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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 24, 2017 11:42:23 GMT -5
Wow! I too spent many days walking or riding my bike through the streets of Phoenix to get comics at Circle Ks, 7-11s, or U-Totems. I had difficulty making it to a drugstore that carried the best selection I'd ever seen at that point. Of course, anytime my mom was willing to give me a lift I'd take it too. At one point my mom thought I was stealing comics. She never knew I was saving my lunch money and foregoing eating in order to fund my life as a Marvel Zombie. I was fortunate. My parents were happy I was reading something. Later I added books like the Hardy Boys, Tarzan, James Bond, science fiction, mysteries...all because my love of comic books sparked an interest in reading. My parents would give me money to spend on any reading material (comic books, MAD magazine, novels). One summer I read 53 books that I got out from the local library in addition to 60-75 comic books. My parents were both big readers. My Dad mostly read westerns and my Mom mostly read historical fiction...but both read pretty much every night while the TV was on. And they never had any issues with me reading comics, though they didn't actively pay for my habit. |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2017 11:52:34 GMT -5
I was fortunate. My parents were happy I was reading something. Later I added books like the Hardy Boys, Tarzan, James Bond, science fiction, mysteries...all because my love of comic books sparked an interest in reading. My parents would give me money to spend on any reading material (comic books, MAD magazine, novels). One summer I read 53 books that I got out from the local library in addition to 60-75 comic books. My parents were both big readers. My Dad mostly read westerns and my Mom mostly read historical fiction...but both read pretty much every night while the TV was on. And they never had any issues with me reading comics, though they didn't actively pay for my habit. Same with my parents. They are 78 & still read a lot.
It all started with my grandparents. Both sets of grandparents loved to read & were convinced that to do well in school & in life it was necessary to be well read. They passed that down. My parents passed it onto me & all my children love to read.
And guess what? I think my grandparents were right. I wasn't the smartest kid in school but I could read fast & retain the material so I did well on tests. Same with my kids.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2017 12:10:12 GMT -5
I got my comics at a local convenience store called Big Sack. The building is still there, but I think it is a Mexican restaurant now. My Dad would stop there and let me get comic books. There was a spinner rack and a little magazine stand with DC Blue Ribbon digets, DC tabloids, Archie digests--all right there with adult magazines, haha! The first comics I can remember reading are Justice League of America 149 and 150, Teen Titans 48, and Batman Family #16. Dad indulged my love of comics and I am so thankful he did. My mother would let me get DC and Archie digests at the checkout of the local grocery store (also now closed). When I would go to the local drug store with my grandmother, she'd let me pick up a couple of the Archie digest there. This was all in the mid-late 70s before the big chain stores came to town. We had a Big-K and then K-Mart and local grocers and drug stores (all now gone). I think my parents were ok with comics as they encouraged reading and my Dad loved comics too. I was a very good reader in school and read above my grade level thanks to comics. I miss the excitement of going to the spinner rack and seeing the book I wanted there. It was always full of DC, Marvel, Archie, and Harvey titles.
When I got a bit older, they would take me to the comic store where I discovered all the direct sales titles and a treasure trove of back issues. Great, great memories and so thankful for my parents!
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