Comics

I can't remember a time when I wasn't addicted to comics; this picture is me, age four, with a Batman comic firmly ensconced in my mitts. I collected comics all through my youth, buying, selling, trading, and scamming with other collecters.

The two big heroes for me growing up were Captain America and Batman & Robin - my first comic ever was a Batman VS Scarecrow story, and my first Captain America story was Captain America #152. Some of the early ones were Marvel Triple Action reprints of the Avengers, including the highly-impressive Avengers #16. I was hooked.

I collected what I could in the early days, biking around town to myriad 7-11 food stores and any other place which had spinner comic racks. My run of Avengers, Defenders, and Captain America grew apace. I had any copies of Batman, Detective, and Batman Family I could beg, borrow or steal.

By the time I was sixteen I had a heck of a collection - complete runs of Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel. I had stopped collecting Batman, et al - I had long since dispaired of collecting any comic whose number was well over 300, and at Golden Age prices, to boot!

As I got older, my interests continued to find expression in the comics industry; in my college years I taught a few comic shop owners how to rotate stock and track inventory. In 1993 I built the first version of the Star-Spangled Site, and the ISP of which I was a principal (the long-lamented Sigma.Net) hosted a number of web sites and mailing lists free of charge.

With Shawn Blanchette, I opened my own comic shop, A Wrinkle In Time, located at the corner of Homestead and Blaney in Sunnyvale, CA. It was open 7 days a week, from 10am to Midnight, and carried comics, non-sports cards, games, anime, new and used SF/Fantasy literature, props, and just about anything else. However, after a few years, I tired of it and sold my interest to Shawn. AWIT still does mail-order over the Internet, although its long since relocated to Las Vegas.

When I was at Lycos, Stan Lee started Stan Lee Media, and I became the Director of Technology. Working for Stan Lee was a dream -- watching him brainstorm was like watching a Blacksmith grind a piece of steel, sparks flew everywhere, often igniting wonderful ideas. Stan was kind, generous, and a creative powerhouse, but working for Peter Paul, the guy who ran all the business side of things, was a nightmare. The bright side was that I met some of the best people in the biz while there - the highly-talented Steve Gerber, the ultra-cool Taylor Grant, the knows-more-about-this-stuff-than-God Dana Moreshead, the charming and brilliant Junko Kobayashi, and the astute business genious Gil Champion. However, I couldn't reconcile my concerns about Peter Paul's business practices with renewing my contract, and resigned after my one-year contract was up. Ultimately, Stan Lee Media would die a painful bankrupcy death, and although no longer part of the company, it hurt to see it die.

Since then, I've kept up the Star-Spangled Site (my Cap site, in business since 1993), and am once again the moderator of the Captain America Message Board. I contribute to a few other places, doing banners, database work, etc. - if I have the data, the skillset, and the time, I enjoy being able to help others with their sites as well.

Captain America My favorite character, his fighting spirit, dedication, and mastery of strategy and tactics transcend any of his physical abilities.	Captain Mar-Vell A Kree warrior who comes to renounce war and Kree nationalism and become something of a Zen pacifist protector, he was the centerpiece of the 1970's cosmic storylines. He died of cancer in an incredibly well-done story called "The Death of Captain Marvel" in 1976.	The Phantom The Phantom is a generational hero, with each generation taking up the mantle.
Nightwing Most of you would probably recognize the name Dick Grayson before Nightwing - this is the costume that he took when he quit being Robin, and left Gotham City.	Nova, The Human Rocket Rich Ryder was a slacker who was invested with the powers of an alien Nova Centurion, and tries to use his powers wisely while not quite really knowing what he's doing...	The Scarlet Witch I've loved the character since I read a reprint of Avengers #16, and was greatly disappointed to see Bendis send her mad (AvDissed) and then turned into an insane cosmic-level mass-murderer. Still a soft spot in my heart for her, though.
Warbird The USAF's loss was the Avengers' gain when Carol got her powers from a Kree device - since then she's been consistently one of Marvel's strongest personalities. She's not afraid to slug it out toe-to-toe with anyone - and has the power to do it!	Oracle When the Joker put a bullet through her spine, she hung up the Batgirl costume and began cyber-investigations as Oracle, who provides the DCU with the CnC and intelligence they need to be successful.	T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents This team rocks, and I'm waiting for a revival. And waiting. And waiting. Hopefully with George Perez...

Comics and Sequential Art