Chris’s Comic Picks: The New Deadwardians

I love libraries.

Having grown up an avid reader, many of my best memories are wandering among the stacks, picking out a sweet science-fiction book to take home and read over the course of a night. It’s not a far stretch to assume that a lot of these early experiences helped shape much of my life path, from a desire to write to my eventual decision to go back to school for my Master’s degree in English (with a sub-focus on Realism and Naturalism, but that’s neither here nor there). And, considering that such a passion for reading blesses (or curses, depending on your perspective) its owner with the eternal titles of “nerd” and “geek,” it’s not hard to see how one such as myself might grow accustomed to other hobbies whose users share such titles, like the aforementioned science-fiction and the comic books we’re talking about today. I’m sure, among comic book fans, I’m not unique in this experience. In fact, most of my comic book loving friends are also avid readers, even to this day.

Where I might be unique in this experience is that my love for libraries often finds its way into my personal life, specifically during vacations. I often find myself taking at least a little time out of one of my days to make my way to the local library and just check things out. What is the library’s layout? What does the library emphasize? Fiction? Non-fiction? How are all of the books organized? I don’t necessarily learn anything from my visits to these libraries, but I enjoy them anyway. A good library is like a good friend’s house. When you visit, you immediately feel at home.