Way back in 2024 I was feeling all nostalgic and started a series of blog posts called "My Nerdy Life in 100 Geeky Objects", looking at stuff I remember fondly from my past and the impact they had on my life and who I'd become. Well, it's coming up to my birthday, and every year I get nostalgic again and wonder about writing about my less than exciting life.
I was staring at the blog, having just renewed my ownership of the domain name, and thinking that I hadn't done anything with the site for over six weeks. I needed to write something, to get something on the site and to vent my creative frustrations, and couldn't think of anything I wanted to write, or could write...
And then I remembered this little series of posts that I started, and didn't get very far with. The first posts covered the James Bond 007 Lotus Esprit made by Corgi in 1977, my subscription to Super Spider-Man and the Titans comic in 1976, the 2000AD Summer Special of 1977 and my first exposure to Star Wars, and the very first Palitoy Star Warsfigures my dad got for me.
You can see a theme developing here... number 5 in my list of 100 Geeky Objects stays in 1977.
#5: Marvel Star Wars Special Edition
I made a video about these a while back (11 years ago... hoooboy), when the first issue of the new Star Wars comic was released. I enthusiastically looked at the new comic, and then had a flick through how I was introduced to Star Wars comics.
I don't know what prompted it, but I remember dad coming home one day with this HUGE, oversized comic under his arm for me. It was twice the size of the average comic, not just in page count, but also in dimensions.
Look at it. It's flipping gorgeous. The name Star Wars had been firmly lodged in my dad's mind after that 2000AD Summer Special, and, bless him for knowing my early forming nerdy interests so well, picked it up on a whim. I have fond memories of laying on the floor, the comic spread in front of me, while I poured over every panel. Unknown to me, there were scenes in there that wouldn't make it into the final film – the now legendary sequences with Biggs and the Tosche Station. I absolutely loved it, but it was only half of the story!
It felt like months until the second half of the movie got its own collection (and it was, the first half was July 1977, the second October 1977), but thankfully my dad was just as happy to get the remaining half for me. It would be months before I finally saw the movie. It was only showing in one cinema in the nearest city (Hull) where they'd reopened the long closed Dorchester to show Star Wars continually for months and months. We got tickets before Christmas 1977, but the waiting list was so long to get in, those tickets were for screenings a few months later. Though seeing Star Wars for the first time would be one of those life-defining moments, and one I've written about before.
I'd like to write more nostalgic stuff like this, and I've often thought about writing a weird fictionalised account of my nerdy life, like Ready Player One meets that movie 5-25-77, but it just stays in the list of things I want to do but just can't motivate myself. Maybe one day.
In the meantime, I'm hoping to write more for the blog and the Patreon. Both remain free to access, do subscribe to the Patreon if you can to ensure this heads into your inbox when I finally write something.
Until next time, stay multi-classy!
