I hung up my comic book jersey a while back. Had to have been round the World War Hulk era, so '08-'09. Sounds about right. Every once in a while I would hear a bit of scuttlebutt and peek my head in digitally. But it's not the same as opening the shop door on Wednesday, hearing the little metal bell, the smell of disintegrating particles of display case polish and corrugated cardboard escaping into the street. Some greet you vocal, some head nod, some assess you as human and carry on.
Familiar faces lining the walls in new predicaments. That tactile serotonin response from a hardback rectangle between your thumb and forefingers. The slight "pop" when tape separates from plastic. Muscle memory guiding the book from its sheath and cradled into your palm like a newborn in one fluid motion. The smell of wet, breathing, ink. Can't virtual that.
Comic book characters are not that different from real life people, outside of the obvious. If you fall out of contact with a friend, life keeps on trucking. If you fall out of a comic book characters life, same concept. Unless they die, then the story is over. No, the life is over, the story switches focus. Well, in the comic book version of life, instead of the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism in absolute it has traditionally been, death can be an inconvenience, Thanos' boo, or a convenient plot twist.Thanks, Superman.
Anyway, I ran into a friend that had things to say about The new Mighty Avengers run. He did that thing people do where he goes," Bruh, I'm not gonna tell you anything about it. Just read it." I hate that shit. But I blind read anything anyone suggests this way. So I decided now was a good a time as any to head up to catch up at the local spot.
For anyone reading this missive that has not touched a comic book in years, has considered doing so, and has not yet done this, please for the love of god get there as soon as possible. So many things. Ok, so Spider Man is dead, Doc Ock, is Spider Man, and J. Jonah Jameson is Mayor. The Avengers are I don't know where doing I don't know what. The X-men are all girls and Jubillee is a vampire. The Illuminadi are even more off the rails since their last great idea of shooting hulk into space, and that's just a slice of Marvel.
You know what... Just read it all, read everything. And also R.I.P to Tom Clancy, for more reasons than the things he gave us. Also I don't have beta codes, also I can't afford to fly there I'm not rich, maybe a remote. Also if I was an And 1 player my name would be Ballaholic. Also get well TC. Also JERBZ.
The Protoculture Mixtape v.176 Issue : People : Corrigendum
