Birthday Comic Book Vouchers

For my birthday back in June, my friends Tom & Jen gave me some gift vouchers from the SF comic book store Isotope. I’ve not had a chance to go in and check it out – until today. Coming back from the oral surgeon after my checkup, I stopped in and spent my vouchers.

I like comic books, but I’m not a collector or an avid fan, but I do appreciate a good story and some good art. I grew up with 2000AD and Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, Slaine and so on, and I really love Alan Moore’s classics Watchmen and V for Vendetta. I also have some Dave Gibbon stuff, and some bits and pieces I’ve picked up at Comic Con and WonderCon over the years.

So when I went into Isotope and was enthusiastically greeted by James Sime in a fab suit, I explained the above and asked what he would recommend. He jumped into action, showing me the Dredd collections, one-shots (“done-in-ones”) and various other goodies.

Based on my general 2000AD fandom, he recommended and I bought Glimmer Rats by Gordon Rennie and Mark Harrison, which is a grisly-looking futuristic/supernatural war story. Then after talking generally about SF, he told me that “Jonathan Hickman is the best new SF writer in the last decade”, which is high praise indeed, so I took the plunge and bought Hickman’s take on S.H.I.E.L.D., Architects of Forever, which has the Earth-defending organization starting in ancient Egypt and listing Isaac Newton as a member. Finally, to scratch the nostalgia itch, I bought a book of collected stories from the intergalactic anti-xenophobia of Nemesis the Warlock: Death To All Aliens.

I could have done with these last week when I was laid up on the sofa. I wasn’t short of entertainment though. Of course, as I walked out of the store with my purchases, I spotted several things I would probably like to get in the future. It’s always the way. Isotope is a great store, and it has a lounge for lounging with your new comics, and apparently does events and parties. Cool place, and just around the corner from my favourite fancy brunch spot, Absinthe. I’ll be back when we next meet friends there.

Anyway, the Vicodin I took with lunch is kicking in, so I ‘ll be signing off now. In the words of Torquemada – Be pure. Be vigilant. Behave!