Podcast Appearance! Two-Headed Nerd

I was fortunate enough to be asked to guest host on the Two Headed Nerd comiccast this week. It was a ton of fun and I'd like you all to check it out. Here is the direct link. Let me know what you thought of the show.

http://twoheadednerd.com/2013/02/11/thn-102-the-baumstein-betrayal/

Creator Rememberance Day

We are lucky to live in a time where the comics we have available to us are plentiful, amazing and accessible. This shared loved of this medium wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the dedicated and talented men and women of the past that worked to create and deliver to us the comics of our youth, or our parents youth, or their parents youth. This has gotten me thinking: Is there a day where we as a community band together and share our love and memory of the creators or industry pioneers that are no longer with us? A creator "remembrance" day in essence? 

I couldn't find anything like it in my research so I have a proposal. On the second Wednesday of February every year we take to our social media sites, our local comic stores, our places of gathering where we talk and share comics, and take the time to talk about a creator that you have discovered in your comics reading, one who was influential in forming your love for comics, and tell people why they made an impact on your life. I think it’s important to share and keep alive the memory of the people that got us where we are today, and by doing so maybe exposing another comics fan to a creator they aren't familiar with. My remembrance this year goes to:

Jack Kirby. I know most if not all comics fans know about Mr. Kirby & his contributions to the comics industry, but this last year I have been reading more of his work that I ever had before. I have been learning just how important and prolific he was in his life and how comics wouldn't be the same without his work. I have found such joy in reading his works and appreciate comics in a completely new way after being exposed to some of the amazing creations he made.

Who would you want us to remember this year? What effect did they have on your comics reading life? I look forward to hearing your remembrances and sharing your memories of the creators that helped form your love of comics who are no longer with us.

Making the Grade: Comics As Investments

Recently I’ve been selling some of my other hobby collections (classic video game consoles and magic the gathering cards) to make some money for my one true passion, comics.  I want to spend the money I’ve gotten from selling the other things on comics ill both enjoy owning and in the long term, should I ever need to, be able to sell again for cash. When I start down this path, there are several things I’ve come across when thinking about "investing" in comics that leave me confused and concerned.

Issue 1 - Graded comics. I like the idea of having my key comics graded because it would leave me with a feeling that their value is somehow "set" by a third party. While this is arbitrary and I understand that, I can’t help but feel that it’s the closest to a real "value" for a comic. On the other hand I’ve now locked that comic away, it’s no longer something to be enjoyed, and it’s more like a bond or coin that you stick in a vault. Does that pervert the joy of comics? I'm not sure.

Issue 2 - Collecting for the sake of collecting. I enjoy comics, I love comics. I don't read all the comics I buy, some I buy with the intention of reading and have yet to, some purely to complete runs of series I have nearly complete. The purist in me thinks that if you buy a comic, it should be to read, not to just own. Comics should be for your enjoyment and when you hoard them you take away from what makes them great. Another part of me thinks that like any collection, it will grow, it can be an investment and part of the joy of collecting is to collect.

Issue 3 - Original Art. I have also been thinking about buying either original pages or doing artist commission. I like the idea of paying artists to do work for me, and I have in the past, I've also bought some original pages of books I love as well. I'm not sure that if I had to, I would be able to sell them again. It’s that line where I want to own this art by artists I love, but not being a rich man, sometimes you need to sell things you have bought to cover an unforeseen expense. It hasn't happened yet to me, but I am the kind of person who thinks about what could happen.

What are your feelings on comics’ investments? Do you buy original comics pages, original art? Have you sold comics or art you bought? Was it bought with the purpose of investing?

Community Contest. Name the Baby!

So you may or may not have seen if you follow me on Twitter that our family is expecting a baby boy in June this year. Now that we know the gender our next task is to start thinking of names. I thought it would be fun to see what you, the nerd community have, would like, or have thought about for names of kids in the vein of the geeky or nerdy. Even though we are having a boy, share your names for any gender!

Resolutions for 2013

It’s a new year, with so many comics, so many possibilities. As with every New Year, we ask ourselves: “What do I want to accomplish this year, what will be a successful year for me?” In attempting to answer that question for myself, here are 5 resolutions for 2013 that I hope to tackle.

1 - Discover New Creators. The world of comics has more talent and vibrancy than ever before. There are young fresh creators out there that are starting to produce the next generation of work, and discovering them and seeing their talent grow is thrilling. I want to find more new talent and in whatever way I can, help them get exposure and grow their skills in the industry.

2 - Read More from "The Stack". If you’ve read some of my previous posts you know that the books I have outweigh the books I’ve read. A goal for this year is to read those wonderful books I wanted to get so badly, only to have them sit on the shelf resigned to the backlog because more new stuff was coming in. In 2013 I’m going to change that (I hope).

3 - Study Comics History. I don’t think I’m one of those people that say you have to have read 70 years of comics to enjoy and understand anything current, but I do have a desire to learn more about the history of comics, the industry, and creators. There is a lot of value in knowing what influences current creators, how publishers treat their properties now, and how we all got to where we are today. I want to learn more about the past to satisfy curiosity.

4 - Fill In Runs. I have a decent amount of comics, but my collection is spotty at best. I have missing issues from nearly every series I collected and it’s a thorn in my collector’s side. I want to spend more time collecting missing back issues this year and less on getting more back issues that don’t fill in what I already have amassed.

5 - Read More Web Comics. Along the same vein as discovering new creators, there is a huge world of web comics that I know little about. I know there is amazing work being done on the web and a lot of new talent in print comics can come from there. I want to make an effort to discover new web comics and fill in that part of the world of comics for me.

What are your resolutions and hopes for 2013? What would you like to see get done in your comics life this year? I wish you all a great 2013, and happy reading!

A Year In Review [2012]

It feels almost obligatory that at the end of the year everyone writes their best of lists. Instead of boring you with a long list of things I loved, that you probably loved too, I wanted to just post my "top ten" picks of 2012 along with my all ages pick and graphic novel pick.

#1 The Secret History Of DB Cooper
#2 Saga
#3 Manhattan Projects
#4 Prophet
#5 Mind MGMT
#6 Hell Yeah
#7 Hawkeye
#8 Danger Club
#9 Peter Panzerfaust
#10 Ragemoor

- Best Graphic Novel - The Underwater Welder
- Best All Ages - Cowboy

That's it. Please check out these books if you didn't read them this year, I promise that you wont be disappointed. 

Now onto what I really wanted to say:

2012 was a big year for me. I made a ton of great friends and talked A LOT of comics. I hope that 2013 brings me even more friends and even more comics. This community means so much to me, its great to have a group of people that  I can talk about my passion with who have that same passion. 2012 brought our family the start of a new addition to our super hero team, in 2013 they will be officially inducted into our justice society! I cant wait to meet them and find out what super powers they posses (I suspect super-sonic screaming and toxic poop attack). As much as I'm tempted to do a long post about all the amazing things that happened this year and how much you all mean to me I'll keep it brief. Thank you all for your friendship and I look forward to many more years of talking comics with you all!


In 2013 my wish for you is that all your comics be variants, and all your long boxes be filled to the brim!

The New Cool

When I was in high school myself and a few other nerd refugees would take shelter on breaks and lunches behind one of the school buildings. Sun, rain, snow or hail we would gather to talk comics, sci fi, movies and all other manner of geekery. We worshiped in this church of geekdom in private, in secret, away from the main stream because we weren't the cool kids, and our religion wasn't allowed to be public. 

Times have changed! These days the passions that were secrets to be kept are almost main stream. The internet has revolutionized how people can interact, find communities and talk about their interests. No longer do people have to wonder if they are the only ones,  where the like-minded are hiding or if they are forever doomed to live a life on the fringe. 

It used to be that the bullies, the conformists, dictated what was cool and what wasn't. Those chains have been broken for so many. Even those still living in cultural wastelands can find connections to others of their kind through social media. 

Its now our job as a community to govern ourselves. Not all of us are free. With every rise to power there is the urge to marginalize those who we deem to be unworthy of the title. We will never truly be free till all of us are free to practice and enjoy our nerdiness however we want. Fake and real have no place in our new society. Real is in your heart, fake is the dark side. 

Living in a “post cool” society is the utopia that myself and my fellow refugees dreamt of on those cold days. Huddled together under the overhang, reading our comic books or playing Magic the Gathering. So, live your passions, find your communities and love being the cool that you are.

The Thrill of the Hunt

     I've come across sales of comics in non-comics places, and found some fun deals. These unexpected finds, little treasure troves that you weren't looking for, have given me some thought about what it is that is so thrilling about finding comics "deals" in places that you wouldn't expect to find them and my compulsion to search for more.

     One of the places recently discovered is a used bookstore in my town that "found" about 250,000 comics ranging from the mid 60's to late 80's, in one of their many storage units. This previously unknown treasure trove has become an obsession to me, partly because the collection is being put out for sale slowly, drawing me back to the store like a moth to the flame, and partly because you never know what will be out when you get there.

     There have been a few other places in town with hidden caches of comics you wouldn’t think were there.  The thrill I have when I find them is hard to describe. It’s more than just being able to browse through and buy comics.  If that was the case, Eugene OR already has two great comic book shops, and between Eugene and Portland there are a dozen excellent stores to spend hours looking through. For me, it’s more about being the nerd who finds comics where comics shouldn’t be.

     While looking through these comics I find myself picking up issues that I wouldn't be searching for in the normal shop, or eBay or at cons. The issues I’ve been buying take on a mythical quality to them because they have become special. They now have a back story that the issue by itself never had before. I can tell not only what the comic is about, but how it came to be in my possession. A lot of the possessions I care about most in my life aren't because of what they are, but also where they came from. The "how" is just as important as the "what". The thrill of finding comics and then sharing the find with my friends is as important to me as reading the comic I found. The hunt is as rewarding as the kill.