ZAP! BLAM! ZOW!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: On a stroll around the town square with my daughter last week (oh, the liberation!) I discovered that a comic shop has sprouted up in the year-plus that I have missed doing such things. And a vinyl shop next door! (But vinyl is a whole other post.) 

I didn’t go in, but I will, because I can’t wait to see what’s new (or old) in the comic world. I was a moderate comic reader as a kid, and more Marvel than DC, which were always a little dark for me. My husband LOVED comics, and has never forgiven his mum for disposing of his huge collection during a move. (Maybe I shouldn’t forgive her either—those comics might be worth a fortune now…)  But I grew up and didn’t think much about comics except on the release of the latest Marvel or DC blockbuster.

But I have recently discovered the joys of the graphic novel. I’m a huge fan of the English urban fantasy writer Ben Aaronovitch, who has published a series of graphic novels that are interwoven with his RIVERS OF LONDON novels, short stories, and novellas. I had tried a couple of the graphic novels in paperback and found them a little unwieldy. Then one day, ZOWIE! it occurred to me that I could read them on my tablet! Duh. Welcome to the digital world. 

The color art is fabulous! You can make the panels bigger! They are so much fun! Before you could say BOOM I’d bought all eight of them! Now I have favorites among the illustrators, and I’m wondering what other treasures I’ve been missing.

Reds, did you read comics as a kid? What were your faves? What about current graphic novels—any recommendations there? And are there comic shops in your neighborhood? 

And wouldn't you love to read this story with the girl space radio operator?

LUCY BURDETTE: Archie, Betty and Veronica, those comics were my favorites--maybe a little Wonder Woman on the side. I would like to go back now and read them to see what I loved about them and how they’ve aged. 

The only graphic novel I believe I’ve read is GOOD TALK by Mira Jacob. She writes about raising a mixed race son--it’s a stunning book (I have the hardcover) and I highly recommend it to everyone.

HALLIE EPHRON: I reviewed a British graphic mystery novel when I was reviewing for the Boston Globe - “Britten and Brülightly” by Hannah Berry. I really liked it. And my grandkids are deep into the BONE series of graphic novels for kids. 

In my house growing up, we could pretty much read anything we wanted EXCEPT my parents refused to spring for comic books. I lusted after Archie and Little Lulu and those romance comic books. Superhero comics, not so much.

JENN McKINLAY: HUGE comic book fan as a kid and an adult. The Hub and the Hooligans, are, too. Mostly, I was a Spider-Man/X-Men girl but I really loved all the comics, which my brother and I devoured all summer long on our family vacations, which always seemed to include a lot of driving. 

Red reader Jay and I have discussed our favorite day, which is FCBD (Free Comic Book Day), which is usually the first weekend in May but has been bumped to August 14th this year because of pandemic concerns. More info: https://www.freecomicbookday.com  

RHYS BOWEN:  Oh dear--not a fan of comics. It seems like too much effort to read and follow along, plus it takes away what I love most about reading--the rich turn of phrase and description that lets me savor the use of language. I do occasionally enjoy the Sunday funnies--I always loved Peanuts.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Rhys, maybe it was more of an American thing? Comics of one sort or another seem like a childhood staple of every American generation before the Millennials. They were easy to pick up because they were everywhere - same distribution as those spinning racks of paperbacks, I bet - and the cost was around a buck, buck-twenty-five in inflation-adjusted terms. 

Then in the 90s prices shot up to four dollars (again, adjusted) and have stayed there (or gone higher!) since. So Ross and I read them frequently (I was a big Spiderman fan, while he was into the Fantastic Four and the X-Men) but our kids know the characters strictly from movies.  

One of the great joys of going to my grandmother's? She picked up comics whenever she spotted them at estate or tag sales. (Collectable? We would have goggled at the thought.) She had a HUGE pile in a box, enough to keep a kid happily quiet for an entire afternoon while the grownups visited. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I devoured comics. Devoured. They were ten cents, and I used all my allowance. Justice League of America, Legion of Superheroes, Jonn Jonzz Manhunter from Mars. All the Supers: Man, Boy, Girl. Thinking about it now, they were mysteries. A bad guy, a bad thing, someone trying to stop them and get justice.

Archie, yes, but I was a Veronica girl, and was embarrassed by that because you weren't supposed to like her. And I never understood the allure of Archie himself.

Superheroes were more interesting--the characters and the stories.

I never read the war comics, or the romance comics. Which again, is revealing.

But MAD Magazine? I was totally addicted, especially to the musical parodies, and that's a whole nother blog.

Graphic novels don't appeal to me, but ...maybe it's a time thing.

DEBS: So interesting. I never "got" the Archie comics--much preferred superheroes. Readers, any comic fans out there? And who's discovered the joys of graphic novels?

 

Home Away From Home

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yesterday I passed the halfway point in my almost month-long visit to the UK. The tipping point, I always think of it, and it's usually about then that I suffer an attack of homesickness. This passes pretty quickly, because once I'm on the downside of the trip, I start thinking about all the things I haven't done and wondering how I'm going to cram them into the days or weeks that I have left. But for that little spell in limbo, I've come up with a few cures.

#1--See friends. I've been so blessed on this trip, not only getting to see my English friends, but having a chance to get together with friends from other places who just happen to be in London at the same time. (If you don't know anyone, make friends!)

#2--Eat comfort food. For me, the ultimate comfort food is chicken pot pie, and I had my very favorite chicken pot pie the other night (with friend!) at the Hansom Cab in Earl's Court Road, possibly my favorite London pub.

#3--Thank goodness for Skype, etc., and other means of internet communication that allow you to keep up with friends and family. I talk to Rick every night, and my daughter has been wonderful about sending me photos and videos of Wren every day.

#4--Shop:-) Giving yourself a little mission will definitely chase away the blues.  (I should be doing lots of shopping, considering the value of the dollar against the pound, but I'm spending too much money on things like afternoon tea.)

5#--Wherever you are, read a good book. Nothing beats that little nibble of melancholy like a really great read. (The new Peter Grant book by Ben Aaronovitch, THE HANGING TREE, came out today, so I'm good for the foreseeable future.)

#6--Take some time to notice all the little things you love about where you are, like this wonderful twisty tree I saw when I was walking down Earl's Court Road at dusk. 

REDS, what are your little secrets for feeling at home when away from home?
HALLIE EPHRON: I can't remember the last loooong trip I've taken alone. Even book tour gets broken up with short stops at home. Having my computer or cell phone with email and Skype keeps me feeling connected, especially to our grandbabies who are changing SO FAST it's breathtaking.

What I miss about home is being able to take a bath. Why can't hotel bathtubs be designed so you can recline and relax? Instead they're built like boxes. Having a glass of wine in the evening helps, too, or at least makes everything look fizzy and fuzzy and warm and relaxed.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I remember getting a real bout of homesickness about half-way through my six months abroad back in college. Maybe it was because I was in Germany, which connects me to my childhood and my family. What did I do? Ate dinner at a McDonalds and took myself to the showing of a new American movie (which, at that time, were being shown in Germany with subtitles.) After months of reading about English theater, British history and European culture, I bought HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE by John Irving and read it while drinking Coca Cola. (I bought and read it in Vienna, which was fitting.) While in Vienna, I also met an American boy. It's always heartening to get to know a compatriot in a foreign land. ;-) Probably not the way any of us will get over homesickness nowadays.

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm terribly prone to homesickness, even when traveling with John or a friend. Our longest trip lately was 3 weeks in Australia, two years ago. Luckily I had done the planning and the stop I knew I'd love most was just past hump day. We spent two days at an ecolodge in Cape Otway, right off the incredible Great Ocean Road. The animals were so wonderful (and the food too, and the beer.) The bout of homesickness evaporated in the face of the kangaroos, the koala bears, and the endangered tiger quoll.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  AH, hmm. DO I get homesick? I do, I guess, if I'm away longer than a few days. I miss Jonathan, and  the ease of the familiar. Where I know how the shower works, and that there'll be hot water, and I have more than one room to hang out in. But: There is a lot of enjoyment being on the road:  You can't get room service at home, or free slippers, or those chocolate chip cookies. I also like how much work I can get done without the lure of laundry or errands.   But at the end of each on-the-road day, I have a cup of tea, and a glass of wine, and watch something indulgent on TV-- and count blessings.

DEBS: Hallie, the fabulous thing about Britain is that almost everywhere has GREAT bathtubs!! (We won't talk about weird plumbing issues like no mixer taps...) See bath in photo above!

And Julia, when I lived in the UK back in the day--when the food was truly awful and you couldn't get a decent glass of wine anywhere--I DREAMED about American hamburgers. The few times I got to London and had burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe in Picadilly were heaven. Now you can get a good burger easily, at least in London and at good pubs. I think GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) is better than anything I get at home.

That is a GBK burger, and there is a GBK just at the corner of the street where I stay sometimes in Earl's Court. Can you say temptation?


READERS, what are your homesickness cures?

What Julia's Reading...While Writing

Julia Spencer-Fleming: Every writer – I was going to say every fiction writer, but I suspect non-fiction authors and memoirists and poets have the same issue – eventually confronts the question of what to read while working. Not at the beginning of the book, necessarily, or while researching or later, at the back end, editing and proofing. But when your teeth are at the throat of the thing, wrestling with language and plot and characters until you feel like the WWF on a Saturday night, you find there are books you can take, and books you cannot.

I don't mean those works that sit beside the computer to which the author refers feverishly throughout the current project. They're usually not the sort of things you want to sink into at the end of a long day: in my case, the working pile consists of baby name guides and books on Adirondack geography, flora, and fauna; compiled histories of small upstate New York towns and true crime texts; the Book of Common Prayer and a Hymnal.

But most authors get into the game because we're desperate readers, and cracking open a good book at bedtime or on the lunch break or in the bathroom is what we do for fun. (On a side note: has anyone else ever had to fill out a form detailing your leisure interests only to realize you're the most boring person ever? Hobbies: Binge-watching Masterpiece Theatre and reading.) The problem arises when you find there are certain types of literature you have to avoid unless you want to either become an inadvertent plagiarist or throw in the towel in despair and return to the law. (If you didn't come from the law, this can be a particularly difficult path.)

I cannot consume other authors' mysteries while trying to hammer out my own. I recall one time, when I was re-reading my friend Jeff Cohen's Comedy Tonight series, which are pretty much straight-up silliness with a few deaths thrown in for Jeff to hang gags on. The next day, my police chief and priest started cracking wise like Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. Or two years ago, when I picked up Kent Krueger's ORDINARY GRACE. I spent a whole afternoon crying and reading, reading and crying, and it was only a stern talking-to from my husband that kept me from quitting writing altogether.

So what can I read? Historical fiction has always been a favorite, and right now I'm enjoying WOLF HALL, by Hilary Mantel, which I checked out of the library because I wanted to prep for the Masterpiece Theatre version, only to discover it was, to use the phrase, un-put-downable. A Man Booker Prize-winning pager turner! Who would have thunk it?

I also adore Historical Romance, and while I was away in Nantucket I binged on a new-to-me author, Courtney Milan, who writes in the mid-to-late Victorian era (which is rare) has overtly feminist themes (even rarer) and who consistently sets up Romance themes and tropes only to subvert them. Plus, utterly swoonable heroes. 

 

I've recently gotten into reading Fantasy again, after years and years of post-Tolkien fatigue. (I still flinch when I see one of the groan-worthy fantasy cliches in a novel.) Instead, I've become fond of urban fantasy – Dana Cameron's Fangborn series is a nice example of this – which isn't, I suppose, necessarily urban, but set in modern times. The Ben Aaronovitch series I've been devouring is, however, very urban – the civitas illa magna, London. The Rivers of London, to be precise, which in these fantasy/police procedural hybrids refer to various meddling and feuding goddesses as well as bodies of water.

Finally, my old love Science Fiction. A genre filled with innovative, challenging and thought-provoking work out there – which is probably why I'm engaged in my annual comfort re-read of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series. I've revisited each volume in the adventures of the scarred and manic Miles Vorkosigan (and his family and friends) yearly, since publication, meaning I've now read SHARDS OF HONOR, which I finished last week, at least twenty-nine times.

Imagine how good a novel has to be to read it twenty-nine times?

How about you, dear reader? What are the other genres you escape into? If you're a writer yourself, what do you read or not read while creating?