I try to do the majority of my writing at night. I really, truly do. But sometimes the internet rabbit hole calls and off I descend into that level of madness.
I’ve mentioned on here that since the virus, some of my evening time feels like it needs to just be unwinding time. The kind of not worried about anything type of time. It’s that time of night to normally turn on the tv and watch reruns of The Office or Friends or Futurama or maybe a movie you’ve seen 100 times (Office Space, I’m looking at you). And while I certainly do that, for some reason, I’ve turned to Youtube videos to help me decompress.
Very Gary Comics
Gary is a comic book dealer. He posts videos about collections he’s found “in the wild” (as he calls them). He does unboxing videos where he shows us all the graded comics. Occasionally, he does posts where he sees if his wife can name comic book characters (she hits about 40%).
I’ve utterly fascinated by it.
I read comics. I’m not a collector in the sense of having my comics sealed up so that they can’t be reread. But there is something about the genuine joy he has for doing it that has me intrigued. Maybe it is because I don’t dwell on that side of the comic aisle, so everything is very new and fresh. Or maybe it’s just a new way of looking at the industry I’ve loved for so long. And while I may not be a collector in this sense, it has always been cool to find out one of the comics upstairs is worth $100 or $200 or whatever.
Had comic conventions actually been a thing this year, I have no doubt I would have bought my first graded book by this point.
Owen Likes Comics
This is like watching the History Channel for comic stories and creators. Owen takes a story-arc and in about fifteen or twenty minutes really breaks down some of the background behind it. Ever wonder about the time that Superman died… he’s got a video for that. Want to know about the Spider-Man Clone Saga… yep, got that covered.
Again, I think there is a passion there that he’s really bringing forth. Clearly he takes his time to cut these videos together, finding older interviews and clips to splice in. Sometimes, I know a bit of the story and he fills in that little extra. Other times, I’ve no idea what I’m about to get into.
Every time I’m interested.
Cracking the Cryptic
I keep meaning to tell my dad about this one.
I like playing Sudoku. It’s a nice way to do a quick(ish) puzzle game where I’m going to engage my brain and also see if I can figure this next one out.
These guys who solve these Sudoku… well this is next level. As my wife said, “So regular Sudoku wasn’t enough?”
Apparently not.
What ends up happening is I watch a little bit, solve a little bit… get stuck, go back to them, they show me some technique and then I go try to solve the damn puzzle in about 3 times as long as they solved it.
I’m a nerd… whatever, it’s relaxing.
Tolarian Community College
It’s not what you think. I’m not learning Math or Science at this place. No…
It’s about Magic the Gathering.
The thing is, Magic is probably my favorite game of all time. I honestly wish I still was going to tournaments and playing… some of my best memories are with my friends, playing this game until 3 in the morning. I love the artwork. I love the strategy. I love finding the one play to win a game out of nowhere.
The Professor (the host) feels that love for the game. He talks about decks. He talks about formats. He talks about the new sets. He scolds Wizards of the Coast for bad decisions. And if you are a new player, he has tons of videos for you as well… to help get you into the game.
It is a true resource on the web.
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There are some others that pop up on my feed here and there, but those are my current go to. What are yours?
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John McGuire is the creator/author of the steampunk comic The Gilded Age. The Trade paperback collecting the first 4 issues is finally back from the printers! If you would like to purchase a copy, go here!
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His other prose appears in The Dark That Follows, Hollow Empire, Beyond the Gate, and Machina Obscurum – A Collection of Small Shadows.
He can also be found at www.johnrmcguire.com