Dear Wednesday Club

There was a show on Twitch that I owe a lot to. They had a letter column that I always intended to write to. I never did because I always thought I'd have more time. Then one night, it was gone. Here's the letter I should have sent and never did.

I need to tell you this part, so you’ll understand the later part.

The first question is always how did I get into comics? This is my answer. When I was younger, I devoured superheroes on television. I loved the live action Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman, and Captain America. I watched the animated adventures of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, the Super Friends, even the old Marvel animated shows with Thor and Ironman. One day my mother took us to a small convenience store. They had a small spinning rack of comics. I can picture Spider-Man, Archie, and a couple of others. One book caught my attention. I still remember what is said for the most part. “Under one hundred tons of rock stands the Hulk and he’s not happy.” I had to read it. I took it home and devoured it from cover to cover and then begged my mother to take me back so I could find issues 1-3. I needed to know how they got there.

I started reading more comics after that. The Hulk, because I saw myself in David Banner. Thor because he was the only hero who wasn’t sad to be a hero; he had fun being a hero. The West Coast Avengers because I loved Hawkeye; plus the book was genuinely funny. These would be my go to books for years.

Then the 90’s happened. I didn’t like the 90’s. Comics got dark, everyone was angry, depressed, or broken in some way. I had been steadily adding to my comic file and now one by one books were leaving it. Azbat, Parallax, Red and Blue Superman, yet another Marvel summer event (didn’t we just finish one of these?) I was down to just a handful of books. Then came Image. I was enamored with Image but as the books went on it started to feel like every issue was subtitled, “See how edgy we are. So unlike Marvel.” So those left my file.

Then I found Ultraverse from Malibu. They were bright, happy, fun, and the characters took a reasonable track towards costumes. I loved the costumes. No ridiculous shoulder pads, a complete lack of unnecessary pockets, feet, and the women wore clothes that made sense and looked incredible. They felt designed for function and flair.

I loved Ultraverse.

I still own Firearm issue 0 which was a live action movie that led into the comic. I don’t own a VHS player, but I have that tape.

Some of you will know where this is going. Marvel bought Malibu and Ultraverse. Then they killed it. They retconned the history, changed the characters, erased some of them from existence, and then cancelled all of the books.

I was so angry. I cancelled my entire comics file and walked away. I didn’t go back. I even cancelled books I liked, Starman. Wednesday Club has an entire episode on why that book is awesome and I was so angry I stopped reading it. Starman wasn’t even Marvel.

I hadn’t read a comic book for around 20 years. Then I found the Wednesday Club. I had seen Taliesen and Amy in other things and was intrigued about what they thought about comics. Since I started watching the show I have begun purchasing comics again. I started with Lumberjanes, which I give to my niece when I’m done. I’ve picked up Super Sons, I grabbed a copy of Rebirth, I’m looking to get in on Locke and key and a couple of others as income allows.

This is why I love...loved the Wednesday Club. They gave me comics back.

They made it okay for me to go and read a comic book again. They showed me that I didn’t have to be mad anymore. And I get to share it with my niece. We get to talk about Lumberjanes, superhero television shows, and movies. My niece is eleven and she had to do a report on someone important for school. She chose Stan Lee and I showed her the episode about him for her paper.

I haven’t done it yet, but I need to pull down my old unopened long boxes form way back then and show her those stories.

I was sad when they announced the end of the Wednesday Club. This is why. I know I’m going to still read comics, I’ll still seek out these stories, and I’ll work to avoid the large over produced events and specials. I will still miss seeing them talk about comics every week. The things they’ve introduced me too, the "cover that later" episodes we’ll never see, and the stories we’ll never hear about.

I do hope that on occasion they will get together at a comic convention and hold a panel from time to time. I’d love if they could get together for an afternoon every once in a while and record a handful of five minute topics to dole out on YouTube. These things likely won’t happen, but I will dream.

I’ve said it in chat and on Twitter. But I want to say it here too. They were the Trinity of Geek & Sundry’s Heroic Age. They were our Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Matt Key asked me on Twitter which one he was. I assume he was joking, but I explained anyway. Matt is tall, proud, full of hope; he is Superman. Taliesen looks at the world through a slightly different lens colored by purpose; he is Batman. Amy leads with her heart, is full of love, acceptance, and forgiveness; she is Wonder Woman.

As I said then, I wish I were a better artist. I am a writer and I cannot draw. I wish I could do fan art of the mental image I have in my head. The picture of the three of them standing on a cliff side holding the lasso of truth and introducing themselves to one another. But I am not an artist and I cannot draw it so I hope my words here suffice.

I want to thank Taliesen, Amy, and Matt. I wish I had better words for what your show meant to me and what it gave me.

The only thing I can think of I’m going to have to steal it.

Excelsior!