Comics : Spotlight

Last Updated: Jun 19, 2009 - 18:32:39 PM

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All Hail the Fans! By Beth Davies-Stofka Nov 22, 2008 - 9:56:57 AM

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The editors at The Comic Book Bin recently offered me the opportunity to begin writing reviews of DC and Marvel titles, and naturally I jumped at the chance.   But I had to be sure I didn't set myself up to fail.  

It's not that I don't know anything about superhero comics, but let's be honest.   I don't know much.   I haven't followed them closely since I was a kid.   I knew about all the major events, of course, like Frank Miller's revisionist Batman and Superman's death.   But most of the stuff I know about superheroes comes from the movies.  

So in the last few weeks, as I cracked open titles like Secret Invasion and New Krypton, I had a few problems.   It's really impossible for a newbie to just hop in and start reading.   As a good example, my problems with Action Comics 871: New Krypton started up immediately.

I could barely understand the first page!   More Kryptonians?   I thought Superman was the last of his kind.   And what did this phrase mean: "…so he could hunt this Coluan down."   I had never seen the word "Coluan" before, and given the size of the font, I was sure I was reading it wrong.   Cowan?   Collian?   I had no idea.   It just wasn't a word.

Fortunately, there are loads of resources out there for the would-be reader of superhero comics.   Pop culture fans are a special kind of breed.   We are the experts in our field.   This would never be true of other specialized fields, such as quantum physics or Biblical studies.   But if you need to know anything at all about comics, you need to go straight to the fans.

The internet is a great place to learn from fans.   Wikipedia is excellent for researching superhero comics.  But I must caution you, (although I'm sure you already know this), we must read Wikipedia entries with a grain of salt.   Here's a good example.  In the entry on the Justice Society of America, a writer makes the odd comment that the JSA's "current headquarters is a brownstone in the fictional neighborhood of 'Morningside Heights', Manhattan."  Since I lived in the apparently fictional Morningside Heights, Manhattan for three years, I'm baffled by this.  Was I taking the Hogwarts train home?

All kidding aside, the entry on Kandor is terrific.   Once I finished it, reading Action Comics 871 was a breeze.   And it really turned me on to New Krypton.   I'm very excited about the possibilities inherent in the idea of Kandor.   Who knew there were all these overlapping fictional worlds?   What a blast!   Who knew a city could be kept in a bottle?   I won't be leaving this story anytime soon.

You're probably thinking, Oh you'd love Crisis on Infinite Earths.   You're probably right!   What else would you recommend for me?

Despite its routine flaws and weirdness, Wikipedia is a great pop-culture reference work, with the advantage of 24x7 availability. But in my book, nothing beats the resources you find at your local comic book shop.  

I live 2 miles from Mile High Comics, and I love my weekly visits.   The manager, David, seems to have infinite patience for my questions.   (Who knows what he's really thinking when I say things like, "I thought Superman was the last of his kind!")

If I have time to hang out, then it's great to pick brains.   David and the staff, Kevin and JD, seem to know everything about comics, and even better, they are opinionated.   The same goes for the customers.   I'll tell you, in my experience, comic book fans are not passive consumers of four-color fantasies.   For the fans, reading is aerobics for the brain.   We are readers who think, and we have ideas.   I love talking to comics fans.

I've heard women complain that comic book shops are not comfortable places for women to go.   I wonder if they aren't just going to the wrong shops!   I'll admit that sometimes, the mostly-male customers at Mile High Comics are a little shy, but a sunny smile and a relevant question usually break the ice.

For readers in Chicago – or if you just happen to be traveling that way – a stop at Third Coast Comics is highly recommended.  The co-owner, Terry Gant, is one of the warmest and funniest people you'll ever meet, and he can size you up, diagnose your range of interests, and then lead you into new terrain with lightning speed.   There are so many things I've read because of Terry that I would have missed otherwise.   American Virgin is a perfect example.

Furthermore, Terry loves women, so women love Terry.   This is a great comic book store for the female crowd.   The ladies from the spa up the street are crushing on Third Coast Comics, and Terry hosts a knitting circle on the first Tuesday of every month.

With all these great resources, I'm not in any real danger of failing in this fresh opportunity to review DC and Marvel comics.   All the help I could possibly need is just a walk, click, or IM away.

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