j_scott_o Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Just flipping thru some comics I bought yesterday at HPB. One was Air Raiders #1 by Star Comics. I know Star Comics was Marvel's line aimed at kids in the 1980s. Pulled it out of the 25cent bin. I think I'm going to start grabbing these when I see them for $1 or less in nice condition. My questions: How common are these? How common are they in higher grades? Does anyone collect them? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Smooth Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Just flipping thru some comics I bought yesterday at HPB. One was Air Raiders #1 by Star Comics. I know Star Comics was Marvel's line aimed at kids in the 1980s. Pulled it out of the 25cent bin. I think I'm going to start grabbing these when I see them for $1 or less in nice condition. My questions: How common are these? How common are they in higher grades? Does anyone collect them? Thanks If I'm not mistaken, I believe there are a few big Star collectors, and the price variants are desired most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kaptain Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topnotchman Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 The #1's in the star line are typically the most common, the tail end of the runs can get quite scarce for an 80's book. djzombi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topnotchman Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 The strawberry shortcake, masters of universe, ewoks, thunder cats have a toy movie tv crossover which creates some collectible demand. Otherwise there is little demand in the general comic collecting community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_scott_o Posted November 29, 2013 Author Share Posted November 29, 2013 I was thinking Star Comics might be the modern, um, I mean copper, day equivalent of Whitman. Figure if I can pick up VF or better copies for $1 or less, I can't be doing too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardevil0 Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Yeah, this line was kind of all over the place. You'd be as well off burning Top Dog and Wally the Wizard for heat this winter, but high grade Chuck Norris and the Karate Kommandos will sell. Hardly any from this line were kept in nice shape; I remember the entire imprint being generally dismissed by the comic shop but had a decent presence on the newsstand. I'd pick up almost any of the licensed books in VF and up for $1, also any of the 25th Anniversary hero frame covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion HQ Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Regarding the 25th Anniversary covers, I had thoughts at one point a few years ago to do a personally bound book of all of those comics. BY FAR, for whatever reason, the most difficult one of those to find in any kind of quality condition, let alone a high grade copy, was the Star Comics' Heathcliff #12. Good luck if you ever want to find one in HG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanfingh Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I've never seen a Heathcliff. That is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kaptain Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 On a side note, has anyone else noticed that the Star Comics appear to be printed on a different paper stock and/or used a different type of ink than most of the regular Marvel Comics? I remember the ink being much brighter and less natural in Star Comicsl. Also, the paper tended to be prone to warping/wrinkling, and it felt somewhat stiffer than the paper used in regular Marvels. Does anyone know what I am talking about? Why did they use different paper stock and/or ink in the Star Comics? Just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjrjr Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 (edited) On a side note, has anyone else noticed that the Star Comics appear to be printed on a different paper stock and/or used a different type of ink than most of the regular Marvel Comics? I remember the ink being much brighter and less natural in Star Comicsl. Also, the paper tended to be prone to warping/wrinkling, and it felt somewhat stiffer than the paper used in regular Marvels. Does anyone know what I am talking about? Why did they use different paper stock and/or ink in the Star Comics? Just wondering. I believe many of the Marvel comics printed at that time are apt to warp/wrinkle. I see it with many of the issues I bought in that time period (end of the $0.65 issues, most $0.75 issues, and the beginning of the $1.00 issues.) I remember it on titles like Quasar, Darkhawk, and Web of Spider-Man. The ink was also brighter and very "pixelated." I'm not sure this can be attributed as a Star Comics thing so much as a Marvel comic thing. This was a period of experimentation by the big 2 with regards to different paper stock, printing techniques, etc. I think this was one of the weaker periods with regards to the inks and colors found in comics. I always attributed the warping effect to the heavy inks applied to the thinner, but heavier pages. Edited December 4, 2013 by rjrjr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warlord Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Just flipping thru some comics I bought yesterday at HPB. One was Air Raiders #1 by Star Comics. I know Star Comics was Marvel's line aimed at kids in the 1980s. Pulled it out of the 25cent bin. I think I'm going to start grabbing these when I see them for $1 or less in nice condition. My questions: How common are these? How common are they in higher grades? Does anyone collect them? Thanks Lots of good advice in this thread already regarding common/uncommon. Regarding grade, they frequently come in one of two conditions - trashed or unread/NM I've found quite a few that you'd imagine are unread copies. But if they were kid-owned you're going to find lots of wear and tear. I've collected every Star comic but for a couple stray issues. Without doing an actual accounting I'd guesstimate that I've found about 90% of them in HG, ie, around NM or better. A few forumites have touted the rarity of the Canadian priced versions in past Star comics or related threads. I've not pursued those as I don't find them of interest enough to be worth the trouble. YMMV It's a fun set to pursue! As you've discovered you can find them, probably the bulk of them, for cheap if you are willing to dig through bargain boxes. There are, however, a few stray issues or portions of some title runs that are seriously HTF. I still occasionally nab a Star comic when I find a toughie or an upgrade so the hoard continues to grow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I recently picked up a couple of the digests as readers and they are a lot of fun. Madballs are my fave for sure. I seem to remember greggy posting quite a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 One year at heroes i found 2 longboxes of unread star comic titles under a dealers table. djzombi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blockedshot Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I have quite a few runs of Star Comic titles. I don't actively seek them out these days but I do own quite a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J DUB Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 I collect Star Comics in CGC 9.8 White pages. They are hard to come by in high grade. Most you can find in dollar bins. Like what was said earlier, the first issues are not as rare. The Canadian price variants can be highly collectible in any grade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J DUB Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Just picked up some Foreign edition Ewoks. These are from Yugoslavia according to the seller: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
followtheleader Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I read a little Yugoslavian. Male Strip Tease? What kind of Ewoks book are you reading bro? Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Bronze age fan* Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Any one with any higher grade Star dupes that's what's to sell them....send me a PM. They are right after (3/1985) the time that I wanted to complete. But cheesy 80s Marvel comics are right up my alley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J DUB Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 (edited) I just got this back from CGC: Edited August 24, 2014 by J DUB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
