Hearing Impaired Boy Inspires New Marvel Comic Hero
By: Jean Mackin for CBS News
Updated: May 23, 2012
(Salem, NH)--We all know that every super hero has some kind of inspiration behind them. Now a young boy in New Hampshire is the inspiration behind a new super hero.
Marvel Comics created a character who can do great things, despite his hearing loss.
4 year old Anthony Smith from Salem, New Hampshire might be a little superhero - but his powers are far-reaching.
He has no hearing on his right side, hearing loss on his left and one day decided he didn't want to wear his blue hearing aid to school anymore.
"Basically one day he woke up and I said, 'ok time to put in your hearing aid' and said 'let's put in blue ear'. We've always called it that and he said, 'No, superheroes don't wear blue ears,'" says Christina D'Allesandro, Anthony's mom.
His mother told him superheroes do wear hearing aids but she wasn't so sure so she emailed the experts and got this back from Marvel Comics in New York City - a comic book cover featuring Hawkeye - a superhero who did lose his hearing.
"Oh, by the way, we do have a superhero and he's in the Avengers and he lost his hearing," points out . So we gave it to him and he was captivated, D'Allesandro
says. "He was staring at it, ooo, look there it is."
Then, Marvel Comics sent a drawing of a new superhero inspired by Anthony. Meet Blue Ear, with the caption 'Thanks to my listening device, I hear someone in trouble.'
"And then he saw it, this is me? I love it. Where's my costume? "
Soon another sketch arrived, Hawkeye and little Blue Ear together.
Anthony has a well known grandfather in the Granite State - State Senator Lou D'Allesandro.
"This is a feel good moment, this is a feel good story and we've got to get the world to recognize that," says Sen. D'Allesandro.
Now Anthony, like Blue Ear, is proud to wear his hearing aid and share his special powers.
(Jean Mackin for CBS News)
Marvel Comics created a character who can do great things, despite his hearing loss.
4 year old Anthony Smith from Salem, New Hampshire might be a little superhero - but his powers are far-reaching.
He has no hearing on his right side, hearing loss on his left and one day decided he didn't want to wear his blue hearing aid to school anymore.
"Basically one day he woke up and I said, 'ok time to put in your hearing aid' and said 'let's put in blue ear'. We've always called it that and he said, 'No, superheroes don't wear blue ears,'" says Christina D'Allesandro, Anthony's mom.
His mother told him superheroes do wear hearing aids but she wasn't so sure so she emailed the experts and got this back from Marvel Comics in New York City - a comic book cover featuring Hawkeye - a superhero who did lose his hearing.
"Oh, by the way, we do have a superhero and he's in the Avengers and he lost his hearing," points out . So we gave it to him and he was captivated, D'Allesandro
says. "He was staring at it, ooo, look there it is."
Then, Marvel Comics sent a drawing of a new superhero inspired by Anthony. Meet Blue Ear, with the caption 'Thanks to my listening device, I hear someone in trouble.'
"And then he saw it, this is me? I love it. Where's my costume? "
Soon another sketch arrived, Hawkeye and little Blue Ear together.
Anthony has a well known grandfather in the Granite State - State Senator Lou D'Allesandro.
"This is a feel good moment, this is a feel good story and we've got to get the world to recognize that," says Sen. D'Allesandro.
Now Anthony, like Blue Ear, is proud to wear his hearing aid and share his special powers.
(Jean Mackin for CBS News)
