Memory Lane...

[Proverbs22_2]

 

Hey, did any of you guys have actual waiting-by-the-mailbox comic subscriptions when you were a kid?

 

I did, and checking the mail was the absolute highlight of my day, especially in the summer, as I lived in the middle of bum-fizzuk Egypt, and there was NOTHING to do. Nothing but read me some comics, and try and learn to draw like John Byrne...

 

X-Men (naturally...) was the first "sub" that my parents let me get. I remember the first issue that i received was #137, the day after I had bought it! I certainly didn't mind having two of that particular issue, though!

 

Eventually, I got several more. I still had my X-men, but added I Iron Man (during the first "Layton Age"! GREAT STUFF!), Micronauts, and Marvel Premiere, which I switched over to Moon Knight, when MP was cancelled with 9 more months to go...

 

How about you guys?

 

-Joe

[Foolkiller]

Actually... the first and only subscription I ever got as a kid was to the Avengers during the John Buscema 80s days... it was a thrill getting that book, especially since the local bookstore where i got my comics (i didn't even know there were comic stores until the mid to late 80s) didn't seem to regularly have it, and I was getting it two weeks earlier than they would when they did have it. When I was 11, you don't get much mail, and my comics were pretty much it.

 

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

I have a subscription to Marvel right now.

I love getting books in the mail....

[blowout]

I had a subscription to ASM back in the mid 70's and still have most of the books. Boy have they been well read.

It was great to get books in the mail, and I can remeber the anticipation for that first issue (my parents arranged it all as a present for me) and the agonising wait each month for the next one.

[Bugaboo-migration]

Well.....I certainly don't remember seeing you there.....but I also lived in the middle of bum-fizzuk Egypt.

 

I never subscribed to any comics when I was a kid collecting them in the late 70's / early 80's. I would always just ride my bike to the local drugstore to pick over all of the new gems in their full splendor. I guess it would have made more sense to subscribe to the few that I always bought, but I never did. Even if I had, I'd have still gone to the drugstore each week to pick up any stray issues that struck my fancy.

 

Although, there were occasions when I would wait excitedly for a package of comics to come in the mail for me, and it was always such a thrill when it finally arrived.

These were...drumroll please...books from the only back issue source I was aware of...Mile High Comics.

 

I didn't really care if they were graded spot-on accurate......I just thought it was really cool that I could get all of these old comics from years past to fill in my collection by simply placing an order in the mail. I know we (including me) slam on Chuck occasionally in this forum......but I do have fond memories of seeing that box of comics in the mailbox and hurrying inside to rip it open.

[fazman]

My first subscription was to " Kamandi " . I just loved the stories of this kid mixed up in some world of talking animals.Plus I loved Kirbys' art and I was tried of missing copies, so I subcsribed and waited for that center creased comic every month.

I remenber my first mail order comic was a SA copy of Plastic Man #1. I bought it from some mail order dealer in Montreal.( Mid 70's) Thats all I can remenber about that.

And lastly, I remember finding a copy of Hawkman #1 at the Mini Lane Used Book Store and paying half price for it.( all books, 1/2 of cover !! ) Best 6 cents I ever spent.

Those were the days !!

 

[Mister_Comics]

During the 60's DC comics were sent folded and were in a brown paper sleeve.

I remember MARVELS were folded too. I think they were mailed in something like a sleeve too. I never renewed my subscriptions because I hated the fact they came folded.

Years later when I found out comics were being mailed flat in plastic bags with a backing board I tried a subsciption again. Problem is my mailmen want to fold all my mail.

I don't bother with subscriptions anymore.

[Warlord]

I don't recall that I ever had a paid subscription to any comics. However...

 

There was a trivia contest held by DC in, hmmm, I'd say about the mid-70's. I don't remember all of the prizes that they awarded, but prizes included 1-year subscriptions to DCs, foreign language assortments of DC comics, and I think some trade paperbacks.

 

I remember working really hard to come up with answers to the 20 or 25 or so questions. I was pretty confident that I had the correct answer for all but 4 or 5 questions. So I submitted a LOT of entries, and varied the answers on those that I had to guess at.

 

As it turns out, I won many subscriptions. I think everyone in my household was receiving comics in the mail from the contest. Plus my grandparents. Even some aunts and uncles. I also got a couple assortments of the foreign language comics and a trade paperback or two. I remember picking up the comics from my Grandmother when visiting. She would frequently comment how the mailman must think that she was pretty odd for getting all those comic books in the mail at her age!

 

Fortunately the comics came flat, but they were wrapped in brown paper. Often the glue that held shut the brown paper wrapper stuck to the comic in a place or two, so it was tough to get one in top condition. Still, they were FREE, and what more could a kid ask for than FREE comics?

 

 

[blowout]

I remember MARVELS were folded too. I think they were mailed in something like a sleeve too. I never renewed my subscriptions because I hated the fact they came folded.

 

Yeah, my 70's sub Marvels ended up getting folded by the mailmen also. But as a kid at the time I really didn't care about that, I wanted the books to read.

 

Nowadays, I certainly wouldn't subscribe, the condition of the book has now become too important.

[500Club]

I remenber my first mail order comic was a SA copy of Plastic Man #1. I bought it from some mail order dealer in Montreal.( Mid 70's) Thats all I can remenber about that.

 

Robert Crestohl? He was the earliest Montreal seller to advertise in comics (to my recollection).

[ubiquiti]

My first two(and only subscriptions) were to X-Men and Alpha Flight. I would wait with great anticipation for them to come - and around the day they would come - I would read every issue before just to make sure I was fully and completely caught up to date on everything.

Alpha Flight started with issue 2 and X-Men with 173. I remember X-Men 177(?) where pryro heated up colossus, then avalanche dropped liquid nitrogen on him - that was the most tense month for me back then waiting to see if he would be able to be saved. Even back then I did not like Romita Jr.'s art - but i loved the stories. I also really loved Alpha Flight - especially Puck - who I thought was going to be the next Wolverine...Ah well....

Those were the days!

[thanos_oftitan]

I was really lucky, I had a JLA and Flash subscription just as they went to the 100 page format! I thought I died and went to heaven. Great memories...

 

[delekkerste]

My first two(and only subscriptions) were to X-Men and Alpha Flight...

Alpha Flight started with issue 2 and X-Men with 173. I remember X-Men 177(?)... Even back then I did not like Romita Jr.'s art - but i loved the stories...Ah well....

Those were the days!

 

Boy, you said it - those *were* the days! I had a subscription to X-Men during the same period as well (think it started with issue #179 or so, though I would also get a "NM" copy at my local specialty shop as well.) I also subscribed at various points in time to Conan the Barbarian, Conan the King, Iron Man, Marvel Age, Marvel Tales, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, The Nam, New Mutants, Silver Surfer v. 3, Strange Tales and X-Factor...wow, that's a lot!

 

Back then, Marvel used to mail their comics in a sheath of brown wrapping paper (no plastic or backing board and even the ends were not sealed so the comic could slide right out). Consequently, I received issues ranging anywhere from "Good" to "Near Mint" condition. Some of the issues would arrive with 1/2" to 3/4" tears as a result of sliding out of their sheath. Consequently, I subscribed to books that I thought were good readers and that I liked receiving in the mail each month, but not those that I thought would be worth much in the future.

 

I also hated JR JR's art on X-Men back then (though now it looks better to me given that subsequent artists have looked even worse), particularly since the awesome Paul Smith issues got me into comic collecting in the first place. I even wrote an angry letter to Marvel telling them JRJR sucked and to bring Smith or Byrne back!

 

Gene

[uclapeterg]

I have the same exact problem. So I started a "subscription" service with a comic shop -- we'll see how that goes.

[garthgantu]

My brother and I had subs to ASM, Avengers, Daredevil and FF for about 4 years, from 1976 to 1979. At some point, they stopped folding them and sent them flat, but since our mailbox at the post office was tiny, the nice postal lady would fold them anyway to get them in the box

 

I also had subs to FOOM, the Marvel publication, and to CBG, back when it was simply known as "The Buyer's Guide" (TBG). I remember once in about 1977 getting the latest issue of TBG - in those days it was real 'tabloid' format, like a newspaper - opening it up, and seeing a full quarter-page ad that simply read "Happy Birthday, Zach and Garth," from my dad to me and my brother... that was a real thrill!

 

At some point, I had a subscription to Russ Cochran's "Graphics Gallery" catalogs of original art... those were incredible. I still have a few of 'em around, and the prices from the mid-'70s on original art are just obscene... like $100 for a Peanuts strip from the '60s that would sell for $20,000 now...

[MMMarvel-migration]

I also really loved Alpha Flight - especially Puck - who I thought was going to be the next Wolverine...Ah well....

Those were the days!

 

I thought Puck would be the next Wolverine as well. I seem to recall an issue where they revealed that he was short because he was possessed by a demon or something that made him that way. Somehow they got rid of the Demon and he grew to 6'. Totally ruined the potential of a great character.

[dam60]

Great thread! When I was younger I got subs to:

"New" X-Men (although it wasn't new then)

Silver Surfer

Punisher

Hulk

 

now I have subs to

Batman

JLA

Detective

I have the subs just because i want to hedge myself against the inevitable price increases (or even price jumps on special double sized issues, etc) and it also involves no work. I enjoy picking up another copy of Batman from the store, but that's about my only new comic purchase.

 

That's probably the way it's going to be for a while too. I have decided to only buy TPBs of new stuff now, I just have no more patience.

 

DAM

 

[minutekev@50]

In the mid to late 80s I had subs to DD (Born Again saga kept me on the edge of my seat!), and Buscema's Avengers. You want to read a good storyline, read the run where the Masters of Evil take control of Avengers Mansion and Mr. Hyde treats Jarvis like a be-yotch!! Man, I was worried about that old dude for a whole two months!