Major Spoilers EIC Stephen has a theory that the things we are exposed to in our early tween years (10-15 years of age) stick with us the longest. I’ve tried to argue against it, but then I remember the things I read and watched at that age, recalling Michael Knight, Hannibal Smith and the legendary ninja, Snake-Eyes. Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that stunt-rider Johnny Blaze is still the epitome of cool in my memory, even thirty years later. (Optimus Prime is right up there, but he’s a giant robot, which I’m pretty sure I can’t grow up to be without serious work.) The response not-so-long ago of folks my age to the removal of certain TV reruns further underlines the truthiness of his point, leading to today’s formative query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) will also point out people in their late twenties loving the ‘Star Wars’ prequels, asking: What character was the epitome of cool when YOU were 11 years old?
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Batman, Wolverine, Snake Eyes. Usual suspects. All have gone down on the list as years passed.
Wolverine and Storm. And yup I started reading XMen at about 10 years old during Claremont’s amazing run. It still impacts my outlook today.
A ten year old white kid growing up in a mostly white blue collar community segregated from POC by a large river in NEast NJ, starts reading a comic book about a group of super heroes led by a (then) powerless African woman whom the team loved and respected. Yes even the angry little hairy Canadian. Especially the little, angry, hairy Canadian.
It was a large influence on my life.