Girls With Comics

Honestly, if children never get exposed, or gain an interest in comic books, this hobby will die. I happily give out comics to kids I know (their parents are usually co-workers of mine) just to get them interested. Some parents are against their children reading comics. To them I propose this:

Chances are you have a young child who does not want to read traditional books. They are boring, no pictures, ect. However, they do want to read comic books. Don’t stop them. They are still reading. While some comics are truly not meant for kids, there are LOADS of kid friendly books–Archie, Tiny Titans, Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Shazam, Sonic, Owly, and more. If it gets a kid to read, I don’t see the problem. And be pro-active in what your child reads. Do not just hand them a stack of Batman books and say “Good luck.” Read them as well. When I was a kid, my reading level was 3-4 grades ahead because I read comic books very actively. Even my dad read the books with me. I still catch him flipping through a Jughead every now and again!

To those of you who are totally for your kids reading comics, bravo! Keep up the good work!

-Lauren

On Sunday I was being interviewed at the D.C. Comic Con. One of the questions the guy asked me was why women like comics. It took me by surprise. My love of comics is as natural as breathing or sleeping. I’ve been surrounded by comics my whole life, starting with Batman. I would say it was genetically programmed in me, but I was adopted. I stumbled around for an answer, and came up with zilch. I don’t know why women like comics. I know why I like comics books, but I don’t want to speak for every woman out there. My reasons are pretty simple; I grew up with them, and I can’t imagine not having them in my life.

Growing up with a character might also be the key. I’ll always love Batman and Archie because I grew up with them. Superman I have no attachment too; Aquaman can die in a fire. But Jughead Jones will always have a special place in my heart. I’ll admit I also have his crown tattooed on me, and I also have the Batman logo on my shoulder. My love of comics might run a little obsessive, I guess.

But still, why does anyone like comics? Saying I like them for the art, for the story, seems like a no brainer. It’s so much more. My dad loved comics as a kid and still loves comics as an adult. I share this hobby with him. And whenever he leaves this planet, I’ll still have all of the fond memories we made together, and all of the comics. It sounds remarkably cheesy, but it’s all I can come up with.

So ladies, why do you like comic books?

-Lauren

And I think it went well for myself, and my friend Julie!

We went to 4 stores. I managed to get the comics I actually wanted (well, except the Lady Gaga one), and since this was Julie’s first FCBD, she was just in awe. The first store we went too, Collectors Corner (all of these stores are in or around Baltimore) was out of all of their FCBD books. However, they did have free books, and loads of artists, which made up for it! I got a Batman sketch done by Josh Lyman (www.artisticenigma.deviantart.com), which totally made my morning!

We then headed to Alternate Worlds, which had the books I was looking for. Alternate Worlds is one of the best shops in Maryland, hands down. They had nothing really going on, so we rolled out to Cosmic Comics. They were having a 25% off sale in the entire store, so I picked up two Iron Man variant covers (one for me, one for a pal) and a Flash bust.

Finally, on a whim, we landed at Cards Comics and Collectibles. This is also one of the best stores in Maryland. Mark, the owner, also runs the Baltimore Comic Con, and co-runs the D.C. Comic Con. He actually sells GA books inside of his store. That’s bad ass. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Steve Conley and J.G Jones were giving away free sketches! That’s amazing! However, time was not on our side, so Julie and I could only get one from Steve. Somehow, Jughead was thrown into my Wonder Woman sketch. Not that I’m complaining.

And now, pictures!

 Steve Conley (left), J.G Jones (right)

 Josh Lyman’s sketch

 Steve Conley sketch

All in all, this was a great year. I can’t wait for next year!

-Lauren

“I think ARCHIE (the company) is so desperate for any type of media attention that they will try almost anything to get people to buy their books.”

The above is in reply to Archie and Valerie, the African-American Pussycat, hooking up. Their small media attention pales in comparison to Kevin, but because they fall so close too each other, some people are looking at it as tho Archie is well, desperate for attention. Yes, it does look like this, but if this were any other company doing stuff like this, would you notice? Suddenly, the old school “conservative” world of Archie is branching out, and people are mostly upset by it. And people think they are attention whores. There was media buzz when Chuck Clayton was introduced, and oh hey, Archie did a series of PSA spots about HIV/Aids.

DC and Marvel have tons of interracial and gay characters. Is it ok that they do this since DC and Marvel are more “adult”? I was reading Batman in the early 90’s as a kid, and nothing DC did to him shocked me and made my parents go ape shit. However the white washed world of Archie, almost untouched since 1942 does something socially “radical” and people go nuts. To the adults reading this who are upset by these changes, have you read an Archie comic in recent years? To fill you in, Sabrina told Jughead she’s a witch. In the same issue, Jughead lost his metabolism and actually has to work out to shed all of the extra poundage he put on. That’s a pretty bold step for them. Having an overweight Jughead actually need to work out? Amazing. They just showed kids that over eating is bad for them.

No really, have you read them. They have really been moving forward with society. With interracial dating and a gay character, I feel they have started to take amazing steps in making all children feel welcome into Archie’s world. If you’re a kid with a white dad and a black mom, wouldn’t you be happy to see Archie and Valerie hook up? What if you’re a gay kid? Sometimes you need to think big picture instead of “WELL WHEN I WAS A KID…” Sorry bub, but your ship sailed at least a few decades ago.

To Archie, I say bravo. They deserve this kind of media attention just like any other comic book publisher does.

-Lauren

THIS LOOKS ~*JAWESOME*~!

http://www.superherohype.com/news/thornews.php?id=9345

Also, I think we all need to sit through the credits of Iron Man 2. We might be verily surprised.

-Lauren

Did anyone notice that there seems to not be as many free comics offered this year? Or at least that’s what it looks like on the FCBD website. Oh well, I’m still really excited. What are your plans for FCBD? What about memories? I always seem to miss the actual day. Last year I did remember, and went to a few shops. One store limited each customer to three comics a piece. Another let you go wild. My LCS held a book or two for me! But usually I miss it by a week. I know, I’m so smart.

-Lauren