What's Your Comics Origin Story?

Jami in grade school.

Wouldn't it be cool if we all wrote a book together, with all the stories of how comics began to matter to us? How did I discover the magic of comics? When did I fall in love with this most wonderful form of storytelling? It may be a sad tale in some parts, but it has a really good ending.

Like so many of us, comics weren't just a fun way to pass the time. Comics were an escape. I was youngest of 3, raised by a single dad...who was VERY, shall we say, into partying. Alcohol, drugs, and lots of girlfriends were the basic agenda with he and his single buddies. Not the ideal environment for childhood enrichment, but preceding that era, when my parents were still together, there was a LOT of anger and yelling, so it sort of worked out. When I was 8, my mom moved out for good, and they signed the seemingly inevitable documents of dissolution. We didn't see her a lot, after that, just once every month or so. (She went on, years later, to become an amazing grandmother.)

We were poor, didn't eat well (or often enough for my liking) and struggling through those years of economic stagflation that began in the 70's. My dad had lost his awesome job at 3M due to a prank with friends gone wrong and things got pretty bleak as he went from job to job for several years. Watching a parent stuck in depression can make the hopelessness feel overwhelming. (Later he found his calling as a firefighter.)

We did get to keep our dog in the divorce, Charo, a scruffy teacup poodle. Dogs are such incredible friends to lonely kids. The OTHER constant in my saddish childhood was comics. Being a latchkey kid, who spent a lot of time alone, made having awesome neighbors like winning a lottery. The 2 kids next door had a dad and a mom at home, and delicious food. They also had comics! Mr. Muller liked to read comics while eating lunch...potato chips and all. (Steven would not have approved of the grease and salt near his comics.) Maybe Mr. Muller wanted peace and quiet instead of the constant yammering of 3 kids when I was over, but we got to read comics WHILE shoving sandwiches and chips into our faces! Seriously, what more bliss could a hungry kid ask for?

My family couldn't afford to buy comics, and we only turned the heat on for special occasions.  I got to read them anytime I was at the Muller's house. I fell in love with comics in grade school. Comics were there for me that day in 3rd grade when a classmate kicked and punched me for no reason. Richie Rich took me away to his wonderous world of unimaginable wealth. I loved reading about his wonderful life!

Being a little sister meant hand-me downs, from my brother and my sister. My sister wasn't a girly girl, she was tough. (I didn't learn to take advantage of her excellent protection qualities until it was almost too late). My clothes and short hair meant I was often mistaken for a boy. I always wanted to look like the other girls who had styled hair and clothes that matched. When kids made fun of me in 4th grade because I dressed myself weirdly on picture day and my hair was sticking out, Beetle Bailey and Sarge made me laugh. When two older neighborhood girls who made a habit of bullying me on the way to and from school, Archie and Friends transported me into their entertaining lives. Three years into the bully drama, when they promised to end me, I told my sister. I never said I was a smart kid, but let's just say she had an enlightening talk with the mom, while the bullies stood there, their mouths agape. They never even looked at me sideways after that. My sister defended me, like an actual superhero, and I was in awe of her power. I finally understood the code in our family: siblings were the only ones allowed to smack me. 

Great neighbors are seriously a wonderful thing, but neighbors who love comics...come on! I think there were some years the Mullers could have legally written me off on their taxes. Mr. Muller was the high school band director, so I can also thank him for my love of music and marching bands, but don't get me started on that. I'm so thankful to them for sharing their comics with me, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books...letting me eat so much of their food. My only regret is that I didn't get to meet Spider-Woman, Peter Parker, Silver Sable, or Iron-Man sooner, as the Mullers weren't into that "superhero stuff".

As I got older and the slumber parties next door occurred less and less, I moved on to novels. They say kids who read comics develop a lifelong love of reading and for Steven and I, it is absolutely true. Comics gave me a safe place to escape to, a place where people were happy, had food, made mistakes, but things always worked out. I needed the adventures they took me on. Comic books were my friends, and they paved the way for my love of books.

So, to all the amazing people out there who've shared their comic books, I salute you! To the creators with all their artistic collaborations, I stand amazed at what you accomplish together. It gives me hope for humanity. Collaboration is beautiful. You all have learned to trust each other with your art, a rare thing for gifted creators. 

For all the kids who feel alone and may be struggling to see light at the end of a tunnel, hang in there, it gets better. Keep reading and dreaming, for one day you may get to spend your days working in a shop full of beautiful comics and with a lot people who love them as much as you do.

My story is just one of the countless reasons I will always say, "earth needs comics".