Your First Comic Book
fredzilla
Posts: 2,131
So I was writing a paper for a class last night and I started it with the intro below. I then thought about how the CGS guys ask each guest what his/her first comic was and thought that would be something fun to do for all the forum.
Rules: Wax poetic about your memories surrounding your first comic. Try not to make it too long. Then, if you can, post a picture of said first comic.
I remember walking into the truck stop hotel store hoping to pick up something, perhaps something I could read, that would tide me over until we finally arrived to our destination. I had had enough of my brother and sister as they sat beside me for the past eight hours in the back of my family’s station wagon. I approached the magazine section of the truck stop hotel’s convenience store and felt the gravitational pull from a white spinner rack about a foot or two taller than my 11 year-old self. I casually gave the wire frame a push and it groaned. I had to manually turn it; I thought that it must not get a lot of visitors. I looked up and down the rack at all the various titles, finally spying one that might help fight the war of boredom I was losing since we had left home. The colors were vibrant and the action sang to me like the Sirens in that old Greek poem. I left the book and ran outside to plead with my dad for a dollar so that I could make that purchase. After he hung up the gas pump handle, he reached into his pocket and gave me a small assortment of coins. I ran back inside and stood, heaving in front of the rack. I slowly, but deliberately, liberated the comic book from it’s white, wire holding cell. I don’t remember how many times I read that sixty-seventh issue of Web of Spider-Man or if I even read it at all, I just knew that I found something that spoke to me on a level that few things previously had. I can’t remember if it was my first actual comic book, but it’s the first one I can remember.
Rules: Wax poetic about your memories surrounding your first comic. Try not to make it too long. Then, if you can, post a picture of said first comic.
I remember walking into the truck stop hotel store hoping to pick up something, perhaps something I could read, that would tide me over until we finally arrived to our destination. I had had enough of my brother and sister as they sat beside me for the past eight hours in the back of my family’s station wagon. I approached the magazine section of the truck stop hotel’s convenience store and felt the gravitational pull from a white spinner rack about a foot or two taller than my 11 year-old self. I casually gave the wire frame a push and it groaned. I had to manually turn it; I thought that it must not get a lot of visitors. I looked up and down the rack at all the various titles, finally spying one that might help fight the war of boredom I was losing since we had left home. The colors were vibrant and the action sang to me like the Sirens in that old Greek poem. I left the book and ran outside to plead with my dad for a dollar so that I could make that purchase. After he hung up the gas pump handle, he reached into his pocket and gave me a small assortment of coins. I ran back inside and stood, heaving in front of the rack. I slowly, but deliberately, liberated the comic book from it’s white, wire holding cell. I don’t remember how many times I read that sixty-seventh issue of Web of Spider-Man or if I even read it at all, I just knew that I found something that spoke to me on a level that few things previously had. I can’t remember if it was my first actual comic book, but it’s the first one I can remember.
Comments
First comic I ever had before being able to read, bought for me on a family road trip to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Seems like a strange first comic, but the impact it had on me influenced how much I love comics and more importantly Cap. The comic was perfect and Cap was perfect. I was hooked.
I had watched tons of superhero cartoons up to that point, but to read the "real" stories was one hell of a treat ;)
EDIT: actually, that was a lie. I had dozens of Marvel Star Wars comics, but never connected them to the medium, it was just more Star Wars...
The first comic that I remember buying with my own money was the John Byrne Ganthet's Tale because I loved Green Lantern from the Super Friends when I was a little kid. I remember really enjoying the story and I still have the issue today.
When I started to collect comics and read them seriously.... my first books was ASM #151, which I bought off a spinner rack. I was a freshman in high school.
This is the first issue I recollect owning. I am sure I had some Richie Rich and stuff like that when I was younger, but this one is very vivid in my mind.
I was about seven and we were moving out of town. On the way out of town my father stopped at a liquor store for snacks. After a few minutes my mom sent in to "hurry my father up" After we got the snacks my dad started to talk with the clerk so I started to wander around the store when I came across a spinner rack of comics and magazines. After awhile my dad called me over to take back the snacks to the rest of the family. A few mins. later he came out with another bag. After he removed his adult beverage he handed me the bag and I found some comics. I guess he noticed me looking at them and he got the for me.
Now the first US comic I read was about four years ago and eventually opened me up to the whole world comics to me. The comic was The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born issue 3. I got this because I loved the Dark Tower novels and needed more. Seeing there were loads of comics out there I decided to get an issue off eBay. Not having a clue what I was in for. Peter David on writing duties and Jae Lee on art. Not a bad team to say the least! I remember thinking the art was perfect for the Dark Tower universe and I quickly bought the first six volumes of Dark Tower series. Which I also love. I soon found a (my only) local comic book shop, a tiny tiny shop that was selling 'lucky dip' stacks of six random comics. I got a couple of these packs that had some batman, Spider-Man, green lantern, Thor and several others in. While there was stuff I hated (moon knight and some shadowland books) I lot of it intrigued me. And from there I just kept buying and reading and loving comics more and more.
Unfortunately I'm not sure how to add pictures onto the forums, but you can always do a search on google for some Beano covers or dark tower cover if you want.
Love that Tales of Voodoo cover. A few years back a DVD company used some of those covers for the covers of a series of horror film two packs. The covers were the best part. Cause the films were obvious sourced from old vhs. One of the ones I own has both Greek and what appears to be Japanese subtitles on the bottom of the screen.
The first one I bought and read (and ultimately started my 5000+ collection) was X-Factor 1 in 1986. Started my love of Jean Grey and all things 'X'.
Anyway, I was about 5, which would have been in 1973.
I also remember reading a Little Lulu Digest, which was a halloween special, featuring a story called "Hollow Weenies", wherein she tells Arthur the bogus (of course) origin of Halloween. This one may predate the Superman one.
Perhaps the 'skull-faced' villain was either the Space Golem or the Persuader (of the Fatal Five)? Another possibility might be that whatever comic it was might have been an older book that you came across, from a year or two before?
If it helps, you can search through the covers at the Comic Book Data Base at comicbookdb.com/.
I remember the cover having a "box", with Superboy/Superman on one side, and the skull-faced guy on the other with some other folks. And It took place on a spaceship or space station (which would jive with the future of the Legion stories). That one could by my comic. THAT would be a weird coincidence, wouldn't it?
A few days later, Dad walks in from work, holding his lunch box, and tells me that he has a surprise in it for me! I opened his lunch box, and in it was a brand new copy of Superman #22! Dad read that comic to me every night for a looooooooong time; and even though it didn't make complete sense to us because it was the final chapter of John Byrne's final story on the title, it was still awesome to have a real Superman story!
That one issue has been read so many times that the cover has fallen off and I taped it back on. Whenever I can find a good replacement copy at a reasonable price, I will finally be able to retire my old, worn out copy and frame it.
I had plenty of Richie Rich, Archies and Hot Stuff on the obligatory family car trips. My older brother had a good start on a decent collection of Marvel and DC and he let me read most of what he got.
The first issue that started my collecting craze (that I paid for with my own allowance) was Micronauts #7. I was lucky enough to have Golden sign it a few years back.
Another early book I remember featured what was soon to be one of my favorite characters, the Flash #213 (a reprint) featuring the JSA!
From the Marvel pile, my earliest known issue (stored between my baseball cards and my Six Million Dollar Man toys) was a copy of Marvel's Greatest Comics #46 (which was another reprint, this time of Fantastic Four Vol 1 #63)
The first comic I bought off the spinner rack was Spider-Man #166. It featured the Lizard as well as Stegron, the Christmas season, and dinosaurs that came back to life. What more could any 9 year old want?
Spidey became my go-to hero. From the Electric Company to any comic book I could find. I think the next one I bought was a Marvel Team Up #59 that same year.
A melodramatic cover featuring the Wasp and a "dead" Yellowjacket? How could I keep that money in my pocket? Been loving these floppies ever since :)
This was one of the first comics I remember reading. It was not mine. It was my older sisters. I also seem to remember this one:
Now the first comic I ever bought for myself with actual money?