This weekend my city is hosting Comicon. For those who are unfamiliar with these events, it’s a convention built around comics. That’s the simplistic description, but really, it’s so much more. It’s a huge event with workshops, movies, parties, costumes, vendors, and more. I wouldn’t have thought it would be something I would ever attend, but I am, for the second time.

Last year my sweetheart discovered that there are many authors that attend these cons, and they give workshops and participate in discussion panels. The cost is way less than traditional writer’s workshops, and the atmosphere is incredible. Where else can you see Dr. Who rubbing shoulders with zombies, Han Solo, Pikachu, and Ninja Turtles?

I was never all that into comics as a kid. I did like the read the Sunday funnies, since they were printed in color. I always read Blondie, because it was the first one. I liked Garfield and Peanuts too, and the one panel comics, like Family Circus, Marmaduke, and Ziggy. Still, I rarely used my dime to buy a comic book at the store; I always preferred candy.

One summer, though, I got sick at sleep away camp. It was way up in the woods in Canada, and I think my parents may have been on a trip, but I don’t recall the exact details. I do remember that I was in the infirmary for a couple of days, and it was terribly boring. The only way to pass the time was with the stack of comic books that they had.

During that infirmary stay I came to appreciate the struggles of poor little Richie Rich. I also looked forward to my teenage years when I would hang out with the gang, just like Archie. Sarge and Beetle Bailey amused me without exposing me to the real struggles of Army life, and Prince Valiant, well, he was just boring aside from his funny haircut.

There were no superheroes that I recall. I would have read Batman or Superman or Spiderman, but they hadn’t made it to that little camp infirmary in the woods of Northern Ontario. I’m still not much of a comic reader, but I do get nostalgic thinking about those long ago comic books helping me pass the time.

Are you a comic reader? Were you as a child? What are your favorites?