The Le: Sounds like you're quite a fan of comics. Whose your favorite comic book character?

Toychop: Gotta go with Spider-Man. He’s the greatest character in all of fiction in my opinion. Not just comics—I’d put Spidey up against James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Conan, Darth Vader, whoever. A unique, flashy costume design that appeals to kids of every race (he could be ANY ethnicity under that mask), a set of powers to drool over (while not being cosmic-level unrelatable) and a cast of colorful villains that, at worst, ties with Batman for best comic book rogues gallery.  

And that’s just gravy. What cements Spidey as such a wonderful character IS his character. All of us, in our hearts, are Peter Parker. We’ve all had life deal us a bad hand from time-to-time, crash and burning with girls, being picked last in kickball, etc. The substance of the fella under the mask is the struggle of finding your place in a world that doesn’t make sense and, at times, seems out to get you. Without the spider-bite, Peter Parker is still an intriguing, redemptive character that can carry a story. Mix in the super powers, the compelling costume, the five-star villains and you have the perfect storm of a character. You da man, Spidey.



You can find contact information for Toychop on the last page of this feature.