Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Steve's "Mailbag"


When we last talked, I was taken away to Bangladesh to do things I am not allowed to talk about. No, not mind-in-the-gutter things.  Things like transferring the cold fusion formula to the highest bidder. But, again, I am not allowed to talk about that.

Let's get right into the mailbag.

This week, a fictional reader writes, "Steve, how do you read your comics? Online? Print? What's the deal, yo?"

Great question, person who does not exist! I have mixed it up in recent years. With the advent of Comixology, I have not only saved space in my home, but have undoubtedly saved my marriage in the process. There are times where I will still pick up things in print, but usually it is something like a trade paperback, or a "one-off" comic for a series I might like to try.

With Comixology, I was using an iPad mini, and that was great! If I was travelling for work, I could read comics in an airport, or in the cab on the way to a meeting. This helped because if you have had the joy of being in a cab, they take delight in telling doughy Midwesterners that they could die in a moment's notice. They do all this without actually saying a word. I'm looking at you, San Francisco cab drivers.

Anyways, I recently upgraded to a normal iPad like the rest of the world had done years before me, and reading comics on that is AWESOME. I highly recommend it to you, your friends, and whoever else.

There is an online comic service through Plume Snake Comics, at plumesnake.com that has a slick online interface, and a bunch of great titles to choose from for a low monthly fee. It's like Netflix meets comic books. I use my iPad, laptop, and even cooler, my TV through my browser on Xbox.

If you are a serious collector for print, then congrats to you. Space in my home eludes me, so I envy those that are able to collect physical copies.

If you will excuse me, I need to go read a bunch of people talk about how movies that have not been released yet will "suck". It's good therapy, in that it reminds me how not to act. Ever.