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Collecting Star Comics
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100 posts in this topic

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

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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.
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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.

726047.jpg

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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!

 

Heathcliff12_zps925872a7.jpg

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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.

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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 by rjrjr
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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 lol 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. lol

 

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! :ohnoez:

 

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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.

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