"What's In The Box????" Comics!

I just learned that one of my favorite movies will come to print. Se7en, the serial killa thrilla from the late '90s starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey, will be a seven part mini-series graphic novel coming to comic book stores as soon as this week. AICN has the latest scoop with a writer of the first book here.

I used to read comic books during my tween years, though to be quite honest, I mostly just looked at the pictures. Yes, I hated reading so much so that I could not even stand the words in comic books. I actually once wrote a book report in 3rd grade on a Golden Book. I was a late bloomer, what can I say. Anyways, my brother Rog was more of the comic book collector and connoisseur, taking me to comic book conventions at Penn Plaza across the street from The Garden every year. For those that have never been to a comic book convention, or what many in the comic world referred to as "Creation Conventions," you don't know what you're missing! Entering these events is really like stepping into another world, and just for the entertainment value of seeing a horde of pale skin teens AND adults amongst a sea of black t-shirts and unkept hair was loads of fun. Though comic books were the main currency- buying, trading, and oogling (for those that wanted to get a close up look at what a Spider-Man #1 looked liked and cost in mint condition), the charm was all the other fantasy and sci-fi crap that surrounded the books enclosed in plastic and backed with white stiffboard. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Land of the Lost, Star Wars, Godzilla, you name it, if it's got lasers, aliens, or a hint of kitschie/kookie Japanese, you'll find it here.

I eventually grew out of it, finding other things to piss away my allowance. However, the existence of Forbidden Planet in New York City has kept the flames of my sci-fanatic youth alive though the years. A geek's paradise smack dab in Union Square, the shop's got practically everything a comic/sci-fi fan could ever want, other than a girlfriend- graphic novels, posters, t-shirts, old and new comics, and figurines (they're NOT dolls!).

Up until now, the only comic book item of recent interest to me has been a small graphic novel series called The Walking Dead- a post-apocalyptic thriller about a group of strangers who are mentally and physically tested to their human limits as they try to survive a worldwide zombie epidemic. Perhaps Se7en will be a bit more light hearted...