LINK: Establishing Shots #7

My latest column is up at PopCultureShock, a month late and on a completely different subject than I'd originally intended -- NY Comic-Con is kind of a dead topic now -- but worth reading nonetheless!

Establishing Shots #7: It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp
You Gotta Love 'em or Leave 'em Alone

I want to get back to how I felt the first time I read Batman as a kid, or Skyscrapers of the Midwest as an adult -- that sense of unequivocal joy that comes from reading a story well-told, with characters who stick with you long after the comic is put away. Back to pimping my favorite comics -- whether that's Elk's Run or Son of Vulcan -- in the hopes of inspiring at least one other person to read them. Back to reading engaging coverage of comics I may have missed the first time around, piquing my interest and convincing me to check something new out -- like Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison or Corey Lewis' Sharknife.

Back to appreciating comics for being the amazingly flexible art form it is, offering the ability to tell stories ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime, the mainstream to the niche; and back to appreciating the privilege it is to have the opportunity to write about them, not simply out of obligation, but out of sincere passion.

I also announce my still unnamed review column -- where's the suggestions, opinionated blogiverse? -- and officially introduce Kevin as our Managing Editor. Go, read, comment!