Memoirs of a Comic Book Collector: Origins - My introduction to Steemit

52 years ago, I began a love affair that still goes strong today.

My first comic was a Kaliman # 17, from 1966. This character was a blockbuster in sales during the 60s and 70s in all LatinAmerica, si, it was required reading for a small town kid like me.
In Spanish comic books were called, historietas, revistas de monitos y cuentitos (Little tales about comic characters).

After that, I began reading, and eventually, purchasing, almost everything that I could put my hands into. Obviously, when money was available!

Arriving at Mexico City in 1970, broadened my reading horizon.

I read all comics I could get or went thru my hands... Novaro, La Prensa, Editora Sol, and several other minor publishing houses.

At 15 years old, my personal comic book collection had reached almost 500 different issues. And then, one day, I found that some department stores like Sears Roebuck, carried the original english issues!!

I made ONE mistake then... I sold all my mexican comic books and began collecting the US editions.

Second mistake?

One day in 1980, I found a two feet long steel stripped pack full of Silver Age issues, including a Tales of Suspense 41, and other minor jewels, which I sold to a Canadian Comic store for 130 dls...!

Anyway, by 1988 I got married and had to put my collecting days in the backburner.

Two years later, I got back in full force, and by 1992, I decided to open a Comic Book store, like the ones in USA. After 6 months of operating with some associates, we parted ways and opened Manticora Comics on May 1st, 1993.

After several ups and downs, economic and financial hits like 1994's Mexican Devaluation of our Peso, I decided to go full online, and here I am, still going on!

Why am I writing this post today?

Because today, 25 years ago, I opened in México City - and to my knowledge, in all the country - the first Comic Book Store!
Yes, time flies when you are doing things that you like!

And don't get me started in Fantasy, Terror and Science fiction Books or Vinyls!

It would be a Never Ending story!