Reviews and Outrage
I know, I know, this is the Internet, and wild assumptions and generalizations get thrown around ALL of the time. Sometimes, those assumptions are even right on target. For example, not ALL Massachusetts drivers are insane...just MOST of them. They don't know what a turn signal is, for one thing. The few who DO use it, use it as a warning device...they have signalled that they are going to move into your lane whether you are occupying that particular space or not. But mostly it seems as though they regard turn signals as a sign of weakness. Some days I'm just happy that I made it home, safe and sound and with my fenders unblemished. In fact...!
...wait, how did I get started about the driving habits in Mass? See, what I mean? Assumptions and generalizations are insidious. As I was visiting my beloved local Comic Book Shoppe yesturday, I was delighted to see that Brightest Day #1 was in. I was sadly cast down, to realize that they had not been issued those nice white rings that come with Brightest Day. Matt patted me on the back, and assured me that he would save me one, and Joey commisserated me upon my disappointment. We all then went on to discuss the new books, and were having quite the fine old time, when some guy that I didn't recognize, insinuated himself into the conversation. He'd been listening for quite some time, in growing disbelief that this middle-aged woman was standing in HIS Comic Book Store...and he didn't seem to like it particularly.
I really thought that I was past all this crap. I've been going here FOREVER, and practically everybody knows me. With only a few exceptions, I've always been quite fortunate in my comic-sharing experiences. But this fellow was rude, dismissive and condescending.
I WANTED to make a generalization about under-socialized, basement-dwelling trolls, but really, he was relatively well-groomed and fairly articulate. So I had to come face to face with MY prejudices, and I couldn't fairly blame this man's attitude on a well-worn cliche. At least not visually. In attitude however, he showed himself to be every bit as obnoxious as the worst trolls around. He...he mocked Geoff Johns!
Gah!
Thank goodness for my buddies at the store, who put him in his place with a few well-chosen words. And really, he wasn't THAT bad...just ignorant. And obviously tasteless.
But anyway, enough bloviating. Onto the Reviews!
Batman & Robin #12. Man, I do love this book. Maybe because the REAL Batman isn't in it. But Dick is doing a bang-up job as the Caped Crusader, and I'm starting to like Damien more and more. Talia and Slade get their just desserts...in a manner of speaking anyway, and the plot continues to thicken nicely. Very decent artwork, and one HELL of a reveal on the last page! I honestly did NOT see that coming!
Brightest Day #1. Oh, I WILL get a ring...sooner or later.
Jonah Hex #55. Another book that I love. An odd little tale, but a good one.
JSA Allstars #6. I wasn't too sure about this book at first. Then they dumped Magog, which was a major step in the right direction. And they brought back Sandy, which was another. But jeez, they must be getting AWFULLY tired of fighting the King of Tears! Pretty good, actually.\
Nemesis #3. Again, I'm liking this a bit more. It's still a little hazy on some of the details, is Tom REALLY nuts, or is it all real? But I enjoy someone who can be as dangerous as Nemesis, and it's nice that Wonder Woman actually recognizes that. So, I'm interested in where this is leading.
Secret Six #21. Oh my goodness! Gail hits another one out of the ballpark. A little trip down memory lane for Blake...boy howdy was HIS father a jerk! At least his mom was nice. Catman is taking out his enemies quite ruthlessly and efficiently,while the rest of the bunch trails after him, and Bane and Jeanette put together an ad hoc bunch to get in a few paydays. I don't see this new bunch lasting particularly long however, although it WILL be fun to see how they get blown up. Oh, and Black Alice is being rude to Scandal. She may come to regret that.
Fabulous as always.
So enjoy your comics, and look out for pushy people in Comic Book Stores.
posted by SallyP @ 12:02 PM
12 Comments:
Sometimes the character "Comic Book Guy" from The Simpsons hits a little too close to home when it comes to people I've met in the comic book community -- not his appearance but his ATTITUDE. Especially the assumption that he's smarter than everyone else just because he happens to be well-versed in obscure pop culture. Bah.
Geez, sorry you had to go through that, Sally. I admit, I haven't been personally accosted by a jerk like that in a long time -- probably only because the comic store I frequent is co-owned by a woman, and nearly half of the store patrons consist of women of all ages.
I've been fortunate...and lucky. Which is why I was initially so flummoxed. We were all perfectly willing to discuss Brightest Day and Geoff Johns, but this guy wasn't having any of that. He wanted to give us HIS opinions...and didn't care about ours.
Well pooh, I get enough of that on message boards.
Sea, your store sounds lovely.
This is why I'm afraid to go into comic shops!!
Sorry to hear a grumpy person ruined your day, Sally. :( I'm glad your friends stuck up for you, though!
I think most comic stores are a whole lot better than they used to be. And all it takes is one jerk. But of course, that's true about ANYthing!
Ooh, I want to generalize about drivers! Missouri drivers do not understand the concept of speed limits. I drive 2-5 miles over most times, and I'm a snail compared to at least 2/3rds of the other drivers.
There's always one like that, I find. That guy at the shop I buy from, is moderately bearable, as he won't horn in on a conversation. If I'm foolish enough to willingly chat with him, I have to accept he's going to say stupid things and stick to them steadfastly. Which is why I try to avoid conversing with him.
I sometimes get the why is a brown person in my comic store look; its made me feel awkward enough to not go back to the store and find another
- Seafire
I haven't read everything yet, but Secret 6 was awesome.
There are jerks everywhere, unfortunately.
Sally, I can only hope that if you tried that in my comic book store you wouldn't get trampled in the surge to lynch the guy.
Have a cookie.
-- Jack of Spades
Argh. If he tried that...
-- Jack of Spades
Thank you, Jack. And Seafire, I'm sorry that you've run into idiots as well.
There DO seem to be an abundance of idiots, and not just in Comic Book Stores. Just today, I answered the phone at work, and had to listen to some guy yelling at me, before it dawned on him that he'd called a wrong number, and he wasn't supposed to be yelling at me at all. So he hung up withOUT apologizing.
Jerk.
In the store where I work, we have a glass case by the register, used to display statues and collectibles. One of its current inhabitants is, in fact, a statue of "Comic Book Guy". Currently, it's up front, just another display -- but for several weeks, it was in the BACK of the case, facing AWAY from the customers. That "wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command" was aimed right at us, as we worked the register, and the message was clear:
"Don't be this guy. Don't hate everything."
Meanwhile, All-Stars went a long way with me when they hung a lampshade on the King of Tears thing: "We need to get some new villains."
That WAS a particularly percipient moment, Serpent! I must admit that I snickered.
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