Preparing for Snowpocalypse: A Reading List
Here in DC we’re gearing up for a monumental (GET IT?) snowstorm beginning on Friday. I’ve already begun preparing.
What’s that you say? Food? Salt for melting ice?
Uh, right. Yeah, I’m sure my husband is taking care of all that. I’m in charge of gathering much more important essentials: a blizzard reading list.
When snow drifts outside the windows and ice slicks the streets, nothing beats curling up on the couch under a mound of blankets, a cup of hot chocolate and a stack of comics at the ready. Depending on the severity of the storm, we might get a few days off work, too! (I’ll try to hold back my sorrow.) So I need to make sure I’m all stocked and ready to go.
So, how do you go about assembling a blizzard reading list? I’m glad you asked!
Time to catch up on floppies!
Silk #1 variant cover by Stacey Lee
I’ll admit: I usually prefer reading comics in trade paperbacks, because I have the memory of a fruit fly. (Okay, fine, I don’t know if fruit flies actually have bad memories. I think I looked it up once, but…)
My trouble with single issues: I lose track of the arc, so I have to re-read previous issues to get back to speed. Which is fun! But time-consuming. This also means I tend to let floppies accumulate for a few issues so that I can knock them all out at once.
But that also means I’ve got plenty of catching up to do, and what better time than when I’m snowbound?
Single issues I’m obsessed with right now include Silk, Ms. Marvel, Southern Cross and Bitch Planet. And I think I have the final installments of We Stand on Guard to enjoy, as well! Mmm, BKV.
The Divine by Asaf Hanuka, Tomer Hanuka, and Boaz Lavie
The warmer, the better.
You might have expected me to go all-in on the blizzard theme. But, We Stand on Guard notwithstanding, I’m gravitating toward books that remind me of warmer days—glorious days when I could turn my face toward the sun and didn’t have to raid my local REI to do it.
Instead, I’m turning to books set in more temperate climes, like The Divine, Copperhead, and East of West. Even if they’re not explicitly about warmth, maybe I’ll still feel a little heat by association!
Stay local, read local.
On the flip side: If I’m stuck in the DC area, I might as well explore DC comics! I’ve wanted to read the District Comics anthology for some time now, and this weekend will be the perfect chance to go on a Washington reading spree.
The end times are near!
As anyone familiar with the mid-Atlantic region knows, snowfall deeper than 8 inches tends to bring on panic. Grocery stores transform into barren wastelands; schools are cancelled before the first flakes hit the ground; our streets run slushy with salt. (Canada, please don’t judge us.) (Much.)
Lazarus by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, and Santi Arcas
Perhaps if I take my cues from post-apocalyptic comics, I’ll find some tips for surviving our own Snowmageddon 2: Judgment Day.
First up: Lazarus. Because the first step to surviving any disaster is guarding the resources you have, OBVS. I’ve also had Invisible Republic on my radar for a little while. Brutal moonscape, winter wonderland… who can really tell the difference?
And I’m hoping that nearly all the men on planet earth aren’t wiped out in one blizzard, but I suppose it’s good to be prepared. Hey there, Y: The Last Man! It’s past time we’ve gotten acquainted.
Go for quantity, plus quality.
I shudder to think of what would happen if I actually ran out of comics during a snowpocalypse. Talk about a state of emergency! Of course, with my comics-hoarding tendency (to the tune of two shelves of unread issues), it’s unlikely to happen. But just in case, I’ve got The Walking Dead compendium 1 waiting for such a time as this.
Bring it on, nature!
