Favorite memories associated with comics

[garthgantu]

Okay, dunno if this qualifies as a "fight" but I remember at BayCon 2 in San Francisco, getting verbally abused by Frank Brunner... This was shortly after Howard the Duck #1... I wanted his autograph, but didn't wanna blow 50 cents or so on a book he'd done (already had two copies of HtD #1 at home)...so I asked him to sign the 'map' of the exhibition hall floor. Now Jim Starlin, Jack Kirby and several other greats had been happy to do this, but Frank just went off on me.

 

"What, you're not even gonna BUY something for me to sign?! - etc. etc." (He was selling some overpriced independent title he'd developed that no one seemed interested in.)

I was 12 at the time, just stood there taking it... finally he signed the damned thing, but I'll never forget what %$#@!*& he was about it...

[ninanina]

...but Frank just went off on me.

 

"What, you're not even gonna BUY something for me to sign?! - etc. etc." (He was selling some overpriced independent title he'd developed that no one seemed interested in.)

I was 12 at the time, just stood there taking it... finally he signed the damned thing, but I'll never forget what %$#@!*& he was about it...

 

 

Frank, that ain't no way to treat a 12 year old. Hope you didn't develope any psychological problems like Bug.

 

 

[underthebigw]

Almost too many to write down, but here are a few:

 

--Going away on vacation to the Jersey shore and, for some reason bringing about 20 books I had with me (some good stuff, including Capt. King Size Special 1) in my Mead Capt. America folder. As we drove down, my throat began to hurt and, by Sat. night I was flat-out sick. The next morning, after going to Church, my father hit every newstand on the island, many of which did not have returns picked up on a regular basis. He brought home a stack of about 40 books, many of which were consecutive issues. I couldn't get over it--as a casual reader I rarely ever picked up a continued story, so it was a thrill to read runs of 3 or 4 issues. I had decided to "collect" comics, but dreaded telling my best friend at home for fear of being labelled a dork. I came home 2 weeks later only to have him beat me to the punch. While I was gone, he had decided to start collecting.

 

--That same friend and another and I endlessly harrassing our parents every weekend to stop at the local newstand on the way home from bowling in our Sat. league. We often started with the begging the night before and never hesitated to manipulate the car-pool if someone's parents couldn't spare the time.

 

--On one of these trips to the newstand my father drove. He implicitly encouraged the hobby (still denies this, though) but never stopped chastising me for spending too much money on new issues. As my friends and I were perusing the spin-racks, by father roamed around. He beat me to the cashier and when I walked up there, he was paying for the Famous 1st edition of All-Star Comics 3. I was incredulous. Every time I even suggested buying a Treasury or FFE, I caught endless grief about spending that kind of money on one book. I asked him what the hell he was doing (I actually think I used that word). He looked at me like one of my friends and matter-of-factly said, "I used to have this issue when I was a kid. I wanted to read it." My jaw dropped as he walked to the car leaving me at the cashier. There was no distracting him the first half hour we were home.