Great Weddings!

Over the weekend, I was fortunate to stand in my dear friends's wedding, carrying the distinguished title of best man.  I was truly honoured.  Thank you.

In the spirit of true love and great weddings, I would like to highlight a few of the big weddings to hit comic books.

Green Arrow & Black Canary

Couples that play together, stay together.

Bruce Wayne always has to uphold the image of "billionaire playboy" as a front to keep suspicious people from deducing that he and Batman are the same person.  At times, his persona may include that of over-partying, womanizing, and making some ill-advised business choices.

Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, doesn't fake the playboy icon - he is the playboy icon.

Although initially living a dubious lifestyle, one woman continued to keep Oliver grounded - florist Dinah Lance - better known by her alias Black Canary.

They literally went through it all, and engaged in an on-again-off-again relationship for years.

After years of Oliver and Dinah fighting injustice, they decided they would quit fighting their love for each other.  In 2007, the couple tied the knot.

At last, the couple finds peace together...

Of course, because of comic book's awesomeness, the ceremony was abruptly shortened by a melee.

I'd say the ushers dropped the ball on this one.

In the end, the ceremony proved true, and Oliver and Dinah were now husband and wife.

Of all the arrows he owns,
Cupid's arrow proved to be the most powerful.

Peter Parker & Mary Jane Watson-Parker

After losing an uncle, multiple jobs (including a sweet wrestling career), and battling acne and supervillains, Peter Parker thought his life was tough.

When he lost his first love, Gwen Stacy, it seemed as though Parker was to stand alone for all time.  Then, Peter Parker started dating Mary Jane Watson.

One of the most famous couples in comics of all-time, Mary Jane (affectionately known as MJ) was first hinted at in 1965.  Shown off panel in a few shots, Peter avoided MJ at all costs, as she was the girl next door his Aunt May was trying to set him up with. Peter didn't meet her until 1966, when MJ confronted him at the door, and stunned Parker in the famous panel drawn by John Romita, Sr.:

"With great red hair, comes great boasting."

Peter and MJ dated for a brief period until he resumed his relationship with Gwen Stacy.  Upon Gwen's death, however, Peter would pull himself away from relationships and love altogether.

MJ, however, wouldn't let him mourn forever, and stood by him in his time of need, proving that love conquers all.  In 1987, Peter and Mary-Jane walked down the aisle together.

The Wedding!

John Romita, Sr. once again drew a beautiful MJ on this cover - but what's really interesting is that MJ's wedding dress was actually designed by real-life designer Willi Smith.

The marriage of Peter & MJ was also printed the same day in the Spider-Man newspaper comic strip.  In Spider-Man 3, Peter and Mary-Jane reconcile their relationship and get engaged.  Finally, the wedding was later shown in the Fox Kids! TV show, Spider-Man.

Clark Kent & Lois Lane

Carry over the threshold?  How about over the city?

The big one!  The couple that started it all!  They say that behind every great man is a great woman.  Well, then behind every Superman is a Super-woman too!  Right from the first comic, 1938's Action Comics #1, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent meets Lois Lane, and the Lois-Clark-Superman dynamic began.

In the Modern Age of Comics (see my Golden Age of Comics entry here), Lois & Clark met as reporters, though Lois would not develop romantic feelings for Clark for years after Clark scooped her on a Superman article.

Friendly competition aside, Lois & Clark soon became partners, and from this partnership love developed.

Clark proposed to Lois, and she accepted.  Once he was able to affirm her love and devotion, Clark then decided to share his big secret: He and Superman were the same person.

Wow!  Lois Lane, arguably the Daily Planet's top reporter, now sitting on the biggest story of the century!  Although it may seem logical for Clark to get Lois to commit to him before dropping that bomb - preventing her from publishing the Superman identity story immediately - there were obviously some trust issues after this revelation.

Ultimately, Lois believed their love was able to conquer this mistrust, and she would willing to take on the responsibility of being Mrs. Superman, and they were wed.

"Do you take this Superman  man to be your husband?"

In real-time, the wedding of the comic book coincided with the wedding of Teri Hatcher & Dean Cain in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  The marriage of Lois & Clark would once again be seen in Smallville in the series finale.

Final Thoughts


Love is truly one of the greatest gifts we have.

In comic books, in the lives of these characters above, having somebody to love makes our hero(es) stronger.

Having love in our lives, too, makes us stronger, and helps us strive to be better people.

Congratulations to the happy couple!  Wishing you all the best in your Super-lives together!

The History of Comics Pt I: The Golden Age of Comics, where it all began....

In the beginning...


Comic strips ran in weekly newspapers, with characters like Little Orphan Annie (1924), Popeye (1929), and other characters.  Comic strips eventually evolved into comic books, bringing along these characters, and ushering in new creations.  Whether or not comic strips and these early comic books are included in The Golden Age is best left argued by historians.

So let it be written...

Although comic books didn't start with super heroes, many tend to agree that The Golden Age began (or, at the very least, began its popularity) with the introduction of the first super hero of them all: Superman in Action Comics #1.

I want one... Somebody lend me $1.5 million?

"Super" heroes all began with "Super"-man... While you may not have considered this, yes, it seems fairly obvious when you think about it.  Regardless if you knew this before, I bet you won't forget it now!

After the introduction of Superman, the idea of the superhero fighting crime and evildoers boomed, and superheroes soon dominated the comic book industry.  DC characters like Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (see my write-up of Aquaman here), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), the Flash (Jay Garrick), The Atom (Al Pratt), Dr. Fate, the Spectre, Black Canary (Dinah Drake), Hourman, and Hawkman all made their first appearances, while Timely Comics (which would later evolve into today's Marvel Comics) introduced characters like Captain America and Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, and the android Human Torch (not Johnny Storm, the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four).  Other publications of the era introduced characters such as Quality Comics' Plastic Man, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, (both characters now belong to DC), and the Spirit.  The Golden Age also saw the first team-up, the Justice Society of America, as various DC heroes banded together to stop villainy on epic scales.

The 1930s, historically, saw gangsters taking to the streets, so in comics heroes were there to stop these menaces and show them the error of their ways.  But by the late-30's and early-40's, the world was changing: the world was going to war, for the second time.  This battle was not about land or money, despite the initial arguments made.  This war was about evil and atrocities on a scale the world had never seen before.

Grow a real moustache, wimp.

Heroes fight villains, and good conquers over evil.  No grey areas.  Superheroes went to war.

The comic book, at this point, sold millions.  Cheap and portable, comic books often found their way overseas, comforting soldiers as they read about the superheroes, too, taking the fight to the Axis.

Can I help you, ladies?

Furthermore, comic books helped to spread war propaganda, as seen on this cover:

"Hey Kid, put the down the comic and grab your gun!"

With the dropping of the atomic bomb, the word "atomic" became the buzzword of the time, and many characters and storylines began to deal with radiation and its effects.  Even Superman felt the effects of radiation in the form of kryptonite. 

...So let it be done.

As the war came to an end and real-life heroes came home, the fascination with superheroes began to fade.  Comic books of war, westerns, crime, horror, science fiction, and romance hit the market and overshadowed the superhero comics.  Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman remained profitable, and thus continued printing.  Many other titles, however, were cancelled, and other titles changed their primary focus altogether.  All-Star Comics #57, the comic book home of the Justice Society, changed to All-Star Western #58 the next issue.

The Golden Age of Comics saw the best of times, and the blurst worst of times.  Heroes began to vanish altogether....

And then, with the flash of lightning, the Silver Age began....

[Stay Tuned for my entry on The Silver Age of Comics!]