The picture you see to your right was taken on the first day of our honeymoon, a little less than one month ago. My beloved husband Rodney is a proud self-proclaimed "comic geek", and for some time had been passionate about me reading the classic graphic novel, "The Watchmen". So, flush with the desire to make my newly betrothed an even happier man, I brought his copy along with us to Jamaica and dug in right away. Clearly the event moved him so much he felt compelled to photograph the moment as a keepsake (and, I suspect, evidence for bragging rights at our local Hanley's Universe Comic Shop).I am not a literary snob by any means. I can enjoy a sleazy pulp fiction novel as much as the works of Milton. And I adore pop culture. So the fact that I ended up thoroughly enjoying "The Watchmen" wasn't what surprised me. It was more the fact that I had always associated the whole comic-book thing as being more of a boy's hobby. I am feminine to the hilt: makeup, lots of pink in my wardrobe and decor, nails done, skirts and heels. So when I had dabbled in comics as a kid, it was mostly the "Betty and Veronica" issues from the "Archie" series. The only title I ever got addicted to was the short-lived DC herione saga "Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld". I mean, she got to wear huge jewels and had her own friggin Pegasus, for chrissakes! (For obvious reasons, Rodney finds this endlessly amusing.)So the fact that I had entered what I'd traditionally considered to be a Y-chromosome zone and found something I really liked called me out on my own gender-bias regarding my hubby's favorite pasttime.
Needless to say, he was thrilled at my receptiveness to the novel. We had several interesting discussions about the story and its characters. As luck would have it, we met up with another couple at the resort who were also comic fans and they suggested a number of books for us to check out. It was clear I was really warming up to the whole idea, and Rodney could not be more pleased.
This Christmas, I found out the true extent of his elation.
My birthday falls a week before Christmas. This is when the campaign began. Rodney takes me out to this great sushi restaurant around our way, and leads us to a reserved private booth. We order drinks and food, and then he reaches for this huge bag full of gifts. As he starts to artfully arrange them in a careful presentation around the banquette, I begin to suspect a theme. All of them are flat and square - some thin, others thicker. I am curious, but delighted.
In short, the bulk of my birthday booty consisted of the following:
"From Hell" by Alan Moore
The entire "Promethea" series by Alan Moore
The entire "Y - The Last Man" series
Joss Whedon's run of X-Men
The "Alias" graphic novels by Brian Michael Bendis
A special edition of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust"
The last of these was touching and sentimental, since we'd had a romantic date and seen the movie version last December during a holiday visit to his parents in North Carolina. The rest? Let's just say I was very flattered by his enthusiasm for my conversion to the comic cult.
Like a dedicated sommilier chooses wine, Rodney continued to select the finest literature from the caped crusader genre as Christmas gifts. He was largely inspired by a suggestion my friend Andy had mentioned: Andy, if you're reading this, I indeed received The Dark Knight Returns under the tree (he was actually bummed he hadn't thought of Sandman first). To quote our good friend Andy, "We who love comics are almost as bad as Jesus freaks. If you give us an inch of interest, we have a ton of comics to shove down your throat. " Or, if you happen to have an adorable 7-year-old son, you might also leverage him to recruit to the cause: Zack gave me "The Killing Joke" from the Batman collection - no doubt convinced with the reassuring "she'll love it!" paternal nudge.
The truth is, I love that my husband values my imagination and open-mindedness to the point that he feels safe enough to share his interests with such excitement. I am genuinely enjoying my new library (I'm making my way through "From Hell" - Moore's storytelling is seriously dense, y'all!). And I completely love my lil fanboys: the big one and the little one.
The movie version of "The Watchmen" is supposed to hit theatres next March. Now a studio lawsuit may delay its release indefinitely. I'm bummed - really! I think it's safe to say the transformation has begun...
