I read some comics as a kid, but my hometown was so tiny and provincial that there was no regular place to get them. Consequently, although I enjoyed them, I never got caught up in them like others did. I'm a voracious reader, so I just concentrated on what I could find, which was a lot of sci-fi and horror novels and short stories. Comics were always a part of my consciousness -- all the other folks I met who read the same stuff I did loved comics and talked about them-I just never read them regularly.

Until recently.

I received a preview copy of a comic in the mail at my day job (I work in a bookstore). The writer was someone I had never heard of, although the preview was quick to point out that he had appeared on MTV's the Real World. I never watched the Real World, but that didn't strike me as a ringing endorsement. Nevertheless, the comic had a catchy title, so I opened it up and gave it a try. I met a 10-year-old genius who had just inadvertently turned his best friend into a large purple dinosaur. I laughed for hours. I ran around work like a little kid, showing the comic to everyone. I called people up and tried to read it to them over the phone. I emailed the author and gushed like a 12-year-old girl. And more importantly, I went to the comic book shop and reserved a copy. The comic was The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, and the author and artist was Judd Winick.

Judd and Barry kick-started me back into comics, and I can't thank 'em enough.
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The first collection of the wonderful Barry Ween comics, which feature the world's most advanced intellect in the form of a profane (but not profound) ten-year old boy who keeps his secret from all but Jeremy, his best friend, while he labors mightily with his research and experiments and occasional mishaps. Currently my favorite comic book, and it's a real pleasure to have them all bound together. For a youthful cynic as obnoxious as Barry is, he really grows on you fast. ( )