Growing up, I loved comic books. All this talk about the AVENGERS reminds me of those days when I couldn’t wait for Thursday, which is when our grocery store put out the new issues. A big chunk of my weekly allowance went to supporting this habit. I did like THOR but I was pretty much a DC comics girl – Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Justice League – but several of my three most favorite comics weren’t DC. (Or Marvel.)
MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER was just terrific – loved the science fiction world he lived in and the fact that pretty much he alone saw the threat the robots could pose, although of course his mentor was the famous 1A robot. Every issue he saved the world from some new robotic problem, usually rescuing Leeja, his girlfriend in the process.
BROTHERS OF THE SPEAR was the backup story in the Tarzan comics and truthfully, I only bought Tarzan to read the adventures of Dan-El, Natongo and their girlfriends/wives Tavane and Zulena. I could never get enough of these characters, their friends and families, and their endless challenges ruling neighboring lost kingdoms deep in the heart of Africa. I always used to keep my fingers crossed that they’d never be found by our civilization! Yup, I got really invested in them. It was also frustrating to me that I couldn’t find all the adventures – for some reason there were gaps in my collection and I hated missing any of their plot twists and turns.
I also loved the LEGION OF SUPER HEROES, which was a DC comic. Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl were the founders of this organization and Superboy used to go forward in time to fight villains with them, as I recall. I don’t remember this series as well as I do the other two. Things kept changing in the DC Superman universe, which would affect this Legion and I think I kinda wandered away from them one day and never went back.
I don’t have my comics collection any more. My mother never approved of them (although to me, I was reading and I was using my imagination and it was all good). Not sure what she objected to exactly but when we moved from New York to Alabama she saw a chance to divest her household of a lot of stuff and my comics went out the door and not onto the moving van. Don’t remind me what they were probably worth!
At one point as an adult I did track down some of my favorite issues but I really didn’t have the time, money and endurance to find them all, so I decided to reacquire a couple TARZAN/BROTHERS OF THE SPEAR comics, put them in my cedar chest and be content. If I ever win the lotto though LOOK OUT! I’ll be a comics buying fiend, scouring the world for my lost treasures.
Which comics were your favorites? (Or maybe still are!)
I liked Archie, Veronica. I can’t remember the name of the comics but they were a group of teenagers.
I read that one on occasion but I guess I trended more to the science fiction and adventure comics!
magnus has been revived several times but not with success. Brothers of The Spear…I think someone needs to reprint that. I know all the Gold Key Magnus and Doctor Solar comics were collected in hardcover volumes a few years back.
As for me, i notice my collection is full of Batman, Spider-Man, Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck comics. I also follow the Japanese manga Case Closed, recent Transformers comics and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century.
Wow, after I read your comment I scooted over to Amazon and ordered the Magnus set – can’t WAIT till it arrives. AND guess what – I discovered Brothers of the Spear is being reprinted – Volume 1 came out in January this year! Whee! Of course, as someone noted, it isn’t till pg 93 that the young Russ Manning appears as the artist but it will only get better from there!!!Thanks so much for stopping by and bringing me up to date…
You’re welcome.That’s very good news! Within the last the decade, a LOT of material has been collected and reprinted in nice color paperback and hardcover editions – some books are not just for reading, some books are just for having! 🙂