I believe that I may have taken the second last step in my transformation into full blown geek. I have developed a liking for "graphic novels". Some people will try to tell you that "graphic novels" are nothing more than comics. To those people I would like to say "... are not!".

If you'd asked me a week ago what a TPB was, then I would probably have scratched my head, and answered with a "I dunno". In my life, a week can be a very, very, very long time!

So my guilty habit began with Wolverine: Origin (Marvel Premiere Classic). It delves into the childhood and formative years of Wolverine, arguably the most popular of all the X-Men characters. If you've ever wanted to know where he came from, then this is a good place to start. I can't really say any more about it without giving too much a way, and potentially spoiling it. I will say it was definitely a good read, but suited for 'mature' audiences only.

I then moved on to Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition). The imagery in this one was far less 'comic book' and the subject matter dark. With the Joker having taken over the Arkham Asylum and threatening to kill hostages if Batman doesn't admit himself to the Asylum, Batman goes inside, learning more about himself, whilst we learn more about the origins of Arkham Asylum. Interesting read. Recommended for Batman fans. Probably not for the casual Bat dudes.

The last "graphic novel" I've absorbed was Cable/Deadpool Vol. 1: If Looks Could Kill. I got into the Cable/Deadpool thing because I couldn't track down any solo Deadpool collections. The Deadpool stories are probably the coolest ones I've read. There's humor and loads of intertextual references. Deadpool holds a fixation for a variety of things, including Bea Arthur, the Olsen Twins and duct tape. 'If looks could kill' sees Deadpool finding a solution for his weird looking appearance, and unwittingly finding himself in the middle of a bizarre cult set on creating a world without individuality. I loved this one so much, I went out and picked up all the other Cable/Deadpool collections I could find. At the moment, the only one I'm missing is Vol.5. I'll keep looking.

So, figured out what TPB stands for? Trade Paper Back

And what is the final step to full blown geekdom? A World of Warcraft subscription. At this stage, that is not a step I'm prepared to take!