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Ever since I moved to my new &guot;home&guot; I have found that my interest and drive relating to
comics has shifted up and down. Now, while my established frustrations with Marvel and my new one with
DC (too many Countdown titles) would be an easy place to place the blame, I know that just isn't the
case. I'm finding that without anyone who relates to my interest locally, comics just don't quite seem
as &guot;fun.&guot; The odd thing about that though is that one of the ways I've found I've connected
with some people in the area is through my comic-themed shirts. So, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Do I
continue reading in the hopes that fully engaging in my hobby will offer me an avenue to connect with
others, or do I abandon a majority of my comics for the stuff that not as many people read and possibly
narrow some of my ability to connect?
Plus, there is also the fact that I seem to be a bit of an &guot;oddity&guot; in my new comic store.
While I do read a lot of the stuff other people do I have found out that I'm the only person reading
anything from Virgin Comics (and I'm really liking what I'm reading from them) and Avatar's Stargate
titles. Not to mention I'm only one of a handful of people who are reading things from IDW and Dynamite.
You'd think with titles that include Highlander and Battlestar Galactica there would be a few more readers
getting their &guot;geek&guot; on by reading them, but the issues tend to sit on the shelves. Heck, I'm
lucky the owner is nice enough to order two issues of some so I have the ability to choose covers for
some of those titles.
I guess I do finally have the chance to see what is &guot;important&guot; in relation to my comic collecting though. While I was out shopping for new glasses I happened to discover that the guy who was helping me at the store had a sense of humor similar to mine and was a former comic reader that was just starting to get back into the comic scene (for lack of a better phrase). I must say it was nice talking to someone who actually &guot;got&guot; my interest. Plus, as he's been out of comics for a while it gave me an opportunity to talk about comics I liked and figure out what might be interesting to him.
Now, on a personal note (non-comics) it's nice to have finally met someone who I can connect through a twisted sense of humor and a big interest in movies (as those two things are a big part of my daily &guot;fun&guot;), but I will say that actually being able to talk comics does make a big difference. Sure, I can still talk comics with all of my friends via online means, but it's just not the same to be able to sit and talk with someone about the subject. I guess it makes sense on some level though. While I do read a number of titles because they are simply entertaining it's the titles with characters I connect with on some level that I stay committed to, and if a connection to a character is that important to me then I'm always gonna have to have someone around me who &guot;gets/shares&guot; that mindset.
As I told a woman in a past relationship, reading comics doesn't &guot;define&guot; me. There is more to me than that. But, I have been reading them since I was eight so I do recognize that the hobby and characters are a part of my life, and on some level the titles and characters have affected me. Having someone around who recognizes and validates that makes a world of difference. If I don't find myself having such a connection for sure soon, I think I have learned enough to know that I do need it to really enjoy my comic reading to the fullest.
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