Off Panel

[Werewolf By Night 31 stock photo. Not my copy. I don't own this book anymore.]

If we're sharing regrets stories...

I was eight years old when Werewolf by Night 31 came out, but I was already buying and reading comic books. I picked this book off the spinner rack at the drug store and read the violent tale of a werewolf hunting a kid my age who was named -- and I kid you not -- "Buttons". In the end, Buttons survived, but Jack Russell's friend was horribly mauled and killed while protecting her. 

This issue made a big impression on me. So much so that I brought it up at dinnertime that evening, relaying the blow-by-blow of the story to my minister father and kindergarten teacher mother. Instead of saying, "that sounds like a heck of a yarn, kid!", they both immediately went into Seduction of the Innocent mode, and there was a three-day family conversation over whether I would be allowed to read comic books ever again.

When the smoke cleared, my parents agreed that more reading was generally good for me, and we brokered a treaty whereby I could continue to read comics, but only superheroes and humor books. No more Bronze Age monsters, and if I were caught with one going forward, that was it for comic books.

And that is the story of how my eight-year-old, big fat mouth prevented me from buying WWBN 32 the next month, which I absolutely, positively, unquestionably would have done otherwise.

(Insult to injury: my parents were horrified that Buck Cowan was killed by the werewolf in the story. Years later I learned that Buck shook off the werewolf mauling like a summer cold and survived in Marvel fashion.)

I can finally say I'm a member of the Cameo Club!

I hear you guys party hard!

Welcome, g-man!

I have experienced that type of danger myself!

On 2/19/2024 at 6:01 PM, Ghost Town said:

 

Sweet cracker sandwich! Congratulations, Barton!!

Only four of these demonic bad boys in 9.8 until you unearthed this one!  Superlative work, my friend.

(Now if you could just dig up a couple more...) 

Gorgeous books, @WernerVonDoom!

I also added the follow-up to ASM 106. (I mean, I had to know what happened next, right?)

When I first started working on this run, I intentionally steered clear of this issue. Back in those days, I seemed to see them everywhere and they were fairly cheap. My thought process was that I would focus on the more expensive, harder-to-find books first and then just pick up a 107 at my leisure.

While it's true that there are a lot more high grade copies of this book than the issues around it (there are 49 copies of 107 in 9.8, compared to 15 copies of 106), I've found that the market isn't exactly flooded with them. GPA recorded two sales last year, and two the year before. 2021 was the high-water mark, with four whole sales! Of course, that was the height of the comic boom, and books were coming out of the woodwork. And, because it was 2021, sale prices ranged from $725 to $5,040!

All of that is to say, that by the time I got around to buying my 107, I had to work for it a little bit.

Even so, this book brings me another step closer to a full run of the ASM Picture Frames. I now only need two more issues. Maybe I'll finish this year. If not, surely in 2025...

On 11/19/2023 at 5:13 PM, VintageComics said:

On a positive note, if you all want to know why these companies are NOT successful, how about studying a model that IS successful at selling comics and related products? 

Asking to understand:

Are you saying that Anime (or I guess Manga in the context of comic books) is more successful because they are actually putting in the work to advertise their products? (Something that Marvel could and should do also.)

Or are you saying that Manga can advertise their products because they are having such success? (Something that Marvel may or may not be well-positioned to do right now, depending on who you listen to.)

Just want to make sure I'm taking away the message you intend.

On 11/19/2023 at 12:22 PM, VintageComics said:

The 'new crowd of readers' generally don't spend nearly as much of their money as legacy supporters do, and never will.

It would be nice for the comic book industry if I were immortal and could keep spending my money with them indefinitely. 

Since my killjoy doctor says that's unlikely, they're going to have to replace me with a new reader at some point.

On 11/17/2023 at 8:59 AM, comicginger1789 said:

Don't feel bad....I'm 34, started when I was 11 or 12 though and went right into stuff from the 60s and 70s at that time. Whilst I am sure what I have doesn't hold a candle to what many have given the time period I was born, I still really enjoy and am proud of the books I do have and it has been a wonderful hobby for me. 

I'm glad to have a relative youngster around, comicginger. (The 1789 at the end of your name led me to believe you were much, much, much older.)

Not only do I appreciate you as a thirty-something collector, I appreciate how active you are on the boards. I've read a ton of your posts over the years.

What's it going to take to bring your peers into this awesome hobby of ours?

Awesome book, namisgr!

I won this on eBay during the same time period (so I know I’m off-topic).

I just felt like these two books needed to be side-by-side.

Good eye, grendelbo. I bought the book in a Heritage auction and that's the Heritage photo.

And it was certainly weird just now. I pulled up the auction and saw the book and thought, "That looks familiar..."

Thanks for sharing that. I was beginning to think you had built a time machine!

Once every couple of years or so, I’ll buy a 9.4 Silver Age Spidey in a Voldemort slab and crack it out for my raw collection. I get a really nice book that I know isn’t restored, and it’s good practice for opening those stupid clamshell cases that Home Depot loves so much.

Right? Those are gorgeous, namisgr.

What is your secret?

I saw the new 9.6 in your sales thread, Barton, and thought, "There's going to be a cool new addition in Infinite Picture Frames..."

That's a really nice book!

@Get Marwood & I

On 7/25/2023 at 8:20 PM, universal soldier said:

...we'll be there to start but spending Saturday in Banff. 

BANFF!

Glad to hear it was amicable and I hope you are able to stay in each other's lives.

Keep yourself open to all possibilities. This is a reset for you, even though it isn't one that you wanted. What new opportunities does this present and what will you do with them?