Long Flights and Comics | An FtLoC Vlog!

Join me in choosing and reading a comic on a long, long journey as I start my annual holiday. Traveling with comics is something I almost never do anymore, although there was a time I did, and in this video I attempt to both 1) do it again and 2) document it for you. There are some unexpected results. Hope you enjoy it!
This is part of my 'Adventures in Comics Collecting' playlist, which also contains videos on cleaning bookshelves and repairing tears and rips in comics. Truly exciting stuff, and you can find it here:
• Adventures in Comics C...
Our complete comics collection:
• Our Comics Collection
Buy the books I talk about here (Amazon affiliate links):
The Sculptor amzn.to/2XXzQjx
Saga Book Three amzn.to/2JKXtXx
Usagi Yojimbo Saga Book 8 amzn.to/2Skk8Od
#comics #travelcomics #comicsvlog

[@mazecoaster]

When I travel I bring my tablet which I would read my comics digitally to free up space in my bag and not damage a book. Also reading digital give me its own backlight, making it easier to read at the dark.

[@ftloc]

Backlighting is just another one of the dozens of things that would make my life so much easier if only I could read comics on devices! Curse me and my luddite ways!

[@marcomws9754]

I enjoyed your video very much. Have a nice holiday.

[@ftloc]

Thank you!

[@readittwice]

Is it just me or did everyone else relate to the problem of picking the perfect next read? this got too real. :)

[@ftloc]

Birds of a feather!

[@TaylorTalksComics]

Nice callback to the Twilight Zone! That’s my all-time favorite episode. Look forward to watching more of your adventures from the states!

[@ftloc]

Thank you, and it's probably my favourite episode too (although it really is hard to choose from among the classics!). I'm trying to see if I can do a Stranger in a Strange Land approach to an LCS or bookstore here, so stay tuned for what I am able to cobble together! 😊

[@AnindaDe]

Lovely video. Personally I'm more of a phablet reader while commuting. I get the shivers thinking if a page or a cover gets folded or creased during the journey. Would break my heart.

[@ftloc]

I know, damage of any kind would be heartbreaking, as I mention here. As I was saying in reply to other comments here, I cannot read comics digitally and I also think hardcovers can be ok of wrapped in a T-shirt or similar. I’m also trying to be less precious about the perfection of a metrical item at the cost of the experience and literature bla bla but don’t know if I am succeeding 😋

[@SrMarkavian]

I like the bookmark page!!! I really want one now :)

[@ftloc]

The front is taken from the thumbnail of my 'What I am looking forward to in 2019' video so contains the covers for Cannabis, O Josephine and The Spirit! 😋 One day I will make FtLoC bookmarks for the public, but they'll need to not violate copyright!

[@SrMarkavian]

Love that idea!!! And that day I definitely buy one ;)

[@sleepyreader666]

Cool video. I usually download a ton of comics to my iPad, plus pack physical comics...but I generally don’t read everything I bring...often because of sleepiness or conditions on plane. Maybe the old train rides were more conducive to reading...

[@ftloc]

I feel the best sleep I ever got was on a train! Do you have any packing tips for easy access and protection both?

[@sleepyreader666]

@@ftloc I keep comics in a BCW Stor-folio, when I bring them out and about. On planes I usually have a canvas bag inside my backpack, which I pull out at the beginning of the flight, to access all my reading material (and headphones).

[@eduardocarvalho861]

It's a conundrum when you have almost all the prose books in a "disposable" format, and when you want something similar, there's isn't quite the same thing within the comic publishers market. Even the Scout McLoud book, seems a little pervious to the travel damage and a small reading time for the duration of your travel. Although I love the experience of holding and feeling the real stuff, I concur that this is a particular situation, where the practicality is paramount. Yes, you have to invest on the device, app and e-comics, but you'll have much more bag space, less weigh and increased usability. Have a nice R&R by the way. :)

[@ftloc]

Thank you! Yes, you're absolutely right - the practicality does get affected the bigger and heavier the book, and comics just don't measure up to prose in density/longevity. That's why it's always been something else - not just prose but movies or video games etc. This is a challenge I am not quite done with, however, I want to crack it with comics and I cam so close this time and flopped because of my own shortsightedness (about my longsightedness! 😊) But if it was just me reading, you're right, even the Sculptor (or Habibi or From Hell or Safe Area Gorazde) would not last 15 hours. But there's also meals and sleeping and movies so for a portion of the flight, it could still work. I want to believe!

[@stillprogressing8118]

This is the video which made me subscribe your channel

[@Unwritten_07]

My solution to this dilemma (so far) has always been to reread from hell.

[@ftloc]

That's DEFINITELY one of the books suited for long trips - big fat dense and black and white! Also, Habibi perhaps? Another thing I worry about is 'NSFTravel' - I don't want people peering over my shoulder or sneaking a peek and seeing something that outrages them! 😊

[@Unwritten_07]

@@ftloc After reading Blankets I wasn't really impressed (Liked it, didn't love it) with Craig Thompson. Hence I shelved him for later. And Yes! especially in coach very often I have encountered kids sitting next to me and trying to sneak a peek. That's when I decided to always pick up black and white, dense books for travel.

[@ftloc]

Lost Girls would be a beast to carry and read and then there’s all the trouble one could get in to as well! And kids, parents, so much trouble to be potentially had. 😀 @Gautam I thought Blankets was an impressive work, very heartfelt and technically accomplished but Habibi kind of took my breath away with the ambition and craft it had. It didn’t feel as intimate as Blankets, and I know there are some who accuse it of orientalism, so I’m not saying it’s universally appealing, but definitely worth a look at the very least.

[@Unwritten_07]

@@ftloc Blankets indeed was impressive, had I not read Essex county before reading it, I probably would have appreciated more. Will definitely check out Habibi. Thanks!

[@rpiaggio]

Man... What you were looking for is "Finder" by Carla Speed McNeil

[@ftloc]

Excellent suggestion,! I just finished the first library volume (I chat about it a bit in my Sci Fi Honorable Mentions video) and maybe I should see if I can find Vol 2 here for the trip back?

[@1971Corwin]

Here's a suggestion for a future flight: "To Be Or Not To Be" by Ryan North and various artists. It's Hamlet in humorous choose-your-own-adventure format, so it would take longer to exhaustively get through that a similarly sized, linear narrative. I was also thinking something like "Alice in Sunderland" by Bryan Talbot, because of its visual density. You could spent some time on each page, and it's a fairly long book. (It might also springboard you into some Google searches to find out more about its various topics along the way) Lastly, the longest flight I've ever taken was about 8 hours. 20 hours would kill me!

[@ftloc]

I'll check that out! I have his follow-up Romeo and/or Juliet, which I was lucky to get signed by him (along with various Squirrel Girl books of course) at New Delhi Comic Con a few years ago. And yes, something like Alice in Sunderland or even Talbot's Arkwright comics could work equally well. As I was saying in another comment here, I am always a little wary of taking comics with nudity/ sex out in public, though. You just never know who decides to raise a stink about what...

[@hamzagardee7593]

Greetings, It’s been a while (finally done with 4 months of exams) - on a summer break for a month and a half or so. Just catching up on all the previous videos I missed. I particularly liked your 20 minute piece on Jason, his work which I’m about to delve into headfirst and the Tintin battle or the box sets was really useful and came at the right time as I’m about to replace/re-buy the whole series (as I’d wrecked my dad’s collection as a child) 🤭. Regardless, the vlog style video was actually really well handled by yourself Sir (more power to you of course) and I’d love to see more of these in the future. Nice that these regular episodes are back. I missed FTLOC whilst I was away. Remind me, I still need to contact you on Instagram at some point regarding a few ideas I had about expanding this community/sharing the videos with others. I’ll do so over the next month hopefully in DM if that’s okay with you 😁

[@ftloc]

Welcome back! I hope your exams went well, but 4 months of them? Ouch! Glad to know you’ve enjoyed the videos you’ve been catching up on, especially the Jason videos😀. Are you planning on getting a Tintin box for yourself or your dad? And yes, feel free to reach out on IG, Facebook or here, I’m usually not hard to get hold of.

[@flaviantropy]

I have the chunky app on the iPad and I fill it up with comics... That way the light is irrelevant, there is content and I do not damage my trades. The downside is I miss the feel of paper in hand

[@ftloc]

Yeah, the more people keep praising the tablet/app combo, the more I wonder if I should give it (yet another) shot. Let's see, let's see. Can you teach an old dog new tricks, I wonder. 😊

[@flaviantropy]

@@ftloc I'd recommend the Chunky app for iPad reading. I tried a few others before, after a lot of trials Chunky hit the sweet spot. Have Paper girls on it for my 5 hour flight out week. And a few more just in case I finish.

[@ftloc]

@@flaviantropy I'll give Chunky a shot; thanks for the recco!

[@ta5777]

@@flaviantropy I recently got the new Ipad Pro 12.9 from comic book reading. It comic pages show the colors the artist intended. I just tried Yac Reader. Maybe I should try Chunky and see which I like better.

[@ta5777]

@@ftloc I recently got the new Ipad Pro 12.9 for comic book reading. The comic pages show the colors the artist intended. I just tried Yac Reader. Maybe I should try Chunky and see which I like better.

[@WalkingManComics]

(Thoughts along the way) Usagi!! Scott's book--excellent choice. Jeez...airports look alike around the world, I guess. And -that- is one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes. Unstable Molecules is also a favorite, certainly one of my favorite FF stories in recent...decades... I'm interested in a video about others' responses to your reading comics "in public" and/or your feelings about reading them publicly. When I traveled with comics, I chose Tezuka's Buddah (a couple of volumes) and Paul Grist's Kane, because as you point out, b&w is easier to read in dimmer places. And, being a lot older than you are, I still have a reticence around publicly reading 'funny books,' but these, why, well! easy to 'defend' to a skeptical public inquiry...which...actually never happened, if anyone even noticed... thanks for another cool video; nice to see your wife, too!

[@ftloc]

Thank you! I think it’s a great idea to try and ‘combat’ public scrutiny with respectability and ‘highbrow’ reading. I haven’t read Kane, and I think I’ll look into it! And thanks for your suggestion, I think I will attempt more personal discussion type videos the more comfortable I get with making chatty videos 😀.

[@ftloc]

And yes, airports tend to blur together after a while, but an experienced vlogger may still have found ways to distinguish between them? 😀

[@WalkingManComics]

[no idea why that dozen words is lined-out-- UNintentional!]

[@arindam_sen]

I've had a dilemma such as yours and selecting the right book becomes such a chore. I've found Joe Sacco's works to be a good choice, I also take some digest sized comics which don't take much space but pack in a lot of story, especially ones collecting Silver Age material like the Marvel Panini books.

[@ftloc]

Yes, Joe Sacco is a great choice! When it comes to marathon flights like these, no level of word count (in comics form, at least) can really do the trick by itself, it will have to be accompanied by density - of form and craft but also ideas. Thought provoking matter which makes you stop and consider before reading on is rare, and you find out just how rare when you try and see what takes the most time for 'seasoned' readers. It struck me in another comment that something as intricate as Habibi could possibly work as well. On the other hand, puzzlebox/twisting plays with the form, books that invite rereading or going back and poring over to make sure you have the threads separate, could be another approach. Which books would qualify there, I wonder.

[@beeman5192]

I just can't stop wondering...wether that's lego on that back shelf 😀

[@ftloc]

Indeed it is! I briefly mention the Lego in the video I made about cleaning my shelves here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXvaepufnduta9k 😁

[@beeman5192]

@@ftloc awesome ! I'm an afol..come join our India wide based group lol 😀 hate dust ! Did some special cabinetry which is about 98% dust proof ..dust+lego=HELL

[@seans.383]

blue, black and white does not really add a third tone- since blue replaces gray, which is already a third tone in most black and white comics.

[@ftloc]

Ah, interesting. I would have thought that white doesn't count, so 'duotone' would be the same as 'two colour printing' (two plates in the CMYK process), one for blue and one for black. But either way makes sense to me, as long as I know not to say 'three tones' , just the way I wouldn't say three colour printing.

[@ppotter]

Enjoy your trip... and r e l a x . . .

[@ftloc]

Thank you; that's the plan!

[@nivinbasheer3736]

Nope, never will i read comics in public, coz i hate all the questions and the looks.More over i wouldnt be able to appreciate the work as needed. Sulptor is great work of art and reading it while travelling isn't the way. Also i will have to worry about not denting or scratching up the book. So never during travels especially by train or plane P. S. Just love the new travel vlog approach expecting to see u visit some comic book stores there. Take care and bon voyage.

[@ftloc]

Personally, I can lose myself in a good book, comic or prose, easily enough where I don't really have a problem appreciating something (as long as I have the right light/glasses!😊), especially when I am sitting in a seat for hours and hours. As for looks, I kind of know what you mean, but 1) on a plane once you are seated, it really doesn't feature and 2) I refuse to let others' ignorance or reactions determine what I choose. People can look at me for the clothes I am wearing, a video game I'm playing, a wife I am holding hands with...how much of what I do will I determine by others' experience/ exposure/ ignorance anyway? I do avoid anything 'mature' that may get a 'scene' started though - even I have my limits on how much of a stand I want to take! But if someone has questions, I am OK with illuminating them , I do have a KZbin channel after all, so I have no issues holding forth, haha. But the risk of damage is a big question. The thing is, I don't even like creasing or scuffing prose books, so any book would need a little bit of care. That's why I don't take singles, TPBs or special editions. A hardcover is hardy enough as long as you protect the corners, I have found, which means a T-shirt wrapped around it in a laptop bag or backpack is usually good. It does add weight, but since I can't read digitally, that's the consequence of my choice I suppose. I'm glad this style of video was enjoyable; I am looking into how I may visit a comic book store / bookshop as a top priority. Let's see how successful I am!

[@ramily7554]

I wish 20th century boys was on digital

[@ftloc]

Ah I'm surprised to hear it's not! I don't read comics digitally myself, but manga in particular seems to be very popular as digital reads (from what I hear from friends) and I would have thought CrunchyRoll or similar would definitely have such a well regarded series!

[@ramily7554]

@@ftloc yeah ive tried to look for it but i just ended up buying the perfect editions which are gorgeous 😍

[@Banguelas]

I get nausea if I read anything while on movement so while I love comics I never read them while traveling

[@ftloc]

I know several people who are exactly the same way. But for some planes are sometimes not as bad as cars or trains. Of course it all depends on the individual and travel conditions. With extremely long trips like these, you sometimes have four or five hours as a layover, so some reading material can come in handy at those times too!