Friends Aren’t Really A Dime A Dozen, Are They?

Today is a day I sat back and reflected on the people whom I consider best friends. In a lifetime you will have friends and acquaintances that you include in your inner circle of people. These are the kind of people that you can talk to and share good times with. If you’re lucky enough, you will have a few you will consider a brother or sister…almost like a second family.

I have a story for you. It is a story about an adventure a few of my closest friends and I had. It was a few years back and I was heading out to go camping with my wife and my buddy. We headed on the highway heading to go to the campsite but our car had car troubles. Needless to say, we were stuck.

At that point I called my buddy to turn back because of the issues our car was having. We were still determined to go to the campsite so we packed up our stuff into his car, took two trips and left our car on the highway and proceeded to head to the site.

All weekend the weather was 40 above (104 for anybody not in Celcius). This didn’t deter us. No, it tested our survival skills as well as our friendship. Oh, and by survival, I mean our ability to start a car and turn the air conditioning on.

As we packed on Sunday, we realized that we had too much stuff to fit in the car. Like “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” I phoned a friend to help us out.

Without question, he drove himself having barely slept and picked us up.

So, what makes a friend?

Where do I begin?

• You can call them at 4 in the morning and they will be there for you…even if they grumble and complain
• They take the time to get to know all your quirks and secrets.
• On occasion, they are the only one that seems to get your jokes.
• You can go on road trips together and not want to kill each other by the end of it.
• They will take the time to listen to you and even tell you to smarten up when need be.
• A friend will have your back no matter what.
• They will be by your side like Bucky Barnes to Captain America.
• They know when to ask if you need a hug.
• A friend knows that LOOK you give when you’re up to something.
• They are your biggest fan.

On top of all that, they know exactly how to gloat when they beat you in a video game or a bet…and then you do it again.

Qualities

1. Trustworthy
2. Loyalty
3. Supportive
4. Honest
5. Sense of humor

What qualities do you look for?

Superheroes and friends

By now you might be wondering how this post has anything to do with comics.

Good question, let me explain.

Through comic history, there have been countless friendships.

• Captain America and Falcon
• Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy
• Professor X and Magneto
• Batman and Robin
• Green Arrow and Green Lantern
• Luke Cage and Iron Fist

The reasons that they become friends are no different than anything I have already said.

Heroes for Hire

Take Luke Cage and Iron Fist as an example.

This friendship, from a publisher point of view, was formed because both individual comics were nearing the end of their runs. Marvel, seeing this, thought, “What the hell, lets put them together” and Heroes for Hire was born.

Formed on a common ground that they both wanted to make some money while protecting the city, the two provided back and forth banter that had not been seen before. Their journey together was much like the point I made earlier about going on road trips and not wanting to kill each other.

Because the two work so well together, they have been given a chance to showcase their friendship to a whole new audience through the newly released Netflix series.

Opposites really do attract

Can good friends make better enemies?

Some might say that the rivalry that is Professor X and Magneto is more like a marriage. Take some time to Google “Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart Marriage” and you’ll see what I mean.

A friendship that goes back decades, the two met in Isreal while caring for Holocaust survivors. Things started to unravel when their viewpoints about the evolution of mankind and mutants differed.

Magneto would go on to form the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, while Xavier formed the X-Men. The two groups would clash time and time again, becoming one of the most recurring battles in comics.

Funny enough, the two always held a mutual respect for one another.

In the series finale of X-Men: The Animated Series their back and forth friendship would be tested once again. Due to an attack by Henry Gyrich that left Professor X in a weakened state, the X-Men were forced to swallow their pride and call upon their greatest adversary, Magneto.

Tasked with the decision to either be a friend or be an enemy, Magneto ultimately chose friendship. Magneto would use his powers to amplify the reach of Xavier’s powers. Doing this, enabled Xavier to reach the Shi’ar Empire, which in turn saved Xavier’s life…to a point.

Greener than a Christmas tree

Friends don’t have to share the same beliefs.

Green Lantern and Green Arrow defined this.

While Green Lantern was the voice for working within the system, Green Arrow pushed for change. The two would be tasked with taking on some powerful issues together.

• Racism
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Brainwashing
• Pollution

This is what brought them so close. They had no choice but to be. Dealing with issues like the above is not a one man job. Their friendship was built on quips, jokes and a mutual desire to make the world a better place.

Over time the two gave rise to the term “bromance”.

One last thing

I am humbled by the stories that have been created because of the friends I have.

“Me and my best friends can communicate just with face expressions” 

–Anonymous

                                                                                                            Cheers,

                                                                                                            Jeff

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