Maybe Spider-Man Isn’t the Best Superhero to Give Voting Advice
I agree with Spider-Man’s message, frankly. I’m one of those believers in “don’t vote, can’t complain,” so Spidey and I are on the same page. However, I do question the wisdom in having Spider-Man tell people to vote. Usually when Spidey tells people to do things, those people are kids — you know, young people, far more inclined to do what a man in a Spider-Man costume says (like, “get in this windowless van” and such). But you have to be 18 to vote, the age when (other than us nerds) the general populace stops being impressed by actors in superhero costumes. I’d say the chances of Spidey getting his message through to most 18-year-olds and up is slim to none. But maybe Mephisto’s involved. I don’t know.
I do know this, however — if you tell anyone at the voting booth that “Spider-Man sent me,” I’m pretty sure they have the legal right to throw your ballot in the trash. Just sayin’.
About The Author
Robert Bricken is one of the original co-founders of the site formerly known as Topless Robot, and its first editor-in-chief, serving from 2008-12. He brought the site to prominence with “nerd news, humor and self-loathing” as its motto, raising it from total internet obscurity to a readership in the millions, with help from his savage “FAQ” movie reviews and Fan Fiction Fridays. Under his tenure Topless Robot was covered by Gawker, Wired, Defamer, New York magazine, ABC News, and others, and his articles have been praised by Roger Ebert, Avengers actor Clark Gregg, comedian and The Daily Show correspondent John Hodgman, the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax, and others. He is currently the managing editor of io9.com. Despite decades as both an amateur and professional nerd, he continues to be completely unprepared for either the zombie apocalypse or the robot uprising.