Back in 1971, when I was eleven years old, my father and I stopped in Gee-Jay Liquors on 79th and south Western Avenue in Chicago (he was getting some beverages for a party; I was tagging along). While my father was off finding the beer of the time (probably Hamm's, Drewry's or Schlitz), I walked by the book rack to see if there were any paperbacks that piqued my interest. Bam! — A book popped my eyes open with logos for Superman and Batman and a mysterious “Holy Moley.” The book was titled All in Color for a Dime and it contained a collection of essays about super-heroes and other characters of the Golden Age. It was edited by Dick Lupoff and Don Thompson.

As an avid comic book collector (based on what my Dad would give me to purchase comics), I knew I had to have a copy of the book. I expended every effort to get my dad to buy it for me and thankfully he did! I started reading it immediately. There were essays on Popeye and Superman, but it was Dick Lupoff's essay on “The Big Red Cheese” that really grabbed me! It was this essay that sparked my obsession for the fictional character Captain Marvel and that obsession remains with me to this day.

Roy Thomas delivered the knock-out punch with his essay on the other Golden-Age Fawcett characters in “Captain Billy's Whiz Gang!” With the knowledge that Cap had existed, it was only a matter of time before I would see him and that happened when DC Comics published the first issue of Cap's new comic... SHAZAM!

Thankfully, Krause Publications has reprinted All in Color for a Dime, so pick it up if you get a chance. It's a great read.