Bloggasm

H is a co-author with his buddy Mag of the Comic Treadmill, which started in October 2003 as an entertainment blog focusing almost exclusively on comics. The blog actually started after Mag was amused by a series of H’s e-mails commenting on his Marvel Comics collection as H indexed it after years of filing neglect. Mag suggested that the two of them start a web site expanding the discussion and thus the Treadmill was born.

H is a 43-year-old reformed lawyer who works from home as a consultant and spends lots of time with his one cat, two kids, one wife, and still unknown number of comics, more or less in that order.

He may gripe about some comics, but H doesn’t still read the things because he likes to complain. He reads them because after nearly four decades of reading comics he still enjoys both the old and new and enjoys blogging about the fun he finds in them – even if the creation of the Treadmill has slowed down the indexing pace to the point where it seems unlikely H will ever finish it absent an encounter with a comet that grants him immortality.

Simon Owens: With a lot of comic book fans, the collection of old and rare comics sometimes trumps the actual enjoyment of the comic books themselves, the fan actually becomes more consumed in his search for certain comics that the entire point of them–to entertain–is lost on him or her. Do you ever feel that this is true for you?

H: Not at all. I classify myself as a comics reader, not a collector. Which isn’t to say I don’t bag and board all my comics. I do. When I kick the bucket I hope my kids sell them for a nice chunk of change. But I pursue the books for the stories.

In my younger days when I tracked down complete runs of titles I liked, the entertainment value of reading the stories was the thrill of the chase. I have fond memories of discovering the history of the Avengers, X-Men and Spider-Man through the back issue bins in local shops in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. The thrill was in getting to read the stories and knowing the complete story of each title, not in the act of acquisition.

Simon Owens: Do you think there’s a definite divide between those who read hero comics and those who read comics that pay a lot more attention to realism, like those of Harvey Pekar? Or is there a lot of cross-over?

H: I do perceive a definite divide. I read both, but hero comics comprise the majority of my comics reading. They are what attracted me to the medium in the first place and the graphic format suits the heroic story-telling genre perfectly.

There are also plenty of good “realistic” stories, but I find no inherent advantage to a graphic versus a text realistic story. Thus, a “realistic” comics story has to compete for my attention with “regular” novels, a disadvantage super hero comics don’t face.

Simon Owens: There’s been a lot of discussion recently about whether or not recent movies like Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter have caused a huge boost to the fantasy genre in general, or if those fans just become isolated within those specific works. The same debate happened with Star Wars, when people questioned if those fans would become life-long science fiction readers. Do you think the recent successes in comic book movies is causing a new fan base in comic books?

H: It does not appear to be creating a new fan base which I do find surprising. Why it hasn’t I’m not sure, but the only advantage the movies seem to have given the comics industry is a greater public awareness of the characters and a greater acceptance of reading comics, both of which are worthwhile gains.

Simon Owens: Are there any famous comic book stores you’d like to visit?

H: I found this question tricky due to the “famous” qualifier. I would argue that there are no famous comic book stores as until I began blogging I could not have named any other than those I’ve physically patronized.

If you accept my definition of “famous” as one that comics blogs readers would be likely to be familiar with, there are two I’d like to visit. The first is Ralph’s Comics Corner in Ventura, California , so I could have a chance to buy some books in person from Mike Sterling of Progressive Ruin. I almost made it out there during a vacation to Southern California in the spring, but it was a bit too far out of the way of the San Diego/L.A. itinerary. The other is Scipio Garling’s store in D.C. I’ve gotten to know them both through being part of the comics blogosphere and they both seem like wacky and likable guys.

There is a third store I’d like to visit and that is Comic Universe owned by Frank Link in Folsom, Pennsylvania. It is the first comic shop I regularly patronized way back in the late 1970’s and I’ve only been back once since I moved out of the area. Frank is a genuine good guy. He also made some outstanding recommendations (such as Nexus and Badger) of series I would otherwise have missed.

Simon Owens: Who’s your favorite comic book writers and artists that are still working today?

H: Again, I could answer this two ways.

My favorite writer still working in comics is Steve Englehart, but I don’t enjoy his current stuff nearly as much as I enjoyed the old stuff. So he’s more of my all-time favorite who just happens to still be writing today. My favorite current writer is Gail Simone for the manner in which she respectfully handles the corporate-owned characters she writes without sacrificing story drama.

My favorite current artist is George Perez, even if his workload has decreased.

Simon Owens: What are the five blogs you’d recommend to supplement the reading of your own?

H: What are the five blogs you’d recommend to supplement the reading of your own?

You’re killing me by limiting it to five. And again I’m going to be difficult about how to define “supplement”. I’m going to do it by listing the five blogs I’d recommend as most similar in substance, tone and topics to the Comic Treadmill. Which, broadly painted, means blogs that wax enthusiastically about comic books, mostly super hero ones by DC Comics, but not limited in scope to just DC super heroes. Another thing all five sites I’ve chosen have in common with the Treadmill is that they are written by people who aim to be funny and interesting without resorting to humor or analysis that insults readers, commenters or creators.

1) The Absorbascon: A witty and insightful look at the DC Universe.

2) Mike Sterling’s Progressive Ruin: Another witty, humor-oriented look at comics old and new, often from the perspective of a retailer full of admiration for the medium.

3) Polite Dissent: This site does for comics medicine what the old The Law Is An Ass column did for comics law.

4) Comics Should Be Good: Brian Cronin is the star of the show here and his Comic Book Urban Legends series is a must read and involves an impressive amount of leg work on Brian’s part.

5) Comics Oughta Be Fun! By Bully, who knows that whether or not a comic was fun to read is the critical question. And his ten of a kind covers feature is inspiring.

Runners-up: Shelly’s Comics: Dave’s Long Box; Redlibcomic; Johnny Bacardi ; Spandex Justice.

(related posts: How to build retractable Wolverine claws)