A Genuine Nerd - Part I
Lately I keep harping on about missing comic book stores in the states. It just goes to show how much actually visiting comic book stores on a regular basis effects my reading experience. Sure I'm getting plenty of reading in - I'm up to volume 4 of Scott Pilgrim - but I miss those fresh new books, talking to folks about them, seeing what sells out, and the satisfaction of knowing it will happen again the next Wednesday. Sitting in my apartment here in Tassie, unemployed and reading comics, makes for a very isolated existence.
In addition to the usual comic book banter, my last visits also involved a bit of photography. I took some portraits of comic book store employees (a few of them old co-workers) and asked them to give a recommendation to an imaginary first time comic book reader. It's a hard thing to do, even with a real live person in front of you to find out their interests...but I let these guys be as detailed as possible, even saying they could give recommendations for different age groups. First to be featured is Matt Streets. He's manager of Graham Crackers Comics in downtown Chicago, and he thinks he's a lot cooler than he really is. I was pretty happy with his portrait, having captured that oblivious-to-his-own-nerdiness quality. Honestly though, we all love Matt, specifically because he lives on Planet Matt Streets where obscure comic book knowledge is currency for winning the hearts of women. (I bust his balls because no one else will...well, frequently at least.) Here's his recommendation for an imaginary customer:
"For someone who hasn't read comics in a long time, and is looking for an awesome superhero book, they need look no further than the new Wolverine Old Man Logan hardcover. This collection is easy to get into and requires no previous knowledge of the characters to understand. The artwork of Steve McNiven is cinematic and clean, and the cliff-hangers and twists will keep you glued to the pages. This is some seriously fun comic goodness, check it out!" -Matt Streets