What Classic Comics Have You Purchased Lately? [Archive]

dan bailey

03-14-2006, 05:09 PM

Too much information!
O, mais oui! Copyright date is 2005; I first heard about it on this board a few weeks ago. Typical crappy re-coloring job but I still prefer a crappy color trade to a crappy b&w Essential volume.

read it just a couple of days ago, as it happens. now i guess i'm hoping a nomad trade shows up. i'm working veeeery slowly on building up a significant cap run, working backward from #410 or thereabouts ... at the moment i'm somewhat patchy from 220-259, though after that i've got 150 or so consecutive issues. (at least i'll be able to skip over the return-of-kirby stuff, which i unfortunately regard as pretty much crap.)

otherwise, recent acquisitions (mostly via ebay, some from mile high & lone star, the latter of whom with any luck will be the source of a package waiting at my front door when i get home in 3 hours or so) include --

house of mystery 156 (completing the original dial-h-for-hero run!)
e-man 7 (completing the charlton run)
iron man 32 & 82 (for the marie severin art)
dead of night 11 (first marvel scarecrow)
capt america -- 12 scattered ishes from 222 to 259
super dc giant 25
tomahawk 102-108
showcase 97
ms marvel 15 (just to read my loc therein)

i've got the wrath of the spectre & alan moore dc universe trades on order even as i type, & of course will pick up the superman family showcase essential when i can get by my lcs.

spoon_jenkins

03-14-2006, 06:22 PM

Like I noted in the "Read Lately" thread, I really like DC digests. I recently bought several digests:

Adventure Comics #492
Adventure Comics #493
DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #1 (LOSH reprints)
DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #8 (LOSH reprints)
Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #57 (LOSH reprints)
DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #19 (Doom Patrol reprints)
Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #34 (Metal Men reprints)

Then I picked up a couple of non-reprint Legion comics:

Legion of Super-Heroes #100
The Legion #1 (the Abnett and Lanning series from a few years back)

I'm waiting to get my X-Treme X-Men Vol. 3 TPB in the mail to complete my hybrid comic/TPB complete run of the title.

dan bailey

03-14-2006, 07:10 PM

Like I noted in the "Read Lately" thread, I really like DC digests.

so do i -- i've got 13 of the 24 dc special blue ribbons & 21 of the first 35 best of dc blue ribbons (though after that i've got only the barest handful ... & only one of the adventure digests). neat format, though the printing plates must've been made out of play-doh.

The Adventurer

03-14-2006, 08:08 PM

The Ballad of Halo Jones tpb. One of the few Alan Moore books I haven't read.

If you want to read more classic Moore that you probibly not read you need to get The Complete Alan Moore's Future Shocks a TP collection of all of Alan Moore's easy short stories that ran in 2000AD. It solicites this month under Rebellion in the Back of Previews.

Have you read Skizz (http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=dcskizz&Comic=DC)? Another 2000AD series Moore wrote, DC released it as a TP last year. It's still avalible the DC backissue section. It's pretty good.

I've been picking up a lot of 2000AD TPs that reprint classic strips.

Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01 (http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=casefiles1&Comic=rebellion)
The Complete DR and Qunich TP (http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=dr_quinch&Comic=rebellion) (More classic Alan Moore)
Robo-Hunter Vol.3: Play it Again Sam (http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=pias&Comic=rebellion)
Rogue Trooper Vol.4: Eye of the Traitor (http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=eyeofthetraitor&Comic=rebellion)

Also, 2000AD's Extreme Edition mag is a great source of classic reprints, why over the last few months I've got collections of
Harlem Heroes (http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=reprint&page=profiles&choice=extreme13)
Bad City Blues (http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=reprint&page=profiles&choice=extreme14)
M.A.C.H.1 (http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=reprint&page=profiles&choice=extreme9)
Meltdown Man (http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=reprint&page=profiles&choice=extreme11)

For stuff that's not 2000AD.... I've been getting a bunch of Titan reprint volumes of

Charley's War (http://www.2000ad.org/thrillpower/classiccharley.html) and Modesty Blaise (http://www.2000ad.org/thrillpower/classicmodesty.html) and I'm thinking of picking up some James Bond (http://www.2000ad.org/thrillpower/classicjamesbond.html) collections

Sir Tim Drake

03-16-2006, 08:02 PM

I went to Shinder's in downtown Minneapolis today. The selection was kind of disappointing-- they had very few old comics, and those they did have were mostly overpriced, e.g. Flash #315 or so for three dollars. But I did get the following:

Adventures of Superman #521 for 49 cents -- bought it mostly because of the Immonen artwork.
Avengers #264 for $2 -- an excellent Sterno/Buscema/Palmer issue. As I read this, I started to wonder whether Palmer should be in the Hall of Fame. I'm really not sure.
Conan the Barbarian #41 for $3 -- the most exciting find in the lot, with a nice Buscema/Chan cover.
Conan #26 -- new
The Flash #156 (current series) for $1 -- now that the series is ending or has ended, I eventually want to collect a complete run of it.
Kamandi #25 for $2.50 -- they had several issues of Kamandi of which this was the cheapest.
Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #4
Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein! #2
Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #4
Superman #91 (current series) for 49 cents -- bought it mostly because it was cheap.
Thor #304 and #323 for 99 cents each -- nothing great, but they fill holes in my collection.

Later I went to Borders and bought Planetes vol. 2 and One Piece vol. 2 with a 20% discount card.

shaxper

03-16-2006, 08:43 PM

Green Lantern / Green Arrow vol. 1 & 2: I love the characterization in these stories as well as the spirit, even when the plot faulters. Already sped through the first three within an hour of purchasing them today.

Kamandi #11-18: I've still only gotten through the first issue, but I'm suitably impressed by the potential of this series and have heard nothing but good things. I still want to locate a #29 where he finds Superman's cape.

Scattered Brave & The Bold issues: One with Kamandi and Batman (just plain silly!), and two with the Spectre (whom I adore).

Jungle Action 5-24: The complete Black Panther run, minus #17 (which I couldn't find). REALLY looking forward to reading the two major storyarcs (the second which was stopped only partway through for controversial subject matter).

Four Color #318 and #422: The only Carl Barks Donald stories I could find at my LCS. Already finished #318 and loved it.

Sub-Mariner #48: I have to buy any silver age marvel comic with Doctor Doom on the cover. It's a failing of mine...

InfoBroker

03-16-2006, 08:52 PM

I went to Shinder's in downtown Minneapolis today.

Hey! Welcome back to Twinkie Town. Are you back to calling them "sodas" by their real moniker ("pop") now that you are basking in the snows of Minnesota?

I haven't been to a Shinders since the late 80s when Justin, Seth and I were buying giants stacks of comics from their 25 and 50 center bins. We had to peal the stickers off of those, but there was a lot of 70s and 80s comics that were great reads and helped enhance a lot of warm summer evenings.

-jb the wishin' it was summer now ib-

Rich L

03-17-2006, 05:59 AM

MTIO #85-#100; finally completed this title. *whew*

I love the issue where Ben's in hospital and all the villains congregate to kill him. They're held off by the rest of New York's heroes, but one slips through the net. It's about #92, I think.

MichikoS

03-18-2006, 08:27 PM

Just spent a week in and around Palo Alto, and came back with a few goodies:

ACG Adventures into the Unknown #144, 156, 174 all FINE
ACG Unknown Worlds #52 FINE
DC Hawkman #14 FINE +
*Found all the above in a half-price Silver Age box, so I paid $4 each for them

Marvel TOMB OF DRACULA magazine #4 VF
Marvel Captain America #179 VF/NM
*$3 each for these

Marvel Amazing Spider-Man #267-271 NM
*$1 each for these

Also picked up the newest BACK ISSUE! magazine and some back issues of COMIC BOOK ARTIST and BACK ISSUE! that I was missing.

While I was in San Francisco, I stopped in to visit James Simes' store, Isotope. It's a nice place. James and his entire staff were polite and helpful. Great stop for new comics.

Michi

Slam_Bradley

03-20-2006, 08:17 AM

I just won two Terry and the Pirates books by Nostalgia Press, "Meet Burma" and "Enter the Dragon Lady." Total of $5 for both of them.

Slam_Bradley

03-21-2006, 10:07 AM

Ok...I went ape-shit today.

Just bought

Lil Abner Dailies, Vol. 4 (1938). Now I need to find volume 3. Darnnit...it's always something.

To the Heart of the Storm by Will Eisner

The Will Eisner Reader.

Secret Agent X-9. This is the Kitchen Sink reprint.

MilkManX

03-21-2006, 12:04 PM

Finally got a few I have needed.

Essential Captain America 1+2

Essential Hulk 1

New Gods Hunger Dogs(damn this was hard to get for under 30 bucks)

scratchie

03-21-2006, 12:27 PM

New Gods Hunger Dogs(damn this was hard to get for under 30 bucks)I hope you'll post a review. I've been wondering if this is worth tracking down.

Tony Bang

03-21-2006, 12:50 PM

Essential Iron Fist & Essential Luke Cage

All of Walt Simonson's Thor run

shaxper

03-21-2006, 01:29 PM

Just finished my tiny run of Green Lantern (1960s) #1-5. Now to decide if I feel like paying big bucks for the 1st appearance of Sinestro in order to build a run up to #10.

Halloween Jill

03-21-2006, 01:34 PM

Lone Ranger

03-21-2006, 08:06 PM

Creepy #16: the last of the (coincidentally) 16 stories Ditko did for Warren that I needed. Extremely cool dry brush tecnique that I don't think I've seen him use anywhere else.

I daresay I'm obliged to seek out all of Toth's Warren efforts now. Is there a checklist anywhere?

There is an issue of Comic Book Artist from 5 years ago or so that had a complete Toth checklist, which may not be 100% complete but it's pretty darned good. It is organized by company.

You are right about the Ditko story - it is very different and really cool.

TheHistorian

03-22-2006, 09:13 PM

Lil Abner Dailies, Vol. 4 (1938). Now I need to find volume 3. Darnnit...it's always something.

Woe is you.

;)

Secret Agent X-9. This is the Kitchen Sink reprint.

Pretty much the best edition...

Cei-U!

03-22-2006, 10:47 PM

Lil Abner Dailies, Vol. 4 (1938). Now I need to find volume 3. Darnnit...it's always something.

I have Vol. 3. Maybe we can work something out.

Cei-U!
I summon the barter system!

TheHistorian

03-22-2006, 11:28 PM

Latest acquisition (well, most recently arrived, anyway):

A near complete run of Menomonee Falls Guardian (if anyone can point me to a reasonably priced 57, Special 2, and Special 3, that would be lovely) to complement my similar (but not quite so recent nor complete) acquisition of an extensive run of Menomonee Falls Gazette.

Fun fun fun, but the storage nightmare... oy!

Slam_Bradley

03-24-2006, 07:15 AM

I have Vol. 3. Maybe we can work something out.

Cei-U!
I summon the barter system!

I promise I WILL look through my back issues for those books you're looking for.

Most recent aquisition...Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery. $9.50. Woo woo!

scratchie

03-24-2006, 07:53 AM

I recently completed my run of Forever People, the first Fourth World series I've completed.

I'm getting close to completing my collection of Atlas/Seaboard comics. I've actually found issues 1, 3 and 4 of Vicki and once my latest purchase arrives, I'll only be missing a half-dozen or so issues. I'll also have a few duplicates so if anyone else is looking to fill in the gaps in their A/S collection, drop me a private message.

leestaunton

03-25-2006, 02:18 PM

Fantastic Four 52 - First Black Panther
Astonishing Tales 26-29 - First Deathlok

And a load of old Gold Key Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter issues. My particular favourite being Magnus Robot Fighter issue 3.

Gingold

03-25-2006, 02:47 PM

New Gods Hunger Dogs(damn this was hard to get for under 30 bucks)

I had no idea this was hard to find. I bought this on a comic shop a couple of years ago for it's original cover price. It was in with new GNs and TPBs. Nice to retroactively get a bargain. I'm sure my wife will understand that since I, in fact, saved money two years ago, I can now go spend some more money on comics, right. Kamandi Archives here I come! :D

My most recent classic purchase was the Showcase: Superman Family book. This was an awful lot of fun. I can't get enough of these Showcase books.

Sir Tim Drake

03-25-2006, 03:21 PM

And a load of old Gold Key Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter issues. My particular favourite being Magnus Robot Fighter issue 3.

Wow! How much did you pay for those? And welcome to CBR, by the way.

dan bailey

03-25-2006, 05:26 PM

tomahawk -- something like 24 issues from 102-129 (the same ebay seller's auction for several earlier ishes, going back to #66, ended at almost the same time last night, & i *choke* lost out on that one by opting to raise my maximum bid on the wrong auction ...)

comix book -- 1-3. well, i bought 'em, anyway. supposedly the ebay seller shipped them on 3/8 from the pacific northwest, since which time i've long since received a cd-r (the blue orchids' new ep, just in case anyone's keeping track) ordered on the same bloody day from great britain, but no sight of the mags ...

leestaunton

03-26-2006, 12:53 AM

Wow! How much did you pay for those? And welcome to CBR, by the way.

Cheers. Not much actually, you can normally pick them up for between 5 and 15GBP. :evilsmile

Slam_Bradley

03-27-2006, 02:07 PM

I just sent off a big-ass order to InStockTrades.

Showcase Presents: Green Arrow

Showcase Presents: Superman Family

Essential Avengers, Vol. 5.

Essential Moon Knight

Essential Godzilla

Essential PPTSS, Vol. 2

And on E-bay I picked up

The first Losers trade

The first Ex Machina trade

and the first Runaways trade.

My aching wallet.

Rob Allen

03-29-2006, 11:16 AM

I daresay I'm obliged to seek out all of Toth's Warren efforts now. Is there a checklist anywhere?There is!

There's the Toth checklist in CBA, as someone noted, and there's an excellent Warren checklist online at:

http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Richard%20Arndt/The%20Warren%20Magazines%20Index%20Only.htm

That's a big page (1.7MB); it's also available in Word format (1.1MB) along with several other great checklists and indexes by Richard Arndt:

http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Bibliographies%20by%20Richard%20Arndt.htm

The whole enjolrasworld.com site is fun to browse.

Lone Ranger

03-29-2006, 11:33 AM

Essential Avengers, Vol. 5.

I grabbed that one last week too.

Of course, I still haven't made my way through 2, 3 or 4 - but it was on sale so I had to snap it up.

Slam_Bradley

03-29-2006, 11:35 AM

I grabbed that one last week too.

Of course, I still haven't made my way through 2, 3 or 4 - but it was on sale so I had to snap it up.

I got to figuring a while back and I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000 pages of comics in my "to be read" piles. Sigh.

So, I turned around and picked up Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner.

dan bailey

03-29-2006, 12:28 PM

got my first order from instocktrades in earlier this week --

essential ff 2-3
essential dd 2 (got an ex-library copy cheap off an amazon seller a couple of days earlier)
essential capt america 2
life & death of capt marvel

god knows when i'll have time to read 'em. for down time here at work i've brought the recentishly acquired likes of justice league: a new beginning & vol 3 of byrne's next men (picked up vol 1 for $5 at my lcs a few months ago, then got 2-6 from a british seller on abebooks for something like $30, shipping included) for perusal.

Prelude

03-31-2006, 12:31 PM

Watchmen #1-12 - Back-issues were on sale at my LCS so I went for it. I already have the paperback, but I don't mind redundancy in my collection. Since most comic shops around here rigorously follow the tradition of marking up their prices well beyond what you can get online, I still think I might have overpaid. Regardless, I'm happy with my purchase.

Heraclevs

03-31-2006, 02:51 PM

Slam_Bradley

03-31-2006, 03:04 PM

Doh!!! Wrong Thread.

Heraclevs

04-01-2006, 07:56 AM

Justice League of America #115
Action #443
(two significant Batman appearances I had previously overlooked)

DC Comics Presents 61 (I think) - OMAC by Perez
Justice League of America #186 - by Perez

D'Oh! IT's JLA #194, not 186. And I can confirm that the DC Comics Presents issue is #87. :rolleyes:

- Romans 9

D'Oh! IT's JLA #194, not 186. And I can confirm that the DC Comics Presents issue is #87. :rolleyes:

Unholygrimness

04-01-2006, 09:17 AM

I got to figuring a while back and I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000 pages of comics in my "to be read" piles. Sigh.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Good luck getting through that lot!

leestaunton

04-01-2006, 09:54 AM

Magnus Robot Fighter issue number 2 by Gold Key 1963. Excellent condition for 20 quid, couldn't believe my luck.

phicks

04-03-2006, 09:06 AM

I made my semi-annual pilgrimage to the Silver Snail in Toronto, and got the following silver age books, all in VF/NM:

Avengers #62
Avengers #85
Batman #252
Daredevil #17
Detective #436
Hulk #124
Hulk #136

And by this point in the alphabet, I had spent my birthday money budget. $379 Canadian, including taxes.

Cei-U!

04-03-2006, 10:22 AM

I did well at the Emerald City Con this year. I picked up heavily-discounted copies of Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition (whew!) and Essential Super-Villain Team-Up, our own Brandon Hanvey's original GN entanglement, Justice (the new Alex Ross mini) #1-2, an issue of Batton Lash's Supernatural Law and, in my annual raid of the dollar boxes:

DC Comics Presents # 1, 4, 31, 37
Sgt. Fury #54, 56, 59, 63
Thor #272, 274-75, 278-80, 283, 289-90, 292-93, 295-96, 298-300
Thor Annual #7, 10
Wonder Woman #276, 301
World’s Finest #216, 226, 231-332, 242, 272

The piece de resistance for the weekend was a $4 copy of Marvel Super Heroes Special #1, the only 1960s Marvel annual (not counting the Millie the Model issues) I was missing.

EDIT: I am a dirty liar. I still have to get Marvel Tales Annual #2 to complete the set. Curses. Foiled again!

Cei-U!
I summon another great weekend of comics shopping!

Sir Tim Drake

04-04-2006, 10:07 PM

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Good luck getting through that lot!

Reading 25,000 pages of comics is no problem... the real trouble is that by the time you read those 25,000 pages, your stack of unread comics will have grown to 50,000 pages.

scratchie

04-05-2006, 07:40 AM

Recently got in the mail:

The much-awaited X-Men #111
Vicki #1 & #4. Filling in those Atlas/Seaboards!
Defenders 76-90, for no particular reason other than they were cheap and Defenders was my favorite super-hero comic when I was a kid. My run on this title will soon extend from 11 to 116 and I'm filling in the early issues. Since I have the Essentials volume that covers through issue 14 or 15, and I don't particularly like the early issues anyway (i.e., I won't be pulling them out to read very often), I'm trying to assemble a nice collection in "VF" or better when I can find the issues for 10 bucks or less. I still need six of the first ten plus two of the first three Marvel Features (I doubt I'll find those in VF for less than ten bucks but I'm still looking and I'm in no hurry).

Recently "won" on Ebay:

A bunch of early Warlock comics (mostly pre-Starlin)
Some of the "no costume" Wonder Woman issues
Some random copies of Tomb of Dracula. If I like them, I may decide to collect this comic in color rather than via the Essentials.
More triple-digit Defenders.
The original appearance of Squadron Sinister in Avengers #69-70
The last two original New Gods I needed (#8 + 9).

Don't tell my wife!

scratchie

04-05-2006, 07:48 AM

Justice (the new Alex Ross mini) #1-2This is good stuff. Someone on the DC Universe board was complaining that he had to wait so long for "the trade"; I'm excited by the fact that I can watch this story unfold over the next year and a half! Isn't that what serial literature is supposed to be about?

Slam_Bradley

04-05-2006, 08:55 AM

Reading 25,000 pages of comics is no problem... the real trouble is that by the time you read those 25,000 pages, your stack of unread comics will have grown to 50,000 pages.

Exactly. I usually read about 60 pages (three issues) a night. So I should get through what I currently have in a bit over a year. Say a year and a half to be safe. But in the meantime, DC keeps putting out Showcases and Marvel puts out Essentials...and I find these great deals on trades.

Sigh.

Otto Print

04-06-2006, 02:23 PM

Just got STEVE DITKO'S THE THING from Pure Imagination. For as long as I've been a Ditko fan these horror comics from 1954 have been out of reach. Intense, remarkable fantasy and while the late fifties stuff that fills out the book is less detailed it is by no means second rate. The best reprint book since Marvels TALES TO ASTONISH.

scratchie

04-06-2006, 02:56 PM

Just got STEVE DITKO'S THE THING from Pure Imagination. For as long as I've been a Ditko fan these horror comics from 1954 have been out of reach. Welcome to the board, Otto. As someone else mentioned recently, there's a new book called Steve Ditko's Space Wars out that collects a few of his pre-Marvel sci-fi stories. Great stuff for the Ditko fan.

For my most recent purchase, I found a bunch of DC Archives that were being auctioned by one user on Ebay. I bid $20 each on a bunch of them and wound up the highest bidder on Challengers of the Unknown V1 and Plastic Man (yay) V3 & V5.

Rich L

04-07-2006, 01:01 AM

Just picked up - thru ebay - Amazing Spider-Man #114 & 115 (Hammerhead and Doc Ock), #125 (Man-Wolf) & #134 (1st Tarantula, 2nd Punisher) and Sensational Spider-Man (Treasury) #14 (which I think reprints ASM#100) - its a lot bigger than I thought!

Also recently got hold of Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1, which I think was retitled GS FF with #2.

This means ASM#116-120 are my next specific targets.

Rich L

04-07-2006, 01:01 AM

DDM

04-07-2006, 09:02 AM

I bought (Uncanny) X-Men #94.

scratchie

04-07-2006, 09:38 AM

I bought (Uncanny) X-Men #94.Is it impolite to ask how much you paid?

dan bailey

04-07-2006, 09:39 AM

essential ff vols 1 & 4 & essential avengers 3 were waiting at my front door when i got home last night, courtesy of the usps & books-a-million (whose monthly $5-off-website-orders coupon has proven irresistible to my cheap self, which my jewish & scottish blood has left biologically programmed for penny-pinching, or something).

DDM

04-07-2006, 10:02 AM

Is it impolite to ask how much you paid?

I paid about $300.00 for it; the book is in near mint condition. However, I bought approximately $25.00 in my regular books, but ended up paying $305.00 for the total due to his regular customer discount. This is the most I have paid for one comic book.

I've been looking for Uncanny X-Men #94 for a long time. Now, I'm on the hunt for (Uncanny) X-Men #49, 52 to complete the Lorna Dane-Mesmero storyline.

scratchie

04-07-2006, 10:58 AM

I paid about $300.00 for it; the book is in near mint condition.That's a good deal in that condition. I just completed my run of #94-128 and now the collector bug has kicked in and I'm debating how much I'm willing to spend on a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 to really complete the set.

DDM

04-07-2006, 01:19 PM

That's a good deal in that condition. I just completed my run of #94-128 and now the collector bug has kicked in and I'm debating how much I'm willing to spend on a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 to really complete the set.

You might want to find the rest of the Chris Claremont/John Byrne, Uncanny X-Men #129-143since even the latter issues are becoming difficult to find.

$300.00 is reasonable to me for Giant Size X-Men #1, but it has to be in near mint condition. It will only go higher at this point due to the scarcity of 70's comics today.

The Adventurer

04-07-2006, 01:41 PM

and...today I picked up

Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol.2 (http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=casefiles2&Comic=rebellion) reprinting classic Judge Dredd from 2000AD #61 to #115.

It reprints Dredd's earliest "Mega Epics" The Cursed Earth and The Day the Law Died.

Early Dredd is just so freaking GOOD, I recomend these Dredd Case files to anyone who loves classic sci-fi comics.

scratchie

04-07-2006, 01:41 PM

You might want to find the rest of the Chris Claremont/John Byrne, Uncanny X-Men #129-143That's funny, that's what the guy at my LCS said! I'll probably pick these up as I can, without spending too much. More a "completist" thing than anything: I always imagined that the "legendary Claremont/Byrne run" on X-Men lasted a lot longer than a year and a half after I originally stopped reading (I had just gotten over thinking of Byrne as "the guy who draws Iron Fist" at that point). I might as well try to fill it in now since it's actually pretty small compared to what I have already.

$300.00 is reasonable to me for Giant Size X-Men #1, but it has to be in near mint condition. It will only go higher at this point due to the scarcity of 70's comics today.I don't think 70s comics are really that scarce today, but these early "All New All Different" X-Men issues really fell through the cracks at the time. Most every other 70s mainstream title seems to be available in cheap and plentiful supply on Ebay, but those first couple of X-Men issues have always (from within a few years of their original release) been disproportionately expensive compared to almost anything else released around the same time.

Reptisaurus!

04-07-2006, 02:13 PM

33 Dollars for Reptilicus # 1.

Sigh. 33 Dollars.

That's like, 99 comics out of the 3 for a buck box.

I'm pretty stupid.

DarthAstuart

04-07-2006, 04:20 PM

DDM

04-07-2006, 04:51 PM

That's funny, that's what the guy at my LCS said! I'll probably pick these up as I can, without spending too much. More a "completist" thing than anything: I always imagined that the "legendary Claremont/Byrne run" on X-Men lasted a lot longer than a year and a half after I originally stopped reading (I had just gotten over thinking of Byrne as "the guy who draws Iron Fist" at that point). I might as well try to fill it in now since it's actually pretty small compared to what I have already.

Although Uncanny X-Men #129-143 is 14 issues, each book costs about $30.00 each at M-NM condition. I believe Uncanny X-Men #129 (first Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Sebastian Shaw), Uncanny X-Men #130 (1st Dazzler II), Uncanny 132 (1st Tessa, Donald Pierce, Harry Leland, Phoenix as the Black Queen), Uncanny 137 (Death of Phoenix), Uncanny 141-142(1st Rachel Summers, "Days of Future Past") run higher than $30.00 now.

You might find a good deal on Ebay though.

Slam_Bradley

04-12-2006, 02:56 PM

Just won from E-bay

The Mighty Crusaders tpb: Reprints Flyman 31-33 & Mighty Crusaders #1.

Next Men, Vol. 2

Union Jack, collecting the mini-series; and

another copy of Batman: Year One.

This was all in one big lot. The total with shipping is $13 and some change. I'm really interested in the Crusaders book. I've read the first Next Men trade and liked it a fair amount. I like Cassaday's art, so Union Jack should be ok. I'll probably give the Year One to the library.

Reptisaurus!

04-12-2006, 03:09 PM

Just won from E-bay

The Mighty Crusaders tpb: Reprints Flyman 31-33 & Mighty Crusaders #1.

Wow. I can't believe anyone thought enough of these comics to collect 'em in a trade. I have Mighty Crusaders 1. It's... well, reallly, reallly, really, really bad.

Slam_Bradley

04-12-2006, 03:23 PM

Wow. I can't believe anyone thought enough of these comics to collect 'em in a trade. I have Mighty Crusaders 1. It's... well, reallly, reallly, really, really bad.

Sometimes bad is...very good.

Lone Ranger

04-13-2006, 08:12 AM

I picked up a couple of nice finds at a used book store earlier in the week:

Wolverine TPB:
It is a 1987 reprint of the 1982 Claremont/Miller miniseries. This was back when Wolverine was ridiculously cool (and I was 10 years old). I have the original issues, but I just couldn't pass this up for $4.

Marvel Legends: Daredevil-Typhoid Mary
I have always heard good things about this storyline, but wasn't really buying too many comics when it came out. I picked this up for $12, which is great since the CDN cover price is $32 (vs. $19.99 US). This 'Legends' line seems like a good idea. I am really looking forward to reading this.

Phantom: Graham Nolan Sundays Vol. 1
I had actually been haunting my various LCSs for this one for some time, so I was delighted to find it half-price in a remainder bin. I know it's less than 2 years old, but I am pretty sure it counts as Classic if the Phantom is involved.

scratchie

04-13-2006, 08:29 AM

This 'Legends' line seems like a good idea. I am really looking forward to reading this.I have a few of the "Legends" volumes, and while they're generally very good, Marvel seems very schizophrenic about what they decide to put into the "Legends" books. For example:

* Dark Phoenix is (or was?) an "X-Men Legends" book, but the immediate follow-up, Days of Future Past, isn't.

* While Dark Phoenix is a complete set of consecutive issues, Avengers Legends Volume 3 consists of non-consecutive issues that were all drawn by George Perez.

* While all of the above are in-continuity stories from the "regular" Avengers and X-Men titles, the two "Daredevil Legends" volumes I have (1 & 3) are both out-of-continuity miniseries ("Yellow" and "Man Without Fear", respectively). The consecutive, in-continuity Daredevil issues that are almost contemporary to the above-mentioned X-Men stories are, instead, published as "Daredevil Visionaries" volumes.

None of this actually bothers me -- the quality of the stories and artwork in all of the above is good or excellent -- but I just find it amusing that the contents of these trades are so inconsistent. Comic book fans are notoriously obsessive when it comes to the color scheme, shape and size of their collected anthologies, so I'm a little suprised that Marvel didn't take more care to insure that everything "alike" was published in identically-designed and branded volumes.

Chad Anderson

04-13-2006, 02:20 PM

I've been picking up Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz's run on Moon Knight at a local shop in dribs and drabs. (I'm lucky enough to have a comic shop nearby that still stocks tons of back issues at reasonable prices.) I was inspired to do so by an interview with Moench over at ComicFoundry.com, conducted by the comic's current writer, Charlie Huston. As always seems to be the case with interviews of Marvel creators from a certain period, Jim Shooter came up in the conversation, and it's clear that he and Moench didn't see eye to eye on things.

Still, I was kind of surprised a couple days later when I read Shooter's intro to Moon Knight Special Edition No. 1 (which reprints Moon Knight short tales from other Marvel magazines) and not once did he mention Moench's contributions to the stories inside, while praising Sienkiewicz and absolutely heaping praise on editor Ralf Macchio, even going so far as to say that most of what was good in the following stories was the result of Macchio's hard work. The pettiness made me chuckle.

DDM

04-13-2006, 02:47 PM

Adventure Comics #428 (1st Black Orchid)

The Vision & Scarlet Witch #1-12 limited series

Lone Ranger

04-17-2006, 07:17 AM

I picked up a bunch of DC Archives via eBay recently. The real bonus with these ones is that they were being sold by someone about a mile from my house, so I could simply pick them up and saved a ton of money on shipping.

In the end, I walked away with 7 Archives for about $130 Canadian - not bad when you consider that the cover price on many of them is $83 Canadian. Of course, I can get most of them from Amazon for $50 CDN each, but that's still $350.

They are:

Doom Patrol Vol 1
Justice League of America Vol. 2
Dynamic Duo Vol 1
Plastic Man Vol 1
Plastic Man Vol 2
All Star Comics Vol 1
Legion of Super Heroes Vol 1

I have pretty much given up on trying to buy early issue of most titles as the prices are just too high. I have most of the post later issues oftitles like JLA, Doom Patrol and Legion in Adventure so I will use Archives and Masterworks to plug those holes where possible.

i_mmmchocolate

04-20-2006, 07:04 PM

I just bought

Showcase: Green Arrow Vol 1

Showcase: House of Mystery Vol 1

DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories: 11 Tales You Never Expected to See.

This is my new favorite forum!

scratchie

04-21-2006, 07:15 AM

Warlock 1, 10, 13
- finishing off this title. It was actually easier to find these than the Special Edition reprints from the 80s and I have all the Gil Kane / Roy Thomas(?) issues as well.

Marvel Team-Up 46
Marvel Two-In-One 27, 34, 53
Captain America 286, 288
- I've decided to grab the remaining stories of Deathlok version 1. As with Warlock, the Captain America issues were easier to find than the early-90s reprint.

Happydale 1, 2
- The late Seth Foster; all I'm missing now of his funnybook work is two issues of Doom Patrol.
[EDIT: That should be Seth Fisher, not Foster! Woof!]

Avengers 85
X-Men 143
Captain America 160, 164
Mister Miracle 20, 21
- assorted whatnot. I think I'm very close to having the ultimate Bronze Age collection of my 14-year-old dreams.

Cherokee Jack

04-22-2006, 04:56 AM

[
Happydale 1, 2
- The late Seth Foster; all I'm missing now of his funnybook work is two issues of Doom Patrol.
.

What issues did he do? I thought I had all the comics he drew.

And it's Fisher, not Foster.

scratchie

04-22-2006, 11:00 AM

Happydale 1, 2
- The late Seth Foster; all I'm missing now of his funnybook work is two issues of Doom Patrol.What issues did he do? I thought I had all the comics he drew.13 and 14 of the 2001 series (not the most recent series), according to GCD:
http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=128640
http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=128641

And it's Fisher, not Foster.Yes, it certainly is! I don't know what I was smoking when I posted that, but it's gone now!

isaac a person

04-22-2006, 01:28 PM

Thought I'd list my giant haul from the Emerald City Comicon at the start of the month. Mostly quarter bin fare filling out holes in my collection or featuring favorite creators & characters. Not many classics but stuff I like to read :D

Single Issues:
2001 #1
Avengers #341-342
Avengers West Coast #55,61
Cable #102
Challengers of the Unknown #2
Cruel & Unusual #1
Daredevil #251
Deathlok #23
The Demon #17,31,35,37
Doom 2099 #18,22-23
Firearm #3-5
Ghost Rider 2099 #4-5
Grendel Tales: Devil in our Midst #3
Legionaires #1,000,000
Jemm, Son of Saturn #4-8
New Warriors #49,52-53
Prime #13
Punisher 2099 #18-21
Quasar #27,30,32-34,36-37,41,46-47
Ravage 2099 #17-24
Sebastian O #1-3
Shade The Changing Man #10,12-14,22,25-26,28-31,43-44
Sleepwalker #10-18,20-23
Soldier X #1,8
Solitaire #4
Starblast #3-4
Strangers #11
Suicide Squad #9,61
Terror Inc #1-4,12
Vertigo Pop! London #1

Trades
Arrowsmith
Godland V.1
Manhunter V.1
Rocketo V.1
Sleeper V.3 & 4

Sketches!
Pia Guerra
Rick Leonardi
Jim Mahfood
Sean Phillips

T GUy

04-23-2006, 08:48 AM

some of us buy things and then take some time to get around to reading them

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Latest purchases are Superboy 201 and Tomb of Dracula 24, both from 1974.

I did actually peak inside the Drac ish, and it's the one with Blade and his chick - as we used to say back then - wearing a pair of pyjamas. Classic indeed!

dan bailey

04-23-2006, 06:31 PM

spent the weekend at fort walton beach (about 3 hours from here), finding 4 ebay-won ishes of adventure -- #s 367, 371-372 & 378 -- in my mailbox when i got back home.

of course, it turns out that a lcs about 5 miles from the motel had about 20 25-cent-bin shortboxes & was selling all $5-&-under back ishes for $1, so ... uh ... i walked away with something like 120 comics (all of which came from the 25-cent boxes except for 5 ishes of stars & s.t.r.i.p.e. & the recent hack/slash trailers, which for some reason didn't make it to my pull folder up here). quite a bit of '80s (mostly) & '90s stuff (that in some cases i hadn't even known existed) that i piqued my interest on some level or other, like --

i bots 1 4-7 9
el diablo 2-16
demon's tails 2
doctor occult 1
east meets west 1
dinosaurs for hire 9-11
x-thieves 6
babe2 2
shadows from the grave 2
mythos: the final tour 1
mr monster presents 2
pop! london 1 2
amanda & gunn 1 4
doctor 13 1
e-man (comico) 2
love in tights 4
captain victory & the galactic rangers: graphite eidtion
revolver 2 4 6
jemm, son of saturn 1 5
night force 14
new talent showcase 1113
kilroy is here 1 8-10
kilroy: the short stories 1
junk culture 1
bizarre heroes 6
atomic overdrive 1
trencher 2-4
negative burn 1 10 25 29 35 36 45
victory 1
waldo world 1-3
wordsmith 2 7
ray bradbury's tales of terror 1
the unseen hand 1
tupelo 1
wolff & byrd 1 15
terminal city 3 5-7
the last one 1 5 6
eclipse monthly 3
lost planet 1-2
alter ego 1-2 4
fright 2
weird western tales 1
jack kirby's secret city saga 1
sleaze castle 7
thumb screw 1
nowheresville 3
retief 4
creep1 1
mister miracle special 1
mechanics 3
go girl! 3 5
new worlds anthology 5
gloomcookie 12
eleven eleven 1

as the issues piled up & up & up, my long-suffering gf sorted through 'em & resorted to alphabetization to weed out any duplicates, which is how i avoided acquiring, i think, 4 copies of jemm, son of saturn #1, for instance.

i don't doubt for a moment that a lot of sheer crap is included in the above. you should see the probably 50 or so that i put back ...

scratchie

04-24-2006, 07:36 AM

Need to send off payment for:

Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD #3 & 7
X-Men # 49-52
(Why, yes, I am on a Steranko kick, why do you ask?)

Warlock Special Edition #1-6
(Of course, as soon as I completed my collection of the original run, I found a copy of the complete special edition as well. I decided to snag this since it makes a good "reader copy" and has some of the tie-in issues (Avengers Annual, etc) that I don't have yet).

Slam_Bradley

04-24-2006, 08:17 AM

Alex Toth's One for the Road tpb which reprints a number of his "hot rod" stories.

Lone Ranger

04-24-2006, 08:18 AM

Alex Toth's One for the Road tpb which reprints a number of his "hot rod" stories.

I actually discuss the 'hot rod' genre a bit on my most recent Blog entry.

I've got to pick up a copy of this one.

Cei-U!

04-24-2006, 09:03 AM

Alex Toth's One for the Road tpb which reprints a number of his "hot rod" stories.

Note to self: Buy this book.

Cei-U!
Thanks, Slam!

DarthAstuart

04-24-2006, 12:18 PM

waiting for a few ebay auctions to arrive...

a stack of 50 teen titans books, which I believe should comprise most of the original 1980 title up to when it became reprints. however, the listing was very vague & strange, so i THINK that's what I bought. the seller listed the runs under different "volumes" which I think he denoted as a "year" instead of the many different iterations of the title (the baxter 84 series, the nineties series, the current series). at least, i'm hoping that's what he means, and it's not just some strange coincidence that he has continuous runs of three or four different titles that just happen to be numerically continuous with one another.

some random issues of Legends of the DC Universe, that late nineties anthology-style title that hopped around to different characters with each arc, but sorta told stories in the style of Legends of the Dark Knight--largely continuity-free adventures. i remember buying the first several issues during one of my "back in" periods throughout the many years I was "in and out" of comics.

the first ten (ish) issues of the baxter Titans series from 1984. just paid for those this morning...14 comics total for $6 (including shipping). you can't beat that with a stick!

now I just need to decide if I should dig into my Titans haul immediately, or at least try to complete the 1980 series run and THEN read it...only like seven issues needed to finish that off, I think...this'll be my first time reading these books so I'm quite excited.

MichikoS

04-24-2006, 01:45 PM

Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD #3 & 7
X-Men # 49-52
(Why, yes, I am on a Steranko kick, why do you ask?)"Dark Moon Rise, Hell Hound Kill!" is one of my favorite over-the-top Steranko stories. I never tire of looking at those pretty, pretty pictures.

Have you read the hilarious parody, "Dark Moon Rise, Heck Hound Hurt," which unerringly skewers the many (wonderful) excesses of the original story? It appears in NOT BRAND ECHH #11, December 1968. The story is written by the funny and perceptive Arnold Drake, and pencilled by Frank Springer, who had the unenviable position of following Steranko on the SHIELD series after he left Marvel.

Michi

scratchie

04-24-2006, 02:23 PM

Have you read the hilarious parody, "Dark Moon Rise, Heck Hound Hurt," which unerringly skewers the many (wonderful) excesses of the original story? It appears in NOT BRAND ECHH #11, December 1968. The story is written by the funny and perceptive Arnold Drake, and pencilled by Frank Springer, who had the unenviable position of following Steranko on the SHIELD series after he left Marvel.That sounds like something I'd enjoy. Was it common for Marvel to parody their own stories in Not Brand Ecch?

Slam_Bradley

04-24-2006, 02:27 PM

Note to self: Buy this book.

Cei-U!
Thanks, Slam!

With you and Scott both looking for a copy now, maybe it's the publisher that should be thanking me.

Rob Allen

04-24-2006, 06:45 PM

That sounds like something I'd enjoy. Was it common for Marvel to parody their own stories in Not Brand Ecch?Yes. Very common. Spidey-Man, Charlie America and the mighty Sore all appeared in NBE.

PeteGunn

04-25-2006, 12:36 AM

Yes. Very common. Spidey-Man, Charlie America and the mighty Sore all appeared in NBE.

And the Mighty Revengers, the inedible Bulk, Ironed Man.

Even did Stupor-Man, Gnat-Man and Rotten, too!!!!

scratchie

04-25-2006, 07:31 AM

"Mighty Sore" (snicker)

Cei-U!

04-25-2006, 09:19 AM

Not only did they parody their own characters, they parodied their best storylines. The Lee/Kirby story in #1 condenses the storyline of Fantastic Four #57-60 down to 8 pages, for instance. That issue also includes parodies of the Timely Torch/Sub-Mariner battles and a then-recent Kid Colt/Two-Gun Kid team-up. Stan and Marie Severin's spot-on parody of the Thing/Hulk battle from FF #25-26 in a later issue still makes me laugh.

Bulk: Did you just grow hair?
Thung: No.
Bulk: Then I just grabbed a handful of wires.
ZZZAP!

I think sometimes today's creators lack their Silver Age counterparts' awareness of the inherent absurdity of the super-hero genre.

Cei-U!
I summon the laffs!

DarthAstuart

04-25-2006, 05:28 PM

Sir Tim Drake

04-25-2006, 06:14 PM

my big box of old Teen Titans arrived today--it's a near-complete run of the 1980 incarnation, solid from issue 10 until it became reprints with issue 59. i'm basically missing a handful of issues before ten. these seem to be mostly reader copies but I think that's all I need.

cannot WAIT to dig into these tonight...I think I'm just gonna start with the first issue that makes sense after #10 and read on, so I don't have to wait till I get a great deal on just the 7 issues I need to fully complete the run.

I think #10 was continued from #9, but it still shouldn't be too difficult to understand. #11 starts a new storyline.

I hope you enjoy the series. I almost envy you the ability to read these great comics for the first time.

Slam_Bradley

04-26-2006, 08:08 AM

The Files of Ms. Tree, Vol. 3.

benday-dot

05-01-2006, 07:45 PM

I actually discuss the 'hot rod' genre a bit on my most recent Blog entry.

I've got to pick up a copy of this one.
This isn't strictly a hot-rod comic, but I just read the 1991 Eclipse reprint of the Frank Frazetta Johnny Comet strips. Part of Comet's gig is a race car driver, and some of the pen and ink drawings Frazetta lays down of Comet and his car in kinetic action are pure benday gold. You are right it is a sweet genre, and I suspect huge at the time, what with the cult of the car taking over America in the 50's and the subsequent muscle car culture of the 60's about to become ubiquitous. A look at some of the silver age Marvel's confirms this... Flash Thompson and his flashy wheels, and Johnny Storm (hmmm... Comet/Storm?) forever tinkering with his hot rods in those 60's Fantastic Fours. Thanks so much.

DarthAstuart

05-03-2006, 01:01 PM

My LCS had a decent sale this weekend to make room for Free Comic Book Day, so I got a short box of back issues for $20. nothing earth-shattering, and not even much that's THAT classic, but solid runs of the following:

Robin
Gotham Central
Wonder Woman (including lots of Rucka, which I'm digging)
Gotham Knights
Transmetropolitan

And of course lots of scattered stuff...chunks of miniseries, for example. it's a real scattering of books but it gives me great excuses to track down back issues to fill in the blanks.

Reptisaurus!

05-03-2006, 01:10 PM

25 cent sale at my local comic shop.

ALL back issues a quarter.

Granted, they've got almost nothin' predating 1990, but I still dropped fourty bones, picking up nearly full runs of: Enigma, X-Statix, Promethea, Grip: THe Strange World of Men, Heavy Liquid, Hulk:Destruction and Bruce Jones's Hulk Run, the Dematties/Buscema Spectacular Spider-man run, JLA/Avengers, the HATE Jamboree, a couple of Luba books that I missed,

And, geez, I can't even remember what all. Lots and lots of Vertigo stuff. VERY good haul.

isaac a person

05-03-2006, 02:36 PM

Reptisaurus!

05-03-2006, 02:51 PM

This is my dream.
Is that sad?

Well, y'know. They were all recent-ish, and mostly in bad shape. They weren't bagged or boarded.

And I hardly got a full run of anything. I'm missing, like Enigma 7, Promethea 2, 13 and 18m, Rocket Racoon # 3, Spectacular Spidey 194-198... At least a couple issues of every series I tried to collect.

AND I'm mad at myself for all the stuff I didn't buy. (Geez. Almost the whole Ostrander Spectre run. Right there! And I forgot to go back for it.)

So it wasn't that great.

(I'm totally lying. It. Was. Freaking. Awesome! I'm soo happy. :))

DarthAstuart

05-03-2006, 04:54 PM

And I hardly got a full run of anything. I'm missing, like Enigma 7, Promethea 2, 13 and 18m, Rocket Racoon # 3, Spectacular Spidey 194-198... At least a couple issues of every series I tried to collect.

that was the exact situation at my shop, which makes for a fun haul but kinda spotty reading, as I'm the type who'd like to wait till all of a story is in my hands before reading any of it. so my "to read" pile should remain small even though my collection beefed up significantly.

benday-dot

05-03-2006, 07:37 PM

Action Comics 1...:D

shaxper

05-04-2006, 06:52 AM

I just grabbed the Eternals $1-5 for 80 cents a pop. This happened only hours after I declared that I was feeling "Kirbyed Out" after reading too much Kamandi and Demon. Where will it end?

I also grabbed an obscure Superman Elseworlds trade paperback that takes place in the world of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1920s silent film). Since I love both Supes and the classic film, and since the tpb was 75% off, I grabbed it. Not an impressive story, but the premise alone is amusing enough to keep on the shelf.

benday-dot

05-04-2006, 07:31 PM

[QUOTE=shaxper]I just grabbed the Eternals $1-5 for 80 cents a pop. This happened only hours after I declared that I was feeling "Kirbyed Out" after reading too much Kamandi and Demon. Where will it end?

Hey... I 've been through the same thing... guess what it doesn't end. Hesitating for a long while, I finally picked up the complete Eternals run (not quite as good a deal as you snagged), and told myself that was it. Then a local comic store had a 25% off sale on tpb's and so I snagged the Black Panther. That was really it I told myself. I'm moving onto Ditko... I developed a good run on Strange Tales, and was quite happy to close the book on JK for a good while, but then a few weeks ago I "broke into" one of the old long boxes in my house, and pulled out at random Thor 154. OMG... the Kirby glory. So I looked at my Thor Kirby collection, and was shocked at all the issues I was still missing. So yep, back to the comic store, e-bay and anywhere else I could sniff out an old Kirby Thor. And you know I gotta have the originals, even if just in reader condition. Oh yes fellow Kirby lover... it never ends... hmmm, just how many comics out there does the King have to his credit? I shudder.

shaxper

05-04-2006, 09:07 PM

[QUOTE]

Hey... I 've been through the same thing... guess what it doesn't end. Hesitating for a long while, I finally picked up the complete Eternals run (not quite as good a deal as you snagged), and told myself that was it. Then a local comic store had a 25% off sale on tpb's and so I snagged the Black Panther. That was really it I told myself. I'm moving onto Ditko... I developed a good run on Strange Tales, and was quite happy to close the book on JK for a good while, but then a few weeks ago I "broke into" one of the old long boxes in my house, and pulled out at random Thor 154. OMG... the Kirby glory. So I looked at my Thor Kirby collection, and was shocked at all the issues I was still missing. So yep, back to the comic store, e-bay and anywhere else I could sniff out an old Kirby Thor. And you know I gotta have the originals, even if just in reader condition. Oh yes fellow Kirby lover... it never ends... hmmm, just how many comics out there does the King have to his credit? I shudder.

Thanks for that depressingly poverty-inducing glimpse of my own future ;)

Hierocles

05-06-2006, 02:33 PM

I bought Nick Fury, Agent of... S.H.I.E.L.D. this afternoon. Surrealist comics? I'm there!

I almost picked up two other books:

+ Marvel Visionaries: Jim Steranko; the book's slimness made me hesitate...

+ Rick Veitch's The One (I'll probably buy it soon).

I wanted Essential Doctor Strange Vol. 1 as well, but for some reason my store didn't have any in stock.

MichikoS

05-06-2006, 07:26 PM

I recently ran across a solid VG/VG+ copy of Jimmy Olsen #140, a reprint Giant (G-86, to be specific) that, for some reason, is uncommonly hard to come by. It falls right smack in the middle of the Kirby run on that title, and appears to be rather scarce. My LCS suddenly had three copies in their NEW ADDITIONS back-issue boxes, and the first two were marked $15 and $20. The third, which was in the best shape of the three, was marked $5. Go figure.

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth (actually, I pried the jaws open and stared, i.e., I perused the copy carefully to be sure there were no missing pages, cutouts or defacements), I purchased the $5 copy and added it to my collection with a frisson of smug satisfaction, knowing that I got a bargain. Now I have two copies of that delightful reprint issue, which features a favorite Nightwing and Flamebird reprint, as well as the wacky "World of Doomed Olsens" story. Nutso stuff.

Speaking of smug, my other recent notable acquisition was a NM+ copy of Next Men #21, which I found in a near-complete run of the title in the 50¢ comic boxes at Vintage Stock. The store was having a two-for-one sale, and so I paid a quarter for a flaming perfect copy of the first Hellboy appearance. Ha. Life is sweet.

Michi

Cei-U!

05-09-2006, 03:56 PM

Just ordered Showcase Presents Teen Titans and The Essential Werewolf By Night. Can't wait to read both of 'em.

Cei-U!
I summon the missing pronouns!

Reptisaurus!

05-10-2006, 03:10 AM

Snagged Locas for 20 bucks and Dark Knight Returns for five off the cheap shelf when trying to scrounge for Free Comic Book Day leftovers. (Busy Saturday.)

I've read both of them, but it's cool to have copies to loan out. Plus Locas looks spiffy next to Palomar on my bookshelf.

berk

05-11-2006, 11:21 PM

I ordered the TPB of Gil Kane's Blackmark from Fantagraphics; not sure when I'll get around to reading it, though.

mrc1214

05-12-2006, 07:13 AM

I just bought a Fantastic Four #52 the 1st app. Black Panther. And the New Teen Titans 39-44 and Annual 3 which im looking foward to read.

Slam_Bradley

05-12-2006, 07:46 AM

Batman: Terror tpb. This is the Moench/Gulacy sequel to the Prey storyline from LoTDK.

shakespear

05-14-2006, 08:21 PM

I got a TON of Micronauts, TSR, and dragonslance books free comic day

dan bailey

05-14-2006, 10:06 PM

via ebay
inferior 5 #10, thereby completing my run (if, that is, 10 ishes + 2 reprint ishes + 3 showcase appearances can be called a "run" ... maybe "sprint" is more apropos).
ufo & outer space 24 (another run i'm working on -- i still lack 10, 19 & 25)

those are the comics i was after, but to help ameliorate the shipping charges i added cheap copies of:

our fighting forces 77 78 93 108
adventure 339
superman 211
jimmy olsen 107
fightin' army 55

also:
capt america 240-242 246 250 (bought the lot for #241 only; i'm trying to complete the run from 215-259, having already done so from 260-409 or so, & now lack only 253)
animal man tpbs v1-3
astro city tpbs v1-5
doom patrol tpbs v1-3
doom patrol archives v1

via mile high comics
i bots 4
stars & s.t.r.i.p.e. 2 4
revolver 1
shadows from the grave 1
lost planet 4 6
essential avengers v4
essential spider-man v5
essential hulk v1

via lone star comics
combat kelly (marvel) 1
amanda & gunn 2-3
atomic overdrive 2
capt america 224
dc super stars 15
detective 600
el diablo 1
hand of fate 1 3
heckler 1-4 6
i bots 2
losh 100
marvel chillers 1-7
ms tree 37 (leaving me lacking only #50 to complete the run)
terminal city 2
vertigo pop! london 3-4

via the closest lcs to me, courtesy of a 25 percent off fcbd sale on back ishes
sovereign 7 #s 18, 23, 27-36 (another run i'm working on completing ... 17, 19-22 & 24-26 to go)
legion of substitute heroes special 1
balder the brave 1-4
marvel universe: the monster hunters 4-7
heckler 5

why, yes, i am dead broke. how on earth did you guess?

Hintermann

05-14-2006, 11:54 PM

I recently bought a large collection of carefully chosen Phantom comics by Frew Publications of Australia. I chose only those featuring the classic stories by the great Lee Falk.

I also regulary get odd issues by Harvey, Dell, Gold Key, Archie Series, Dennis the Menace, Gilberton Classics etc whenever I find them.

scratchie

05-22-2006, 08:02 AM

Yesterday I finally checked out Outer Limits, a comics/collectibles store not far from where I live (it's in Waltham, MA). Given how close it is, I'm surprised it took me this long to check it out.

Very nice selection. I actually thought I had been in this place before, but once I got inside, I realized I hadn't. Large selection of used paperback books in addition to the usual comics and collectibles (lots of "series" paperbacks from the 60s and 70s; I saw something called "The Avenger" and I'm sure there must have been a shelf-full of "Doc Savage" in there somewhere).

The back-issues were quite well-stocked and easily accessible. I wound up with a big stack to take home, including a bunch of 15c and 20c issues of Captain America and a bunch of gap-fillers from my early run of Captain Marvel (green costume). Also found a couple more "white outfit" issues of Wonder Woman and the last issue of Mister Miracle I needed (#4).

Best score of all, though, was a brand-new, still-shrink-wrapped copy of Marvel Masterworks: Uncanny X-Men Volume 3. This volume, the last one I needed to complete my collection (in book form) of the classic Claremont/Cockrum/Byrne X-Men issues, has been out of print for a while now (six months maybe?) and is starting to command high prices (close to a hundred bucks) on Ebay. I was perfectly happy to snap this up at the cover price (since I already have Volumes 1, 2 and 4) to remove the temptation of spending $70+ on the newly-released X-Men Omnibus.

thehod

05-22-2006, 08:32 AM

Picked this (http://www.2000adonline.com/functions/cover.php?Comic=graphicnovels&choice=casefiles1) up at the weekend.

Like the Marvel Essentials and the DC Showcase series, these are black & white reprints all the the Judge Dredd material. Even better that most of this stuff was only ever seen in Black and White anyway, so the art loses nothing here.

You know I'm going to be picking up 2 (http://www.2000adonline.com/functions/cover.php?Comic=graphicnovels&choice=casefiles2) & 3 (http://www.2000adonline.com/functions/cover.php?Comic=graphicnovels&choice=casefiles3) over the next few weeks as well.

leestaunton

05-22-2006, 10:37 AM

Turok Son Of Stone #25 from 1961 (I think) via EBay.

Rob Allen

05-22-2006, 06:30 PM

Yesterday, at the little con in Eugene, Oregon, I bought:

Fantastic Four annuals #4 and #5
Not Brand Ecch #1
Konga #7 (an all-Ditko Charlton from 1962)

The preceding 4 were $5 each. Then I found:

Captain Marvel #53 - an issue I somehow missed in 1977
Black Lightning #3 and #4 - I only had #1 and #2 before this.

These last three were $1. Not $1 each - $1 for the three.

I consider that to be $21 well spent. Of course I also got to spend the time driving to Eugene & back talking comics with Tom Orzechowski, and at the con I also said hello to Mike Royer and saw the original art for the upcoming Green Arrow postage stamp. So it was a day (and a tank of gas) well spent too.

shakespear

05-22-2006, 06:56 PM

I picked up a good 25 issues of Legionnaires

too recent?

DDM

06-22-2006, 01:19 PM

(Uncanny) X-Men #4:

http://www.r-galaxy.com/Xmen4.jpg

1st Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mastermind, Toad, Scarlet Witch, & Quicksilver

shaxper

06-22-2006, 02:10 PM

Just picked up a bunch of mid-grade All-New, All-Different X-Men issues from the 1970s for $8 a piece: #102, 104, 107, 109, 110, 111, 113. That leaves me with only ten issues still missing in my complete run of #94 thru #350 (and yes, I have GSX #1 too).

scratchie

06-22-2006, 02:17 PM

I was recently visiting my wife's family in central Connecticut and stuck my head into a Sports Collectibles shop with a small comic book section. They had a few boxes of comics from the sixties and seventies marked "All Silver Age Comics 50% off" so I picked up a Nick Fury issue of Strange Tales ($2.50), Not Brand Ecch #2 ($2.50), a 15c issue of Superman (the one where evil Clark Kent is shooting Super-Luthor with a machine gun, for $2.00), and two of the early Dave Cockrum issues of Superboy/Legion for a buck each. All were great reading copies (or better) with the covers fully attached, no major damage, etc.

Sir Tim Drake

06-22-2006, 07:16 PM

I just bought another stack of sixty comics at the Nostalgia Zone, taking advantage of the 30-comics-for-$10 deal. I didn't exactly want to buy that many, since I already have a large backlog of unread comics. But I was not prepared to argue with the clerk when he told me that, for just two dollars more, I could get 14 additional comics... The stack included a bunch of DNAgents, Roger Stern Dr. Stranges, a water-damaged copy of Marvel Premiere #47 with Ant-Man, some Excaliburs, a bunch of Groos, and some other stuff I can't remember offhand.

My goal is to finish all my unread comics before I go to San Diego. I don't know if I can do it but I'll try.

shaxper

06-24-2006, 04:55 PM

Just got Batman #217. I've been trying to track this issue down for a year now and have never been able to find it anywhere: not at shops, not at shows, and not through lonestar or milehigh either. So, when I found it in a new arrivals bin at a shop today, I paid the disturbingly high $40 for it. I NEED this issue! It's the one where Robin leaves for college, the begining of Batman's bronze age, and the first time we begin to see genuine continuity in the Batman title.

shaxper

06-28-2006, 05:13 PM

Just got a Fine copy of Iron Man / Sub-Mariner #1 for $30. Awesome! I've been wanting to read this since I got Sub-Mariner #1 (which continues from this issue).

MichikoS

06-28-2006, 10:06 PM

Today I stumbled upon a nice little stash of Silver DC at the local Half Price Books store. Bought:

Aquaman #53 sharp VF, black cover. Jim Aparo. "Is California Sinking?" $3
Wonder Woman #190 another black cover, FN/VF Sekowsky $4
Superboy 100 Page Super Spectacular 15 solid VG $5
Superboy 100 Page Super Spectacular 21 solid VG $5
Superboy #156 Giant FN+ beautiful copy with minor spine wear $10

I don't understand their pricing strategy at all. Obviously, these are bargains. But in with these gems they had a lot of similar but lower grade stuff priced $35 to $50 dollars. Go figure. I just shop for the bargains --stuff under $10.

Michi

leestaunton

06-29-2006, 10:43 AM

Doctor Solar issue #1 from 1962. Excellent. Have been after this for a while.

mtpspur

07-05-2006, 07:56 PM

Dick Tracy #97 (Harvey) and Ruff and Reddy #6 (Dell).

DaJabberwocky

07-05-2006, 10:22 PM

Doctor Solar issue #1 from 1962. Excellent. Have been after this for a while.
Turok Son Of Stone #25 from 1961 (I think) via EBay.

Very nice! I love the painted covers for these titles. I remember when they were plentiful in the bargain boxes, not so anymore...

Lone Ranger

07-06-2006, 12:20 PM

Yesterday, I picked up a slightly discounted copy of Marvel Masterworks: Rawhide Kid.

Now, I been collecting Rawhide Kid for quite some time now, but issues between #17 and #30 are tough to track down and are very, very pricey. I was thrilled to see that the Kid was going to get the Masterworks treatment. This volume collects issues #17 through#26 (if memory serves), and appears to reprint the entire issues - including non-RK back-ups and the two-page text stories. That's pretty cool, as far as I am concerned.

I have only skimmed the volume and read the first two stories, but it looks great. I do have two major complaints, though. First, there are no credits in the table of contents. Why of why couldn't the folks at Marvel take the time and put this information together?

My second complaint was that I was not too thrilled to see that the introduction was written by Stan Lee. Now, don't get me wrong - I like Stan, I really do - but having to sit through another one of his 'My memory is foggy, but boy did we have fun!' columns is torture. I really wish that Marvel could have tapped someone like Will Murray or Doc V to provide some insight into the western genre and the linkages between the Marvel Western and the rest of the Marvel Universe.

Sir Tim Drake

07-06-2006, 07:20 PM

I went to the Nostalgia Zone yet again today, and again failed to resist the temptation to buy 30 comics for $10. This stack included some DNAgents, Roger Stern Dr. Stranges, Crossfires, reprints of old Avengers issues, and two issues of Edge of Chaos.

Adem

07-06-2006, 07:43 PM

Today I picked up Thor #337 & 338, and Machine Man(mini series) #3 & 4. With my summer job providing me some cash I thought I'd start Simonson's Thor run. The Machine Man mini series has been hard to find in my area so I quickly grab these two when I found them. I still have to find Machine Man #1 & 2 to complete the mini though.

Reptisaurus!

07-06-2006, 10:00 PM

Big freakin' pile. The Collected "Contract with God" Kirby's Jimmy Olsen volume two, and Xenozoic tales vol 2. and 3.

Also the new Eternals, which was really pretty good.

Roquefort Raider

07-07-2006, 06:03 AM

Marvel Preview #19, from ebay.

It contains the only comic-book appearance by Kull the conqueror that I hadn't read yet.

Oooooh, will the mailman please hurry?

Cei-U!

07-07-2006, 08:49 AM

My second complaint was that I was not too thrilled to see that the introduction was written by Stan Lee. Now, don't get me wrong - I like Stan, I really do - but having to sit through another one of his 'My memory is foggy, but boy did we have fun!' columns is torture. I really wish that Marvel could have tapped someone like Will Murray or Doc V to provide some insight into the western genre and the linkages between the Marvel Western and the rest of the Marvel Universe.

I agree. Stan's tapdance around substance, first seen in the Origins of Marvel Comics collection in '74, has long since worn out its welcome. It would be nice if they'd get someone who can place the stories in their proper historical context (like the DC Archives only accurate) but I suspect it's a contractual thing for Stan.

Cei-U!
I summon the one trick pony!

Reptisaurus!

07-07-2006, 01:55 PM

I agree. Stan's tapdance around substance, first seen in the Origins of Marvel Comics collection in '74, has long since worn out its welcome. It would be nice if they'd get someone who can place the stories in their proper historical context (like the DC Archives only accurate) but I suspect it's a contractual thing for Stan.

Cei-U!
I summon the one trick pony!

Heh. I figure he honestly doesn't remember. How many comics has the guy written? Hundreds? Thousands?

Cei-U!

07-07-2006, 03:51 PM

Heh. I figure he honestly doesn't remember. How many comics has the guy written? Hundreds? Thousands?

Oh, I'm sure he doesn't and I don't blame him for that. I'd just like to see substantive introductions in the Masterworks volumes, in addition to Stan's meanderings.

Cei-U!
I summon the... um... Excelsior, True Believer!

MichikoS

07-08-2006, 10:06 PM

Some sweet finds at the regional comic con today. Here's a sample of my purchases and what I paid:

50¢ each
Adventure #434 (Aparo Spectre) VG
Targitt (Atlas, 1975) NM
Tales of Terror #3 (Eclipse) VF
Omac #8 (DC, 1975) FN
Kamandi #39 (DC, 1976) FN
Isis #3 (DC, 1977) FN
All-Star Comics #68 (DC, 1977) FN

$1 each
Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #8 (DC, 1972; Kaluta cover) FN
Tarzan Family #64 (DC, 1976) VF
Korak #47 (DC, 1972) FN
Scary Tales #8, 9 (Charlton, 1977) VF
Monster Hunters #3, 10 (Charlton, 1975) VF
Midnight Tales #14 (Charlton, 1975) VF

$2 each
Tarzan (DC, 1972) 214, 224, 227 all NM
Ragman (DC, 1976) NM
Haunted Love #1 (Charlton, 1973) VF

This may be the first con I've ever attended where I didn't buy a single Marvel comic! I was especially pleased to find the Charltons in such decent shape for such a good price. They are getting scarcer in higher grades.

Michi

Reptisaurus!

07-08-2006, 10:21 PM

Midnight Tales #14 (Charlton, 1975) VF

I think I have all the Midnight Tales, 'cept this issue.

Really, VERY nice art in almost all of these.

Jeddy

07-09-2006, 07:18 AM

I finally bought copies of these DC one-shots:

In the Days of the Mob
Tarzan Digest

Next up, I still need to acquire Spirit World.

mrc1214

07-09-2006, 08:11 AM

I bought the series Camelot 3000 #1-12 for 6.00.
Most of the Grant Morrison Animal Man series for about 1.00 each.
Green Arrow #1-5 Mike Grell scripts really good stuff im going to pick of more of this series. $.50 for each

Perry Holley

07-09-2006, 04:54 PM

My local shop was having a back issue sale on non-Marvel and Non-Dc stuff this week (the "Independents Day Sale"). I got a lot of stuff on the cheap; the main stuff that stands out to my eye were the Hotspur miniseries that Ostrander did for Eclipse, the Skywolf miniseries that spun off from the Airboy comic, issues 15 and 19 of the original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents run, Mr. Monster's Hi-Shock Schlock #2, and Sabre #12 (which completes my run of that series). Also got a bunch of issues of Savage Henry and The Realm/Legend Lore, plus some other stuff.

Perry Holley

07-09-2006, 04:57 PM

Large selection of used paperback books in addition to the usual comics and collectibles (lots of "series" paperbacks from the 60s and 70s; I saw something called "The Avenger" and I'm sure there must have been a shelf-full of "Doc Savage" in there somewhere).*whimper*

*drool*

Cei-U!

07-09-2006, 10:06 PM

Just ordered my copy of Showcase Presents The Elongated Man. It ought to arrive right on time to accompany me to SDCC where I hope to have Carmine Infantino autograph it for me. Can't wait to read these stories, many for the first time (including his debut).

Cei-U!
I summon the Stretchable Sleuth!

Rob Allen

07-10-2006, 05:47 PM

Midnight Tales #14 (Charlton, 1975) VF

I think I have all the Midnight Tales, 'cept this issue.

Really, VERY nice art in almost all of these.
Wasn't that the book that featured a lot of Wayne Howard art? He was a Wally Wood assistant, and you can see that influence in his work. He seemed to be poised for a long, successful career in comics, but it didn't happen for some reason.

Reptisaurus!

07-11-2006, 08:50 AM

Wasn't that the book that featured a lot of Wayne Howard art? He was a Wally Wood assistant, and you can see that influence in his work. He seemed to be poised for a long, successful career in comics, but it didn't happen for some reason.

Yep. It was an anthology book, and Howard did the framing sequences for every issue.

I know a guy who's in touch with Wayne Howard... Says he pretty much just got burned out on comics early. I wish he had done more.

MDG

07-11-2006, 12:07 PM

Yep. It was an anthology book, and Howard did the framing sequences for every issue.

I know a guy who's in touch with Wayne Howard... Says he pretty much just got burned out on comics early. I wish he had done more.
I was surprised to see a couple of stories by Howard in Showcase Presents House of Mystery--I didn't know he did any work for DC. Well-drawn, and more than a little Wood-ish, but lacking he real dramatic spark the best artisis have.

I wonder how much working with Wood contributed to his early burnout--I can't image Wood was very positive about working in comics at that stage of his life.

MDG

shaxper

07-26-2006, 05:24 PM

Uncle Scrooge #1 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6601004153&ssPageName=STRK)! Sure, the long term investment potential of this pricey issue sucks rocks, but owning this one meant a whole lot to me! Now I have Scrooge's first appearance and his first solo story. All I need now is the first real issue of his solo title (Uncle Scrooge #4).

Cei-U!

07-28-2006, 09:26 AM

Despite actually having cash at SDCC this year, shopping was a bitch and I didn't come back with as mighty a haul as I'd hoped. Thank the comics gods for the dollar boxes (and for fly on the wall, who did the actual searching using my list) or I'd have a lot less!

My first (and most expensive) purchase was the TPB of Mars, the whimsical yet haunting Hempel/Wheately sci-fi series from First Comics. This was one of my favorite comics of the '80s (or, as rick called it, the real Golden Age) and it was nice to be able to say so to its creators.

$8 bought me a reading copy of a Stan Lee/Al Hartley Millie the Model as a gift for my sister Kay. By sheer coincidence, it was an issue she'd had back in the '60s.

At the CBR Prevue Night get-together, people asked me about "my" booth, listed in the program book. Next morning I met the con's *other* Kurt Mitchell, who was there to publicize his comics Cannonboy and Oxbluud. Both books are heavily influenced by video games and feature clean, attractive art and appealing characters.

Two contemporary series I love are DC: The New Frontier and Justice. I completed my run of the former and brought the latter up to date.

I plugged some holes in my runs of the Busiek Avengers (#46-47, 49 and the "Rough Cut" edition of #1), Batman and the Outsiders (#19, 21, 23, 31 and Annual 1), Batman: Gotham Adventures (#41, 44, 46-48, 55), the Marvel Family issues of DC Comics Presents (#33-34, 49), the Busiek/Larsen Defenders (#2), Detective (#452, 458-59--which wrap up the plotline left hanging by Man-Bat's cancellation--480 and 563), The Eternals (#5, 14), Thor (#273, 276-77, 285, 287 and 291) and World's Finest (#218, 229 and 241).

Of course, I picked up a sizeable handful of books on my Earth-2 want list: Action #515, 542, 553 (all featuring Vandal Savage), Black Lightning #11 (for the Ray back-up), The Flash #298, 306-07 and Wonder Woman #303-04, 306-08, 311 and 314 (for the Huntress back-ups).

All this plus the Showcase Haunted Tank collection and an autographed pic of Cathy St. George, my all-time favorite Playboy Playmate, who was sharing koop's booth (!!!). So while I may not have stretched my dollars as far as I'd hoped, I can't say I didn't get my money's worth.

Cei-U!
I summon the loot!

TheTen-EyedMan

07-31-2006, 08:30 AM

I found a non-Ebay seller who wanted rid of his old Marvel Tomb of Dracula/Dracula Lives/Werewolf By Night/ collection.

650 dollars for very good/fine copies of over 100 books.

phicks

07-31-2006, 01:17 PM

MichikoS

07-31-2006, 06:53 PM

Time to start telling you about the comics I picked up while on vacation in July. I'll start with a big batch of Charltons:

Iron Corporal #23, VF. This is one of the "last gasp" issues of 1985 which reprints the title character's origin in Army War Heroes #22. Great art by Sam Glanzman. All of the Charlton "last gasp" issues had low print runs and are hard to find in decent shape. This completes my three-issue run of the last gasp reprint series.

Doomsday + 1 #12, NM. The last issue in Byrne's post-apocalyptic tale. A sweet find in very high grade.

Ghost Manor #77, NM. Another last gasper from Nov 1984. I LOVE THIS COVER!! Can somebody tell me who is responsible for this spectacular Wood homage?? There are two sets of initials clearly visible at the bottom of the viewport: "DG" and "JW," presumably penciller and inker. Any ideas??http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/ghostmanor_77.jpg

Ghost Manor #14, 48, VF/NM. So-so Ditko cover on #14, with Ditko inside art, EXCELLENT Don Newton cover on #48, though poorly colored.

Ghostly Haunts #25,37 & 40, VF. Another so-so Ditko cover on #25, but a lovely Tom Sutton on #37 and a CLASSIC Tom Sutton (signed "Grisly") on #40. It features the brilliant horror story "The Game Keeper." I have become so fond of Sutton's Charlton work, especially his covers.http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/ghostlyhaunts_40.jpg

Ghostly Tales #109, FN. Ditko cover, fun Ditko story.

Go-Go #1, VG+. This 1966 teen book supposedly has Jim Aparo's first published work. That's according to Overstreet, but I'm dubious. The whole book is drawn Archie-style; I suppose that it's possible that Aparo is responsible for the "Miss Bikini Luv" story, but I'm not sure. Anybody have a point of view on this one?http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/gogo_1.jpg

Haunted Love #1, VF, Haunted #18, VF. Two more great covers. The Haunted Love is Sutton, the Haunted is Joe Staton, clearly inspired by Sutton. It's a good one!

Secrets of Young Brides #44, VF; Teen-Age Love #12, VF; Love Diary #7, #34, VF/NM. High grade Charlton romance is tough to find anywhere, so whenever I run across them I'll buy them. Pedestrian art and stories, mostly by Colletta Studios, but #34 has a spiffy Dick Giordano cover.

Midnight Tales #3, 14, VF/NM. Wayne Howard's horror anthology title with hosts "The Midnight Philosopher" and "Arachne."

Monster Hunters #3,10, VF. Tom Sutton's dark and moody painted cover to #3 depicts the Nicola Cuti story, "The Wakely Monster." Typically muddy reproduction doesn't do the cover art any favors, alas. This may have been an unpublished inventory story for Haunted Love, based on some of the internal clues, but it also could have been Charlton's very own "Swamp Thing" had Cuti decided to continue the story beyond the creature's electrocution in the final panel: "They all ran from the room sick to their stomachs, not so much from the sight of the beast's execution, but from the noxious odor of burnt vegetables!" (Sounds like Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws'.) http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/monsterhunters_3.jpg

Scary Tales #8, 9 NM. #8 has a Mike Zeck cover and story about a stuffed bear. Awww. (You can guess the story twist, of course.) This is early Zeck, very Staton-y, but nicely composed. #9 is vintage Sutton, with a great cover.

Secret Agent #9, 10, FN. The last two issues of Sarge Steel changed title, but couldn't avoid cancellation. Giordano covers, and #10 has a backup feature called "Tiffany Sinn, the C.I.A. Sweetheart," by David A. Kaler and Jim Aparo. It's so bad it's good

Last, but not least (OK, it is least) the Modern Comics reprint of Peacemaker #2 by Pat Boyette. These Modern reprints of '60s Charlton issues are impossible to find in high grade, as they've been knocking around the quarter bins for decades. I found a bagged, VF/NM copy with white pages, and didn't balk at all at the $2 it cost me

I hope you got some vicarious enjoyment from my Charlton finds!

Michi

MichikoS

07-31-2006, 06:58 PM

Ghost Manor #48: http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/ghostmanor_48.jpg

Haunted #18:http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/haunted_18.jpg

Love Diary #34: http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/lovediary_34.jpg

Secret Agent #10:http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/secretagent_10.jpg

phicks

08-01-2006, 11:03 AM

"Ghost Manor #77, NM. Another last gasper from Nov 1984. I LOVE THIS COVER!! Can somebody tell me who is responsible for this spectacular Wood homage?? There are two sets of initials clearly visible at the bottom of the viewport: "DG" and "JW," presumably penciller and inker. Any ideas??"

Could DG be Dick Giordano? He was an artist and editor at Charleton before becoming chief editor at DC.

MDG

08-01-2006, 11:23 AM

Wow, Michi, I had several of thise Charltons at one time or another--including Go-Go #1, which my sister talked me into getting instead of another DC. I picked up a well-beaten copy of that Secret Agent for a quarter a few years ago.

Unfortunately I traded a lot of my 70s Charltons.

MDG

mrc1214

08-01-2006, 11:27 AM

I just picked up a VF copy of Green Lantern #3 (1960) from my local comic store for $150 Cdn. Silver age Green Lantern is the center piece of my collection, with me currently having #3, 10, 14-22, 25, 28-32, 34-39, 41, 42, 44, 46-48, 50-75, and 77-89. All these issues are in Fine to Near Mint condition.

Im impresse with that collection. Very nice. Im thinking about looking for 76-89 but there usually pretty expensive. So hopefully ill get a deal.

Lone Ranger

08-01-2006, 11:57 AM

Iron Corporal #23, VF. This is one of the "last gasp" issues of 1985 which reprints the title character's origin in Army War Heroes #22. Great art by Sam Glanzman. All of the Charlton "last gasp" issues had low print runs and are hard to find in decent shape. This completes my three-issue run of the last gasp reprint series.

I like these 'last gasp' ones, too. I don't have all that many but they are pretty tough to track down. I've got Iron Corporal #23 as well - my only one from that title. I believe I used it at GTCC not too long ago. I've also got both issues of Mysterious Traveller and the final Timmy the Timid Ghost issue. All of mine are in really nice grade too - I think I bought many of them from our friend in Niagara Falls.

Ghost Manor #77, NM. Another last gasper from Nov 1984. I LOVE THIS COVER!! Can somebody tell me who is responsible for this spectacular Wood homage?? There are two sets of initials clearly visible at the bottom of the viewport: "DG" and "JW," presumably penciller and inker. Any ideas??

So many of those latter day Ghost Manor covers were reprinted or reconfigured covers from earlier issues or titles - this one is from Outer Space #20 (http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=215895&zoom=4). Presumably, the DG would be Dick Giordano as he was doing so many Charlton covers back then. I don't know about the JW.

Speaking of nice Wood homage covers - I can think of at least one very nice sci-fi cover Wayne Howard did for one of the 'Ghost' titles in the mid-70s.

That's great you tracked down the last issue. My latest one is #75.

Ghost Manor #14, 48, VF/NM. So-so Ditko cover on #14, with Ditko inside art, EXCELLENT Don Newton cover on #48, though poorly colored.

That Newton cover was used earlier in Ghostly Haunts - I'm not sure the colouring is any better.

Ghostly Haunts #25,37 & 40, VF. Another so-so Ditko cover on #25, but a lovely Tom Sutton on #37 and a CLASSIC Tom Sutton (signed "Grisly") on #40. It features the brilliant horror story "The Game Keeper." I have become so fond of Sutton's Charlton work, especially his covers.

I have that #40 as well - I always wondered how many covers he signed 'Grisly' (a tip of the hat to Graham Ingels, perhaps?). Peter Morisi did quite a bit of art for that title, IIRC.

Go-Go #1, VG+. This 1966 teen book supposedly has Jim Aparo's first published work. That's according to Overstreet, but I'm dubious. The whole book is drawn Archie-style; I suppose that it's possible that Aparo is responsible for the "Miss Bikini Luv" story, but I'm not sure. Anybody have a point of view on this one?

I've never seen it - but I've read that fact so many places that I assume someone checked at some point. Our friend, MWGallaher might know for sure.

Haunted Love #1, VF, Haunted #18, VF. Two more great covers. The Haunted Love is Sutton, the Haunted is Joe Staton, clearly inspired by Sutton. It's a good one!

I've only got #5 from this title - but it features a tripleheader of Sutton, Staton and Ditko - can't go wrong with that.

Secrets of Young Brides #44, VF; Teen-Age Love #12, VF; Love Diary #7, #34, VF/NM. High grade Charlton romance is tough to find anywhere, so whenever I run across them I'll buy them. Pedestrian art and stories, mostly by Colletta Studios, but #34 has a spiffy Dick Giordano cover.

I don't have much in the way of Charlton Romance - and any I've got is from the late 50s, early 60s. Colletta himself did nice romance work for Atlas in the 50s - some really nice covers.

Midnight Tales #3, 14, VF/NM. Wayne Howard's horror anthology title with hosts "The Midnight Philosopher" and "Arachne."

I don't know why, but this is one Charlton title that never did much for me. I can't quite put my finger on the reason.

Monster Hunters #3,10, VF. Tom Sutton's dark and moody painted cover to #3 depicts the Nicola Cuti story, "The Wakely Monster." Typically muddy reproduction doesn't do the cover art any favors, alas. This may have been an unpublished inventory story for Haunted Love, based on some of the internal clues, but it also could have been Charlton's very own "Swamp Thing" had Cuti decided to continue the story beyond the creature's electrocution in the final panel: "They all ran from the room sick to their stomachs, not so much from the sight of the beast's execution, but from the noxious odor of burnt vegetables!" (Sounds like Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws'.)

This was a fun title - some great Mike Zeck covers too (some of his earliest work, I'd imagine). There is an 'All Ditko Issue' - the cover is a reprint from Out of this World #3 from the 50s, but I am not sure if the stories themselves were reprints.

Scary Tales #8, 9 NM. #8 has a Mike Zeck cover and story about a stuffed bear. Awww. (You can guess the story twist, of course.) This is early Zeck, very Staton-y, but nicely composed. #9 is vintage Sutton, with a great cover.

I can never find books from this title, and it's the biggest hole in my Charlton horror - I've only got a few, but it had some of the coolest covers.

Secret Agent #9, 10, FN. The last two issues of Sarge Steel changed title, but couldn't avoid cancellation. Giordano covers, and #10 has a backup feature called "Tiffany Sinn, the C.I.A. Sweetheart," by David A. Kaler and Jim Aparo. It's so bad it's good

I don't know much about Sarge Steel - I've only got issue #1. He always had a cool look, but I guess the writing never allowed him to become Charlton's Nick Fury.

Last, but not least (OK, it is least) the Modern Comics reprint of Peacemaker #2 by Pat Boyette. These Modern reprints of '60s Charlton issues are impossible to find in high grade, as they've been knocking around the quarter bins for decades. I found a bagged, VF/NM copy with white pages, and didn't balk at all at the $2 it cost me

These reprints were some of my first exposure to Charlton as a child - the Thunderbolt #57 reprint was one of the first comics remember owning.

How were these distributed? I thought I read once they went to discount stores in the US South. How did they end up in Canada then, eh?

Great post, Michi!

kenjeffrey

08-01-2006, 12:02 PM

I've just picked this one up

http://p4.piczo.com/img/i123443799_44901_4.jpg

Lone Ranger

08-01-2006, 12:48 PM

I recently picked up AC's Golden Age Science Fiction Treasury at a remaindered bookstore. Its original price was a bit steep for a black and white book, so I was happy to get a good deal on it.

Looks to be an awesome collection - with stories from a range of publishers such as Fiction House and Avon with art by the likes of Wood and Ditko.

I am looking forward to finding the time to dig into it.

http://www.femforce-femfans.com/solicit/gasft.jpg

MichikoS

08-01-2006, 03:21 PM

So many of those latter day Ghost Manor covers were reprinted or reconfigured covers from earlier issues or titles - this one is from Outer Space #20 . Presumably, the DG would be Dick Giordano as he was doing so many Charlton covers back then. I don't know about the JW. Thank you, Scott and phicks! I am so glad you both knew about this cover. I love it, and much prefer the latter version to the original in terms of coloring. The yellow jumpsuit and blue background make it much more interesting. Dick Giordano inked by... JW. Who is JW? Anybody? Bueller? Anybody?

Michi

Rob Allen

08-01-2006, 06:37 PM

Dick Giordano inked by... JW. Who is JW?
Jack Wirby?
John Womita?
Joe Winnott?
Jince Wolletta?

Actually, I took a look at Giordano's pencilling credits in 50s and 60s Charltons in the GCD to see who was inking him then, and I couldn't find a JW. It was mostly Dick inking himself, or it was Vince Alascia or Jon D'Agostino.

Is it possible that JW was Giordano's assistant, or that JW was the one who retouched the art for this reprint?

BTW, that's a great haul of Charltons!

Lone Ranger

08-02-2006, 07:31 AM

Dick Giordano inked by... JW. Who is JW? Anybody? Bueller? Anybody?

Michi

I checked out my copy of the Twomorros Dick Giordano bio - which has a pretty comprehensive list of people with whom he worked. There is no JW listed there.

Cei-U!

08-02-2006, 08:35 AM

I checked out my copy of the Twomorros Dick Giordano bio - which has a pretty comprehensive list of people with whom he worked. There is no JW listed there.

Could the DG in this instance be Dan Green? He was mostly inking for Marvel in that era (the mid-80s--when Giordano was DC's EIC) but I know he occasionally penciled. Maybe he worked for Charlton too. Just a thought.

Also, could the JW be John Workman?

EDIT: Oops. Missed the part about the book being a reprint. Is the cover also a reprint?

Cei-U!
I summon the wild-ass guesswork!

MDG

08-02-2006, 11:03 AM

Also, could the JW be John Workman?
Good thinking--Workman was at Continuity for a time, wasn't he?

MDG

Rob Allen

08-04-2006, 04:56 PM

One of the local comics shops (Future Dreams, for any local folk reading this) is having a pre-moving sale. They'd rather sell all the comics than move them. I picked up:

Love & Rockets, Book 1 (marked $15, sale price $6) - my first L&R.
Lone Wolf & Cub #1 (First Comics) (marked $8, sale price $3.20) - my first LW&C.
Blue Beetle #4 (Charlton, 1967, all Ditko, 25 cents)
Charlton Bullseye #1 (1981, Blue Beetle meets the Question, 25 cents)

Total outlay: $9.70

I'm going back there tonight.

MDG

08-05-2006, 09:44 AM

Love & Rockets, Book 1 (marked $15, sale price $6) - my first L&R.
What did you think?

Charlton Bullseye #1 (1981, Blue Beetle meets the Question, 25 cents)
Who wrote/drew that?

MDG

Cei-U!

08-05-2006, 10:36 AM

I just ordered my first back issues through mycomicshop.com aka Lone Star Comics. They had good prices and a great selection of the books I needed to complete my collection of Earth-Two stories. I got:

Action Comics #543 and 556, both featuring Vandal Savage
The Flash #309, completing my run of the Pasko/Giffen "Doctor Fate" back-up series
Superman Family #218-19 and 221, completing my run of the "Mr. & Mrs. Superman" series
Wonder Woman #302, 305, 309, 313, 315-316 and 320-321, completing my run of the "Huntress" back-up series

To bring me up to the $50 minimum required for free postage, I also bought:

The Hawk and the Dove #6, completing that Silver Age series
The Incredible Hulk #125, the only issue from that series' first 25 I was missing

Now we'll see if the conditions live up to their billing and how fast their order turnaround is but, hopefully, I have an alternative to Mile High at last.

Cei-U!
I wait on pins and needles!

dan bailey

08-05-2006, 11:18 AM

Now we'll see if the conditions live up to their billing and how fast their order turnaround is but, hopefully, I have an alternative to Mile High at last.

i still use both, but this last time around mile high took something like a week longer than lone star on orders submitted within a day of each other. usually, that's not the case ... maybe san diego had some sort of inexplicable (to me, anyway) impact on the mile high folks, or something.

anyway, speaking of mile high, the aforementioned order from them arrived wednesday --

amethyst 1 5 6 (a recent thread here about ernie colon prompted me to finally get around to completing the 14-issue initial series)

dc super-stars 14 (the last issue i lacked of this series)

justice league international 29 31 (completing the giffen-dematteis run)

justice league quarterly 8 (completing my run of the ishes i cared about)

plastic man 3 ('88 limited series ... got #1 the previous week from lone star, giving me all 4 issues)

astonishing tales 28 32 (i think these complete my deathlok run, though only my shortboxes -- i haven't yet filed these -- know for sure, & every now & then i make an unpleasant discovery ...)

dazzler 1-5 7 (not that i'm particularly interested in the series, but this happens to give me the first 22 ishes, so what the heck)

hearts & minds: a vietnam love store marvel graphic novel (russ heath art! 'nuff said)

sub-mariner 67 72 (these leave me lacking only #s 44 & 59 from owning the series' final 34 issues; i'm a lot more spotty with the first 38, of which i have only 16 ishes, since they tend to cost more ... decided to try to collect 'em all because i've tired of waiting on marvel to issue an essential sub-mariner, as i've whined before)

what if 5 33 (i've only recently started looking for cheap copies reflecting premises i find interesting ... i think i bought only the first 2 or 3 issues when the series was new)

what the ... 16 20 22 23 (working to complete the run -- something like 5 to go)

K'Nort

08-05-2006, 03:04 PM

Well the rest of my San Diego haul showed up today (I had to ship some separately). The older stuff:

Action Comics #420, 422, 425-426, 587, 641, 663
Brave & The Bold #79, 86, 89, 104, 137, 180
DC Comics Presents #35, 37, 39
The Forever People #9
Justice League of America #139, 146, 156
Phantom Stranger #41
Showcase #50, 60, 61, 64
Spectre (1968-69 series) #1, 3, 5-6, 8, 10
Sword of Sorcery #1
Wonder Woman #201-202
World’s Finest #223, 227

No impulse buys. They were all on the wishlist. A lot of impulse-over-the-budgeting, however.

Sir Tim Drake

08-05-2006, 10:43 PM

One of the local comics shops (Future Dreams, for any local folk reading this) is having a pre-moving sale. They'd rather sell all the comics than move them. I picked up:

Love & Rockets, Book 1 (marked $15, sale price $6) - my first L&R.

You've got a long and entertaining journey ahead of you.

But be warned that the early "Mechanics" stories are not representative of Jaime's best work. At that time, he was still working within genre conventions; his own unique voice hadn't yet emerged. So if you don't like the first volume, you ought to keep going anyway-- try something like "The Death of Speedy," if you're not ready for the big Locas hardcover.

I don't know if that first volume contains any stories by Gilbert. He was already really good at the time of the original "Heartbreak Soup" story, but he got even better afterward.

MichikoS

08-06-2006, 10:28 PM

OK, time to finish up the comics I bought while on vacation in July. My first posts detailed the Charltons I purchased. This one will describe some of the Big Two and modern comics I bought.

There was a small second-story store on Yonge Street in Toronto (home of our very own Lone Ranger) called THE HAIRY TARANTULA (yuck, I know; for someone a little arachnophobic, I had to get over my squeamishness just to walk in the place).

Anyway, HT was basically liquidating its back issue stock at 80% off. That's 80% off Canadian prices. Even at $5 a pop for some issues, I was only paying $1! It was hot and dirty work going through the 27 long boxes in the back room, but they yielded some nice treasures.

First, I picked up a good run of X-Men from the late '80's/early '90s in beautiful NM shape, all bagged and boarded: #223, 234, 253-263. I paid less than a buck for each. Canadian.

A great find: Amazing Spider-Man #229 & 230 (Juggernaut) in ultra-perfect NM+/MT condition, as well as #297 in equally good shape. Less than $2 each.

There were a number of books on the display walls, too, and I negotiated some decent deals on some Golden Age books. I picked up three CAPTAIN MARVEL JR. books, #42, 97 and 112. They were all in GOOD condition, but eminently readable. I paid just about $20 each for these.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/cmjr42.jpghttp://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/cmjr97.jpghttp://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/cmjr112.jpg

The short-lived Skywald imprint published four issues of a romance title called TENDER LOVE STORIES. Picked up a snappy FN/VF copy of #2 for a song. This issue has reprints, plus a new story drawn by Jack Katz and written by Gardner Fox.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/tenderlove2.jpg

Continued in my next post...

Michi

Sir Tim Drake

08-06-2006, 10:35 PM

Those Captain Marvel Jrs. are a nice find. Are those covers by Mac Raboy?

MichikoS

08-06-2006, 10:48 PM

Some time ago, I stumbled across a single issue (#1) of a Dark Horse comic called KINGS OF THE NIGHT. It featured a "team-up" between Cormac mac Art and Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts. REH fans will recognize these characters. Roy Thomas is responsible for the story, which, obviously, requires a little magical time-travel, and the art is by John Bolton, currently US Representative to the United Nations. Oh. Never mind. Not that John Bolton. Anyway, finding the concluding half of this 1990 story was sweet. It's not half bad, though the art chores are ceded to Aaron Lopresti and John Nyberg.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/kingsnight2.jpg

I've never been shy about dissing Garth Ennis in this forum, but JUST A PILGRIM is a title I collected. Ennis is only capable of writing the same story over and over, as he has amply demonstrated over the years, and he has a nasty, mean sense of humor that is both scatalogical and vicious. Carlos Ezquerra has partnered with him often, but in the first PILGRIM series the art is especially good. I've been missing #2 to the original 5-issue arc, and I finally found it. So now I can be done with Ennis forever. Amen.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/pilgrim2.jpg

I like the occasional zombie story. Dark Horse's spattering of minis and one-shots called ZOMBIE WORLD from the late '90s has always been a favorite. I had all but issue #2 of DEAD END, and I finally found it, too. What does my luck with "#2" issues mean??
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/zombieworld.jpg

My final treasure is THE WEB OF HORROR #3. It's a b&w horror magazine along the lines of CREEPY or EERIE. This is the hard-to-find final issue, April 1970, and features Berni Wrightson's very first published cover art. He also contributes inside art, as does Frank Brunner, Mike Kaluta, Bruce Jones (his very first published story), and Syd Shores. Writers include Otto Binder and Mike Friedrich. The demise of this magazine, and the shoddy treatment the creators received at the hands of an, at best, indifferent publisher, is recounted in an article first published in Comic Book Artist (TwoMorrows) and included in the hardcover version of THE WARREN COMPANION.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/webofhorror3.jpg

Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed the guided tour through my recent "acquisitions," as we say in the library world.

Michi

MichikoS

08-06-2006, 10:59 PM

Those Captain Marvel Jrs. are a nice find. Are those covers by Mac Raboy?Boy, I don't know. They look like Raboy to me, but I can't confirm it. Does anyone know? They're lovely covers, aren't they? The composition, color choices and visual appeal are all extraordinary.

Michi

Rob Allen

08-08-2006, 09:14 PM

Here's the result of my second trip to the Future Dreams moving sale. I haven't done more than skim my purchases yet, so I can't really say anything definitive about L&R or anything else. I don't remember who drew that Charlton Bullseye issue; it wasn't a name I knew. I'll look it up.

I don't think any two people in the world would have come out of there with the same stack of comics. Here's what I got. Each of these was 25 cents:

- Sky Gal #1 and #3 - mostly Matt Baker reprints
- The Man in Black #1 and #2 - all Bob Powell reprints
- Strong Man #1 - more Powell, also has Cave Girl and Thun'da
- Masters Series #1 - Wally Wood war stories drawn for Charlton in the 60s
- Tales of Asgard #1 - the '84 collection with the Simonson cover and Kirby/Colletta inside
- Golden Age Men of Mystery #16 - Mr. Scarlet, Bulletman, Airboy, a previously-unpublished Phantom Lady story from 1955, and a Harvey Kurtzman superhero story
- The Spirit #40 (Kitchen Sink) - Eisner reprints from 1949
- Psychoanalysis #1 - Gemstone EC reprint - all Jack Kamen
- MD #2 - Gemstone EC reprint - Craig, Crandall, Evans, Orlando
- GI Combat #107 - Haunted Tank by Kubert; backup by Andru/Esposito
- Star Spangled War #149 - Enemy Ace & Viking Prince by Kubert; backup by Ric Estrada
- Showcase #91 - Manhunter 2070 by Mike Sekowsky
- Tarzan #162 - with Ron Ely photo cover
- Jesus - a biography by Al Hartley (The Gospel According to Al?)
- Cartoon History of the Universe, volume 8 - India, 2500-200 BC
- Death Rattle #8 - Xenozoic Tales story by Mark Schultz
- Cerebus #0
- Mr. Monster #1 (Dark Horse)
- Airboy & Mr. Monster Special
- Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman #1
- Usagi Yojimbo Color Special #4 - Green Persimmon
- The Sons of Rama - published in Bombay, this is part of the Amar Chitra Katha series of comics based on Indian history, literature and mythology. Anybody seen these before?

Sir Tim Drake

08-08-2006, 09:21 PM

I've seen those Amar Chitra Katha comics before, but only on the website; I don't think I've seen a hard copy of one of them. They look pretty interesting and well-crafted.

Cei-U!

08-09-2006, 08:38 AM

- Cartoon History of the Universe, volume 8 - India, 2500-200 BC

There's a volume 8? I thought it only went up to v7. How many more are there? Why don't I have them? Why doesn't anybody tell me these things?

Cei-U!
I summon the collectors' frenzy!

Graham Vingoe

08-09-2006, 09:27 AM

Hate to break it to you like this, but....
theres a few more to go....

http://www.larrygonick.com/html/pub/books/his3.html

I didnt realise this either and always thought 7 was it.:eek:

benday-dot

08-09-2006, 08:47 PM

Here's the result of my second trip to the Future Dreams moving sale.
- Tales of Asgard #1 - the '84 collection with the Simonson cover and Kirby/Colletta inside

Because I regard this long running Lee/Kirby/Colletta featurette as not only a high point of Marvel's Silver Age, but an artistic pinnacle of the company's most famous partnership (really Kirby excells himself in these serial tales, Lee's dialogue is magical, and Colletta is more than up to the task of making the King's work as robust and propulsive as it can be)... yeah because of this, I have to say that, even though it hardly broke the bank to pick up this one-shot, I was very disappointed with the reproduction values of the compilation. I expected pure glory in seeing this stuff on newsprint again, instead it transfered faded, weak and sad on its last incarnation. It is all the more reason for Marvel to rerelease in its entirety a trade or hardcover edition of the complete "Tales of Asgard." It would make for a lot of happy fans. Until then it's to the originals for me. Still, I envy the variety and quality of your haul Rob.

dan bailey

08-10-2006, 09:20 AM

as just alluded to in my post a couple of minutes ago on the "stupid ebay comics" thread, yesterday evening at the lcs closest to my house i picked up a vg copy of showcase #75 (the hawk & the dove) for $5. the store's owner acknowedged that it usually goes for at least $20 in that condition, but for some reason he felt like offering me a bargain.

this one now joins the 3 inferior 5's as the only showcases in my possession. i don't think i ever read it as a kid, though i picked up the occasional showcase back then (the dolphin, jonny double & phantom stranger debuts i know i had, & quite possibly bat lash ... maybe anthro & angel & the ape as well).

just wish i'd had the money to buy some of the other 10 or so silver-age dc's he also offered me for that price ... mostly go-go-check supermans & such that i'd love to have.

DaJabberwocky

08-10-2006, 04:34 PM

Wizard World Chicago was terrific ; I was looking for a lot of cheap Bronze Age issues, and I found some great comics. My search for issues containing Marvel Stamps proved pretty successful. I bought the following each for $1 to $3, in average Fine condition:

Astonishing Tales 27
Avengers 121
Captain Marvel 32
Conan the Barbarian 36,40,49
Creatures on the Loose 28,31
Daredevil 109,110,112,117,118
Doctor Strange 6
Fantastic Four 152,153
Fear 23
Incredible Hulk 174
Kull 14
Marvel Premiere 20
Marvel Team-Up 29,30
Marvel Two-In-One 6
Power Man 19,22,23
Thor 222
War is Hell 13
Werewolf by Night 26

DDM

08-10-2006, 04:48 PM

Strange Tales #128:

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/82854655732.128.GIF

FulciLives

08-12-2006, 12:48 AM

Hello :)

My first post here!

Lately I have gotten interested in some 70's horror comics ... and I've been spending WAY too much money on eBay as a result LOL

Here are some that I got recently:

MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN #1 [1974 MARVEL COMICS]
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #2 [1974 MARVEL COMICS]

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

berk

08-12-2006, 12:58 AM

I just ordered Savage Sword of Conan #'s1,2,4,6,8,&9. I started reading it back then at #10, so this is filling out the earlier stuff that I'd missed.

Are there any black and white magazines out there now?

Sir Tim Drake

08-12-2006, 09:47 AM

Josh S

08-12-2006, 04:35 PM

K'Nort

08-12-2006, 04:46 PM

I picked up DC ARCHIVE EDITIONS: ALL STAR COMICS Vol 5 today for $10. Granted it was used, but it's in perfect condition. In fact, when I saw it on the shelf I was thrilled that someone had taken the plastic off an ARCHIVE so I could thumb through it and nearly yelped when I saw the price.

Holy Toledo! And here I was happy about getting a handful of All Star archives at half price this week. Sounds like somewhere to browse on a regular basis.

Josh S

08-12-2006, 04:53 PM

Unfortunatley, I got it while visiting my parents so I won't be browsing too frequently. It's gonna be a problem, though, as I can tell I'm gonna be hooked on the ARCHIVES line and it's definately not a habit I can afford.

edit: Nevermind, it's Sandman.

Josh S

08-15-2006, 10:23 AM

I finally picked up DC SHOWCASE GREEN LANTERN Vol 1.

Slam_Bradley

08-15-2006, 11:14 AM

Not quite a comic, but I picked up The Complete Superman Cartoons - Diamond Anniversary Edition. All the Fleisher Superman cartoons re-mastered.

Lone Ranger

08-15-2006, 11:39 AM

Those Captain Marvel Jrs. are a nice find. Are those covers by Mac Raboy?

Off the top of my head, I think that the Raboy covers ended around #30. After that, the covers were drawn by either Bud Thompson or Kurt Schaffenberger.

These look like Thompson to me (he does wonderful work, very underappreciated), but the middle one might be Schaffenberger, as the landscape reminds me of Master Comics #133, which I own and I know it's Schaff for sure.

I got to see these in person when I met up with Michi, and they are awesome.

shaxper

08-20-2006, 10:24 PM

BIG show for me today at Cleveland's "Saturday's Child"

In addition to nearly completing my runs of Barks Uncle Scrooge, Perez's Wonder Woman, X-Men #94 (and GS #1) to #350, and Batman #300 and up, I picked up the following Golden Age beauties for far less than they were worth:

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/276/400/276_4_0050.jpg

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/112/400/112_4_031.jpg

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/216/400/216_4_029.jpg

Each still have brilliant covers and hold together nicely. The most beautiful Golden Age reading copies I've ever seen! You'd better believe I'm doing the happy dance, and all it cost me was a full paycheck ;)

Mystique25

08-22-2006, 09:11 AM

I don't know if this counts, but I bought New Mutants Vol.1 from 1983 the first issue for 25 cents the other day, and Spider-Woman vol.1 #7 for 1 dollar. Plus they were like in mint condition. I know you would think they would be all crappy for that price. lol

Lone Ranger

08-22-2006, 10:04 AM

You'd better believe I'm doing the happy dance, and all it cost me was a full paycheck ;)

Hah! I've been there before, Shax. No longer, though (stupid wife and kid!)

Very nice books - I've found Sensation to be a high quality title that is normally more affordable that other DC Golden Age.

Is that still a carboard cover WF, or had they gone to paper? Those are especially tough to find in good shape, so nice job.

Lone Ranger

08-22-2006, 10:04 AM

Lone Ranger

08-22-2006, 02:35 PM

Not quite a comic book purchase, but I bought a couple of pages of Original Art for the first time in a long time.

I am particularly excited because they are my first pages by two great pencillers and I got wonderful deals. The are:

Fantastic Four #301 p. 20 - John Buscema pencils and brother Sal on inks. It's a nics page featuring Reed & Sue in action against the Wizard. This is a very nice page - John B's pages are really tough to find at a decent price.

Detective Comics #559 p.g 6 - Gene Colan pencils with Bob Smith inks (I think) - action page with Green Arrow and Black Canary. It may not be Tomb of Dracula, but I am psyched to have a Colan page without breaking the bank.

dan bailey

08-22-2006, 03:26 PM

excellent purchases, ranger. alas, the only way i'll ever be able to afford any original art is if my paychecks start showing up with at least a couple more zeroes on the left side of the decimal ...

Rob Allen

08-22-2006, 07:31 PM

For anyone interested in buying original art, there's a new service from the people at All-Star Auctions:

www.comicartappraisal.com

shaxper

08-22-2006, 07:56 PM

Is that still a carboard cover WF, or had they gone to paper?

It's paper. The scan I used from the Comic Database has a weird discoloration to it that makes it look like cardboard. Mine has colors that are quite a bit more sharp.

Didn't know they actually used cardboard at any point, though. When did they stop doing this? My earliest comic is from 1942, and it has a paper cover.

Those are especially tough to find in good shape, so nice job.

Thanks! I have a connection that deals in very high grade Golden Age stuff, so he's always willing to give me great deals on the mid and lower grade copies he acquires. Even still, these "deals" break the bank, so I usually only make one large purchase from him each year.

benday-dot

08-22-2006, 08:18 PM

It's paper. The scan I used from the Comic Database has a weird discoloration to it that makes it look like cardboard. Mine has colors that are quite a bit more sharp.

Didn't know they actually used cardboard at any point, though. When did they stop doing this? My earliest comic is from 1942, and it has a paper cover.

Thanks! I have a connection that deals in very high grade Golden Age stuff, so he's always willing to give me great deals on the mid and lower grade copies he acquires. Even still, these "deals" break the bank, so I usually only make one large purchase from him each year.

Shaxper I drool over your latest jewels in your crown. I always thrive vicariously on the gems you and others display here. I just can't afford much of any Golden Age goodies, and I lack any real source in my city, so I don't mind thrilling to the great finds of others.

As to your question Overstreet says issue 1-17 were all cardboard covered. I saw one of these cardboard cover World's Finest on one occasion at a comic shop during travels, and I remember thinking "it would be the coolest thing ever if I owned that." I have a soft spot for the series as well, because one of the first 2 or 3 comics I ever owned was a World's Finest. It was 225, a 100 pager. Still got it. Kind of sad when they cancelled the series.

Jake Lockley

08-23-2006, 01:16 AM

Not sure how classic these are, but I just got #7, 9 & 13 of The Human Fly. Only one more to go and I'll have a complete set, becoming the envy of collectors everywhere! :D

Lone Ranger

08-23-2006, 08:34 AM

Not sure how classic these are, but I just got #7, 9 & 13 of The Human Fly. Only one more to go and I'll have a complete set, becoming the envy of collectors everywhere! :D

Human Fly is certainly one of the oddest titles Marvel has ever produce (and that's saying quite a lot!).

People may trash it left, right and centre - but one very intriguing aspect of the title is that you can find artwork by golden oldies such as Frank Robbins, Lee Elias and even Bob Lubbers.

Yup, that Bob Lubbers.

Certainly worth checking out if only out of curiosity.

dan bailey

08-23-2006, 09:07 AM

courtesy of ebay, for something like $4, including shipping, i've got the tpb of marvel's blaze of glory coming my way ... or will as soon as i can come up with that pittance (by god, when i'm broke, i'm broke -- no halfhearted measures around here!).

curse you, lone ranger!

Lone Ranger

08-23-2006, 09:29 AM

Jake Lockley

08-23-2006, 10:24 AM

Human Fly is certainly one of the oddest titles Marvel has ever produce (and that's saying quite a lot!).

You're right about that. I can remember buying the last few issues of this off the spinner racks and having a friend of mine tell me the comic was based on a real guy. Imagine what my 11 year old brain thought about that!

People may trash it left, right and centre - but one very intriguing aspect of the title is that you can find artwork by golden oldies such as Frank Robbins, Lee Elias and even Bob Lubbers.

Yup, that Bob Lubbers.

When I was buying THF off the racks I didn't have any idea who any of these men were. Had I been aware I probably would have appreciated their work a lot more, but at that time in my life I just knew that it wasn't quite the same superhero artwork I was used to. Of course I have a little perspective now, and there is indeed some great artwork featured on the series.

And not to overlook the writing, Bill Mantlo didn't do a bad job in that department, especially considering what he had to work with. Basically, he was writing Ghost Rider, but without the hellfire & brimstone.

MichikoS

08-23-2006, 11:42 AM

You're right about that. I can remember buying the last few issues of this off the spinner racks and having a friend of mine tell me the comic was based on a real guy. Imagine what my 11 year old brain thought about that!

When I was buying THF off the racks I didn't have any idea who any of these men were. Had I been aware I probably would have appreciated their work a lot more, but at that time in my life I just knew that it wasn't quite the same superhero artwork I was used to. Of course I have a little perspective now, and there is indeed some great artwork featured on the series.

And not to overlook the writing, Bill Mantlo didn't do a bad job in that department, especially considering what he had to work with. Basically, he was writing Ghost Rider, but without the hellfire & brimstone.I also read and enjoyed? was puzzled by? couldn't quite figure out? The Human Fly. I found this brief entry describing the real person on whom Marvel's Human Fly was based:

[From The Appendix to the Handbook of theMarvel Universe, http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/ ]

What to say about the Human Fly? He's a real world stuntman, Rick Rojatt, that was crippled in a car crash back in 1971. Nearly every bone was broken, and doctors were sure he'd never move again. He triumphed over his disability and went on to become a stuntman again. The comic book character, c. 1977, was based on the real world character, and appearances by Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, White Tiger, and others placed the series within the Marvel Universe.

Our own Greg O had plans to do a profile on the Human Fly, but he is currently inactive. [presumably, it's The Human Fly who is inactive, rather than our own Greg O]

There's info on the real world stuntman on the website:
http://www.the-rocketman.com/human_flygrafx.html
The UOHotMU has a profile on him: Human Fly. [No. Site is currently unavailable]

All 19 issues of his series are covered in his section in the Marvel Comics Index Series part 9B: Daredevil. [by George Olshevsky, Pacific Comics, April 1982]

There's fan fiction on him here, showing that at least one OTHER person has heard of the character. [Oops. Another dead link]

Oh well. It's more than I knew before!
Michi

Lone Ranger

08-23-2006, 12:10 PM

MichikoS

08-23-2006, 01:17 PM

Here's a question:

How in the heck did Bob Lubbers end up drawing the Human Fly?

I'll bet that he hadn't done any comic book work (non-strip) in 20 years or so, and I don't believe he did any work for Marvel or DC after the Human Fly.

I definitely bought a few of these off the 10 cent rack at my LCS circa 1980, and really had the sense that the artwork was quite different than I had seen in other books from that period.That would be an excellent question for Bob McLeod, the editor of TwoMorrows new magazine "Rough Stuff." I bet he'd recall the circumstances, since he inked Lubbers' covers for HF.

BTW, Bob Lubbers is credited with the inks and/or finished art (depending on what source you consult) on Defenders #61, July 1978, over Ed Hannigan's breakdowns. How about that.

Michi

Jake Lockley

08-23-2006, 02:29 PM

I also read and enjoyed? was puzzled by? couldn't quite figure out? The Human Fly. I found this brief entry describing the real person on whom Marvel's Human Fly was based:

Thanks for the link. I found a tribute site for the comic, but hadn't found anything dealing with the real person.

shaxper

08-23-2006, 06:27 PM

Shaxper I drool over your latest jewels in your crown. I always thrive vicariously on the gems you and others display here. I just can't afford much of any Golden Age goodies, and I lack any real source in my city, so I don't mind thrilling to the great finds of others.

Thanks. I drool over them too. They may not be as unaffordable as you think. Those three ran me about $360, which sounds like a lot, but can be worked into most budgets. For some reason, lower grade Golden Age DC tends to sell a bit cheaper than it should. I figure it's only a matter of time before Overstreet compensates.

As to your question Overstreet says issue 1-17 were all cardboard covered. I saw one of these cardboard cover World's Finest on one occasion at a comic shop during travels, and I remember thinking "it would be the coolest thing ever if I owned that." I have a soft spot for the series as well, because one of the first 2 or 3 comics I ever owned was a World's Finest. It was 225, a 100 pager. Still got it. Kind of sad when they cancelled the series.

That's insanely cool. I've always wanted to obtain an issue of World's Finest under #10 one day (#8 would be sweet!). Now you've given me another reason to do so. Was it just World's Finest and Sensational, or was it all DC up to a certain point?

benday-dot

08-23-2006, 07:29 PM

Thanks. I drool over them too. They may not be as unaffordable as you think. Those three ran me about $360, which sounds like a lot, but can be worked into most budgets. For some reason, lower grade Golden Age DC tends to sell a bit cheaper than it should. I figure it's only a matter of time before Overstreet compensates.

That's insanely cool. I've always wanted to obtain an issue of World's Finest under #10 one day (#8 would be sweet!). Now you've given me another reason to do so. Was it just World's Finest and Sensational, or was it all DC up to a certain point?

Thanks. I drool over them too. They may not be as unaffordable as you think. Those three ran me about $360, which sounds like a lot, but can be worked into most budgets. For some reason, lower grade Golden Age DC tends to sell a bit cheaper than it should. I figure it's only a matter of time before Overstreet compensates.

That's insanely cool. I've always wanted to obtain an issue of World's Finest under #10 one day (#8 would be sweet!). Now you've given me another reason to do so. Was it just World's Finest and Sensational, or was it all DC up to a certain point?

Its a good question and I've been trying to crack it tonight. Not owning any of the amazing incunabula issues of DC's Golden Age titles I am relying on other electronic and hardcopy sources to resolve the query. It seems in the earliest decades of the previous centuries it was the occasional practice to enclose reprint compilations of newspaper comic strips between two cardboard covers. It doesn't seem to me that DC itself carried on the practice to any great extent. Besides the titles we have so far mentioned Comic Cavalcade 1-10 (which always featured that interesting menage a trois of Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman on the cover... did you read the Moulton Marston piece on CBR home pagetonight?) sported the hard covers. But I suspect others more knowledgeable than I (most of you guys here :( ) can come up with a definitive answer to this answer.

You are right the price you paid is not too bad at all for such relative rarities. I was surprised. I know lots of people who will drop that kind of money on new electronic gadgets on a semi-weekly basis. And what would I rather have... a neat, but pretty soulless gadget or some awesome uber cool, pretty darn rare original slice of pop-culture magic of another bygone era. For a comic lover at least I think the answer is obvious.

So Shaxper... the older you go back with a comic book, is it, as it is with wine, the more splendid the bouquet? I don't know how far back you have to go with newsprint before that old comic book smell emerges from the fabric of the page. But I can swear my 60's books smell better than my 70's, and my 70's smell better than my 80's. I can only imagine what a fine aroma must waft from off a fine 40's book?

Cei-U!

08-24-2006, 08:12 AM

DC first used the cardboard covers on the two New York World's Fair issues. World's Best/Finest Comics was basically the same book with newstand distribution. Comic Cavalcade was the AA version.

Cei-U!
I summon the Readers' Digest condensed version!

benday-dot

08-24-2006, 08:00 PM

Flea Market... this may be a naive, stupid bid for clarification... but do American's use this term? I only ask because when I was in Europe looking for bargains and threw out the term flea market I only garnered puzzled looks. The subsequent use of garage sale got knowing recognition...

Anyway here's what I just picked up from a guy who had some nice stuff, and was clearly not of the ignorant variety. He was selling for very good, but not insane-I-can-rip-him-off (see our other thread about unfair bargains) type prices. You know, as was the case here, if the seller has an Overstreet sitting nearby, you can buy with a clean conscience.

I picked up a variety of stuff I both needed to fill in run gaps and just because some random book and price combo caught my eye...

I got...

Brave and the Bold #80 (Adams:) )
Brave and the Bold #85 (Adams:) )
Justice League of America #62 (I adore that cover)
Flash #172 (have a weakness for Grodd appearances... and the Infantino cover is A++)
Flash # 226 (I like this period from the Flash, and this ones got Cardy, Novick, Adams... amen)
Daredevil #40 (finally replaced my copy with the cover holding on by a staple)
Strange Tales #161
Strange Tales # 162
Strange Tales # 165 (nailing the last of my Strange Tales needs)
Sub-Mariner #9 (with a Marie Severin cover I've always admired from afar)
Sub-Mariner Special #2 (with about the most gorgeous Everett cover art I have seen... the reprints inside are gems too, even if I've seen them before)
Incredible Hulk # 154 (loved when John Severin used to pop on the Hulk, and there's Ant Man)
Amazing Spider-Man #161 (have a soft spot for Nightcrawler)
Giant Size Avengers # 3 (bookend to a great story arc)
Avengers # 129 (I dig Kang)
Avengers #134 (Vision origin issue in immaculate condition)
Avengers # 135 (as above)
Avengers #177 (this one blew me away as a kid with the death of almost all the Avengers occurring at the end of the fine Korvac saga. For .80 cents I figured I'd get a nicer copy)

I spent a tax free 75.00 on this haul, and was pretty happy about it. Ecxept for two of the Strange Tales (which I only paid 2.00 each for) all the books are in Very Good + to Very Fine + shape.

Lots of good reading I think. Thanks for looking.

MichikoS

08-24-2006, 08:22 PM

So Shaxper... the older you go back with a comic book, is it, as it is with wine, the more splendid the bouquet? I don't know how far back you have to go with newsprint before that old comic book smell emerges from the fabric of the page. But I can swear my 60's books smell better than my 70's, and my 70's smell better than my 80's. I can only imagine what a fine aroma must waft from off a fine 40's book?Do Dells smell better than Gold Keys? Do WW II era books have a more militant bouquet than Cold War era comics? Do 1960's comics have a faint psychedelic funk? If I blindfolded you, would you be able to pick out the Quality Blackhawks from the DC issues by smell alone? :cool:

Michi

benday-dot

08-24-2006, 08:35 PM

Do Dells smell better than Gold Keys? Do WW II era books have a more militant bouquet than Cold War era comics? Do 1960's comics have a faint psychedelic funk? If I blindfolded you, would you be able to pick out the Quality Blackhawks from the DC issues by smell alone? :cool:

Michi

Michi... just think if we could dispatch smell over the ether, we could have a new take on Lone Ranger's quiz... Guess the Classic Comic Book Smell. Then we could see how good everyone really is!

Cei-U!

08-24-2006, 09:45 PM

Do Dells smell better than Gold Keys? Do WW II era books have a more militant bouquet than Cold War era comics? Do 1960's comics have a faint psychedelic funk? If I blindfolded you, would you be able to pick out the Quality Blackhawks from the DC issues by smell alone?

By the smell, probably not. Bt I can taste the difference between a '60s Gold Key and a '60s Charlton.

Cei-U!
I summon the educated palate!

dan bailey

08-25-2006, 07:13 AM

By the smell, probably not. Bt I can taste the difference between a '60s Gold Key and a '60s Charlton.

well, duh.

everyone knows charltons taste like cereal boxes.

Mike Kuypers

08-25-2006, 07:50 AM

Cei-U!

08-25-2006, 08:29 AM

well, duh.

everyone knows charltons taste like cereal boxes.

The covers, yeah. The interior pages taste like sawdust.

Cei-U!
I summon the discerning palate!

shaxper

08-25-2006, 04:32 PM

Do Dells smell better than Gold Keys? Do WW II era books have a more militant bouquet than Cold War era comics? Do 1960's comics have a faint psychedelic funk? If I blindfolded you, would you be able to pick out the Quality Blackhawks from the DC issues by smell alone? :cool:

Michi

Actually, Dells really DO smell better than Gold Keys. I have a complete run of Russ Manning Magnus Robot Fighter issues (acquired from different sources) and almost all of them stink. Strange coincidence. Yet my Dell Uncle Scrooges all smell fine (even the water stained ones).

benday-dot

08-25-2006, 08:26 PM

Actually, Dells really DO smell better than Gold Keys. I have a complete run of Russ Manning Magnus Robot Fighter issues (acquired from different sources) and almost all of them stink. Strange coincidence. Yet my Dell Uncle Scrooges all smell fine (even the water stained ones).

You may be on to something Shax... my Doctor Solar Man of the Atom (Gold Key) comics have a decidely "off" odour as well. Just last week reading DS # 15 I detected this hint of the foul and I had to hasten to a 1967 vintage Lee/Kirby Thor to restore my sensibilities. Hmmm... I think we should get the proverbial '"boys in the lab" to look into this peculiar chemistry of comics.

dreamweaver

08-28-2006, 07:15 PM

I bought a long box of Harvey and Archies site unseen last fall i just glanced at them with the plan to read them later then forgot about them. I found them a couple weeks ago and have been in heaven reading them there are about 50 Sad Sack and the Sarge including a vg to fine #1 a bunch of Hot Stuff ,Richie Rich,Archie ,and various other stuff :D

Reptisaurus!

08-29-2006, 09:46 PM

Found a few issues of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories and [/b]Marge's Tubby[/b] from the fifies, coverless, in the three for a dollar box.

Also bought another 12-13 bucks worth of stuff at 3/1, including a few scattered Pink Panther's, a Sword of the Atom special, a BUNCH of comics written by J.M. Dematties including Marvel Team-up, Defenders, and Spectacular Spider-man, a couple'a later Brave and the Bolds, and the Falcon miniseries.

And Dell's The World of Animals for $8.50, cause it had dinosaurs on the cover.

MichikoS

08-30-2006, 06:26 PM

It's been a banner week for comics purchases for Michi-san. I'll report in more detail later, but today I received, from three different sources, some outstanding books. I'm looking forward to poring over them in the next few days!

First, I have discovered a great new online seller, BIP Comics. I've placed several orders with BIP, and have been totally delighted by the selection, prices, and service. Nick Pope is the proprietor, and I can't say enough good things about him and his site, his comics, his service, and his packaging. Please check BIP out if you like older, unusual, or esoteric titles. I'm a tough customer to please, and BIP has just delighted me.

My latest BIP batch included:

Charlton's Fightin' 5 #29, 30, and 41; EC Crime SuspenStories #23; EC Shock SuspenStories #17; EC Weird Fantasy #6

And lest you think I paid exorbitant prices for these VG-FN copies of classic EC titles, I will tell you that I paid between $30-40 for each! What a deal! The Charltons were a couple of bucks each.

There is a story behind my desire to own Shock SuspenStories #17 in particular. There was a Fred Hembeck cartoon I read, Dateline @!!?*, in the October 2003 issue of Comic Book Artist that tickled me and stuck in my mind. It was Hembeck's inimitable retelling of the issue's lead story. Here it is:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/hembeck_ec.jpg

Well, after that, I figured it was just serendipity that a copy of that very issue turned up on my favorite new comics site! So I bought it.

I stopped in my LCS tonight to find that the owner had unearthed a big pile of Treasury Edition tabloid-sized books from the 1970s. He had about 25 of them in a pile for $8 each. I bought a pretty nice copy of SUPERMAN VS. SPIDER-MAN, solid FINE; Marvel Treasury Edition #18, THE ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN, VF/NM; SUPERMAN VS. SHAZAM C-58, FN/VF; and BATMAN'S STRANGEST CASES, C-59 solid VF+ . Did I get a good deal? Heck, yes.

And finally, Lone Star delivered the following goodies. I had about $100 in credit to spend from some comic sales, and here's what I bought:
Patsy Walker #25 (Marvel; from the Kubert Family Collection) painted cover. Fair; Strange Tales #117, Very Good; Tales to Astonish #55, 59 good; and Tales to Astonish #60 Very Good.

Every one of these books arrived in BETTER grade than advertised. The Patsy Walker is particularly nice, downgraded because of some back cover problems that don't affect the front cover or inside pages a whit. It's a beauty.

The TTA are solid VG, though sold as GOOD, and the VG #60 is a solid FN. Lone Star is a very conservative grader, and I like that.

Michi

Cei-U!

09-05-2006, 11:23 AM

Just ordered Showcase Presents Batman and Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 2. I wanted to order more but I need to buy clothes this month.

Cei-U!
I summon the threadbare duds!

Mike Kuypers

09-05-2006, 03:48 PM

Just ordered Showcase Presents Batman and Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 2. I wanted to order more but I need to buy clothes this month.

Cei-U!
I summon the threadbare duds!

Get your priorities straight, man! It's food, shelter, comics, and then clothes. (If you mail-order them you don't need clothes.)

Cherokee Jack

09-05-2006, 06:08 PM

Just ordered Showcase Presents Batman and Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 2. I wanted to order more but I need to buy clothes this month.

Cei-U!
I summon the threadbare duds!

Bah, your comics don't mind if you're nekkid when you read them.

Cei-U!

09-05-2006, 07:01 PM

Some of us actually leave the house once in a while, y'know. :p

Cei-U!
I summon the *koff* fresh air!

Jake Lockley

09-07-2006, 01:04 AM

Just picked up a copy of The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor #22 from the bargain bin. Reading copy only, but for a quarter...

Anyway, I had never bought an issue of this before, but found it to be a surprisingly good read. Don Glut scripting, with art by Jesse Santos. His style reminds me somewhat of Ernie Colon.

pmpknface

09-07-2006, 10:44 AM

Picked up on Sat:

Creatures on the Loose 32
Some Marvel Fanfare's
Some old Defenders

Now I only need about 10 Def's to get from 14+ (where the Ess vol .left off).
I only need 8 MF's to complete that run.

Grabbed the Devil Dinosaur run (1-9) on Friday too.

Oh - Grabbed the ENTIRE Alpah Flight run 1-130, ann's and special this weekend as well. :D

TheLohkust

09-08-2006, 09:08 AM

I went to an estate sale last weekend with the wife, and got two incredible deals.

Fantastic Four #54......in about FN-.

Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #163.....in about VG/FN.

I got both books for $10!!

I always used to pass when my wife asked me to go to these things....I'll be going from now on. :)

DDM

09-08-2006, 06:39 PM

X-Men #52:

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/97792366288.52.GIF

X-Men #55:

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/97792366288.55.GIF

dan bailey

09-08-2006, 07:07 PM

teen titans (first series) 19. not a particularly prominent entry on my want list (though it was included), but when i came across it in the flesh -- er, newsprint -- at my lcs in a short stack of vg-ish silver age dc issues each on sale for $5 (at least a couple of bucks more than i'd normally pay for a less-than-desperate want), i couldn't resist. i'm too lazy (heck, it's hot) to trot to my living room & pull the titans showcase volume from the tpb bookshelf to check, but i'm pretty sure it ends with the previous issue. anyway, i'm 99 percent positive this was the last ish of the original run that i ever bought, for whatever reason, though about all i remembered about it after nearly 38 years was the cover ...

... till i opened said cover after getting in my car & feasted my eyes on the first page. gil kane inked by wally wood! these guys were great together!

makes me wonder just how often they teamed up -- only other instances i can remember, offhand, are a couple of stories reprinted earlier this year in the showcase house of mystery volume.

Cei-U!

09-08-2006, 09:08 PM

makes me wonder just how often they teamed up -- only other instances i can remember, offhand, are a couple of stories reprinted earlier this year in the showcase house of mystery volume.

Captain Action #2-3 and 5 are also by the Kane/Wood team (#1 is Wood solo, #4 is Kane solo).

Cei-U!
I summon Action Boy and Khem!

Reptisaurus!

09-08-2006, 09:09 PM

Captain Action #2-3 and 5 are also by the Kane/Wood team (#1 is Wood solo, #4 is Kane solo).

Cei-U!
I summon Action Boy and Khem!

I really need to find # 4 of this series. What a great book.

MichikoS

09-08-2006, 09:53 PM

Just picked up a copy of The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor #22 from the bargain bin. Reading copy only, but for a quarter...Jake, do you know about Don Glut's homage to older Gold Key characters in the pages of Dr. Spektor? In #23 he has "cameo appearances" by Dr. Solar, and Dagar, among others (actually, they're just regular people dressed up like them). In #22, he revives the 1967-68 2-issue flop character THE OWL scripted by Jerry Siegel (Superman). THE OWL actually dates back to 1940, when he was a semi-regular in Crackajack Funnies. I like his original cape treatment better. Old comic book characters never die; they just get recycled for another generation!

Michi

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/owl_1.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/owl_2.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/elbert_coalwell/owl_crackajack.jpg

dan bailey

09-09-2006, 03:13 PM

Captain Action #2-3 and 5 are also by the Kane/Wood team (#1 is Wood solo, #4 is Kane solo).

Cei-U!
I summon Action Boy and Khem!

the lcs owner also came down to $10, iirc, on a copy of captain action 1 from the next stack of vg silver age, but of course i wouldn't (read: couldn't, given my ever-precarious finances) pay that, though i'm sure it was a very fair price, since lone star is offering a vg copy for something like $35 & a g for $15ish right now.

probably that's the only copy of any ish of the title that i've ever seen, except to leaf by them on the spinner racks back in the day, since for some reason i don't remember ever favoring it with even a 2nd glance back then.

*sigh* i have this delusion of finding a reasonably priced all-5-ishes lot on ebay ...

MichikoS

09-10-2006, 03:07 PM

My visit yesterday to a local comic store that I seldom frequent yielded some classic comics from the dollar boxes:

Shazam! #15, 1974 VG. A 100-page giant. Amusing lead story in which Lex Luthor is transported into Captain Marvel's world, meets Mr. Tawny, and of course teams up with that worm Mr. Mind to take on Captain Marvel, whom he keeps mistakenly calling Superman. Story by Denny O'Neil, art by Bob Oksner and Tex Blaisdell. Excellent '50s reprints featuring art by Kurt Schaffenberger and CC Beck.

Supergirl #6, 1973, VG. The girl running down the basement steps seeing Supergirl being smooched passionately by a guy in a leather jacket says it all: "Supergirl's stolen kisses...will cost lives!" Wait, it's all just a big misunderstanding! Really! But gimme anudda wunna those wet n' sloppies, ya big lug...Gang lords, hip talk and 1970's-style relevance. DC just didn't know what to do with this title, which folded shortly thereafter. Pure cheese, the good kind.

World's Finest #250, #253 NM. I still find cheap copies of this undervalued title, even in high grade. World's Finest doesn't have the same back-issue popularity as Adventure or even Superman Family. Why is that, I wonder? Both of these issues sport nifty Jim Aparo covers. The 250th issue is a ridiculous "epic" 56-page time travel story, "The Reality War," by Gerry Conway and George Tuska. It's a stinker, but it has spooky precog flashes of the Infinite Shite to come. I won't bore you with the details. There's a wacky 8-page Ditko CREEPER backup. #253 has a great Aparo wraparound cover that features all the headliners, not just Bats and Supes. I should scan it so everyone can enjoy it. The highlight of this issue is a Captain Marvel story drawn by Don Newton and inked by Kurt Schaffenberger. The very good Trevor von Eeden is the artist on the other stories. Whatever happened to that guy?

Phantom #60, 1974, Charlton, FN. With a fantastic Jim Aparo cover, this is the first "new" Phantom, Charlton's attempt to revitalize the license. It's a poor start, with a decent Spanish strip artist (Recreo?) working over a stale Joe Gill script. The glory days of Don Newton are right around the corner, but alas, it's too little, too late.

I also came upon a $3 VG copy of EERIE #135, which is a spectacular all-Ditko issue hiding behind a boring, Boris-clone San Julian painted cover. Ten Ditko stories done for Warren over the years, and all written by Archie Goodwin. High quality stuff. Ditko's wash technique is outstanding. This is prime Ditko. I enjoyed every one of these stories immensely.

A good classic comics weekend! :)

Michi