This was mine. And jeez it was not what I was expecting.
1998, 11 years old, and my little brother spots issue 1 of Spider-Carnage in our local newsagent. We buy it, take it home, open it, and WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO SPIDER-MAN!?
Something bloody awesome it turns out. We grew up on the 90’s Fox Kids cartoon series, golden boy Peter Parker and kid friendly Saturday morning fun all the way. So to open our first Spider-Man comic to find some guy called Ben Reilly is actually Spider-Man, already battling more inner demons than the entire Skywalker family, to then be taken hostage by the Carnage Symbiote (those that know, know) and to see images of dead bodies hanging out of mental institute windows was, needless to say, not what our innocent eyes were expecting. Or our mum’s for that matter.
But that comic is what sparked my interest in reading. It opened my eyes to the beautiful world of comics (especially as it was illustrated by John Romita Jr.), the darker more adult side of superhero tales, and gave me a hero I still aspire to to this day, after being probably the most influential male role model in my early life. And yes I know he’s fictional. Issues I know… christ…
Anyway, if you’re looking for a new hobby, or just something to read, and a place to start, this is where I made mine. Get all your Marvel scoop here and PLEASE support your local comic shop, my favourite being my old Bristol haunt Excelsior!. They’re full of great reads, and nerds like me. Everything you need in one place.
Excelsior!
#harrisonthehand