Martinex1: It is Labor Day here in the U.S.A. and we are celebrating the American working men and women. In comic books, the heroes and villains often have secret identities, and in those lives they hold jobs. They have to pay the rent after all!
The most memorable character to me, in terms of earning a living, was Peter Parker. He was always trying to earn his way and was constantly worrying about money and income. Whether taking on wrestlers for cash, or as a freelance photographer, or as a lab assistant at the University, Parker was often living check to check and just trying to get a foothold in the working world.
Steve Rogers, while not acting as Captain America, worked as a policeman and also as a comic book artist. He definitely had a varied resume.
Thor was secretly Dr. Donald Blake. Thunderstrike was a paramedic. Hawkeye worked at the carnival and later in life was the head of security for a large corporation. Barry Allen worked in the police forensic laboratory. The Falcon was a social worker. Hank Pym was a renowned biochemist, as were the Beast and Bill Foster. Janet Van Dyne was a designer. Ms. Marvel's Carol Danvers had a role as a military liaison and as a magazine publisher. Wonder Man was an actor. The Black Panther taught at a school for a while. Matt Murdock was an attorney. Even the Vision acted as a private detective under the pseudonym Vic Shade. Superman was the star reporter Clark Kent. And of course there were always the rich industrialists and billionaires in the hero ranks as well with the likes of Batman and Iron Man.
The Fantastic Four just kind of hung out and lived off of Reed's patents and inventions I guess. I don't recall Ben (after his fighter pilot days), Johnny or Sue having jobs.
The villains also had careers. Electro was power line electrician (I recall thinking that was cool and would watch linemen when they worked in our neighborhood). Trickster was an actor. The Beetle was a master mechanic. Whirlwind was a chauffeur. Many were scientists who invented their gear or stumbled upon their powers like the Living Laser and Blackout.
The Wrecking Crew were not your typical wreckers, as Dirk Garthwaite their leader originally was a paid criminal who used his crowbar to destroy crime scenes. His teammate Thunderball is a doctor.
The villains also had their rich, powerful, and ruthless business types in Lex Luthor, Count Nefaria, Norman Osborne, and Obadiah Stane,When you were growing up and reading comics, were you intrigued by the characters' jobs while they were in their civilian identities? I know I was. I was particularly interested in the scientists - both good and bad. I had no idea what a biochemist was. And I found it hard to believe that Superman could hang around all of those slick reporters and not get discovered. I liked that Marvel focused more on the roles characters played when they weren't fighting in spandex.
Did comic reading actually make you consider some careers when you were young? Were there enough working class heroes? Who did I miss that had an intriguing occupation?
Today is a holiday, so let's relax and enjoy the day off. Hopefully the comments and discussion will take us in some interesting and thought provoking directions without a lot of work. Chew the fat. Cheers all.
