A Comic Book Story

When I was a lad, I served a term as office boy to an attorney's firm. I had a double major in Latin and Greek from an Ivy League college, so, really, what other choice did I have?

Anyway, as a studious youth (a.k.a. socially-backward tool), I regularly brought some reading materials with me to enjoy during lunch in the firm cafeteria. Then, as now, my reading consisted mostly of Classical literature and comic books.

One day, I was relaxing at lunch with a copy of the Aeneid (yes--in the original) and the latest issue of Wonder Woman. The head of the firm sauntered over to my table, shoved his thumbs in his vest pockets (it was the '80s, you know), and sniffed,

"I fail to understand how someone who can casually read Latin literature in the original
can also spend his time reading comic books."

I thought about explaining the classical grounding of Wonder Woman, my search for parallels between Diana's mission in 'Patriarchs' World' and Aeneas's nation-founding mission, or the more general equivalence between the iconic characters of comic books and the archtypes of ancient myth.

But I didn't. He didn't really seem to be asking for an explanation, more like ... an apology.

Perhaps I should have answered differently than I did, given that this was the guy whose name was plastered in gold letters on the cafeteria wall and the source of my salary. But one can only push a comic book fan so far, and, besides, where I'm from you don't let people push you around -- and certainly not a Princeton man, like this guy. I mean, really.

So I waited the proper comedic beat and a half, and replied, dead-pan:

"That's simple.
When the comic book gets too complicated for me,
I go back to the Latin."

Needless to say, I didn't exactly make partner, but the satisfaction I got from that moment will last the rest of my life.