Chapter 48: The Comic Education
Saturday morning at my penthouse.
Penny's curled up in my reading chair, coffee steaming on the side table. She's wearing one of my t-shirts—faded Captain America logo—and her own jeans.
"So." She sets down her mug. "Teach me."
"Teach you what?"
"Comics. Your whole thing. I want to understand why you care so much about drawings of people in tights."
I stop mid-spreadsheet. "You don't have to—"
"I know. But I want to." She tucks her feet under her. "And before you start, don't dumb it down. Don't explain like I'm five. Just—share it. The real stuff you actually care about."
Something shifts in my chest.
Melissa tolerated my interests. Smiled politely when I talked about new releases. Never asked questions.
Penny's asking.
"Okay." I close my laptop. "Let me grab some things."
Twenty minutes later, she's surrounded by carefully selected trades.
"Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka. This run is—it's about what it means to be a hero when violence is easy and peace is hard."
"Heavy."
"Diana's an Amazon warrior. Trained to fight. But she chooses diplomacy first. Every time." I flip open to a specific page. "See this? Ares—god of war—tells her that humanity doesn't deserve her protection. That they'll always choose violence."
Penny leans in, studying the art.
"What does she say?"
"That choosing hope isn't about what humanity deserves. It's about who she chooses to be."
"Damn." Penny takes the trade, traces the dialogue with her finger. "That's—that's actually really good."
"Right?"
She starts reading properly. Not skimming. Actually reading.
I return to my inventory spreadsheet—ordering for Pasadena needs to be done by Monday. But I keep glancing over.
Penny's engaged. Turning pages carefully. Her expression shifts with the story.
Twenty minutes pass.
"Okay, I have questions."
"Shoot."
"Why is Diana's costume so impractical? Like, fighting in a bathing suit seems—"
"Terrible idea, agreed. Different writers handle it differently. Some say it's Amazon tradition, others that it's psychological warfare—enemies underestimate her. Rucka's run sort of acknowledges it's ridiculous but focuses on her character instead."
"Fair." She flips back a few pages. "And Ares is actually kind of right, isn't he? About humanity choosing violence?"
"Yeah. But Diana's counter is that we also choose love. Art. Kindness. We're complicated."
"Like the comics."
"Like the comics."
She keeps reading. I return to my spreadsheet.
This is—nice. Comfortable. Her in my space, enjoying something I love, not performing interest but actually curious.
"Stuart?"
"Yeah?"
"Why does Ares look like that? The whole beard and armor thing?"
And we're off.
An hour later, we've covered Greek mythology in DC Comics, the difference between Marvel and DC pantheons, why Thor and Wonder Woman have never fought officially (different universes), and how Grant Morrison broke reality in Final Crisis.
Penny's scribbling notes on my notepad.
"This is so much more complicated than I thought."
"Most things are."
"Dan used to say comics were for kids who never grew up."
"Dan was definitely an idiot."
She laughs. "Getting more certain of that every day."
Her phone buzzes. She checks it, grimaces.
"Bernadette wants to know if we're still alive. Apparently we've been radio silent for three hours."
"Three hours?"
I check my phone. 2:47 PM.
We started at 11:30.
"Huh."
"Yeah." Penny stretches, the comic sliding off her lap. "Huh."
"Did you actually enjoy that or are you being nice?"
"Stuart. If I was being nice, I'd have stopped after twenty minutes. I just spent three hours reading comics and asking questions." She picks up the Wonder Woman trade again. "Can I borrow this?"
"Yeah. Of course."
"And maybe—" She hesitates. "—recommend more? I want to read the whole run."
The thing in my chest expands.
"I'll make you a list."
We order Thai food. Eat on the balcony where we had our first date.
"Thank you," Penny says around pad thai.
"For what?"
"Not being condescending. When I asked questions, you just—answered. Didn't make me feel dumb for not knowing."
"Your questions weren't dumb."
"Some guys would've made them feel dumb anyway."
Fair point.
"Can I ask you something?" I set down my food.
"Always."
"Why do you want to understand comics? You could just—date me and ignore the whole thing."
She considers this, twirling noodles on her fork.
"Because you light up when you talk about them. Your whole face changes. You get—" She gestures vaguely. "—more. More alive. More yourself."
"More nerdy?"
"More genuine." She sets down her fork. "You're good at a lot of things. Business, consulting, investments, whatever. But comics? That's what you actually love. And I want to understand what you love."
The words hit harder than expected.
Nobody's ever said that before.
Melissa supported my business. My parents were proud of my success. The gang respects my expertise.
But Penny wants to understand what I love. Not because it's successful, but because it matters to me.
"That's—" My voice catches. "—thank you."
"You're welcome."
We finish eating. Sunset paints the sky orange and pink.
"I should go," Penny says eventually. "Early shift tomorrow."
"Yeah."
We stand. She loops her arms around my neck.
"This was a really good second date."
"We didn't leave the apartment."
"Exactly. No power outages, no disasters. Just—us."
"Boring?"
"Perfect."
She kisses me. Soft and warm and tasting like Thai food.
When we break apart, she's smiling.
"Text me that reading list. I'm serious about continuing."
"Will do."
After she leaves, I compile the list.
Wonder Woman: The Hikeeteia, Sandman (obviously), Saga (if she wants something current), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers run), Runaways.
Strong female leads. Good writing. Accessible but deep.
I'm three recommendations in when I realize I'm smiling like an idiot.
Penny fell asleep earlier with Wonder Woman #3 on her chest. I covered her with a blanket, watched her sleep for a minute before returning to my spreadsheet.
Dating someone who wants to understand your passions is different from dating someone who tolerates them.
Melissa was great. But she never asked to learn. Never wanted to dive in.
Penny spent three hours asking questions about Greek gods and publishing history and character arcs.
That's—that's something special.
My phone buzzes.
Penny: Home safe. Send that list. And Stuart?
Me: Yeah?
Penny: I really like you. Like, a lot. Just wanted you to know.
I stare at the text.
Me: I really like you too.
Penny: Good. Because you're stuck with me now.
Me: Promise?
Penny: Promise.
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