What is the Power of Friendship?

It often starts with something like this: "Let's be friends!"

And then maybe a high five or a firm handshake.

There begins the journey into friendship, or as the Mighty Befrienders like to say, "The first step onto the Paths of Chumliness!"

Friendship is at the core of this comic strip. Superchum bills himself as the World's Friendliest Superhero. And he definitely lives up to the super part. He has all of the powers of other heroes in comic book pop culture, like Marvel/DC staples Superman or the Sentry or Hyperion. He has that alpha hero archetype flowing through him: 

• He can fly 
• He is invulnerable
• He is super strong, etc. 

But none of that is really the focus of Superchum as a super hero webcomic. 

When people come to read superhero comics online they expect those characteristics. The Adventures of Superchum comic takes those tropes and infuses them with a twist based on positive values and modern society.

In fact, Superchum stands out from the crowd because friendship comic strips are extremely rare. As a funny webcomic that heralds and celebrates the true power of friends, Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders are some of the most unique "heroes" in all of comics. 

What makes Superchum and his story unique is his greatest power: Friendship. And that's a power that all of us on this planet can wield in real life.

Friendship is one of the oldest parts of our culture and our humanity. Friendship is a very powerful meaningful relationship. It is a social relationship that has no physical ties but binds people together into a strong emotional bond.

A lot of friendly people form bonds with their closest friends early in life, be it in high school, grade school, or pre-school. This underscores one of the most important core facts about friendship: The people you surround yourself with have a powerful impact on your life.

The power of friendship is that real friends stick around. And that's why The Adventures of Superchum has become the largest comic strip on the web featuring such a positive message.

Sometimes friendships don't start with such an obvious statement or gesture. 

Sometimes there's no mention of the word friendship, just the subtle beginning of a relationship socially between two people that grows and grows. Friendship knows no boundaries and exists across gender, race, and creed. With the variable so wide open, however, there are two things present in all friendships - two things that friendships across the globe have in common:

• there is a sense of security
• and there is a sense of belonging

Science backs this up with data. In 2008, a study was done to measure the rewards of friendship. The study asked participants to make a guess as to how steep a hill was as they stood in front of it. Some of the participants had a friend with them. Others were alone. The study found that those who had a friend at their side said the hill seemed less steep.



Superchum's comic strips about friendship are the visualization of that scientifically proven effect: The power of friendship makes mountains easier to climb!

When you feel down, a friend can comfort you. The warm presence of that friendship can break through the darkness, and give you that sense of security or the feeling of belonging. 

This power can be shown in person, on the phone or even over the internet, but very often friendship can help an individual feel better.

Friendship, especially when practiced by Befrienders on the Paths of Chumliness, is freely given. It never demands anything in return. Friends don't feel the need for payback.

This infuses the Power of Friendship with positivity and staves off any corruption or toxicity. True Friendship thrives because each side practices giving it freely. So there's never any need to make demands.

Happiness doubles and sorrow is cut in half in the company of true friends. It is this Power of Friendship that the Mighty Befrienders bring to the world, through the Paths of Chumliness.

Pure, simple, unassuming friendship.

A friend can be gained from a wide variety of sources. You can be close friends with a relative or close family member like a cousin or a brother or a parent. But it can also be a neighbor, a classmate, a roommate, or a co-worker. You could have a group of good friends or a single person as a friend.

But why stop at people? Pets can be friends. Dogs, cats, hamsters, parrots can all provide a person with care and support. Friendship truly knows no boundaries.

Really it's all about who you click with and how you support each other. You mainly just need to feel comfortable in the presence of the people you call your friends. That feeling, at its simplest and most basic core is the spark of friendship. And it can overcome so many things for you and your friends.

We all tend to fear loneliness. And because of that dread, we can sometimes do things that are not in our best interest or even harmful, just for companionship to alleviate the loneliness. This can lead you down a dark path, where you can fall in with the wrong company, succumb to bad influences, and fall prey to people who are trying to take advantage of you or harm you.

The dark parts of social relationships constantly seek to undermine the benevolence of regular friendship. In today's virtual landscape where relationships happen at the speed of tweets, feelings are being turned into commodities. 

People are living trapped in a cage of likes, dislikes, and blockchains. True friendship is having its meaning transformed, hypocrisy is on the rise, and happiness is waning. Now, more than ever, the Paths of Chumliness and the Power of Friendship are needed in our lives.

The Paths of Chumliness create powerful bonds between people giving them genuine happiness and honest feelings. 

No likes or upvotes can substitute for strong relationships forged by real friendship. And as Superchum learned in his free comics day issue the Untold Origin, it is a true friendship that the world seeks!

If you want to learn more about the Power of Friendship and the Paths of Chumliness, read the digital comics Adventures of Superchum comic strip published regularly online for free. Or order the Adventures of Superchum Remix comic book from Indyplanet! This 48-page double-sized spectacular issue stands among the regular offerings from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Dark Horse comics that you find at any local comic shop or newsstand.

Walking the paths of Chumliness begins with one step. Treat others as you want to be treated. Be kind. Smile. And support your friends with the true power of your friendship. 

NOTE: This article originally appeared in 2019 and has been updated with new information and republished on June 25, 2020.

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