this is hard work

we all know i have a problem. and like most problems, it's expensive. especially when you don't know what you're getting yourself in to.

it all started when i was a little girl. i learned about batman. i'm not sure how i learned about him, but i did. and i LOVED him. still do. and then i found out about comic books and always wanted them - boys said they had so much fun getting them! - but i didn't know. but lo and behold, there's a comic book shop in hamburg! so my parents took me one day and i went in and had one of the most scarring experiences of my young life. the huge, mean man asked me which batman comic i wanted. there's more than one? yeah - come back when you know what you want. the subtext was, i hate girls. i was sure of it. for christmas that year my parents got me a subscription to batman comics, but it just wasn't the same. i was heartbroken. so while i still loved my dark knight, i survived on movies and animated series, and it kept me going for many years. and when i was 16 my parents bought me nothing but batman toys for christmas - that seriously rocked.

and then, i discovered amazon.com. and TPBS & graphic novels. and credit cards. well, really, i knew about credit cards a long time ago, but you know what i mean. and you know what, this is a freakin' complicated hobby! you would think dc.com would list all of their TPBs on their site, but they don't. and jesus christ, DC is apparently incapable of having a story arc without having it crossover between at least 3 different series. so you buy the TPB, and it's all good, right? NO! you can't survive on TPBs alone, because then when you try to pick up the next story arc there will be things you missed because they didn't make it into a TPB and you're lost. it sucks. so buy just all back issues you say, yeah, good freaking luck. and this infinite crisis thing is gonna kill me. like, what is it all about and why do i have to wait until 9/20 to buy it? and why does batman alone have 3 different story lines and which one is which and how the heck do they fit chronologically?!?!

ahem.

i'm a sane and rational person. all i really want is the whole story. and for nightwing and oracle to get back together. is that truly so much? it's just, ebay is expensive, the comic shop next door closed officially today and i'm scared that the one on elmwood is home to another mean, huge man. "come back when you know what you want, girl."