[Groop]Larry and his rant (an even longer long reply)

Sun, 26 May 2002 23:27:38 EDT

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In a message dated 5/26/2002 8:36:30 PM Central Daylight Time, 
saferris@msn.com writes:

> I have been involved in comics since 1989 and worked at a comic store from 
> 1990 (Freshman year in High School) to 1997. I saw MANY people come in to 
> sell their collections for various reasons, including: "I need the money" 
> but didn't really want to sell [like you], "I'm done with comics", one guy 
> was an obvious drunk and just needed a "fix", and my personal favorite "I'm 
> getting married". Why getting married and having to sell your comics went 
> hand in hand I still don't know. 

It has to do with marrying the wrong woman.  I have heard tales (OK, I'll 
admit to reading Cosmo when I'm at the laundromat but I have never once 
bought a copy) of women who insist their fiancees get rid of comic book 
collections, action figures, mounted moose heads, etc (some et ceteras I will 
not mention in an all-ages mailing list) upon their marriages, for a variety 
of shallow reasons often relating to the decorating scheme of the house they 
will share.  Now, I can understand a woman insisting a man divest himself of 
hobbies such as dating other women when he gets married.  However, as a woman 
married to a guy who convinced me that comic book and Star Wars art makes a 
great decorating scheme if you insist on a theme, I believe that if a woman 
insists you quit a hobby you enjoy, RUN FAR AND RUN FAST.  If she can't 
accept something that you enjoy, I would venture to say she is probably one 
of those women who is more interested in your potential to be molded into The 
Perfect Spouse than she is in you as you are. That will probably not change 
as much as she would like.  Ever.

A far better tactic than giving in to her demands to sell off your 
posessions, should you decide not to run, is to try to get her at least 
slightly interested in what you enjoy.  I may have said this before on this 
list, and if so I'm sorry for repeating myself, but before my dear husband 
gave me a copy of Groo, I had never seen a comic book and (though I hesitate 
to admit this) I didn't even know who Sergio was.  I still occasionally make 
statements like "Jack Kirby who?" but thanks to Elie, I can enjoy a day of 
running around to all the comic book stores in the area and can even find 
something to do for three days at a comic book convention.  I'm not into 
comics on the level that he is, but I do enjoy Groo and a few other select 
titles I scavenge for while he is busy looking at his stuff at cons or 
stores.  Before we moved, I even had one comic book store owner trained to 
recognize me as a customer in my own right and not just the chick that comes 
in with Elie.

Which brings me to a sidebar:  one of the difficulties I've found in being a 
woman interested in comics is that there are so few of us around that I have 
a hard time convincing many retailers that I am not just along for the ride.  
It's a little like taking your car to the mechanic: of the three comic shops 
in our area, only one really addresses me independent of my husband.  I'm 
still a little astounded to go into a comic book shop and find another woman 
who is not obviously the mother of one of the twelve year olds digging 
through the back issue bins.

Back to the topic at hand.  I apologize if I have offended anyone who married 
a wonderful woman who nonetheless insisted on you getting rid of your comic 
book collection.  I just think that if a woman really wants to spend the rest 
of her life with who you are (as opposed to who she thinks she can mold you 
into), she would work all your hobbies and personality quirks into your 
future lives together.

Janet "Proud to have never made her husband sell anything against his will" 
Harriett

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<HTML>In a message dated 5/26/2002 8:36:30 PM Central Daylight Time, saferris@msn.com writes: 
 
 
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I have been involved in comics since 1989 and worked at a comic store from 1990 (Freshman year in High School) to 1997. I saw MANY people come in to sell their collections for various reasons, including: "I need the money" but didn't really want to sell [like you], "I'm done with comics", one guy was an obvious drunk and just needed a "fix", and my personal favorite "I'm getting married". Why getting married and having to sell your comics went hand in hand I still don't know. </BLOCKQUOTE> 
 
It has to do with marrying the wrong woman.&nbsp; I have heard tales (OK, I'll admit to reading Cosmo when I'm at the laundromat but I have never once bought a copy) of women who insist their fiancees get rid of comic book collections, action figures, mounted moose heads, etc (some et ceteras I will not mention in an all-ages mailing list) upon their marriages, for a variety of shallow reasons often relating to the decorating scheme of the house they will share.&nbsp; Now, I can understand a woman insisting a man divest himself of hobbies such as dating other women when he gets married.&nbsp; However, as a woman married to a guy who convinced me that comic book and Star Wars art makes a great decorating scheme if you insist on a theme, I believe that if a woman insists you quit a hobby you enjoy, RUN FAR AND RUN FAST.&nbsp; If she can't accept something that you enjoy, I would venture to say she is probably one of those women who is more interested in your potential to be mo!
lded into The Perfect Spouse than she is in you as you are. That will probably not change as much as she would like.&nbsp; Ever. 
 
A far better tactic than giving in to her demands to sell off your posessions, should you decide not to run, is to try to get her at least slightly interested in what you enjoy.&nbsp; I may have said this before on this list, and if so I'm sorry for repeating myself, but before my dear husband gave me a copy of Groo, I had never seen a comic book and (though I hesitate to admit this) I didn't even know who Sergio was.&nbsp; I still occasionally make statements like "Jack Kirby who?" but thanks to Elie, I can enjoy a day of running around to all the comic book stores in the area and can even find something to do for three days at a comic book convention.&nbsp; I'm not into comics on the level that he is, but I do enjoy Groo and a few other select titles I scavenge for while he is busy looking at his stuff at cons or stores.&nbsp; Before we moved, I even had one comic book store owner trained to recognize me as a customer in my own right and not just the chick that comes in wi!
th Elie. 
 
Which brings me to a sidebar:&nbsp; one of the difficulties I've found in being a woman interested in comics is that there are so few of us around that I have a hard time convincing many retailers that I am not just along for the ride.&nbsp; It's a little like taking your car to the mechanic: of the three comic shops in our area, only one really addresses me independent of my husband.&nbsp; I'm still a little astounded to go into a comic book shop and find another woman who is not obviously the mother of one of the twelve year olds digging through the back issue bins. 
 
Back to the topic at hand.&nbsp; I apologize if I have offended anyone who married a wonderful woman who nonetheless insisted on you getting rid of your comic book collection.&nbsp; I just think that if a woman really wants to spend the rest of her life with who you are (as opposed to who she thinks she can mold you into), she would work all your hobbies and personality quirks into your future lives together. 
 
Janet "Proud to have never made her husband sell anything against his will" Harriett</HTML>

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