But aside from my wife, my best friend was Todd. he died about 3 years ago. I don't remember the exact date, but I remember the day we got the phone call from his wife that he was gone. I'll never forget helping make funeral arrangements that day.
Well, today was the first time in about 2 years since my wife and I got to spend some time with Todd's wife, Tammy. We had lunch today and met her new husband. He's a really cool guy and it wasn't hard getting to know.
I'm usually very shy meeting someone new. But, once I've gathered the courage- WATCH OUT! It's like when Todd and I first meet. It took 45 minutes for our wives trying to get each other attention and to open up. Then a commercial came on that changed everything. It was for Superman Returns and we both expressed a desire to see the film at about the same time. I asked if he collected comics and he said yes. Todd asked if I collected. I told him not anymore, but I read them all the time at my local library. That go a friendship started.
Todd was who got me into collecting again. I had been wanting to for so long, but wasn't sure if my wife would be up to my new interest. However, I think my wife saw that I was forming a friendship with another guy and she gave it her okay. The next thing I know, we're at HeroesCon in Charlotte as a pair of couples and while Tammy and my wife saw in a corner and talked, Todd and I went exploring. I still remember meeting George Perez and getting him to sign a issue of Crisis proclaiming "I killed Supergirl, Confessionally. (sic)" and he added a sketch of her insignia. The three of us spent 30 minutes talking. It was the beginning of my vast collection.
Well, today, I received something I never in a 1,000 years expected. After years of struggling to figure out what to do with it, Tammy gave me Todd's collection. She said that I should have it because I would treat it as precious and that Todd would be happy knowing it went to someone he cared about.
I now have an entire station wagon full of comics and graphic novels. It's going to take weeks and months to go through everything. I need to figure out doubles, decide if those extras are something I can donate to the kids at my wife's clinic. Then with the remainder, I have to bag them, process them, and then add them to my collection. I also need to buy a bunch of supplies.
It's going to be a lot of work. But it's also going to be lots of fun.
However, I'd trade that entire collection to have my friend back.
Todd, Thank you- this post it for you!
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