Cultured by Comics

Comics Books and Super Heroes are very BIG these days.

In fact I don’t think they’ve ever been “not big”.

I grew up reading comic books.

In fact I probably owe a great deal of my imagination to comic books.

Which may or may not be a good thing.

But I like to think it is.

For me, they were more than mere individual panels of artwork on a page. 

For me, they were windows into another world...be it Batman, Superman, Archie, Dennis the Menace, Sad Sack, Casper, or even Richie Rich, whom I suspected became Casper, later in life once he departed this earthly coil...you know, after he caught his little red bowtie in one of those big money counting machines.

But that’s just me....

While the images in each frame remained frozen, my imagination did not, and it animated each scene as the story carried me from panel to panel.

Each character with its own voice, its own walk, its own emotions.

I was right there panicking with Archie when Veronica walked in on him getting a little too chummy with Betty....or vice versa.

Right there wilting with Superman from all the Kryptonite Lex Luther mixed into his cereal, that morning.

Right there, pushing Robin aside to help Batman get after the Joker, Riddler and Penguin...all before lunch.

I turned my entire closet door into a Batman/Superman montage with characters cut from the front covers...thereby rendering my entire collection now worthless.

Who knew?

I re-wrote and doctored up an entire issue of Dennis the Menace, giving Dennis’s dad, Henry Mitchell, a goatee for some reason...don’t ask me why.

I guess I thought it made him look cooler...more like Maynard G. Krebs and less of the nerd dad, he was.... 

I even wrote a “Note from the Editor” above the first page to explain what was happening, lest an unsuspecting reader should happen upon the issue in years to come.

I’m sure this little artifact of the 60’s is still buried in my Mom’s attic, locked away in a trunk, along with my hundreds of other old comics...for the most part, unread and untouched for decades.  

The funny thing is, every now and then I happen upon one or two comic escapees, myself, under my old “Man from Uncle” spy kit or something, and just by looking at the cover I can recall the entire story or stories within.

Then I’ll sit back against my dad’s old bowling bag and tumble right back into 9 years old again, catching up with long lost, but timeless friends.

Yeah.

It’s a nice place to be....

Just don’t get on the wrong side of Veronica...or Betty...and don’t believe a word that Reggie says...and never lend Jughead any money.

He’ll just blow it all at Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe....

But, hey...wouldn’t we all?      

___________________________

Have you picked up my new book “The Kingdom of Keys”?
                                                
No....what's up with that???

Better hurry before they're ALL GONE...which is a lie because they'll never be all gone...never....

So why not buy one just to reward my forthrightness..ness...ness?

You might even enjoy it.


And spread the word...cuz nobody else is....

Just sayin....
 
Available now at Amazon.com -  Click Here



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