Things that make me want to save the universe...

so this is it super-friends, that thing i was telling you about. i was talking with my new york magazine guy a little while back and i pitched this idea to him...the idea being that i was going to write, every month, about something that made me want to either, save or destroy the universe. i had this idea a little while back and it's something that's been bouncing around in my head for a bit...so this is where you guys come in, you can tell me what you think of it. like i said, i will be posting something every monday and friday, and the way it's going to work is like this... on monday i will be saving the universe, friday i will be destroying it. i figure this way, you can start the week with something nice and positive, and end it with something to argue with me about. i think that's a good way to do it. anyway, and in honor of susan's comment, i'm going to start this week with something that makes me want to save the universe...

Comic Books

Every Tuesday I escape to other planets and universes. I leave real life and let my imagination take me to somewhere new. I have this place that I go to, it is my LCS (that’s local comic store for those that aren’t as nerdy as me.) There I find people like me, dreamers that long to live in a planet not much like this one. When I talk to them I realize how much we all focus on the stories that come out of this store. In minutes of reading the stories that come out each week, we talk about what just happened and how the people that inhabit these stories will be affected. They are our friends, our heroes, our enemies.

The genre of the comic book is a funny one, in a few short years it has become a perfectly viable way for novelists and screenwriters to tell stories that have been floating around in their heads for years. I want to be one of those people. I want to tell stories of heroes surviving against all odds, stories of people living up to their namesake, stories of the human spirit. I love it. This is the best way to show, well, the best qualities of being a human. If you take someone that is supposed to be a hero, you are essentially showing traits that every human should have. Fearlessness, bravery, strength, honor, this is what the best parts of humanity are built on, and superheroes show this in a superb and flashy way.

I have lived my life with quite a bit of crippling self doubt and somehow reading stories of these heroes and their struggles has made me put a lot of it into perspective. I may not be a hero in the cosmic sense of the word, but I now know that by living by the standards set by my favorite heroes, I may not be saving the universe literally but I can at least live my life as a better person. Reading these stories have at least showed me that. I can save my own universe.

So, on that note, who is my favorite super hero? Good question. Usually, if you ask any amount of people who their favorite super hero is, you generally get the Superman, Batman, and Spiderman answers. It’s expected and there’s nothing wrong with that, most people only know those heroes. I am not one of those people. My favorite hero, bar none, is Wally West, or to those that don’t know, The Flash, the fastest man alive. Go ahead, ask me why.

Wally West was the sidekick to the second Flash, Barry Allen. Barry Allen died. (Saving the universe ironically enough.) Wally became the Flash at age 21. He is my age, he makes mistakes, and he is the most human hero I have ever read. In the beginning of his series, he went through women, money, and alcohol like no one’s business, but throughout the series he became the actual moral center of the universe he inhabited. He grew up, he learned from his mistakes, he became a hero. I respect that, I admire that, and I aspire to that. I want to be someone who has learned from his mistakes, one that is able to use what he’s learned to become a better person. That is why he is my favorite hero; it is because I wish I was him. I want to save myself and those around me. I want to learn from my mistakes.

But where would one want to go to read about saving universes and learning from mistakes? That is an excellent question, in fact, it makes me want to tell you a story...

So a guy walks into a bar, pulls up a stool, plunks down some cash and orders a drink.

“What are you having?”

“I don’t care, just make sure it’s strong and keep ‘em coming.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Such is the lovely cliché of the kind old bartender, the guy who pours your drinks, takes your money, and charges you a whole lot less than a psychiatrist. While the warmth sets in, you find yourself talking about everything with this man. It’s an important part of human nature to talk about things and I just felt that the bartender analogy was apt for this little, well whatever this is.

There’s this place that has been in the Reno area for the past 18 years. A place where all sorts of people have gone, be them socially awkward, businessmen, parents, and all in between, to just talk about it. A type of place found less and less in this day of internet chat and fast moving coffee shops, and it’s not what you would expect. This place is a comic book store.

DJ’s Comic Kingdom and Collectibles has been around for almost two decades and has been, since it’s opening, a place for some of Reno’s most interesting people to gather and get it all out. Anything, whatever was on their minds. Though generally this talk does come laden with super hero references.

This store has loyalty. It has customers that come and don’t leave until closing. It even has customers there so much, they end up working there. Such is the case with Jake, who quite literally, is THE comic book guy. Seriously, any stereotype you can think of is there and he is who he is. He’s shy, and takes a bit to get to open up. He’s chubby and bearded, and always wears a t-shirt, jeans, and a hat. He lives in his mom’s basement, and hates large crowds. He is one of the most genuine and honest people I have ever met.

“I’ve been going to DJ’s for at least ten years, and haven’t left yet. It’s my place, it’s my thing.”

And he’s not lying. He works there five days a week, and truly enjoys what he does. Always there, and always ready to talk.

“I like to think of myself as a comics bartender. Just someone that’ll lend an ear.”

And he does, plus some. He’ll get you what you want, drop advice, and sometimes surprise the hell out of you.

“Jake told me one time, that by looking at the books I was getting, who my favorite and least favorite characters were…and what I should have for dinner.” Says, Jason, while leaning back in his chair.

Jason has been going to DJ’s off and on for five years and only stopped because he moved out of the country. As soon as he moved back though, he was right back in that barstool.

“The best part was that he was right…about all of it”

So that’s how it goes around here, people come in, they start talking and realize they’re late for dinner, and Jake knows them all by name. Remembers the little details, the stuff you forgot you told him. Stuff you are interested in and don’t even have to ask about, he’ll keep you up to date. Take Sal, for example, he’s been there for 8 years.

“I’ve been going for so long, I don’t even buy books anymore, I just hang out. Jake tells me about what I’m interested in and I can just enjoy the stories without the cash problem, because when I was younger, I realized staying alive was expensive.”

This is what it’s like here at DJ’s. This is where people come to talk and laugh and basically just get away even for a little bit. You never realize how fun it is to talk about silly things like whether or not Batman drinks scotch, until you know how much it takes off of your brain. Mental vacation. Getting it out. Talking with the bartender. Try it some time. Jake won’t let you down, and neither will any of the other customers, they all know each other as well. Seriously, it’s a “where everybody knows your name” kind of a thing. So head down there, walk in and pull up a stool.

“What are you having?”

“I don’t care, just make sure it’s strong and keep ‘em coming.”

“Want to talk about it?”

And there it is friends, only a small part of why comic books make me want to save the universe. these things are more than colorful pages, they are what drives a lot of me...i know that may be kind of geeky, but i'm totally cool with that...it's part of being part of it that makes it so wonderful.