When I was a kid, I would walk right on by the bins of old comics, only interested in the newest titles and stories. I stopped collecting comics in 1990, the year I went off to college, but in the last few years, I was infected with the 12-cent bug — I just can’t pass up a comic sporting the 12-cent price in the corner.
I was a Marvel kid, who delved a little into the DC universe, and every now and then, I even browsed the independent titles, but when it comes to 12-cent comics, I’m not picky at all and enjoy cowboys, space rangers, mutants, and even lovestruck high school kids. There’s just something about the artwork of that Silver Age era — the bold lines and color, and the crudeness of the drawing — that is irresistible to me now.
Condition is not an issue for me, as long as the cover looks good. I might not even know who the characters are, if the cover looks good, and the price is right, then I’ll buy it. Usually, this means that if the comic is less than five bucks, it will come home with me. Condition plays such a huge role in the value of vintage comics, that it’s actually fairly inexpensive to purchase many of these 50-year old comics. Mint copies of the very same book could sell for thousands of dollars, but I’m perfectly fine paying $5 for a 12¢ comic.
The Blogging from A to Z Challenge keeps on going, and I am still a little behind. Later today, I’ll post an article for “U” and if you liked this article, I think you’ll like the next one too!
Nice picture collage man!!! Makes me wanna go back home and unearth all of my single carded comics (is this what we call them?). I seem to be buying way too many TPBs and HCs lately. I miss the days when I make my weekly stop at the comic shop to get all of my weekly subscription fix. Seemed to be running out of energy these days to do so…. heh
I’ve been eyeing the Marvel subscription for awhile, just so I can revisit some old stories. The bookshelves are sagging too much for too many more TPBs! 🙂
The only single issues I pick up now a days is vintage Spider-Man and Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man. I love reading graphic novels for a few reasons; Space and the fact that I can have the whole story arch in one book rather than having to track down all the single issues, especially if the story runs into multiple titles.
Room is mainly the reason I collect the graphic novels, since I want more room to display my toys, but I also think graphic novels look pretty snazzy in a bookcase.