Variation Venus

My first comics were the ones I read in the Sunday newspapers. My dad would occasionally throw away the comics in the trash before my siblings and I could get a chance to read them. Sometimes, he would forget. Other times, my siblings and I would coordinate a distraction strategy. One of us would then sneak and pull out the comic page to read secretly. Peanuts were my favorite. But newspaper comics were dying by the time I started reading.  Fortunately I had a library card and quickly used it to catch up on earlier published strips and old ones I had never seen. One of them being along with the Spider-Man newspaper comics. Yes, Spiderman at one point was serialized in the newspaper. I discovered this one at my local library’s archive of newspapers. It was such a long time ago, I think it was a short run, but I still loved it along with Dr. Rex Morgan M.D., lol. I think Dr Rex Morgan, M.D., was my first 2D crush, along with Optimus Prime.

I later got a recommendation for a comic book from my homeschool teacher/counselor. She recommended Archie comics, and my dad happened to be okay with it. Lolz. If he knew the things that were in Archie Comics. Like old school Archie comics. His misogynistic old-world Christian mind would be blown. I was introduced to topics like. Things like implied nudity, hidden homosexuality, violence towards kids, and questionable encounters of teachers having crushes on their students. On the surface, Archie appeared clean. However, if you look a little more, you’ll notice some things that make you pause. I wasn’t surprised when Archie eventually had a comic and TV show. They took a subversive take on the characters based on some of these stories.

I had so much fun reading these stories. I eventually started reading other stories.

Peanuts

Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is about a group of children with everyday adventures and insecurities. It involves philosophical pondering led by the lovable underdog Charlie Brown. His imaginative dog Snoopy also plays a key role. The strips blends humor and heart to explore themes like failure friendship and hope.

Peanuts was my slice of life comics. They were so relaxing to read because I knew so many kids like Charlie.  It took snoopy and his dog house adventures still make me giggle.

Spider-Man Newspaper Strips (Hardcover)

Spider-Man newspaper strip written by Stan Lee continues the adventure of Peter Parker. He balances is double life as a masked superhero while battling villains while trying to keep his relationships and career. The book collection is a fun read is was a good mix of action, drama, and romance.

Rex Morgan M.D. by Woody Wilson

Rex Morgan M.D. is about a doctor who helps patients. He’s a compassionate doctor who also treats his patients medically and their personal problems. He often gets involved in social issues and his own dramatic life events. The strip has health themes with character-driven storytelling.

Archie Comics

Betty and Veronica comic is set in the town of Riverdale While Archie Comics centered around Archie Andres. Betty and Veronica focuses on the friendship of his often love interests. Betty and Veronica stories blend humor, teenage drama and pop culture fun.