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Sir Tim Drake
03-31-2005, 09:26 PM
Last night I was reading a low-grade copy of Strange Tales #114, featuring the Human Torch and a Captain America impostor. To my surprise, as I turned a page, the comic suddenly burst into flames. Luckily, I remembered my fire safety training. I threw the comic on the floor and stamped on it until the fire went out. I suffered some minor burns on my hands, and obviously the comic was completely destroyed, but I consider myself lucky to have escaped from the incident without any further damage.

When I thought about it, I realized what had probably happened. The comics' pages were extremely dry and brittle. When I turned the page, I must have created some kind of spark from the static electricity in my hands, and that was enough to make the entire comic blow up.

So I want to warn you all that spontaneous comic combustion is a serious danger. I'm going to start storing my older comics in a room with a humidifier, so that they'll be too moist to catch on fire. I urge you all to do the same. I wasn't seriously harmed in this incident, but if this happens to you, you might be badly injured, or, what's worse, your entire collection might be incinerated.

(On a lighter note, this is a pretty appropriate way for a comic to be destroyed. Once I lost some Aquaman comics when they fell into a lake, but this is even more ironic.)

SlapAyoda
03-31-2005, 10:42 PM
I hate to doubt what seems like a serious post in any way, but after reading this I -did- notice that we're rolling into April 1st right now. Is this true or are you pulling our leg?

Paradox
03-31-2005, 11:52 PM
Leg.

Nice try, Aaron. ;)

Apathy Boy
04-01-2005, 12:39 AM
That was just a joke? Aww. I was just about to bring out my copy of GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING to see what would happen.

Um, I mean... I heard a friend of mine was going to try it. Not me.

T GUy
04-01-2005, 04:14 AM
I was just about to bring out my copy of GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING to see what would happen. Hey, you're already a Senior MEMBER...

InfoBroker
04-01-2005, 06:17 AM
Strange Tale #114 seems to associate itself with bad karma.

I found my first copy at Mile's Second Hand Book Store in 1966, my first year of reading comics. It was at the bottom of about a dozen Nick Cardy Aqua-man comics (another similar irony). But I wasn't into DC comics much at the time, so I pass up those gems. Bad Karma #1.

When I got it home I discovered that someone had switched the cover, for inside were pages to some really old comic, the main character was this cop or detective that wore a Lone Ranger Mask and a pair of leather gloves. So I threw the whole thing in the trash, cursing the lose of a great Marvel classic.
Bad Karma #2

My second copy was part of 600 plus Marvel comics that I bought for $15 from a fan who was leaving comics. Lots of Marvelous Classics from 1964 to 1969. But unfortunately someone, for some odd reason had pasted the pages of this entire comic to each other. Once again, I was thwarted and unable to read of the initial meeting of Captain America and the Human Torch.

All I can say Sir Tim, is that it very lucky that your compustible incident with your low-grade copy of ST#114 happened in a room with linoleum floor tiles, instead of wall-to-wall carpeting.

- jb the "no where's near as funny as he would like to be this early in the morning" ib :cool:

Rob Imes
04-01-2005, 06:34 AM
What's even stranger are those cases where the comic reader has burst into flames but the comic itself and the chair he is sitting in remain unharmed. I think there was a Fate magazine article about this phenomena. It sounds horrible at first, but on the other hand there are worse ways to go.

InfoBroker
04-01-2005, 03:43 PM
Once I lost some Aquaman comics when they fell into a lake, but this is even more ironic.)

I guess it makes sense, Aquaman is a Salt-Water Super-Hero. The fresh water would be very toxic to him and his four color ink veins.

-jb the "wishing he had some Nick Cardy Classics in his hot little hands now" ib :cool:

Sir Tim Drake
04-02-2005, 08:50 AM
This was, of course, my annual April Fool's joke. There is no such thing as spontaneous comic combustion. It is a complete hoax.

However, spontaneous human combustion, as Rob mentions, is a recognized danger. It can happen to anyone at any time, so be caref **POOF**