Filmmaker John Hughes captured the drama of life between childhood and adulthood like no other. With movies like "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," he crafted stories filled with the sort of high school angst that only comes from experience. He made it cool to be a geek, and gave audiences a cast of characters who learned to look past the boundaries of their lunchroom cliques.
In honor of Hughes' unexpected passing earlier today, I've assembled a short list of some of my favorite high schools from the world of comics. Filled with their own unique brand of drama and teenage angst, each school played host to a variety of stories originating in that same well of shared experiences that Hughes so artfully tapped.
SMALLVILLE HIGH: Long before Clark Kent was Superman, he was Superboy — a teenager growing up in the tiny town of Smallville. The adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent grew up dealing with many of the same problems inherent to coming of age in a small town, along with the added burden of keeping secret the powers that made him one of the most powerful beings on Earth. Smallville High was where he learned the real meaning of being human — and how all the powers in the world can't make the journey to adulthood any easier.
XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS: While the original X-Men's time as students in the X-Mansion (as it came to be named) ended long before I could read, I did grow up with the second generation of teenage mutants to study under Professor X. I can still remember reading about the first kisses and awkward romances of Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Mirage, Karma and Sunspot — and the irony of how easily the team dealt with the mansion's Danger Room, only to suffer terribly the slings and arrows of their teenage years.
RIVERDALE H.S.: It's hard not to have a soft spot for Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the Riverdale crew. Where the X-Men were all angst, Archie's crew were all about inspiration. Archie Comics' famous teens were the model of harmless coming-of-age fun and innocence that offered a peek at how much fun things could be — if only there wasn't all these other pesky emotions pulling you in different directions.
MIDTOWN H.S.: I learned to read with "Spider-Man" comics, so it's no surprise that Peter Parker's former school has a special place in my heart. The story of how "Puny Parker" overcame the abuse of his peers and learned that "with great power comes great responsibility" is one for the ages. Spider-Man's origins also taught readers another valuable lesson, too: even if you like science and wear big glasses, there's still a chance you can marry a supermodel.
TITANS TOWER: Okay, so it's not a high school — but there's no denying that some of the most important experiences of the Teen Titans' formative years occurred within their T-shaped sanctuary. Some of DC's most important characters have grown from children to adults within the walls of Titans Tower, and readers have always been invited to witness that transition. Because the Tower was seen as a supplement to their formal schools and not a substitution, Titans Tower was more of a "superhero school" than any of the other institutions in this list. It didn't teach algebra or geography, it taught sidekicks how to be superheroes — and how to enjoy their teenage years, too.
So, there you have it — a list of my favorite comic book high schools, inspired by the contributions of filmmaker John Hughes to my own teenage years and those of an entire generation of geeks. He will certainly be missed.
Now if I can just find my copy of "The Breakfast Club"...
What did you think of the list? Any favorites of your own? Sound off in the comment section or on Twitter!