I’m a ‘golden era’ comic fan. Yep. Spent a good 10-years collecting & reading as much Marvel, DC & Epic content I could back then. The second job I ever worked was at a comic distribution warehouse based in Toronto. I went to school with a guy named Brian whose uncle owned the place. When Brian discovered I too loved comics –he casually vetted me to ensure it wasn’t just talk –he shared his secret with me about his connection to Andromeda Distribution by offering to get me a job there. Obviously, I was all in. Access to that much material before anyone else got to see it? Getting paid to be around one of my hobbies?? Never missing another issue again because it was sold out or on backorder at my local shop??? I’d have to be crazy to pass on that.
I worked there every Saturday, Sunday &, during the summer when school was out, Thursday overnights too (this was the day when all the new issues were delivered; no way I was missing that). & during my time there, I was indoctrinated into the comic book culture. That’s when I first realized its mainstream appeal. Learned that this material was not just entertainment for pimple-faced, nerdy-type grade-schoolers with a limited social circle & no date-options on any given Friday night. I met & worked with a group of really cool men in my time at Andromeda. Guys who played in rock bands & performed shows, men who had been married, divorced & married again, dudes who bragged about their children, were artists & writers themselves, fellas who had mortgages, paid taxes & faced all the challenges life throws at adults in life. I didn’t see it at the time, but I learned much about the comradery & unifying power of comic books. It certainly reaffirmed that it was not (all) silly content for children & held great merit culturally.
I’m sure I’m like millions of grown men out there who before 2008’s Iron Man always wanted to see the costume-clad heroes we followed appear on big screens & watch our favorite storylines play out in a live-motion picture. Now, thanks to the incredible CGI capabilities available, that reality happens a handful of times each year. It’s definitely a guilty pleasure to be able to sit in a darkened theater on a Friday night with my son to relive that part of my youth once again in high-definition or even 3-D. It’s also a great opportunity to bond & I get to feel like I’m passing something I love down.
Andromeda has long since gone out of business. & It’s been years since I’ve picked up a comic. Certainly not the new ilk (for fear I might become hooked again, but this time have to come out of pocket at full pop to satisfy any rekindled addiction). But I’m glad I get to experience it all vicariously in theaters. & it’s usually as glorious as I would have imagined it being.
Happy 10th Anniversary to Iron Man & Marvel Studios. Thank you for bringing life to your characters for all us fan-boys & gals out here.