I went down the YouTube comic book rabbit hole, I love it. The corvid-19 preventive measures that have been taken is the reason I am in here. I used to be your basic Boomer YouTube viewer. I watched it for a specific reason. My viewing on YouTube related to the sports I coach; the classes I teach and things I wanted to fix. Occasionally I would watch some of the political channels. The closing of schools and the suspension of sports left me with a great deal of unoccupied time. Almost all of the TV shows I watch had ended and the streaming services didn’t have much to offer that I haven’t seen before. . I started watching YouTube for entertainment – down the rabbit hole I go.
I had already started down the path. I went the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African–American History & Culture. The EMPOWERED! Black Action Figures, Superheroes & Collectibles exhibit in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. It was my inspiration to create the OBN Collection online museum. After seeing a segment on the news about the exhibit I eventually made my way down to the museum. One of the benefits of my 9th career-life is that public school teachers get in free. I viewed the other sections of the museum before coming to the EMPOWERED exhibit which was a fun to experience. After leaving the museum driving home, I decided to develop a comprehensive representation of the Black superhero experience to exhibit. This was the beginning of the OBN Collection.
I began building the OBN collection using ebay/amazon to order online. As I researched a new character for the collection, I would buy new artifacts for the collection.
OK BOOMER MOMENT
I have become my parents. In the late 80s a new consumer emerged. The Home Shopping Network discovered the older consumer with disposable income and a telephone. My parents and grandparents loved being able to see something on TV then ordering it without leaving home.
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I begin watching YouTube as always to fix things I was doing. In the beginning, I watched sites related to website building. A video about the AArowverse show up in my feed. That was my 1st toe down the rabbit hole.
I watched Pagey’s channel which led me to the Emergency Awesome. Then my 1st step happened when I came across Alternative Factuals channel with his videos about Black Lighting show. Then Blerd without Fear Channel, Comics Explained opened my eyes to comic book reviews and backstories I started to use the channels Dopespill, PantherGod, Varient, MYE for my research for the OBN Collection website. I like watching the Top Ten videos which led me to Casually Comics and her unique take on the comic books stories. Comics Explained channel led me to Comicstorian channel which I really enjoyed. With these channels I could catch-up on any back stories as well as anything going on in the comics that I was reading at the time. My television had YouTube as the most recent accessed App. Then I fell all the way down the rabbit hole.
I fell into the wonderland. When I describe it to my non-YouTube friends I like to call it the Seven Realms of YouTube Comics. I discovered that I had subscribed to over 70 comic book channels between my three channels. I also realized that I watch YouTube more than anything else but that will change a little as my fall shows come on television.
Realm One – 411
These channels will bring you the breaking news, rumors, and insider scoops. Always with a grain of salt. You want to find out what actors are being casts, what projects are greenlit, in development, or being considered, timelines, delays, cancellations or any rumors. You will find it here.
Realm Two – The Collectors
These channels will show you their collections. These are my reality tv channels. This is the place to go if you want to see what the everyday collectors are doing. You will get a glimpse into their world through unboxing of mystery boxes, new comic book hauls, ebay hauls, dollar bin hauls and Walmart hauls. They are more collector than speculator.
Realm Three – The Samaritans
These channels will give you a preview of what comic books will be coming out in the LCS on each Wednesday. If you want to know what to buy from your comic bookstore on New Comic Book Wednesday this is the place. You will see all the comic book covers for all the titles being released that week. The Samaritans only show what is upcoming that week. They may have follow-up shows that show what they collected.
Realm Four – The Talkers
These channels will show you the diverse range of opinions that are in the YouTube comic book wonderland. In this Realm you will think you are watching Fox, MSNBC and CNN but the opinions are about fictional characters. The passion about their positions reminded of those cable news viewers. There are two distinct groups in this Realm. The larger group are the Culture Warriors. These channels will have positions on how each piece of information from Realm One effects the entire society. The smaller group is the Analysts. These channels look at the business side of the comic book industry. These channels occupy a space outside of the other Realms only intersecting with Realm One.
OK BOOMER MOMENT
When I started watching these channels I made a comment about Ironheart which someone responded that it was a SJW statement. I know they wrote SJW but I kept thinking SWV and wondering why they were talking about a female singing group. After watching a few more channels I realized that it meant Social Justice Warrior, I was happy at first because I was a Black man, who was born in a time that had legal segregation and spent my teen-age years were spent fighting for change in the 1970s. If I wasn’t a Social Justice Warrior I would have had my Black card revoked. Then I realized it was really meant as an insult. Times have changed.
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Realm Five – The Griots
These comic book channels are the storytellers. You want to know what happened in the latest issue of any comic they will break it down. You want to know the backstory of a comic book character, series, story arc or run they will educate you. You want to know about the interesting history of comics, this is your Realm.
Realm Six – The Speculators
The top of the food chain. These channels are where the serious speculators and collectors go. These channels will also give you a preview but a much more advanced preview so speculators can pre-order high value books often related to the Realm One information. If you are into making money off of comics then this is the Realm you want to be in.
Realm Seven – The Affiliated
These channels cover the action figures, hot toys, statues, and other merchandise related to comic books. This Realm has its own value system, trading outlets, and sub-realms (similar to the six comic book Realms). If you are interested in merchandise that is related to comic books, then this is the Realm to be in.
So, here I am now a member of the Wonderland eager to travel the Seven Realms.
That’s All I Have To Say About That Period
