Art Rhode's 70th birthday

My Dad turns 70 today. Coincidentally, the Avengers movie opens today. Both events are rather personally surprising.  I still think of Dad as somewhere around 45 (and I'm older than that now) and never expected to see a live-action Avengers movie because of expense, special effects and rights issues.

Back in the 1970s, I started reading comics as a kid - my parents bought DC's Superman, Mad magazine and Archie regularly. The Avengers were my favorite though, because, thanks to a cousin, I had some of the early issues and got hooked on Marvel. Mom never went over to the Marvel side, but Dad and I would both read them. When I got old enough, I'd bike up to 7-11 and buy whatever I could find on the spinner rack.

By the time I was in high school, Dad and I were delivering the Sunday NY Times for extra pocket change. On Fridays (new comic book day back then), we'd go to the Bergen Mall in Paramus and I'd buy comics at Collectors Comic Shop while he and Mom went to the bank to deposit his paycheck. After I finished the comics late on Friday night, usually in my bed after 11, I'd pass them along to Dad to read before stacking them up in the corner. I kept this up into college, until the stacks coming home would be 3 or 4 feet high and too much for anyone to get through. At one point, I was trying to have a complete collection of Avengers, but gave up for various reasons (especially Heroes Reborn), so Dad's got a good familiarity with that particular comic book.

There were also tons of books around the house because we're all great readers. Dad and I still swap books whenever see each other.

We're not that big on family celebrations, so I just mailed him a card and gave him a call. However today's one of those big number ones divisible by 10 and I've got my own bully pulpit here, so I'll say

Happy Birthday, Dad, and thanks for everything.