A TIME TO REFLECT

 

With this being comic book Wednesday I’m sure many of you are poised to check out what has arrived at your favorite shops. But I want us to reflect on this day twelve years ago. For me, comics like so many forms of entertainment offers us an outlet to escape reality. But on September 11, 2001, we couldn’t escape that reality if we tried. I remember because I can still see the smoke that engulfed lower Manhattan. I remember it costing me $90 and it took me well over 3 hours to get home when normally it would’ve taken me just about an hour to do so.

In the weeks and months that followed our lives albeit forever changed, started to fall back into some semblance of normality. For those like me, it was Wednesday’s at Midtown Comics in the heart of the Times Square area of New York City.

While DC has cities like Gotham and Metropolis standing in for the most part for the Big Apple, Marvel has always used New York City as its backdrop city. DC and Marvel back in 2001 did a great job showing how even our greatest “superheroes” can be humbled by such horrific events. They also showed us who our everyday heroes are. They are the men and women of our Police and Fire departments. They are also the countless and nameless volunteers who help put out fires and saved as many lives as they could. It didn’t matter nor should it what our backgrounds were or what God we worshiped. We were all New Yorkers. We were all Americans. We were all human beings. 

9/11 by John Romita Jr. for Marvel Comics
I still very much enjoy comic book Wednesday’s. But I am forever thankful for those Wednesday’s that followed 9/11 as they were part of my healing process and I’m sure they were part of many of yours.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB

The Dork Knight
About The Dork Knight 520 Articles
James aka “The Dork Knight” is a blogger and writer based out of Upstate New York. For James, it all started with a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… when he dragged his mom to see The Empire Strikes Back 10 weeks in a row. He lives and breathes nerd culture. James is proof that a Star Wars fanatic can be a passionate Trekkie as well. So much so James dressed up as Captain Kirk to the premiere of Star Trek VI in 1991 and still has the uniform. When it comes to Comic Books, Sci-Fi or Fantasy whether in print or digital, in the theatre or on my TV screen, I’m all about it and I love it. So bring your Phaser (set to stun), Lightsaber, Sonic Screwdriver, a Wand, Mjolnir or the Ring to rule them all, because this site is for the dork in all of us.