Comic books have not been very prominent in this generation, but Marvel and DC Comics are starting to make a comeback among teenagers through the rebooting of superhero movies and parallels between today’s issues and issues in comic universes.

     “Comic books are beginning to be more popular because the big movies invoke an interest in teens to read more comic books,” junior Calvin Schultz said.

     Schultz is a comic book fanatic and has been keeping up with comic books and superheroes since he was young.  Many of these big Marvel and DC comic book franchises like Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men and others are making a large presence in movie theatres.

     “Comic books are an escape from reality to another world,” Madness Games and comics store employee Mairin Connor said. “They have no limitations to where their worlds can go.”

    In the 1980s, these comic book universes started to reboot their characters, creating a whole different dimension to a superhero’s personality. Reboots tend to pertain to the generation that they are created in to be relevant, making them relatable to teenagers.

    “I want to be like Batman when I grow up,” junior Daniel Restrepo said. “He fights for justice, truth and for the better of society.”

    Restrepo said that Batman represents resilience and justice, qualities one must have to make the right decision. Teenagers experience moments of joy and sorrow, and they have to make decisions that question their morality.

     “Comic books also go into social and political issues that are present in our modern era,” Madness comic book store employee Logan Davis said.

     Comic books change as society changes. 1980s Superman states ‘Krypton bred me, but it was earth that gave me all ram, all that matters.’ However, in 2016 Action Comics no. 987, Superman defends a group of immigrants from a shooter. This raises controversial questions about Superman being used as a political tool because the shooter was portrayed as an American who lost his job to immigrants. As reported by the website Vox.com in ‘Superman saved undocumented workers from a racist,’ society changes over time, superheroes change viewpoints on who they are.

    “Comic books took superheroes to a world of reality where they would rise up to fight against real evil,” Schultz said.

    In the 1950s and 1960s, especially because of WWII, Superman became extremely popular because comic books showed Superman fighting against evils that were present in the real world such as Nazis, communism and even Klan members.

    According to article ‘How Superman defeated the Ku Klux Klan’ on mentalfloss.com the writers of the show deliberately used comic books to fight klan members of the KKK.

    In the 1940 radio show, The Adventures of Superman, a young writer named Stetson Kennedy decided to give insight into the conspiracies of the KKK.

    Through generations, society uses comic books as a medium for political, social and personal issues. Connor said that in this generation of social media, teenagers are more exposed to the real world and that comic books are a part of a contemporary renaissance that inspire and influence an adolescent’s view of society.

    “Comic books teach you that there is no reason to be afraid of who you are,” Schultz said.