How I learned to read

Like alot of people my age I learned to read with comic books. For this I have to thank my Mom and Dad. You see they had a part time job of repackaging the comics that didn't sell at the local drug stores and selling them packaged as 3 comic books for 29 cents. Remember this was the day when just one book cost 15 cents. They let me read them hoping that I would want to know what they were saying in those colorful drawings. It worked. They also said I could keep any that I wanted. But I wanted to be a good son. I knew they made money with this to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table so I never kept any of them. I sort of wished I had kept some. They would be worth quite alot now.
Anyway one day sometime in the late 80's I was at my local comic book shop Comicbook World with my good buddy from college Chuck Baker. Before we left we were going through the $1 bin. When I found the book that is pictured above. I know that at least my Mom had handled this book before. If you look closely above the letter h in Archie you will see a sticker. It says 3/29 cents and it is my Mom's handwriting. I had to buy it. So a book that I could have had for free I was now paying a dollar for it. The owner of the store is Paul Mullins. He prides himself on customer service. When I was checking out he saw the sticker and said "Oh! It's got a sticker on it. Let me take care of that." I nearly leaped over the counter to stop him. "No! That sticker is why I'm buying it." Then of course I had to tell him this story. Anyway that was how I learned to read and it is what I had on my mind.