Harvey Comics

I have a soft spot in my heart for Harvey Comics. They were the first comics I read. Perhaps the first that most of my generation ever read. I loved seeing Casper the Friendly Ghost on Saturday morning when I was a kid. Ritchie Rich was my Harvey favorite when it came to their comic books. I liked that even though his family was rich they had friends who weren't. I also loved seeing how Ritchie would have something ordinary and change it to show how wealty they were. Like the pool table on the cover above. Is it square? No he has it shaped like a dollar sign and the pool balls are really jewels. The above digest, by the way, is from 1981. I don't remember where I got it but came across it in my den recently. It bought back fond memories. Unfortunately most of those memories were in hospitals. You see there use to be a law about children going into hosptial rooms. They were only allowed in the lobby or waiting area. So when a family menber was in the hospital the kids couldn't go up. I would always ask whoever was watching me if I could go get something in the gift shop. Usually I came out with a candy bar and a comic book. My beloved superheros were not sold there but Harvey comics were. Sometimes I would get lucky and there would be an issue with Ritchie and his butler Cadbury as superheros. I never understood why I couldn't fine Marvel, DC or even Archie. Always Harvey. So if Grandma, Grandad, my Dad or my cousins were sick I had Richie and Casper to comfort me and keep me company while I waited. Lately I haven't seen any Harvey Comics around. They still have a website so I believe they are still in business. They made some pretty good money out of Ritchie and Casper with all the movies and cartoon series. You don't really see books like this in comic shops. Perhaps they should be. Young kids could use them to learn to read and it would increase the readership of other comic books as the kids get older. Till then I will still check out the hospital gift shops for my four color friends when ever I have a long wait at the hospital.