Reconnecting through comics 0

[newshane]

There is no need to go beyond the word "contentious" when describing the relationship I've shared with my father. It hasn't been all bad, but the bad was really bad. I will leave it at that. 

Last night, he and my mother came to watch my 23-month-old daughter while my wife and I attended the symphony in Nashville. It was only our third date since the birth of our daughter, so the relief was very much appreciated as my wife and I reconnected. 

Before we left, I showed dad some of my coffee-table books, which include my Gerber Guides. I encouraged him to flip through, and it wasn't long before he was asking to see the Superman section. 

"I remember buying these down at the drugstore," he said. "Where is the one where he races The Flash?" 

I explained that Superman 199 probably wasn't in the guide because it was too recent of a book, but we got to talking about it.

"Yeah, I remember we were all waiting to see who would win. Then we cracked open the book, read it, and found little to do with the race in the actual story. We had just learned in school 'to never judge a book by its cover' and I never forgot that lesson after reading the book." 

Just a nice, simple exchange, but important as it showed a side of him I rarely get to see - an honest look at who he once was. I find it very warming, actually, when I consider that he was reading the same kind of entertainment that I one day would, standing wide-eyed and staring at the spinner rack in the back of my own local grocer.  

As a disclaimer, I've never read Superman 199, so I'm not sure if my father's recollection of the story is accurate, but he definitely recalls a sense of profound disappointment in the story's answer. 

* * * 

Have you ever reconnected with someone over comics? Perhaps your love of the hobby was inspired or encouraged in some way by a family member? If so, I'd love to hear some of the feel-good stories that are rarely seen in this day. 

[Get Marwood & I]

Nice story. 

When we were kids, me and my brother were into comics in a big way, and we did it together. He was Hulk, I was Spidey.  Then we got older, and off he went. His lunatic partner threw all his comics out. She was like that. All his Hulks. So when he returned to the fold, many, many years later, I secretly built up a near full set of Hulks and presented them to him on his birthday. He was moved to tears.  The plan for me was to get back into comics and going to fairs like we used to. 

It didn't work.

It was clear he was no longer into them and I ended up selling them all for him a few years back. So we didn't get to reconnect alas and I still therefore do all the comic stuff alone. I liked the old days when we were kids, and that shared feeling of excitement when we lucked out on finds. They were happy times.

 

[Get Marwood & I]

I've just realised that story wasn't feel good! Sorry. Here's a feel good one.

I sold all my comics at 17, including an AF15, for reasons unsound. Some years pass, and I'm in London. I find Gosh Comics, then in its old location, and go in. They have a near full run of ASM in from number 50 up, priced at 70p to £1.20 each. The desire to buy smashes me in the face, and I buy about 30 issues, around the #70 up mark. Probably fine to VFN looking back. I remember leaving #50 because it was about £3 which was outrageous! 

I reconnected with comics that day, and never really looked back.

I've always thought, if you love comics, you do so for life. You can have breaks, sometimes for years, but you always return. 

There, that one had a happy ending