I Can't Possibly Be Wrong All the Time

Okay, maybe not a literal ton (or tonne, since I did say “metric”) – but I do have a large backlog of comics to get through.

Why so many?

Well, here’s the deal. Every Wednesday, my team at work heads to the nearby comic shop to pick up some comics, and then eat some of the best pizza in the area (Peace A Pizza, Catonsville Maryland.)

I’d fallen out of the habit of reading comics when I became gainfully employed out of college, but when I became a dad, I kind of fell back into the habit.

I used to read a lot of actual, literal books (with no pictures, imagine that) but a side-effect of being a parent (at least in my case) was extreme sleep-deprivation. In general, I didn’t have time to read until late at night, and because I was always so tired, I’d pass out after a few pages.

That still happens. I have to really focus to stay awake when reading books nowadays. It’s not a fun situation when trying to re-read all the Game of Thrones books.

ANYWAY, I found that I could quench my thirst for reading by having a comic or graphic novel handy, since they’re quick to get through, usually deliver a good story, and it’s easier to be reading one, be called away to assist with homework, or head out for supplies, or anything at all, and then pick up the story and be right back in with the immersion.

Yes, yes. But why so many?

For the past year or so, I’ve been picking up comics, but not reading them. It’s a problem. I blame having a mobile device, plus Twitter and Facebook.

(And blogging. It’s cutting into my comics-reading-enjoyment time.)

I’m hoping to get caught up.

If I run across anything outstanding, I’ll make a mention of it on the blog. I’ve got a huge amount of things to read, but I’ll recommend the comic Invincible by Robert Kirkman* (also known for The Walking Dead.)

Invincible is well past its 100th issue, and I solidly recommend it (even if I’ve been collecting the issues and not reading them for the past year, as I’ve mentioned.)

In super-vague terms, it’s as if Peter Parker hadn’t been bitten by a radioactive spider, but instead was the son of Superman, and developed flight, super-strength, and invulnerability in his high school years.

Yawn, I hear you say. So Superboy? Smallville?

Trust me. The first six issues of the comic seem somewhat familiar and typical, but the next six issues of the comics set the stage for surprising greatness. It’s quite something. It would be criminal of me to give any spoilery details.

Do yourself a favor and pick up some of the early Invincible trade paperbacks. I agree with the comic’s first  banner “Probably the Greatest Superhero Comic of All Time.”

Now I need to get some reading in.

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© Patrick Sponaugle 2014 Some Rights Reserved

*Robert Kirkman is the person most closely associated with Invincible as the sole writer, but I’d be remiss in not mentioning the co-creator, Cory Walker, who was the first artist on the comic.