I just started using Marvel Unlimited, the comic publisher’s streaming comic database where you have a bananas selection of stories to read, and it’s really good.

And that’s it. What else do you want from me? A TV spot?

I mean… let me see…

I really liked G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona’s run on Ms. Marvel. 

I’m really loving Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye, and Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s Squirrel Girl is hilarious and…

And here’s the thing: I am just no good with praise. Like, I’m garbage at it. I hate that I’m so much better at complaining than I am at praising. I can’t even praise myself for being good at complaining. All I can do is complain more. 

I mean, look, I am ABLE to praise, but I’m not nearly as colorful or as fun as when I am ripping into something, and I don’t think I’m the only one. Like savages looking for bloodsport, there’s nothing that gets the internet more riled up than an epic “takedown” or a thorough shredding of someone or something. And though I mean well, I’m not awesome at actually being nice, or even showing it. I am very good at expressing unpopular opinion, and elaborating on why I feel a certain way. I am especially good at it with things that are fictional, that follow a foundation I understand because there’s an order in how it was made. Life rarely offers the same level of structure. 

Tearing into something establishes some sort of control of the situation. But when something is good, especially for me, it defies some of that explanation because it just seems like magic. That magic that we all feel for our favorite shows and mediums, that thing that defies explanation that just gets you. And in those cases, I could theorize why it makes me feel this way, but I’d rather not, because it’s better as magic.

But when it’s bad, I really want to express WHY it’s bad. And that’s a bit dickish of me, I admit.

I wish I could say some nasty, entertaining things about Marvel’s service or the books I’ve read, but really, they’ve all been stellar. Marvel has published some damn good books and stretched itself beyond the traditional “super heroes save the world” format (as have other labels, but since this is just Marvel books here, let’s stay focused on that). Ms. Marvel filled me with the childlike glee I once felt reading Ultimate Spider-Man for the first time. That feeling of hope in a new superhero, exploring their powers, finding their place in the grand scheme, and fighting a cockatiel trying to take over the world (yes). Squirrel Girl is a legitimate laugh riot, each page prompting some form of a grin, because it’s so full of heart. And Hawkeye, my God, is just an excellent series. And where the hell has Kate Bishop been all my life?!

See! I can be positive, but that’s really it. If I like something, I’d rather share it with you than analyze the joy attached to it. I’d rather promise that it’s worth your while than explain why. The books I mentioned above are great books, and I’m hoping to read many other great books with this service. If you want comics on the go, I can’t think of a better one. But when it comes to praise, maybe it’s down to mood, or maybe it’s an x factor related to the writing process. I really only have the nicest things to say here, and yet, I still don’t want to say anything at all.

Please read all those books.

They are super good.

I liked the art and the writing.

I’m still reading them.

They are comics.

I feel like Ron Swanson.