I may not be a connoisseur, but I once applied to work in a comic shop. I remember the faces of the men, the many men who wanted to humiliate and degrade me for my lack of understanding when it came to living in "their" world. At the time I was nineteen, living with a boyfriend who held a stash of rare comics in his parent's basement and because we were both privy to the works of Kevin Smith I felt like I could slide my way into the nerdom that they held so highly.
I was obviously wrong. The men who took pride in their knowledge of the color number of a superheroe's suit in issue x limited print made sure that I would never know the rules to be part of their fraternity, unless I walked through the same gauntlet they did for their entire lives.
I could never have understood where they were coming from, my upbringing was so different. I was raised in a much different way than they were. I still craved the knowledge they had, and I wanted to peddle the stories that may have helped shape minds like my own.
When this happened I was working at a record shop. I should say CD store, I could say music store, but nothing holds the place in my heart like record shop. In that job I knew some of the boundaries. Music was more of a communal experience. One where people could show little understanding to its details, but still enjoy the message it brought. I would happily walk someone through the myriad of what I considered to be tasteful and thoughtful music. Don't get me wrong, in that role I absolutely played the counter-jockey who could judge a person based on their inclinations to one sound versus another. It was after I applied at the comic shop that I quit my job there. I realized that I shouldn't be the one who decides what songs to another person's soul.
These small musings are where I find myself tonight. Two days fully in to my experience here, I think about my past experiences and the judgements I experienced; judgements I held against people seeking a truth they had yet to hear and judgements against me from others who had attained knowledge and shunned me for not taking meticulous notes.
So, back to Heath Ledger...
I can at least consider myself a Batman fan. I'm sure there are some people who find Selina Kyle sexier than I do, but which iteration, I don't know?🤔🤔 When I look at the body of Jokers that we have been fortunate enough to see the one that strikes me profoundly is his.
Why. So. Serious.
It could be that his role was impactful because of his untimely death. It could be that no matter how much I love Jack Nicholson, I found Ledger to be more attractive. It may have had something to do with my proximity to the tragedy that struck at the time of the movie's release. It could be the way Nolan gave depth and darkness to his character that I was unfamiliar with until then.
But when I think about it, the words "why so serious?" can take me down a notch, in a very distinct way, and help me realize my fascination for what it is.
Or, maybe, it could be that this was a headline to help you get this far...
I can't say "As Always" yet, but I look forward to contuning my musings here. I welcome any discourse from like-minded individuals.
