Cheater

I'll admit it, I cheat on this blog.

I've often written long blogs that I've placed on my MySpace site and not posted here. Worse, I'm a bit of a blog whore. I blog for my workplace.

I know, I know. You're shocked and appalled, but at least my work blog is about something I love. Cartoons and comics. You can find it here if you wish too, or you can not bother. Either way, I'll still respect you in the morning.

I'd not posted anything in some time, for various reasons, but found myself with a little spare time last night and decided to let everyone know that I was back and that a new Wonder Woman cartoon is coming out on DVD in March.

This morning, I came in to find that a fellow, who will go unnamed unless you check the blog, posted this:
I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND THE APPEAL OF ALL THIS COMIC STUFF TO ADULTS. IT SEEMS SO SILLY, SUCH A WASTE OF MONEY, SO JUVENILE, SO IMMATURE. WHY NOT SPEND THE MONEY ON BOOK, ART OR MUSIC LESSONS?

Yes, it was in all caps in it's original posting.

It struck me as odd on multiple levels, not the least of which is that my blog doesn't spontaneously leap onto your screen. You actually have to seek the darned thing out. So he'd sought it out and unleashed this mild venom.

I though, initially, not to post the comment. I thought it seemed a silly place for such a poorly written comment. Ultimately, I decided that this fellows opinion could be considered valid and he was not vulgar in his language. So I posted it along with this response:
Actually, I spend a great deal more on books and art supplies, since I produce art myself. My music career was a wash as I was sent back to beginner band after the first year.
Still, I would not balk at any of the activities suggested without trying them out first. And really, if someone decides that comics aren’t for them, I have no problem with that.

In fact, I lent a copy of a comic that I greatly enjoyed to a friend She gave it an honest try but decided that the medium wasn’t for her. That didn’t mean that I treasured her friendship any less. And I greatly enjoy her view on various art mediums including visual art, film, music and especially literature. She’s the one who recommended the book Geek Love as well as The Women of Brewster’s Place and I’m extremely thankful to have read those books.
That said, there is still room for comic books and I’d dare to guess that many naysayers have no experience outside of the kiddie books they remember from yesteryear.

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight is one of the most gritty and stunning stories ever put to paper. I’d say that Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid and painstakingly painted panel by panel by the incomparable Alex Ross is a masterpiece of word and sequential art.

Still, paintings of soup cans seem silly and a waste to some, as do some books, movies and music. So to each their own.

For myself, I’ll take it all. Sequential storytelling by artists who can produce beautiful pieces on a tight deadline. Moving tunes by audio artists from Mozart to Bowie to Gnarlz Barkley. Cinematic masterpieces like Citizen Kane and Blazing Saddles. I can’t imagine closing myself to any form of art.

But to each their own.

I don't know if the fellow will bother to read it, but I felt I had to say it. Silly though it may be, I've tried to allow myself an open mind in all things. Tasting dishes I thought I'd not enjoy, reading books in genres I thought I would not enjoy and trying techniques in arts in virtually any form available to me.

I guess, in the end, this fellow didn't understand my personal enjoyment. But that won't stop me from reading my comics and allowing myself to believe that a man can fly. To imagine that a teen can take the lesson of power equaling responsibility to heart. Or imagine a child fashioned of clay could grow to be an Amazon princess blessed with divinity, beauty and above all, compassion.

And I'll read as voraciously as I did when I first developed my love of the written word. A love that stemmed from reading the words of a fellow who dreamed of writing the great American novel. A native of New York born to Romanian-born Jewish immigrants who hid his family name of Stanley Martin Lieber under the nom de plume, Stan Lee.

That first Spider-Man comic soon led me to read The Old Man and the Sea and To Kill a Mockingbird before my age reached the double digits. And draws me to read still today.

Of course, Mr. Lee's loquacious nature and affinity for alliteration are with me still. Which is probably why I allowed this post to go this long.