Ames Public Library: How Comics Changed My Life

Press release from the Ames Public Library:

November 03, 2021

The library has always been a staple of my life. As a child I remember every summer I would take home my summer reading program and a different book every week. At first I would make my way through the reading program by devouring the local library’s Hardy Boys collection. Then I slowly transitioned into Choose Your Own Adventure novels before setting in on the popular Alex Rider series. I loved reading these series as I could envision kids my own age going on adventures and solving mysteries or completing “James Bond-esque” missions, and I couldn’t get enough.

However, I soon found myself facing a problem many readers find themselves at. I had completed all these series and didn’t know where to go next. Needing a good book recommendation, I turned to the best resource I could find: my local teen librarian. When I approached them for a book recommendation they were friendly and asked me a few questions about my interests. In addition they asked what books, TV shows and movies I had enjoyed in the past. I explained that I had always enjoyed mystery and action novels and when I wanted to watch a movie I tended to watch movies from the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Hearing my answers they nodded along and smiled before saying something I will never forget.

“Well there you go, you just answered your own question. You need to read comics!”

When they told me this I was uneasy at first. At the time I was a teenager and felt as though comic books were too childish for me. I was trying to read more mature novels. My teen librarian saw my hesitation and assured me that there was a comic book for everyone.

They asked me about more of my interests and which of the Marvel movies I enjoyed the most. I explained to them I had seen the X-Men movies and was a big fan of those books. After hearing that, they took me to the comic book section of the teen space and handed me a copy of Chris Claremont’s classic tale, X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills. They explained to me this was one of their favorite graphic novels and it is worth a read. I agreed to take it home and give it a try. It was a small enough book and I might as well see what all the hype was about.

Upon reading it I was automatically hooked. It combined all the things I loved as a teenager and still do: intense storytelling, dynamic artwork and an intriguing mystery. Upon completion I had to go back for more.

My librarian helped me find a number of different titles ranging from X-Men to Batman and multiple niche titles in between. I found characters that I related to or were going through similar struggles as me. I found stories that I couldn’t get enough of, and I found a passion for drawing that I didn’t know I had through reading comics.

Thanks to comic books I was able to understand and develop a sense of underlying themes throughout many different titles. I was able to fall back in love with reading and still have a passion for it today.

Comic Books and Manga Recommendations (available at Ames Public Library)

This press release was produced by the Ames Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.