Avatar photo

Luthor

Name: Kevin Porter

Bio: My Mom used to buy me GI Joe and Marvel’s Strange Tales in the early 80s as a way to get me to read.  I loved the GI Joe cartoon and the comic just seemed like an extension of that.  Strange Tales was my introduction to super folk but I have to admit, even though I enjoyed it at the time, the characters in the book left a lot to be desired(It was usually Dr Strange with a Cloak & Dagger or Power Pack back up) and none of those characters hooked me.  A few years later my Mom and I were at a local drug store and she gave me a dollar to spend.  They happened to have a giant vat of comics that were marked down to 3/99¢.  After grabbing 2 random GI Joe comics, for some reason I decided to give something else a try.  I had always liked the Lou Ferrigno Hulk TV show and there was an issue of a Hulk comic book, so I thought why not…and that decision, literally, changed my life.  The Hulk issue in question was Incredible Hulk #340.It was written by Peter David and drawn by Todd Mcfarlane and featured a fight between Hulk and Wolverine(who I had never heard of before then).  It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.  It was violent and gory but smart and funny at the same time.I decided that I had to have more, so that summer I went on a mad spree of comic book buying.  There wasn’t really an easily accessible comic book store(this would be 1988 and I would’ve been 11), so I would scan the classified ads for yard sales or hit the used book stores.  I also subscribed to pretty much every Marvel title.  An old guy who had a weekly yard sale and always had an endless supply of comics for me(usually at a ridiculous price of 10 books for a $1) talked me into trying something something other then Marvel books.  He gave me a handful of DC books for free and said he knew I’d be back for more…and he was right.  Most of the DC stuff he gave me was from Brave & The Bold which starred Batman, who I had always associated with the 60s tv show and Superfriends.  You can imagine my shock when reading these comics.  I went from Marvel Zombie to comic book mass consumer.  If I saw something that looked comic related, I got it.  I got black and white indy books like Cerebus and Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters.  I got underground comix from a local skate shop(to this day I have no idea what those books were about).  At one point I even found out that Becker’s(an old convenience store chain in Ontario) threw out their old comics on Sunday nights and I began dumpster diving(that didn’t last long, one ride in a police car is enough for my lifetime).There have been times in my life as a comic book fan where I could’ve easily walked away, but memories of that summer will always keep me attached.  If there is ever a book written about my life, that summer will have to be a chapter all in itself.

Twitter:


Reviews

The main feature was ok but the back-up was ridiculous.  The main feature was a team up between Angel, Iceman…

Read full review and comments
Luthor's Recent Comments
August 30, 2013 1:50 pm I would just like to say that I hate gobo.
November 1, 2012 1:15 pm For me, the simple answer is Sweet Tooth. Lemire's pacing has been incredible on this book, as has his art. Each issue reveals a little more about the overall arc, as well as moves us towards the end goal. It's fantastic and also ranks as one of my all time favourite runs.
August 27, 2012 1:23 pm This is the chicken and the egg question of comics.
July 23, 2012 2:21 pm Ande Parks and Phil Hester are so disgustingly under appreciated that I can't stand it. I love their superhero stuff so much.
May 21, 2012 1:52 pm Really well said, Jim.
September 9, 2011 1:27 pm Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book is probably my favourite comics history book. http://books.google.com/books/about/Men_of_Tomorrow.html?id=_K0k9873AB4C
September 7, 2011 1:48 am The story has been completely told and I still hate him.
September 6, 2011 2:19 pm Hawk and Dove are 2 of my favourite DC characters. The fact that they are getting any kind of exposure blows me away. I'm just super excited to see them in print again.
September 6, 2011 2:15 pm There is a surprising lack of Red Hulk anywhere on here. Is that because everyone hates him? (I don't want to hear anyone saying "it's good now!")
August 19, 2011 11:22 am I wish more "name" artists did Conan stuff. I fist discovered comics Conan when all the big names of the early 90s did covers for a few issues. It was good stuff. All around good week with the sketches.