A 12 year old at my LCS made me rethink how I talk about comics

Last Saturday at my local shop in Akron, this kid was flipping through a Batman issue and asked me why everyone calls the old stuff 'the good stuff.' I started going on about classic runs and artists like it was a lecture, and he just said, 'But this art is cool, and the story makes sense to me, so what's the difference?' That hit me harder than I expected. I realized I'd been gatekeeping without even knowing it, treating my own nostalgia like it was a rulebook instead of just my taste. We ended up talking for 20 minutes about what he likes in a comic, and honestly his reasons were just as valid as mine. Now I try to ask people what they're reading first instead of telling them what to read. Has anyone else had a moment where a new fan made you check your own attitude?

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thomas.piper2mo ago

Did you ask him if he ever tried reading the old Batman comics too?

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