Our Own Personal Gateways
September 21, 2020
While studying lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of videos discussing the old Archie and Fleetway Sonic the Hedgehog comics. It’s fun to learn about these things and even the idea that Mark Millar, author of Kick Ass and The Kingsman, got his start writing the UK Sonic the Comic. But this got me thinking about a comic I loved as a little kid, and arguably got me to consistently pick up comics.
My mother taught us to read at a very young age, so she frequently encouraged us to read books. My sister is much older, so she was a lot more advanced, but we both borrow books from the library weekly and mum would often quiz us on what we were reading. Along the way, I’d read a handful of comic issues (mostly superhero or Asterix), but they were never mine. They were just issues I’d read in a doctor’s office, at school or owned by a friend of my sisters. But I did also watch a lot of cartoons when it was my turn to watch tv. A show I absolutely loved as a little kid, and honestly still have a soft spot for as an adult, is the Digimon franchise. I tried watching as many episodes as I could, though I did miss some either due to just missing the time slot, or others watching tv. But when I was 8, I spotted what I thought was a magazine on the store shelf using a picture of Digmon on the cover. I asked my mother if I could take a look, and she got it off the rack for me. It wasn’t just a magazine; it was an actual comic book of my favourite show!
My mother saw my face light up and bought the issue for me. Every few months, we found another issue on the shelf and she’d pick that up for me too. My sister got a music magazine, I got a comic. What I loved about those issues then, was that it was my favourite show, but I could experience it any time I wanted. I didn’t need the tv to be free, or for the show to actually be airing. I could experience the adventure in my own time. Later on in the comics run, they diverted from the shows plot and started telling their own story. I had another version of that show!
It’s crazy to me that as an adult, I’ve made a small name for myself talking about comics. That I’m studying them academically in order to get my doctorate. Sometimes, it’s funny to think back to that little 8 year old kid, stood in the magazine section of our local supermarket, having absolutely no idea of what’s ahead. I just wanted to experience a world I loved.