Collecting Spider-Man comic books is my passion

Kidsday reporter Jason Murray, of North Country Road Middle School in Miller Place, with Spider-Man comic books from his collection. Credit: Murray family
Comic books have been around in the United States for over 85 years and have a very interesting history. Collecting them can be a fun hobby you can do for your whole life. I’ve been collecting comics for two years, and I really enjoy the stories and art.
There are many types of comic books from different countries. The first modern U.S. comic book came out in 1933, and it was a reprinting of comic strips from newspapers. Today’s comic books have little to do with comic strips, and mostly contain stories about superheroes. The most famous superheroes are Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and Captain America. My favorite superhero is Spider-Man because I like his adventures, his costume and the villains he fights.
Many people collect comic books because it’s a fun hobby and the comic books may increase in value. Initially, just kids collected comic books, but as the kids grew up, they still collected them, and comic books became popular in adult culture. Because of the increase in interest in comic books, and the rarity of some of them, their value has increased. The most expensive comic book ever sold was Action Comics No. 1, the first appearance of Superman, for $3.2 million.
I don’t have a million-dollar book collection, but I have a lot of good comic books handed down from my dad. My three favorite comics are “Web of Spider-Man” No. 1, “Secret Wars” No. 8, and “Daredevil” No. 181. I like “Web of Spider-Man,” because the cover is really cool. I like “Secret Wars” because it is the origin of Spider-Man’s black suit. I like “Daredevil” because it has really good artwork and fighting scenes.
Spider-Man will probably still be my favorite comic book hero when I grow up. I have one of his comic books, “Amazing Spider-Man” No. 300, which is worth about $1,000, and I think that it will be more valuable when I grow up. Not all comic books will be valuable, so it’s important to choose the ones that you like.
Jennifer Spaccaforno’s sixth-grade English class, North Country Road Middle School, Miller Place