I may have missed my annual post last year, but not my free Slurpee.

Again, if you’ve been following this site for any length of time, you know what July 11 means. This is one of the few days out of the year you can get something for nothing. Head on over to the local 7-Eleven or one of its subsidiaries: A-Plus, Speedway or Stripes Convenience Stores and have ‘em set ya up with a carbonated slushy.

Omar Knedlik is the father of the frozen beverages. When his soda fountain broke, Knedlik was forced to store his pops in a freezer to keep them cool. Extended exposure to the extra cool temperatures caused the pop to congeal. Customers found the semi frozen drink refreshing and a legend was born.

This year’s link between Slurpees and comic books comes from a long mistaken belief I had.

Scratch ticket

Way back in 1981, 7-Eleven and Marvel ran a contest. The convenience store offered a scratch-and-win game. Buy a Slurpee and get a ticket. Match three-in-a-row and you received a prize.

For the longest time I thought the prize was one of four mini comics. Each were two and five-eighths by three and a half inches, 10 pages in length, with a stick of gum. The first was Spider-Man in The Clutches of Doc Ock!

Next was The Hulk in Trapped in the Lair of The Leader!

Issue three featured Captain America in Satellite of the Red Skull with Spider-Woman in To Defy Doctor Doom! rounding out the line up.

One day I happened across The Secret of the Power Crown, a full-size, original Marvel comic book featuring the above four heroes. A little research and I find that what I’ve believed to be promotional mini comics are in reality Amurol’s Bubble Funnies.

The Bubble Funnies were offered in a box much like trading cards to the public at large. In addition, mini Archie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic books were sold along with the Marvel books.

I never saw The Secret of the Power Crown at that time.

I still have my Bubble Funnies, even after all these years. They are no less treasured. They can be found on the secondary market fairly easily and are nice – if odd – additions to any collection.

For me, they will still be my rewards for playing the scratchers and niche pieces in my collection.