A Love of Comics….

My parents introduced me to comics at an early age to start me reading.  Both my parents read comics as children, my mom read mostly Disney stuff and my father was forced to read Classic illustrated by his mom…lol.  My parents always promoted and took interest in whatever it was I wanted to try to do.  So they often drove me across town (from Decatur to North Decatur Mall) to Art Moods Comic shop.  I was really only into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe and Amazing Spider-man from Marvel comics.  I didn’t really know anything else, and of course as I got older I brought other titles.  I eventually started working at Art Moods which later became the Comic Company and the world was perfect…lol.  Every penny I made was sank right back into that store.  At the time Sunday was our slow day, and it was spent reading the previous weeks comics so we could inform customers on what was good in our eyes.  One faithful Sunday I got to work with the new co-owner of the store, and it was a sunday that would change my life in comics.  As I sat on the stool reading the comics I liked and staring at the new owner from over the top of the comic trying to figure out if he was cool or mean…lol…we started talking.  This man knew everything there was to know about comics.  I mean not just mainstream things, but HISTORY…the who, the why, and the when of comics.  For example, I mean anyone can tell you that there were 3 issues of the magazine Web of Horror, but how many people know that there were other issues planned and that they split up the 4th issue and put the stories into various fanzines of the time.  Yeah I know, pick your jaw up off the floor and trust me when I tell you the man knows Comics…lol!

Anyway, Bruce pulled out a short box and proceeded to introduce me to the “Universal Church of Truth Saga” by Jim Starlin…..He started putting issues of Strange Tales and Warlock into the box followed by Marvel two-in-one annuals and Captain Marvel.  After that he went through the box meticulously and carefully putting the saga in order based on the story.  Bruce explained everything to me and how everything fell into place. MAN…Words cannot describe what that man and that saga did to me.  I went home that night and read every issue….EVERY ISSUE!  The next day when I saw him I told him everything about what I thought and how great it was.  He stood there nodding because he knew the sleeper had awakened…lol.  This began my education of comics taught to me by my Uncle Bruce….Many great lessons followed; Barry Smith’s 4 issue mini Machine Man (each cover shows more of the face of the robot becoming complete), Perez New Teen Titans, Wrightson’s Swamp Thing and House of Mystery comics, Gulacy’s Master of Kung-Fu, Steranko Captain America, Neal Adam’s Batman…well everything Neal Adams…LOL!  And so much more…the man introduced me to things I didn’t know existed, mainly: the Golden Age, Silver Age, and Modern Age.  And I have to mention that my Aunt Nancy aka Nanbo, taught me a few lessons mainly how to pick a hit.  LOL, I mean she picks certified hits and doesn’t even try, so while I was picking up 10 copies of Silver Sable with the foil cover Nancy was picking up Sandman #1, Too Much Coffee Man, Plop!, etc.  It’s safe to say her collection rivals mine and she may not even have a long box full..lol.  Well I hope that doesn’t scare you away from the Blog 🙂 and I manage to squeeze a hit or two in there.  So throughout the education I received, and still receiving I still kept a huge love for the Independents.  What can I say I am an 80’s baby and I will always love the 80’s B&W Independent comics.  Books like TMNT, Gizmo, Trollords, Fish Police, Cerebus, Grips, Miami Mice, Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot, etc…so feel free to drop me a line and lets exchange favorite series and continue to enjoy this great hobby!

Thanks Uncle Bruce and Aunt Nancy…Love Ya’ll!

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