It is time, once again, for my yearly plea for attention that is the announcement of my birthday. I am 68 years old today and it blows my mind. When I was a kid, I paid little attention to age. I knew my parents were adults and older than me, and their parents—my grandparents—were similarly... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Superman Month here on Tales from My Spinner Rack! 85 years ago, the dream of two Cleveland teenagers hit the newsstands for the very first time, kickstarting the entire comic book industry. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, cover-dated June 1938. Over the next few weeks, we’ll... Continue Reading →
Snapshot is an irregularly-scheduled series featuring reminiscences of places and experiences in my life. To read all my Snapshot posts, please click here. Click on the images in this post to see them larger on your screen! All Playbill™ images are from my original copies. I visited New York City almost every year for 50... Continue Reading →
This is a side of Liberty Station not often photographed, I guess. Which is a shame, since it's really quite lovely. It's on the far western edge of NTC Park, back near an inlet which separates Liberty Station from San Diego International Airport. That bridge in the background is on Harbor Drive. As usual, I... Continue Reading →
Four graphic novels and two mysteries in May’s thoroughly enjoyable (for the most part) reading stack. Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters Vol. 3 by Chris Samnee, Laura Samnee, and Matt Wilson This concluding book in the series collects issues #9 through 12 published by Oni Press. Written and drawn by husband and wife team Chris... Continue Reading →
Superman #1, June 1939. Cover by Joe Shuster and Leo O'Melia. All images in this post TM & © DC. Click on the images below to see them larger on your screen! Somehow I’ve come back to Superman. No, not necessarily the current comic book incarnation of the Man of Steel; although I am buying... Continue Reading →
Another shot from San Francisco, in fact—if memory serves me right—it's from Chinatown. I guess there was a sale at Sherwin Williams on green paint. I don't know when exactly this shot was taken, but I evidently was drawn to the green, like some Swamp Thing-like photographer. It called and I answered. If you enjoyed... Continue Reading →
Snapshot is an irregularly-scheduled series featuring reminiscences of places and experiences in my life. To read all my Snapshot posts, please click here. Click on the images in this post to see them larger on your screen! All Playbill™ images are from my original copies. My brother and I started visiting New York City on... Continue Reading →
Here’s the video of my live (well, mostly alive) appearance on the SDCC Unofficial Blog’s SDConCast podcast on You Tube on Tuesday, May 17th. I’ve embedded the link below for your viewing pleasure, and seriously, just who isn’t happy to see me pontificating on my favorite subject: Me. This installment talks about my time as... Continue Reading →
Wonder Woman #126, November 1961. Cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. All inages TM & © DC Click on the images below to see them larger on your screen! I’m not sure what was in the water—or non-stop coffee—the mostly male DC Comics editors were drinking in the company’s offices in the late 1950s... Continue Reading →
The nice folks at SDCC Unofficial Blog have invited me back for a second live appearance on their SDCC ConCast, this Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM on YouTube Live! Despite the fact that I insulted their limo driver, trashed their green room, and stole all their M&Ms with Peanuts last year, they still found it... Continue Reading →
Click on the images in this post to see them larger on your screen! It’s been a good two months since I last graced this website with my reminiscences about “My Life in Comics” … or more specifically "My Life at Comic-Con." It’s been difficult for me to sit down and arrange my thoughts around... Continue Reading →
This is the back of the building known as Village Hillcrest, in (duh) Hillcrest, north of downtown San Diego. This is on the ramp leading to SR-163 and it's kind of a seldom-seen view, unless you're whizzing by it, to and fro the 163, as we Californians are wont to say when we talk about... Continue Reading →
Captain Marvel #17, October 1969. Cover by Gil Kane and Dan Adkins. TM & © Marvel Click on the images in this post to see them larger on your screen! The name Captain Marvel is a famous one in comics. In 1940, Fawcett Publications introduced the original character in Whiz Comics #2. Originally envisioned as... Continue Reading →
Seven books this month, so I’m about a third of the way through my GoodReads goal of 75 this year. I’m definitely feeling like I’m slowing down a bit, but now that balcony weather is slowly coming back, maybe my books per month ratio will start to climb with some more afternoon outdoor reading time.... Continue Reading →
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