A Flashback of sorts.

Once, I was the wife of a comic fan. I knew nothing about comics except that I scorned them mightily, they not being (my words at the time) 'real books.' We would go to the famed Twilight Book and Game store, a five hour drive away....and he'd head for the comic racks I'd go for the speculative fiction, and our meeting in the middle meant that there *might* be a high end Green Arrow graphic novel that I'd consent to read, and that he would grudgingly purchase for me...

The late husband started out working for Tony Isabella in the late seventies in his comic store...and writing his own mimeographed stuff...blessedly, the late spouse decided remaining on the 'fan' side of the equation was best, and so would haunt local dealers and conventions mostly buying, but sometimes selling, a collection that once filled an entire room of his family home.

In the comic world at the time, my perception was that there were the two camps DC and Marvel (rather like Mac and PC, back in the day) and that 'niver the twain shall meet..'

I confessed shortly after marrying him that I 'had' in fact loved the Spiderman comics (and the rarer Sub-Mariner) when I was a little girl (The 1967 Superman and Spiderman TV cartoons had fostered a hunt for the comics...) This was slightly troubling to him as he was a DC guy all the way....but it wasn't a marriage ender...

Like almost every other comic fan I ever encountered 'brash' and 'opinionated' leading to 'brusque and alienating,' were definitely parts of his emotional soup. But real life changes and growing up had turned these things in another difficult direction....

But before his focus left the world of comics, he did say the single funniest thing I ever heard him say about comics... and it is only funny to comic fans and only pleasing to the ear for that part of comic fandom that agreed with him.

I know I'm going to attract some trolls here. Bear in mind please as you chomp up my comment list....that I'm merely the reporter of what was said...It's in the next paragraph or so that I get nasty.

He said, after reading John Byrnes revamp of Superman in the eighties---which he liked!---

"That John Byrne...Ego, the Living Planet!"

I'm (sacrilige!) a Peter David fan mesel'

Mostly because Peter is on my list of The Only Trek Fiction Writers Worth Ponying up Some of My Paycheck For.

Peter David

Diane Duane

Diane Carey

Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Marshak and Culbreath, a real oldie


After my husband's death, I did, in my last attempt *ever* in this lifetime to date anyone... date another comic book fan....a person who was as fiercely in the Marvel Camp as the husband had been in the DC Camp. I was impressed and pleased that one of the minor perks of this connection allowed me to admit to my love of Spidey.

Maybe, I thought, this is some kind of Cosmic Do-Over and this guy won't die soon, and I can perhaps have all of the pieces of a long term relationship that I was denied due to a nasty connection between a childhood ilness and the business practices of BighPharma....It'll work. It'll be okay...I'll just....

But No.

It ended badly. (Very Very Badly)

And thus, my connection to the divisive, talented, bitterly feuding, charming in it's own earnest twisted sort of way, self important world of comics ended...

But, when I need a laugh and need to remember the late husband in a good way, I just rewind the tape in my head and remember..."Ego, the living Planet!'

Bwahahahahahahaahhaahahhaahha.....