Special Guest Post – Be the Hero

GW1-blog-guest(Submitted by Heather Hopp)

I started reading comics when I was 11 or 12. There were a handful of local shops, maybe 4 or 5, and I would go with my grandpa and frequent them on about a monthly basis. I rotated stores. I was into completely collecting back issues, especially X titles. So many of those owners knew who I was by sight, if not by name. 

There was one closer to my grandparents’ house in Ellet at the time, so I would often be able to just drop in and browse. He had flyers to local comic shows/cons and that’s how I attended my first conventions ever, still with my grandpa as chauffeur and escort.

It was obvious from those first shows that I was a rarity. Around 1990 an 11 year old female stuck out at comic cons. I was one of -maybe- 4 female collectors at just about every show I went to between Cleveland and Akron in the 90s. The others, one of whom I would later know because I landed at a more permanent shop where she had a pull-list as well, were well over my age. A couple were 30+; the one I later befriended was merely double my age.

At one of these comic shows at Tadmor Shrine, I saw the owner of the Ellet shop at his booth. I had come with art I had drawn to enter the amateur artist contest and was eager to show it off. He saw me while he was chatting with another owner at a booth adjoining his and called me over.

My grandpa in tow, I made my way over and he brought out two jewelry boxes. He knew I loved X-men and these were official X pieces. One was a HUGE ruby class ring with “Xavier’s School for gifted youngsters” around the gem and the other was a small silver pin with the Xavier’s logo on it.

“You should get the ring – you could say you’re Cyclops’ girlfriend!” – he looked over at his booth neighbor and they laughed.

I stared at him. I told him I would take the pin, but the ring was huge and ugly.

“I really thought you’d rather have Cyclops’ class ring…” he mumbled, confused, as he rang it up.

I answered, “I don’t want to be the hero’s girlfriend – I want to be the hero.”

You can find Heather on Facebook, Twitter, at every Oddmall and Con on the Cob, and hear her occasionally on Geek Watch One!

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