BKaF - Brad Kovach and Friends

I apologize for my absence. Graduating from high school, working, and sitting on my butt has taken up a great deal of my time.

But that is in the past. Now I am back, and I’m going to tell you about something I love: Comic Books.

Why?

Because they’re awesome.

But first, a little backstory.

I was about seven. My father and I were at the pharmacy, selecting various items (that you typically select in a pharmacy) when my impressionable little eyeball caught a glimpse of something. I moved forward. There, shuffled off into the corner, was a rack.

But this was no ordinary rack, destined to hold such mundane items as greeting cards and little stuffed animals.

No.

This was a comic book rack.

There was a sign that read: Five for $1.00! (The owners of the pharmacy didn’t realize that they had shuffled the holy grail into a corner.)

I grabbed five, I don’t remember their names, but I do remember that they looked ultra-violent, which appeals to a seven-year-old boy. My father, not realizing that because of this one choice, his son would be destined for social-retardedness and eventual mass murder, bought them for me.

Fast forward to present day. Now a socially retarded almost adult, I’d like to share with you this valued and awesome part of my life.

Before I kill you all.

What do you see?

Most of you, I assume, see Superman—a dude whom bullets bounce off of, has x-ray vision, is super strong, and is the defender of Truth, Justice, and The American Way.

What do I see?

I see inspiration. I see strength. I see a purpose. You see, comic books speak to me in a way that few other mediums can.

In no other form is the representation of what makes our species great embodied than in the superhero. He (or She) is selfless, strong, and never tempted by evil.

No matter what the odds, no matter how dark things get, the superhero (or superheroine) stands. Not for a country, not for a flag, but for the undeniable right that all human beings have: to live, love, and die on our own terms. Plus there’s pretty pictures.

So, the next time you see some comic books, pick one up, and check it out. You might like it. Hell, you might even be a little bit inspired.

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Required Reading:

If you’re still reading, and are interested in some good comics, here’s some personal recommendations:

Superman: Secret Identity

This is a great superhero comic for those who don’t like superhero comics. It’s about a teenage boy becoming a man, finding love, and getting old. And being Superman. It’s one of my favorites.

Watchmen

Considered by Time as one of the 100 greatest novels of all-time, this graphic novel explores the nature of heroes and whether or not the human race is worth anything. And that’s just a small part. Great stuff.

Ultimate X-Men

Team of supermutants. Stuff explodes. Awesome. Understand? I recommend picking up the Ultimate Collections, vol. 1, 2 and 3.

Sin City: The Hard Goodbye

Only for those who like lots and lots of R-rated content, this is the stylistic journey of Marv, a big dumb guy out to get revenge for his dead girlfriend. Excellent, snappy writing, and there was a pretty good movie.

And, as an added bonus/shameless plug:

Jessica and I did a short story a couple years back that I wrote and she drew for a independent collection called Sequential Suicide. I also wrote a story that was illustrated by this dude for the second volume of the collection. You should check it out. And maybe buy it (we don’t make any money off of it, we just want you to read our stuff, and support independent creators everywhere).

Plus, check it out: a video I made for a scholarship competition!

Phew.

-Tom

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