Hey Kids, Christmas!

This is me, Christmas of 1984. A pretty good haul, though since I never played Dungeons & Dragons I'm not sure why Santa left that for me.

More exciting for this blog's purposes is the issue of Blue Devil sitting next to me. A close-up reveals its Blue Devil #9, on sale in November of that year:

My parents never bought me comics (they could have never figured out what I had), so I must have been carrying this with me at all times that day. That sounds like me.

Hey Kids, Comics! Now on Kindle!

I'm thrilled to announce that Hey Kids, Comics!: True-Life Tales From The Spinner Rack is now available on Kindle for only $2.99! Head over to Amazon to download your copy--and what the heck, get one for a friend for Christmas!

Brewster McCloud - 1971

Actor John Schuck (playing a dim-witted cop) shows up in the trailer to Robert Altman's 1971 oddball film Brewster McCloud, reading a copy of Captain America #121 (cover dated January 1970). I haven't seen the movie, but judging by the trailer, it seems that Altman is using comic book reading as visual shorthand for lack of intellect. Seems funny, coming from the man who would eventually direct Popeye.

"It Is An Omen! I Shall Become--A COLLECTOR!"

Bryan W. Frazier Everyone has that one comic book--the one that turned them from a casual reader into a collector. Mine was Batman #311. Oh, I'd been reading comic books since 1974, but it was always just whatever caught my eye on the spinner rack. But, Batman #311 was different. "Dr. Phosphorus Is Back!!" The cover looked great , Batman shielding special guest star Batgirl from a burning "Skeleton Man!" I had to read this book! So, I paid my 40 cents and I couldn't wait to get home and read the book! I was not disappointed.

The artwork was clear, and yet moody all at the same time. Batman meets Commissioner Gordon on a foggy night. Batman's sudden appearance from the mist so unnerves a police officer, that he takes a shot at the Batman! Fortunately, Commissioner Gordon hits the rookie's hand, causing the shot to miss the Batman. "Officer --, What the Hell?!?!" It was the first time I'd ever seen the word "Hell" in a comic book. I read about Batman's first attempt to bring Dr. Phosphorus to justice when he attacked his former boss, (and the man who was responsible for making him Dr. Phosphorus in the first place--Rupert Thorne) I didn't know at the time of writer Steve Englehart's previous run on Detective Comics. Nor did I realize that this was a new story by Englehart. I just knew that I loved the book. The comic even had Batgirl (whom I knew from the 1966 Batman TV show) , who helped battle Dr. Phosphorus with Batman's own specially treated cape! I became a life long Batman fan thanks to that issue.

I still remember re-reading that comic book on my front porch one day. I was struck by a sudden realization. I already had a few issues in the Batman 300s (#'s 301, 303, and 307-311), what if I went back, filled in the gaps in my collection, and kept buying Batman every month? I could get an unbroken string of issues going all the way to Batman #400! And so, with that, I made sure to grab the newest issue of Batman every month from then onward. I bought (and enjoyed!) Batman month after month from elementary school, through junior high, and on into high school. I still remember the day I picked Batman #400 off of the stands at the Rock Bottom bookstore. I was ecstatic! I was collecting almost everything DC, Marvel, and just about everybody else was putting out by then. I might have started off as a reader but, it was Batman # 311 that made me a collector!

Hey Kids, Comics: Audiobook Free Preview

You can now listen to a free chapter from the audiobook edition of Hey Kids, Comics!: True-Life Tales From The Spinner Rack by clicking the link below!

The audiobook is read by performer Ross Landy, and will be available via Amazon in December. 

Listen: "I Was A College Comics Reader" by Elisabeth Rappe

Glen and Randa - 1971

While at work, I came across the trailer for an obscure 1971 sci-fi film called Glen and Randa, about two teens who have survived some sort of holocaust. The opening moments feature fuzzy-headed (in more ways than one) Glen reading a Wonder Woman comic.

The issue in question is Wonder Woman #58, which was published in 1953, almost a full twenty years before the movie was made! I wonder (no pun intended) who on the crew had their comic book collection raided when it came time for props?

For those interested, you can see the whole Glen and Randa trailer here.

Hey Kids, Comics! @ The 2014 Camden Comic Con!

Hey Kids! I will be attending the first-ever Camden Comic Con, taking place on Saturday April 5th! I will have copies of Hey Kids, Comics! on sale and available for signing, so please stop by and say hello!

You can find out more about the show on its Facebook page and Tumblr.

Friday The 13th Part III - 1982

While guest co-hosting on an episode of The Fire and Water Podcast, blogger and podcaster extraordinaire Michael Bailey mentioned some comics appearing in a scene from Friday The 13th Part III. Even though I've seen the film at least once or twice, I had no memory of this, so I had to track the movie down and check it out--and lo and behold, there they are!

Seen on display are Ghosts #112 (May 1982), Master of Kung-Fu #s 110 (March 1982) and #112 (May 1982), and what looks like Warlord #56 (April 1982). I can't quite figure out how they're displayed, exactly--they look like some set designer just slapped them on the side of a shelf rack with some double-stick tape. They must have wanted them to be seen prominently--if so, mission accomplished!

Let us not speak of that issue of Club.