Batman

Tonight was the last night one of our shelvers would be working at our library, and he’s not just a good guy, but a true asset to our staff because he does so much more than just the tasks assigned to him. Although I’ve always kind of giggled at the anime group that congregates at our library, he was one of only two members who ever seemed to grow up, and I was proud to work with him.

So, as he worked and wandered the library, saying goodbye during his last shift, we told him to slack off and do something he enjoyed, which he wasn’t going to do.

Being cruel, I suggested he shelf-read the easy readers, which was met with boos and hisses.

My coworker suggested he shelf-read the graphic novels, and the young man said it’s too easy to get distracted and start reading them.

This is where the age difference became apparent.

She said, “Oh, go ahead. If you find a Batman you haven’t read, go ahead and read it.”

You should have seen the look of insult and indignity on his face. He backed up, repulsed, shook his head in disbelief and said incredulously, “Batman?”

It was as if she had just recommended he watch a Rainbow Bright video.

She apologized, laughing, making fun of herself for not knowing what’s cool and for thinking Batman could possibly still be something people under 30 read, and we all chuckled.

Batman? As if!

I said, “Well, we can’t pronounce any of the actual graphic novels you’re into, so Batman was the only thing she could say that was a graphic novel.”

He smiled, shook his head sternly, and insisted he doesn’t read Batman.

You know, there’s only so much condescension we can take from an anime kid, even the one we like, before we have to defend our uncool selves.

She said, with no small amount of accusation, “But if it was a Japanese Batman, then you’d read it!”

I busted out laughing, picturing an anime Batman, and said, “Yeah, Batman would be cool if he was 5 years old and had gigantic eyes, and blue hair cut straight across with bangs or something, right?”

We were all laughing then, and our young Batman-hater said, “No, he’d have to have pink hair, not blue.”

That’s when we lost it.

Damn, I’ll miss him.