Long before Doctor Who became a yearly fixture on tv, the Time Lord appeared in the World Distributors Annual. The first of those that I actually received at Christmas time celebrated the beginning of the reign of, arguably, the most memorable of them all: Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. Of his predecessors and successors, perhaps only David Tennant's Mockney whippet ever attained such iconic status.
The mid-to-late 70s annuals represent a demented and nightmarish alternative vision of the series: the Eye Spiders of Pergross, Mattermonks, sinister sponges- a brain-melting blend of wacky photo referencing and European horror, produced by people who'd patently never seen the programme.
I was given the annual for three years in succession- and then, as a surprising one-off , at Xmas 1981.
However, back in 1979, as an occasional reader of Starburst Magazine, I asked for An Atlas of Fantasy.
It marked the apogee of my mutation into a greasy, sword and sorcery teen, although I always preferred the gore of REH and the ennui and ambiguity of Moorcock to the parochial home comforts of Tolkien. The following year, at 17, I got handkerchiefs and an umbrella for Christmas. I resolved to ensure that, in future, I'd always get myself something I wanted!
The following year, I was a student at Strathclyde University, where I began a continuing annual tradition of hoarding December's comics to read in one sitting on Christmas Day. This issue of Byrne's inventive and entertaining Fantastic Four figures significantly in that first session.
Another purchase from Glasgow's original Virgin Megastore, was this index to Captain America, with a stunning wraparound cover by Steranko. This paperback converted me to the run by Englehart and Sal Buscema.
The following year saw the début of Terra in the phenomenally successful New Teen Titans; as we know now, that storyline would have a shattering climax.
The mid-80s belonged to Marvel's Mutants and their imitators. here we have Bill Sienkicwicz's avant garde New Mutants contrasted with the nostalgic classicism of Thomas and Ordway's Infinity Inc. These comics also represent sharing my reading with student friends for the first time in years.
By the end of the decade, I was venturing into the darker territory of the Graphic Novel, which had developed from the softcover albums published by Marvel in the early 80s. Arkham Asylum is, of course, Grant Morrison's surreal and horrific occult exploration of Batman. The cover of this shadowy, oppressive book reminds me of the last few years in our family home, before my dad died.
The Nineties was a rootless, challenging and impecunious time for me. At the height of my (brief) acting career, I remember this relaunch from the Extreeeme!! Era: Nova vol. 2 from 1993.
By the middle of the decade, I had a mortgage on my first flat and nostalgia for the Bronze Age really took off. Kingdom Come by Waid and Ross made a huge impression on me in 1996; I created and drew my first superheroes for five years: Patrician; the Thesp, Principal Boy and Leading Lady; Noelle Noel; Captain Kid and Voodoo Doll!
As the Nineties wound down, this issue of DC Holiday Bash from 1998 featured a memorable and romantic wartime exploit of Ensign Jim Gordon in "I Left My Heart in the Justice Society Canteen"; a Kwanzaa tale for Black Lightning and a witty Ty Templeton short: Darkseid vs.Santa Claus!
The Noughties saw my employment change in direction from customer service drudgery to social enterprise and finally to teaching. The decade began with the third of Dini and Ross's DC tabloids, my favourite being the uplifting Shazam:Power of Hope.
In the same year, Morrison and Quitely released their valedictory JLA graphic novel, Earth-2. This was of course, a reworking of the original 60s Crime Syndicate tale, with a Star Trek Mirror Universe influence.
In the early part of the decade, my tastes changed to gentler or more overtly humorous material, from the all-ages Justice League Adventures in 2002 ; through Kyle Baker's witty, gorgeous achievement with Plastic Man in 2004; and seasonal fare like the Marvel Holiday Special 2005 with its Santron tale and a story by Roger Langridge.
In the present day, living and working in Moray, my Christmases past included the mammoth hardback of the sublime Wednesday Comics for 2010 and last year's 80s nostalgia trip, New Teen Titans:Games. Next time, however, we'll look at some comics-related books published by TwoMorrows.
All images presumed copyright of their respective owners.
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