider-Man in 1962. 

• Weekly Shonen Jump magazine: A weekly manga anthology magazine published in Japan by Shueisha targeted towards teenage boys. The first issue was way back in 1968!

About Charles Parker V:

Instagram:@char__arts 

Occupation: Industrial Design student at RIT and Digital Artist 

Favorite heroes: Spider-Man, The Flash, Nightwing 

“My earliest memory of anything comic book related was actually watching those old Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940’s. I had them on DVD and was hooked instantly. I hope I can introduce all types of people, wherever they are in their nerd journey, to comic book media in a positive and friendly environment like I was.”