Data Sheet: Marc Sobel

NAME: Marc Sobel

BIRTHPLACE: St. Louis, MO

AMBITIONS: Create honest, informed, well-written criticism without taking comics too seriously. Continue to improve my writing, both fiction and non. Finish Shelf Life.

TURN-ONS: Women who get baseball. Waitresses.

TURNOFFS: People who can’t have a rational discussion about politics.

GREAT COMICS: Love & Rockets, Watchmen, Maus, Acme Novelty, Persepolis, Miracleman, Little Nemo, Hate, Sandman Mystery Theatre, Two-Fisted Tales, Criminal, Concrete, etc.

FAMILY LIFE: I’ve been married seven years and have a two-year-old son.

FAVORITE FOOD: Sri Lankan (I married into it). Homemade Chex mix.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT COMICS: Old anthologies and fanzines, thoughtful, challenging stories, artists with distinct visual styles, the blogosphere, eBay, MoCCA, the people (for the most part).

WHAT I DISLIKE ABOUT COMICS: The influence of Hollywood, the weekly deluge of mediocrity, speculators, variant covers, art comics snobbery, excessive digital coloring, spoilers.

FAVORITE COMICS CREATORS: Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Alan Moore, Marshall Rogers.

FAVORITE NON-COMICS CREATORS: Steven Millhauser, J.D. Salinger, Michael Chabon, Kurt Vonnegut, Paul Auster.

FAVORITE MUSICIANS: Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, Ani Difranco, Patty Griffin, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Johnny Cash, White Stripes, Todd Snider, The Beatles, Tesla, Janis Joplin, Eric Bibb, Ben Harper, Massive Attack, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen.

FAVORITE MOVIES: The Big Lebowski, Dark Knight, Before Sunrise, Alien, Goodfellas, Awakenings, Top Secret, Into the Void, Grizzly Man.

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: Twin Peaks, Buffy/Angel, Arrested Development, Reno 911, BSG.

IDEAL EVENING: Well, my wedding night was pretty hard to top.