Shoutout to the comic shop guy who changed how I see Silver Age books

For years I thought Silver Age comics were overrated and just nostalgia bait. Last month at a show in Portland, a dealer let me flip through a raw Amazing Spider-Man #50 and explained how the stories actually reflected real 60s issues. It hit me that I was judging old books without understanding their context. Has anyone else had their mind changed by a shop employee just talking through a book?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke53310d ago

That dealer did you a solid. Same thing happened to me with a Fantastic Four run, totally changed my whole view on those early issues.

ivangrant8d ago

That FF run is a good example. Most people just see the giant monsters and think it's silly, but those early issues were tackling things like cold war fears and what it really means to be a family that's different. Kirby and Lee were pushing ideas about social outcasts and government distrust under all that action. Once you start looking for that layer, it's like a whole new book opens up. Suddenly every cosmic villain or hidden base has a little more weight to it. The fun part is you can't unsee it once someone points it out.