Don't Judge a Comic Book By Its Cover (Akshay)

Akshay sighed. Of course today would be a shipment day and he had forgotten to sign up Rebecca for it. He was so going to rectify that mistake as soon as the day was over. Of all the days for him to not sign up the pretty redhead for, today had to be the day. Well, Rebecca was going to find a nice change in her schedule the next time that she came in.

…

…When was that again?

He groaned. He really needed to start memorizing the schedules of the people he worked with. It was quite silly of him to not too. After all, he hoped to own this comic store one day and he really could not do that if he did not even know the names and schedules of his employees. At least he was ahead of the game insofar by knowing names. Now once he got the times that they would be here memorized then everything should be a go!

“Sign here!” a burly man muttered.

Akshay grinned as he stood behind his counter and quickly plucked up his lightsaber pen and marked his John Hancock onto the sheet of paper he was offered. Once that was done, he smirked as the burly man heaved a pair of large boxes onto his counter with an audible THUD. Akshay winced as he stared at the massive box.

“Ummm…care to help me move that to that back room?” he pleaded.

“Sorry, I have to keep to schedule,” the man replied and made his exist.

Akshay lowered his head sadly as the man walked out. Left alone with a very large and heavy box, SO not cool! He shook his head. He grabbed the edges of the box, straightened his back, tightened his muscles, and prepared to move it—

Cling-Cling!!

He was startled by the sound of customers walking into his store. He turned and watched a gaggle of young men and children meandered into his store. The majority of them were regulars but there were a couple of faces he didn’t recognize. They were good kids, so long as they did not mess up his shelving or bend the spines of the books.

He waved at them with a wide grin.

“Hi guys!” he announced as he turned back to the behemoth of a box. There was no point in trying to carry the damn thing, he might as well just open it here.

The tape was ripped off and he pulled open the flaps, revealing a fresh crop of manga. Not his absolute favorite but he could respect comic books in a new form, so long as they kept reaching out to audiences. Grabbing a couple, he kept an eye on the kids as he maneuvered his way over the manga section. Once there, a hand full of new issues, he paused when he notice that there was a young kid there, simply gawking at the variety of books. Bleach was a popular title with a long run. He wondered if the kid was a fan.

Akshay smirked as he moved near him.

“Hey little man,” Akshay grinned. “Can I help you find something?”

Akshay tilted his head a little once his question was asked. A quick glance to the boy and Akshay could see that the boy was a little confused, maybe even a little flustered. He hoped that he was not disturbing him as he was trying to make an important selection. That was really the main reason why he had ask if he could help him to find anything. Just to give him a little direction in case he knew what he wanted but just know where to search for it.

But as he shifted the books between his hands in order to help out if need be, he noticed that the boy seemed to be even more flustered looking.

>> "Um... I... I don't really know what I'm, uh, looking for. I came with friend because I've never been to a comic book store before, so I guess I'm not really looking for anything."

The whole of Akshay world began to collapse around him. A young boy…who’d never…been…in a COMIC BOOK STORE BEFORE!? The Wordsmith had to calm his throbbing heart. Seriously, what was WRONG with parents these days? He had never even heard of such a cruel punishment before! Denying a child the thrill and majesty of comic books? Never in his wildest dreams did he think that anyone could be so demented.

He sighed heavily, his face contorting into a look of sympathy for the young lad. This was definitely something that he was going to have to change. He could teach the boy! Hell! If he could teach Rebecca, he could teach just about anyone!

>> "I think there's something wrong with this book. They put the front on the back and the back on the front... they did it to another one of these books, too."

Another arched eyebrow and he tilted his gaze down to the book that was being shown. Immediately he knew that as last month’s issue of Bleach, but there was something wrong with it? He then focused in on the rest of the statement and he soon realized what the boy was talking about. Something wrong? The kid had apparently just never dealt with a manga before. He smiled sympathetically as he found a place on the shelf to set down the books he was about to slip onto the shelves.

He then knelt down in front of the boy as he took the book gentle from him and gave it a once over.

“Does look wrong, doesn’t it?” he said. But there was no malice or mockery in his voice. “It’s just because you’re not used to it. See…these,” he said as he referred to the rest of the books on the shelves around the boy, “they’re a special kind of comic book called a ‘manga’. They come from Japan and there,” he opened the “back” of the book and directed the boy to the page one, “ “They need their manga’s from right-to-left.”

Akshay had hoped that he hadn’t had embarrassed the boy or anything. He tried to explain what manga was as gently as possible to prevent that. Not everyone knew about such things and, seeing that the boy had never been in a comic shop before, Akshay was not a bit surprised. But he hoped that the boy would not take personal offense to his explanation.

Thankfully, though, it seemed that boy was not too embarrassed by his mistake. Excellent!

>> "Oh, Um, my bad."[/color]

Akshay smirked and shook his head.

“No need to apologize, Little Man,” Akshay said with a nod. “We all need to learn sometimes.”

>> "Are all the books... manga... here? And are there any for older kids?" [/color]

Wow. Apparently this kid really had absolutely no clue about comics or manga of ANYkind. He was like a complete and total blank slate. But as Akshay stood there, watching him, he saw that look in the kid’s eyes. The look that said that he was hungry for more knowledge, that he wanted to learn and to understand the colorful, 2-D world which Akshay lived in every day. Yes, the wordsmith could see that spark of interest. The blank slate was turning into a willing sponge, seeking information in order to fill itself up.

Bravely, Akshay knew that he was going to have to take on the task of teaching this boy. And he was only too happy to do so.

Still kneeling, he smirked as he shook his head to the boy’s first question.

“No, not all the books are manga here. Only this section. The rest,” he said as he waved to the rest of the collection around the store, “are standard comic books. Read left-to-right, as you would normally read.”

But he stood when the boy had given him his next question. Comics for older kids? A small smirk appeared over his face. He had the PERFECT one in mind. He quickly gave the boy a gesture that told him to remain still. Once he saw that he was not moving, Akshay moved over to his counter and fished around until he found a comic. With it in hand he turned back to the blank slate of a child and proudly held it out for him to take.

“This is the first issue of Slaggathor the Were-zombi-pire-stein Slayer! Seems just adult enough for you,” Akshay said with a nod. But not before he leaned in and whispered. “But I wouldn’t show that to your mom.” He winked.

Akshay grinned as he showed off his most crowning achievement to the child, his very own comic book. He really was very proud of his own work, and not in a conceded way, or anything. It was just that he had achieved something that few people had every managed to achieve. Though he did fear the success of his “masterpiece” that in no way meant that he was not proud of it. He was glad that he had reached as broad an audience as it did. And yeah, it was not making him a million dollars, but at least he had his foot in the door. And that was a lot more than a lot of comic artists had these days.

But he smirked as he watched the boy look it over. He seemed to be impressed and that only make Akshay’s heart soar. Another fan in the making? God, he really hoped so. He loved meeting fans.

>> "What is a--'Were-zombi-pire-stein Slayer'?"

He laughed, heartily. He was not surprised. The title brought a lot of confusion to a lot of people but to those that got it, they had all shared a hearty laugh. But Akshay did not hold it against the boy that he did not know about it. After all, he admitted that he had absolutely no previous knowledge or experience with comic books. Therefore it was probably safe to surmise that he knew nothing about many pop culture references.

It’s all good. It just meant that the boy needed to be school and Akshay was only too glad to help.

“You see, the title is just kind of ironic. There’s a lot of vampire, werewolf, angel teenage romance stories out in the market right now. You know,” he said as he waved to a cardboard cutout at the BACK of the store of a very pale, very sparkly vampire. “Like him over there. So, this character is gets to kind of kick ALL[/b] of their butts. It’s very exciting and very action packed. And I should know,”[/color] he grinned as he gently took the comic from the boy and flipped it around to the back. In the back of it was a picture of the very man the boy was speaking to and his name underneath the photo. “After all, I’m Akshay Malik.” he beamed as he held out his hand to shake the kid’s. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Akshay did not know what he was expecting. Maybe for a fangirlish squee or instant adoration and respect! Hell, maybe even for the skies to part open and shine a beam of golden light down upon his brow. Just some form of angelic recognition of who he was. But there were two things wrong that scenario: 1) Akshay vastly overrated his popularity in the comic scene. After all, his comic was little more than an indie comic and circulated in small groups; and 2) the boy already admitted to knowing absolutely nothing about comics.

So, as one can see, there were a vast many holes in his plan to gain adoration from the boy. And that was proven by the way the boy simply looked between the back cover and himself.

>> "Chase…N-nice to meet you."

Chase, apparently, was just not making the connect. Akshay sighed a little sadly, his dream of fame fading more and more. At least he still had fun writing and drawing what he loved, right? So, shaking the melancholy off he turned his attention back to Chase in order to school him further on comics when suddenly he paused. Chase stood there, his eyes growing wide with amazement.

Guess those gears finally clicked into place? Akshay thought to himself. But he smirked as he watched the boy…

>> "Mr. Akshay…If you write comic books, why do you work here?"[/color]

Million dollar question, he thought.

It was true. After all, Akshay wanted to be a comic book writer and artist! He wanted to live up to those great artists and writers that adorned the walls and shelves all around him! So…why was he still working in the shop then? Maybe it was out of respect for his fellow artists? Maybe it was because he wanted to pay his dues? Or maybe he simply was just loyal to this nice comic shop that gave him his best job ever in the first place? Whatever the reason, the end result was still the same…he still worked here.

He smirked as he nodded to the boy.

“That is a vast and deep mystery, Chase,” Akshay said with an sage-like look on his face. “But for now, let’s just say it’s because I like comics.” he grinned wide. “So, what else are you interested in? I’m usually pretty good about helping customers find their dream comic book series.”

The kid seemed slightly satisfied with his answer to the question. In all honesty Akshay tried to avoid thinking about that question too long. He was not embarrassed in the least that he worked in a comic store still as a clerk, but it did seem rather silly that he was a comic artist and working in the store in his old position. If anything Akshay should have been a manager or at least an owner of one by now. But unfortunately such opportunities never sprang up for him. So in the mean time he existed how he had to. Maybe one day…

He blinked the thought away as he smirked, looking around at the rest of the comic books. This place would always feel like his home.

A meek sound from Chase and Akshay turned his attention back to the boy as he wracked his brain, trying to think of what he wanted. He knew that this would be difficult. If Chase had no experience with comic books then he was going to be hard pressed to consider whatever it was that he liked. But Akshay did not doubt his ability he had bragged about mere moments ago. In truth he actually was quite good at picking out comics for newbies.

>> "Um... Well... cops are really cool, and.... sharks... bugs... erm... science and math. I dunno. I like going on adventures. And, uh, mutants are pretty cool, too."[/color]

He nodded understandingly, stroking his chin in thought. Those were some extremely varied interest but he had comic titles for each that seemed the most appropriate for Chase. But…another question popped into his head, one that he did not want to ruin the boy’s experience…or his own wiggle room…

“Hey,” he carefully, not trying to sound mean or prying. “You know, since I don’t want to pile you down with too many books, why don’t you tell me how much you got to spend so that I way, I can give you only the most creamiest of the crop I have for sale here.”

((OOC: Gina, please excuse me for the length of this post and the number of pictures it has, LOL. I got carried away. And I did photomanip the first two comic covers. The last one is real! It really looks like Jorge! Enjoy!))

The boy looked cute as he stood there, thinking to himself how much money he actually had on him. Akshay did not want to pry. Normally he didn’t care how much money a customer had. If they knew what they could afford then they would get them. But Chase was different. He had never bought or read comics before. Therefore it was going to be difficult for him to not want to spend his money on everything that Akshay threw at him. Especially if the boy developed a real taste for comics.

But those were simply the chances one had to take. At least if Akshay knew a price point and the boy’s interest he would be able stealing all the kid’s money. After all, it would be a real shame to make him penniless.

Besides, he didn’t want his mother to come down on him with the wrath of god.

>> "I have thirteen dollars… And... eighty-three cents."[/color]

He smirked and nodded. Definitely reasonable to satisfy the boy’s interest and not leave him in the dog house. The Wordsmith could definitely work with that.

>> "I-If I had to pick only a few things…Cops... adventures and... mutants. Or crime-fighting mutants."[/color]

Akshay paused, stroking his chin as he thought about which comics would world well for the boy. He smiled and let out a little laugh when he saw Chase mimic a devastating looking karate chop. Akshay stepped back, feigning fear as he watched the boy to see if he would deliver another move. He nodded in an impressed manner though.

“Haha, alright, alright. I think I know EXACTLY which titles would be good for you. Follow me and be…amazed.” he chuckled as he led Chase away.

Walking up to the normal shelves of comics, Akshay peered at the newer, lesser known titles since they would be the cheapest but so held a majority of the boy’s interest. He snooped around, peering left and right until finally he found one that he was looking for.

“Ah, this one,” he said as he plucked it off the shelve and kneeled down until he found another one. Then he stood and sauntered over to the farthest end of the shelf and picked out the absolutely best one that would work for the boy. When he was done, he smirked as he turned around and kept the covers of the comics pressed against his chest. After all, he wanted to see the boy’s amazement at his amazing powers of picking out comic books. Taking a breath, he grinned as he looked to Chase.

“Ready, little man? Check this out,” He turned over the first comic to Chase and it was a title revealed to be called Surf Shark. “This comic is about a marine biologist who gets into a lab accident and becomes…Surf Shark! The toughest set of teeth in the Blue! He fights crime and battles monsters that threaten his home of Hawaii.”

After he explained he handed over the comic to Chase. Once Chase was done surveying the cover, he turned around the next comic book. This was had a group of superheroes on the cover and had the title of Hero People.

“That one is about a group of heroes who come together to defend the planet Earth from all sounds of nasty ne'er do wells!” he grinned excitedly as he pointed to the various heroes. “That’s The Condor, that Visor-Girl, and of course, they are led by one of my personal favorites…Uncle Sam!” He beamed and handed that comic over to Chase.

Again he waited until Chase was done surveying that comic before he finally revealed the last comic cover. Akshay did not know it, but the lead character in this comic, a detective, bared a striking resemble to a certain NYPD Mutant Related Crimes officer by the name of Jorge Cervantes. All Akshay knew was that the comic was new, it was popular, and it was striking home with a lot of readers. He smirked as he turned over the last comic to Chase, which was simply called Powers.

“This one, is one of my favorites. In the town of City-tropolis, there is a cop by the name of Christian. He and his partner work for the police department, solving superhero related crimes and problems!” he grinned as he handed it over to Chase. “They haven’t said so, yet, but soon they are supposed to be revealing whether or not Christian has an super powers himself. So exciting!”

Akshay sat back on his haunches and watched Chase for a moment. It was only when Chase was done looking that he smirked and nodded.

“So what do you think? They sound good to you?” he beamed.