Daveyo520

This user has not updated recently.

2469 8 68 86
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

How the Death of Superman made me a fan of comics.

Let me take you back to the long ago time of the Nineteen Hundred and Nineties. A land of left over things from the 80's and questionable taste in music. More importantly starting in the year 1992. That year helped start me on the road I am today, a geek with my 1st love of geekdom comics and super heroes. In 1992 Batman Returns and Batman the animated series came out and instantly turned my brother and I into huge Batman fans. We dressed up in costumes, played with the Batcave, went to see guys dressed up as Batman in the mall; we were obsessed. 1992 was also the year that the Death of Superman story arc came out. More importantly Superman #75 with it’s infamous black polybag, recently copied by Marvel with the death of Spider-Man. I was primed to become a comic book fan at he ripe old age of 4.

Now this doesn’t really say how I started reading actual physical comics, just the fact that I like Batman. For that I need to talk about the comic craze of the 90’s. Comics were the gold of the day. People tried to invest in comics, hoping one day they would get rich off of them. Since old comics were selling for millions at auctions, their comics would assuredly sell for the same amount in a few years. People would buy any issue 1 or even comic they could, since they were fancy and would well be worth the investment of a few dollars, or 100 dollars. My dad was one these people.

Here she is, my 1st comic.
Here she is, my 1st comic.

In his search for Ken Griffy Jr. rookie cards and copies Superman 75 he used to go to local trade shows and comic stores, and he took me along. There I got to see comics in the wild and on a regular basis, POGs too but let’s not talk about that. I would not call them conventions really, or they were not conventions to me then, just places with booths to buy things. While I lived in California at the time, I never went to SDCC and I doubt my dad knew what that was back then. It was magical however to my young mind, seeing tables filled with comics as far as the eye could see right at eye level. However these comics were collectibles to my dad and he did not want a little kid messing up their future fortune so I was not allowed to read them. So he bought me my very 1st comic, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1...which he put in a frame and put above my bed. So, I read them all when my parents were not around.

Just a few of the many Superman related comics my Dad bought.
Just a few of the many Superman related comics my Dad bought.

As it turns out comics were not made of gold. People like my dad keept buying tons of copies of special issues and comic companies printed more to meet demand. This was exactly the opposite thing that needed to happen to make those comics valuable. As you know the reason those old comics were worth the amount of money they are is because they are rare. So how did event comics like the Death of Superman made for people like my dad get me to into comics? Because they got me to spend time with my dad. I am not a jock and my dad is not a geek. I went to Angels games with him, but that was with my brother too not just him and I. My little brother used to do sports things with him and that was their thing, going out to see comics was mine. He gets sick playing video games, which he doesn’t like anyways, so I didn’t grow up playing Mario with him like some kids and their dads. It was one thing my non geek dad did with me to make me a geek and help set the trend of things I would like and the way I was for years to come.

So with the almost collapse of the comic industry with a huge bubble busting, at least they gained one fan.

14 Comments