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I remember, I was about 7 or so and my dad had brought me this really crappy free Batman comic book, and although I would view it as a crappy one nowadays, it really uhh... opened my eyes to the medium. I don't have that particular issue still, but it began my urge to collect them. I grew up in Miami, so it wasn't the easiest place to find comic books, especially at the age I was (probably about 8 or 9 now). There was this new mall that opened up, though, called Sunset mall, but I called it Sunset Place for some odd reason, and right next to the mall was this really cool, really geeky store. For the life of me (and this kills me) I can't remember the name of it. Well, they sold really cool action figures and ugly geek shirts and posters, and, in the back, a whole room dedicated to comic books... This was my first real encounter with a comic book store.
This place eventually closed down, or moved to a different location (I'm actually not quite sure), but I ended up being unable to find comics within a reasonable driving distance, so my collection grew a bit of dust. Oh, by the way, even at that age I had all my comics bagged and boarded, and I pride myself on that knowledge.
Anyway, I moved to Redondo, California when I was about 13 and I found this awesome store in Manhattan Beach called the Comic Bug. It rekindled the fire within me, and it was the first official comic book store that I went to regularly. Throughout high school I went through periods of time where, I'd be in and out of comics. In fact, I joined the Comic Book Club (Comic Book Union at the time) at Redondo Union High School in my freshman year, and I met some of the best group of friends I could meet. The Comic Bug ended up moving two times during 2007-8 but it was still in the general area it is today. This is one of the best comic book stores I've been to in my life, very cosy, very roomy and if you're ever in the area, do visit it.
I actually went to a lesser comic convention out there in California, Wizard World '07, and I brought a bunch of comics from my collection to be signed by my favorite cover artist, Michael Turner. I got him to sign 15 to 16 of them, and those are my pride and joy. He was going through chemotherapy at the time, as the picture below shows :( But hey, look at that smile on his face.
Anyway, I moved to Scarsdale, New York at about the age of 16, and have been here since. I found the nearest store, Phoenix, and that's a nice place, with great owners. But, as sometimes happens, I've lost interest in the hobby. So, for the past 2 to 3 years, a lot has happened in the comic book world. DC, Marvel, and other. My favorite cover artist, Michael Turner lost his battle to cancer. I didn't know this until about a month ago... You see, I was planning on selling each and every one of my comic book collection on Ebay, but it wasn't until I actually looked at them again that nostalgia hit me. Hard. I sat on the floor that night, next to my long boxes and just read comic books all night. A friend of mine told me he started a booth at the New York Comic Con, and he gave me and a few friends free passes.
Well, that was the key to the unlocking for my hobby of collecting and reading comic books. A lot has happened. Blackest Night, Brightest Day (someone explain this to me...), in the Marvel universe there's a vampire resurgence and an attack on all mutants, and Spider-Man is no longer unmasked. Follow my blog as I recount how I've been getting back into comics, review them, and discuss them.
This place eventually closed down, or moved to a different location (I'm actually not quite sure), but I ended up being unable to find comics within a reasonable driving distance, so my collection grew a bit of dust. Oh, by the way, even at that age I had all my comics bagged and boarded, and I pride myself on that knowledge.
Anyway, I moved to Redondo, California when I was about 13 and I found this awesome store in Manhattan Beach called the Comic Bug. It rekindled the fire within me, and it was the first official comic book store that I went to regularly. Throughout high school I went through periods of time where, I'd be in and out of comics. In fact, I joined the Comic Book Club (Comic Book Union at the time) at Redondo Union High School in my freshman year, and I met some of the best group of friends I could meet. The Comic Bug ended up moving two times during 2007-8 but it was still in the general area it is today. This is one of the best comic book stores I've been to in my life, very cosy, very roomy and if you're ever in the area, do visit it.
I actually went to a lesser comic convention out there in California, Wizard World '07, and I brought a bunch of comics from my collection to be signed by my favorite cover artist, Michael Turner. I got him to sign 15 to 16 of them, and those are my pride and joy. He was going through chemotherapy at the time, as the picture below shows :( But hey, look at that smile on his face.
Well, that was the key to the unlocking for my hobby of collecting and reading comic books. A lot has happened. Blackest Night, Brightest Day (someone explain this to me...), in the Marvel universe there's a vampire resurgence and an attack on all mutants, and Spider-Man is no longer unmasked. Follow my blog as I recount how I've been getting back into comics, review them, and discuss them.
