For as long as I can remember I have been a super hero fanatic. My first memories are of a very bad ass Avengers poster I got when I was really young. I would sit in my room and just look at those guys for hours. The Hulk, Captain America, The Human Torch, Spider Man, Iron Man, and Thor. I had no idea what I was looking at but I loved it. I loved the possibilities. Then came Saturday morning cartoons. When I was growing up Saturdays weren't for sleeping in they were for waking up early and watching The Uncanny X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is when I joined the amazing world of superheros. I started collecting comic books, t-shirts, and cards. I would mow my grandparents lawn every week in the summer and blow my money as fast as I earned it at the local card shop. I still have piles of Fleer Ultra X-men cards. I also started buying action figures. Now looking back if I could have left them in the packaging I could have had a gold mine. But I had to play with them. I had to get my hands on them. I wanted my own intergalactic adventure. For hours I would play with these action figures and read the back of my cards. Imagination was the name of the game here, and you could create what ever reality you wanted. On top of cards and action figures I remember going to the local Fremont Swap Meet and buying up as many old comics as I could find. I still have a huge stack in the basement of my parents house. My parents were pretty cool about all of this. It seemed like something a normal kid would do. But little did they know I was traveling aboard the Fantasti-Car hurtling through space to save the planet from the evil Galactus. OK OK. Around 13 I was still into superheroes and this wasn't winning me any popularity contests at school. Then came KISS and things shifted drastically. In KISS I found four real life superheroes that played music for the outcast. They were different I and felt different and when I played their music I was back aboard that starship screaming towards the outer limits of the universe. I soon became obsessed with Rock N Roll music. The theatrics of it all really ignited a fire in me. A blue print was layed out in front of me on how I could turn myself into a superhero. I have never aspired to be KISS or Motley Crue (not that I haven't had those dreams, but really who hasn't). I wanted to create my own character, those guys just proved to me that it could be done.
Now that I have grown up, some would say, I don't really play with any of my action figures. They sit quietly on a shelf and collect dust. I have traded my Spider Man t-shirts for Iron Maiden t-shirts. In my free time I don't get to the outer reaches of the galaxy as often as I should (to many blogs to write). As I began to write this article I really wanted to convey Super heroes as imaginary beings that shaped my childhood in the positive. Low and behold right in front of me I was blessed with so many real life superheroes that I didn't even know existed. My parents and my grandparents were the original Fantastic Four for me. I remember my grandfather being the toughest John Wayne-esque bad ass I had ever seen. He smoked Camel non-filters and drank coffee black. He had served in the Navy and traveled the world as a big game hunter. And my grandmother was the strongest women I have ever know. She kicked Rosie the Riveter right in the ass then back for a refill on her coffee (black). My mother is one of the most creative people. She can make things with her hands that deserve awards. She is smart and talented and was even a hippie in a galaxy far far away. My stepfather can play any instrument, he can play any song ever written, and he can read any piece of music. You want to place a bet on this. My father is the strongest man I know. I remember going to his softball games when I was a kid and seeing him hit a home run ever time he stepped up to the plate. My stepmother is smart, and talented, and strong. Hell, she raised 5 kids in the 90s, that deserves a gold medal. Now I know that I am not the only one with superheroes for parents and that many people have amazing parents. What I am saying is that all you need to do is take a look. Superheroes come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.
Friday March 29th at The 21st Saloon Krypton Comics and 3D In Your Face will be celebrating all things Superhero and you are encourage to dress up as your favorite character. Also if you wear your Krypton Comics t-shirt the cover is only $3. There is only one rule BE CREATIVE AND HAVE SOME FUN. There will be appearances by The Duct Tape Transformers and The Omaha Star Wars Club. So dig out your Plutonium batteries for the camera because you will be taking a lot of pictures. This is a party for you as much as it is for me.
ALWAYS LOUD
FOREVER PROUD
HAIR IN THE AIR
SPADE
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