Comic Book Questionnaire

Lee did this, and I couldn't resist it.

1 Did you read comics as a kid?

Yes, very much so. I read comics that were, I guess, aimed at kids: Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, etc. I also read Star Wars, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. I knew Spider-Man, Superman, Batman etc. from movies and TV, but it took me a while to get into their comics. Still, Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham was my favorite comic book for a long time.

2 Who bought you your first comic?

My Mom or my Dad. I can't tell you what it was. My Mom used to buy me a comic book or a digest sometimes at the grocery store. But I also used to go to the barber shop--a real barber shop, with a pole, and they would even give you a shave--with my Dad when I was a little kid. They had a magazine rack with three tiers--adult magazines on top, Newsweek and People and such in the middle, and comic books on the bottom. I always used to read Disney comics and never wanted to leave until I was finished, so it was pretty obvious I was going to be into comics.

3 Did you take any time away from comics? Why?

Does now count? I stopped actually buying comics in 2005 because I just couldn't afford them anymore. Now I get collections and graphic novels from the library, and the only comics I generally buy are the trade paperbacks of the Muppet comic books.

4 What brought you back into comics?

I still haven't gotten back into monthly buying, and I probably never will. The cost is just prohibitive.

5 Do you prefer getting comics monthly or in trades?

Trades, now. I miss buying monthlies sometimes, but only when I remember how nice it was each month to sit down with a fun, self-contained issue of Superman Adventures or Futurama Comics and not one of those 40 year-long soap operas.

6 Do you know the name of your Local Comic Shop (LCS)?

Yes, but I won't say it, because I don't want people to shop there. Assholes.

7 Does your LCS know your name?

Yeah, because I used to shop there every week.

8 Do you own any old number 1 comics (must date before 1980)?

No.

9 Do you own any original comic art?

Becca has some that was sent to her by someone nice, but I don't.

10 Do you bag and board your comics?

Yes. Not because I'm worried about resale value or collectors' items, but because it makes them easier to store when I want to keep them.

11 Where do you store your comics?

I have them in short boxes in the closet in the library.

12 How many comics do you read right now, in either floppy or trade format?

I don't know. There are collections I make sure to check out from the library whenever they hit the shelf--the new collection of Fables or Powers or Age of Bronze (when it actually comes out), for example.

13 What would be your number one, all-time desert island, favourite comic series?

I don't know. Maybe Bone. Bone is wonderful.

14 Do you follow comic creators on Twitter?

No. But I barely ever get on Twitter.

15 Do you have a favourite comic creator?

Warren Ellis likes Godzilla Haiku, so... Actually, Warren Ellis is someone whose work I will always read, no matter where it appears. There are very few current creators I can say that about these days. Certainly Mike Mignola and Jeff Smith, though.

16 Do you harbour any aspirations to create your own comics?

I did, a long time ago. I created Samurai Frog... but that's another story...

17 Do you access comic news online, if so where?

Yes, but I don't keep up with it that often. I follow some comic book Tumblrs, and a lot of bloggers who are into comics, so I get pieces of it.

Time to pick sides…

Marvel or DC – DC. I like their history and their characters more than I do Marvel. What's funny is that I think I relate to Marvel characters more, but they're so badly handled. Both have icons that mean something to me, but if I'm going to a comic book store, I go to DC first. Or I used to. They're both unreadable now.

Superman or Batman – Superman, and I've elaborated on that many times here.

Spider-Man or Wolverine – Spider-Man, but no one did him better than Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Iron Fist or Luke Cage – Luke Cage, specifically in the 1970s.

Nick Fury normal or Nick Fury Sam Jackson – It really makes no difference to me. The old Stan Lee Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD comics were pretty awesome. I don't really understand some of the fan hatred directed at Samuel L. Jackson playing Fury, honestly. The Marvel Ultimate version of Fury was kind of lame, but so was the Ultimate version of everybody.

Spandex or real life stories – I don't care, as long as it's well-told.

Golden Age or Silver Age or Modern Age – Well, the Golden Age Justice Society are my favorite superheroes, but Silver Age comics are the most fun to read. Actually... comics from the 1970s are the most fun to read.

Digital or paper – Either one. Makes no difference to me.

Gotham or New York – It doesn't matter to me, actually.

Hero or villain – Depends who we're talking about.

Cape or no cape – Depends on the character; Superman would look silly without a cape, but Green Arrow would look silly with one.

Cowl or domino mask – Same answer.