“My favorite comics are the superhero groups. I like X-Men, Avengers and Justice League. Those are the three titles that I kind of put in the closet and kept when I opened the shop. I like the teamwork aspect. Also, they hold themselves to a higher moral standard — truth, justice and the American way, the old chestnut from Superman. They’re fighting the good fight. They’re working together for the greater good. That always appealed to me.”

How about other collectibles?
“Since I opened the store, I no longer buy that much for myself. I mean, once in a while I will order a little something. I’m a big Godzilla fan. So when they come out with new Godzilla figures, usually I can’t resist the temptation, and I’ll order an extra one for me. My wife collects toys, too. That’s one of our common interests. She’ll hear about something and say, ‘Please get this for me.’ She loves Wonder Woman, the strong female heroes.”

What’s one of your top comics-related memories?
“I got to meet Stan Lee, I believe in 1977, at the Houston Con. My dad would bring home 5-by-7 memo pads, along with pencils and pens for us to doodle with. I took one of those pads to the convention when I was 12 or 13, and there was Mr. Stan Lee, the godfather of Marvel Comics. He was just cutting up. Stan is a very jovial, funny guy in person. So I walked up to him with my memo pad, and he went, ‘Oh, you want an autograph? I’m going to give you the biggest autograph I’ve ever given anybody.’ And he filled that memo pad with his signature. That was very cool. It was kind of a defining moment for me.”

— Norris Coleman

Related:

• Love of comic books runs in his family

The post A few of his favorite things: X-Men, Godzilla, Stan Lee appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“We call it the Share Your Christmas Toy Drive and Car Show. My wife and I decided to make it an annual event about eight years ago. It was a way to start teaching our kids how lucky they are to have what they have, and how others in the community aren’t as fortunate.

“I grew up in that type of environment, so I know the feeling. We didn’t have much when I was young. Now, while I might not have a lot, I have enough so that my kids can have a good Christmas.

“Through the toy drive, I can show them that it’s about more than receiving. You’ve got to give back as well. Hopefully, as the years go by, they’ll help keep this tradition alive.”

— Josel Aceves

The post Toy drive teaches his kids importance of giving appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When I was growing up, I played with Tonka toys and G.I. Joes. We had the first Atari game, Pong, and thought that was pretty cool. But I could never have imagined how advanced things would become.

“Today, we take for granted being able to see somebody on our cell phone while we’re talking to them. How amazing is that?

“Who knows where things will go from here. It’s up to someone’s imagination. If you can imagine it, and you’re smart enough to make it happen, it can become reality.”

— Mike Williams

The post From playing with Tonka toys to flying drones appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“There are two lowrider clubs in Baytown. The one we’re in is Baytown 281 Car Club. You can invest a lot of money in these cars; as little as $3,500 or as much as $20,000. The more money you invest and creativity you put into it, the more competition trophies and acknowledgement you can get.

“Our club also does fundraising activities for the community. We recently held a toys for tots event. The entry fee was an unwrapped toy or monetary donation. We give them to families in Baytown that we feel might need some help. We’ve been doing it for several years now. There are a lot of families here who really appreciate it.”

The post Lowrider club members help out families appeared first on The Baytown Project.