The X-Project

Sam runs into Dori during New Comic Book day. Backdated to 9/2/09.

Though different from the comic shop at home, Doreen had come to love Uncle Stan's. Because they didn't kick her out when she just read. And they didn't kick her out for having a tail and claws. They only asked she wore shoes, so she wore sandals, as she didn't really file down her toe claws unless she abosultely had to now.

She liked it better that way. It took forever and a day to file down her toe claws.

Right now she was curled up in front of the New Arrivals stand with a small stack of books. Teen Titans. JLA, JSA, Superman, Batrman, Iron Man, so on and so forth. Even though she couldn't afford them, it didn't mean she couldn't read them.

And read them she did.

"I was wondering how long it would take for me to run across you here." Sam said with a smile as he stood in front of the squirrel girl, catching sight of her as soon as he walked in. "I've heard you're a pretty avid reader. Maybe I should see if I can get you to write on it for me some time to help keep me up to speed about American mythology." He always seemed to have a way to tie everything back to his work. It was his escape, the thing that he could keep positive about.

Doreen looked up, not sure for a moment who exactly was talking to her. (Reading a good book could do that.) When recognition struck her expression went from confused to happy instantly.

"Yeah, I'm here all the time. American Mythology? You mean like that series that Gamain wrote? The books... American Gods, right?" she asked. It didn't occur to her he was talking about anything else.

"I mean comic books. That's what they are, you know." Sam took a seat across from Dori. "I read them off and on as kind of a gauge for things..." An interesting fact occurred to him, "Green Lantern was one of the first mediums to address drug abuse, for example."

Doreen perked up, "Yeah, you're right," she said, "I didn't really ever think of them as American Mythology. I mean, I guess when you hear that word you think of gods and stuff. Like in Greece and things."

"That was when History wasn't written the same way we right it now, though." Sam nodded, agreeing with the young woman. "I hope you kind of keep some of that in mind while you read. Maybe it will give you a new point of view on the comics. There are quite a few people in several fields of study that take them more seriously then the 'average adult' supposed to."

“Really? There are people who study comic books?” Now there was a dream job if Doreen had ever heard one.

Sam nodded and smiled; he liked when people got excited about history and academics. "There are tons of books on them and everything."

“Oh, I know that! My little brother was always talking about how it was a waste of time. I’ve wanted to read a couple. I read that book on Harry Potter someone wrote, that was all about the science of it? I didn’t get all that much of it, but it was still really interesting,” she rambled.

"I've been meaning to publish an essay about Superman being a response to a common reading of Nietzsche." Sam had a seat across from the curled up student. "Maybe you'd be interested in doing something like that for a class?"

"Oh? What about Superman? Superman is always a bit over the top, and notice how all the supporting characters in Superman have names that are LL names? Like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor," and those were only two examples.

"Alliteration was very popular at the time." Sam agreed. "He was supposed to be over the top, though. He's a critique on ethics. He's supposed to be proof that everyone, no matter how powerful, still has a responsibility to everyone else. It's kind of why we do what we do with our abilities, isn't it?"

“Yeah. I did want to be like Superman or Batman growing up, so I get it. Did you ever watch the Justice League cartoons they did? They were really, really good,” Doreen said.

Sam nodded, "Most people wouldn't think it but I've always liked comic style stories. They're kind of a modern history gateway for me; as much as Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill, anyway."

“I’m glad you do! There really aren’t many people I can talk comics with. Well, Mr. Ramsey lent me some of his, I should be getting those back to him,” Doreen said thoughtfully, “But I was able to read a lot of the new Green Lantern stuff that I hadn’t been able to buy because I didn’t have the money.”

Sam thought for a moment. "I wonder if we couldn't get access to an online archive of comic books for the school like we do with other publications. We'd just have to present it as an academic request instead of a recreational one." He smirked to Doreen. "I bet it could be done."

“Really? That’d be awesome! They do that? I mean, not just the downloads you can find online?” she said, she read and deleted a lot of those. Sometimes it was the only way she had to keep tract of anything. And then they had lost their internet and Doreen had to do all of her online stuff from the library before she had left.

"They do subscriptions so you can read online. It might not be quite like having the real thing in your hand but it could help you through dry spells." Sam was very much one that enjoyed the feel and presence of paper as he read. "I'll make sure to check into it for you."

"Yeah, that'd be great! I like having the books too, but I really can't be spending the money on them or anything else like that," Doreen said sadly. She remembered when she could drop money on anything she wanted and Dad was just fine with it. "I'd be really grateful."

"I'll check into it when I get back, until then I'll leave you to your reading." Sam stood and smiled to Doreen. "Let me know later on if you read anything worth writing about."

“I will, promise!” Doreen said brightly.