With a growing number of superhero based media such as video games, TV shows and movies, comic fans at CHS marvel at the increasing fan base. Ever since the comic book store The Foolery opened during the summer, more people have had the opportunity to become interested in the material. CHS students get to see their favorite characters come to life on screen in shows such as DC’s “Arrow” and “Flash,” and Marvel’s “Agents of Shield,” and  while witnessing their other adventures and origin stories unfold on paper.

Media such as TV and movies have been primarily responsible for increased interest in comics. Fans are able to see illustrations come to life in action-packed shows on TV.

“In the comic universe, the best parts are the actual comic books, since that is what everything started off of. And watching and playing what I read is the most surreal part of it,” Pierce Woodling, comic book fan and sophomore, said.

A notable new series is “The Flash,” based off of Barry Allen, a forensic scientist turned superhero. Ongoing shows include “Arrow,” which is based off of the DC hero Green Arrow and entering season three, and “Marvel’s Agents of Shield,” a spin-off from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like many other students, Alexander Wager, comics club member and sophomore, knows that these shows are the reason why there are more comic fans. The shows and movies largely influence people to get interested in  more comic books.

“I really need to catch up on Netflix. ‘Arrow’ sounds just amazing, and many of the movies and shows are what are really getting people into comics,” Wager said.

Woodling and Wager are among those who became comic fans because of the opening of The Foolery. For many people in Carmel, The Foolery has become the number one place to get comics. With their increased availability, many people had the opportunity to read and collect them as well.

“I became more interested when The Foolery opened on Main Street. It sparked my interest since it was so close by. I usually go whenever I have some cash laying around, and it is my go-to place to get comics,” Wager said.

The Foolery’s owner, Bob Williams, reopened it after seeing the rise in popularity of comics due to the increase of media based on them when he went to 2014’s Indianapolis Comic Con.

“TV shows like ‘Arrow’ and ‘Flash’ have tremendously helped (create more comic fans), and even “the Doctor” who is very popular and all of the media blitz that has been going on with TV and movies has definitely increased the base as far as the people that are out there collecting,” Williams said.

As a response to the growing number of comic fans, CHS comic book club was started. Madeleine Leonard, comic book club co-president and senior, enjoys reading comics, but doesn’t fully immerse into the television aspect just because it could be based off of her favorite character.

“I will probably watch the first couple of episodes of ‘Flash,’ I don’t know, depending upon how well it’s written, I’ll stick with it. I’m not the kind of person who just because it has an aspect of something I like I will follow it indefinitely. It has to be good. I haven’t really watched the comic-based things, but the Avengers series is phenomenal,” Leonard said.

Leonard also follows different web comics, such as “Homestuck” and “Olympus Overdrive,” rather than the forerunners of the comic book industry, Marvel and DC. The problem with Marvel and DC for Leonard is that there is no right time to jump in. According to Leonard, she would like to get into X-Men, but because many Marvel and DC comics have been going on for so long, it is very hard find a place to start.

“For people who want to pick it up, they are jumping into a universe which they may not fully understand. They would have to go to a wiki to get a back story, which would take hours and hours,” Woodling said.

That is where the movies and shows come in. They make comics easier to digest and follow and they are the sparks that create new fans of the actual comics rather than just fans of the movies based off of them.

“Look at the Guardians of the Galaxy, no one even knew who they were until the movie and that’s like number 42 on IMDB. Marvel is good at making people more interested in comics since the Iron Man movie,” Woodling said.

Williams too said that the new shows are proof that companies are using an opportunity to appeal to the increasing number of comic fans.

These new comic book fans often find themselves becoming a part of a growing fanbase as more and more people start to discover the media. 

“Think of all the people who go to comic-cons and dress up are crazy fans for dressing up and spending however much on comic books,” Leonard said. “I mean look at all the people who go all out for sporting events and get all body-painted up as well, they’re just as crazy gung-ho fans like some comic books are, in the end, we are all just people trying to represent something that we like a lot.”