Spider-Man, Power Pack

(Marvel, 1984)
™ and ©1984 Marvel Comics Group

Marvel Comics, in association with the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse and the National Education Association present this comic to help educate children about child abuse. Inside are two stories starring Spider-Man and the youngsters that make up the super hero team called Power Pack.

The first story depicts a young boy who is molested by his baby sitter. Peter Parker lives in the next apartment and hears the boy’s protests. He goes next door as Spider-Man and defuses the situation for the most part. Then, in an attempt to encourage the boy to tell his parents, Peter tells the young boy a story about another lad who was molested. This other boy told his aunt and uncle what had happened to him and everything turned out all right. The shocker is that this other boy was actually Peter Parker himself.

The Power Pack story is similar, but when the young girl tells her mother that her father has been touching her in a bad way, the father denies it and calls the girl a liar. This touches off an argument between the mother and father. The girl feels like she has done something bad and runs away. Luckily, the Power Pack kids get wind that their friend has run away and go looking for her. When they find her, they explain to her that it isn’t her fault and she should tell another grown up. When she does, the wheels are put in motion to get the girl’s family the help they need.

The comic is full of good examples of what kids should do if such a situation arises, and there are many information and help sources on the inside back cover. The NEA simply states that the comic is “a viable attempt to educate children about the problem of child sexual abuse.”

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