I wrote this guest blog post for Luke over at Put That Shit On The List!

Batfap

Did you know there are still people out there in the world who don’t read comic books? That’s weird. I asked my main comic nerd Clay N Ferno, who does a weekly comics podcast, to share some ideas of jumping off points for people who are sick of reading books without pictures.

Luke and I are taking turns buying and ‘trading’ trade paperbacks of The Walking Dead AMC hit, Season 2 premieres October 16). That swap came to a halt as Luke prepares for legal battles with The Daily Show because of his current obsession with A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin (aka HBO’s Game of Thrones). He asked me to suggest some comics to this jaded blog audience and he promised I didn’t have to be funny about it or talk about masturbatory shame related to our girl Kreayshawn. “Bonus points for that, though,” he said.

First, a bit about our podcast. Not everyone in town has a comic book podcast, and believe me, our egos can take the blows of any criticism you might drop on us for that. Three of us have known each other from high school. ‘Awesome’ John Hunt was the older brother and Executive Producer of the VHS masterpiece ‘Dursin the Firestarter’ films circa 1990s Abington, MA. Like minds meld together. Jaush Lingel bonded with Dursin about comics over some beers at an ‘adult’ party, or so the legend was told to me, at the 2009 New York Comic Con. We’re not too old, too young, too nerdy, too humble, or too ridiculous for putting out a weekly podcast about comic books. John, for example, is a comic book colorist and letterer who’s worked on Star Trek books, One Piece and most recently at Marvel Comics.

For everyone that skipped to this bulleted list, here’s some comic book suggestions for you. Go visit a comic book store. They usually have candy this time of year. It’s a good time because DC Comics did a marketing stunt in September…and it worked. How they pulled it off was pretty awesome.

Catwoman #1 - There’s more bra and panty fetish drawings in this book than all get out.
Sandman, Vol. #1 - Preludes and Nocturnes - Amanda Palmer’s husband did this. He invented girls getting Ankh tattoos.
Captain America by Jack Kirby, Vol. 1: Madbomb - Jack Kirby is the guy that made Stan Lee famous. To say anything bad about King Kirby damns you to an eternal damnation of Bronies dressing you up for pretty costume contest that you always lose. He invented Marvel Comics and got like 1% of the money and credit.
Tiny Titans Vol. 01: Welcome to the Treehouse [Paperback] (or just any old issue of Tiny Titans) - This is cute, younger versions of the World’s Finest Comic Heroes. Robin heads the team, but Alfred makes them take baths! I always ‘buy this one for my niece’ when I go to the store. Always some meta comic book in-jokes about continuity and costumes in here. Darkseid is the substitute principal! Aww Yeah, Titans!
Phonogram Vols. 1 & 2 - Kieron Gillen (now on X-Men!) and artist Jamie McKelvie (Cable, X-Men & More!) wrote this unbelievable tribute to new wave, magic, The Pill (Causeway Above the Penalty Box years), The Ting Tings, girl singers, love, betrayal, murder, and record collections. Set in 2006 London and referencing ‘bands I never cared about’ like The Auteurs, The Libertines, and Ocean Colour Scene, this well indexed tome is better than a Saturday night at The Common Ground (RIP). Just remember the rules - no boy singers, you must dance, and NO MAGIC on the dance floor.

OK, that’s it. Don’t be such a pussy when you go into the store, either. Just pick up some books, ask for one of these, and be a (wo)man about it. There’s no secret sauce, but the artists, writers, and John need you to spend a couple bucks at the store. I write the comic picks of the week for DigBoston’s Wednesday email. Check that out or see them on our page, LeaguePodcast.com where we make fun of girls, talk about working out, what’s wrong with Hollywood, and the REAL losers we went to high school with. Maybe you don’t like comics, but you DO like wasting time at work, so listen to our Odd-io Comics. These are audiobooks for comics. Here’s my favorites: SUPERMAN in POWERSTONE, and yours truly as SPIDER-MAN in BETRAYED.

—Clay N. Ferno, Assistant Manager, LeaguePodcast.com