Writing that does not deserve to be takne seriously tends to >merely shoot for a visceral effect (like pornographic lit, romance lit, >most horror fiction, comic books, etc) without linking that to something >more meaningful than the twinge in the gut itself. > just so everyone out there knows that deep down i'm just a comic book nerd, i have read some comics that were actually quite insightful and a few that were life shaping (at least moreso than, say, _The Scarlet Letter_). Examples: Sin City, Peter David's work on X-Factor, and the infinitely under-appreciated Hellshock by Jae Lee. i'd love to continue, but the computer lab is closing all around me and i'm starting to feel trapped--matt