A Week In The Life Of A Comic Book Nerd

 
If you are reading this the chances are great that you are a comic book enthusiast. You might have other hobbies, pursuits and distractions in your life; I know I do (or did before I had kids). Regardless of all that, first and foremost I am a comic book nerd. My week is filled with this hobby, this way of life, and I thought I’d break down a typical week for me. 

Monday:
The start of my work week and my comics week. On my breaks I’m creating my pull list for the week drawing from two sources:

The Comics List

and

Comixology Pullist

Between these two I put together what I will be buying for the week, and when I'm done, sharing it with my twitter community for feedback & to see if I missed anything. Other items ill work on during the day include beginning my blog post for the week, reading any news released and interacting with my friends on twitter and Facebook discussing some of last week's comics, the comics coming up, and older comics we might be reading from the backlog.

Additionally I’m listening to two podcasts:

Burntweiners

And

War Rocket Ajax

Both of which I highly recommend. 

Tuesday:

The day before the big game. Tuesdays I’m doing several things. Of course I’m checking twitter for the buzz about the next day that might be brewing; I’m usually writing my blog post for the week (like I am right now) and catching upon a graphic novel or back issues. Additionally I will try to submit questions to my favorite podcasts if I have a topic I'm interested in and would like them to answer, I'm sure many of them are annoyed by me at this point.

Wednesday:

The holy day for any comic book nerd. This is a big big day for me, probably for you too. I spend the morning trying to avoid too many spoilers that might creep up on the internet; most people are good about not giving away too much. I leave work promptly at 9:45am to head to my local comics store.

I arrive at Emerald City Comics a few moments before 10am, their opening time. I pick up my stack of pre-orders from my box and then head to the rack to pick up my other pulls for the week. If I have time ill bother the folks who work at the store a bit with some comics talk and then head back to work. I will try to read issues for my review column at Two-Headed Nerd and write during my breaks.

During the day before I can start really reading my comics I listen to the Fight For Comics podcast which talks about the week's previous comics and is a great show to listen to.

Once I get home and put the day to bed, I get into my comics. I tend to organize them by excitement factor. I will put some I'm most excited for first, then the "middle road" comics next then cap it off with some for sure gems at the end. Like a comic book enjoyment 3 layer dip.

If I finish with my comics by the end of the day I'll listen to the latest episode of The Pullpile Podcast to listen to what the guys thought of this week’s comics, if not ill save that for Thursday.

Twitter is very busy on Wednesday since everyone is talking about the new books out. This will keep me busy that night once all the "real life" work has been taken care of.

Thursday:

The hangover day. There are usually some books left over that I couldn’t get to on Wednesday, I’ll read those during the day on breaks or at night if I didn’t have time. Twitter is busy again this day since everyone is talking about the books from the day before.

In the afternoon I will listen to The Big Planet Comics Podcast which is a fantastic show that covers mainstream and independent comics in a review and round table format.

Friday:

Everybody's reading for the weekend! Friday is a day to catch up, to read some back issues or graphic novels from my ever growing pile of unread books I would like to get to.

I try to plan out what my next blog post will be, write down some rough ideas, and often I'm working on an article for one site or another. I regularly contribute to Read Comic Books "best of the week" column and will send in my picks for the week on this day.

For social media, I take Friday to do detailed and focused "Follow Friday" recommendations to my comic book community. I try to highlight 10 people and one creator on Twitter that love comics and deserve to follow by my other followers. I have found that if you take the time to write about why people should follow someone it works much better than a list of names. When the people I follow, follow each other, the conversations are so much better.

Saturday:

This is usually my "day off". Family, side jobs, work around the house is first and foremost. Talk on twitter and other sources are slow too. It’s a good day to take stock and get ready for the next week.

Sunday:

This is the big media day! Lots of podcasts come out on Sunday and I will listen to them while taking care of all the regular life business. It's a great day to recap the week, read some more back log and get any unfinished writing done. Shows that I listen to on Sunday include:

NonCanonical - A great show. Well produced, full of great reviews, discussion and thoughtful topics.

The Nine Panel Podcast - Eager guys who love comics and are enthusiastic about talking them.

The Panel Culture Podcast -Canada's best and brightest comic book lovers talk comics. One of my long standing favorite shows.

iFanboy Pick Of The Week Podcast -One of the most popular comic book podcasts out there. Always entertaining and packed with great information.

Two-Headed Nerd Comicast - The Shining Gem of comics podcasts. Amazing production quality fast paced, funny, entertaining and engaging.

Post-Mortem:

If you made it this far in reading, good for you! I thought it would be fun to actually break down what I do each week when it comes to this hobby I love so much. Hopefully some of these links turn you on to some new entertainment and give you some more things to do with your comics life.

What schedules do you keep? Are you a slave to ritual like I am? Id love to hear how your week compares to mine. Thanks as always for reading! 

Book Review: I Kill Giants

I had the honor of getting to write another collaborative review over at Comics Bulletin on the Graphic Novel "I Kill Giants". Check it out if you have a chance and let me know what you think!

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/5145/real-talk-i-kill-giants/

The Indy Commitment

I find myself often wondering why more fans of comics don't read more creator owned titles over series from the Big Two. I know there are some obvious answers like:
 they know the characters, they want to read Spider-Man or Superman or Batman etc. I've heard the argument that people don't want to commit to an indy book if it’s going to just end in the middle of the story. But all the arguments I've heard make me feel that the people who actively shun creator owned titles are just lazy or willfully ignorant comics fans. I don't say this to be combative or derisive, well, maybe I do a little, but committing to independent books is the best thing you can do as a fan of comic books and here's why.  

If you read comic books; you love the infinite possibilities the medium can explore. Literally anything can happen, the limitation being only that of what the creator can imagine. Unless it’s a corporate owned property, then the limit is what Editorial, Legal and Management impose. Independent books allow a creator to fully express their vision, and often time, make a better experience for you as the reader. Still, these books often don't get the recognition, publicity or attention they deserve, and can end prematurely because of it. Readers don't want to commit to a book that will end without notice or resolution. I understand that argument, it’s also the argument for waiting for trade collections, but it’s an argument that feels false to me. A book you enjoy you should buy because you like it. We can’t live in fear of what will come tomorrow and not live for the day.

Another argument I hear is that creator owned books don't have familiar characters or worlds that they know like the super hero universes of the Big Two. To me, this is an argument for creator owned books, not against.  Sure it’s more work getting to know new characters and new worlds but at the same time it’s a brand new place to explore and learn about.  Isn't discovery core to the enjoyment of visual and written media?

I don't want to make this a post about how mainstream books are bad and independent books are good. There is good to be found in both places. I think independent books often require more commitment than mainstream books, but it’s a commitment that often comes with bigger and better rewards too. Do yourself a favor and do the work to find these books. Your imagination will thank you for it!

Special Edition Post: Trade Pics For Newbies?

Today I had a worker at the local Starbucks I go to ask me "Hey did I hear you talking the other day about how you read comic books?" I told her I read them a lot and asked if she did too. She told me that she used to years ago but stopped and had no idea what she would even read. I told her I would bring some stuff for her to check out, but after doing so, I also realized I don’t have much of a good collection of trades that I could give to someone new to comics to sample. This made me wonder, what 3 - 5 trades would you give a person new to comics as your "ultimate sampler" to get them interested again in comics? Please leave your picks in the comments section below! For me, I picked:

The Sixth Gun Vol 1
Freak Angles Vol 1
Ex Machina Vol 1
I Kill Giants

Renaissance Man - The Comission

ROM

Iron Man

The Renaissance is alive and well in the world of comic books. The comic book community is one of the few sub-cultures where the patronage of the fans directly pays for the livelihood of the creators. For many artists, their commissioned work adds a significant amount of income to their lives. Maybe it’s because I’m still relatively new to the world of comics culture or my social anxiety, but commissioning work from artists is still nerve wracking and strange for me.

Why would paying an artist, whose job it is to create art, make me so nervous? Because the transaction of the commission has rules, but there are grey areas. Prices can be set, but would you haggle a price? I never could. What if the artist asks for payment that’s more than what you thought it might be? Would you say something? I couldn't. These things might never happen, and the few times I have commissioned work I have taken great pains to make sure they won’t, but still I have that nervousness.

When I have asked for commissions, I have also asked for pieces that are not the normal work of that artist. At the top of this post are two examples of work I commissioned recently. On the left is a ROM Spaceknight by Lucy Bellwood and on the right is 1970's style Iron Man from Brian Hurtt colors by Bill Crabtree. Both of these pieces were not the normal work that you would see from these artists, but I like having them even more because of that. At the same time what if I hated the outcome? I asked for it, I committed to payment, and the risk in that is significant, both monetarily and emotionally.

How do you go about commissioning work from artists? Do you have a "go to" piece type or is it completely dependent on who you are getting the work from? Have you been satisfied with the work you have gotten, any horror stories or great successes? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this process, and what you do to make it a good one for you and for the artist.

Comics Snobery: My Comics Are Better Than Yours

I'm a secret comics snob. OK, maybe not so secret. There are comics that I simply groan or ignore almost all the time. I don't read cheesecake comics. I don't read biography comics. I loathe the idea of movie adaptation comics or comics that tie into a movie. Often the thought of cross-overs in super hero comics gives me depression. These are just a few examples. I struggle with being able to judge a work without preconception. This isn't limited to comics. The older I get, the more I seem to jump to what I think I know about something, rather than open myself to experiencing it before making a judgment. 

I want to be the type of fan that sees a "new" #1 on the shelf and not think;
"great, another marketing ploy to get me to buy this title again", but it’s increasingly harder to do. It’s perhaps why I have been moving more and more to creator owned comics. I’m far more likely to buy a comic that the creator had control over from start to finish. By doing that, am I missing out on the shared experiences that the comics community has with continuity books? Has this increase in snobbery led me back to a life of comics isolation? 

Part of the fun of rediscovering comics is the community. The community still spends a lot of its time talking Marvel & DC books, books that I don't really read much anymore. By not reading these books I do feel more and more of a comics outsider. It’s this struggle to weigh the enjoyment of reading a book for the enjoyment of reading it, vs. reading it and then having the pleasure of discussing it with the community, that I find myself pondering.

At this point in my comics life I find the pleasure of reading independent comics and dismissing the comics I have a bias against to be the best option for me. Am I missing out? Probably. Does my snobbery have an isolating effect? Absolutely. Is there an answer to this problem? Unclear. Do you have bias against certain comics? Do you feel your prejudice has hurt your enjoyment of comics? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Till next time True Believers....

Writing Outside The Lines: Article For Comics Bulletin

I'm taking the week off from posting but have no fear! I was lucky enough to be able to write an article for Comics Bulletin about Matt Fraction's book Casanova Vol1 with the great great writers Daniel Elkin , Jason Sacks and Keith Silva  you can find the post here:

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/4978/kissing-casanova-lust-in-luxuria/

Let me know what you think!

Next week we return to our regularly scheduled musings.