THIS IS WHY I HATE YOU: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Brain Explodey

Almost forgot about this. Had a guy come in last week with his son. They have started to come in more often since we carry Pokemon cards for the kids. The son is also starting to check out comics a bit, so that's always cool.

The father pulls me to the side to ask me a question. His question was direct, but very vague at the same time. He asks me, "So what's up with comics? Why do people read them?"

Now to me, that question can be answered a number of ways. The first thing I felt I should do though was to try to pick up the exact context of the question. After a little bit of chatting, it was obvious that the father has not read comics in a very long time if at all. He was genuinely curious as to why comics as a whole were a popular medium to anyone over the age of about 14.

This is a tricky question for me. I mean, in my mind, it's essentially like walking into a grocery store and asking a clerk, "Hey, why do people bother with all this Italian food?" It's just an odd question to me. Would you ask that question of movies? About music? Or theater? It's just another medium to enjoy. But I suppose it's a valid question, especially if you mostly stick to novels.

So we ended up having a fairly interesting discussion as I tried to explain the merits of the medium. It's a little tricky because I felt that this was the type of question that requires more time and maybe a slide show to truly tackle the subject. But I still had paperwork to do, so I could only really fit in key points and quick visual examples. By the end of it, I would have liked to have sold him a copy of Maus but we were sold out. And he didn't seem at all interested in Understanding Comics. He ended up picking Watchmen, which I felt (judging from his personality) could have gone either way. So here's to hoping he doesn't just toss it aside and that he maybe enjoys it.

I feel like I should walk into the Hawaiian shop on our block and just go, "So why the hell should I give a crap about Hawaii?"

FRANKIE SAY RELAX: MOVIE REVIEW

Movie:

GOOD!!!

Fire:

BAD!!!!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

More art

Urge to kill.......falling.....

Oddly, my reserve of extra hate that fuels the rage engine that is this blog has been running low lately.

Fear not! Soon something will knock down my faith in humanity, if in fact I actually had any.

In the mean time:

DO NOT.

FUCK.

WITH ROBERT SHAW.

I am looking at you, John Travolta.

Friday, September 19, 2008

I try to be good, but....

I know I shouldn't necessarily judge people I haven't met (too late, yes I know). But seriously. After all the douchy things I have heard about Todd McFarlane from people who have met him and from what I know about his work and what I have read in regard to the Miracleman stuff with Neil Gaiman, I am just inclined to think he is one of the biggest ass-hats out there. And then I see a picture like this:

And I feel completely justified.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

PENSIVE FRANKENSTEIN IS PENSIVE

This upon hearing the news that a remake of the Taking of Pelham 123 was in the works

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taking_of_Pelham_1_2_3_(2009_film)

FRANKIE SAY RELAX: MOVIE REVIEW

Movie:

GOOD!

Fire:

BAD!!!!!

GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY

Sold through our entire order of El Gorgo. Gonna place a reorder immediately, if you haven't checked it out you need to. I will mock and slander you otherwise. More so than usual.

I guess I fail

Me: Can I help you?

Customer: Yeah, where are all your Nun fetish comics?

Me: Um. Like.......are you looking for a specific title?

Customer: Well, like Warrior Nun Areala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_Nun_Areala)

Me: Oh, ok, let me take a look (Checked our back issues) Nope, sorry, don't have any.

Customer: Oh. Well, what other Nun fetish comics are there?

Me:.......I'm sorry, I just don't know.

And then he had a sad dissapointed face from there on.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Seething. Yes, I do believe that is the word.

My hatred would be seething.

Guy comes in for Disney, doesn't know what he wants, ok, np. I get the boxes of Disney books for him to look at. He ask three times if we have Walt Disney Comics #6, and the answer all three times is 'no'.

I excuse myself to answer the phone, then I go about other work. He comes up a bunch of times asking fairly easy questions but at a rapid pace of stupidity. Leaves me alone again, comes back up, leaves me alone, blah blah blah. Brings up some books and complains they aren't in his price range. I explain they are all priced accordingly. He wants me to explain what that means, I go through the whole spiel explaining grades, conditions, price guides, and rarity. We open every book and I show him what's what. He complains a little bit more, I trim a couple bucks off to get him in budget. He has no intention of putting the couple of books he passed on back where they belong. Fine. Whatever.

I go back to put the books away AND HE LEFT A BIG 'OL PILE OF BOOKS OUT OF ORDER ON THE COUNTER. PUT YOUR SHIT BACK, PEOPLE.

.......WHY ARE THESE PUT IN BACKWARDS AND UPSIDE DOWN?

This is why when I go grocery shopping, and I realize I can't afford something, I don't put the item over halfway across the store where it doesn't belong. Because I am sure there is some guy at the end of the day working at Safeway who finds a box of condoms in the middle of the cheese section and is just going WTF, PEOPLE. WTF.

Triumph at comicon '08

http://www.hulu.com/watch/29129/late-night-with-conan-obrien-triumph-at-comic-con-8108

Some awesome art

Some fantastic art by TraditionalDanimatio. Check the rest of his stuff out!
http://traditionaldanimatio.deviantart.com/

YOU.........BASTARD

This took place a while ago, but it's funny how hatred burns things down in your memory almost perfectly.

There’s a knock at the door, and I try to wave off the customer because it’s 30 minutes after closing and I’m closing the till out. Bastard won’t go away though...

Me: Uh, yeah?

Moron: Are you almost closed?

Me: ......I am closed (points at closed sign). It’s almost eight, we close at seven.

Moron: Oh, but I know exactly what I want.

Me: Ok, come on in. What is it?

Moron: Is there a Watchmen Volume 2?

Me: (Mentally: SHITFUCKCOCKSUCKER) .....no, only the one. Ever. (EVER EVER EVER FOR EVER AND EVER NEVER A SEQUEL FUCK)

Moron: Oh. Well, can I just look around? Or, I’m looking for just a good read? Can you recommend something? (Note: This fucker always wants me to recommend and never buys what I recommend. Never.)

Me: (FUCKINGFUCKYFUCKSHITFUCKER) I need to close up. I mean, you can’t take a look around. I’m already closed, I’m late. I don’t have time to recommend. The till, it’s closed.

Moron: Oh, in that case just a quick look around.

Me: (FRAGAAMAFUCKASHITASSDOUCHESUCKERCOCKHATEHATEHATE)

Little more

Just more art

READ, DAMMIT

Nearly everyday, people will just walk right up to the door and start shaking the goddamn thing without realizing that THERE IS A BIG SIGN THAT SAYS CLOSED ON THE DOOR. And then those people look up realizing they can’t force the door open, look straight at the sign, and then notice that someone is inside. AND THEN THEY FUCKING KNOCK ON THE DOOR BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T READ THE HOURS LISTED RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE WORD ‘CLOSED’. And that’s when I answer the door and ask them what’s up, and they ask " You're closed?" or "Is something wrong with your door?"

Are.....are you sure you want to come into a store that sells reading material?

Now see, sometimes it doesn't hurt to let someone in early or late, especially if they call ahead or something. But usually I still have cleaning or paperwork to do, so it's not ideal. And when it's one of those dimwits that practically tries to tackle the door open, I really don't see the need to be generous.

I'm thinking about connecting an electrical current to the doorknob. Just to see what happens.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Curse you, Morrison

As much as I hate to admit it, all of the Morrison Batman stuff I didn't like as single issues read fantastically as trade paperbacks. The Black Glove HC, which just came out, has the only three issues I liked as they were coming out originally. But reading them all in one sitting just highlights what a great story it really is. This is in no small part due to J. H. Williams III. His layouts and sense of design alone make the entire package worth it.