Hey everyone and thanks for checking out the first of hopefully many posts on my blog. This is something I've contemplated doing for awhile and with the help of a friend, I've decided to force myself to take the time and delve deeper into the world of Comics.
So, about me... My name is Kyle and I am 27 years old. I'm a father, a husband, and a friend. This is all I know about myself...Oh! and that I love comics!
I was lucky enough to grow up near a Licensed Comic Shop when I was a kid and better yet, I was even luckier that the owner of that shop was a man who really embraced the rough community around him. He was always there for us neighborhood kids and even sponsored my little league team. He knew the "good" kids from the "bad" and this was a big part of keeping me out of trouble. Reason being, trouble makers never could hang around his shop or browse through his shelves. Rightfully so, because these "bad" kids liked to beat the fuck out of people, vandalize, and steal. No one wants those punks around a comic shop, especially me! The comic shop did way more for me than just providing comics. When 10 and 11 years olds were finding ways to buy ciggarettes, I was trying to come up with the cash to buy comics. I'm from Lowell Mass, a very tough neighborhood to grow up in... especially during the crack boom. Larry's Comics was right down the street from my childhood home, and though I didnt realize how lucky I was to have it so close as a kid, I realize now. I think every community- especially lower class communities- need a comic shop for this reason. Incentive to be a "good" kid.
I was always a very quiet and respectful kid and so I usually went unnoticed. But through comics I started to explore and dream of the larger world around me. From Metropolis to the dark streets of Gotham. It really helped take the stress away that came with living in such a rough place. People in Lowell are stressed because they are struggling. Drugs and alcohol were everywhere.
As I hit high school I drifted away from the comic world for whatever reason and after high school I made haste and enlisted in the USMC to stop the "evil doers" George W vowed to eliminate. Long story short, and truth be told, I joined a war machine hell bent on acquiring contracts and cheap oil. Kinda fucked up..yea... My life was really difficult after my discharge. I returned home to my high school sweetheart who had our first child a week prior. I was 20. I count my blessings that my body was destroyed to a point that they threw me away. I tried to just jump right back into life at that point but as any vet will tell you, such a task is easier said than done. The ptsd that I was left with was so severe that it almost destroyed my life and separated me from every person that I loved, including my sweetheart who is now my wife and my child. I dont feel bad for myself..I paid a small price..but it was hard for me, especially considering at 19-20 I was still a kid. A kid with a lot of problems.
Three years later my wife gave birth to twins. It was a very great and difficult time in my life. But the perseverance my father instilled in me kept me fighting. Two years later my wife gave birth to our second set of twins. All these twins! All natural! No fertility! lol I was shocked too... The doctor said I won the lottery and indeed I did! Except lets be honest, this lottery winning has an opposite effect from the lottery most people pay and pray to win everyday. It was around this time I started to get back into comics. By getting back into comics, one book at a time, I was discovering a piece of myself that I thought had died and was never to return. Two years later my 3rd son was born! Yeah! No shit... Lottery! By this time my love for comics was already in full swing and if we fast forward to now, here I am starting a blog about the books and art that I love. My kids birth made me search for myslef, a gift I'll thank them for when they are older.
Life's a battle and I thank God for the opportunity to fight! I have friends who never lived to see this day and remembering this reminds me to be thankful for what I have. I think as long I'm thankful and keep pursuing what I love, I can be certain that slowly but surely, I'll get as much of myself back as possible. One day at a time, one comic at a time, one drawing at a time, one second at a time.
So hopefully this is the hardest post to write.. I feel a background on myself will give you insight on me as a person, which will make my posts more enjoyable to read. So until next time, be safe and One Love!
