The Early Ramblings of a Comic Collector From Roswell, New Mexico: Part One

My Comic collecting started with my Grandpa who owned a little store called Billy the Kid Corner in Ft. Sumner New Mexico. Me and my family lived in Roswell, NM (yes, that Roswell).
We would take the monthly trek to Ft. Sumner from Roswell (about 80 miles) almost every month, sometimes more to see Grandpa and Grandma. All right, free sodas, candy, ice cream, and yes comic books. My grandpa kept a whole 4 ft by 6 ft rack of comics against the wall. I was introduced to the rack and he told me to take whatever I wanted and to bring some back the next time I visited. Well, very seldom did I ever bring any back and it didn’t bother him because he was my grandpa. Little did I know that little store in Ft. Sumler would lead to a lifetime of nerd Dom. During this time (the early 60’s) I was introduced to The Fantastic Four, Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and yes, all the Villains. These were some of the most amazing stories and characters I had ever seen and read about. I started buying the new ones at a local small 7-11 type store a few blocks from where I lived in Roswell. I would pedal my bicycle to the store, buy a couple at 12 cents each, roll them up, and put them in my back pocket. Mind you, this is not the way a true comic collector would behave, but it was the 1960’s. I enjoyed reading the comics, not taking them home and immediately putting them in a bag and board like today. Now they bag and board them and wait for reprints to come out so they can read them. Oh, by the way that 12 cents have turned into $4.95 (average price now) today for one comic. I could have bought 40 Spider-man #1’s for $4.80 plus tax back they, wow. By the time I had entered my teens I had new interests and set aside my comic books. Hello cars and girls; oh no what was I getting myself into?

J. Brazell