Too embarrassed to read the latest copy of Grant Morrison’s Batman en route to work? Brian Heater understands, and so does Sarah Morean. That’s why they created Read Comics in Public Day.
Despite working in the comics industry, Heater couldn’t get past a certain stigma about reading comics in public. The two editors of The Daily Cross Hatch had a running joke about his inclination to only read novels on the train, so they dreamed up a new geek holiday in 2010.
“The major, if you call it a backlash, about the event last year was people asking, ‘Why not do this everyday?’” Heater said. “We’re definitely in favor of that; it’s not an ‘only participate on the holiday’ thing. But for a lot of people there’s still a stigma around it.”
Held on Aug. 28 (Jack Kirby’s birthday), Read Comics in Public Day urges comics readers everywhere to take proudly to the streets, showing off titles to strangers and sending in pictures as proud declarations.
The response to last year’s first-ever Read Comics in Public Day was strong: Meetups started everywhere from Alaska to Australia. Pictures posted to the site (and on supporting blogs like USA Today’s Pop Candy) showed fans reading everywhere from Fenway Park to the Eiffel Tower. Read Comics in Public Day supporters even created a spinoff holiday, Women Read Comics in Public Day, to combat further comics-based stigmas.
For the second go-round, meetups have been scheduled for Sunday around the world (follow#readcomicsinpublic on Twitter for all the Read Comics in Public Day action).
Looking to participate but needing some direction? Heater offered five titles that can appeal to both a first-timer and a Read Comics in Public Day vet.
5 Titles for Read Comics in Public Day
Smile by Raina Telgemeier: Telgemeier lost her two front teeth as a sixth-grader and chronicles her simultaneous journeys through oral surgeries and braces, boy troubles and middle school. Heater describes it as “a truly great all-ages autobiography, about the tribulations of dental work … and growing up.” Dentistry’s never been this captivating.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: A young girl comes of age in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution, struggling through the contrasts between her public and private lives, eventually leaving family for school and ultimately departing the country. Heater calls it: “Part memoir, part history lesson. Simply drawn and wonderfully told.” The graphic novel is so wide-reaching it was turned into an Oscar-nominated film. Some colleges utilize it for first-year readings.
All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison: Morrison is a rock star in the world of modern comics. His take on the DC Comics classic involves Superman having his cells overwhelmed by a massive dose of yellow solar radiation as a result of Lex Luthor diabolical plot, leaving the Man of Steel only a year to live. “Morrison turns the genre on its ear once again,” Heater says. “This is the work of a master.”
Skyscrapers of the Midwest by Josh Cotter: “I can’t say enough about this book,” Heater says. “Cotter intersperses the mundanity of growing up with flights of fancy.” Set in the heartland of America, Cotter’s graphic novel showcases childhood imagination that tackles big life ideas, using everything from cowboys and automatons to the observations of his younger brother.
Afrodisiac by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca: Heater sums this title up as “a fun and beautifully re-imagined take on the blaxploitation drama.” The hero is a ’70s-style uber-male who could make Shaft shut his mouth. Excellent retro art depicts Afrodisiac encountering everything that’s beloved about low-culture entertainment from that era: aliens, Nixon, dinosaurs and more.
Got your own ideas for ideal Read Comics in Public Day titles? Add your best best in the comments below.
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