Chicagoan Vernon Wiley has been a Linden Square mainstay at his store, The Comix Gallery at 405 Linden Ave. in Wilmette, for almost 20 years. He took time from his emporium of visual literary works to talk to Pioneer Press about his two- and three-dimensional heroes, good advice and dream vacations.
In the world of comic-book heroes, which was the first to capture your interest?
Batman, without a doubt. The TV show was on at the time, and my dad and I would fight on Tuesday nights over what we’d watch; I’d want to watch Batman. And then my dad would buy the comics.
Do you have a charity or cause that you’d like to people to know about?
One of my favorites is the Greater Chicago Food Depository. My wife and I give regularly to it. Food is a basic staple and without it, you can’t do anything.
We talked about your comic book hero – who’s your personal real-time hero?
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I’m going to go with the traditional ones – my folks. They grew up in the Great Depression. My dad grew up in Peoria, and my mother grew up in Elkhart, Ind. When I was 15, I learned never to whine about things, because they’d tell me what they had to go through growing up. Whatever I was whining about would never match what they went through.
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
I’ve never been to Europe, and it would be nice to go, just to see some place older than America.
What advice would you give a younger you?
Don’t’ wait, don’t hesitate, take chances. If you fail, you’ve got a whole life to get it right.
Do you have a favorite comfort food?
I can go for a pretty good shepherd’s pie. I never liked pot pies when I was growing up, but for some reason I just can’t resist shepherd’s pie.
How about the Cubs?
No Cubs! I divorced myself from them back in 1969; too much heartache!
OK, one final question. Zombie apocalypse or alien invasion?
I’ll go with the zombie apocalypse. That’s a little easier than aliens. H.G. Wells made alien invasions hard enough as it is, and we can’t depend on a virus killing the aliens this time around.
– Kathy Routliffe, Pioneer Press
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