Whats the worst price-quality ratio of your collection in term of story? 1 1

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 12/17/2023 at 6:32 AM, lizards2 said:

Miller's run on Daredevil, even though I bought it off the newsstands for cover price. 

You didn’t like Miller on DD?

Blasphemy 

[SeniorSurfer]

That's a tough question as I bought all the SA/BA books off the shelf at cover price and stopped collecting when prices increased by leaps and bounds (instead of 5-10 cents every few years) shortly after.  Also when they had those multi-title crossover stories, multi-cover cash grabs and incessant title restarts with new #1 issues (but that's another thread).  That said, I do remember slogging through some Englehart/Springer/Sal Buscema stretches in Captain America in the 70s that had some laughably bad dialogue (I think he had discovered the use of the word "freakin'" and it was really overused), some pedestrian art (blank panel backgrounds and clenched teeth for all with Buscema, while "bad Springer art" is just a redundant statement) and some stories that really don't hold up.  If it weren't to keep up continuity, I could have done without many issues in that run.  Later on there were some pricier Daredevil (post-Miller) and Thor (can't remember if it was pre- or post-Simonson, but Thor was reduced to over-dramatics with perpetual open-mouthed hysterical warnings/threats and an incredible ineffectiveness of Mjolnir, which just seemed to perpetually bounce off whoever the villain-of-the-month was).  The Cap stories were tough to get through, but I guess because of the higher prices those DD/Thor issues had a worse price/quality ratio.

[shadroch]

Ronin and Return of the Dark Knight.  These are great examples of letting an artist indulge himself.  Coming off his highly successful Daredevil run, DC was so desperate they gave Miller a blank check and few restrictions. I tried to re-read both of them a few years ago, and I genuinely believe they are a case of the Emperor having no clothes.   Everyone is afraid to say they don't get them, so everyone loves them.

[boomtown]

It was the classic Neal Adams/Denny O'Neil Green Lantern/Green Arrow run for me. They are beautiful books, had a couple of stand out issues, but overall it was a somewhat boring read for what the books sell for. As an old Speedy fan, I did really enjoy the spotlight on him in the drug storyline, and the intro of John Stewart was a plus, but it was a rather preachy for the most part.

Commenting on the Ronin/Dark Knight talk. Obviously, Ronin was a vanity project for Miller, and I had a difficult time reading it. I think I made it thru the third book before calling it quits. I did pick up a tpb of it years later and found it much easier and enjoyable to read, while actually enjoying it. I think when it came out it was so different, it was difficult for me to get in to. Comics have grown up over the last 30+ years and it read much more cleanly when revisited.

As far as Dark Knight goes, it was a classic when it was published and remains one today. It, and Watchmen, totally reinvigorated the whole comic book industry. If you want to argue that Alan Moore had already started that, that's fine, but Miller blew it up with his take on Batman and Superman. There's a small group that didn't like it, but maybe they are the ones that don't get it.

[Ken Aldred]

On 12/17/2023 at 4:09 PM, boomtown said:

It was the classic Neal Adams/Denny O'Neil Green Lantern/Green Arrow run for me. They are beautiful books, had a couple of stand out issues, but overall it was a somewhat boring read for what the books sell for. As an old Speedy fan, I did really enjoy the spotlight on him in the drug storyline, and the intro of John Stewart was a plus, but it was a rather preachy for the most part.

I agree. I was very disappointed when I got hold of a run in reprint form during the early 80s.  By then, even, barely more than a decade on from publication, the stories seemed incredibly dated and out of touch, especially with the way Britain was by that time, transformed into a hard, cold, cynical environment, devoid of hope for many. As well as boring, it all felt a bit naive and superficial.  I did read them again, a few years ago, and my teenage perception of them ended up being quite unaltered, and apart from the Speedy and John Stewart highlights, something I can still give a miss to.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Ken Aldred

[rlextherobot]

On a micro level, Hulk 181's cost/value vs its actual quality is ridiculous.

[Ken Aldred]

On 12/17/2023 at 4:09 PM, boomtown said:

Commenting on the Ronin/Dark Knight talk. Obviously, Ronin was a vanity project for Miller, and I had a difficult time reading it. I think I made it thru the third book before calling it quits. I did pick up a tpb of it years later and found it much easier and enjoyable to read, while actually enjoying it. I think when it came out it was so different, it was difficult for me to get in to. Comics have grown up over the last 30+ years and it read much more cleanly when revisited.

As a change from reading mainstream books I’ve gone off on occasion to read some very differently-styled European material, such as Heavy Metal back in the day, and their more contemporary Humanoids imprint equivalent. Then, there’s my manga collection as well. So, I found Ronin to be quite readable, even if jarringly dissimilar to what he’d done before. I didn’t put it up on a pedestal because it was Miller, but I thought it was okay.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Ken Aldred

[Ken Aldred]

On 12/17/2023 at 5:31 PM, rlextherobot said:

On a micro level, Hulk 181's cost/value vs its actual quality is ridiculous.

That’s why the OP’s question interests me. Do you just continue sheepishly going along with the escalating demands of a back issue market, or do you reach a point at which you fix a ceiling to the price / quality ratio, rein it in, and call it a day?

A good example for me would be Werewolf By Night 32. I could’ve run to around $500 for a 9.4 copy back in the day, but, it’s the kind of book which shows up cover defects easily, and I could never find a copy that was happy with. Still a lot for me to pay on my budget, even if chump change for others here.  Once film speculation set in, the book was quickly out of range.

I’d read it as a reprint and wasn’t that impressed by its mediocre story and art, though I like the character and his psychological aspects, and realised that it wasn’t a chase I wanted to pursue indefinitely, onwards and upwards, to struggle to afford and sacrifice for at any cost, and it was time to apply that same braking, price / quality limitation to many books; hyped for a character, but with little supportive story and /or art. Ultimately I’m a reader, first and foremost, and I’d already acquired my most important books in great condition at more affordable prices. Time to part company.
 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Ken Aldred

[D2]

On 12/17/2023 at 4:11 AM, BA773 said:

But you had change the pics? 

I did. Precisely because, I had to really think about which storyline I liked the least. 

The truth is I have sold every book I haven’t enjoyed reading. Every single book in my collection now is a book I am in love with. So whichever book I chose, felt like asking me which child I liked the least. 
 

A good problem to have.

[Antman’s shorter brother]

This is a great topic. Back in 2019, I paid $129 for the Dell Movie Classic, Doctor Who and the Daleks. I was real curious to read Doctor Who’s first comic book story. What a disappointment! Doctor Who was a background character as the story focused on the kids in the story.