When it comes to dynamic duos, Batman and Robin of Gotham have nothing on Led and Jake Bradshaw of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Led, 48, a professional comic book illustrator, and his son, Jake, an 11-year-old with autism, have bonded over superheroes and comic books. But flash back to nearly eight years ago, when Jake was first diagnosed — Led wondered what the future held for his son. He worried about their relationship. He knew nothing about autism but began reading everything he could and asking therapists and other professionals lots of questions.

While scrolling the internet, looking for the latest sci-fi and comic book news, he came across a reference to art therapy and its impact for children with autism. Led, who began drawing at age 3 and never stopped, would add drawing for 25 minutes every day to Jake’s routine. Colors were used to express emotions. Led would engage Jake and ask why he was happy, angry or sad.

He beamed over his son’s obsession with superheroes, reminding him of his younger self. Jake had a speech delay but Led indicated he didn’t recognize it as a sign of autism. Art, something Led was totally at ease with, could help Jake express himself, even without words. He empowered Jake to draw himself as a superhero. That’s when things really took off.

Jake Jetpulse: A superhero with autism born

By embracing Jake’s passion, while luring him into learning, they have created a series of comic/workbooks, The Adventures of Jake Jetpulse, that gives readers a glimpse into Jake’s life on the spectrum.

The villains and monsters in Jake Jetpulse comics are from Jake’s nightmares, Led said. Jake would draw them and name them. To fight off the monsters, Led made “monster repellant spray.”

“I didn’t know what I was walking into. I was just being an attentive dad,” Led said. “I’ve created the superhero universe with him. The stories come from his experience, and I draw to bring it to life.”

Little did Jake realize, he was reading and learning while gaining more confidence. His teacher at school, at the time, shared the comic and activity books with other children.

“If you’re diagnosed with autism, that’s not bad,” Jake said. “It’s OK. You’re still unique and you can do anything.”

Working on social skills at school

Jake brings his creativity and his love of writing and drawing to his classroom at AHRC New York City’s Brooklyn Blue Feather Elementary School.

If it was up to Jake, “he would sit and draw all day,” said Rose Dorcia, his teacher. He is friendly, sociable, talkative, and very inquisitive, she added. “He reads very well, with good pronunciation and he understands most of what he reads.”

Like other children on the spectrum, Jake struggles with social skills. Rose said he’s learning how to approach other children if he can join their activity in an appropriate manner. He’s also working on reading body language, she said.

Led also continues to learn, every day from Jake. By encouraging Jake to pursue his special interests, he has learned to communicate better with him.

Led’s tip for other parents of children with autism?

“Do everything you can to be the best advocate for your child,” Led said. “Establish relationships with therapists and others who work with your child. Ask them, ‘What can I do at home, so my child doesn’t forget this.’”

And most importantly, he added, “make things fun.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AHRC New York City is a nonprofit organization that advocates for people who are neurodiverse to lead full and equitable lives. It helps more than 15,000 people annually, and calls for better education, living arrangements, prospects for work and fuller lives in the community for the neurodiverse.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post first appeared on the NYC Dads Group blog in 2012. It has been updated for 2023.

Several months ago, after countless hours of Dora the Explorer on Netflix, I turned on one of my favorite cartoons from my youth, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. To my delight and surprise, it is now my daughter’s favorite show.

Recently, we went to a superhero-themed birthday party and she went as Firestar, her favorite from the show. Other kids were Spider-Man and Superman, but she was the only one dressed as an obscure character from a 30-year-old TV show. I think it’s pretty awesome that she is so into something I loved as a kid. Heck, she brought her Iceman figure to a Korean barbeque restaurant the other day.

And on the first Saturday of May, we will venture to a local comic book store to celebrate Free Comic Book Day.

Comic books can build a love of reading

As much as comic books are often derided, they can be a great tool for getting children reading. Younger kids will like the pictures and want you to read the stories, which encourages them to want to learn to read on their own. For kids who can read, especially reluctant readers, comic books are an accessible way to get into reading. I know many educators who use comics in the classroom as a way to get kids reading. And as a dad, I think it is a source of new stories to read. After all, how many times can you tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood?

Another thing that is great about comics is they appeal to a wide audience. Boys and girls, kids and adults can find something they love about comics. With character licensing being the way it is, children know who all the major superheroes are as the person from their friend’s backpack or T-shirt. So why not expose them to the source material and open a new world for them?

So what is Free Comic Book Day?

Free Comic Book Day is usually the first Saturday of May. Participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away certain comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. Since the inception of the program in 2002, tens of millions of free comic books have been given away. 

What is cool about Free Comic Book Day? It can help turn you on to something you have never read before and find a new favorite. You’ll be sure to find some with well-known superheroes, like the Avengers, but you’ll also discover many others. You’ll also be able to pick up more grown-up comics, including graphic novels. For example, I found a Valiant Comics sampler featuring X-O Manowar and a Buffy the Vampire meets The Guild crossover.

The first year I went with my child, the selection of free comics included very kid-friendly fare: Yo Gabba Gabba, Donald Duck, and The Smurfs. So there really is something for everyone!

The last time I went to Free Comic Book Day I ended up with a stack of freebies and I end up buying another stack for myself, which is good because it helped support an independent comic book store.

Find a participating store near you

Need help finding a comic book store near you? Check the store locator on The Free Comic Book Day website.

Photo: © bizoo_n /Adobe Stock.

Back in the day, I was a nerd who worked at FAO Schwarz. I read too many comics, collected way too many action figures, and lived and breathed toys. And every year, I tried to find a way to get into Toy Fair New York.

Toy Fair, for those who don’t know, is the annual trade show where toy companies show off their wares and try to get you excited about the products they have coming out in the new year. While that can be a hit or miss prospect for getting store buyers excited for new lines, it never fails to thrill nerds like me.

You see, I used to agonize over not being able to get into Toy Fair. I may have worked in toys, collected them, and amassed vast knowledge about them, but I wasn’t a buyer and I wasn’t press, so I wasn’t getting in there to see all the awesomeness.

Well, things change. Thanks to the interwebz, I’m now officially press. And because I write about this nerdy stuff, I’ve gotten to attend Toy Fair these last three years, an ambition of mine that’s been literally decades in the making.

Toy Fair has become more than just being about the toys. It’s the people making, distributing or reporting on those toys that really makes Toy Fair awesome. Attending Toy Fair gives you a backstage pass to the toy industry, and it introduces you to some great folks along the way. After all, anyone can take pictures of all the toys to be seen there, but the really interesting stories are why some of these people are at Toy Fair in the first place.

Marty Abrams is well known by avid toy collectors, and even if you don’t know his name, you know his work. Marty is the man behind Mego, which made iconic toys in the 1970s. If you didn’t have these eight-inch action figures from Star Trek, DC, Marvel or even from Happy Days, then you know someone who did. So it’s really nice to see the gregarious Marty Abrams back at Toy Fair, bringing these beloved toys back!

Todd McFarlane is another rock star in the toy industry. I’ve been a fan of his ever since he drew Batman: Year Two in the ’80s, and watched with awe as he became a comics superstar. He started his own company, Image Comics, which revolutionized that industry, and then subsequently started up McFarlane Toys which revolutionized the toy industry.

McFarlane now handles multiple hot licenses, including Fortnite, Game of Thrones, and all major sports leagues. It also just acquired the rights to DC Comics’ characters. Because of that, Todd himself was being pulled in 80 different directions at once while I was touring his booth. But he still took a few moments to come over and chat with me and pose for a picture, because I’m a nerd, and so is he.

Charlie Friend, president of Green Toys, is also passionate about the products he makes but he fills a unique niche. Green Toys are made of completely recycled material, right here in the USA. They have everything from active play toys to vehicles, and their message of sustainability and respect for the planet we live on is a necessary and pertinent one. His enthusiasm for what he does is impressive and admirable.

Zach Oat is with Diamond Select Toys, producing figures, props and statues meant for adult collectors. I knew him from ToyFare magazine, one of the periodicals that used to tell me about Toy Fair. We had a grand conversation about some of the things he’s seen and had a hand in, including the show Robot Chicken, which came from Toyfare magazine.

Some folks I’d gotten to know weren’t there this year, but in Christine Kaskey’s case, this was a good thing. She started her own company, Kaskey Kids, and became famous for her “Sports Guys” figures. While I did miss seeing her at the show, I was happy to see it was for a good reason, as she had sold Kaskey Kids to Masterpieces, a well known toy and game company.

Toy Fair also provided me the opportunity to meet other writers, vloggers and influencers I either already knew or was a fan of. Dan Larson of Toy Galaxy was there, as were Nerds in a Bar, Toy Shiz, and many others. I’m happy to report they’re all great folks.

But what was especially nice was hanging out with other dads and parents I’ve gotten to know through City Dads Group. Granted, some of these folks I now only see at events like this, but when you work at home a lot, it’s actually very nice to have “work friends” again, people like Gregg Jobson-Larkin from Darleen & Gregg, Adam Cohen from Dada Rocks and Denise Comeau from Game On Mom.

When I was a kid, I wanted to work with toys somehow. Whether it was making them, selling them, whatever, and my career has reflected that. Now that I’ve been going to Toy Fair for a while, it’s been a welcome and pleasant surprise to discover that the people who share that passion for toys are just as nice as one could hope they’d be.

Toy Fair is awesome. But what makes it awesome is not just the toys, or even getting to see all of the new lines, but meeting the people who work with those toys. Seeing them again is what I most look forward to from Toy Fair next year.

All photos by Chad R. MacDonald.

Members of the NYC Dads Group recently left New York City entirely … to travel to the Marvel Universe Live. And what a tremendously fun trip it was.

Marvel Universe Live, coming Feb. 22-25 to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and nearby locations in March, is a show about Marvel superheroes such as The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America — only one of the hottest and most well-known comic book properties ever. Our evening included a behind-the-scenes look at the show. We met the performers, learned how they did their amazing moves, and participated in all kinds of awesome activities. What’s more, our dads and their children were given a chance to fight alongside their favorite heroes.

A selfie station with props, including Iron Man’s gauntlets, Thor’s mighty hammer and Star Lord’s mask, proved popular with all. You also could get an up close and personal look ar Dr. Strange’s Cloak of Levitation and many other costumes from the show, or learn how to manipulate a flaming globe on a rope, and more.

The performers were friendly and approachable, and helped the children learn various fight moves. One by one, every boy and girl got to strut their stuff in hand-to-hand combat, and even learned how to duel with swords!

Kids would see that they could be superheroes too, and finally know what it’s like to toss around the bad guys, and save the day with heroic feats of derring-do, no matter how small they might be.

They even put on a parkour display, flipping and tumbling over objects like superheroes do. Parkour, or “free running,” if you haven’t seen it, is an amazing way to move your body, and this writer has long wondered why superhero films don’t hire parkour professionals to portray Spider-Man, Daredevil or Captain America as they leap and tumble on the rooftops of New York City, or as they battle their way across an alien landscape.

Full disclosure: This writer tried his hand in the acting field a long time ago, and a lot of the reason I wanted to be an actor was for the action sequences, fighting the bad guys, running and jumping through dangerous environments, and so on and so on. I was certified in Stage Combat, and did minor stunt work, too. I figured I’d see nothing here that I couldn’t do.

Welp. I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again, so it wasn’t a surprise I was wrong about this. These performers were miles beyond anything I’d ever been capable of.

Nik Nieves, the show’s fight captain, told me that he holds several degrees and certifications in martial arts, just to start. He is also required, as many of the actors are, to play the roles of many characters in the show. He could be Dr. Strange one night, and Iron Man the next, he said, so he and every performer had to learn the choreography for pretty much all the characters to be ready for what came next.

As for the performers’ training regimen, to say it’s superheroic would be an understatement. We regular mortals would not be able to keep up, although it’s assured to make you lose your dad bod.

To put the show together and running smoothly, James Hadley, director of Marvel Universe Live, assembled an “Action Team” featuring a fight director, a stunt director. and an aerial choreographer.

“We worked closely with Marvel to make sure that characters who had only recently debuted in the films and shows, or had movies coming up, were featured in the show, so Black Panther has a big part, Iron Fist appears, and The Wasp shows up as well,” he said. “The other exciting thing is that we’ve put together both The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy … We use the voices from the cartoon shows, so the characters all sound very familiar to the fans, kids and adults alike.”

Marvel Universe Live is more than just a “fight show,” said Hadley, who used his background with Cirque de Soleil to incorporate plenty of aerial work and acrobatics into the performance.

“I was looking for specialists who could do aerial work, stunt work, martial artists, and then we needed to cross train them, because an aerialist might not be trained in martial arts, so we took them to our Marvel Boot Camp in Florida where they learned different types of fighting, stunt work, and even fire manipulation, and they came out with all of these different skills,” he said.

Marvel Universe Live plays Feb. 22-25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with tickets starting at $30, a train ride away in Bridgeport, Conn., on March 1-4, and at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on March 22-April 1. The show runs about an hour and 45 minutes with an intermission in between for when the kids start getting itchy, which is ideal for most parents. You can click HERE for tickets.

One more full disclosure – it’s no secret to anyone that my son and I are giant superhero fans, but it should be clear that Marvel Universe Live is for everyone, not just superhero aficionados. So if you’re looking for a fun and exciting show to take the family to, look no further than Marvel Universe Live.

I’d been looking forward to returning to the New York Comic Con. My last trip to the annual comic convention was in 2012 and this would be different than all my past trips there because my 3-year-old, Liam, would be coming along. This would be my first trip to NY Comic Con as a parent.

I went in knowing I’d never get to see everything I’d want to. In fact, there was a very good chance we might not be able to stay at all. Liam places on the spectrum for autism, and his meltdowns can be triggered by large crowds and loud noises. However, he’d been responding very well to nearly a year’s worth of exhaustive therapies and he loves superheroes, so there was good reason to believe he would do well this year.

We live in Hell’s Kitchen only blocks from the Javits Center where the NY Comic Con was held, so our neighborhood was already made extra awesome by the sudden influx of visiting superheroes, sci-fi and video game characters.

This ended up serving as an NY Comic Con preview for Liam. He responded very well to the various costumed characters we saw, waving and saying hello to them. This was a good sign.

I arrived at the Javits shortly after 9:30 a.m. Friday to see a line encircling the entire building, that entire avenue block, and doubling halfway back around on top of that. Knowing I would probably not get in for very long before having to go pick up Liam, if at all, I joined the line regardless.

One of the major draws to the NYCC is not actually the Comic Con itself, but the people who attend it. Waiting in line gave me the opportunity to see many of the fans I might have missed inside.

There were legions of Ghostbusters, in classic and modern outfits. The great thing about this particular mythology is how well it lends itself to the fans. Anyone can be a Ghostbuster.

Gender swapped characters were prevalent as well. This Wonder Warrior showed an imaginative flair with how his Golden Lasso was incorporated with his ensemble.

There were many variations of Marvel’s favorite God of Thunder, but this interpretation of his movie appearances was the most accurate one I saw.

Originally appearing in DC Comics’ spinoff imprint, Milestone Media, and originally conceived as simply “Static,” the character of Static Shock would eventually get his own animated series and would appear with the vaunted Justice League.

As expected however, by the time the line crawled to the entrance, it was time to leave and go pick up Liam from school. While it’s remarkable to note how well behaved and cheerful the fans were as they waited, Liam would never have tolerated a two and a half hour wait just to get into a crowded building, so it was for the best that he wasn’t along for the ride.

After lunch, however, it was time to suit up and try again. Waiting until mid-afternoon turned out to be a wise move. The line was long gone, and we glided the Bat-stroller right into the NY Comic Con to behold the wonders within.

Sort of. All those people from the morning’s line were still there inside the Javits and then some. Crowds were shoulder to shoulder and moving slowly. Still, the cheerfulness of the morning was very much present, and Liam was enjoying seeing some of his favorite characters.

In fact, one of the first pictures taken was of Superman and Supergirl, because Liam recognized them and started calling out to them.

It was also very cool to see different interpretations of beloved characters as well. There was gender swapping, different ethnic representations, Steampunk versions, what have you.

Video game characters were very well represented. While I’ll admit to being out of the loop on a lot of current games, there was no missing the classic royalty from Nintendo.

It was also interesting to see lesser known characters such as Black Bolt, here. While he’s well known amongst comic fans and one of the true power players of the Marvel Universe, the general public has no idea who he is, so seeing a costume of him there was a nice surprise.

Every Johnny Depp character represented in one costume. There’s some originality for you!

Finally, we made our way into the NY Comic Con proper. As I’d learned earlier this year at the Javits’ Playfair exhibition, if you’ve got a kid in tow, you better find something to occupy them with first. The LEGO sign beckoned from the middle of the floor, so that’s where we headed.

It was a wise move. The LEGO exhibition had tables of blocks available. Liam was ecstatic! He was given time to play to heart’s content. Hopefully LEGO was planning to give those blocks away, because when we left, Liam was taking some. I wasn’t dumb enough to try and take them away from him!

While there were plenty of attractions at the NY Comic Con, I knew ahead of time that we wouldn’t be seeing most of them. As much as I’d love to sit and try out new Playstation and X-Box games, there was no way for me to do that with a child this young. Resident Evil and Ash vs The Evil Dead had some excellent exhibits as well, but again, I couldn’t bring Liam through or leave him behind, so they were out too.

But the best part of the NY Comic Con was still the fans themselves.

Liam got excited every time he saw a character he knew, but Batman holds a special place of reverence for him. When he saw these two, he asked to get out of the stroller so he could go talk to them, which is pretty massive for a kid who was shrinking away from strangers not even a year ago!

Everywhere we went, we saw amazing costumes. I’d severely underestimated the crowd size, however, and moving through them with a stroller and a 3-year-old was extremely slow going. But once again, because everyone was so upbeat and cheerful, frustration levels remained low, and the toddler remained awestruck and cooperative.

Even the bad guys were, well, good guys. Here’s me with living Boba Fett tribute JC Fett. He may look mean, but JC was friendly and amicable, and Liam wasn’t at all scared of him.

All of this was well and good, but if I wasn’t going to be able to attend or even see all the bells and whistles of the NY Comic Con, then I wanted to make sure I touched base with what the Convention was supposed to be about: comic books.

It’s hard to believe how far comic books and the people who love them have come, just in my own lifetime. I grew up in rural areas in the 1980s, and if the wrong people saw me reading comics or collecting toys as a teenager back then, I was beat up for it.

It’s hard to believe now, with the overwhelming success of DC and Marvel movies and television shows; with superhero clothes and paraphernalia everywhere you look; with everyone knowing more comic book characters than ever before; that it wasn’t so long ago that people who liked comic books were considered social outcasts, nerds, dorks, and geeks all.

It wasn’t until I came to New York City that I learned there were others like myself, that it was OKto like superheroes, and that this passion could even get you a job!

It’s also important to remember just how long comic books have been around. Superman and Batman showed up prior to World War II, followed closely by Wonder Woman, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Green Lantern, and everyone else. Comic books are not only an American art form, but a New York one. Without this city, there are no comic books, so it’s fitting that the NY Comic Con has become the largest Comic Convention of them all.

For me, the highlight of the NY Comic Con is Artist’s Alley. This is where you find all the writers, artists, and creators of comic books from today and yesterday. This is what I looked most forward to, even though I realized that I’d be pushing my limit, time-wise, with Liam.

Unfortunately, and as expected, Liam had indeed reached his limit. He’d given me more time than I’d hoped for, and even let me do a fly-by of several creators’ tables, but his patience was at an end, and he’d never wait around for me to chat with creators I’d admired.

And it would have been unfair of me to expect him to do so. So I regretfully passed on saying hello to Erik Larsen, Walt and Louise Simonson, and Danny Fingeroth in order to keep my 3-year-old happy.

And that was the wise choice. On the way out of NY Comic Con, Liam happily pointed out The Joker and Harley Quinn. He didn’t notice or care that they had swapped genders, he was just happy to be in a world where he could see characters he loved.

And that was good enough for the both of us.

All photos by Chad R. McDonald unless noted.

Wondering whether bringing kids to comic con is a good idea? Of course, it is!

I took my children to their first “comic con” event when they were 4 and 2. I knew they wouldn’t remember much, but I certainly wanted them to have fun. Here are some tips you will find helpful, especially if you have little children, that I learned about during that first one (and note: the same basic tips can be carried over to a baseball card show or any other fan conference you take kids to):

Research comic con in advance

Before bringing kids to comic con, look up the schedule and vendor list. Just a little bit of homework in advance or your trip will make it more fun and productive, regardless of why you’re going. Find out who is attending so that you know if there is anyone that you want to sign something. Had I known artist Neal Adams was signing I would’ve brought more Batman comics. There were also lots of cool companies including some folks from Action Lab Comics who let us into some great new kid’s releases coming out.

Pay attention

If you’re bringing kids to comic con, pay particular attention to the vendors and surroundings for two key reasons.

• The horror genre. Some of those masks, books or cosplayers might be too scary or sexy for children.  Just look a couple of booths ahead at all times and avoid the ones that might scare the kids. Also, be sure to talk to them before going that all of this is pretend. If you’re in doubt about how your child will perceive anyone in costume then you might want to wait a year to take your child.
• Some of those items are valuable. Be it a baseball card, comic book, figurine or toy: that item could be worth hundreds of dollars. Our kids reached toward a couple of expensive comics in their grasp and touched them. I stopped them, but just as the vendor politely said not to touch anything.   Push did not come to shove, but I suspect that those vendors have a you break it you bought it policy.

To cosplay or not to cosplay

Cosplay, of course! Having your children wear their favorite jersey or a superhero costume to a comic con event makes for awesome photos and lets the others know that they’re here to play and have fun.

Even if they don’t opt to wear a costume, the folks who are in costume are more than willing to stop for photos.

Bring your kids to comic con … and your wallet

I knew there would be thousands upon thousands of comics for sale. What was surprising: many graphic novels for sale at 25 percent off their retail. A big thick Hulk or Thor graphic novel was only $5. Figure that each one has four to six normal comic stories and that is one heck of a deal.

A version of ‘Bringing Kids to Comic Con’ first appeared on Daddy Mojo.