Reading/Physical Media as a Bonding Experience

Growing up in the '80s and '90s I wasn't able to just go online and order a physical copy or flip through an ebook of anything I was interested in reading. When I first got into comics in the '90s, some of it involved a bit of a scavenger hunt. A lot of the comics I was into were being written in four issue mini-series, and sometimes finding all four issues, especially if it was a back issue turned into quite the adventure. My dad traveled all over the state and even sometimes into New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for his job as an HVAC technician and if he ever noticed a comic book shop during his travels, he would make note of it and find time for he and I to go there and see if they had the comics I was searching for. To this day, if I visit a new city or travel through a region I'm unfamiliar with, I'm always looking up what grade indie bookshops or comic book stores might be there waiting for me. I've even begun doing this with my own son, and in that way, we've kept that tradition alive.

Thinking back on this experience it was definitely one of my fondest bonding moments with my dad growing up but also it was an adventure tied to reading that made me all the more excited to get the next piece of the story in my hands. It's part of the reason that I think a book can make such a great gift. If somebody gives me a book, especially if it's inscribed with a nice note by them, I always associate the story with that person and that time in my life. It makes a memory.

My wife, son, and I have a little tradition when it comes to picking up comic books which I hope has this same effect on him. Our local comic shop is walking distance from a great Thai food restaurant, so when it’s comic book day, we order some takeout, and go to the comic shop while we wait for the food to be ready. Then we go home, have a great meal and read our comics. 

With people becoming more interested in physical media for both nostalgic and practical reasons, it’s a great opportunity to create a bonding experience with a loved one over picking up the next book in a series, or finding a book to read together.