When dad died in 2018, grief hit like a freight train. I coped by diving into the Marvel multiverse of comics. It helped a ton.
I don’t collect comic books to resell them. The focus on financial gain has always turned me off ever since mom valued money as more important than her own children. Those who have only money in their heart are not good company to keep.
I collect comics for the stories, and I share them with neighbors, kids, and friends. I bought as many as I could of each storyline that interested me because I wanted to learn the story from start to end. Finish the whole series, so to say.
My favorites are Jessica Jones and Doctor Strange. The way these people face their problems are both fantastical and relatable at the same time. In spite of having awesome powers, they are still human at their core, with relatable personalities, characteristics, tendencies, and flaws. I have a ton more comics than just their storylines, but the others are too many to mention.
The comic books helped distract me from my grief until I could process my grief as well. When dad was alive, he introduced me to the X-Files. When he died, what he left behind was my key to the Marvel universe.
And for that, I am grateful.