Jim Lee helped me make it through middle school.
While many may not recognize the name, a great many do. Jim Lee is a comic book artist, writer and publisher. A major player in the comic biz for the last fifteen or more so years, back in the late 80's he was a rising star. I still have (and have passed them down to my oldest son) my original Punisher: War Journal collections which he penciled, along with the new X-Men series that he did with Chris Claremont. While not in pristine shape by any means, those worn pages helped me make it through a plethora of tedious and long days at my new school. I even made a few friends through comics (Darren preferred West Coast Avengers while I was a die hard Uncanny X-men kind of guy).
While we didn't have much money, my mother did allow me to splurge on comics twice a month. Ah the anticipation of filling up with gas at Lange's gas station and perusing the comic book display for the latest issues.
High school really allowed me to expand my collection and I really worked to piece together continuous issues (X-Cutioner's Song really kicked my ass!) but it was more than difficult.
I even remember my first Frank Miller comic: Batman: Year One. I bought it at the mall in Tyler while on Christmas vacation. I didn't realize the lasting impression it would leave with me. To this day, I still have it and discover the little nuggets that I often overlooked in the first and twenty-first reading of those books.
I don't buy to many actual comics today anymore. It seems that they have risen in price dramatically (Currently, that pristine copy of 300 that Kris has sitting on his shelf retails for about $25.00 US. I'll buy a few of whatever the boy wants when it's time, but for now, I'll be introducing him to digital copies. Kris is shaking is head; I know it's not the same, but it's an introduction and a chance to really read the comic. The intrinsic value lies in the shared time and the mystic of a mint copy (but still having read the book).
Call me a geek if you will, but you cannot doubt the hotness of Psylocke. For your viewing pleasure...
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1 comment:
Yeah, I'll never be a digital reader. Kindle and others like it aren't for me. I'm sort of a traditionalist when it comes to those sorts of things. Ever stubborn to move away from the paper press. What can I say? I like to hold it in my hands. The same holds true for music. I'd just rather have the hard copy.
It's nice to go back and discover comics again. I've done the same with Ethan, and we hit the comic store every now and again. Which reminds me, it's been a fair amount of time since our last outing. Gonna have to go see what's new.
Great memories. Good post.
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