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BY RYAN BROSMER
Two of the biggest events in recent comic-book history happened last week. First and foremost, Captain America was shot and killed by a sniper. Second was the biggest crossover ever: "Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness." Unfortunately, both books were sold out by the time I got off work. EBay, here I come.
The good news is that I've got other things in mind to talk about. For those who tuned in last time, you will remember that I promised a tale of tattooing, and I will not disappoint.
Originally, my first tattoo was going to be the Green Lantern symbol. It represents willpower and the overcoming of fear, and I decided awhile ago that any tattoos I get must represent something important to me, even if they are based around comic book characters.
My plan was to get it over winter break at Fredericksburg's Honky Tonk Tattoo. But after my original plans fell through due to scheduling problems, it was decided that I would shoot for Spring Break (which is currently happening for me).
I decided to relocate my plans to my current headquarters, Richmond, with Salvation Tattoo. Now, I will attempt to retain as much journalistic objectivity as possible here, but that's going to be pretty hard, because Salvation did great work.
I set up appointments for my girlfriend, Brittany, and me--it was to be her first tattoo, as well--and decided on a new design. I settled on something simple, just some script. I was going to have "L'Etranger" ("The Stranger") tattooed on the outside of my right calf by Salvation artist Fred Pinckard.
The meaning behind this design comes from the book of the same name by French author Albert Camus. It is an exceptional book with a lot of personal meaning to me, and is a quick read (at just over 100 pages) for those who are interested.
We arrived at the shop at 1 in the afternoon, and, after a thorough setup, Pinckard began tattooing Brittany first. She was afraid that if I went first she would chicken out, but she did fine. I was secretly probably more nervous. Thirty minutes later, with a tattoo of "Forever" over her heart, Brittany was finished, and it was my turn.
The tattoo really wasn't that painful, probably because it was centered mostly on muscle. The only part that did hurt was when it got close to the bone. The worst pain and discomfort came a couple of hours later, when the area was really sore and tender, but that didn't last very long. If you have something you really want to get tattooed, don't let the fear of the pain hold you back.
A few tips:
1. Don't rush into a tattoo, but it feels really good when you get something you love.
2. Don't be afraid to be picky about the design. It's going on your body, not the artist's. Don't worry if you take more time finalizing the idea than getting the work done.
3. Tip your tattoo artist. Just do it.
Ryan Brosmer is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University.