When I was a kid, many eons ago, I collected comic books. Every week, I would beg my mom to drive me to Joe’s Comics and proceed to spend my entire allowance on comics. The mid-80’s were my collecting heyday and at that time, there was a growing industry of independent comics trying to cash in on the success that Eastmann and Laird had with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Being an impressionable young mind (idiot), I got swept up in the excitement and tried to buy as many of these independent titles as my meager allowance could afford. Nope, I didn’t pick up Alan Moore’s Watchmen, instead I was buying future blockbusters, such as Wabbit Wampage and Gnatrat.
I once had five or six longboxes of comics, but over the last 20+ years, IÂ have whittled it down to two boxes. I dragged those boxes out of the closet this weekend to see what was left.
Yep, here is what I was into back in the day. My love of typography (and metal bands) was evident even at a young age. I remember hauling these boxes around everywhere I went, and they weigh a ton! I took them to friends’ houses for sleepovers, and one time I even took a box on vacation with me, sacrificing a suitcase for a longbox.
I was a huge fan of Don and Mike on WAVA 105…
…and still listened to them when they moved to B-106. I think the last time the Redskins had a winning season may have been the year I put this sticker on the box.
Like I said, the 80’s were filled with independent publishers trying to be the next big thing. I was a sucker and spent stupid money on stupid books, such as…
If a comic was about ninjas, it was a no-brainer that I would buy it…
And who rmembers Boris the Bear? I liked it so much, I bought into the series for a while…
Now, prepare yourself for the next picture. These comics are so rare, I can’t even find them in the price guides. Let me introduce you to the birthplace of my republican ideals…
Wel, it was surprisingly easy to choose an entire box of comics that is ready for the recycle bin–er, I mean sold to a fellow collector.
I am now down to a single long box of comics, mainly comprised of my mainstream collections of GI Joe, X-Men, and some Spiderman, which I will eventually hand down to one of my kids.
No matter how bad the comics might be, it’s still a little hard to part with them since they bring back so many great memories of collecting them as a kid. Now that I’m older and wiser (?) it’s clear that I should never have bought most of those comics in the first place, and in hindsight, that money could have been spent on much better comics, or better yet, on Apple stock.
So now the question is “what do I do with all these comics?”
Hahah! Those actually look pretty fun! I have the Miami Mice #2 as well and I think a Boris as well. You can’t go wrong with Ninja comics, can never get enough Ninja!!
I KNEW there was someone out there who would appreciate these. 😉
I don’t know … I sorta’ think that Adolescent Radioactive Blackbelt Hamsters is the best title ever!
Wabbit Wampage is adorable. Since I’m a game collector, I might have to find a copy of the game 🙂 http://www.toytent.com/archives/7222archive.html
Hey Wendy, drop me an email with your address and I’ll send you the comic. I might also have a few games around here. What kind of games do you collect? 😉
haha. i have all the animal comics you have in the pics. I hear ya man. unfortunately i wish i just had one box like that. I have 3,000 comics in my basement in over a dozen boxes. About 7 years ago i bagged them all and tucked them away neatly taking up as little room as possible. All the marvel titles from the late seventies to early 90s. Thought i would be sitting on a goldmine at this age but alas, not the case.
Ha! I knew I wasn’t the only one buying all those independent titles! Comics can be a huge albatross around your neck. It really is hard to let them go. I never had a dozen boxes, but I probably had half that at one point.
We all thought we were going to get rich back in the 80’s, but that certainly didn’t pan out for me either. I remember my first purge all too well, having taken my comics to the comic shop and offering them up for sale (BIG mistake). The guy cherry picked the best ones and paid me way to little, but I was 18 and on my way to college, so I needed the money. I still regret that sale, but I learned from my lesson.
With my luck, once I unload this batch, Hollywood will release a blockbuster movie based on Wabbit Wampage, and everyone will be scrambling for that first issue. 😉
I am a lover of all things martial arts. How are those NINJA comics? Are they are par with JUDOMASTER? THe first BORIS THE BEAR book was amazing …IMO.
Yeah, Boris the Bear had a lot of potential, but it faded fast. I’m not familiar with Judomaster but I’m going to send you these Ninja books and you can be the judge.
Thanks again Brian.
I still love all those bands too.
At least I had good taste in music. 😉
I actually gravitate to those kind of books. I still like a lot of Marvel, and some DC stuff(as well as a smattering of others), but you can’t go wrong with some off-beat titles. I have a few of the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamster(including the one in the photo). You can’t go wrong with parodies(I have quite a few of these), because they’re usually filled with cheesy comedy. I never heard of G.I. Jack Rabbits, but that is too cool for words! Some of the others in the pictures, I haven’t even heard of. Great post Brian! 🙂
Thanks Jason, I think I might have to send you some of these, too. 😉
Oh, man! I think I might still have that issue of ‘Hamster Vice’ lurking in a box somewhere.