Now I have issues....

So I have to confess something. I have never bought a comic book for myself until today. Sure, I've bought a book here and there but it was always because either because I could turn it for a profit quickly or I was meeting one of the creators and I could have it signed to again, turn it for a profit quickly. I don't recall ever buying one to read. The only ones I had read, were the ones I picked up at Free Comic Book day over the last several years.

Anyways, a few weeks ago, I was given a gift card to Legend Comics and Coffee. I've been to the shop several times since it had opened but usually it was for business purposes. So on a whim, after getting their e-mail stating Avengers vs X-men 0 was on sale today half off, I thought maybe I'd check it out. They have recently moved into a freshly remodeled store and I had yet to visit and check it out. Also, I'd seen the buzz around the release off issue #1 next week all over. Several stores are having release parties and huge sales just for this issue coming out. I was to guess it's a big deal... So I jumped on the bandwagon. While in the neighborhood of the comic shop today, I swung by and picked up my copy of issue 0. It been a fun read so far. I can see myself getting into comics very easily but had fought the urge for a long time.

So what took long? Why get in now? It just feels right. See, I grew up a small Nebraska town. When I say small, I mean really small. Worms NE... population 19 was my home. You can guess we didnt have a comic store. The only public places in town was the local church and the local bar. The town I went to high school in, Palmer NE, wasn't much better at 500 people. The closest place to get a comic was in Grand Island NE but you had to get lucky and find them at a grocery store or gas station. I'm not aware of a comic shop in town even today. You'd have to drive to Kearney NE to find a decent shop in the area.

Anywho, when I went to college in Wayne NE, again... not comic shop. needless to say I wasn't into sci-fi much than either. That did change somewhere around my junior year. The original Star Wars Trilogy was re-released and the local Pizza Hut was given out coupons for micro machines at Toys-R-US. Sure, we had to drive to Sioux City to use them them, but it sparked an interest in sci-fi for me again which I hadn't had since my child hood. Between that and a Fraternity brother giving me Timothy Zahn's 'Thrawn Trilogy' (thanks Frater Jamison!) to read one day when I was bored, I was starting to get back into the Galaxy far far away I had known so fondly as a child.

After college, I moved to Lincoln NE where I read every Star Wars book I could get my hands on minus the comics. I started collecting the toys and soon autographs as the prequels started to come out. Comics still never crossed my mind. I couldn't even tell you if Lincoln has a comic book store. In fact, anything outside of Star Wars didn't cross my mind. It wasn't until I moved to Omaha, and even at that, many years after I moved to Omaha, did I begin to expand my sci-fi world. Still, rarely even a visit to a comic shop. I only knew one shop and their prices were so marked up past normal retail on the stuff I would buy, I refused to shop there regularly. I know the guys who buy the toys for the shop as I would see them in the toy isles. We all jockeyed to get the new hottest toys and that may of even pushed me farther from comics. Who knows. It just didn't interest me.

You would think as I talk about going to Free Comic book Day and one of the larger comic book convention in the area, Planet Comicon... Comics would of been a natural fit for me. But, I didn't go to those things for the comics. I went for autographs, costuming and to see friends I've met over the years. Sometimes, thats the only time I get to see some of those friends. Comics were far from my mind. Still, something clicked recently and made wonder what I'm missing. Could comics fill a void? We'll see. Either way.... it should be fun getting into them. At least I hope it will be... :)