Michael D Hamersky On Comics Mentions That...       This Is What Got Me Collecting Comic Books!     Journey Into Mystery #72!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3865 -    This Is What Started Me As A Collector....of comic books!

Journey Into Mystery #72 from Atlas Comics, (Atlas evolved into what we know as Marvel Comics today).

Before I was given this comic book, all I had been reading were 'funnybooks' with an occasional National (Superman) comic book thrown in.

Journey Into Mystery #72 was cover dated September 1961, which would have made me nine years old.  The title had started with issue #1 in June of 1952, which would have been a month older than I was. 

What made this one issue stand out enough to make me start collecting comic books???

It was the artwork that did it for me. It was when I first truly realized that it was real people that drew these comics, in this case they were Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers, who signed their work 'Kirby/Ayers'.

Before this comic, all that I was aware of were the 'cookie cutter' artwork in funnybooks of Chilly Willy, Woody Woodpecker, Mickey Mouse, etc.  The art from one artist to another was almost indistinguishable, and no one signed their names to the artwork...   However the artwork of this Journey Into Mystery was so far different from what I was used to, that I immediately looked for more by the Kirby/Ayers team and kept the book in better shape!

I didn't have too long to wait... as Kirby drew Fantastic Four #1 for the November 1961 cover date, which I picked up after seeing Fantastic Four #3 from March 1962 where the FF wore costumes for the first time!

It was unusual that this comic was given to me as it was a 'monster' comic, which probably would have been thought to give me 'nightmares', but I am glad that it was given to me and that it started my lifelong collecting bug of collecting comics!!!

I was fortunate to meet Jack Kirby at the SDCC before he passed away, and to have met Dick Ayers at Wonder-Con and the SDCC a few times through the years.  They were definitely the great guys I thought them to be when I was a kid!! 

Thanks Jack & Dick for the memories!

For those of you that want to see more of the Journey Into Mystery issues, just click on this link to the Grand Comics Database. In addition, Journey Into Mystery was just one of many titles that Atlas Comics published.  Here is a link to the history of Atlas Comics.

BTW, this blog of mine is also posted at my Twitter page and my Facebook fan page for those of you that use those social media sites as well.  However, I don't post it to my LinkedIn account!

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,865 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly differently, sorry about that!  The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

---