Wednesday Motivators: K. D. Bryan

K. D. (center) with writer Judd Winnick (right) at Isotope Comics in San Francisco a few years back at a Warren Ellis Scotch Tasting and Signing Party.

K. D. Bryan is the first Wednesday Motivator that I do not know personally. Our relationship is restricted to the Internet, the blogosphere to be more precise. K.D. runs the popular comics blog, "Look Out! Here Comes A Comics Blog" and is a regular commenter here on Bottomless Cup.

DT: How long have you been collecting?

K. D.: God. Just doing the math to answer that makes me feel old. 23 freakin' years, as of now. Wow. I didn't even realize it had been that long.

DT: First comic you remember reading/owning?

K. D.: *Spectacular Spider-Man #106*, starring Spider-Man, The Wasp and Paladin. I was 8 years old and it confused the hell out of me, so I had to read more.

DT: What do you collect currently?

K. D.: I know I'm going to forget a bunch of titles. Arrgh. Well, when I actually have money to buy comics, I try to get everything Gail Simone, Adam Warren, Greg Rucka, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, Brian K. Vaughan, Ed Brubaker and Joss Whedon write (usually in that order). I used to pick up the odd superhero title I loved out of sentimental value even if the writing itself isn't thrilling me - She-Hulk, Deadpool, Gen13, Invincible Iron Man, Uncanny X-Men and, God Help Me, Avengers - but not so much lately. That said, as much as I hate Bendis' current take on things, I do love the beejesus out of Powers. Indie titles I currently enjoy include (but are not limited to) Twilight Guardian, The Sword, Echo and I Hate Galant Girl. Due to crappy finances, I've been doing a *lot* of tradewaiting. Mind you,*100 Bullets * and *Empowered* are the two trades that I absolutely MUST BUY whenever they come out.

DT: Personal fav?

K. D.: Currently being published? *Secret Six*, hands down. Of all time? I know I should say Neil Gaiman's *Sandman* but the truth is that *Sandman: Brief Lives* ties with Joe Kelly's run on *Deadpool*. Yes, yes, I am a shallow fanboy.

DT: Fav author? Artist?

K. D.: Arrgh. Tough question. Adam Warren for combination of both - if you try to read *Dirty Pair: Fatal But Not Serious*, you'll get eyestrain counting all the little details and in-jokes on just a single page. As far as just writing goes, Neil Gaiman is boss. Artist-wise, John Cassaday's work on Planetary reminded me why I fell in love with comics to begin with (the lack of Absolute Planetary/finished Planetary makes me a Sad Panda).

DT: Do you shop at the same place every week?

K. D.: Sadly, no.

DT: Why?

K. D.: Partly, it's finances - I really can't keep up my previous $33 a week habit anymore. I'm lucky to have a $6 habit most weeks. Also, I tend to have an erratic schedule. I'll go to my local indie shop if they're actually open and my friendly neighborhood corporate behemoth comic shop, Mile High Comics when the indie shop's closed. If I could make it up to Boulder more regularly, I'd do most of my shopping at Time Warp the best independent comic book store in Colorado.

DT: Do you prefer monthlies or trades?

K. D.: I love the rush of a good cliffhanger, so monthlies, definitely. There are crazy complex books I prefer to read as trades, however, like *100 Bullets*.

DT: Fav superhero movie?

K. D.: Ooh. Tough one. I have to preface my choice by saying that *Dark Knight* was the most stunning, nuanced superhero film ever made (and *Iron Man* was crazy fun). Still, out of pure, cheesy sentimentality, I'd have to say my favorite superhero movie of all time is Burton's *Batman.* Something about that film makes me happy every single time I watch it.

DT: Why should I start reading again?

K. D.: Well, there's an *insane *amount of good reads out there now, just waiting for you to discover them. Also, the more people putting their money into good comics, the better. If you buy good comics, you'll make sure they'll keep getting published and the talented people behind them will get more work. Plus, comics are fun, dang it, and I like to read your thoughts on them. :)

DT: Who would win: Superman vs. Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman vs. Batman? Batman vs. Superman?

K. D.: Hoo boy. That's practically daring me to make a blog post. Wonder Woman beats Superman - see Greg Rucka's awesome four-issue fight between the two for evidence of that. I know people argue that Supes wasn't in his right mind for that fight but even a clever, calm Superman wouldn't stand much of a chance against a magical warrior trained from birth (who's also immune to his heat vision). Wonder Woman vs. Batman? Hmmmm. Cover of The Hiketeia aside, I think that would really just depend on who struck first. The Tower of Babel JLA story illustrates that Batman is always ready to take down his friends but Wonder Woman's fast and strong enough to take Batman's head off with a punch. Batman Vs. Superman? Batman. (Yes, I know that, logically, everything I said for the WW Vs. Bats fight still applies but, well, I just like Batman better than Supes. :)

K. D. with Warren Ellis