Thanks to the wonders of the greatest comic book in the past five years (seriously, everyone should be pre-ordering the collection), I'm back on the smack. And why the hell shouldn't I be?  I mean, whether or not you're gonna buy a copy of GTA IV this next week, God knows you're gonna go see IRON MAN. So, the big question is... why the crap aren't you reading comics?  I mean, you watch movies about them... you play video games based on them... and yet you can't take the plunge?  I know it's intimidating to step up to the plate; especially when you're looking at titles that are about to hit 500 issues. Which is why I'm here to help, with my ideas on how you can support the industry that gives you so much joy.

• After you go see Iron Man this weekend, and are jumping up and down like a six year old after a two liter of Mountain Dew, go to your local comic book store.  "But it's scary" you say?  Sure, it can be.  But not THIS SATURDAY.  This Saturday is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  No shit.  FREE.  You go to your local comic book store, and they will give at least one free comic, from an assortment of special promotional issues.  Some of them a crummy, but some of them are AWESOME.  Sometimes publishers give big previews of new books they're launching, or books specifically designed to catch you up to speed.  Personally, I'm most excited about Dark Horse (who always is great for FCBD) doing a special Hellboy book, in part to promote the upcoming movie.  Check out the preview.  Wow.
• Check out Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited.  This is the best thing to happen ever in the terms of "catching up" with modern comics.  Read greats like Exiles (it's like Sliders with X-Men), Cable & Deadpool (or "when the odd-couple uses guns to solve their problems"), or Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men ('nuff said)... from issue #1.  Some of the books at DCU you can read for free, but most come with the INSIGNIFICANT price tag of $10 a month OR $60 a year.  Well, well, WELL worth it.
• Just buy a book.  Whether it's a collected trade paper back or a single... take a chance.  Pick up a classic, like Watchmen (and if you're totally against spending real money you can even check out something like that at your public library), a simple "run" like the 50 issues of Y: The Last Man, or something new in single form like All Star Batman & the Boy Wonder (written by "big deal" Frank Miller with pencils by Jim Lee).
• Use the internet.  Try not to download too many books (you damn thief), but use it to develop your tastes.  One of my favorite things to do is read Wikipedia articles on comics until I find something that sounds good.  Find artists and authors who speak to you, and support them with your coin.

In short... read a damn comic book.  You can buy a subscription to one for less than four bucks a month (and many comic book stores will give you deals if you subscribe through them).  Stop resisting.  No longer is it uncool (or if someone tells you that it is, be sure to inform them that they can't go see The Dark Knight this summer). And if you don't spend some coin, then the industry is going to go under, because you're an asshole.  And if that happens, you have to answer to these guys, and their over-sized image:

You don't want none of that.  Trust me.