Inspiration in Loss: Pop Culture, Comics, and Grief
This article was written by staff writer, Michael Worthan.
November 30/23: Michael and his Mom at an acoustic Rob Thomas Christmas Concert (image credit: Michael Worthan)
On December 27, 2023, the world stopped for my family and I.
My Mom had been sick for a while, diagnosed with kidney disease about 6 months before, and for those 6 months my attention was drawn away from writing, away from comics, away from most things. My focus was my Mom. A lot happened in those 6 months, but in the end, on that Wednesday night at 10:15 p.m., my Mom passed away.
I could go into the details, the days leading up to her passing, the three weeks of hospitalization, us postponing Christmas hoping she would be back home for the New Year. My families New Year’s Eve was sitting with each other, still stunned by the loss, wondering how things worked now, watching my Dad, and making sure we were there for him.
Leading up to her memorial, we cremated her, so a true funeral was not what we wanted to do. Things were planned, plans set in motion, and on January 27, 2024—a month after her passing—I found myself at a podium staring at a crowd of about 100 people. I was there to talk about my Mom, to try and get through a five-minute speech about what she meant to me, how much she influenced my life, my personality, and how much I loved her. I had written and re-written this speech dozens of times, and I was up at 2 a.m, re-writing it again. To me, this had to be perfect. I wanted to tell these people that my Mom meant the world to me, to the family, and that nothing would be the same again.
The opening of my speech was this “My parents have always been my superheroes. They have always been my personal version of the dynamic duo. I will never say who was Batman or Robin, but just know my Dad does not have to ride in the passenger seat anymore.”
That’s right, on one of the most important speeches of my life, in one of the worst circumstances, on one of the saddest days, I made a Batman joke, and I knew it was perfect.
My Mom was not only my biggest fan, but one of the main catalysts for my love of pop culture and comics. She may not have always understood what they were about, but she loved that I loved them. I mean, hell, she went with me to see the new Power Rangers movie when no one else wanted to. She just supported my love.
From cartoons, to books, to my ever-expanding collection of toys and comics, pop culture is ingrained in who I am. Quite literally as most of my tattoos all deal in pop culture and comics in some way.
I have been away from writing about my loves for quite a while. I’ve been worried what people will think, how if I add too much of a personal feel that I won’t come off as a professional. Those worries are gone now. The love I have is worn on my sleeve, and I will start to slowly—and with care—write about those loves, what drives me, and what pop culture means to me. I hope you’ll read these articles, and that they bring back a sense of joy in what has become far too critical of a world.
Enjoy.
And, in the infamous words of John Wick: “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.”