There’s a new club in town and it’s reminiscent of the 1930s through ‘50s when comic books were all the rage and the superhero archetype first came into play.

 

Those watching last week’s Bridgeport High School Homecoming Parade might have witnessed the first public appearance of the BHS Comic Book Club.

 

It was Hannah Cottrill who first brought the idea to the table. She said she believes comic books are an underappreciated art and worthy of some imaginative attention.

 

“My dad always raised me with all these different superheroes that I loved so some of my friends – who loved the characters too – decided to get a group together to talk about it and have meetings to discuss hypothetical situations like what would happen if this superhero met that superhero,” she said.

 

As one might imagine, club activities revolve around lively conversation, colorful comics and group excursions to PopCon – West Virginia Pop Culture and Comic Book Convention – and other industry-related expos.

 

Members meet Mondays at BHS for discussion and planning. Currently, about 25 students are members. If a meeting is missed, students can visit bhscomicbook.club and catch up on highlights and activities. The Web site is managed by student member Logan Davis.

 

“I designed the Web site and built it from the ground up. It took about a month to write it,” he said. “Hannah came to me with the idea and I told her I would try my best to come up with something. It’s up and it’s working great. It’s not 100 percent complete, but it’s functional. People can check out what we talk about and we’re trying to get more people to join.”

 

Every BHS club has to have a faculty advisor and it was easy for the Comic Book Club to choose the ideal teacher.

 

“He just fits the part,” said Davis about Jared St. Martin Brown, BHS theater teacher and Thespian Troupe advisor. “He loves comic books and I knew he really liked them before we even had the idea for this club.”

 

Brown’s favorite comic character is Wonder Woman and that is evident to those who know him, Cottrill said. That and the fact that Brown is always very supportive made him the ideal club sponsor, she said.

 

The club has not only created a resurgence in interest about characters like Superman, Batman, Captain America and Captain Marvel. It has also inspired some future service projects.

 

“We would like to start doing children’s hospital visits and some other service projects,” Cottrill said.

 

For the record, her favorite character is Bat Girl. Davis said he’ll have to go with Iron Man for his comic character of choice.