Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.

[thehefner]

So just now in the comic shop, a middle-aged woman came in looking for the first volume of Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN. I make the quick suggestion of the super-deluxe edition hardcover, but she says, "That's all right, it's just for my son."

I pause and say, "Hey, uh, how old is your son?"

"He's nine," she says.

"Ohh, no, sorry, this isn't right for him..."

She stops me, saying, "It's fine, it's fine."

"I mean, this is a mature readers title. Nudity, violence, bad language..."

"That's just fine for him. He's a big PULP FICTION fan."

For a second I think she literally means pulp fiction type stories. "You're serious?"

"Yeah! He loves it, knows it all by heart."

"And he's nine?"

"Even when he was six, he could recite the entire opening sequence. He'd jump up on the couch and do the whole thing."

"Well. Um. That'll be $20.95."

I don't know whether to be utterly horrified or amused. I wish I could see what this kid's gonna be like in twenty, thirty years so I could make a call on it either way.

Then again, I went to see stuff like that with my Mom and brother all the time growing up, and I turned out just fine! (*shifty eyes*) Still, it's the "jumping on the sofa" reenactments that really strike me.

Comments

[kali921.livejournal.com]

I...SANDMAN for a NINE YEAR OLD?

That's just a smidge irresponsible, methinks. WOW.

Next she'll come back and ask for some Ennis Punisher.

Also, the SPIRIT? ROCKS!!!!!11!!!

I was SO in love with the Spirit as a wee girl. My mom or dad (can't remember) gave me a bunch of Spirit hardcovers to read, and I devoured them ALL.

[kmousie.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether to be utterly horrified or amused.

Some of both, probably.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Honestly, at least SANDMAN has real literary value and beauty. Unlike, say, PREACHER. Which I love, don't get me wrong, but still.

Have you read the NEW SPIRIT BOOKS that just came out?!?! BATMAN/SPIRIT and now this week SPIRIT # 1 by Darwyn frickin' Cooke!!! No one, but NO ONE alive could do it better!

[kali921.livejournal.com]

I bought Batman/Spirit at the orders of the owner of my LCS, but no, I haven't gotten the new Spirit book.

Really, is it good? I'm...scared.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

It's pure Darwyn Cooke goodness. Which is the closest we can possibly get to pure Will Eisner goodness (besides Alan Moore doing "Greyshirt").

Yeeeeeeesh.

[seangrimm.livejournal.com]

That kid is either one of those freakishly over-mature kids like Dakota Fanning which is extremely fucking creepy or he's some kind of total psychotic in training.

I don't remember what the hell I was doing at nine but I didn't see an R movie 'til I was in my teens. I damn sure wasn't watching anything like Pulp Fiction when I was six!

I want to know how that kid turns out too, social experiments are lots of fun, it's not like I can just steal a baby and make it watch Pulp Fiction and Sandman and see what happens.

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

Good. Lord.

Y'know, I used to work with a kid whose mother let him watch whatever kind of movie he wanted, but was super strict about what video games he was allowed to play. I remember having to convince her that the very kid-friendly, partially Disney-made Kingdom Hearts was okay for her son to play. Yeah.

hmmm, I must fix this anger problem of mine.

[slaversbane.livejournal.com]

As a parent of an 8 year old, I want this bitch's address so I can pay her a visit with a bat. I will of course make sure junior gangster wanna be is safely in the CPS van before I knock some Louisville Slugger sense into her.

She is an irresponsible excuse laden improperly brisd(sic) foreskin, and needs to be burned in a Mexican Goat-Head cooking pit.

That is my opinion. I have formed it based on the the difficulties in telling reality from fantasy all 7-10 year olds face. BUT hey it is her kid. If her kid ever comes near my kid, there will be untold horrors heaped upon her wretched carcass.

[swimpenguin.livejournal.com]

My first Sandman was the Midsummer Night's Dream issue. I came away from reading it amazed, but also curious as to why the comic was labeled mature. Then later I got the first graphic novel and read the Dr. Destiny diner massacre story.

[adaptor.livejournal.com]

A friend of a friend's son is obsessed with Princess Bride. He didn't know the name of the movie (he's... I don't know, 2?) and would simply ask for 'EELS!' because that's his favorite scene. Upon hearing his parents use the word 'bride' in conversation, he recognized it and started alternatly calling it by either word.

So come this Christmas, some poor mall santa is going to have a shrieking two year old asking for either a bride or EELS!

(God bless us everyone.)

[jellied.livejournal.com]

I must be the only dissenting voice here as I really don't care for the Spirit/Batman mash up.

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

i'm with you guys.

i work in a theatre.. and the mature content that people will not bother to worry about in a show is astounding.

people.. find a babysitter or stay home. dont bring your 8 year old into see a show with content that isnt appropriate.

i want to trust people to police thier kids, but they keep proving themselves to be idiots.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

No? Ah well, nothing's for everybody, I suppose. What didn't you like about it?

The Loeb-yness bugged me (the man's trite dialogue drives me up a wall), but frankly, it was a step towards the kindsa comics of which I wish we'd see a bit more these days. Not all, mind you, but still.

Re: Yeeeeeeesh.

[fiveseconddelay.livejournal.com]

nice icon

Re: Yeeeeeeesh.

[seangrimm.livejournal.com]

thanks. i stole it from somewhere and then cut out the 200+kb of additional frames so it would fit into lj format.