If you want to be serious, you can tell the Comic Book Shop Guy that it’s in his best interest to see comics as a much more inclusive space where people of diverse backgrounds can join together to celebrate innovative storytelling and keep comics publishing alive. And you can tell the person living in stereotypes that comics are a super vibrant art form, and at least since the moment Maus won the Pulitzer Prize it has been socially acceptable for smart people to take comics seriously. … but sometimes, the moment demands an especially snarky comeback. I have a few: Because remember: only jerks make people feel like they don’t belong in the world of comics, for any reason at all.
