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Doctor Dositheus

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Posts posted by Doctor Dositheus

    Poll: How old are collectors?

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 4/30/2024 at 8:43 PM, Readcomix said:

    Before we all declare the hobby dead in two years, let’s ask ourselves if the results might look different in a poll conducted on Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, I suspect the bulk of comics collectors are north of 40 but I don’t think the overall skew is as bad as it looks on a chat board, which is long-form, old-school social media.

    I attended an independent artists’ comic con this past weekend, and the place was packed with young people looking for new content and meeting creators. I doubt there was much appetite for back issues in that room, but there were new fans of the medium. I think it’s incumbent on dealers and LCS owners to pass down the history of the medium, and I think it’s reasonable to assume that if the new generation of comics readers becomes back issue collectors they may have a greater appetite/appreciation for genre titles moreso than the longjohns fare many of us grew up with.

    My biggest disappointment in the show was in not seeing any OA for sale from new creators. That’s what I went looking for: OA from up and coming creators.

    I think they would mostly be working digitally. Will the computer files they created have value in the future? hm

    2024 Grading Contest Spring Edition Season 3 (#10) Round 3

    in Hey buddy, can you spare a grade?

    • Popular Post
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    Ed Piskor Has Passed

    in Comics General

    Posted

    As usual for these boards, this conversation has sort of gone of the rails. I'd like to bring it back to the subject at hand.
     

    I've been sorting through my feelings on this for a while now. I didn't want to share anything until I felt I could encompass all the nuances to this tragic event.

    As a regular watcher of their YouTube channel, I've seen Ed become increasing uncomfortable in his own skin over the past several months. Just recently, he admitted that he was not a person who is comfortable on camera.

    Ed had clearly built up a public facing persona over the years as a crutch. Lately, however, the façade was beginning to crumble. I think Ed was on the brink of figuring some things out and making some changes.

    I think these revelations came at the worst possible time, when he was already questioning some of the choices he made and how he presented himself.

    There is no doubt that Ed engaged in inappropriate communication with a young lady, and made her feel bad. Ed was likely attracted to younger women, as someone who is less than fully mature emotionally usually are. Ed may have also been a bad boyfriend, and treated his partners poorly as well.

    The Pittsburgh news crew acted shamefully, and deserves all the scorn they get.

    Unlike our comic books, there are no good guys/gals, no bad guys, only shades of gray.

    Ed seemed in a fragile state, and spoke about taking a step back before any of this broke. Recently he was having trouble getting some of his words out on camera. Did he have some foreknowledge about what was about to happen? Maybe.

    The point is, the whole situation is much more complex than most appreciate. It's my belief that Ed was already struggling with his mental health before this became public.

    Now about the young lady and his ex. I ask you to imagine a world with no internet. I know most of you are old enough to remember this world. In a world with no internet, what should justice look like for inappropriate communication that took place in the past, made you feel uncomfortable, that you now had the confidence to address? Our human nature can't help but view the internet as a tool to achieve our goals. Why go shopping around to several stores when I can just go on the internet? Why go through the hassle of addressing old grievances through difficult and uncomfortable interpersonal communication if I can just go on the internet? When someone suffers a grievance, there are two options. You can choose to express your feelings and give the other an opportunity for an apology and amends, or you can seek the justice of old, like for like. The internet is town gossip on steroids. Ask yourself and contemplate, why did the ladies used to whisper and feel moral shame over their irresistible urge to discuss such things?

    I think Ed was a naturally insecure person. He remained the nerdy teen who was picked on for reading comic books. Over the years he built up a persona that helped him cope with social anxiety and low self esteem. When that all came crumbling down he didn't have the tools he needed to pick himself back up, make amends and become stronger and a better person. As Don Henley sang, "give us dirty laundry". Little did Don know at the time how the internet would amplify those human tendencies. And little consideration is given in general on how the internet has amplified all of our human weaknesses.

    RIP Ed