A couple of Friday nights ago I went out. Now when I was a little younger me going out on a friday night would mean me going to some sort of club or lounge to dance, but since Kyle was born I havent really been out a whole lot on a Friday nights unless I was taking in a movie or something.
This particular Friday as I left the apt around 10:00pm Kyle asked me where I was going because it was dark out and he really wasnt used to seeing me get dressed to leave the house this late. I told him that I was going to a book signing, he was like "OK".
"Comic books?" Yes, I replied. To which he just kinda smiled and said "OK" and went off to bed.
So yes, once again another nerd related event. To promote Free Comic Book day, my local comic book shop Jim Hanley's Universe had a 11:00 - 1:00am signing by creator Robert Kirkman. For the uninitated, Kirkman has done something that I believe that very few comic book writers would have been able to do, and that's get me interested and invested in a comic book about a zombie apocolypse. The comic book in question is called, THE WALKING DEAD. It has fleshed out characters, flesh eating zombies and a really effective use of the serial format by way of some great cliffhangers. I actually read the singles in the store but I pick up all of the trades when they come out (theyre up to number six right now). This book, next to Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo and Kurt Busiek's Astro City is one of my favorite comics out there today. Which is a little weird because my favorite genre in comics is superheroes, but only one of my favorite books Astro City, has superheroes in it.
Which leads me to the other book that Kirkman is known for INVINCIBLE. Basically, it's about the teenaged son of possibly the worlds most powerful super-hero right when he discovers that he too has superpowers and starts his superheroing career. It sounds like a simple enough premise, but part way through Kirkman throws some curveballs in there that make you go: "DAAAAAAAAMN.." I picked up the INVINCIBLE Complete Omnibus while I was there for the signing and of course had Kirkman sign it. He asked if I had ever read INVINCIBLE before to which I'd said no. He responed, holding the Omnibus (which is a huge hardcover book that costs $125) "this is a big leap of faith for you isnt it?" To which I responded, "yeah but I'd heard good things about it and if it's even a fraction as good as the WALKING DEAD, it'll be worth it". That got a smile out of him and he signed my book. I shook his hand said thanks and keep up the good work and moved on.
No comments:
Post a Comment