Does he not have Phantom comic books? My dad has/had a lot (a LOT x_x) of them.
I don't know why some people get embarrassed about still enjoying things that they liked as kids.
I remember teasing some of my uni friends about being old and boring because they were shocked that as adults we were still into Magic the Gathering and roleplaying because "isn't that for kids?"
Nobody has time for foreplay (literally, there's so much going on that they need to just get in and out and keep moving or they'll miss the appointment or the next thing or that other thing that takes up way too much time that they desperately need to spend time on too).
and it is being spoon-fed to us and we are eating it mindlessly
While there's probably a lot more to it, it's one of the biggest things I blame school for, both from when I entered uni and had an inkling when things were hard, through to being an adult and just watching what's coming through.