The Squee Spot

Zatanna is a fellow Floridian Geek Gyrl who tumbles about comics on Tumblr. (For the curious…you can find me on Tumblr, too, as Geek Gyrl Friday but I digress…) She is asking followers to submit images of their favorite comic characters, with explanations as to the who and why. I realized that I couldn’t easily comply; too many characters shape my past and present preferences. Soooo….Being a geek with her own site gives me the luxury to answer the question more as a multi-part, free association show and tell.

Batman holds a large part of my comic heart; and while “Batman” was my first word (seriously – I wouldn’t lie about something like that) Elfquest by the Pinis is at the beginning of my official comic book fascination.

Now I can come back to Batman. Detective and Batman are the first two titles I read on a monthly basis. The man who overcomes deep tragedy; who chooses to make a difference using his own abilities – no special suns, irradiated bugs or x-genes involved. I also think that the inherent “humanness” of Bruce makes the dual sides of the Bat incredibly inspiring to writers. Even the worst Batman comics tend to be better than the creme of the crop from other titles.

Next on the hit parade must be Wonder Woman. In her own way, even though Diana was born with some amazing abilities, she, too, overcomes who she was born to be, and what others expect of her. Diana learns to be her own woman, and in the process shows readers why she is wonderful. Besides…I am a gyrl, as well as a geek, so I am obligated at a molecular level to appreciate a superhero that accessorizes as well as Wonder Woman.

This brings me to the final side of my square….Dream. Neil Gaiman‘s Sandman comic series is an incredible example of what true storytelling is all about. Walking the roads of dream and reality with the Endless, and most especially Morpheus, inspires so much inside of me, that I still pull out the books and read them over and over again. I also proudly admit it…the day that number 75 came out – the final issue of Sandman – I cried like a baby. And I still tear up, to this day. Those characters are drawn so well, with such depth, that they still sparkle from the shadows for me.