Comic Relief

Holy swamp thing, Batman--is this the University of Pennsylvania?

And are these Ivy League students devoting their free time to...comic books!

Yes. One of the newest student organizations on the Philadelphia campus is the 25-member Comic Collectors of the University of Pennsylvania, a group devoted to the enjoyment and propagation of comic books.

Said President David M. Herman, a Penn junior, "We were thinking of calling it Super Penn, but no one would know what we meant."

Although this is the Comic Collectors' second year of existence, this is the first year that they have been recognized and financed by the University.

"We provide a unique service," said Herman. The $278 which the club will receive from the Student Activities Council, which controls clubs and organizations within the University, will be used to publish The Voice, a magazine written by and for comic book fans.

The organization's bi-weekly meetings usually draw about a dozen members, said Wharton School of Business junior Andrew R. Gold, vice-president of the club. "We end up sitting around talking about comic books. It's very informal."

Gold attributed the popularity of comic books at Penn to their relative speed when compared to other forms of recreation. "You can escape from reality for the length of an average stay on the toilet," he said.

Gold also said that "a lot of Wharton students buy them as investments" but that these are not true comic-book fans.

One of the most popular comic strips on campus, both officers agreed, is Swamp Thing, a Marvel Comics offering which according to Gold, features both "sophisticated suspense" and "prose at its finest."

Herman estimated that most members spend between $20-25 each month on comics. He said an average comic book sells for about a dollar.

Approximately 1 percent of Penn students read comic books, said Gold. He said that comics are popular because "good always wins over evil, and no one gets the girl."

There are not too many women in the Comic Collectors--only about two or three, according to Herman. "Super-heroines just don't make it," he said. "Men get more of a thrill from super-powers than women."