What my Dad gave me and why I cannot let it go! SPIDER-MAN TREASURY NUMBER ONE!

Its true. I lived in a different world, in a different time.... But my parents were alive back then, and they had introduced me into the world of comics in hopes I would learn to read a little better. It worked, too well for their frugal tastes. So when we moved into Bristol, Tennessee, on a block facing my school,  I was pretty happy as a kid. Then the day came at the 7-11 that I begged my dad  for a really big, over-sized comic book; the first Spider-man treasury edition.....

It was worth all the begging. I was so happy Dad got it for me. It reprinted stories that were expensive to buy in the adult world of comic books, and the scale... well it was huge. 

Dad and Mom suggested, no doubt from this encounter, that I find  some ways to earn my comics, this of course led to me pilfering for change in couches and chairs, and to loading up bottle after glass bottle of Pepsi cola to turn into comic book gold. I could get a fair exchange at the 

7-11 by loading up my bottles into my sturdy red wagon and pulling it to the store, about six blocks away. I stayed outta trouble a lot so I could get an extra book now and then, just for being less of a problem than my siblings. It was an adventure that paid off, well worth the walk. Candy was not my friend anymore, just comic books. I learned the value of a dollar, plus tax. 

My daughter pointed out to me a year or so ago, that I really did love comic books, and she was right. I do not think she fully understands why. Comic Books were not just a tool to improving my reading, it was a way to get out of a world  I did not always comprehend, into a world where the lines were a little more defined by good and evil. Aside from Dad, I needed all the heroes I could get. I am forever grateful for Dad and Mom relenting and putting up with my pastime. As an adult and a teen, I had the comic book bug very bad.  Video games were on the horizon, but really good consoles were far off from my childhood. 

And so my life was enriched by comic books. Spider-man and Peter Parker both had more problems than I did, and yes, it did make me feel better.  Even my sister indulged me occassionally, as she sweet and was really the first person to realize how much   I needed them in my life. My brother never got it, but then, a lot of older brothers never got it, so that was okay i guess. So, if you run across this book, as well as its giant cousins, indulge yourself in some oversized fun.  I still have my copy. One day I will put it in a frame, though not a slab. I couldn't re-read it now and then if I decided to slab it.

MARVEL TREASURY EDITION 1

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN

REPRINTS  The Amazing Spider-man #8, 14, 42, and 90 and Marvel Superheroes #14 and with excerpts from The Amazing Spider-Man #72 and The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1.

PLEASE THROW GWEN FROM THE BRIDGE

Sporting one of the least imaginative covers ever...is The Amazing Spider-man 121....The legendary end of Gwen and the last story signifying the end of the Silver Age Spider-man.

In case you don't know the story, or you base your history on the film based on the story, Gwen, Spidey's long time ball and chain, gets knocked off the Brooklyn Bridge by the Green Goblin, who laughs maniacally after Spidey's webbing snaps Gwen's neck.

As horrible as it seemed at the time, I kinda wished she would have got tossed off twenty issues earlier.
Why?
Because non-superhero girlfriends (and wives) are a drag in every male superhero's life. They just complicate things, and the whining, the constant railing about running late, blah blah blah.  Superman has it worse. By the time Gwen took the plunge, Lois Lane had be dragging him down for over 30 years. I guess it took me a long time to realize, but if your girl has no super powers except super bitching, you might want to see if Wonder Woman is busy Saturday night.

Spidey loses his girl in this issue, but regains his freedom for a while, ends up with Mary Jane, and starts that on again, off again cycle that defines their relationship. A few years ago, someone decided that a married Peter Parker was not appealing to teens, especially teen girls, so MJ went away again. The 1970s was really the best time of Pete's romance with Mary Jane. But then, everyone loved Mary Jane back in those days....