TheShadowKnows

Boy did this turn into a book. Hope nobody minds my reflecting. Starting out with the date thing brought back so many memories. Its been quite a road.

 

 

1959 - Born Eugene Oregon

 

1964 - Move to sleepy beach town in So. Cal called Redondo

 

1965 - 69 - Discover TV shows like Combat, Man From Uncle and Addams Family. Begin making my way through grade school. Some school kids have Batman cards. They are cool. Dad begins buying me a comic or two when he goes to get beer and cigs. Turok, Donald Duck, Aliens, Tarzan.....all Gold Key titles. Comics are 12 cents. One day brings Jules Feiffers The Great Comic Book Heroes home from library for me. Batman story is awesome. Joker is evil but cool. All stories are great but I love Plastic Man most and realize comics are old......AND COOL ! The seed is planted.

 

1970 - 72 - Begin going to liquor store with my friend Jack to get our own comics. We have a 3 store circuit cuz there are no "Comic Book Stores" yet....and no store has all the issues. We split our money between comics, pop, and paks of Odd Rod stickers that have pink slab of petrified gum inside. Love DC. Love war comics. Love seeing ads for other DC comics in my issues. Buy 50 cent 100 page DC book #6 World Greatest Super Heroes. See notes that say "Originally appeared in....." on first page of stories and learn about something called reprints. See the listings for First appearances of all DC Heroes. The seed just got doused with Miracle Grow. I want them. Marvel does not exist.

 

1973 - The BIG year. Discover some back issue stores like Rudy's Books and Comic Vendor. Discover Marvel. Buy my first Overstreet Price Guide. Order a Marvel Value Stamp Book and try to fill it. Score an ASM #1 for $20. Score an AF #15 with a ripped cover for around $3. Begin buying everything I can get my hands on. Buy Marvel Mystery's # 51 , #58 and #64 for around $12 each.

 

1974 -77 - Continue building collection by trading away nice books to get other nice books. What was I thinking? Teenagers idea of "nice" is so subjective. Play sports meet girl. Sell collection get first car, a '72 Monte Carlo. Sweet. Graduate high school. Go to my first San Diego Comic Con after seeing ad in The Buyers Guide. Lets hear a cheer for Shel Dorf !!! Have comic fever to the max. Stay at El Cortez Hotel for four days with Jack and Steve. Drive home to Redondo and back, to get my $64 check so I can buy more comics.....oh, and eat.

 

1978 - 79 - Break up with girl friend. Discover smoking reefer. Think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. It is. Build beautiful GA collection. Form garage band. Name band after panel in Mickey Mouse Four Color #268. Story is of jungle native who visits Mickey. Band name is "Budem Gly" We rock. Have connections. Record in studio. Who needs sliced bread anyways?

 

1980 - Love my rebuilt comic collection. Its almost all golden age books. I stare at it alot. I love Mylar. Love smokin reefer. Love jammin in the garage with drummer and guitar player. Love everything.....except myself. I'm really quite unhappy. Don't know why. I hear the voice of Jesus speak to me. Its not the reefer. He is very kind towards me. I need what He has. Tells me to follow Him.

I quit the band. Six months later I take my entire GA comic collection to Hi De Ho comics in Santa Monica and ask if they want to buy. Guys eyes pop out. Takes me in back room. Writes me out a check for $900. I feel extremely light and happy on way to bank.

 

1981-1984 - Buy a Four Color #159 VF off a friend. Its my only comic. Go to San Diego again in '79 , '81 and '83. At the 1983 con I trade my Ghost of the Grotto + $50 for a Barks litho. Its called an Embarrassment of Riches. Its beautiful. I still have it to this day. Probably cuz its not a comic. Get married in '84

 

1985- 1988 - Get a driving job with a comic book distributor. Job is to put new comics in stores and take out old comics. Its great to work with comics. Start once again building a comic collection. Working in a comic warehouse makes it easy to score hot new issue books. Start buying up silver age DC. Marriage breaks up late '88.

 

1988 - I'm broke and divorced. I take whatever I can fit in my car and drive to Oregon. Comic collection gets prime spot on back seat. I sell comics along the way to get $$ for food and gas. Yea, it was probably my lowest point. Pull into Eugene a few days later. Take rebuilt comic collection to comic store and sell all. Get enough $$$ to help me get settled and get a job.

 

1989 - Let roots grow.

 

1990 - Meet woman. She likes comics and Tolkien and Jesus and me. Get married......again.

 

1990 - '99 - Slowly build yet another collection. Nice bunch of DC war (Sgt. Rock, SSWS Dinosaur issues and assorted silver ) Meet man about my age at comic shop. He is from Houston. Have same taste in comics. He knows our very own Mr. Bedrock. We become friends. He has collection of 600 books many of which he bought new off the racks. High grade silver. He inspires me. His story is so different than mine. I raise 4 kids. I discover ebay. I sell collection once again and buy house.

 

2000- 2006 - Go to San Diego Con a couple times with wife and even the kids one year. Finish raising kids.

 

2007 - Kids gone. Job secure. Wife and I going on 18. Future looks bright. Have some close friends. Some good friends. Began brewing my own beer. Started collecting comics once again. I think, if God is willing, this last and best collection is the one that I will leave to my children. I'm not driven. I have peace. Jesus has been good to me. I think Plastic Man is a fitting choice and goal for this time in my life. A Police comics run is my foundation. I know there will be many other books I will see and want, but there is no hurry. Its a hobby. Havn't smoked reefer in.......well, along time. But you never know.....

 

2008- Discovered Collectors Society forums. Am making some new friends. I like it here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember Greg Weeds comics?I discovered it in 1970.

Oldtymer here, born in '54.

 

Read comics in the early sixties, but saved none.

 

The moment the comic bug really hit: early 1972

 

The event: Senior in high school, got tight with a friend who had been reading and saving comics since age 10. Convinced me they were now mature and cool, so I bought a month's worth of Marvels: Avengers 100, Thor 200, FF 123, ASM 110, Hulk 153, Marvel Premiere 3, Conan 16. Good month! Started reading them regularly, hooked essentially ever since. So nut-crazy for new comics, we used to drive to far-away 7-11s on the rumor that there might be a store one week ahead of our local ones in the distribution chain.

 

1972-76, the college years: bought and saved all things Marvel and some things DC, from a news agency on Penn's campus on 38th (no longer there); discovered undergrounds, starting with Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #2; bought undergrounds and vintage rock concert posters on a pilgrimage to San Francisco.

 

1974-75: attended first comic cons, the Phil Seuling NY show; met Kirby, Adams, Steranko, Wrightson, Windsor-Smith, Thomas. Those were awesome shows. Started subscribing to The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom, and purchased first mail-order back issues.

 

1976-81, graduate school (the Chicago years): too busy and distracted for comics; got PhD, made lifelong friendships, fell in love, got married.

 

1981-85, the postdoctoral years in the land of milk and honey (California): bought and saved (the local Circle K), reinvigorated by the new creators like Miller, Perez, Simonson, Byrne, Cockrum, and such.

 

1985: stopped buying new comics

 

1992: making a decent living, I began buying high grade SA, which I've been doing ever since! Rediscovered the comic con with the '93 Philly show. Been doing those ever since, too!

At least someone is older than me

Mysterymen #1. Key Fox book that tops the CGC census. 1st appearance of several characters, including Blue Beetle.

 

 

Ditto.

 

Nuff said.

You forgot the cool cover

OK.....I un-quit posting here.

Both sold for approx. $18,500 just last month at Heritage. Which one would you choose, and why?

Mystery men.Better cover and rarer.

Congratulatios, welcome to the club! We'll have to find a secret handshake;-)

 

So, what's your favourite cover? I'm partial to 146, 159, and 167.

 

 

For me 161 stands out.

 

Mike

Those Strange Tales are highly under reated.Steranko,Ditko and some good stories.Congrats on a great run.

Dennis

That whole run of BEWARE is pretty interesting, highlighted of course , by the great FRAZETTA cover to # 10.

 

The title started out with three bi-monthly issues published by YOUTHFUL in 1952 (#'s 10, 11 and 12)

 

TROJAN published #13-16, then started the numbering over at #5. TROJAN then published #5-15, which ended the run in MAY of 1955 (with the lone post-code issue, #15).

 

So, there is actually TWO # 10, 11 and 12's.

 

Yours is the COOLER # 10, although the first one was pretty cool too

 

A very nice consolation prize.Nice book.

I've seen a million beater copies of Speed Carter Spaceman #1. Your 8.0 Crippen copy is definitely the nicest one. WOW !!!

 

thank you sir. here's one that was a long time coming. thought i'd never get this frazetta.

 

In all my years of collecting this is the second copy Ive seen.My rag and your nice copy.Rare indeed.

Dennis

Do all these books have Everett covers?That is awesome.

Another one received today -- Lost Worlds 6, December 1952 (yeah!), Standard.

 

Cool giant ants cover

 

 

that has nothing whatsoever to do with the fairly tepid science-fiction stories inside, even the cover story. Overstreet notes Toth artwork. Did he draw this cover? Looks probable to me. I'm not sure what he did inside -- not his best work. Maybe the lead story, Men and Fire.

 

Jack

 

Definitely Toth cover and interior. Nothing "standard" about his art!

neat Toth...my only real Toth exposure has been in some WF...are there any reprints of his work

Rick,

There are some great Toth art in Dale Evans comics.

 

I'm frisky today, so probably more in the afternoon....,

 

Mike are you going to crack that Detective 404?If you want a reader copy I have one.And it really should be read.

LMK

Dennis

So was everyone pleased with the grades?

I for one never get sick of Bill Everett! Thanks for the interiors post!

Ill econd that.Bill Everett is the man.That cover to Menace 5 is sweet.

Dennis

 Originally Posted By: Detective27Kid

 Originally Posted By: ciorac

 Originally Posted By: showcase-4

Both sold for approx. $13,000 about 5 years ago.

The graders notes on the Marvel reference 5 pieces of tape on the cover, inside cover, and 1st wrap.

Which one would you choose, and why ?

 

Is this really a competition??

 

I'd choose a coverless Marvel 1 over the Fantastic #3.

 

Apples and Oranges.

I also suspect that the marvel 1 would clear $25K today, and the fantastic 3 would still be at sub $15K

 

OK, OK....before you 2 OPG Advisors burn me at the stake, how about these 2 -- still $13,000 -- still 5 years ago (same Marvel #1 as last match up)

Both sold for approx. $13,000 about 5 years ago.

The graders notes on the Marvel reference 5 pieces of tape on the cover, inside cover, and 1st wrap.

Which one would you choose, and why ?

the marvel 1 because, despite my advancing age, i'm not THAT damn senile. and man, oh, man did that superman get a gift grade; here's another example of a cgc 5.0.

 

Both sold for $90,000 in 2007. Which one, and why ?

Been there done that on the Superman.A huge Timely key please.

Both sold in $2008 for $21,510. Which one would you choose, and why???

Ill take the super early batman cover.The daredevil is sweet but a grade b hero.

Both sold for approx. $110,000. Which one would you choose, and why

Action 1.First appearance of the first superstar hero.Resto or not that is a sweet book.If it was a tec 27...

Both sold for $16,000 in 2005. A match-up between a mid-grade Superhero semi-key ( some would say Key ), and a very high grade, high demand Classic Cover......... mmmm, mmmm good!

Not one of my favorite Schomburg covers.I will go with the ped tec 38.

Now if it was a terrific...

Thanks! I have diversified my GA collecting a bit.

Some awfully nice books Sardo

Dennis

 

I love this spectre run. Very sweet book (thumbs u

Nice grade nicer book.

By the way Happy Birthday! (thumbs u

A impressive feat and collection.But what is the point if you dont really appreciate the books?It all seems just something to own and brag about.Kinda sad.

Dennis

 

I pop back in here after three years and read stuff like this and I remember why I left.

 

 

What gives you the right to judge people who you don't know.

 

I love my comics, always have done, know everything there is to know about the JSA and virtually all the Silver Age, especially the early Justice Leagues.

 

How can you pass comment on someone who you don't know ??

Ian,

My apologies.That was the impression that I got.If you read further I also state that if I had the collection it would be shared all the time.

Yours is quite the task,every single dc.

Please hang around and share your collection.Im sure all would be happy to see it.

And once again if I came across as a troll Im sorry.

Dennis

A impressive feat and collection.But what is the point if you dont really appreciate the books?It all seems just something to own and brag about.Kinda sad.

Dennis

Where do you get the idea he doesn't really appreciate the books?

 

Listen to his interview with Vincent Zurzolo. The guy loved his books and could talk at length and in great depth about DCs.

I never heard that interview.It was just a feeling I got.If I had that collection I would be on sharing and talking about it a lot.I dont rember Ian ever posting on here since ive been posting.

Dennis

A impressive feat and collection.But what is the point if you dont really appreciate the books?It all seems just something to own and brag about.Kinda sad.

Dennis

I spoke to Ian via PM's at his forum a couple of months ago about his collection and not posting here anymore. He says he's seriously considering selling off the collection and starting again from scratch. That's an auction I'd love to see.

 

Did he say why? Is he unsatisfied with the condition? Does he just want to start over for the thrill of the hunt?

 

He's grown a pair and is going to start collecting Marvels.

(thumbs u

 

yeah, like THAT'S a challenge

 

Gator could put the entire Marvel together in six months.

Bill,

You are right but there is only one Rick..