Monitor Duty #2 - "Sharing the Love" By Randy Lander Last week, I went back to work. Not that I hadn't been working before, of course, but I went back to a job that feels like something I could do for a while, namely working at a comic book shop again. And in my first week back, amidst the constant debates of DC vs. Marvel vs. independent comics, the silliness of coming up with a JLA-themed soundtrack, inventing words for the Superman: The Movie theme or the now monthly tradition of "pass the Green Arrow comic," I managed to sell some books. If you work in a shop and you have a passion for comics, you know how good it feels to turn people on to new comics. Half the time your job consists of handing someone a stack of books you wouldn't read for free and having any suggestions rebuffed or ignored, or of being stuck in conversations about books that you don't know much about and would prefer to keep it that way. So it's kind of nice when someone walks into the shop and says, for example, "Does anyone here know much about the Vertigo books?" or "Do you know much about Alan Moore?" I got both of those questions this week, and the most fun I had at my job was answering them. I took the young woman who was working temporarily in Austin, in from England, and showed her the Vertigo rack. She left with the first volumes of 100 Bullets, Preacher and Transmetropolitan. The only thing that made me happier than seeing her leave with those and a big smile is when she returned the very next day, seeking out the next two volumes of Preacher and having positive things to say about the other two books. Or when she came back the day after that to pick up two more. I didn't work over the weekend, but I'd be surprised if she hasn't completed her set by now. The gentleman who asked about Alan Moore was probably even more fun, as he was either just getting into comics or getting back in, and friends had loaned him some books. These friends clearly had exquisite and unusually non-mainstream tastes, because they had not only provided him with Watchmen, but with work like Palookaville and Monkeysuit. I'm not honestly sure what he left with, but I showed him everything from Dark Knight Returns to Barry Ween to Soulwind, and when I left work for the day he was standing next to our Drama and General Fiction work, perusing work by Adrian Tomine and Dan Clowes, among others. For those of you still wondering why on Earth I review comics every week, despite the lack of paycheck and the considerable amount of free time it takes up, it's not for the attention. I won't lie and say that I don't enjoy corresponding with many of the folks who create the comics I love, but I could do that without reviewing comics. The reason I'm still in this is because of the joy that comes from sharing what I consider to be good comics. The emails I get every so often are what keeps me going. The ones I get that say "I discovered Powers based on your reviews, and I love it!" or "Thanks for recommending 100 Bullets!" I like to think this is a common thing among all comics fans, but I know it's true for me: Half the joy of reading good comics is spreading the word to others and sharing that joy, and the only thing more fun than finding something new and cool is turning someone else on to it as well. It is my hope that most of you reading this have your own stories of loaning out comics you love to friends, or recommending stuff to others that they have then enjoyed. And if you don't, you should try it. The only thing cooler than reading and enjoying a new comic is seeing someone else enjoy it as well. Email Randy Lander comments about this column, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.