A lunch for the Golden Ages

A few weekends ago I sat down for a quick bite at a Little Rock diner with a large table full of some of the biggest names in comics history. I should rephrase that: the biggest historians in comics.

Among them, Ed Zeno, who has published a few high quality books on the personal histories of some comic creators of years past; Bill Jones, who compiled the history “Classics Illustrated,” available at Amazon; Hames Ware, a thorough collector of Golden Age books and art as well as a professional voice artist; and Stephen Charla, who now works at the Clinton Presidential Library and previously worked at a comic art museum.

Others were there as well, though it was a challenge to get everyone’s name and history.

I felt like a bit of a nobody, as my only claim to any fame is that I’ve been reading comics off and on since the late 80s and I’m starting to write a comics column for the local newspaper.

Strangely, I was put onstage as a lot of the men present had quit reading new comics some time ago. They were very curious about good new books, authors, etc. And in what I read regularly. I told them what I could, but still felt a little strange. I guess it was like explaining the physical aspects of sports to a Nobel-winning physicist.

I hope I can spend more time with them in the future, and get a chance to read their books thoroughly and see some of the incredible stores of old comics they have.