My heroes in the Comics World

At the top of my head, I can think of a few notables. They are Robert E.Howard (Conan), Frank Miller (Daredevil, Elektra), Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen, Vendetta), Stan Lee (Superman, Hulk, Spiderman) and Jack Kirby (Fantastic Four, etc).
When I was growing up, I had almost no spare change in both my pockets. The only entertainment that is free for me were comics. I had to swallow my pride and sneaked a long peek inside the covers of my favourite comic titles at the various newsstands.
So I had to learn to read fast and absorb visually as quickly as possible all the juiciest bits in between the covers. Yes, those were days. My imagination was my playground and admission was free. In fact, it is still free.
As I entered my teenage years, I modelled my life after characters like Conan, Daredevil, Spiderman, King Kull and to a lesser extent, Silver Surfer. Back in those days when Ernie Chan and Buscema ruled Aquilonia (the land over which Conan would govern one day), comic heroes don't indulge in the petty sins like smoking and drinking. Well, Conan was an exception. As a result, I also didn't drink or smoke in keeping with the credos of my comic heroes.
Coincidentally, today I still don't smoke or drink. I guess after a while, when I became an adult, I realised the folly of being on the wrong side of cigarettes and alcohol. And so it came to pass that I adopted some of the finer virtues as propagated by writers like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and some of the older guys.
Compared with today's comic writers and artists, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby could be said to be a "bit unpolished". However, when you are young, a comic book is a passageway to the world of wonders. In those worlds, every child is a hero himself. His mind is his universe and he makes all the rules.
If not for those comics which arrived on a regular basis to the neighbourhood newsstand, I would be a much duller boy. I had posters of Conan or some other muscular superhero pasted on my walls as a reminder that the only right physique was their kind of physique.
So for a while, I threw myself into a strict regime of strenuous exercises, building stamina and developing muscles. Happily, till today, I am still at it. Exercising regularly has become a way of life for me.
Frank Miller added a touch of adulthood in my growing years. He took Daredevil and fleshed him out as a character who had his fair share of relationship problems and personal battles. Miller gave a majority of his readers hope and inspiration. He taught readers like me that life's challenges are constant and irregular in magnitude. Fortunately, he also light the torch of hope brightly, so as to tell us that for every problem that exists, there is always a solution somewhere if we look hard enough.
Facing up to our own challenges is a way of growing up and maturing. I suppose that in a way, I have internalised all the good principles of leading a courageous life.
I am pretty happy to note that in recent years, Hollywood has given comics some special attention in their releases. So far, we have Superman, Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, Batman, Spiderman, The Hulk, V for Vendetta and somewhere in the pipeline is Ghost Rider and Ironman.
Why it took Hollywood so long to make movies out of comic characters is one phenomenon which I have been unable to fathom. But I am glad it did when it did. Now I know for sure that I have been on the right track all along.
From Alan Moore, I learnt that there dwell galaxies in our imagination. That everything can be seen in its own microcasm of life. Take for example, the original series of the Swamp Thing where its entire body holds possibilities that boggle the human imagination.
From Dr Strange, I found out that the realm of magic has no borders. Dr Strange, the Master of Magic introduced me to the concepts of eternity, chaos and interdimensional planes of existence.
Of course, they are all workings of an overactive mind of the writer but then, when you think about it, what we imagine may yet exist. Or, what we can conjure in our minds can be created, as evident in the structures and inventions that proliferate the world over.
In a big way, I am thankful that comics entered my world when it did. It filled my lonely hours with many great moments of infinite pleasure. I made some of those philosophies practised by the superheroes my own. It showed me the way to fulfil my own destiny.
Comics should be a part of a youngster's life. If not for comics, I probably would not have found childhood such a wonderful time in my life. It has helped me walk the journey of life with some sudden bursts of enthusiasm and also helped me to show others that we are the captains of our own souls and masters of our own fates.
Children must be taught and reminded that in the world of make-believe, there can be found nuggets of wisdom that they can pick up and make their own lives interesting.