Whether it’s a trashy TV show, extra-pulpy fiction, or nutrient-free candy, write a thank-you note to your guiltiest guilty pleasure (thanks for the prompt suggestion, Sarah!)
Today I thought I’d like to write a little thank you letter. To an industry, rather than a person, or even a company.
Dear Comic Book Industry:
Thank you, for keeping me entertained for all those years, and for somehow surviving every time it began to look grim for you. Thank you for the new movies, and for taking movies more seriously; better acting, writing, budgets, and production values than you did in the early efforts.
When I was a child, comics were childish things. Shallow, not taken very seriously by much of anybody. Thank you for ramping up the writing, again and again, until ‘graphic novel’ became a statement that could be pronounced with a straight face.
Thank you Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Chris Clairmont, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Mark Gruenwald, Stan Lee & Bullpen. And hundreds of others I lack the time to list.
Thank you Marvel and DC, and all of you Independents.
Thank you Hollywood. Purists like me will always prefer the ‘original’ to the film adaptations, but your films keep improving, and we love them. Keep it up!
——Dave
I started reading comics,oh, ‘bout 10 or 12. Collected and read a bunch of favorite titles, mostly Marvel, but some JLA and Teen Titans and LSH too. So I’m the ‘expert’ locally, the guy that gets asked “who’s that” when the bad guy shows up in the next movie trailer. I have to explain who the heck Bobbi Morse is, when she shows up suddenly in Agents of Shield.
I had to explain why Rocket and Groot were more important (and way more cool) than Star-Lord, when Guardians appeared. I get to point out the “inside jokes” hidden away in movies like Avengers.
And I get to dig into the trivia bag and bore the hell out of everyone (well, Annie and Brad) whenever a new trailer sees air.
It’s not much of a claim to fame, I suppose, but at least I always get tickets to the next flick. And that’s good, right?
Flame On!
ParkInkSpot 