That goateed loudmouth...

There's a reason this is here, since it pertains to an upcoming issue of Xenorama featuring my favorite comic book stories.  This was the first comic book or magazine I ever bought that the great Fred Hembeck drew, and it made me a fan.  I laughed then and still laugh now when I read it.  It is truly that funny.  It helps that I was familiar with most of the characters, but having them KNOW they were comic book people is a great touch.  The amazing amount of knowledge Fred has floored me.

You see, by 1980 I was considering myself something of a superhero expert, and within my limited field of experience, it's a claim I could make.  Once I read this book and met several I had no knowledge of, I had to reconsider.  Buying this magazine led me to reading the books about comic books, which led me to a lot of new reading material.  I still don't care much for romance comics, though since Stan Lee brought his soapy background to the Fantastic Four, I guess I did read a lot of them.

Anyway, I love these old comic books, and wish some of the new ones could have the same magic to them.