Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My coolest collectible

Back in 1973 I attended my very first comicbook convention (in New York City, no less). It was there that I scored a huge stack of comics (most-specifically Spidey comics), but what I managed to acquire that has remained for me my coolest collectible was a pair autographs from John Romita (Sr.) & Gerry Conway.

John was sitting at a table doing quick sketches and signing autographs. I (wearing my bestest Spidey T-Shirt), was just one of  dozens of eager fanboys looking for an autograph. The Jazzy one looked up, spotted my T-shirt, smiled, and reached past two or three other fan’s to take my convention book.

“And what can I draw for you?” he asked.

“Gwen Stacy.” I said.

“I can only draw her head,” Johnny responded.

“That’s OK,” I replied.

So, Johnny set to work rendering a con sketch of Gwen’s lovely face. Once he was done, he signed his name. I reached to take the con book back, but John wasn’t quite finished. He hovered over the illustration for a moment, then drew a word balloon and had Gwen say “You did it Gerry C!!”

I began to laugh as Gerry Conway had very spectacularly killed Gwen earlier that years in Amazing Spider-Man #121. Well, it was probably an hour or so later that I ran into Gerry Conway. Unable to resist, I asked for his autograph as well, and pushed the same page that John had signed earlier towards him. Gerry obligingly took the convention book and then looked at what else was on the page. When he read what John had written, Gerry laughed, signed next to Gwen’s head and then added, “And I’m glad I did.”

That the page with that image and those words appears at the bottom of this post.


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