dude

yesterday was one of those days that just demanded you go outside. it was so warm you didn't need a jacket. it was so warm that when a stroller went by you could actually see baby and not just a pile of blankets! it was a great day for taking pics and hoping that this wasn't indicitive of our country's future.

today was not one of those days. saturday was my first day without health insurance and i'm afraid to go outside on cold days. the people coughing scare me. and the ice is sorta troublesome too; although, i did just buy new boots that look like chains on tires when i walk. and that, my friends, is badass.

i think my cat is broken. she's been needier than usual lately. i think she's jealous of my blog. and she's been trying to groom me. which is not only annoying, but also super-annoying since it makes me hair really tangly. sorta the opposite of grooming. my mom is convinced that my cat wants a baby. some sort of biological clock thing. or a "i used to have babies when i lived on the street but then the SPCA picked me up and if i can't have the babies i already made back, then i would really like a new one" thing. sadly, she no longer has her factory. my mom suggested i buy a really high-quality toy cat and rub an alley cat over it so it smells real (see where i get my wacky ideas from) and then i said i could put an electric toothbrush in there to mimic purring. or, ya know, i could just get a kitten. there's plenty more female supervillians to pick names from!

i figured it out, and i spend approximately 50 hours a week job searching. i was convinced i was already registered with every placement agency in chicago. but i googled just to make sure. yeah, i was so wrong. google returned a search of over 15,000. don't worry, there's a lot of doubles. i really do need to get a job so i can relax more. how f'ed up is that?

welcome back!

to me that is. sorry i left. looking for a straight job is tough. i think that looking takes more time than actually working a straight job. i suppose i could just not look for a job and spend all of my time rating comic book stores, but that would sorta prevent me from then buying the comics at said comic book stores. tough situation.

today i went to evil squirrel comics. they had "batman beyond" cartoons playing on their tv! awesome. unfortunately, that was kinda where the awesomery ended. the selection was sparse. not only where there not many titles, but there also was a severe lack of older issues. the service was excellent and the store was super clean. but the fact that i had to resort to complimenting the cleanliness of the store should be a sure sign of something. i guess if you live next to the place i would reccommend going there for your weekly dose of comicing, but it's definitely not a place to go out of your way for.

psst... their address is 6928 w glenwood ave and their phone is (773) 338-0899. i'd love to give you their website, but gosh, i just can't find one! i also don't have a photo of the place for you cause there was this skeevy dude smoking outside leering at me through the window, and i really didn't feel like giving him the opportunity for a lingering leer while i snapped a photo. sorry, i'm just not willing to take that one for the team yet. or maybe never.

and the best part...

i'm afraid to put it in writing cause i may jinx myself. unless you believe the "say you want it and the universe will change to allow you to receive your wishes" guy.

at any rate...

there is the slimest of chances that subscription girl may appear in a future tiny titans issue! most likely to teach the titans the importance of doing things in a timely fashion (or fulfilling their end of the agreement). even if my alter ego doesn't make it to print, you should still pick up the first issue. second issue is out the second week of march!

let the awesomery begin!

i did the bestest thing ever yesterday! i was stalking art baltazar (on-line, which is totally legal within proper boundaries) and noticed that he would be at one stop comics. what better way to kick off my review of all chicagoland comic book stores than to visit the creator of my alter ego?! i have to admit i was pretty nervous. what if he didn't remember me? what if he was no longer cool? or, horror of all horrors, what if he no longer thought i was cool?

luckily, after the tiniest bit of totally direct-unsubtle-pointedly-obvious reminder of the time i demanded a job with DC to rectify their subscription service, he exclaimed "oh yeah - subscription girl - you're awesome!" we then spent the next 40 minutes geeking out over each other and exchanging autographs (his on comic books, mine on credit card slips). it was by far the most fun thing i've done since moving to chicago. trading comic book lore and love with a pro (and he has a sidekick - who was also pretty rad) and getting personalized on the spot drawings has to be one of the bestest ways to spend a saturday afternoon. not to mention that it's astoundingly flattering to be flattered by someone you totally respect and admire (tiny titans is the cutest thing to ever be cute!) gah, it was so much fun!

crap - i almost forgot to tell you about the comic shop! they have a pretty flashy webpage that's very easy to use. register and then you can purchase and preorder items from the site. walk up to the store and the first thing you'll notice (if you're me) is the neon batlogo.














you walk in, and you're immediately hit with a wall of comics. the hallways are narrow so that the greatest possible area of space can be filled with comics. above your head to the ceiling are lots and lots of action figures. by far, this store had the best selection of trades and graphic novels i've ever seen outside of amazon.com. very impressive. what i was not impressed with was the fact that the monthly issues were all mixed up together. there were marvel comics touching DC comics. just, eww. and the alphabetizing was far from perfect. that being said, there was a very wide selection. unfortunately, it appears that unless you're looking for the most recent issue or something from their massive selection of back issues, you'd be pretty much out of luck.

either way, i give this place a 4.5 out of 5. the owner and employee are very easy and fun to talk to and it's right across the street from the ridgeland stop on the greenline. go czech it out!

intro, part deux

so, how exactly shall i go about this project of awesomery? clearly, i first need a list of all the places that sell comics. glad we got that out of the way. now we need to figure out what the criteria are. clearly, i'm interested in availability. to be truly loved by me, you need to have what i want when i want it. and pay me the respect i deserve for being an adorable female who knows her shit, but not be all creepy in your adoration. no one wants your drool on their comics. and atmosphere - oh how important you are. even if DC was capable of sending me the comics i subscribed to in a timely and consistent fashion, i would still miss the experience of huddling with the masses and eagerly anticipating if this week's treasures would meet our expectations.

now, to be thoroughly thorough, i should visit every comic book store on every day and at different times of each day. the thought of doing all that makes me want to puke. occasionally, i'll need to do other things. like eat. bathe. sleep. read the bloody comics i purchased. so, hate to say it - but chances are, most comic stores are going to have just one shot at leaving me with a favorable impression. oh, that sounds so mean. ok, everyone gets two chances. i can eat on the way there.

and, if i really want to be fair, i suppose i should learn something about marvel comics so that i can properly evaluate the stores with regards to them as well. who am i kidding? i could care less about marvel! yeah, 2 out of every 3 movies they make are awesome, but what the heck does that matter?! i am really only interested in batman and his fellow batters. i'm not even really that interested in the rest of the DC universe (DCU) except for how they influence the bat-fam. i am incredibly picky when it comes to my comics. i like them how i like my tea: dark and brewding.

i promise to never be that lame again.

intro

i just moved to chicago. which may or may not be ironic considering chicago is the birthplace of subscription girl. on august 11, 2007 at wizard world chicago, i asked politely asked dan didio and paul levitz of DC to please hire me so i could make their subscription service not suck. i thought it was a reasonable request. they, well, had other ideas. on the plus side, i was a celebrity the rest of the day and art baltazar (of tiny titans fame) drew my likeness out of sincere admiration.

so, what now? well, i've been kinda wondering the same thing. and then some friends of mine made the best suggestion to have ever been suggested: visit the local comic book stores and rate them. do for other geekdom loving females what you wish had always been done for you. that, my friends, is a challenge i plan on doing more than simply succeeding in.