Fred Hembeck

I was 12 years old. My best friend James and I headed over to The Corner Magazine Shop on West Broad Street in Norwich New York. My daily stop there usually involved a pack of Nerds Candy and a Welch's Grape Soda. For some reason this day James took me past the candy and soda, and he led me to the Comic Book racks. I have gone to this store for years, but never gave these books a second thought. James pulled a couple off the racks while I looked around. One caught my eye, It was entitled "Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe".
    I did not know it at the time, but Hmebeck was a well known satirical cartoonist with a love for comics. In the pages of this book he systematically destroyed every Villain and Hero Marvel ever made. I gladly laid down my dollar, and thus my very first (of thousands) comic books was bought. I recently bought a hand drawn sketch of Hembeck's to remember that Comic Book and the life long hobby it started.
     We always remember our firsts. Our first day at school, our first car, our first love, and so on. The Apostle Paul repeated many times the first time he met Jesus.Of all the firsts we remember in life, this first should be the most important. Tell Your friends, family, and neighbors as often as you can when the first time you knew Jesus Christ's love for you. Of all the memories we have to share, this one should be the most important.