Comics you probably should own but can't bring yourself to pay for?

[Firespitter]

Being a completionist and a bit of an obsessive list-checker, I have one book missing from truely completing an otherwise anal retentive collection of Hellboy comics.

The comic (really a fanzine) I'm talking about is Dime Press #4. The cover has an appearance of a prototype Mignola Hellboy jumping Nathan Never (who, for some reason has batwings and a tail??).

 

Just wondering if anyone else has a comic (or comics) that they logically should own but can't bring themselves to acquire; not because they can't afford it or they can't find a copy available for sale, but simply because it doesn't seem relevant to you? Or the cost just seems so completely out of wack with reality for what it comprises? Or it's just so dumb or over-hyped you feel like it morally objectionable to pay for?

 

In the case above (in my mind, I try to justify relevence), Hellboy is the wrong color, is missing his characteristic trench coat and sidearm. He also doesn't appear anywhere in the comic interior. It is one single illustration of him not even a full composition with a background. And probably most importantly, the book itself is in Italian and I don't read or speak Italian. So even if there was the most increadible story in the universe lying in it's pages, I wouldn't be able to understand it.

 

And yet due to it's arguably appearant rarity (1500 copies? Unconfirmed; Possibly more) it garners a very high asking price on Ebay.

 

I should add in regards to relevance, as part of my Hellboy collection, I even have a copy of Frank Miller's Sin City: Hell and Back, where the only appearance of Hellboy is in a single cell where his disembodied head appears during a hallucination sequence. But! This otherwise irrelevant appearance of Hellboy didn't cost me more than $1.50. And perhaps ironically, I felt the cost more reasonably reflected the relevance.

 

But in the case above, Dime Press #4, despite lacking any real hellboy content somehow manages to overshadow by multitudes in price smaller runs such as: The Wild Hunt Variant (limited to 1k) which in my experience can be had for as little as $45-60 and actually is a comic that people can read and enjoy and chock full of relevent content.

 

So, is there a comic out there that you probably should have in your collection, but you just can't bring yourself to buy (even if you had the money)?

 

Just curious.

[romanheart]

Any number of DD issues I need still but won't pay the money asked for them, because there are other better priced issues available that I can buy first.

 

I am missing DD2-14 for example.

[Mr 9.8]

NM#98 It's nowhere near being rare enough to command the prices it gets.

[davidpg]

Hulk 181. I'm just waiting for one to show up somewhere completely randomly like in a used book store or thrift store. Only a matter of time.

[CBT]

DC keys

[Unca Ben]

Me too. Hulk 181. And ASM 252. I can't see paying more for those than I did my JIM 83, Avengers 1 or DD 1 ('course I bought those some time ago - but still...).

[Shadow Images]

Batman 1 and Detective Comics 27-38 I'm sure at some point I will pick up a few of the TEC's.

[chrisco37]

ASM 252 shouldn't set you back much.

[Scturo]

NM#98 It's nowhere near being rare enough to command the prices it gets.

 

+1

[mysterio]

TTA #27. I have never felt that that book was worth the asking price, even before the recent movie run-up.

[Brian48]

Batman #200 was the last Adams Bat I needed to complete the run. I really didn't want to spend very much on it and to be honest, I'm not crazy about the book itself either. It's clearly SA, which I don't collect, and the cover itself is not all that great either. I did eventually find a very nice copy at a relatively cheap price so I'm satisfied for now with no desire to upgrade.

 

Same for Bats 222, although I did wind up spending WAY too much on this book. I needed it just to fill the hole and as popular as this book is for some folks, it really doesn't spark that much pride of ownership for me like it should.

 

Put me in the camp for Hulk 181 as well. Had a beautiful copy back in the day when I was originally collecting. I "should" pursue this book today, but I just can't get myself interested in owning it or footing the price tag for a nice copy.

 

On the fence about Batman Adventures #12. I love Harley, but the book is inflated right now and I don't really buy a lot of books older than 1980 to begin with.

[budsbundy]

I collect FF and all solo, mini series, one shots, and crossover appearances by them.

The two books that fall under the above heading that I have so far refused to shell out the money for are Spiderman #1 and Strange tales #110

[Unca Ben]

ASM 252 shouldn't set you back much.

 

That's true. Don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. Hulk 181 though...

[rjpb]

A few years ago I decided to refocus and now rarely pay more than $100 for anything I plan to keep. I'll make an exception here or there, and I still have books worth far more than that in my collection, but anything that would cost me more than $300-400 now, I would only buy as an investment, and then usually short term.

 

When you don't really collect superhero runs or aren't overly enamored of first appearances, and are more cover oriented with a taste for other genres, there is still quite a lot of 50s era stuff one can find fairly cheap.

 

When it comes to 60s and onwards the only stuff I might spend more than a few bucks on are scarce undergrounds. One book I don't have largely because I never felt like paying the price is Tales from the Ozone #1. There are other undergrounds, mostly tabloid or some scarce first prinitngs I didn't pick up years ago, that I just don't feel like chasing for the money, but wouldn't mind owning.

 

 

[Artboy99]

Walking Dead.

I love reading it, I watch the show so obviously I am interested and i do want to own the comics, yet I just can't pull the trigger on books because of the ridiculous prices.

[shadroch]

I've never ,ever owned an Iron Man #1. I've multiples of almost all his TOS books, but never bought a IM #1. Doctor Strange 169 was a similar book, but I just got one as part of a larger collection.

[rjrjr]

 

There are 4 comics that I would love to own, but I won't pay the price they fetch. That would be the Star Wars 1-4 $0.35 variants. The only 4 comics missing in my otherwise complete Star Wars collection.

 

I have had ample opportunities over the year to buy these comics, but I just cannot bring myself to pulling the trigger at the prices being asked. My logical side keeps kicking in and telling me how silly it is to spend so much money for a digit difference on the cover. And then I think about what other comics I can buy with that money.

 

If the price is ever right, I might make the purchase. But with high grade copies of #1 well in 4 digits, I doubt it.

[snowman28]

Giant Size X-Men

 

Worshiped this X-Men team as a kid growing up, but for some reason I don't feel the need to go out there and drop the cash for this book.

 

Could be the fact that they are so plentiful in hight grade and I can't decide if I should pick up a 8.5/9.0/9.2/9.4 etc etc

[makeminemego]

I've never ,ever owned an Iron Man #1. I've multiples of almost all his TOS books, but never bought a IM #1. Doctor Strange 169 was a similar book, but I just got one as part of a larger collection.

 

 

I've always been the same way with regards to Iron Man #1. If it were priced like a Sub-Mariner #1, I 'd pick one up. Way overvalued, in my opinion.

[vaillant]

For now, Fantastic Four #1.

 

But I hope I’ll find my way to it, some way…

 

 

Dime Press, as I have explained privately to some other collectors here, had surely not the print run of a fanzine, as it was halfway between a fanzine and a promotional magazine.

Information coming from Francesco Manetti, a friend of mine which was one of the editors, attests the print run roughly around 13000 copies (data came from Antonio Vianovi, which was the publisher).

 

It’s not easy to find here either, but if it happens I find a copy for cheap I’ll be happy to give it to someone of you Hellboy fans, maybe through some kind of "game" not to displease anyone.

 

Well, I have been an early Hellboy reader but I never thought to pick up Dime Press… it was mostly a magazine about Bonelli comics.