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Why every Young Adult should read 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Comic Series!

 Why every Young Adult should read 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Comic Series!

- Keyur Vora

People have many conventional movie or series characters as their favorites but my favorite one  is Steve Ditko and Stan Lee's The Amazing Spider-Man comic series. Growing up, Spider-Man has always been my favorite comic book hero. The very first lesson that he taught me is that, "With great power comes great responsibility." He is depicted as a very intelligent and talented  high-schooler who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and suddenly discovers his powers which include superhuman strength and stamina but he struggles to find a way to use them as he  doesn't really know what to do with them besides going after petty criminals. In addition to  fighting villains he also has the challenge of keeping his new-found powers a secret and the daily challenge of living his life. Peter Parker is an orphan who lives with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben  and he also loves Science (Physics in particular). The story behind his parents' death is shrouded  in mystery and he does not know the truth in its entirety.  

There are many reasons why the Spider-Man comic series is one of the best comic book series in the  Young Adult genre. It teaches many important lessons. 

The first of these is 'Always stand up for yourself'. Peter Parker is a skinny boy who constantly gets bullied by his school's "star" kid Flash Thompson but Peter never used to feel bullied by him. Peter always stands up to bullies like Flash Thompson, so the first lesson we get from this is that always stand up to bullies in life. In life, similarly, no matter how many times life knocks you out, all that counts  is that you stand up and face the challenges head-on.  

The second lesson to learn is the importance of being human and staying true to oneself. Peter is asocial and struggles to open up to others.  There have been instances where he had to behave like a "hero" and not himself. In fact this caused several complications later, in his marriage to Mary Jane (MJ). Captain America once had a  dialogue with Parker where Captain America tells him, "This mask is supposed to hide your face, but not your heart!" Peter listened to Captain America's advice and he always  remained true to himself and his personality. We should always be true to our Self and our fellowmen when dealing with relationships and matters of the heart. 

Taking Responsibility is another important takeaway. We should always claim responsibility for our actions whether good or bad and especially those which are our mistakes and failed tasks. Spider-Man is a very fine example. There have been instances in the comics where he knows and owns his shortcomings but what makes him a great figure is that he is willing to improve himself and he never poured the blame on others. Always remember that you might be someone's inspiration and that many  people believe in you and one should always know how much power one holds in one's hands, which is the power to do good and become an example for the people.  

Serving others is the most important trait of leadership. We realize that in the  Spider-Man series where he needs help reaching the OSCORP tower and he is helped by a  network of crane operators, where one of those crane operators was the father whose son was rescued by Spider-Man. It all goes to prove that what deeds are done by one, will come back to him/her one day. And it is rightly said that "Blessed are those who help others and derive  happiness from it than those who receive help." 

To conclude, for the above given reasons, I think that the Spider-Man comic series is a very good Yong Adult  recommendation.

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