Sacrilege

This past month, I did something I had never done before during my lifetime: I threw away a comic book.

Or more accurately, I recycled it.

In former days, doing something like this would have been nigh-unthinkable - yet it's only a comic, right?

Was the book offensive? Well, yes, if one considers being bloody dull as an offense.

But pitching the book almost felt cathartic, perhaps via separating myself from an old (now former) belief dating back to age twelve that every comic purchased must be stored and catalogued for future reference.

I finally realized, however, that this is ridiculous.

A friend of mine has a good idea for comics he's grown sour on: stacking them in a box throughout the year, and giving them to trick-or-treaters each Halloween along with the usual candy. This way, little goblins get their requisite sugar buzz, plus a little superheroic story which might spark their reading habits.

I think it's a fine idea. But of course, not all comics are for kid readers, so turning over my undesirables to my friend's Halloween giveaway is not an option.

But I digress...

Yesterday was trash day, and I threw a few more comics into the recycler. I even watched the collector pitch them into his truck with my used cans and bottles. But this time, I felt more at ease about doing so - for the reasons cited above.

Will my friends ever speak to me again for committing such a heinous act among comic geeks? I hope so.

Will I ditch a few more boring comics inthe future, sending them off for a new life as recycled legal pads? Probably, but not many.

Either way, I'll get by.