Hattie is a comics scholar and obsessive reader from Brighton(ish) but living in Glasgow, Scotland where she is working towards a PhD in Canadian Studies, more specifically about Québécois comics and politics. Mostly she reads comics about other peoples’ lives because she’s nosy like that. She is an enthusiastic, if not experienced, seamstress and could win Olympic Gold Medals if only Procrasti-Sewing and Procrasti-Baking were recognised sports. A not insignificant percentage of her free time is spent worrying about whether her cats like her as much as she likes them. She is resident Quebec Comics Monkey over at Graphixia where she likes to lay claim to being more Canadian than she really is.
Twitter: @HattieK
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A little while back Kelly Jensen did an awesome post on our sister site Book Riot about Shit that Book Nerds Do, and this got me thinking about some of the problems we Comics Nerds face in our day to day lives. I asked my fellow Panelteers to share some of their #comicsnerdsprobz and you’ll find our cathartic outpourings below.
- Buy it digitally. And then in a trade. And then in a deluxe hardback. And oh look, there’s the original issue in the dollar bin…
- The moral dilemma when your nearest Comic Store is run by someone who makes sexist, racist, etc. comments.
- Spending too many hours browsing online fabric shops fantasising about reading comics in a comics themed dress.
Being caught giving new comics in the store a good sniff before buying.
Having superhero wiki pages favorited and ready to read at a moment’s notice.
Going to a comic book movie with the friends who don’t read them and fielding their billions of questions afterwards.
Carefully supervising your friends’ comics reading to ensure they don’t accidentally read something that will make them dislike a character you love.
Fitting one more issue into your already full longbox.
When someone calls Kamala “Miss Marvel” and you have to bite your tongue.
When someone calls Carol “Miss Marvel” and you have to bite your tongue.
Looking at runway photos of couture gowns and deciding which superheroine would choose which dress.
Being ready at any time to defend Aquaman, Hawkeye and any/all of the Robins to people who only know them through other mediums.
Having to rearrange your bookshelves all the time so that comics characters you think might be friends are sitting next to each other (e.g. Kamala and Nimona).
Obsessively refreshing Comixology on a Wednesday because your bookshelves and floorboards made you go digital but you can’t cope with the waiting. It somehow seemed less difficult when you had to wait to go into town after work.
Feeling really sad for minor XMen characters who have slightly rubbish powers. Life must be hard for them.
Having to respond with kindness to people who say “Oh but I think you mean Graphic Novels”.
Having to break up with friends who just can’t understand why you will defend Cyclops’ honour for HOURS.
Having to face up to the fact that Trade Paperbacks really aren’t the most convenient books to pack for holidays, they take up far too much space!
What are some of the problems you face as you indulge in your comics reading hobby? Let me know in the comments below!
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