Not Even Superheroes Are Immune To Today's Tough Economic Times

You know the economy has really tanked when Superheroes start losing their jobs.

Peter Parker, the New York City’s official photographer and Spider-Man’s alter-ego, is set to get pink-slipped in an upcoming edition of The Amazing Spider-Man.

Peter’s always been a down-to-earth character who faces realistic problems, explained Marvel Comics senior editor Steve Wacker, and as the rest of the world struggles to get by during these times of economic struggle, so too will this crime-fighting hero.

"He's going to struggle with unemployment and trying to save the city while he can barely afford to keep a roof over his head," said Steve.

Now that Peter’s out of a job, he’ll be forced to grapple with unemployment and the high cost of living and will have to figure out a way to budget for things like bills, costume repairs and pricey web fluid.

It’s not cool when anyone – superheroes included – are facing unemployment, and I’m curious to see how Peter handles unemployment. I think Spider-Man’s older followers might relate to this storyline a bit more – my four-year-old son worships Spider-Man, but he just wants to see his hero swing around New York City and catch the bad guys. I don’t think he’s going to care, or even understand, that Peter’s being forced to pinch pennies and live the frugal life because he’s out of a job.

What do you think? Is Spider-Man’s unemployment status something that younger fans will be able to relate to? Would your young Spider-Man fanatic grasp the concept of Peter’s job loss, or do you think it would go over his/her head?

[source]

Comments

[Jessi]

I think it's awesome and might help some kids understand better what their parents are going through. Comic books have always been a reflection of our society and I'm glad they are tackling this.

[mapsgirl]

If they spin it so that the kids learn about what things their parents may be going through, it would be great. But I'm wondering if their target audience is that young. There are a lot of older readers, I would imagine, who have grown up with Spiderman and are probably still reading it.