B.W. Richardson

Sunni: You're very welcome. I'm glad you're finding Sunni's Salon worthwhile! I think perhaps the thing that resonates well between us, aside from the individualistic and pro-freedom outlook we share, is an interest in culture. What led you to that focus?

B.W.: Probably my dad and mom. We'd go on vacation and they'd bring a pile of books, Perry Mason and Agatha Christie and E.E. Doc Smith. They'd give us some money for comic books and we'd sit on the porch of our rental cabin up in Vermont and read all day. Later on I graduated to book-books—probably when I encountered Ray Bradbury for the first time—but I never quite let go of comics. Music, too. Dad loved big band music and so the stereo was always going, and we got our own stereos in our teens. Gotta have music, and TV and movies. Ever read or seen High Fidelity (book / DVD)? I'm like that guy: I love lists. And again on culture, one of my proudest claims is that I saw Star Trek coming, and I was sitting in front of the TV set at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 8, 1966, and saw the debut episode of Star Trek and was telling my little buddies how cool it was the next day. First movie I ever saw eight times was 2001: A Space Odyssey. Or was it Yellow Submarine? Which one came first? I was into the weird things: What does it all mean? Who the heck is laughing at Dave when he's in that room at the end of 2001? And why? Why? WHY?

Sunni: [laughing] I don't know! And I lost track of the things I want to respond to in your burst there! But I was into weird things too, but not so much science fiction back then. Probably just because I didn't know it existed. And here's another confession for you: although it's been terrific seeing a lot more pro-freedom work showing up in cartoons, especially graphic novels like what Scott Bieser's been doing, I have a very hard time getting in to a lot of that genre.

B.W.: Oh my god, oh my god, say it's not true, it can't be true ...

Sunni: [laughing] Told you I'm a normal human being with quirks and blinders and all that ...

B.W.: Oh, I've spent most of my life presuming I'm not a normal human being for all the time I spent looking at comic books even after I was an alleged adult.

Sunni: Well, I didn't mean normal in that sense. But anyway, it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I read a Spider-Man comic that thoroughly engrossed me—and I wouldn't have known of it at all if it hadn't been for Paul's generosity in mailing me a copy. I loved it ... but your recent post on his response to the Superhuman Registration Act didn't capture my interest enough to buy the issue, or try to learn more. So is this some kind of sex-linked genetic deficiency? [laughs] Am I permanently out of the boys' club with this confession, or is there hope for me?

B.W.: I don't know why, there really is a disproportionately low number of girls in the comics stores.

Sunni: I did read and enjoy V for Vendetta way back when, if that eases your horror ...

B.W.: A little bit, and V of course is a grownup comic or, if you will, a graphic novel. So maybe the deal is you never got into little boys' books—much as I hate to suggest that Spider-Man was aimed at little boys.