The deep dive into being a comic book/sci-fi/toy enthusiast came way before 1986. “Enthusiast” as I’ve given the title of “nerd or geek” back to the world; those words limit and at times demean the user & I shall not have that. I was the child that memorized file cards of GI Joes, could tell you in detail what I read in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and was visibly upset when Roy Fokker was killed in action.
I began getting comic books at local supermarkets and from a friend of the family who’d drop off comic books while driving his delivery routes. You’d think that early on my favorite comic books would just be superheroes. I was a HUGE fan of the Harvey Comics of Richie Rich, Casper, and Wendy fame. They were fun to read and a joy to look at. For my Mom, this kept me in the “child wonder” place she worked hard for. And I’m forever thankful.
As I grew older and with various toy and pop culture pushes, Marvel and DC Comics were my main jam. Spider-Man was a favorite of mine. I related to the “guy next door” Peter Parker and wished I had Spider-Man’s powers and webbing. Another comic I loved was The Uncanny X-Men. A group of “misfit heroes” who want to save the world despite how humanity treated them would play into my perceptions of myself and how I saw myself in the world.
Batman made me a fan with his rogue’s gallery, gadgets, being a “normal guy” (before I discovered being incredibly rich IS a superpower), and having a sidekick. I wanted to be a superhero so bad that I thought being a hero’s sidekick/partner would be great. Then I looked at Robin’s color scheme and figured I’d be a walking decoy. Not keen on that nor Robin’s underwear and elf shoes. Thankfully, they moved beyond that over the decades.
In 1985, Marvel Comics released The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition. I caught on to the previous OHOTMU late, was able to get the first issue of the Deluxe Edition and was floored. I loved learning the “how and why” of the characters and took to learning about all my favorites. This also gave me new heroes and villains to look up and get interested in. I studied the books like I should have studied my schoolwork. Ha! DC Comics had its own series similar to Handbook of the Marvel Universe, “Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe.” Not as detailed as Marvel's series, I did enjoy learning the origins of lesser known characters and discovering characters I’d later be fans of, such as The New Gods. By the time ‘86 came around, I was a fully invested comic book fan; sealed by these two series.