Me Collecting Comic Books!
The publication was '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 and Dick for the memories !!
For those interested in seeing more Jack Kirby comics, we have several in our eBay Featured Store! Thanks for reading !!
Michael
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