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10 Things Not to Say to Me on a First Date

Red flags abound when you combine dating and comics. Here are 10 things NOT to say to me about comics on a first date (if you want there to be a second.)

Rachel Manwill

Staff Writer

Rachel Manwill is an editor, writer, and professional nomad. Twice a year, she runs the #24in48 readathon, during which she does almost no reading. She's always looking for an excuse to recommend a book, whether you ask her for one or not. When she's not ranting about comma usage for her day job as a corporate editor, she's usually got an audiobook in her ears and a puppy in her lap. Blog: A Home Between Pages Twitter: @rachelmanwill

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You might think that comics and dating having little overlap, beyond the possibility of comics being a shared interest. I thought so too, until recently when I redownloaded Tinder (don’t judge me) and discovered that being a woman and liking comics invites a whole host of ways for people to disqualify themselves as being potential dating material.

Thanks to the helpful dudes of Tinder, I’ve been able to add quite generously to my list of red flags. I’ve gotten a few of these already – some on first dates, some thankfully before I ever got to the first date – and (thanks to my fellow Panelteers) a few I’m watching out for.

disqualified bowie zoolander

Here are 10 comics-related thing NOT to say to me on a first date…or really, ever:

  1. “How long have you really been reading comics for?….Oh only a couple years? You’re not really a comics reader then, are you?”
  2. “I don’t read Saga.”
  3. “Lady Thor isn’t really Thor. Thor can’t be a girl.”
  4. *with creepy leer* “So…have you ever cosplayed? Do you have pictures?”
  5. “I liked those first four issues of Spider-Woman drawn by Land so much more than the redesign.”
  6. “You can’t really appreciate [insert superhero movie franchise] unless you’ve read the comics.”
  7. “Digital comics aren’t real comics. They’re meant to be read in print, preferably single issues.”
  8. “I don’t really get Bitch Planet. It seems kind of far-fetched and angry, isn’t it?”
  9. “Frank Miller’s later work is so much better than his early stuff.”
  10. “I only read Marvel comics. Why would I read anything besides Marvel?”

I probably could’ve come up with 20 more for this list. If I keep dating, I’m sure there will be a part 2 (and 3 and 4…). Maybe I should just carry around printed copies of the Read Harder Challenge to hand out on first dates.

Have you gotten any laughably bad comics-related comments in your dating journey? Commiserate with me in the comments below!