Brian Hughes shares 10,000+ comic books worth of "wisdom" with his readers every week at Again with the Comics. Today, he shares his thoughts with us in the following exclusive ephemera interview.
ephemera: Talk about how you become interested the comic books.
Hughes: I first started reading comic books with the multi-packs of Gold Key and Whitman kid's comics you used to be able to find everywhere-- Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Cracky, Wacky Witch, and that sort of thing. I stored them in a little cardboard box I had made up to look like a TV set, and I would switch out the cover that I displayed in the "screen" every few days. Even then, I noticed that the Donald Duck, Uncle $crooge, and Little Lulu ones were better than the rest.
About the time I outgrew those, a neighbor gave me five or six grocery bags full of early 1970's Marvel comics, and I was hooked for life. I also have been lucky enough to live in a relatively small city that has always had a disproportionately high number of good comic shops, so comics have always been readily available. Further, I met a good friend in eighth grade who had an extensive DC Comics collection, effectively doubling my exposure to the four-color world. We're still friends today; we stood up at each others weddings. He now runs Bargain Comics, my favorite funnybook store. I'd almost have to say I couldn't avoid comics even if I wanted to!
ephemera: It's amazing to hear about what hooked someone. I once worked in a comic book warehouse that distributed comics to all the book stores in Chicago. Everyone who worked there, except me, was an avid collector. Of course, that was back in the days before the Internet. What have you discovered blogging about comics?
Hughes: Well, the Internet is great, isn't it? I had never written a letter of comment in my life, had never assembled a fanzine, but the kind of instant gratification and feedback the web offers is amazing. I succumbed to the itch to try blogging in mid-2006, and after working in a void for about a year, I noticed Again With the Comics started to get some real recognition and began to build a fan base. It is truly surreal to realize you have "fans" and that your writing actually affects people positively. I've had readers comment that this or that post has lifted their spirits during hard times, and that is really humbling and gratifying. One reader has commented that my blog has helped him laugh through cancer treatments. I've had contact with people from all over the world and got back in touch with an old Navy buddy because of my work on the blog.
Ephemera: Yeah, the the Web is great. Who'd ever thought I'd build a fan base blogging about ephemera. What challenges or obstacles do you encounter as a blogger?
Hughes: Lack of time and energy, mostly. I have a good day job, but it can be pretty demanding, too, and not the least bit comicky. I also have a wife, a young son, and a house to keep up, none of which necessarily puts one in the mindset of making jokes about Krypto the Superdog at night. Blogging about old comics, especially funny and goofy ones serves as a release valve for the more sobering responsibilities of real life. If time or inspiration is too spare, I tend to lean towards posting nothing at all rather than putting up a "Woe is Me" post. Blogging about blogging is a sin, as a wise man once said.
Another challenge is my own expectations. As hard as it may be to believe, I actually agonize over almost everything I post, editing and rewriting each entry to death. Once a post is done, it's done, but I take awhile getting there, and a post may languish in development for weeks before I'm satisfied. I'm also a hunt-and-peck typist, so that doesn't help.
ephemera: I agonize over these interviews, too, but not for weeks…so no worries. What are some of your favorite posts?
Hughes: "Doiby Dickles has a Wrench!" is still one of my personal favorites, dealing as it does with Golden Age Green Lantern's out-of–control sidekick. "The Purple Golden Age Hulk" is a sentimental favorite collaboration with my son, who is just as bad about Wednesday as I am by now. More recently, I've been exploring the bizarre world of Krypto the Superdog, including his short-lived Kingship and his membership in the dog equivalent of the Legion of Superheroes. I don't know, this is like trying to pick a favorite child…go read 'em all!
ephemera: I'm sure a lot of folks reading this interview will take you up on that suggestion. What are your future plans for the blog? How do you see it evolving?
Hughes: While I've had no problems with Blogger, I'd like to migrate Again With the Comics to its own URL eventually. That's just another thing on the "to do" list, though. I've discovered that I'm really not very good at, or interested in, writing reviews, so I struggle with a way to write about the current comics I'm buying without having to flesh out a full-fledged "review" of each book. Mostly, I just plan to keep doing what I'm doing and hope people keep picking up what I'm layin' down.
ephemera: Thank you, Brian.
