The first Into the Fancave of 2011 features someone I have never met and certainly is not a good friend of mine. Ryan Closs hails from Montreal and has been reading comics for nearly 30 years. Can’t wait to find out his thoughts on Paul Cornell and digital comics?! Then click below and enter his fancave!
Joshua Mocle: Tell us a little (or a lot) about yourself?
Ryan Closs: I’m a web developer from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Been reading comics almost all of my 30 years of life. First comics I remember reading were my dad’s old books in the basement especially old X-Men. I started buying books for myself with Part 2 of X-Cutioner’s Song.
JM: Have you read consistently since then, or are there gaps in your collection?
RC: I stopped reading the first time when Onslaught ended, mainly because my comic shop moved, but I also didn’t miss it much. I also stopped reading for a year or so around 2004 after losing a job.
JM: Did you manage any kind of a connection to the stories or scenes while you weren’t reading? And if not, have you gotten caught up since you began again?
RC: I’ve deliberately went back and caught up on the X-books I missed (which was a mistake, a lot of those were terrible). At the time I was primarily reading X-Books so I didn’t have too much other stuff to catch up on.
JM: How important is having the full story of any given character or series to you?
RC: Now? Not very. When I was a kid? Pretty important.
JM: Why the change, do you think?
RC: I think it was mainly the realization that it really doesn’t matter. Everything is so cyclical and for the most part nothing REALLY happens to characters in ongoing comics. Whenever ANY status quo changes we, as fans, all realize that it’s just a matter of time until things revert more or less to “normal.”
JM: Interesting observation. Do you think that knowledge can diminish the stories being told within mainstream comics?
RC: Yes and no, when the only point of the story is to “CHANGE EVERYTHING” then they become practically worthless. However, now I can just read something and not freak out when things change (like Frankencastle) and just enjoy an awesome story. Remender did a great job with Punisher and even though we all knew he’d end up human again it was a really really fun journey to take.
JM: Thats a pretty rare stance to take as a comic fan, as most fans fear change in their comics more than getting walked in on while masturbating. How might you respond to someone like that?
RC: Chill the f*ck out.
JM: Ha! Succinct and to the point. Switching gears: what books are you currently digging?
RC: From the big guys, Scott Snyder/Jock on Detective, Cornell/Woods on Action, Parker/Hardman on Hulk and Hickman on FF, Batgirl and Uncanny X-Force. From the “indies” Morning Glories, Chew, Atomic Robo, Darkwing Duck, Echo, iZombie and Sweet Tooth.
JM: Interesting that you specified the creators on those books. How important is the creator to you when selecting a book to read?
RC: It’s the main reason I read a book these days. If Remender and Opena weren’t the creative team on X-Force I wouldn’t have even given it a shot. Paul Cornell and Hickman are guys that I’ll give a shot on anything.
JM: Thats a pretty broad statement. What about their work appeals to you?
RC: Cornell brings a wonderful sense of fun and crazy imaginativeness to his books, Hickman brings all sorts of big crazy ideas that we don’t see much in comics anymore.
JM: What goes into your choice to try out a new book, especially if its a creator you are unfamiliar with?
Continued belowRC: premise and the previews in the back of other books. For Chew and Morning Glories there was so much buzz about them before they came out that I just had to give them a shot.
JM: Where do you usually go for said buzz?
RC: For new monthlies it’s mostly Twitter, seeing what creators and other fans are excited about. For OGNs that I haven’t heard of or things that fly under my radar mostly podcasts. 11 O’Clock Comics has probably turned me on to more books than anything else out there (special nod to Around Comics and iFanboy too.)
JM: What attracted you to the comic podcast scene initially?
RC: Hmm… I started listening to some tech podcasts and was enjoying it so I searched for other interests. I first found Around Comics which ultimately led to 11 OC. A friend of mine referred me to iFanboy.
JM: If you had to assign a one word description to the internet comics community, what would it be and why?
RC: I’m not sure there is ONE internet comics community. There’s overlap among communities sure, but I don’t visit the CBR or Newsarama forums because they’re a wasteland. From what I gather Bendisboards are pretty aggressive. I’ve never even checked out the communities for the other HUGE comic podcast I can think of Comics Geek Speak. The 11 O’Clock Comics community is fantastic though, (mostly) filled with intelligent people who enjoy having smart discussions about things. iFanboy less so but they’re at the top of the heap which obviously brings more irritating people into the mix. I’ve met dozens of people at cons from both of those communities and basically all of them have been people I’d hang out with again in real life. Er… I guess that’s more than one word…how about: varied.
JM: Works for me! Wrapping up with a bit of a hypothetical: if you woke up tomorrow and it was announced that all major comic publishers would be switching their entire output to a digital format, how would you feel?
RC: If it was monthlies, I’d be all for it. Especially if they could drop the price down to $1.99 or less. If it included trades I wouldn’t like it. I’m a big fan of digital for the more disposable monthly books, less for things I want to re-read regularly, which I would prefer reading in trades.
If YOU would like to enter the fancave and let YOUR voice be heard, drop me a line at the address below!
