“And lo, there shall come a time, when the old order shall changeth …” as Stan Lee might have put it in an issue of Thor or The Avengers … Under Comic-Con’s management, WonderCon lasted from 2003 through 2011 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. During that time, attendance rose steadily, with 2005—to me at... Continue Reading →
A few days each week, I take the long walk up into the Village in Coronado, along the bay, past Tidelands Park, and under that incredible blue bridge that links the island with the mainland. It passes by the Coronado golf course after you're under the bridge, so watch out for flying golf balls and... Continue Reading →
Captain Atom #84, January 1967. Cover by Steve Ditko. TM & © DC. “Way back when … in ’67 …” as Steely Dan once sang … if I had returned home from one of my twice-weekly trips to the newsstand in my small eastern Pennsylvania town with just one or two Charlton comics, I had... Continue Reading →
I don't know why the sky seems bigger in California than it ever did in Pennsylvania. At this point in my life, I've lived in San Diego longer than anywhere else, but I can never seem to get over the fact that the sky seems so much bigger. Maybe it was all those trees back... Continue Reading →
Avengers #93, November 1971. Cover by Neal Adams and Tom Palmer. TM & © MARVEL. Avengers #93, cover dated November 1971, but on sale in August of that year, is special for a number of reasons. First off, it’s the first Avengers issue drawn by Neal Adams and inked by Tom Palmer (written by Roy... Continue Reading →
I have a lot of fond memories of WonderCon, San Diego Comic-Con’s sister show, which I was involved with from 2002 through 2020. I think anyone that goes to this event realizes what a great alternative it is to Comic-Con, with a more laid-back and less crowded vibe to it. Having said that, it has... Continue Reading →
Another photo from my filtered period, when I first started on Instagram. This is from Liberty Station, a mixed-use arts, shopping, and dining district that was reclaimed from an old military installation on Point Loma in San Diego. I love the colors here, augmented by me, but nonetheless a great combination. And I also love... Continue Reading →
Watch out ladies ... there's a wolf-man on the loose in Metropolis! Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #44, April 1960 TM & © DC I loved Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen as a kid, so much so that when my older brother, Rick, returned from the newsstand on one rainy August afternoon in 1961 with a new... Continue Reading →
I feel lucky living in a small town that has its own movie theater. I used to make the 15-mile each-way trek to ArcLight up in University Town Center in La Jolla when I wanted to see a movie, and that chain doesn't exist anymore, sad to say. I loved seeing movies there. It was... Continue Reading →
Definitely "THE WORLD'S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE," Fantastic Four #45, Dec, 1965. All art TM & © MARVEL Welcome to the first installment of my new (hopefully!) weekly feature, Tales from My Spinner Rack. This week we focus on my all-time favorite Fantastic Four cover, issue #45. I’ve loved this cover since it came out in... Continue Reading →
New year, new banner! In honor of the debut of our new feature, "Tales from My Spinner Rack," we're featuring a brand new banner based on the graphics I'm creating special for each weekly post. The image above shows the filtered graphic, while the one below shows the original photo, compiled from four different pics... Continue Reading →
The year ended with a big month of reading: NINE books, including a biography of Agatha Christie and a stack of graphic novels. I read more than 80 books in 2022 and I surpassed my GoodReads challenge by sixteen or so additional books, topping off at 76 from an additional goal of 60. (Some of... Continue Reading →
From the Home Office in San Diego, CA I had a most-excellent 2022. Despite some money setbacks (a large rent increase and a large investment decrease to my retirement funds … thanks, Wall Street!), the year was as close a return to normal for me as I could possibly expect. When I started thinking about... Continue Reading →
Over the past few years, I have slowly built up a second comic book collection, this one far more curated than the “buy anything on the stands” or “I have to have EVERY Marvel comic they put out” approach of my youth. That first collection, shared—and largely bankrolled for the first quarter century or so... Continue Reading →
I don't know about you, dear reader, but I am winding down for the year. And make no mistake, 2022 was a very good year for me, particularly considering the previous two years! I hope to be more motivated to write and post in 2023, including finally finishing my series, "My Life in Comics." There... Continue Reading →
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