A Personal Best

I have managed, by trying to be a fairly regular Blogger, 

to have stacked up more postings, in this year, 

than any of the previous years in which I have been here!

Most of what I have to say, is very inconsequential and borders on the banal, I am sure but it is fun to have somewhere to post these idle thoughts to.

Today I am going to create a mixed bag of stuff, with only a tenuous connection between the individual items.

Of course, this being my Blog, that tenuous connection is related to my fascination and collecting, of comic books.

 This is the very first Anniversary Poster that the venerable 

Silver Snail comic emporium, ever had.

If I am not too much mistaken, the store would have still been located at, 

321 Queen Street West 

because they wouldn't have yet moved next door, 

to the premises at,

323 Queen Street West.

Speaking of 323 Queen Street West:

Way back, in 1979 or so,

Tom Stormonth is waiting, with Ron Van Leeuwen, Mark Askwith (mostly hidden) and Carlos, for Uli to unlock the door and let them in!

George Zotti, who started working for Ron at around the age of thirteen and who, after many years and a parting of the ways, for a time, became the part owner of 

The Silver Snail,

before being squeezed out by his partner.

I have known George, for going on thirty five years, although, for much of that time, our connection has been faint, bordering on nonexistent.

I have always admired him, for charting his own course and for successfully having dealt with Ron Van Leeuwen, over the years, which was not an easy task!

After buying the business, from Ron, George and his partner eventually moved the store into it's present location, 

at 329 Yonge Street, here in Toronto, just north of Dundas Street.

I was surprised to discover, when I looked George up, the other day, that he has returned to the fold of RBC Insurance, which was where he spent the years he was estranged from his position at 

The Snail.

George is now around fifty years of age and as the photograph, borrowed from his Linked-In page shows, 

he is every inch, the solid, dependable business executive today.

Congratulations to you, George, you are an inspiration.

I will close this rambling missive out, with a couple of covers by Alex Toth.

God knows, 1988 doesn't seem that long ago but when counted out, it was still thirty years ago!

For a variety of reasons, I did not buy these covers when they were published and today, I only own a copy of #3... never having seen a copy of #4!

Alex Toth was an amazingly complex person and a phenomenal artist.  

It is only recently, that I have come to see the similarity, in approach, between the artwork of the illustrator Robert Fawcett and the stylistic theme of Alex Toth's work.

Anyone interested in doing their own research into that similarity, should search out this fine volume, which was published by 

Manuel Auad, who had also published a couple of great volumes about Alex Toth too.