So I have had a monumental week of comic evolution my friends, and I felt that I should share it as perhaps my experiences can help those pondering a similar change.

I am a self-made DC man. One day a few years ago (a slow Saturday, I still remember) I decided that I wanted to read comic books. I have always loved superheroes, comic book movies, I had a few given to me as a kid but I really wanted to participate in this niche-culture. So I went to the comic book store, picked up Superman/Batman: Supergirl (my first comic, and my first review on this site). That was the beginning of a long and intimidating climb up the DC ladder- after Superman/Batman I collected Green Lantern, then Flash, then Superman, then Batman. My collection steadily grew and grew and now it has become something pretty cool, actually. But this is all exposition to what happened this past week.

After a lonely study of DC continuity I was incredibly hesitant to break into a new universe, the Marvel universe particularly. Browsing this site for more than a year now I have seen some of the great things that particular company has to offer, but the thought of learning an entire new universe of continuity was more than a little daunting.

This is where the idea of 'comic patrons' comes in. Sure I was a self-made DC man, but a friend I have made here happens to be a huge Marvel fan. When I mentioned that I have wanted to break in to Marvel but lacked the courage, he took me under his wing so to speak. He opened up his Marvel library to me, quite literally thousands of comics and dozens of trades. We exchanged issues (I broke him into GL and Superman, he broke me into Marvel) and he was a great help in navigating my first tentative steps into the Marvel universe.

It has worked out beatifully! He gave me a treasure trove of comics (all Thor to date, hundreds of Avengers, all New Avengers, Siege, Secret Invasion, Civil War, ALL OF IT) that I have been devouring nonstop. I have a whole bunch of new favorites (add Thor and Captain America to my list of characters that I pick up any comic with their name on it) and the release of the Thor film has just dovetailed with this experience perfectly.

A whole new world has been opened up to me that I am thoroughly enjoying and learning and much of the credit goes to this 'Comic Patron' friend of mine who introduced me to the universe and helped me understand it.

This kind of relationship, I think, is incredibly important to modern comic fandom. We all know that comic readers are a small, niche market. Breaking into it by yourself takes some real courage (patting myself on the back here) because the continuity can be confusing, and if you dont know what is going on, the history, you lose much of the enjoyment. Having a comic patron can really help to not only bring new people into the market that desperately needs new readers but it can expand the current fan's experiences.

The moral of the story, Viners? Get out there and be a comic patron! You will do someone a great favor by introducing them to something new, as my patron did for me. And for all of you out there who are experts in but one section of the comic world, don't be afraid to get out there and try new things, it is worth it! DC still has my ultimate loyalty as that is the universe that brought me into this world, but there is plenty of room for this amazing Marvel material as well! So, you one-trick readers (as I was), Comicvine is full of willing comic patrons! Some of mine include Silkcuts, Primmaster64 and GreenLantern555. The great thing about this site- we all love comics, love talking about them, so striking up a 'help me understand this' thread always yields results!

Till next time this is the ghost of caesar, thanks for reading.