I'm somewhere between a First-born and a pre-movie book fan. Not quite sure where I stand.
I attempted to read LOTR first in late 2000-early 2001, between the ages of 12 and 13. I'd noticed some of my classmates were doing so, and I thought the covers were interesting. I was a big Star Wars geek, and I was looking for an action-packed story. I didn't find it, and halted only a couple pages from the end of FOTR. I did, however, have a sense that there was a larger picture, something I was failing to grasp for whatever reason, and that I should absolutely come back to LOTR.
I then proceeded to mostly forget about it, until seeing the preview for FOTR in early November 2001, almost a year later. By then, I was fast approaching 14. I decided that NOW was the time to go back and attempt LOTR again. Someone expressed surprise over a 2-week read. I spent the majority of Veteran's Day weekend on the couch, reading. It took me 3 days. I was hooked. Over the course of the next few months, I read it 6 times or so, before attempting to limit myself to the traditional single read once a year. I've been here pretty much ever since.
As to the comic, I believe I fit into the sword-waving category the best...hahaha. I was in full hobbit costume for both TTT and ROTK. What can I say? I'm a theater kid. Any excuse to go out in public in costume is a good one, LOTR doubly so.
