I've been getting tattooed for about 8 years now, and the newest edition to my collection, as seen on the right side of your screen, is a Golden Age Green Lantern (Alan Scott). I got this incredibly bright piece on the inner-side of my right leg, creeping over onto the front of my leg... onto my shin. I've always been a huge fan of not only Alan Scott, but also of Golden Age comics in general. I love knowing how this gigantic industry got started, and where some of my favorite characters came from. The Green Lantern, Alan Scott, along with the rest of the Justice Society of America originally appeared in All-Star Comics during the early 40s, and in a sense, this is my ode to the Golden Age of comics as well as World War II. Soldiers read Golden Age comics while having downtime on the battlefield to keep morale up. I know that's a stretch, but oh well. I'm very excited about this one because I'll be building off of it, and it has a Golden Age art feel to it. I plan on getting Alan Scott's face tattooed above it in the next year or so.
== TEASER ==
For those who have never experienced the wondrous world of tattooing, let me describe it for you in a way that you can truly understand. First, tattoos hurt, a lot. If someone with a tattoo tells you that it didn't hurt, they're lying. Call them a liar to their face. Again, all tattoos hurt; however, there are various degrees of pain depending on the location on your body. The upper arm is the easiest. It's a cake walk compared to the shin or "pit" areas. (arm-pit, behind the knee) So, when you have an idea for a tattoo, you print out what you'd like to get and go to the tattoo parlor. (By the way, do your research, there are tons of bad tattoo artists out there) You show the person tattooing you what you want, and the first this they say to you is "this has to be bigger." You sigh and agree. After the artist does his pre-artist things, you sit down in a chair, and the artist shaves your leg. You make remarks back and forth as the artist calls you a gorilla, and you tell him this is your favorite part and you think you may love him. (Yes, I did this over the weekend) The artist puts a carbon copy on your leg and then the artist begins the outline. They ask you over and over if you're doing ok and if you need a break, unless they hate you. As the tattooing continues, the artist may chat it up with you, and if they have a sense of humor, you can joke around and yell things out like "this isn't a butterfly!" As the tattooing comes to a close, you get tired of being in pain and start making hilarious faces of pain. (Sadly, my friend left and didn't take a picture) Then, after 2 1/2-3 hours of some guy inflicting pain on you, you pull out your wallet and pay him a buttload of money. Or, if you're like me, your credit card is declined twice, and you don't know why, so you rely on your girlfriend to put up the money as you embarrassingly leave the shop. (My bank thought my card was stolen) That's about it. Oh yeah, then you're in pain for a few days, especially when you get a tattoo on your calf and it's constantly tense.
This whole debacle was actually planned for C2E2 because they had a tattooing section at the show, but after looking at the tattoo artists there, I didn't feel incredibly positive about getting work done there. So I waited. And as much as G-Man wanted me to get "ComicVine 4 Life" in Old English lettering across my stomach or "Mat & ComicVine: BFF," I've wanted an Alan Scott tattoo for a couple years now. Hope you guys enjoy the story of my pain, especially those who have tattoos and know what I'm talking about. I know there are plenty of people on this site with tattoos on this site, so...
What comic book tattoos do you have? Why did you get it/them? Pictures please!
~Mat "InferiorEgo" Elfring is a comedian, teacher, comic book writer, comic store employee, and addicted to getting tattooed.~
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