Indie Coppers so bad that they are actually...well...they are just bad... 3 3

[Bosco685]

First of all, this thread is totally awesome. Secondly I either have or had this. It came with a matching numbered #1 inside. I think he came to a Philly con when it came out and I bought it. I either tossed it about 10 years ago or I still have it but I can't check until Thanksgiving.

 

[dem1138]

A few more:

 

The one origin issue nobody should miss:

 

 

 

 

OK, I was really hoping that this one was posted. I grew up in Main Line suburban Philly and the local comic book store was The Comic Nook, which was run by Jamie Hallett and...his mom! Yes, that's right, he owned and ran a comic book store with his mommy and they were both in the store ALL of the time. And this guy was as close to The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons as you could ever imagine. He eventually sold the store to some guy who then sold the store to Mike Clark, who has run Showcase Comics on Lancaster Ave. since then.

Anyway, during the 80s Independent Comics boom, he decided to get in the game and self-published this comic book! I think it ran 3-4 issues before he gave up but there are two hilarious anecdotes that I recall from that period. First of all, he declared the book "hot" within a few weeks of publication and would try to sell copies for $10+, and secondly, he tried to sell the original art to the first issue for some insane amount of money. Him and his mom were quite the characters and I've tried to google him over the years to no avail. I have no idea what happened to him but I would love to know.

[dem1138]

Yeah I remember reading that Liefeld had worked there but wasn't sure if I had the comic or not. I have a pretty good but not quite complete Silverwolf collection.

 

I was like that with Aircel for a while. Anything Aircel, I was going after it. But I found the early issues are what I appreciated the most when it came to Elflord and Samurai. I probably could be convinced to go after Dragonring and Stark Future as well.

 

What's the best series from Silverwolf?

 

A buddy of mine just paid serious money for the cover to The Realm #2 and he's been turned down several times on the #1. I don't think the seller understands that there's one buyer in the universe that will pay what he will. He also owns the cover to Samurai #3 and it is totally awesome in person. When I saw it I said, "there are about three people in the world that can appreciate this cover, and I am one of them!" I guess there are actually more.

[dem1138]

First print

 

Had this.Wasn't it limited to something like 5000 copies?

 

Even scarier is why do I remember that?

 

This is awesome. Haven't seen the 1st print for decades.

[dem1138]

The Last Generation, this is probably one of my favorite covers of all time "Chill out wolf-dude. It's not worth it" :

 

 

 

I sent a full set of this series to someone as part of their Christmas present two years ago. It wasn't a horrible series compared to the massive mess that started to appear in the late 80s. Supposedly, there was a portfolio as well I tried to track down.

 

 

First of all, this thread is totally awesome. Secondly I either have or had this. It came with a matching numbered #1 inside. I think he came to a Philly con when it came out and I bought it. I either tossed it about 10 years ago or I still have it but I can't check until Thanksgiving.

 

I was able to check - no dice. I tossed it years ago. Oh well. But I do remember being impressed with the art for the portfolio plates.

[the blob]

the happy the clown art doesn't look so bad. the concept might be stupid...

[comiconxion]

Add me to the list of people that would pay for the Realm #1 cover. I was always blown away by the colors on that cover. I remember talking to the woman who colored it back when the book came out - thought she was genious.

 

Anyone want to trade Realm for Fish Police? I have nice examples of that art!

 

A buddy of mine just paid serious money for the cover to The Realm #2 and he's been turned down several times on the #1. I don't think the seller understands that there's one buyer in the universe that will pay what he will. .

[the blob]

That wolf comic looks well-illustrated at least, albeit probably a moronic story.

 

410 East 53rd in Brooklyn isn't too far from me. I wouldn't drive there at night or with my doors unlocked and it was worse in the 80s (almost everywhere in NYC was worse in the 80s).

[the blob]

First print

 

Had this.Wasn't it limited to something like 5000 copies?

 

Even scarier is why do I remember that?

 

This is awesome. Haven't seen the 1st print for decades.

 

no offense, but that is one homicidal looking ginger (is that term offensive nowadays?). i guess one too many red headed stepchild jokes...

Edited November 6, 2013 by the blob

[Crimebuster]

 

 

This is by the same guy who does those pamphlets showing you what to do if your airplane crashes, right?

[Crimebuster]

Man, I had a bunch of real doozies, but I guess I got rid of most of them at some point because I couldn't find them to post.

 

But I did manage to dig up a couple winners.

 

Introducing: Wasteland Man!

 

[Crimebuster]

God's Favorite Comic Magazine!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eve really needs to get her hair did.

 

 

[mrwoogieman]

 

 

This is by the same guy who does those pamphlets showing you what to do if your airplane crashes, right?

 

 

In that last panel, did the artist draw the guy's pubes on the outside of his clothes??

[SpaFon]

Man, I had a bunch of real doozies, but I guess I got rid of most of them at some point because I couldn't find them to post.

 

But I did manage to dig up a couple winners.

 

Introducing: Wasteland Man!

 

 

Looking at the cover I read that as "Wastel and Man", I might be a bit hungover...

 

 

 

 

God's Favorite Comic Magazine!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eve really needs to get her hair did.

 

 

 

The artists really likes his squiggles, that's a hard thing to master!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is by the same guy who does those pamphlets showing you what to do if your airplane crashes, right?

 

 

In that last panel, did the artist draw the guy's pubes on the outside of his clothes??

 

Some men are just too manly for pants to contain.

 

 

[Gatsby77]

A few more:

 

The one origin issue nobody should miss:

 

 

 

 

OK, I was really hoping that this one was posted. I grew up in Main Line suburban Philly and the local comic book store was The Comic Nook, which was run by Jamie Hallett and...his mom! Yes, that's right, he owned and ran a comic book store with his mommy and they were both in the store ALL of the time. And this guy was as close to The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons as you could ever imagine. He eventually sold the store to some guy who then sold the store to Mike Clark, who has run Showcase Comics on Lancaster Ave. since then.

Anyway, during the 80s Independent Comics boom, he decided to get in the game and self-published this comic book! I think it ran 3-4 issues before he gave up but there are two hilarious anecdotes that I recall from that period. First of all, he declared the book "hot" within a few weeks of publication and would try to sell copies for $10+, and secondly, he tried to sell the original art to the first issue for some insane amount of money. Him and his mom were quite the characters and I've tried to google him over the years to no avail. I have no idea what happened to him but I would love to know.

 

That's awesome, because Showcase Comics on Lancaster Ave. was my home comic store growing up. If I recall correctly he eventually expanded to three stores (South Street & the Granite Run Mall) before eventually going back to just the one.

 

Never went to The Comic Nook, but I remember the various Fat Jack's and Comics & More locations in the early-mid 90s.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

the happy the clown art doesn't look so bad. the concept might be stupid...

 

Let's just say it was bad enough that he didn't want to talk about it. J.G Jones was ashamed of the work he did for Defiant. Everything is relative. My point was that most artists start rough and get better with time and practice.

 

DG

[dgarthwaite-migration]

Here's a repost of something I posted elsewhere.

 

Dream-Knight #1

 

For a Christian comics, this story is quite devoid of hope. Bible verses are scattered throughout, but the story seems to be just using that as window dressing. The price is a whopping $7.77. My copy is signed. I bought it from the creator at a convention to be nice. I knew the art was rather unimpressive. The pacing of the story is irregular. It does have a rather complicated plot, but several pages are spent on small talk and romance between the main character and his wife. The lead character makes pointless comments about his wife like "Her skin sure is soft." There's a whole page or two dedicated to 2 kids lusting after his wife and a priest reprimanding them. Afterwards, the priest thinks to himself that he was doing the same.

 

The hero and his wife take a vacation at an Amish village in Ohio so she can research the Amish for a movie role. James Cameran (sic) wanted her for the role. While there and sleeping, the hero and another female character (Vexxus?) encounter a demon and confront him. It's not really clear what is dream world and what is real world. It's almost as if that is completely insignificant. At first I thought his wife was turning into Vexxus (sp?), but later I decided it was another character. Essentially this guy seemed to be having a non-sexual fling on the side with some superpowered female in the dream world. Vexxus has supposedly lived for thousands of year, but looks only 19 according to a bio. The adversary in the comic is a demon so powerful that he only reports to Satan. The only reason he reports to Satan is that he's not sure he could overcome Satan. In addition to him there are hordes of demon minions that just attack the hero and prevent him from doing anything he needs to do. Jesus Christ makes a cameo to save his life and give him purpose. At the end, nothing really goes like the hero wants. Many questions are left unanswered. What happened to his wife? If he dies in his dream, does he die in real life? Is the author more interested in Satan than salvation? You simply can't tell from reading the comic. This is full color with glossy pages. It is the size of two or three comics all bound as one. I was too lazy to count the pages.

 

DG

Edited November 11, 2013 by dgarthwaite

[Brother J]

That's awesome, because Showcase Comics on Lancaster Ave. was my home comic store growing up. If I recall correctly he eventually expanded to three stores (South Street & the Granite Run Mall) before eventually going back to just the one.

 

The Showcase Comics website shows they still have the Granite Run Mall store along with the Bryn Mawr store. I haven't been there in a few months, but I assume it's still there.

[Gatsby77]

Hah--yeah--I checked the website this evening too. It's probably still there, but the site also notes it's date 2011. I just haven't been in 15 years.

 

They have a pretty robust Facebook page, though. Impressed that Mike's made it through for the last 20+ years (and a bit jealous!)

[Brother J]

Hah--yeah--I checked the website this evening too. It's probably still there, but the site also notes it's date 2011. I just haven't been in 15 years.

 

They have a pretty robust Facebook page, though. Impressed that Mike's made it through for the last 20+ years (and a bit jealous!)

 

I remember Mike being at comic shows in Pottstown, PA back in the late 80's. The shows were organized by a comics dealer who I worked for at the time. The guy I worked for always managed to get some pretty good guests, as well. One show he had Steranko and the other one had Frank Thorne as a guest. It's sad that the Pottstown area doesn't have a comic shop nowadays, I have to go to Reading or King of Prussia to get new books at shops now. I wonder if anyone here remembers the shop I worked at, Terk's Comics in Pottstown.

 

Sorry to go off on a tangent, but this thread with these books remind me of the old shop, as the owner was always buying a ton of these kind of books during the Black & White Comics boom and bust. I think he was left with a lot of junk books, which I believe was part of the reason he went out of business eventually.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Brother J