Friday, June 13, 2014

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is a time to stop and appreciate all of the fathers, and father figures, in our lives. Being a nontraditional entity myself, I thought it might be fun to stop and appreciate some of the fictional father figures in the Comic Book world. Trying to save the world while also trying to raise the next generation is no small task, but many characters in the comic universe undertake it none-the-less.

In no particular order, here are my 3 favorite Super Fathers:

1. Animal Man (Father of two kids, Cliff and Maxine).
2. Batman (Father of Damian Wayne).
3. Mr. Fantastic (Father of Franklin and Valeria).



These three family groups represent a wide range of what it looks like to be a parent. And despite being super heroes, they exhibit many of the qualities that we see in fathers today. Some do this better than others, but that's to be expected. And while having children who have super powers may create some special challenges, they must still face the more typical ones that many of our fathers face, such as deciding whether and when to let the children help out with adult problems, where to find a sitter, when you need to let them go and make their own mistakes, and when you need to step in and save the day. It can be a tough job, but somebody's got to it. And for those that do it well, I am grateful.

So I salute you, father-figures of the world. Happy Father's Day. Super powers or not, you're all super to me.

~SB

Thursday, June 5, 2014

The Fault in Our Stickers

Dear Reader,

The book world is abuzz with talk about John Green's latest book, and now movie, The Fault in Our Stars. I've read it. It's good. But there is a danger here...

Water is bad for stickers.

I repeat.

Water is bad for stickers.

As you're probably already well aware, Green's book is a bit of a tearjerker. And usually, because of my sticky situation, I avoid sad things like the plague. However, my friends at the Nashville McKay's are having a Book Club in a few weeks to discuss this very piece, and I refuse to be left out. So, I did what any self-respecting sticker would do and read it.

But the consequences of this were nearly catastrophic. By the end of the book I had become a squishy, mushy, sticky glob of wet stickers. I would post pictures of my soggy state, but I learned long ago that you cannot un-see what you have already seen. I will save you from that harsh reality by keeping those images to myself.

And I must say, this book was well worth the occupational hazard. The characters are believable and endearing, and I never once felt like Green was trying too hard to make the book sad. It's sad because sometimes life is sad. And there is something really beautiful about that. Even just thinking about it now is causing me to tear up a little. Quick! A joke!

-Do you know why the librarian slipped and fell?
-Because she went walking in the Non-Friction section!

Whew. That was close.

As I was saying… the book is wonderful. The movie adaptation is also supposed to be wonderful. And I am thoroughly looking forward to talking about it at the store. But to all of my paper friends and fans out there: be prepared if you decide to undertake reading this book. I recommend wearing a rain coat. Learn from my mistakes. I know I have.

   ~SB