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Your narrator, the Leader
The Leader with his traveling companion Jim Frost attended the Virginia Comic Con at the Raceway Complex in Richmond on 8 December 2018. He was pleased to see his dealer friends Gene Carpenter, Guy Rose and Mike Fonseca who always set up at this show. He also enjoyed seeing Bob Lewis and his daughter Natasha who haven’t set up as dealers at this show in over two years. The Leader was pleasantly surprised to see as a dealer Josh Almond from North Carolina who has never attended this show before.

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Gene Carpenter, Wayne Zeno, Jim Frost, Linda Redmond
Everything old is new again: Gene Carpenter carrying on his 45 plus years tradition of setting up his display racks before the show. The comic boxes on the tables belong to his partner Jim Montgomery. Wayne Zeno of Zeno’s Books in Chesapeake, VA, Jim Frost and Linda Redmond are searching for bargains before the early bird buyers are let in to the show.
Gene Carpenter, Jim Montgomery
I’ve known Jim Montgomery since the late 1990s when we both used to set up as dealers in the Baltimore / DC area comic and collectibles shows. I lost track of him for several years after that but a few years ago started seeing him again at this show as Gene Carpenter’s partner.
Michael Lantz, Guy Rose, Jim Frost
At far left is Guy Rose’s associate Michael Lantz who is related to Walter Lantz the cartoon animator who invented Woody Woodpecker. In the center is Guy and on the right in the foreground is Jim Frost looking agreeably at an approaching visitor. Who is Jim looking at? Let’s take a look.
Michael Lantz, Guy Rose, Donald Jones, Julio Crespo, Bob Lewis, Retired Navy Guy, Jim Frost
The welcome visitor to Guy’s tables is the Retired Navy Guy. He is a serious Batman collector who at this show in October 2016 bought a Batman comic from Jim while Jim was wheeling and dealing with Guy. Jim and I hadn’t seen the Retired Navy Guy since then until today. In the background are Guy’s other partners Donald Jones and Julio Crespo talking with dealer Bob Lewis who owns the Richmond Book Shop.
Guy Rose, Jim Frost, Michael Lantz, Donald Jones, Julio Crespo
Guy and Jim are still talking deals. Donald Jones is eyeballing your humble narrator and Julio Crespo is taking it easy for a few minutes in between customers.
Michael Lantz
Michael with the Marvel comics Tales Of Suspense #79 from 1966, #63 and #64 both from 1964. The Sub-Mariner is on the cover of TOS #79 but he doesn’t confront Iron Man until the very end of the story. The first part of the battle between them is continued in TOS #80 and the final part of the battle is shown in Tales To Astonish #82 with the art in that issue mostly by Jack Kirby substituting for the regular Iron Man artist Gene Colan who had taken sick.
Guy Rose, Jim Frost
Guy and Jim enjoying a moment of levity between their wheeling and dealing.
Guy Rose
After Jim had left for awhile Guy found time to pose for me with some early issues The Avengers comics: #s 1, 2, 16, 9 and #8 laying flat in the foreground. The #16 with Captain America dominating the cover witnessed the change from the original Avengers to the new lineup of Avengers with Captain America staying on as the leader of the new Avengers. The #9 features the first appearance of Wonder Man whose name had to be changed in later issues to avoid a potential lawsuit by DC Comics who said the name infringed on their character Wonder Woman. The #8 features the first appearance one of my favorite Marvel characters, Kang the Conqueror.
Bob Lewis, Natasha Lewis
Bob Lewis owns the Richmond Bookshop and usually attends this show with his daughter Natasha. I haven’t seen them set up as dealers at this show since August 2015.
Natasha Lewis
Natasha is holding a favorite book of mine. It’s an oversize paperback book from 1978 which reprints a few Hulk stories from his first comic book in the early 1960s and many Hulk stories from Tales To Astonish from the mid to late 1960s. As noted on the cover blurb, the book was meant to capitalize on the current Hulk TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. This book was published under the Fireside imprint which printed many early Marvel oversize paperbacks and hardbacks like Origins Of Marvel Comics, Son Of Origins and several others.
Wayne Zeno
Wayne and I go back a long time together. He has been the owner for over 30 years of Zeno’s Books in Chesapeake, Virginia where I’ve been buying most of my comic related hardcover books and magazines for the past 25 years. He almost always attends this show as a dealer but has been absent for several months. I was glad to see him back. He’s showing here a copy of Fantastic Four #7, 1962. Jim Frost later at the show acquired this comic from Wayne and you may not see it on the CGC sales threads for a long time since Jim told me he likes the comic and wants to keep it for awhile.
Tommy Donovan
Tommy Donovan of Richmond Comix always sets up at this show. Here’s Tommy brandishing a #6,000 copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #1, 1963 and #s 17, 18, 19. I’ve always had a sentimental attachment to the #19 since it’s the first Spider-Man comic book I remember having, and still have to this day. The #18 has some historical interest since it is the only Spider-Man comic in the early Silver Age where Spidey didn’t fight the villain or anybody else. That’s highly unusual for a Silver Age Marvel comic.
Mike Fonseca
Mike Fonseca of Collector’s Attic always attends this show as a dealer. Here’s Mike gazing serenly and majestically gazing around the dealers’ room. The Leader’s favorite comic book dealer Gene Carpenter is seen talking with a potential customer in the background.
Mike Fonseca
Mike with the Gold Key comic book Star Trek #3, 1968 with an eye-catching green Mr. Spock cover.
Josh Almond, Chris Rigo
I first met Josh Almond of Buzz Comics in Concord, NC two years ago at the South Carolina Con in Greenville. He has never attended the Virginia Comic Con before and I asked why he came this year. He said he needed a substitute for the Raleigh, NC show that had just been cancelled. He and his partner Chris Rigo had some interesting comics and comic related merchandise and I hope they can make it back to the Virginia Comic Con.
Josh Almond, Chris Rigo
Josh and Chris with two Batman comics: World’s Finest #71, 1954 and Batman #200, 1968.
Gene Carpenter
Gene has been a comic book dealer for over 45 years and he has the inventory to prove it. Here he is with Batman #14, 1943 and another item which is especially rare: The Candid Tales is a digest magazine from 1950 and has a story illustrated by famous EC artist Wally Wood!
Jim Montgomery, Gene Carpenter
Jim and Gene wheeling and dealing with their customers late in the show. Most or all of the display wall comics cost a lot and belong to Gene. All the comics in the boxes on the tables cost a little and belong to Jim.
Michael Lantz, Jim Montgomery, Lewis Forro, Julio Crespo, Guy Rose
Near the end of the show it didn’t look like I was going to be able to round up enough old timers for a “Comic Book Methuselahs” photo so I went to Guy Rose’s table to at least get a group photo of Guy and his associates. Donald Jones wasn’t available but Jim Montgomery was wandering by so we grabbed him instead. Michael and Jim aren’t old ehough to have been reading comics for 50 years so they don’t qualify as Methuselahs.
Gene Carpenter, Jim Frost
Here’s the reason I couldn’t get enough Methuselahs for a group photo. Gene and Jim both qualify but they were busy talking last minute deals and I knew I couldn’t pry them away from Gene’s tables over to Guy’s tables for a photo. The show is over now and Gene and Jim are still at it, which is where we will leave them until the next show.