I keep reading about the releases of hero movies like Superman #52 or something like that. Similar ficticious characters like Batman and the "X-Men" are popular. It takes me back to the early 1950's when comic books were in vogue.
My Dad was a kid that never grew up. In the middle of our block near the City Club was a tavern called "Heckers". When you entered the tavern, the first 25-40 feet was dedicated to magazines, periodicals and a whole section of comic books. My Dad would send me over Heckers several times a month to find the newest issue of his favorite comic books. Because I was the person looking, I made sure he liked what I liked. He always paid. I think new comic books were $.10 per copy and I would buy of to $1.00 worth. We would always fight over who got to read the favorites first. Can you imagine fighting with your dad over comic books.
Superman and Batman were always favorites but many super heroes began to evolve. Captain Marvel had a lightning boldt across his chest and was great along with the "Flash". The Flash could run as far as Oshkosh in the blink of an eye. If you were holding a gun at him, he would dash across the room and take you gun so fast you couldn't even see it. I liked Mighty Mouse because "he always came to save the day". Slowly there was an evolution to cowboy comics like Tom Mix, Rocky Lane, and Hopalong Cassidy. The king of the cowboys was Roy Rogers with his trusty steed "Trigger" and his girl friend Dale Evans and "Buttermilk". Buttermilk? My favorite horse was Rocky Lane's "Thunder". It was black horse decorated with a silver embroidered saddle. Then there were the standard Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto releases.
The one comic book that I always looked for and it was in limited releases was "Scrooge McDuck", the rich Uncle of Huey, Duey and Louie. He had a building full of money and he would dive from a high diving board into a "sea of cash". People were always trying to steal his money and he never spent any (I guess that is why he had so much).
So for a brief moments I have a desire to return to days of yesteryear to witness my super hero who was faster than a speeding buller, could leap buildings in a single bound and was more powerful than a locomotive. The best part was my Dad paid for it because he was more enthused than I was.
In hindsight, I wish I had kept the comic books in "mint condition" and stored them away. Then Scrooge McDuck and I would have something in common (we'd both be rich). I know the comic book trade on e-Bay is very lucrative. Certain issues of different characters are very valuable.
So again Grasshoppers, I let a fortune slip through my hands by missing "the comic book" opportunity. It is kind of like baseball cards which my Dad and I did together and we'd fight over who got Ted Williams. I'm sure that there are things passing though your fingers these days that 50 years from now will be very valuable. I just can't tell you which ones. Be Alert!
I removed snow tires today. Yep, snow is forecast for the weekend.
Love,
Dad