Tell Me a Tale - For Those Who Love Comics 9 9

[bc]

Part 3 of the Saga...

During one college summer break, got a job as a cook at a local Italian joint. We had to wear the classic black & white nylon checkered pants, white shirt and stupid hat even though we were hidden from customers other than a "slot" that we handed food to the waitresses.

I was still collecting in college and still had my entire childhood collection, but much slower due to a lack of funds. You could only give so much plasma a week...

One day that summer, I saw an ad in the local paper that someone was selling several GA books - something I wanted to get into but really didn't have a source.

I called the number and spoke with the seller. He said he had a Marvel Mystery Comic, two Sub-mariner and some Timely Funny Animal books and he wanted $100 for the lot. I had an Overstreet and thought that was a pretty fair amount and setup a time after work to stop by and check them out.

So dressed as Chef Boy-R-Dee, I head to the residence in one of the seedier areas of town.

Locate his apartment and ring the bell - to be greeted by a buck-nak'd little boy and the smell of weed (and it wasn't good weed). I ask if his dad is home and he calls out some guys name. 

So the seller comes over to the door and gives me the hairy eyeball - don't blame him as I looked fairly odd in my cook clothes standing in a crack housing complex. I'm 6'3" and this guy was at least 6 inches taller than me and at least twice my weight sporting the classic food stained wife-beater tank top and oily jeans.

I nervously tell him I called about the comics.

He invited me in and the comics were nearby on a table, along with a loaded pistol and a half-empty bottle of Black Velvet and several Budweiser cans and rolling papers.

At this point my brain decided to shut down the negotiating lobe and engage the self-preservation mode.

After a quick thumb thru I agreed to his $100 price, gave him the cash, grabbed the books and hoped my car was still intact.

I got a MMC72, a Subby 27 & 29 and some Terry Toons, which started me on a whole new direction of collecting. Sadly, I sold them off many years later.

-bc

[Jayman]

On 7/8/2024 at 7:22 PM, bc said:

So dressed as Chef Boy-R-Dee, 

Need to see a pic of this to enjoy the full story… 

[bc]

On 7/8/2024 at 7:31 PM, Jayman said:

Need to see a pic of this to enjoy the full story… 

2nd from the left but with these pants

-bc

[Jayman]

On 7/8/2024 at 7:35 PM, bc said:

2nd from the left but with these pants

The way you told your story, I was envisioning this: 

[bc]

On 7/8/2024 at 8:37 PM, Jayman said:

The way you told your story, I was envisioning this: 

It was damn close.

-bc

[Jayman]

On 7/8/2024 at 8:38 PM, bc said:

It was damn close.

Edited July 9 by Jayman

[Hepcat]

My first exposure to comics was in the comic section of the Saturday London Free Press in the late 1950's. The Uncle Remus and his Tales of Brer Rabbit strip was my early favourite:

I'm still a fan of the Uncle Remus characters after all these years and I have dozens of copies of the strip in my collection today. I even have a custom stained glass window with Brer Fox in my collectibles room:

The first comic books I can remember reading in the spring and summer of 1959 featured Felix's Nephews Inky & Dinky. I recall my buddy Phil and I from across the street thought that Dinky was a very cool name! They were of course rather beat up and I have no clue as to the actual issue(s) but here's one from my collection today:

The first comics I can recall buying were the Cicero's Cat 1 and 2 in the summer of 1959. I bought them at Ken's Variety on Wharncliffe Road in London, Ontario and I very clearly remember my father initially telling me to take #2 back because he thought I already had a copy!

1

2

Though I was already familiar with Superman and Batman comics from the barber shop or wherever, the first superhero comics I distinctly remember reading were the Adventures of the Fly in early 1961. I remember reading them at Lamont & Perkins drugstore a block away on Wortley Road before they chased me out, at which point I'd head for Tyler & Zettel's pharmacy a few blocks away. I believe they only stocked Archie, Dell and Classics Illustrated comics in these drug stores which is why the Fly was the first superhero to catch my attention. I'm not absolutely sure which issue of the Adventures of the Fly first captured my attention but it may have been #12:

Bethlehem copy

In any event, I very clearly remember seeing these ads in Adventures of the Fly 13 heralding the introduction of Fly Girl and the Jaguar:

I also read through the Adventures of the Jaguar 1 when it first hit the newsstand:

It included this dandy ad for the mysterious Fly Girl:

A copy of Space Adventures belonging to the older brother of my buddy Paul featuring the powerful Captain Atom further whetted my appetite for the pajama brigade.

 

The memory of these pages featuring a Nikita Khrushchev like character has never left me:

The first DC superhero comic I can specifically remember reading was Green Lantern 11 in the spring of 1962 which a buddy on a farm near Mount Brydges just outside of London had. 

I still remember how it filled me with a sense of awe and wonder at the time. A copy of Justice League of America 8 that I read at a Lithuanian kids' summer camp a couple of months later that same year clinched the deal:

When I got home from camp, I marched right down to Les' Variety on the corner to check out the comics on the spinner rack. The first superhero comic I bought was Justice League 14:

The other superhero comics I bought off the spinner rack at Les' Variety as part of that first batch included Detective Comics 307 and Batman 150:

A Superboy or a World's Finest Comics plus Adventures of the Jaguar 8 were also part of that first batch:

But they swiftly ended up in the trash when my older sister convinced my mother that comics would surely corrupt me. And of course she was right. They have!

But my appetite for more comics had already been whetted by DC house ads such as these (although I'm no longer entirely sure where or when I first saw them):

Within a year I was back to seriously accumulating comics again and here I am today!

Edited July 9 by Hepcat

[CGC Mike]

On 11/29/2023 at 6:41 PM, skypinkblu said:

@ComicMike we really do need a hug emoji...I'm sure I'm not the only one who will use it.

 

Who is @ComicMike?     I'll see what I can dig up.   

[Hepcat]

On 7/8/2024 at 8:47 AM, themagicrobot said:

@Hudson Started this thread last year and I think it is time people started posting here again. Slabbed comics and debates about what is 9.4 or 9.6 are all well and good but I'd far rather read about Tales good and bad, happy and sad.

Oh absolutely! I fully agree.

[Strange Trip]

I love this thread, one of my favorite parts of the boards is comic collecting stories from a time when you had to leave the couch to buy your comics. 

   My favorite collecting memory is saving up $20 bucks in grade school to buy an X- Men back issue ( wish to god I knew which one) at the local comic shop. I was so upset when he told me it had sold, that I left the store without buying anything.  Mom stopped at the grocery store on the way home and I remember pouting in back of the car while she shopped.    
 

 On the way home she cut through a neighborhood and I saw a guy that looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo, sitting on the curb with 2 long boxes and a sign that said comics 50 cents!   Was this real? It was like a comic Lemonade stand! I yelled for Mom to stop which she did.  She yelled after me as I ran down the street to hurry up the ice cream was melting.  

   This Copper, Marvel collecting kid had no idea what to buy in these 2 boxes of mostly Bronze and Silver DC’s.  I picked the handful of Marvel FF and his 2 Avengers, and then a dozen Justice League, a few Hawkman, Aquaman and then some I thought weird DC stuff: Doom Patrol, Creeper, Deadman and The Spectre…40 books in all!  

    I collected all through High School (mostly copper and bronze) and then quit when I moved out of the house. I left my collection in storage at my folks house when I moved out, where it sat for 30 years.

 I sometime thought about the beatnik guy on the curb with his 50 cent  comics and wondered what his story was and if it was just some dream I had as a kid.  I remember Mom thought he was a drug addict who needed money.  I guess to be fair he did look like Shaggy.

i brought my collection home from my parent’s house this past Christmas and low and behold those 40 comics were still all together in the nastiest yellow bags you’ve ever seen. Among them: pretty darn nice copies of Avengers 8 1st Kang, & 52 Panther Joins, a bunch of  the Neal Adams JLA covers, Doom Patrol 99 1st Beast Boy, FF 58, 67 Doom app, 67 HIM, and the 50 cent winner a VG copy of  FF 48 1st Galactus and Surfer!  
 

Rediscovering those books brought back so many great collecting memories.  Needless to say I am back down the rabbit hole with avengance and loving it..  Thanks  50 cent comic Shaggy wherever you are.
 

 

 

[Coverdeath]

On 7/9/2024 at 3:44 AM, Hepcat said:

My first exposure to comics was in the comic section of the Saturday London Free Press in the late 1950's. The Uncle Remus and his Tales of Brer Rabbit strip was my early favourite:

I'm still a fan of the Uncle Remus characters after all these years and I have dozens of copies of the strip in my collection today. I even have a custom stained glass window with Brer Fox in my collectibles room:

The first comic books I can remember reading in the spring and summer of 1959 featured Felix's Nephews Inky & Dinky. I recall my buddy Phil and I from across the street thought that Dinky was a very cool name! They were of course rather beat up and I have no clue as to the actual issue(s) but here's one from my collection today:

The first comics I can recall buying were the Cicero's Cat 1 and 2 in the summer of 1959. I bought them at Ken's Variety on Wharncliffe Road in London, Ontario and I very clearly remember my father initially telling me to take #2 back because he thought I already had a copy!

1

2

Though I was already familiar with Superman and Batman comics from the barber shop or wherever, the first superhero comics I distinctly remember reading were the Adventures of the Fly in early 1961. I remember reading them at Lamont & Perkins drugstore a block away on Wortley Road before they chased me out, at which point I'd head for Tyler & Zettel's pharmacy a few blocks away. I believe they only stocked Archie, Dell and Classics Illustrated comics in these drug stores which is why the Fly was the first superhero to catch my attention. I'm not absolutely sure which issue of the Adventures of the Fly first captured my attention but it may have been #12:

Bethlehem copy

In any event, I very clearly remember seeing these ads in Adventures of the Fly 13 heralding the introduction of Fly Girl and the Jaguar:

I also read through the Adventures of the Jaguar 1 when it first hit the newsstand:

It included this dandy ad for the mysterious Fly Girl:

A copy of Space Adventures belonging to the older brother of my buddy Paul featuring the powerful Captain Atom further whetted my appetite for the pajama brigade.

 

The memory of these pages featuring a Nikita Khrushchev like character has never left me:

The first DC superhero comic I can specifically remember reading was Green Lantern 11 in the spring of 1962 which a buddy on a farm near Mount Brydges just outside of London had. 

I still remember how it filled me with a sense of awe and wonder at the time. A copy of Justice League of America 8 that I read at a Lithuanian kids' summer camp a couple of months later that same year clinched the deal:

When I got home from camp, I marched right down to Les' Variety on the corner to check out the comics on the spinner rack. The first superhero comic I bought was Justice League 14:

The other superhero comics I bought off the spinner rack at Les' Variety as part of that first batch included Detective Comics 307 and Batman 150:

A Superboy or a World's Finest Comics plus Adventures of the Jaguar 8 were also part of that first batch:

But they swiftly ended up in the trash when my older sister convinced my mother that comics would surely corrupt me. And of course she was right. They have!

But my appetite for more comics had already been whetted by DC house ads such as these (although I'm no longer entirely sure where or when I first saw them):

Within a year I was back to seriously accumulating comics again and here I am today!

Thanks you are always of a great contributions on the SA threads but I never known much more about the man behind this amazing collection, I didn't realized you where from UK, and I never known too that your now in Canada 

[Hudson]

On 7/8/2024 at 9:44 PM, Hepcat said:

My first exposure to comics was in the comic section of the Saturday London Free Press in the late 1950's. The Uncle Remus and his Tales of Brer Rabbit strip was my early favourite:

I'm still a fan of the Uncle Remus characters after all these years and I have dozens of copies of the strip in my collection today. I even have a custom stained glass window with Brer Fox in my collectibles room:

The first comic books I can remember reading in the spring and summer of 1959 featured Felix's Nephews Inky & Dinky. I recall my buddy Phil and I from across the street thought that Dinky was a very cool name! They were of course rather beat up and I have no clue as to the actual issue(s) but here's one from my collection today:

The first comics I can recall buying were the Cicero's Cat 1 and 2 in the summer of 1959. I bought them at Ken's Variety on Wharncliffe Road in London, Ontario and I very clearly remember my father initially telling me to take #2 back because he thought I already had a copy!

1

2

Though I was already familiar with Superman and Batman comics from the barber shop or wherever, the first superhero comics I distinctly remember reading were the Adventures of the Fly in early 1961. I remember reading them at Lamont & Perkins drugstore a block away on Wortley Road before they chased me out, at which point I'd head for Tyler & Zettel's pharmacy a few blocks away. I believe they only stocked Archie, Dell and Classics Illustrated comics in these drug stores which is why the Fly was the first superhero to catch my attention. I'm not absolutely sure which issue of the Adventures of the Fly first captured my attention but it may have been #12:

Bethlehem copy

In any event, I very clearly remember seeing these ads in Adventures of the Fly 13 heralding the introduction of Fly Girl and the Jaguar:

I also read through the Adventures of the Jaguar 1 when it first hit the newsstand:

It included this dandy ad for the mysterious Fly Girl:

A copy of Space Adventures belonging to the older brother of my buddy Paul featuring the powerful Captain Atom further whetted my appetite for the pajama brigade.

 

The memory of these pages featuring a Nikita Khrushchev like character has never left me:

The first DC superhero comic I can specifically remember reading was Green Lantern 11 in the spring of 1962 which a buddy on a farm near Mount Brydges just outside of London had. 

I still remember how it filled me with a sense of awe and wonder at the time. A copy of Justice League of America 8 that I read at a Lithuanian kids' summer camp a couple of months later that same year clinched the deal:

When I got home from camp, I marched right down to Les' Variety on the corner to check out the comics on the spinner rack. The first superhero comic I bought was Justice League 14:

The other superhero comics I bought off the spinner rack at Les' Variety as part of that first batch included Detective Comics 307 and Batman 150:

A Superboy or a World's Finest Comics plus Adventures of the Jaguar 8 were also part of that first batch:

But they swiftly ended up in the trash when my older sister convinced my mother that comics would surely corrupt me. And of course she was right. They have!

But my appetite for more comics had already been whetted by DC house ads such as these (although I'm no longer entirely sure where or when I first saw them):

Within a year I was back to seriously accumulating comics again and here I am today!

Great story with lots of pictures.   Doesn’t get much better than this.  
Thank you!!!

[fastballspecial]

Ive told this tale before elsewhere, but its my favorite. 

In college in the mid 90s a year or two before the crash. I'm a junior and I'm flat broke and I don't have the money
for my next semester tuition. I decide to set up at a flea market to sell of some of my comics to try
to make enough to pay for some of my books and tuition. My family and my girlfriend laughed at me, but I set
up Sat & Sunday that weekend. I put an ad in the local paper as well. 

Saturday afternoon came and went I made about $3-400 which was a decent amount back then it
was less then I wanted for the weekend, but it was better than nothing. Sunday was much slower until the afternoon
a man in his late 20s/early 30s showed up with his wife. He proceeded to go thru my books and literally bought
like 100+ books that ranged in price from $4 to $40 each. He paid cash and I cut him a good discount. I took 
home around $1400 or so that day. Paid for my tuition and my books that semester I was so happy. 

Years later I found it was the owner of Crash Comics in Paducah, KY. I tell this story every time I come into his 
store to his employees. I've been coming to that store for over 20+ years paying that man back. I still get emotional
30 years later telling this story. I tell it at every comic book show I set up in my area at as well. His store is about 90 miles from
me and I try to make it twice a year and spend money down there even though I don't have too anymore.
I do it anyways as a tradition. 

I could tell you all about growing up reading comics whenever this poor kid could find them, but I think this story is better. 

 

[Hepcat]

On 9/15/2024 at 9:31 AM, Coverdeath said:

Thanks you are always of a great contributions on the SA threads but I never known much more about the man behind this amazing collection, I didn't realized you where from UK, and I never known too that your now in Canada 

I'm not from the United Kingdom. I was born and raised in London, Ontario (home of O-Pee-Chee) and I'm now in Toronto.

[Hudson]

On 9/22/2024 at 12:59 AM, fastballspecial said:

Ive told this tale before elsewhere, but its my favorite. 

In college in the mid 90s a year or two before the crash. I'm a junior and I'm flat broke and I don't have the money
for my next semester tuition. I decide to set up at a flea market to sell of some of my comics to try
to make enough to pay for some of my books and tuition. My family and my girlfriend laughed at me, but I set
up Sat & Sunday that weekend. I put an ad in the local paper as well. 

Saturday afternoon came and went I made about $3-400 which was a decent amount back then it
was less then I wanted for the weekend, but it was better than nothing. Sunday was much slower until the afternoon
a man in his late 20s/early 30s showed up with his wife. He proceeded to go thru my books and literally bought
like 100+ books that ranged in price from $4 to $40 each. He paid cash and I cut him a good discount. I took 
home around $1400 or so that day. Paid for my tuition and my books that semester I was so happy. 

Years later I found it was the owner of Crash Comics in Paducah, KY. I tell this story every time I come into his 
store to his employees. I've been coming to that store for over 20+ years paying that man back. I still get emotional
30 years later telling this story. I tell it at every comic book show I set up in my area at as well. His store is about 90 miles from
me and I try to make it twice a year and spend money down there even though I don't have too anymore.
I do it anyways as a tradition. 

I could tell you all about growing up reading comics whenever this poor kid could find them, but I think this story is better. 

 

This story is awesome in so many ways.  
I especially appreciate that you were willing to work (set up a table and sell your books) to pay for your education.  This shows great character.  
Your character also is shown in the fact that you have tried to pay this man back by giving his shop business and telling this tale for years to come. 
Thank you for sharing.  

[skypinkblu]

On 9/22/2024 at 12:59 AM, fastballspecial said:

Ive told this tale before elsewhere, but its my favorite. 

In college in the mid 90s a year or two before the crash. I'm a junior and I'm flat broke and I don't have the money
for my next semester tuition. I decide to set up at a flea market to sell of some of my comics to try
to make enough to pay for some of my books and tuition. My family and my girlfriend laughed at me, but I set
up Sat & Sunday that weekend. I put an ad in the local paper as well. 

Saturday afternoon came and went I made about $3-400 which was a decent amount back then it
was less then I wanted for the weekend, but it was better than nothing. Sunday was much slower until the afternoon
a man in his late 20s/early 30s showed up with his wife. He proceeded to go thru my books and literally bought
like 100+ books that ranged in price from $4 to $40 each. He paid cash and I cut him a good discount. I took 
home around $1400 or so that day. Paid for my tuition and my books that semester I was so happy. 

Years later I found it was the owner of Crash Comics in Paducah, KY. I tell this story every time I come into his 
store to his employees. I've been coming to that store for over 20+ years paying that man back. I still get emotional
30 years later telling this story. I tell it at every comic book show I set up in my area at as well. His store is about 90 miles from
me and I try to make it twice a year and spend money down there even though I don't have too anymore.
I do it anyways as a tradition. 

I could tell you all about growing up reading comics whenever this poor kid could find them, but I think this story is better. 

 

I enjoy all of these stories, but I needed tissues for this one...*sniff*...beautiful story, thanks! 

[Coverdeath]

On 9/24/2024 at 3:59 AM, Hepcat said:

I'm not from the United Kingdom. I was born and raised in London, Ontario (home of O-Pee-Chee) and I'm now in Toronto.

Confused by the trip in Lithuania... 

[Hepcat]

The Lithuanian kids' summer camp which I mentioned was actually only ten miles or so west of London! But I have now visited Lithuania seven times - in 1987, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2014.

[fastballspecial]

On 9/24/2024 at 8:02 AM, skypinkblu said:

I enjoy all of these stories, but I needed tissues for this one...*sniff*...beautiful story, thanks! 

Its what makes our hobby so special. Thank you. I had to get some tissues too when I wrote.