Five and Dime Comics

The issue about reading a comic before its owner is actually Rob’s deal. He and I have several rules about our comic-reading time.

One rule is that we read different comics at the same time. I read really fast, and if we’re reading the same comic at the same time, I will give something away. While he’s on page two I’m on page twenty-two, squealing or gasping at the ending. Thus, giving something away.

We also have a rule to not discuss any single issue until the entire stack of new comics is read. Then we go through a long review process.

There is also a rule about talking to me while I read comics. Don’t waste your time. I won’t listen to you. I am in Gotham, The Xavier Institute, or Metropolis, and I don’t have time for you.

The rule that is featured in today’s strip is that the comic owner gets the first read. This started when Rob and I were in college. We would buy stacks of comics each Wednesday, sit down to read, and would sometimes end up with mixed piles. If we weren’t paying attention, we would grab the other’s comic book and read it first. So we elected to keep focusing on what we bought, and when done, created a mixed “finished” pile.

Breaking the rules gets you scorn, and sometimes, hit with a baseball bat.