When I was a kid (decades ago), I loved comic books.

[no_hypocrisy]

Superman, Superboy, Dennis the Menace, Archie/Veronica/Betty, Leave It to Binky

I had about maybe 20 that I would read over and over and over.

When I was 12, my father was agitated about my comic book habit. (It wasn't like I was buying 25 new ones a week. I just liked what I had.) He made me throw them out. As you may imagine, I felt that to be a violation on several levels.

It was August, 1969. In the dead of night, I stole outside and took them back. (I was lucky: they were on top of the garbage and not ruined.) I hid them from him for about six months before I became afraid of the consequences if he discovered that I was secreting them. So, again in the middle of the night, (albeit, now 10 degrees with snow outside), I sneaked out of the house and put my beloved comic books on top of the garbage and said a reluctant goodbye.

I don't know why my father was so angry. Maybe he believed that crap in Readers Digest about comic books leading to juvenile delinquency. Maybe he wanted me to read "Little Women" and other "classic literature". He's gone and so are the comics.

It's nearly 50 years ago. I still wish I had those comics. I just do.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. P.S. I have this fantasy that I will replace those comicbooks when I visit

comicbook fairs.

[rurallib]

2. We used to get about 20 a week

we had a pretty substantial collection.

My brothers are 5 and 7 years older than me. So I guess they were done reading them. One day I come home and found out that my oldest brother and my mother had packed them all up and taken them to the Children's Hospital in town.

Boy I wish she just let me pick out a few to keep.

At 10 cents throw we were only spending a couple bucks a week, most of which we earned mowing lawns etc.

This was @1963 or so.

[TwistOneUp]

3. First it was comic books

On the decline of the "morals" our youth and the rise of "juvenile delinquency":

First it was comic books
Then it was Elvis
Then it was The Beatles
Then it was the 'Stones (play the records backwards!)
Then it was Communities of Color / multi-culti
Then it was Gays and Lesbians (and those fence-sitting Bi's!)
Then it was Transpeeps

When are we going to stop letting Church Lady and her ilk dictate morals to us?

From my view, the Church is the real reason things are so fscked up.

[Javaman]

8. the church and the republicans but then again they are pretty synonymous. nt

[eppur_se_muova]

4. I've never understood why parents were so against comic books. They were harmless.

My mother forced me to get rid of dozens of them one time. Some would be collector's items now. Whenever we visited cousins, we were expected to give some of our comic books to them, despite the fact that they liked entirely different types of comics.

Not so bad as my cousin who had tons of Superman and Batman comics. My aunt made him burn a whole bunch of them.

You never get over it. I think it's the feeling that you're not allowed to have your own property, that whatever your parents give you, they can take away without reason, no matter how much you like it. I think it makes kids feel insecure, like they could lose everything on a whim at any time, and how they feel about it doesn't count at all.

[lunamagica]

5. My sad comic book story

When I was a kid my favorite comic books where Archie, Nancy, Little Lulu, Little Archie.

But there was this Superfriends one I bought when I was 10 years-old which I treasured. I read it over, and over again. It was by far my favorite comic book. Perhaps it was even my most prized possession at the time.

One day, an older cousin whom I hardly ever saw visits our house. He starts reading my precious Superfriends comic book. As he leaves, he asks to "borrow it". I wanted to scream NO! I wanted to say "I have no idea when I will see you again, give me my cominc book!"

But I just nodded. Of course, I never saw the comic book again.

I still get mad when I think about it. Mad about losing that comic book, but even angrier at my pusillanimity, which I've had to work hard to overcome.

[Permanut]

6. I became a serious Superman fan..

still am.

Comic books, then the George Reeves TV series, which I now have complete on DVD, the later movies, and just lately discovered the 1948 movie serial starring Kirk Alyn. I've watched them, oh, a thousand times or so.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

12. You should check out the new Bendis run of Superman

I'm not a huge Superman fan (more of a Bendis fan), but he's doing some really cool stuff with the character.

[Javaman]

7. my parents did the same thing to my older brother...

I remember it quite clearly.

he was 7 years older than me and I saw him get real upset.

He was about 12 at the time and I was 5.

this was about 1968.

He had all these great comics that he would let me look through and, as best as I could at the time, read.

fantastic 4, x-men, etc.

I learned my lesson and when I had my own, I kept them from my parents and hid them at the top of my closet in a box.

I don't get it either, comics basically taught me to read.

[mythology]

9. I'll have to remember to thank my mom for never being like this

I never had to give up any books or comics or anything. Sure if I got grounded things were taken away short term, and the year I decided to ineptly attempt to sneak a peek at my Christmas gifts those toys got donated, but never just because reasons.

[Stuart G]

10. I saved mine, and my mother threw mine out when I was out of town.

I am still pissed about it. and that was more than 55 years ago. I loved them, mostly Dell, Uncle Scruge, Donald Duck..etc. totally innocent..by the way, I have saved some old Mad Magazines..they were not thrown out..Those were in a different drawer ...they go back to 1960..good condition too

[no_hypocrisy]

11. I understand too well.

Now that I'm a teacher, I tell remedial reading kids to read comic books to improve their reading skills.