Conversations with Kid Chris Nathan
Nathan: “You know, if I read a comic I don’t like, I just put it down and don’t read it again. I’m not going to stand around complaining about it.”
Me: “You’ll never make it as a comics weblogger with an attitude like that!”
***
(Pal Dorian is sorting out some copies of Grips….)
N: “Hey, what’s Grips about?”
Me: “Violence.”
Speaking of Grips, in the ’80s, back when I still attended comic book conventions on a semi-regular basis, I remember hearing a lot of buzz about this hot new Grips comic book. It was the item to have, apparently, and I kept seeing teenagers going from table to table asking for these rare, in-demand issues.
It’s probably primarily of interest now since it features the early work of Tim Vigil, who would later do a more popular book on the subject of violence called Faust. But, honestly, Grips? No good. I have no idea why it got the “buzz” it did, other than “hey man, you think Wolverine is badass? Check out this Grips guy!”
I suppose I should have paid closer attention, and figured out what was driving that demand. Had someone told me back then that I’d have a comics weblog now, I’d have kept better notes. And wondered what a “weblog” was, but that’s beside the point.
Oh, and Dorian wanted me to note that the numbering on the subsequent Grips series don’t appear to make much sense. As in “two different issues with the same number that came out at the same time” kind of sense.
Yesterday, at the store, one of our customers said that I looked like George Perez.
Fan-tastic.
Not that I think I look anything like George Perez, but I’m accepting that compliment anyway.
Via Robot Wisdom: your latest comic book news headline inspired by a forty-year-old TV show: “Bang! Pow! Cash!”
