365 T-shirts - the reasoning

This blog should be sub-titled: a journal of my life in geek.

I get my geek on with things about which I am geeky: comic books, Baseball, Ultimate, science fiction, my favorite bands, books I have read and loved, and Jungian psychology to name some of the most frequently traversed subjects.

I began this project simply as a way to count my T-shirts. I own a lot of T-shirts. But how many do I have? Do I have 365? We shall find out.

When I started this blog, I thought about how each T-shirt means something to me. I bought it for a reason, after all. I set myself the task to post an entry about a new T-shirt every day as a way to simply write something every day, a warm up for writing fiction, which is my passion. Writing is like exercise. Warm ups are good for exercise. But after completing a month of blogging about T-shirts, I have learned that this blog serves as a journal; it documents my life in geek, sort of a tour of my interests in pop culture. The blog serves as a tool for self-inventory, for assessment and analysis of self and the origins of self, for stepping through the process of individuation in catalogues, lists, and ranks.

The blog also made me aware that I have some serious gaps in my T-shirt ownership, and I am in the process of collecting some new T-shirts for several of the great popular culture icons that I truly love. Stay tuned.

I was also a bit surprised that people checked out my blog and continue to check it, read it, and even comment on it. I am very appreciative of this readership. Please feel free to share your thoughts in my comments section. I will respond.

Also, please note that I have moved the original introductory text to the side bar. And now, I present to you the most recent entry of 365 T-shirts: a journal of my life in geek. Thank you for reading.
(Second Update - 1310.24. First Update - 1306.05 Originally Posted - 1304.25.)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

T-Shirt #7: Batman Incorporated (Spoiler Alert!)

T-Shirt #7: Batman Incorporated (Spoiler Alert!)

SPOILER ALERT. If you like comic books, specifically Batman comic books, do not read any further if you have any attention of reading any Batman comics any time soon.

Robin is dead.

Again.

Today's shirt (March 28)  is a promotional shirt for a relatively new comic book from DC called Batman Incorporated, created by Grant Morrison, Cameron Stewart, and Frazier Irving, first published in 2011.

Batman Incorporated premiered after Batman returned from the dead following the events of Final Crisis (and no, I am not going insert links for all of these comics!). Ostensibly, in the comic, Batman franchises the Batman idea so that more heroes can police the world in the name of "Batman." The comic is quirky and far-out in the way of many Grant Morrison comics, for those acquainted with him.

I liked the shirt for many reasons. Obviously, I am a huge Batman fan. An issue of Detective Comics was my first ever comic book, purchased back in 1966. I have many Batman shirts as you will see over the next however many days this blog lasts. (I have no idea how many shirts I have, so this blog is how I am counting).

But wait. I said Robin was dead. Back to the subject of Robin and how it ties into this shirt. I am not diligent about reading the comics I buy. Sometimes, a title that I am not addictedly compelled to read immediately will stack up. I had four issues of Batman Incorporated in my stack when I saw the "Requiem" story arc and found out through the gossip mill (better known as the scuttle-butt discussed at the comic book store) that DC had killed the current incarnation of Robin.

Batman's son, Damian Wayne, assumed the mantle of Robin starting around 2009.

Yes, Batman's son.

Go read the Wikipedia entry if you are truly interested. But if you do, you will learn why the introduction of Talia, R'as Al Ghul's daughter in the most recent Dark Knight movie is so significant for Batman fans (unless you already know).

Grant Morrison and team killed off Robin, Damian Wayne, in a recent issue of Batman Incorporated, which means that DC will achieve a sales spike for the death issue, the issues following the death, and the issues when it introduces a new Robin, which, for those keeping count will be Robin number six (technically, not counting the one by Frank Miller).

My friend Charles Skaggs wrote a great posting about one of the best issues in the current death of Robin story arc. Read it here:

DAMN Good Comics -- BATMAN AND ROBIN #18


I still like the shirt. It looks international.


-chris tower
1303.28 16:43
Photo courtesy of Liesel MK Tower