2) When did you begin reading superheroes in comic books? 3) What draws you to continue to read comic books?
4) What types of comic books and superheroes to you read about and why? 5) Who is your favorite superhero(es) and why?
6) How do you relate to your favorite superhero(s)?
7) Do you ever notice your thoughts and emotions while reading comic books? 8) How do comic books make you feel (emotionally) after reading?
9) In reading superhero comic books, what do you learn about others? 10) What was your most memorable comic book event/battle, character, etc.?
98 11) What made it memorable?
12) How have comic books and superheroes influenced your life?
13) Tell me how reading superhero comic books have impacted your morals, beliefs, etc.
14) What do comic books mean to you?
15) What have you learned about yourself from reading comic books? 16) How do comic books impact your current life?
17) How can comic books impact your future? 18) What does comic book reading say about you?
19) What do you think others (ex. family, friends, peers, community) think comic book reading says about you?
99 APPENDIX D RECRUITMENT FLYER
100 APPENDIX E
104 APPENDIX F PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS 1/29/16 Participant 001 “John”
PI: Alright. Basically there are nineteen questions. Some of them are a little more, um, close-ended but feel free to elaborate if you’d like to. Um, with that being said let’s just jump right in.
John: Sure.
PI: Alright, how often do you read comic books?
John: Um, I probably read comic books in some form or another at least once a day. Um, for maybe we’ll say an hour total - sometimes more, sometimes less. Right now, um, I’m reading it’s a graphic novel um “From Hell” there’s the movie from like years and years ago. Alan Moore and so I’m reading it and it takes me probably about an hour to get through a chapter, but other times I might sit down and read one or get my iPad out and read one or two a night or something.
PI: Okay. Alright. So, the next question is when did you begin reading superheroes in comic books?
John: I got interested in comic books when Constantine um the TV show uh came out um for NBC which ya know it only had like 12 or 13 episodes I think it was cancelled. PI: Yeah
John: But, um, it kind of interested me and so I did (laughing) I did some illegal stuff and I downloaded um the full like 300 issues of Hellblazer and I have about 50 issues left. And so I guess that was about um probably like September/October probably of 2004. And so, I’ve just kind of been slowly going through them. Um, and that’s - that’s how I got started.
PI: Cool. Alright. So the next question is what draws you to continue to read comic books?
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John: Um, well I think at first it was like the story um because all I read was Hellblazer. Um, and it was just interesting you know it was kind of a cult, like there was kind of some sexiness to it a little bit um a little bit of magic um it wasn’t really superhero like bam, pow kind of stuff, you know. Um, and then as I kind of – you know well I was like I kind of want to read beyond this a little bit. Um, then it kind of turned into definitely story but it also turned into like art as well. Um, you know so I read – I read some things like one comic book The October Faction like….
PI: Oh yeah
John: Totally not a really good comic book but I really liked the art. It’s really dark in it. And so, um, but yeah I would definitely say it’s turned more into not just a story but an art thing now as well.
PI: Ennis Crane has some beautiful art. I love. He did issues of Ghost Rider and I just loved it. It’s just beautiful. The story, the art.
John: I’m obsessed with Outcast right now. PI: Okay.
John: Um, it is coming out on Showtime, not Showtime, but Cinemax which I didn’t even think existed. But they’re going to run a show of it. And um the last issue had quite a few of just like full page kind of things and it was just gorgeous so.
PI: Okay. So you kind of touched on this but let’s go ahead and ask it anyway. What types of comic books and superhero do you read about and why?
John: Um, well I like kind of like paranormal um sort of occultish maybe supernatural type stuff. I just like being scared I guess a little bit. Um you know…
PI: Okay
John: ….like demons, possessions kind of stuff like that. But not like real gory like crazy looking made up creature looking kind of stuff you know. Um, and I don’t know – I always – I mean I like scary movies, not gory movies just scary movies kind of…. PI: Thriller type?
John: Like very kind of gothic sorts of things like The Others. You know, I don’t need there to be an like an actual ghost or for me to jump out of my seat but just like that gothic, that sort of anticipation of whats going on. And that’s kind of what I look for in comic books. Um, so that kind of – it kind of pulls me away from kind of more
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know part of DC or something like that. But yeah that’s – that’s kind of I’m after and so. I like a good ghost story.
PI: Okay. Alright so with this one, who is your favorite superhero, or heroes, and why? As of right this second.
John: I’m kind of like looking through my box trying to like ok um PI: Yeah, understood.
John: I mean I don’t know. I started out with Constantine – John Constantine so I mean there’s something that’s kind of twisted about him. You know like he has – he has this past and you know I think it very interpersonally you know like it just keeps
recapitulating or whatever. And you know when you read – when you read it’s like he’s not just – he’s not just an ass and he doesn’t just hurt people and stuff deliberately, like he really is trying to really work for like equality and social justice and – and that kind of thing. It’s just he maybe doesn’t do that with physical strength. Um, so I’d probably say yeah him.
PI: Okay
John: Um, yeah I just – I don’t know, yeah.
PI: So, let me ask this then. How do you relate to your favorite superhero which would – we would say Constantine at this point?
John: Um, I think that he always has a lot of turmoil going on in his head. Um, he always tries to find stability but realizes that it doesn’t always happen, whether it’s where he lives or whether it’s you know with um you know a relationship that he has or with a friendship that he has. Um, yeah there is always kind of other forces that are kind of pulling him away from that for whatever reason from finding that stability.
PI: Alright. Anything else? John: No.
PI: Any other way you feel like you relate to him?
John: Not really. I mean I think that is just what gets me the most is there’s just always this you know he’s always trying to find this sort of state of you know um consciousness and for whatever reason something always ends up making it dissonant for him again. There never seems to be like sort of that sigh of relief.
PI: Okay. So, like take yourself back to kind of when you’re actually reading one of these books. Do you ever notice your thoughts or emotions while reading comic books?
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John: Yeah, um, maybe - probably not so much with a lot of the ones that I read. Um, but definitely with like Constantine, I remember when – well it would have been Hellblazer um when I first – when I first started reading it. Um, you know during kind of like those first hundred you know maybe like fifty/hundred issues even if that long. It did. It got real psychological and real kind of emotional. Um and I felt it difficult to read those. You know because I knew that going into it – it’s kind of like – it’s kind of like when you watch (laughing) like watch a drama like a movie or something especially when you know there is going to be somebody sick and somebody’s going to die like you know already going into it, “your like oh god” there’s going to be all these emotions and I kind of felt like that each time. It’s like “oh no” you know here’s part three of four uhhh um. So, yeah I mean there were a lot of emotions often times.
PI: Okay. So, the second part of that would be how do comic books make you feel kind of emotionally after reading them just generally speaking?
John: Gah, I really don’t know. Um, its just –I guess it’s just more - I don’t think it necessarily has anything to do with the content of it.
PI: Right
John: Um, but it does always leave me wanting more you know. Um, I definitely
understand why people wait for like trade paperbacks because you can just go, go, go as oppose to just like the serial. But um – but yeah there’s something – there’s something much different also I think. I enjoy reading paper – you know physical comic books more than I enjoy the stuff on my iPad. Um, and so uh yeah it just kind of leaves me wanting more there’s this kind of excitement you know of getting of oh what’s next or whatever. PI: Okay. Alright. Here’s a different question. In reading these superhero comic books, what do you learn about others?
John: Um, well I think of things like lock and key um and again back to like Hellblazer and - well I mean and even Outcast and – uh a lot of times people the stuff that they endure isn’t always a consequence of their own doing at least not 100% you know what I mean. Um, you know it – it’s a dark force or its some injustice or um you know it’s you know a relationship with somebody else um and I think that kind of reflects just life in general you know. The stuff that happens to us isn’t always I mean kind of like back up to the other question you know that you asked earlier you know how do I relate, well I mean I kind of have – I mean yes I chose to pursue a higher degree but nonetheless there’s still a lot of stuff that’s keeping me from doing a lot of the things I want to do with my life you know I’ve had to put a lot of things on hold, I’m kind of stuck in a place that I don’t really like living but it’s just a necessary part of it. And so I kind of feel the
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same way, it’s you know something happens to person X and it’s not always their fault. It’s the consequence of maybe something else.
PI: Alright. Excellent. Alright. Here’s more of a specific – so what was your most memorable comic book event, battle, character, essentially what’s the thing that really stuck out to you the most so far in reading comic books that you always can think of? John: Hmm..[pause]…hmm, I think there was – I mean it always goes back to
Constantine doesn’t it… PI: Sure
John: Um, there was one point when – it wasn’t really a battle necessarily… PI: Sure
John: …but it was more result of… PI: Yeah
John: …a battle for him. Um, and I don’t even remember specifically what it was but he – he ended up just like losing everything. I mean there was just nothing left in his life and it was – I remember this was – it was just a very – this one of those really emotionally charged comics like you know he just became – he became homeless and there was just a lot of him outside being homeless and just you know unshaven, unkempt, and you know seeking solace in whatever and a lot of rain, a lot of darkness and you know and him contemplating you know suicide and you know even though you know if he would – if he were to die what would happen to his soul in hell and him sort of you know
contemplating um you know is – is what I’m experiencing right now on Earth any
different or you know better than what I would be experiencing given all the debts and all the people that – all the demons that I have screwed over. Um, so I think that was – that was interesting. There was also another time in uh Hellblazer too uh you know demons coming for a soul you know (laughing). Um, and I remember him creating another self and sort of taking all of the bad stuff, all of the stuff that he didn’t want – be that
emotions, thoughts, you know habits, physical things, medical things, and sort of creating kind of the worst of himself. And then that’s what ended up you know that part of him is what ended up going to hell. Um, I thought that was interesting.
PI: That is interesting.
John: You know, I mean – I think I probably even screened shotted it but you know it was something like taking all of the muck and all the - I don’t even remember what the words were but you know and piecing you know those things out of yourself. It was – that was interesting I thought.
109 PI: That is really interesting.
John: It’s kind of a way to – you know we always talk about you know trying to
disconnect from those thoughts and those feelings and sometimes um and I just thought that was a good example of I guess diffusing you know that stuff.
PI: Perfect. Alright. So this is really a follow-up – we kind of already hit on. But the question was what made it memorable? So, is there any more specificity that you can think of with that event or do you feel like we covered that?
John: Not really. Yeah I think – you know I just thought it was a really neat example of you know when we talk about you know separating you know sort of ourselves from you know all of these thoughts and feelings that constantly run through our heads that we really don’t have much control over you know and it can end up causing us you know psychological distress you know be that anxiety, depression, or whatever. I just thought it was a really good sort of kind of acted out way of what that’s like.
PI: Okay. So this question is a little bit deeper. How have comic books and superheroes influenced your life?
John: (laughing) Well, I don’t know if it’s – I don’t know if it’s anything quite so deep but um you know it’s really helped with self-care.
PI: Okay
John: Um, I mean I read a lot. I mean books, articles… PI: Sure.
John: ….I’m always reading. Um, but it kind of gave me more of a hobby because there was sort of a collecting aspect to it. A need to hunt for you know the books or whatever or you find something that is interesting maybe you read you know an issue of it digitally and your like “oh, we need to find these” so you know you either get on eBay or try to hunt it down or you know it’s like “oh I’ll get the trade paperback,” but it’s really helped I think more than anything with self-care. Um, I don’t think it’s like reading somethings changed my life or anything like that.
PI: Sure.
John: But uh its – it’s more of a self-care hobby kind of thing.
PI: Okay. Alright. Now this question it may or may not apply just let me know. But tell me how reading superhero comics have impacted your morals, beliefs, etc. that sort of kind of framework on any level. And if not, that’s okay.
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John: Well I think mostly - will you state the question one more time to make sure I get it.
PI: Sure. Yeah. It says tell me how reading superhero comic books have impacted your morals, beliefs, etc. Just kind of under that realm of thinking.
John: I don’t know if it has changed my morals or my beliefs or anything like that. And it could just be a result of – I mean I choose the comic books that I read. They aren’t forced upon me.
PI: Right.
John: But um I so often hear the argument it’s like well without religion or a higher power or something like that you can’t be moral. And I think that the stuff that I’ve read confirms that you don’t have to have a belief in a greater whatever or religion or anything like that. To be a moral person, you can still do good in the absence of a higher power you know. You know I’m agnostic um and so I don’t go out and murder people and stuff like that because I know better. It’s not good to do that to other people. So I think that this is just one other way that you know an example of you don’t have to have a belief system or whatever to still be a moral, socially just person.
PI: Okay. So what do comic books mean to you?
John: Gives me something to do. Its novel. Um, I get a little ADHD sometimes you know um so it’s nice because you can just sit and read a comic book and your done with it in 10 to 15 minutes or something like that. Um, which is nice. Its – it’s a sensory thing I think for me. Like I said I enjoy reading physical comic books more than I enjoy reading digital and um you know of physical comic books. I prefer an actual comic book not a trade paperback if possible. Um, and so there is something about like the tactile sensation and like the smell because it depends on….
And it’s like depending on the publisher like even the paper, and pages feel different, and the ink and they smell different. Then there’s art and there is also reading. And so I get a lot of different sensory things all at the same time. Um, yeah. It’s kind of neat to see you know your box of your stuff.
PI: Yeah.
John: They all have boards and their bags. And they have you know the dividers there’s just something cool about that too. So, I don’t know.
PI: Okay. Alright. We’re almost done here. So, let’s finish up here. This question again is