“Comic Book reading is a solitary
activity best shared with others.” – Matthew G. Mann, Sr. (date unknown)
I came up
with that statement some time ago to illustrate the truism that the collective
relational experience between readers, whether through a blog, podcast, e-mail,
or simply chatting at your Local Comic Shop (LCS) is as much a part of the
hobby as reading the comic itself and collecting it to be appreciated another
day. This idea especially applies when there is a bond between a fan and a comic
book creator. That bond is initially established when you first fall in love
with an individual’s work and start to follow them as one of your favorites. Regardless of whether you’re a child or an
adult, a connection of some sort is made between you, because every creator
puts a bit of themselves into their craft.
And if you ever
get to meet that person one day (and they’re not a jerk), it just enriches the
whole experience even more. Better still
is if you develop a person to person relationship with them, rather than just a
fan to creator one. Best of all is if you
are blessed to become friends. Now certainly the term “friends”, like “love”, has
many layers and degrees, so please do not presume that I am embellishing on any
of the friendships I claim to have with any comic book professionals. I’m just happy for the ones I have no matter
the degree. That’s why when one of them
ends abruptly…
You see, my friend, the legendary artist of Marvel’s
The Incredible Hulk, Godzilla, and G.I.Joe to name a few, Herb
Trimpe, passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago on 2015 April 14. I just found out yesterday while perusing the
www.marvelmasterworks.com
website and saw their bulletin about IDW's upcoming Herb Trimpe's Incredible Hulk Artist Edition HC. I'm still reeling from the news. It's been much more on my mind than the protests in Baltimore City that sent me home from work this morning.
I wanted to
pay tribute to Herb by recounting my friendship with him, which began in 2007,
consisted of only subsequent annual in-person meetings at the Baltimore
Comic-Con, and a few e-mails in-between.
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| 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con |
