Comics….

I’ve never really read that many comics, I had a few when I was very young, some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, some My Little Pony and a few Care Bears. I read a couple of friends comics while at University (Watchmen being the most significant one that I remember). But I never really go into comics. My husband has quite a lot of Deadpool on our selves and while I like him as a character I haven’t read them.

I watched the X-Men cartoon when I was younger, and I enjoyed the movies (except for the one that shouldn’t be named). Yes I know that a lot of comics aren’t superhero comics but to be honest at the time I only really knew about Marvel and DC. And later Dark Horse when Buffy became a comic. I have read a few fantastic comics, the whole of Transmetropolitan, a fair bit of Sandman, Womathology, Habibi (which is possibly the most beautiful book I’ve ever owned).  But still I wasn’t really into this buying comics on a regular basis because you know with something like Marvel or DC – where do you start? And think of all the space that those comics would take up.

Then along comes Comixology, and my husband (who had been looking into the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game) is all like ‘Oh.. this whole Avengers Vs X-Men I wonder what thats all about – its all on comixology we could get it and find out….’  And we realised that quite a few of Marvel’s series were either just about to restart or had only just started. So Wolverine and the Xmen followed, and then The All New X-Men (because modern Scott really needs a good talking to or at least a slap), Uncanny Avengers (hello Rogue?!).  As my anniversary gift hubby bought me the new Captain Marvel, which makes me very happy because she is a great character but now also has a fantastic costume, which I would love to figure out how to make (I don’t have the skills to) or at least get a t-shirt of the top half.

At about the same time the internet went crazy at the news that DC had fired Gail Simone (thankfully they have now re-hired her), hearing how people were going on about the new Batgirl and her amazing writing I went to investigate, and now absolutely adore the series because its bloody fantastic.

And more recently hubby was nosing about TV-Tropes (possibly looking up stuff for the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game)  and was telling me all about two Marvel characters called Wiccan and Hulking, who sounded absolutely adorable. (I do like a bit of romance thrown in to things.)  So of course we had to read Young Avengers, and imagine my delight when I realised that we’d read them just before a new series of Young Avengers started!! (Seriously Billy & Teddy make me go squeeee they are so cute together!)

Now why do I think I’ve found this new found love of comics? I think I can blame Comixology. For starters its really easy to get comics from there, they aren’t going to run out of issues. They have a lot of deals on and we have taken advantage of things like Marvel Mondays. Also I don’t have to worry about running out of shelf space. (We have a lot of books already.) But the biggest reason for me? I really like reading them through the Comixology app. I can read through the panels sequentially and I wont be distracted by the huge explosion that happens on the next page, when I’ve still got a page to read through to fully know whats happening. I don’t get semi-spoilered this way and every panel is a surprise. Theres no ‘oh so so-and-so is about to punch him? but I’d better read the text to find out why.” I can enjoy both the writing and the art at the same time. 

Also because we can read the comics on a tablet I can read them together with my husband. I mean you can’t very easily prop a physical comic up on a table on a train and then both read it at the same time, the pictures are small the font is small you’re not really going to get the most out of it. But on a tablet? You can use the case to prop the device up and then you just tap your way through the panels.

Perhaps it’s also the fact that some comics at least have grown up a little bit, great female characters, in awesome looking costumes saving the world.

Saying that though I did buy the physical copy of Batwoman, because its a much more artistic looking comics (Have you seen the covers?!) and Comixology doesn’t quite do it justice with the way it lays the panels out.  I am also tempted to get physical copies of Captain Marvel and Batgirl at some point because I’d really like to get some awesome female superheroes on my shelves. Its much easier to then wave them in peoples faces and go ‘Look see the awesome! Read the awesome!’

I think it’s safe to say I’m a little bit addicted.

Oh and now there’s going to be an all female X-men team? I can’t wait!! 😀