Your Personal Comic Book Timeline 0

[ADAMANTIUM]

7 minutes ago, oldbsturgeon said:

I was born in April 1981 so I have you beat by a few months Adamantium!

Spoiler

 

while not traditional comics, my first comic exposure where the mini books that came with the masters of the universe figures. I recall being not quite 3 and getting my first MOTU figure, whiplash, and it of course came with a mini comic. while I didn't read then, I kept them all together. I eventually learned to read them, but it was going to be a while before I got my first actual comic book.

TMNT was on fox and so I saw a comic available in a store, it was TMNT 26, which came out in 1989. I discovered very quickly this was not like the show, I mean it had profanity and was violent. I kept that from my parents who would not have liked to hear about that. 

the next comic I bought was a few months later and it was at a long gone local grocery store called AtoZ here in WV. the issue was wolverine 23. the cover looked awesome and I read that thing over and over.

It would be a little while before I would get a more comics, and I went big. I was in 7th grade and a classmate had wolverine issues 1-20 and wanted to sell them. they were $20. I was able to get them and kept them maybe 6 months, where I flipped them to get other stuff. I was starting early  

This is also around the time that superman 75 had come out and so I had to get that and there were other early 90s books that I was buying then too like the spiderman 1 mcfarlane book, that Kirby book he did for topps

By the time I was out of middle school, I was getting into MTG and there was a local comic store here in Hurricane that sold cards. I was all about the cards, but going there all the time, got me into buying comics too. I started wanting to get all the knightfall storyline. It was tough as at the store didnt have everything so I was left without the whole arc. I was getting some image books too like spawn and gen 13 as well. When the store closed in 1997, I sort of got out of comics and mtg for a bit too. It was going to be a while before I bought anything again.

I was in college, graduate school actually, and saw something about the civil war story arc and decided to get on that. It had already started coming out, so got all the back issues, and began my path to get every book in the arc. around that time, I started working on a wolverine run, buying the original series and everything up to the current series as well.

I got to the final issue of civil war when it came out, read the ending, and pretty much started to sell the series, it was soooo lame of an ending. I ended up working on ultimate spiderman, and got that run complete, only to sell it. I sold the wolverine books too. I had at that point the 4 issue mini series, vol 1, vol 2 and vol 3 complete but sold it when the storyline wolverine in hell came out. it was too over the top.

not long afterwards a new comic store opened, right near my house too, like 5 min away. I was actually their first customer and was there nearly every day. I started buying the blackest night story arc. I like big arcs I guess. during that time, the store got in a book, I had always wanted, a hulk 181. Only issue is it sold right away, but they still had it on hand as the buyer was making payments. well turns out he flaked out and I got a chance to get it. It was probably a 4. I had it. well around this time, I also started to drum again(played in high school and college) but began drum set. I wanted a new snare, man was it nice.  yamaha vintage maple series, vintage brown finish, so I sold the hulk (still have the snare, still love it)

that comic store eventually closed too. Around this time I learned about new 52 and how great batman was. I started buying them. they were great, then I sold them, don't really remember why. I jump around hobbies a bunch so that was probably it.

I bought them again though, as well as started to read on this forum as well. my first graded book ended up being a new mutants 98 9.4. that started a dangerous road. I would buy and sell more stuff culminating in 2016 when I bowed out.

It was earlier this year, I jumped back on the wagon, with detective comics 880 as my first regraded book. I have 9 now plus more raw books that I hope to grade. I should mention, when  I do send them off, it will be my first submission

 

 

Awesome! I always wanted to play the drums! Even in band in school I tried out for them, but didn't pass the audition because I couldn't keep the beat  and I was like, "isn't that what you're supposed to 'teach' me" haha ended up on the Trombone, and was always 1st chair  

Long story, you're forgiven for your Hulk 181 story  we've all been there  

[oldbsturgeon]

I can't say I regret it at all. I use that drum every week I play(well not right now) and it's been part of my sound for years. Interestingly yamaha quit making their drums in Japan so it's not in production any longer so has increased in value some.

well sounds like the bone worked out for you. Once this is all done, I seriously reccommend if you have one around, to do a community band. I play in one and its great. keeps your skills up or helps to regain those skills

[ADAMANTIUM]

2 minutes ago, oldbsturgeon said:

I can't say I regret it at all. I use that drum every week I play(well not right now) and it's been part of my sound for years. Interestingly yamaha quit making their drums in Japan so it's not in production any longer so has increased in value some.

well sounds like the bone worked out for you. Once this is all done, I seriously reccommend if you have one around, to do a community band. I play in one and its great. keeps your skills up or helps to regain those skills

 thanks! Ya when I was a kid my mom had sold her childhood flute for my trombone, so I'll see if I can compensate her or dig it out  

But however, I've mostly started playing the guitar since I was maybe 13-14, and I play for the church, I'm not all that great but I get by and find it the most enjoyable.

[oldbsturgeon]

12 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

 

But however, I've mostly started playing the guitar since I was maybe 13-14, and I play for the church, I'm not all that great but I get by and find it the most enjoyable.

that's where I play my drum set at most of the time. guaranteed playing time and I don't have to be out till like 2 am for it.

[comicginger1789]

1993-1994 (age 5) - Received first comic I remember having/owning which was Amazing Spider-Man #2 Double Trouble. An anti-drug run which ran 5 issues I think. A babysitter got it for me if I recall. 

1997-2000 (age 8-11)- Hard to pinpoint exactly when but my family used to take a trip to Kingston just for a weekend. There was this hotel with a cool arcade and nice indoor water slide. My dad took my brother and I to a comic shop down the street. I started with Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man and was hooked.

2003-2007 (age 14-18)- We had dialup internet. I convinced my Dad to let me shop and bought the occassional lot of comics. As I finished high school and started university, books were cheaper what with the US dollar being at par with ours so I went crazy, collecting the first 100+ issues of PPTSS and also beginning into my ASM run hardcore. During this time, I bought a lot as I also worked a lot.. 90% of my money I saved for schooling and the 10% I saved for me was comics and necessities.

April 10, 2008 (age 19)- got an Ebay account in my name. More buyer, and the occasional sell of stuff I did not love.

2008-2009 (age 19-20) my first "collection" buy. Guy nearby had two longboxes of stuff. He wanted $100 for it all. That was a lot for me to drop at the time but he had like 20 copies of Wolverine #1 from his first solo series (not the Miller mini) and I know at even $10 a pop, I could make money off them plus get a bunch of comics. The score from this lot turned out to be my Marvel Spotlight 28 in 7.0-7.5 condition. I kept, along with a handful of others. Sold the Wolverines and made like $100-150. During this time I also experienced my first and only ebay loss as a guy who bought 6 copies claimed they never arrived. It sucked but I still made out okay.

2009-2012 (ages 20-23)- not a lot of buying as I was full time in school and most all of my money was needed to pay for schooling. I do recall one big-ish purchase during this time while at school. A guy had some older comics for sale and also a couple old tin license plates for bicycles. One green and one red one with Batman and Robin on them. A quick search told me they were worth something. I think I spent $60 on everything, flipped the plates and kept most of the comics. There was nothing fancy, a few VF Cap issues though from early in the run and some other stuff.

It was also during this time I ponied up $60 for my copy of ASM #300, the most I had every spent on a single issue at the time. Guy had two copies, gave me the nicer. Should have bought both.

2013- (age 24)- met a local guy with over 60 000 comics (probably closer to 80 000 in reality, plus statues, figures and a bit of everything). Started a great friendship and buying/trading partnership. 

2013-2017 (ages 24-28). Graduated school, got a job. Started buying lots more again on ebay and selling too. My collection really began to branch out too. Before I was 80% Spider-Man anything (ASM, PPTS, Marvel Team-Up) and 20% other Marvel stuff (mostly Bronze Age, some Silver, very little from 80s-now). I also attribute my enjoyment of the Dark Knight, which I finally got around to viewing, for starting to me into Batman and buying Neal Adams era Batman and other notably strong Batman stories (Killing Joke, the Cult, the Knightfall run). Eventually I started going for most anything and everything that interested me, usually art wise.

During this time, I helped a work colleague of my wife's sell his collection. In return, I kept some books, most notably a bunch of treasuries. He had X-Men from the Claremont run, mostly mid grade and a Giant Size X-Men. I sold all that for him.

2018- probably my best year. In many ways. Had my son, and just before he was born I acquired a large collection. Again, X-Men stuff from the Claremont run. Kept a few, sold most for profit. Just after my son was born, had a huge yard sale score. Then within the same year, another person wanting to sell some stuff contacted me. Again, I sold most but kept a number of nice original owner books for myself as part of the payment for helping him sell his stuff. 

I also hopped onto Instagram and discovered a great community there for buying, selling and just seeing pics of peoples comics!

2019-now- Joined the forums here and after watching for a while, started posting. I still feel like a newb sometimes but I appreciate this site and what it brings knowledge wise. As of now, I am continuing to buy, mostly online because where I live is not really near any major comic book stores so hunting in the wild just doesnt happen for me unfortunately. And sell stuff because there is enough I don't love that selling can help fund the hobby. I have still yet to pay more than $500-600 for comics (and that was the X-Men collection) and my collection lacks the mega keys. But hey, I am sure I will get a Hulk 181, TOD #10, ASM #129 one of these days. Mayyybbbbbeee a Silver Age grail but that seems outta reach. However, I have learned to never say never in this hobby!

Edited April 16, 2020 by comicginger1789