My comics reading has been extra delightful lately for bookish reasons.

In the third volume of Saga, our heroes visit their favorite author in his writerly solitude and have some fan moments that made me giggle. But then they get to stay at his house for a little while and there are some fantastic panels of our badass hero, heroine, and the badass mother of the hero, having a relaxing evening reading. All of them. Sitting around each enjoying his or her own book. So awesome!

I am in the midst of the newest volume of Rat Queens and the Queens are at Mage University. Delilah goes immediately to the library and gets hyperventilate-y over all the books which makes the librarian on duty super happy. Then there are several panels in lovely dark purples and blues of her deep in the stacks reading books.

Reading in both Saga and Rat Queens is portrayed as something that is not unusual, weird or nerdy, but ordinary, good and relaxing. And it is being done not by bespectacled 98-pound weaklings but by smart, sassy, and dangerous types.

These aren’t the only comics in which readers are portrayed positively. It seems to be happening more and more often — Lumberjanes, Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl. Is it just my imagination or did this trend start along with comics becoming more female-positive and diversity focused? Coincidence or not, it is definitely a happy trend.

Now if only we could get Superman, heck the entire Justice League, to have a moment of relaxing with a book before or after fighting evil. And the Avengers. I want to see the Avengers reading too. I wonder what kind of books Black Widow likes?