captain_slinky | First Time Meme

FIVE COOL THINGS ABOUT MY FIRST TRIP TO A COMIC BOOK STORE

It was my 14th Birthday, and everyone in my family had chipped in to give me cash for my trip. One-hunnert-an-twenny-some dollars!
It was a place in Oak Harbor (20 miles away) called "Book World", a used book store that had suddenly devoted 1/3rd of their space to selling new and back-issue comic books.
My Dad spent the whole day in a somewhat pissed-off/grumpy mood because this birthday trip was the final straw. His son was NOT going to be a star quarterback or major-league slugger; his son was a NERD.
They gave me a "Frequent Reader" Punch Card, making it so that once I had spent $100 I would get a free $10 of credit. That was by far the COOLEST promotional program I have ever seen at any comic shop EVAR.
My prized posessions from that trip were the DC Comics George Perez Portfolio (several 11x17 b&w prints of Batman and Teen Titans artwork) and the Trade paperback collection of the X-Men/Alpha Flight cross-over (TPB was a VERY new concept at this time, not a common item). I later sold the George Perez prints to fund my own comic book store, but always kept the trade paperback.