Earlier this year, March or so, I found a new comic shop in Toronto that had unspeakable treasures buried amidst piles of know and detestable fodder, all for 50cents or less (see 365 #66). I only once attempted a 100-for-$40 pull, and in that go I decided to try to put together a full run of Firestorm, but I only got about half way there. After a few more repeat visits I was narrowing the gap, butthe earliest issues, the first dozen or so were eluding me. Still, I was finding the random one here and there so it wasn't unbelievable that I could put together a whole 100 issue run for less than $40...
But, the comic shop got sold to another party and quickly the bin diggers bliss gave way to a more conventional comic book store. The discount bins remained, but prices went up and replenishment went down, so the stock got stale. That dashed the dream of the cheap Firestorm run. I've added the odd gap filler, jhere and there, for around a dollar apiece, but it wounds me to do so, and these early ones I'm finding at $2 which makes me gnash my teeth at the checkout counter. Comics should be cheap and for reading and only collectibles at my own personal convenience...right?
It's always fun for me to step into the wayback machine and visit the comics of the 1970s and early 80's, the time just before I really started getting into them. I had so many random books in my early formative youth that the adverts in them were my only access to the other books of that time, and my eyes always popped at seeing what else was out there. Even today I get such a charge out of seeing the "Dollar Comics Action!" advertisement promoting the World's Finest 250th issue (Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Wonder Woman together in one 56 page story PLUS another "Beware The Creeper" thriller!) and that Batman Family was going dollar-sized. Sold! I want those books so badly.
There's another ad asking "Did you miss any of these Fantastic DC Tabloids? " They include Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali (okay, have that one, thanks), Superman vs. Wonder Woman, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Batman vs. Ra's Al Ghul. "Order Today...While Supplies Last"... ohhh if only.
And then there's my favourite thing about this era of DC Comics, the Daily Planet bullpen page that just gives some insight on other books hitting the stands... like more details on that Dollar-Sized Batman Family (ohh, I want it even more now), "Aquaman, Batman and Green Lantern battle Kobra" in Aquaman #61 apparently...okay I have to have that too.
There's also the great "Ask The Answer Man" column, which seems almost exclusively for continuity nuts. But I love that someone here asked about Secret Six and who Mockingbird was. The Answer Man stated that hopefully a series revival would come soon for it to be answered but we all know from my plentiful recapping of Action Comics Weekly that it doesn't get revealed until 1988, another decade from when that Answer Man column was written. I love you old comics...*hug*
One more day to go, one more comic. What will it be? I honestly don't know.
(of course as I look for an image to post alongside this I realized that Firestorm:The Nuclear Man is a whole different series than The Fury of Firestorm...d'oh... now I don't know what I do and don't have from either run)
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