It was a long long time ago (and may be in an other galaxy)... I think I was something like ten years. I wasn't able to read in English when I was a child, but in France, in the seventies, it was possible to buy some comics in translation, in some book stores. There were many western and war comics, but also some superhero stuff. My father bought the Silver Surfer story at random, among other issues, and I remember how much I have been astonished and fascinated by the Surfer: he was so great, so serious, so anxious. A thinking metal man, traveling through space, and meditating about life and death... Today, I'm more interested by the Avengers, the Fantastic Four or Captain America, but I always remember this "first contact" with the Marvel sci-fi universe.

I've seen so many people over the years who talk about how they got into comics via Marvel. In my house, we got the newspaper comics 7 days a week. So, once past the papers, the comics were "free". Comic-BOOKS were a "luxury" expense.



In mid-1963, on a trip to Virginia, my parents bought my brother and me a pair of comics on the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Boat. Both Charltons-- BATTLEFIELD ACTION and BLACK FURY. Over time, we got the odd book here and there-- some by Harvey, King, Dell, and around early 1966, National-- no doubt due to the influence of the BATMAN tv show. DETECTIVE COMICS, ACTION COMICS, WORLD'S FINEST, etc.

In September 1967, the FANTASTIC FOUR and SPIDER-MAN cartoons debuted on ABC. I started watching both from the first week, and loved both of them.

A few weeks later, I happened to be reading a comic at my barber shop. It was a thick book with several stories, and when I wasn't finished, my barber told me, "Go ahead, take it home!" That's how I got my 1st Marvel Comics.

Incredibly-- THIS one. Oh my God. What a place to come in.

My original copy didn't have a cover on it.......

The first Marvel comic I remember checking out was a Spider-Man comic. I don't remember what the cover looked like or what the plot was, but it was either a late '80s or early '90s issue (it was rocking the Ben Day dots), there was a panel with a guy handling pills/capsules, and the Chameleon was the baddie of the story.

I used to have that FF Annual #3... it really did include everyone, including western and teen/model type characters. They referenced the issue later when Patsy Walker dropped in on the Beast at Avengers mansion circa Avengers #141-144. I'm not sure if Fin Fang Foom got an invite or even bothered to crash the 'big day' with the various baddies however.

First Marvel I know I saw/read was FF #151, and it didn't make much sense to me.

We also had a Creatures On The Loose with Gullivar Jones, I don't remember the cover so can't say the issue number. Gil Kane interior story, which isn't a lot of help, could be #17 or #19. Probably my older brother had picked these out. Also there was a FF #77 and a Jungle Action #1 I got at the elementary school flea market/jumble sale just a bit later. I wasn't too impressed with Fantastic Four at all, probably too young for it; plus the stories seemed to be parts in the middle of a longer story which I was not used to. Didn't get interested in any of the superheroes until the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man Pocket Books.

This is the first one I remember. Right off the spinner rack. I would have been five years old. Before this it was mostly funny animal comics. Superheroes quickly took center stage.