The Comics Rack
THOUGHT BALLOONS
Musings and Memories
Thought Balloons...
...is a collection of musings and thoughts gathered from a lifetime of comic collecting and years spent as a comic retailer.
The articles presented here...
...span the years 2004 to the present day and are presented as they originally appeared in The News Stand.
Inka Dinka Doo
Who were the Crusty Bunkers and how many were there?
It's All in the Numbers
A discussion of distribution in the old days with someone who was there.
The Incredible Morphing Concept
Marv Wolfman, Lost and Skull the Slayer...everything old is new again.
Siegel, Shuster and a Boy of Steel
A story I once heard about the origins of Superboy...and mis-remembered.
The Siegel Heirs and a Boy of Steel
The Siegel family termination of copyright for Superboy and more on the origins of the character.
The Siegel Heirs - Round 2
What winning the copyright suit means and some further attempts to set the record straight.
A Savage Tale
Marvel's expansion into the magazine field in the 70s and the origins of Savage Tales.
It Was Big, All-American and A Comic Book
Yes, it was a big comic book, but what were All-American Comics, anyway?
I Have a Little Shadow...
Steranko, Toth, O'Neill and Kaluta once attempted to harness the power to cloud men's minds.
Moonlighting with Jack and Joe
Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Martin Goodman and...Captain Marvel?
Panning for Gold
Pointing the finger of disdain at Marvel and DC about their handling of the legacy and work of Jack Kirby.
Eternally yours, Jack Kirby
An overview of Jack's series The Eternals some 30 years after the fact.
To Strip or not to Strip
Why were many artists in the old days interested in drawing newspaper comic strips?
Comics Econ 101
A discussion of why comics cost so much more in relation to other printed materials.
I Wanna Buy a Comic Book!
The industry is growing, so, why can't I find a comic store?
The Batman Mythos
Though artists, writers and editors have changed since the Golden Age, Batman has stayed pretty much the same.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 1
How High School and comics went together (financed by lunch hour blackjack).
Comic Book Memories Pt. 2
College registration and my first visit to Wonderworld Books.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 3
What it was like in the early days of Wonderworld Books.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 4
Hey, Ma, I got a job and learned more about distribution!
Comic Book Memories Pt. 5
By truck or by air, the comics arrive in boxes and bundles.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 6
Twice a week, I get to drive to Los Angeles and visit Pacific Comics.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 7
All the way from Illinois, Glenwood Distributors opens an LA location.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 8
Pacific Comics sinks into the sunset.
Digression The First
Sales go up and make collector's items
Digression The Second
The holidays and comic retailing.
Digression The Third
Why aren't they getting older?
Digression The Fourth
New Universe? We don't need no stinking New Universe!
Comic Book Memories Pt. 9
With Pacific a memory, we move over to Glenwood
Comic Book Memories Pt. 10
Fun times at Glenwood and Pat moves back to Chicago
Comic Book Memories Pt. 11
We shop at Plant, we shop at Glenwood and then a storm on the horizon
Comic Book Memories Pt. 12
Our weekly trip to the Plant warehouse-The Promised Land.
Digression The Fifth
Odd and Ends including some comic trends from the 80s.
Comic Book Memories Pt. 13
Ken Krueger made the long haul to LA worthwhile
Digression The Sixth
Odd and Ends and some customer profiles
Comic Book Memories Pt. 14 - The End!
An anecdote or two and my exit, stage left.
Learn From The Past, Why Don'tcha?
Names are named and fingers are pointed as the pricing policies of DC hard bounds is taken to task.
Is DC Pulling a "Marvel"?
General disgruntlement and questioning over new policies at DC Comics.
You Want Me To Buy What?
Why can't I find out what's going to be in a book before I order it?
The Amazing Inking Wonder
A look behind the scenes at Vince Colletta, the artist you either love or loathe.
Summer Thoughts 1
As the summer winds down, an old man's thoughts turn to comics.
Summer Thoughts 2
When comics were a dime, you actually got more colors...
Farewell, Steve Gerber
Some memories brought up by the passing of Steve Gerber.
The Comics Rack
The Nostalgia League