An appreciation

I'd like to take a moment to thank Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for teaching me something about science.

Stan and Jack was the core team that created what is now Marvel Comics. The Fantastic Four, X-Men, and the Hulk were all their creations. I'd like to single out the latter for teaching me a little science: specifically, radiation.

The Hulk comics frequently referenced gamma radiation and gamma rays, since the Hulk was the product of an accident involving radiation. I looked it up in an encyclopedia and found out it wasn't just gibberish -- that there were such things as gamma rays. And along the way, I learned about alpha particles and beta particles and atomic decay.

I would never claim I became a scientist because of comics. But I do appreciate that they got me thinking.

Aside: I didn't pick the cover shown at random; I had a beat-up copy of that issue.