The Shelf-ishness of a Creative Comic Nerd

Tooting My Own Literate Horn for All the World to Read.

Photo by Author.

Right from the start, I’ll admit to staging this scene slightly in order to take an aesthetically pleasing photo; sue me, I’m a decent photographer and am constantly drawn to the visual side of life, always gauging light, color and form. I have limited space available to me, and too many comics to my name, so I had to put all of my storage boxes where they are by necessity. Sure, it obscures the bottom shelf, but what sits there is primarily texts on art and art instruction, so it’s no big deal if you can’t see them clearly. I tend to accumulate an abundance of art books, I think mainly because it validates my sense of creative self (read: artistic ego) whether I use them or not (more likely not, if I’m honest).

I’m not really into comic books for their literary value. I will admit that I’ve read some good comic stories over the years. The ‘Superman vs. Dracula’ story from the early 00s is mildly diverting, if only for the story resolution. And I will always think fondly on the ‘Death and Return of Superman’ arc from the 90s, as well as the subsequent ‘Knightfall’ arc in the Batman books. There were two limited run series released by Image that I will always enjoy — ‘Wildstar’ and ‘Hellshock’. And I don’t care what anyone says, I will adore the…