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| Copyright MARVEL COMICS |
The first comic mart I ever attended was in The Royal Stuart Hotel in Glasgow in 1982. I stumbled across it by accident while passing the hotel with a friend and curiosity got the better of me. It was there I first spoke with the late Pete Root, who told me of his plans to open a comics shop with a group of friends - which, he claimed, would be so good it'd put eight other comic shops out of business. (The shop was AKA Books & Comics.) I bought Silver Surfer #1 from him for £12, and I also ran into Brian Bolland that day and got his autograph on the back of a mini calendar tab for 1983 (I like to be prepared), which I still have today.
At that mart I also saw a book called The Marvel Comics Art of Wally Wood, and though I was tempted, I didn't buy it. I've always regretted not doing so, so I recently purchased one via eBay and it arrived at Castel Crivens from the States today. Just think - 42 years wiped away in a single stroke and things are now as they should've been back then. The inevitable question - how the hell did 42 years of my life pass so quickly? And the same question would apply even if I didn't now own the book, as that day only seems such a short while ago to me, rather than the vast expanse of time (two-thirds of my life in fact) it actually is.
I didn't have the Surfer ish long as I inadvertently damaged and then dispensed with it, but three or four years later I bought a better copy I still have today, along with the other 17 issues. If you don't have the Wood book, I thought you'd appreciate seeing some of the art contained within. The Royal Stuart Hotel is now student accommodation (and has been for many years), but when I look at my SS #1, my autographed calendar tab, and my Wally Wood book, I'm back in 1982 and everything is as it was. In fact, it feels like I've owned the book since then now that it's in my possession. Anyway, enjoy the images - click to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.
(Incidentally, there are no biographical details about Wood, nor an introduction in the book, so either it was rush-released as a tribute in the wake of Wood's death [in November '81] or the publishers felt that his art spoke for itself.)
