Return of the Mighty Observations Thread

[Dr. Medulla]

I guess I might conjecture that comics themselves are niche enough that I don't know if they'd attract casual readers in the first place. I certainly rarely see them in the shops, which are mostly filled with regulars. I suppose they might be buying trades at Barnes and Noble.

Definitely, definitely, but it's the result of choices made by the publishers to go from corner stores to comics shops. And targeting the deliberate reader has encouraged storytelling that says "Only the most devoted are invited." The form began as the massest of mass media and has narrowed its market by both distribution and content. As much as I like the form, I'm not all that sympathetic to a business that once was open and inviting, especially to the young, has gotten narrower and especially rejects young readers. If the publishers can survive, good for them, but if they can't, they chose to shun wider audiences.

I think that's largely true of the big two, but there are a lot of kids' comics out there these days, to the extent that all the shops I've been to have extensive kids' sections. I can't speak for DC, but I know Marvel also has a lot of kid-friendly books, they just aren't as much FF and Spider-Man anymore. And as I mentioned before, they're also noticeably decreasing their focus on longer stories too. I just don't get as much out of that but there's a lot more opportunities for the casual/young reader now than there were 10 years ago.

How welcoming are comic book shops to kids? Back when I bought regularly, there were two places I went in Saskatoon. One guy was kinda benign (the thing I remember most about him was how much he despised John Byrne as a human being; it was only after reading Byrne's online postings that I concluded this guy was probably right) and the other place was staffed by nothing but High Fidelity Jack Blacks. I rarely bought anything from that place. Hopefully they went out of business.

[Mimi]

Hey! I resemble that remark.

Even as someone who regards Mad Men as perhaps the greatest tv drama ever aired—top 3 anyway—I fully recognize how goddamned annoying fans of prestige series are, especially to non-fans. Any series that spawns a tv show that has "superfans" discussing the episode that just aired raises my contrarian ire and I will deliberately avoid watching it. That level of contrived geekery deserves nothing but scorn.

I'm not at that level. In fact, I don't like doing a deep dive because it ruins things for me.

[Dr. Medulla]

Hey! I resemble that remark.

Even as someone who regards Mad Men as perhaps the greatest tv drama ever aired—top 3 anyway—I fully recognize how goddamned annoying fans of prestige series are, especially to non-fans. Any series that spawns a tv show that has "superfans" discussing the episode that just aired raises my contrarian ire and I will deliberately avoid watching it. That level of contrived geekery deserves nothing but scorn.

I'm not at that level. In fact, I don't like doing a deep dive because it ruins things for me.

When you go from "this gives me pleasure and/or intellectual stimulation" to "this is part of my identity," you're way over the line.

[Kory]

I guess I might conjecture that comics themselves are niche enough that I don't know if they'd attract casual readers in the first place. I certainly rarely see them in the shops, which are mostly filled with regulars. I suppose they might be buying trades at Barnes and Noble.

Definitely, definitely, but it's the result of choices made by the publishers to go from corner stores to comics shops. And targeting the deliberate reader has encouraged storytelling that says "Only the most devoted are invited." The form began as the massest of mass media and has narrowed its market by both distribution and content. As much as I like the form, I'm not all that sympathetic to a business that once was open and inviting, especially to the young, has gotten narrower and especially rejects young readers. If the publishers can survive, good for them, but if they can't, they chose to shun wider audiences.

I think that's largely true of the big two, but there are a lot of kids' comics out there these days, to the extent that all the shops I've been to have extensive kids' sections. I can't speak for DC, but I know Marvel also has a lot of kid-friendly books, they just aren't as much FF and Spider-Man anymore. And as I mentioned before, they're also noticeably decreasing their focus on longer stories too. I just don't get as much out of that but there's a lot more opportunities for the casual/young reader now than there were 10 years ago.

How welcoming are comic book shops to kids? Back when I bought regularly, there were two places I went in Saskatoon. One guy was kinda benign (the thing I remember most about him was how much he despised John Byrne as a human being; it was only after reading Byrne's online postings that I concluded this guy was probably right) and the other place was staffed by nothing but High Fidelity Jack Blacks. I rarely bought anything from that place. Hopefully they went out of business.

In Seattle at least, all 3 of my current usual stops (and the 3 that got pushed out by rent increases), and both of my Tucson shops are very family-friendly. I actually don't think I've ever been to a shop that had that kind of stereotypical quality, and I've been frequenting them since I was 9. Maybe just a WA thing.

[Flex]

In Seattle at least, all 3 of my current usual stops (and the 3 that got pushed out by rent increases), and both of my Tucson shops are very family-friendly. I actually don't think I've ever been to a shop that had that kind of stereotypical quality, and I've been frequenting them since I was 9. Maybe just a WA thing.

Maybe it's just how they treat Doc

[Dr. Medulla]

In Seattle at least, all 3 of my current usual stops (and the 3 that got pushed out by rent increases), and both of my Tucson shops are very family-friendly. I actually don't think I've ever been to a shop that had that kind of stereotypical quality, and I've been frequenting them since I was 9. Maybe just a WA thing.

Maybe it's just how they treat Doc

This is why I cry myself to sleep every night.

[Mimi]

Lipton tea sucks. My dad and I enjoy a good cuppa and he recently started drinking Lipton. He was all this stuff is really good. I'm all, nah. Yorkshire Gold is the best, but out of curiosity, I bought some. Flavorless brown water.

[Dr. Medulla]

Lipton tea sucks. My dad and I enjoy a good cuppa and he recently started drinking Lipton. He was all this stuff is really good. I'm all, nah. Yorkshire Gold is the best, but out of curiosity, I bought some. Flavorless brown water.

About the only tea I like is peppermint.

[BostonBeaneater]

Lipton tea sucks. My dad and I enjoy a good cuppa and he recently started drinking Lipton. He was all this stuff is really good. I'm all, nah. Yorkshire Gold is the best, but out of curiosity, I bought some. Flavorless brown water.

About the only tea I like is peppermint.

I'm a Barry's man myself.

[revbob]

Ive been going with Newmans black or green. Also celestial seasonings Morning Thunder.

[Mimi]

Lipton tea sucks. My dad and I enjoy a good cuppa and he recently started drinking Lipton. He was all this stuff is really good. I'm all, nah. Yorkshire Gold is the best, but out of curiosity, I bought some. Flavorless brown water.

About the only tea I like is peppermint.

I'm a Barry's man myself.

I've heard of that but can't find it anywhere in the stores.

[Mimi]

Ive been going with Newmans black or green. Also celestial seasonings Morning Thunder.

Revbob likes to go boom-boom in the mornings.

::giggles like a twelve-year-old::

[Flex]

Do we have a haircut thread? Anyways,

[Sparky]

Do we have a haircut thread? Anyways,

I'm a #2 or #3 clippers buzz cut myself, but the skin on the sides look is best left to the US Marines.

[Dr. Medulla]

Do we have a haircut thread? Anyways,

Missing their cop uniform.