Reviewed by Jeanne
Growing up, I was an avid consumer of comics—or funny books,
as we called them. I spent hours with
various DC heroes (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were my favorites) but
also with Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy the Good Little Witch, Baby Huey, and
especially with Little Lulu and Sugar Spike.
Many’s the time my grandparents would park me at the magazine section of
a grocery store and go off to run errands, knowing I’d be happily occupied for
hours.
I did not read many Marvel titles, though. I did read some, but as a sight reader I
found some of the dialectal renderings difficult to read. (“Sez” for “says” for
example.) I do remember reading some
Namor and Thor, and one of two Spider-Man but I was not a “true believer.”
Patrick McDonnell was, though, and as a devoted fan of his
strip Mutts as well as his children’s
books, I decided to take a look at The Super Hero’s Journey. This is his
story of a childhood growing up with the Marvel universe. He retells some parts of stories, recreating
the art work, giving credit to the original artist who had such an influence on
his own life and work. Most of the
reviews call it “a love letter to Marvel” and I can certainly second that. He is most definitely paying tribute to his
artistic heroes.
I’ll admit much of the Marvel storylines didn’t mean much to
me, but I did enjoy seeing young Patrick and his romance with the comics. It brought back my own happy memories. I was also interested in the glimpses of his
childhood.
Marvelites, especially those of a certain age, will thrill to
this re-telling; McDonnell fans will still enjoy the book for its personal
touches.
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