Comic Reviews by Walt

I didn’t get around to writing this properly in time for Fathers’ Day, but thought I’d share it with y’all today.

I learned a lot about my dad, about my relationship with him, while I was in college. Away at college. Toward the latter part of my freshman year and throughout my sophomore year, so many things seemed to finally make sense, or simply occurred to me that never had before.

I remember reading one of the Dragonlance books, and a character made a comment: “We raise our children to leave us.” And something about that hit me hard in a big way. I saw my parents, and all they’d done and were doing for me in a whole new way. Something simple, yet for me, it was huge.

I also recall the lyrics to the song “Cat’s in the Cradle” suddenly being very real and in-my-face. Just listening to it, and realizing what the song was about and what it meant. I don’t recall now, though if I picked up the phone or wrote in an email, but at the time I felt that sudden need to reach out, to NOT let time slip on by.

And I was reminded of this Satuday when a radio show host had the song going in the background and was talking about it.

And I got to thinking about comics, and Dad, and how much of who I am today is because of Dad.

I wouldn’t be where or who I am today without him.

Even with comics–same deal. I have related in the past how it was Mom and my grandpa who introduced me to comics.

But it was Dad who made “being into” comics a possibility, a reality.

It was Dad who would take me to the comic store, or let me get comics at the bookstore at the mall. It was Dad who would come home after a long day of work but still turn around and go back out so his son could get a couple new comics. Dad who enabled me to get to the comic store every week as Funeral For a Friend and Reign of the Supermen and Knightfall and such unfolded.

And even years later in college, it was Dad who would pick up my comics from the pullbox, and who would bring them out to me at school or have ’em for me when I came home.

The Death of Superman was an extremely important story when I was 11, shaped much of who I’ve become AS a comics person, in context of comics–characters I know, the way I view Superman, etc. and so on.

But one of my “key” memories as a kid is that evening in November 1992, as Dad and I BOTH read “Doomsday!” in its entirety. Dad had reserved the entire story at the comic shop, though opted that we wait to pick it up for the whole story to be out (the day Superman #75 came out).

I’d “cheated” and acquired the Justice League: America tie-in issue; I recall going to my room and finding that amidst other comics so it could be part of the reading experience.

Dad let me read first, so he was an issue behind as we both read the entire 7-part story.

And whatever he may recall of that night–if at all–it’s stuck with me. It was one of those shared experiences, of actually, TRULY sharing the comics experience with him. And it meant a lot to me then, and it means a lot to me now.

And perhaps that’s even part of what made Superman such an important thing in my life. Superman was part of something special I got to share with Dad, part of this powerful memory.

Running with that…I have other memories of Superman comics and Dad–a time we were delivering phone books and came across a random comic shop. Or the issues I was reading while we waited in the ICU of the hospital one of the times Grandma was there.

And my thoughts scatter from here, get more disjointed.

I am who I am because of Dad. In him, I see what I might become. And I’m truly thankful.

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: cat's in the cradle, college, comics, dad, father's day, growing up, memoir, memories |