Comicathon (Alex)

[Ginny Campbell]

One of the wonderful aspects about summer were the few weeks of idleness, days free to spend however she liked until the next semester of toil and study. When she had been younger summer meant more time with her father, which was always a treat; she got to see him so rarely. But now that she was in college things had changed. For one, she was close enough to see him more often and instead it was her mother and Peter she saw less of. For another, she was expected to be responsible, and responsibility included getting a summer job.

But at last she had a few days off. And, as it happened, her friend Alex McKenzie had some free time as well. She happened to like him rather a lot, even if his girlfriend had gotten drunk at last year's Halloween party.

Well, not like that was a surprise; it wasn't a secret that the drinks were spiked, and so anyone who hadn't avoided them was pretty tipsy by the end of the night. She hadn't seen Anne since then, but she had seen quite a bit of Alex.

And today they were going to do something fun: They were going back to Pilot Ridge and raiding the comic book store.

It wasn't as if Burlington was deprived. In fact, they probably would have had somewhat more success there, had they wanted variety. Or, if they were truly desperate, they could have gone to Boston.

But Pilot Ridge was special. Ginny had family there, and Alex may as well have had.

"So any special issues you're looking for?" She queried as she parked in front of the mall, turning off the car. She wanted to pick up the new editions of Sailor Moon; she hadn't yet had the chance. She hoped that it was good, as reviews had been mixed, but she had been too young when the Mixxine (later Tokyopop) issues had come out, and she felt it was necessary to read the manga now that it was out.

"We should totally stop by Hammel and bug people after this."

[Alexander McKenzie]

After attending Hammel for so long, summer break in University seemed so odd to Alex. Though he was happy his first year was finally behind him (of course, right after he’d started to get the hang of balancing school, work, and his relationship), he was finding the summer too quiet. He’d picked up more shifts at the Kafe lately in an effort to save some more money, as well as have something to do. Today, however, he wasn’t worrying about things to do. Ann was working at Josef’s place, and when Ginny had called him to see if he was free, he’d jumped on the chance to go with her.

He liked Ginny. She was the one he could go comic crazy with, and talk Marvel without making one another go cross eyed. He knew he and Ann differed in tastes sometimes, and that was fine. They didn’t need to like everything the same.

And in all fairness, Ann had had no idea everything had been spiked until it was too late. Alex had felt terrible for her, and somewhat resentful towards the brothers after that.

He’d spent the past few nights with Ann at her place, mostly because he missed her. And he was sure that Connie wouldn’t mind having the apartment to himself for a little while. And it had only increased the convenience of going with Ginny to Pilot Ridge. He should probably go back home for a bit. So, he’d left a sweet voicemail for Ann, scribbled her an equally nauseatingly cute note for her to come back to, and left with his backpack to meet Ginny.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t kept up with what’s new, lately. But I’m sure I’ll find something good. Hopefully a few new Batman comics.” Yes, Alex was a Batman fanboy. To the point he had the bat symbol tattooed – his only one he hadn’t drawn himself. “What about you?”

The plan to go to Hammel after this made him grin. He hadn’t been back for a while. “Sounds good to me. Might be nice to see everyone again.”

[Ginny Campbell]

"Batman, huh? Which continuity? Batman wasn't one of those fifty-two notorious revamps, was he?"

She didn't think he was; but then, most of the outrage had focused on Starfire and Catwoman, and some other character she hadn't ever heard of before. Actually, now that she thought about it, wasn't Catwoman technically part of the Batman universe?

"Maybe they'll have a copy of that new Catwoman title, the amazing Spineless woman." She suggested, exiting the car and pocketing her keys. She half wanted to get that issue seriously, just so that in the future she could show it to people and prove it wasn't just an internet hoax.

"I think I'm gonna check out the new Sailor Moon reissues. Can't go wrong with that. So anyone in particular we need to bother? Other than my dad, of course."

[Alexander McKenzie]

“Uh... there was probably a few,” he admitted. And some of them he’d heard of were pretty abysmal. “I like the classic ones though. Revamps are pretty terrible most of the time.” Unless you were reading them for the sheer crack of it.

He slid out of the car and shut the door behind him, following Ginny. “Maybe,” he replied with a little laugh. “That might be one of the few worth reading because it’s so ridiculous.” And demeaning, but he’d try to ignore that part.

The twenty year old grinned at the mention of Sailor Moon. If ever there was a fangirl of a particular comic, Ginny was it. “Are they reissuing the entire series? It’s been around for so long.” Even he had to admit that a lot of the art was pretty. “I might stop by to see Dr. Neville, if he’s not too busy. Most of my friends graduated last year. I could always sneak down and attack Conrad, too. I haven’t seen him in a few days.” And really, what was more fun than attacking your brother/best friend during a work day?

[Ginny Campbell]

"They're supposed to be reissuing the whole thing," Ginny confirmed with a nod. "It's....the....twentieth anniversary this year I think. Wow. But yeah, the new covers look so gorgeous and shiny and I still haven't actually read it so..."

She shrugged, then brightened at the idea of bothering both Dr. Neville and Conrad.

"Oooh, yes! Although....I dunno, it might be awkward to see Doc N now..." She realized. Would he hold it against her that she was friends with Mia? She hoped not; that would also make Christmas difficult, unless she tried to get out of attending her dad's party this year.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen, not without completely hurting her dad's feelings. Besides, she liked the annual Christmas party.

"But Conrad, yes, we should bug him." She agreed, grinning deviously. Aside from being Jean's older brother (and thus automatically cool) he was also a scientist, which earned him about a thousand points in her book. "He won't mind, right?"

[Alexander McKenzie]

“Ah, got it,” Alex replied. “That’s actually a good idea. The generation that grew up watching the cartoons can start reading it instead.” Sort of a nice bit of nostalgia, considering he was technically part of that generation. “Would you mind if I borrowed one once you’re done with it?” Did that sound weird? “The art is really pretty.” No, he did not want to look at it for large breasted schoolgirls. Really.

As they headed into the building, he looked at her curiously. “Why would it be awkward? Because I’ve graduated? I thought you got to hang around Hammel all the time with your father working there.” He hadn’t fully made a connection between Mia and Ginny. It was harder to keep track of friendships between Hammel students and, as awful as it sounded, baseline humans. The school was so closed off sometimes, so it was hard to remember that relationships could exist outside of it as well. At least, it used to be. Now, out in the world? It was a lot easier.

“I don’t think Connie’ll mind,” he assured. “Especially if we bring him food, or something. He gets so caught up in his work that he forgets about meals half the time.”

[Ginny Campbell]

"Yeah, of course!" Ginny agreed readily, standing just inside the door while she scanned the store for any section that looked as if it might have manga. "The art is amazing. And the redone covers...uuuuuuuuh, it's not fair that something can be that gorgeous."

Once she spotted the manga aisle she headed in that direction, shrugging uncomfortably at Alex's question. "Just 'cause some of my friends and him don't....get along....that well."

Of course, her dad had forbidden her from seeing said friends, but she was in college so like that was happening.

"So get food after this to bribe Connie into not kicking us out. I think I can handle that. Oh, hey, the home ec teacher taught me this pretty fast and easy burrito recipe he made himself, we could try that. Does he like spicy food?"

[Alexander McKenzie]

“Really?” He was actually rather stumped on the fact that she’d really let him borrow it. Then again, he wasn’t going to do something horrible with it, like take it to bed with him and... yeah. No. He was just always looking for new takes on art, and the manga certainly fit the bill. “I haven’t seen them yet, so I’ll take your word on it.” Ginny had good taste, and he trusted her opinion.

Because he wanted to see these covers for himself, and because they were still talking and it would be rude to walk away, Alex followed her down to the manga. “Oh,” was all he offered. He hadn’t had that problem, even attending Hammel. Then again, his friends had generally all toed the right side of the line. Connie, Ann... the only trouble he’d been close to being in had been at the Valentine’s dance. Stupid Zac. He’d never hated someone quite so much as he hated him.

“Yes, I think that’s the plan.” He paused for a moment. “He does like spicy things. We usually make quesadillas when his brothers visit. If you need a kitchen, we can stop by my apartment. I wouldn’t mind learning how to make them either.” He grinned. “It sounds like it beats ramen.” He turned to look at the books, spying something rather Sailor Moon-y. Curious, he picked it up and held it out to her. “Is this what you were looking for?”

[Ginny Campbell]

"Yeah, of course!" Ginny responded. She didn't understand why people were so particular about letting friends borrow their possessions. Maybe some of her friends she would be a bit concerned might lose or damage something, but not Alex. The idea was laughable.

She was glad that he didn't dwell on the subject of her other friend's and Dr. Neville, however. This was why Alex was The Best.

"Sure! I'll see if I can make them without totally butchering the recipe. He said he made it up himself. Also, he's Smaug. Honestly, how cool is that, to be taught by a dragon? College isn't nearly that cool."

And then he found it; the first volume of the re-issue.

"Aaaaaah!" She squeaked, doing an excited little hop skip before snatching it out of his hands to look over the beautiful, shiny cover. "It is, it is, the real thing, yesssss."

Then, still slightly flustered with excitement, she added, "Okay, what section are we going to now? Lead the way."

[Alexander McKenzie]

Alex cracked a grin at her assurances. He did always try to be careful with anything that was lent to him, because he hoped anything of his would come back in the same condition. Of course, no one could predict the unpredictable. He’d spilled soda once all over a novel he’d borrowed from Conrad, and he’d ended up just replacing the thing.

See? He could be responsible.

“What do you need for them? We can always hit the grocery store on the way to the apartment.” He and Conrad were fairly well stocked at the moment, but there was always the chance she’d need something they didn’t have. “Smaug? Like from The Hobbit?” Or was it Lord of the Rings? Now he didn’t remember. “Waaait. Mr. Woonren? The cooking teacher? I remember him.” He remembered him being a little scary to look at, but quite nice as a teacher. “But you’re right. At least you didn’t have to adapt to Hammel, only to have to adapt to normal school again.” He was teasing her, but he did have a bit of a point. It was a little odd to not walk down the halls not knowing if someone was meta or not. Or worse, a meta-hater.

Maybe he missed Hammel a little.

Amused at Ginny’s display of excitement, he chuckled softly. “You were right. It is pretty.” Girly, yes. But pretty from an artistic point of view. Maybe it was time he tried his hand at anime-style drawing. If nothing else, it was trying something new.

Right. He was supposed to be looking now. After a quick scan (having to stand on his toes a bit to see over a larger bookcase), he spied the comics he wanted to check out. “Right over there,” he pointed out before gesturing in front of himself. “Ladies first.”

[Ginny Campbell]

Ginny rolled her eyes as Alex redirected leadership back to her. "Okay, I guess since you showed me where to go I can lead." She teased, sticking out her tongue and giggling. Her friend was such a dork sometimes; he reminded her a bit of her dad that way, only Alex was less intense.

"Yeah, Mr. Woonren. His new name is Smaug, yes, from The Hobbit. Only Mr. Woonren is a little nicer than Smaug and I don't think he hoards treasure and eats maidens since I'm still alive and all. Anyway, he made this recipe up and gave it to me. I know we need uhh jalapenos, eggs, spinach, salsa.....ummm. Eggs and uhhh bell peppers, yeah....and hash browns. I think that's it. NO, wait, there was also bacon."

Satisfied that she had listed all the ingredients she grinned at her friend before turning her attention to the comics he had come for.

"I just can't get over how many different universes Marvel and DC put out. It's like universe after universe with the same characters. How does anyone even keep track? Or is it just not that hard once you're used to it, like how people can keep track of AUs and stuff in fanfiction?"

She picked up one floppy, flipping through it with interest. "Ooooh, so the point of this whole comic is that Catwoman is really hot, huh?"

[Alexander McKenzie]

Alex flashed a guilty, if somewhat self conscious smile at her. He’d been taught good manners growing up, and only a few times in his life had they slipped. “Sorry, Ginny. It’s a habit.” A lot of girls he’d met thought it a bit archaic, but he couldn’t help it.

“Yes, I remember Mr Woonren.” He was yet another example of someone who might look a little scary, but is actually quite nice. “He was good at making up recipes, and most of them were a hit.” He’d heard a lot about the dragonic teacher. “We have most of those things at my apartment. We might need to pick up the jalapenos, and the bacon for sure.” He shrugged, unperturbed by the idea. Groceries were an ongoing thing at his place.

Once they reached the wall of Marvels and DCs, Alex began to look through them. “It’s really not hard if you’ve followed the whole way through. Honestly, I think they just get bored with one universe, so they begin another and make things more ridiculous than they were before. Most of them aren’t worth reading, truthfully. I like the classics better anyway.” He smiled as he pulled a few off the shelf, all issues he was missing.

“Excuse me?” He stood back up from his crouched position and peered over Ginny’s shoulder, instantly blushing a little bit at the pictures on the pages. “Evidently, yes.” That was definitely one that wasn’t going to make its’ way into his collection. “It’s a little degrading, isn’t it?” He didn’t often talk comics with Ann, because, well, her eyes tended to glaze a little bit, much like he knew his did when she got into a martial arts monologue. But Ginny was a little different.

... Then again, she’d gone gaga over the Sailor Moon reissues, which were still about young, very curvy girls in skimpy outfits. Maybe he was wrong about his notions of degrading.

[Ginny Campbell]

"I haven't read any of theeeem. Hey! I know! Let me borrow what you think are the essentials in exchange for Sailor Moon?" Ginny suggested. She had never gotten into Western comics, but that was the intimidation factor more than any actual distaste for them, and she was willing to learn if Alex was willing to teach her.

And if anyone was willing to teach her, it would be Alex.

"It's just a little....heterosexual male gaze-y." She offered eloquently. "Like, I get she wears leather and is sexy, it's just a little weird to be like. HEY, we have this powerful lady, here is a strategically drawn picture of her boobs."

Sailor Moon had some skimpy outfits, but it was also drawn for a younger female audience; the poses tended not to emphasize cleavage in the same way.

[Alexander McKenzie]

Alex chuckled softly at Ginny’s whine, though it stifled soon enough at her suggestion. “Of course. I’ve got a ton of Marvels and DCs.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll lend you one of the early Batman comics. And I think you’d like Ghost Rider, too.” As far as Marvel went, it was one of his favorites. “It’s all about a guy who sells his soul to the devil in order to save his father, but as deals with the devil tend to do, it backfires. And he is expected to become a ghost rider. Basically, the devil’s bounty hunter. It’s interesting. They made a movie for it too.” Which, unlike most film adaptations, he’d actually liked.

His head cocked slightly at her oh-so-eloquent explanation. Hearing things from a woman’s perspective was... well, interesting. “Yes, well, they’re all about class.” Cue a tiny eye roll. “It seems to a be a general rule with comics. Women have to be... well endowed.” And that made him blush like a crazy person. “Here,” he managed to distract himself from his embarrassment as he pulled a newer Ghost Rider issue off the shelf. “Tell me if you think it looks good. I’ve got the first ones.”

No more talk about boobs, please. It’s embarrassing the little punk.

[Ginny Campbell]

"Yeah!" Ginny pumped one fist in the air in victory when Alex agreed to let her borrow some of his comics. "Now I'll finally understand what people are on about on Tumblr!"

She knew a bit about the movies based on some of the comic franchises, but not the actual comics themselves; she assumed that the differences were vast, the same level of different that, say, The Lord of the Rings films had in comparison to the books. Or the Sailor Moon drama to the anime.

Ginny was likewise perfectly happy to turn her attention from boobs to Ghost Rider. A great deal of her discomfort with large chested fictional women was some embarrassment about her own less than well endowed chest; she was somewhat sure that she was failing as a woman by not being larger. Not that she would admit that anytime soon.

"Oooh." She remarked eagerly as she flipped through the comic Alex had handed her. "This looks bad ass. It makes me want to get some tattoos and buy a motorcycle."