Comics
Lots of Pictures--Still a Book
They were only comics.
Well, comic books.
My older brother Steve would set me on his lap in the living room. We always perched in the rocking chair furthest from the kitchen, the one that spun all the way around (& drove mom crazy when we did it). The comics tended to be either from the Marvel or DC universes—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Spiderman, Green Lantern, The Phantom….
At the age of two & three I had dreams of flying through the air, swinging from Spidey webs, magic lassoes or bat cables, having eyes with x-ray & heat vision, & transforming from little ole me into a superhero who fought crime, defended the defenseless & stood for all that was good & true.
But I also had a question. How did Steve know which balloon to read when & in what order? He would point to the pictures in each panel as he read, but not to what was written.
I had a working hypothesis. He moved from one panel to another left to right, top to bottom. Probably the words & balloons worked in the same manner. But how could I know for sure?
I didn’t want to ask him. I wanted to figure it out for myself. So one evening I went to mom in the kitchen & asked her to teach me the alphabet. She wrote it out for me on a sheet of paper & told me what each letter was & how it sounded. I promptly sat down at the dinner table & began to practice.
I have no idea how many sheets of paper I burned through sitting at that table while my brothers watched tv. But before too long I knew my ABCs—both how to print them & how to sing them. That, of course, was not enough. I also wanted to know how to write them in that fancy way where you don’t lift the pencil from the paper between letters.
I could never remember capital “Q”. “Just like the number two,” mom answered every time I asked.
Mom would sit with me in the living room, helping me to sound out words. Before long she began buying children’s books with the promise that as soon as I had read one all the way through, it was mine.
At the age of four I started building my library of Little Golden Books.
Comic books—not even graphic novels, just simple comics. A brother taking the time to read them to me. An unspoken curiosity sparking a toddler’s investigation. A mother willing to help me learn long before I was in school.
I’ve loved reading ever since.
And it still feels good to know that I was correct at such a tender young age. Left to right, top to bottom, turn the page & keep on reading.
About the Creator
Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock
Retired Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church having served for a total of 30 years in Missouri, South Dakota & Kansas.
Born in Watertown, SD on 9/26/1959. Married to Sandra Jellison-Knock on 1/24/1986. One son, Keenan, deceased.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Comments (36)
I’m addicted to reading & am so inspired by your heart warming story. Thanks.
That’s a amazing you learnt the alphabet at such a young age. Terrific story. 😊👍 I have to admit I’ve only read a handful of comics but would like to read more.
Some teachers are very elitist about reading! But reading is reading - it's ridiculous to widdle on the thing that's inspiring them to read! My daughter learned so she could play Zelda 😅
Wow! What a wonderful story this is. I was like that too, but you had so much more help than I did. A bit jealous here. I loved comics, and all books and such. I had to save my pennies and buy when I could. Your story is so eloquently told. A top enjoyable story all your own.
Good job with the TS!
This is so warming to read.
I hope to be able to read more interesting posts then. Will probably tell all of my friends about how smart you are https://ageofwargame.io
Oh, this was me. I began to collect them and save them, and they did teach me a lot about narrative and character (esp. Marvel - Daredevil's 'Born Again' series is still a masterpiece to me). Thank you, sir! Still have my collection safe and sound. ;)
Such a sweet story!
older siblings are definitely blessings in disguise, although they act bossy all the time LOL. loved reading your life insights congratulations on top story!
Congrats on Top Story! Very touching.
Those who read to us (and other children) in our formative years are superheroes. I cheered when I saw the title, because comic books (I was loyal to DC) were a BIG part of my childhood. Thanks for sharing this memory.
This is why you are so dearly loved, respected and followed. Such sweetness from such an early age. Such melancholy memories. Congrats on the top story
Love the subtitle of your piece. As much as I love anime, I could never get into manga (seriously, do I start from the front like an American or the back like an Asian) and then the questions of right to left, top to bottom, etc. And where the heck is all the dialogue? Congratulations on Top Story!
Thank you for this lovely story that gave me a smile. Did you know that Mr Rogers mad a practice to start the action as often as possible on the left and moving towards the right? He did it to train the eyes to follow action in that direction, as a precursor to reading.
I love this so much Randy! Now I know we have a special connection, having both learned through the magic of comic books.
This is just wonderful, Randy. Such a heartwarming and touching way to tell the story of a book, or books, that truly changed you. I hope this is for the challenge because it is perfect. Congrats on Top Story.
Niiiice!!! Such a cool childhood and wonderful memories of learning one of the most important skills in life. I like that we both pre-empted school and took initiative with our reading so that it was ours. Always. A lovely and precious one for top story! Thanks for sharing Randy!
Congratulations on a Cool Top Story🎉😉
Beautiful and so vivid. A really touching story, I love your younger self's curiousity. So adorable! Congratulations on TS! 🤍
Beautiful snapshot of a tender moment in time Randy. 🥰
This was so cute, OMG! Yes, comics surprisingly are, like, one of my favs as well(not from a young age but as I got older!) I love the Gargoyles comics and anything to do with Assassin's Creed. This was so well done, Randy!
I loved comics from a kid and still do, this is excellent and well deserving of its accolade
Hurray! Back to say congrats!
I love this so much because comics were one of the first things I read when I began my reading journey. My mom came from Germany, and wasn't fluent in English, barely understood anything, and she self-taught through children's books, comics, and film. Batman was the one she went with, and I remember being little and discovering this treasure and being so obsessed with it. <3 Love this!!!