Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  This week, Bennett explores the limits of being a know it all.

Well Free Comic Book Day is once again upon us and I'll definitely be putting in an appearance at Super-Fly Comics & Games where I'll be put to work doing… nothing.  In the past I've intimated that I don't work in the store on a regular basis but, even worse, there have been weeks when I haven't managed to make it in for Regular Comic Book Day.  I don't ring up sales, help order the comics or take out the trash so you might well ask yourself what it is I actually do there, exactly.

I suppose I'm technically a "consultant" and sure, I've given the boys access to my wealth of retail experience, but the title I like best is the one I gave myself; "Know It All Emeritus."  My extensive knowledge of comic book history qualifies me to be final arbiter when it comes to disputes over trivia.  And my uncanny ability to identify a comic book only through someone's vague recollection of its contents is often called upon.

But I really don't think of myself as a Know It All because I'm painfully aware there's always something new to learn.  For instance I pretty much ignored the release of the book Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster, thinking it only a collection of salacious drawings done by a man sadly past his prime.  Then on the 23rd I listened to Yoe being interviewed on the NPR program Fresh Air and learned the magazine the illustrations appeared, Nights Of Terror, was the inspiration for the infamous 1953 Brooklyn Thrill Killers.

The notorious case involved a group of Jewish neo-Nazi juvenile delinquents who not only killed two men but attacked women with bullwhips and tortured homeless men.  Nights of Terror was banned by the Supreme Court and used by psychologist Frederick Wertham as an example of the damage that comic books could do to kids.  A quick Google search revealed there was even a 1999 independent film called Brookyln Thrill Killers based on the story, which leads me to a couple of questions:  How is it possible I didn't already know this?  And, did everyone already know this but me (I'm notorious for not getting all of my messages)?  Regardless, it proves two things, (a) clearly I'm not a Know It All and (b) this sort of publicity really works because Secret Identity is a book I now just have to read.

While we're on the subject of Siegel & Shuster I think it's about time some publisher collects Funnyman, the last character they created together in the late 40's, evidence that creators don't always have a second great idea in them.  Thanks to illegal downloads I've read the six issues published and while a fascinating failure it's more than just a historical curiosity.  While definitely a victim of really bad timing (the comic book industry was going through a tremendous slump) it was undoubtedly folly to create a new superhero, even a theoretically funny one, when readers weren't just buying them.  Even though I already 'have' the original comics I'd gladly lay out fifty bucks for a prestige collection, if it included an article about the character's creation as well as the spin-off Funnyman comic strip.

Another reason I enjoy living in Cincinnati is we have our very own superhero team; the Allegiance of Heroes.  On the 27th on their 11pm newscast our local NBC affiliate ran a heavily promoted piece (which began with the voiceover "after Heroes…" so clearly they were targeting a specific audience) on how they patrol the streets, fighting crime and helping the homeless.  Oddly none of them were identified except for Shadow Hare (proof that all the good superhero names really have been taken), a man in black who seems to have modeled his heroic persona on a combination of Spawn and the rabbit from Donnie Darko.

The piece was about as respectful as possible given the subject (at one point Shadow Hare hands his card to a police officer who completely breaks up) and I certainly don't plan to make fun of these men and woman or their work.  On the other hand while they've undoubtedly done their best when it comes to their homemade outfits they could definitely use some help.  Perhaps members of America's cosplay community could help them spiff up their look (though not too much; the movie Mystery Men went completely off the rails when supposedly working class heroes started sporting designer union suits).

You can look up Shadow Hare on the World Superhero Registry website and if you're interested in seeing the report follow the link below:
http://www.wlwt.com/news/19305002/detail.html

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.