Poorly Concieved Superheroes - Part 1
As I've mentioned before, I have recently rediscovered the wonders of the public library system. Specifically, the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch.
It's in the magnificent old First National Bank building and the inside is all marble and chandeliers. In fact, fellow local blogger Waldo Oiseau over at Kansas City Daily Photo took this gorgeous photo of the remodeled interior...
Waldo does some really, REALLY tasty work. You should slide over to her blog and check it out. Every day.
I am particularly fond of the facade on the library's parking garage.
One of the best things about the KCPL is their web site.
No more searching through drawers full of hand typed index cards looking up Dewey Decimal System numbers and then wandering through "the stacks" matching up isle numbers with hand scrawled notes.
You can go to their web site, do a search, place a hold, and get an email when your selection is waiting for you to pick up at the branch of your choice.
Fucking. Awesome.
The only way they could improve the system would be to have a metro-wide pneumatic tube system that would automatically deliver my books to my bathroom (where I do most of my reading).
Right about now, every single one of you is thinking * what the fuck? *
What does any of this have to do with Superheroes? Poorly conceived or otherwise? You misleading, rambling, senile, verbose Fuck!
Calm the fuck down my peeps, and stick with me. We're almost there. You youngin's are so impatient!
Actually, it wasn't the architecture or the search of Literature and Knowledge that brought me back to the library.
It was the realization that a significant fraction of our little blogger community are TEH HOT librarians!
I had an epiphany. An epiphany that said "You need to get your ass down to the library more often! The library is babealicious!"
So I started checking out books that I would never buy. Especially graphic novels.
Kingdom Come.
I'd never pay $15 to $20 for a comic book. I don't care how thick it is, or if Alex Ross was the illustrator or who wrote it, or if you call it a "graphic novel".
Identity Crisis
Marvel 1602.
They're fucking comic books. When I was a kid they sold for 12 cents a piece.
So I am all about checking them out for free, reading them and then giving them back.
A perfect example of something that I would never, ever pay good money for but thoroughly enjoyed as free eye candy from the library is The Marvel Encyclopedia
Towards the back of the encyclopedia, I stumble upon the Marvel-Analog of DC Comics The Flash.
Except this wasn't The Flash.
This was, The Whizzer.
And he wore a yellow costume...
Think, people! Think!
Was this superhero concept doomed from the start? Depends.
Posts
7 comments:
Use to have a dog named Murlin, because he was a little whizzer!
Kanga likes to call them graphic novels, but I tell him they're comics.
The downtown library is a really great building--I worked there until recently. You gotta check out the 5th floor for the outdoor patio and the Missouri Valley Room.
I'll also say that folks in JoCo have a pretty rocking library system of their own and everyone, no matter where you live in the metro can get a card at KCLibrary, JoCo Library or Mid-Continent in the Independence area. Yes I'm a...uh...guybrarian.
I'm with Kanga!
I mean they are all sequential visual storytelling. You can call em all "comics", just as you can call animated films and documentaries "movies"
But when I say graphic novel I mean a story that was written, illustrated, and released as a single large issue. I think there is a also a unique term for a single binding and release of several formerly separate issues.
I told my coworkers at my library about the "more shushin for the pushin" t-shirt. I think that will become our unofficial library slogan.
spyder - Ha! I bet he calls them dolls "action figures" too!
dlc - I have indeed been up to the 5th floor patio! Great view and I love the life size chess board they have up there! BTW, who is that dark haired hottie vixen of a librarian at the central branch who is haunting my dreams? Works the check out desk on the first floor. Yummers.
nuke - over analyzing. let's just call em "cartoon books". LOL!
michelle - glad I could help!
Try a Warren Ellis graphic novel (or "cartoon book" if you prefer). His stuff is really dark and twisted.
a librarian - Are you implying that someone like me would be drawn to "dark and twisted" material?
As all regular readers of this blog know, I am just a ray of sunshine where ever I go! I'm all about unicorns and lollipops!
LOL! I already googled him. I'll sirsi him later and slap a hold on something.
Thanks!
And YOU need to start reading some Peter F. Hamilton space opera!
Post a Comment