Well, this Bronze Ager has done so. Not on ebay, but I've tried a 'grab bag' of comics from time to time at flea markets. No luck at all; there's obviously a reason those books get sold in a plain wrapper.
And speaking of plain wrappers, one of my worst purchases should have come in one. Back in college, I was inclined to give almost anything a try (comic-wise, that is). At one local convention, a dealer had a display of a new comic entitled Cherry Pop Tart. From the cover, it looked like a parody of Archie comics, right down to analogues of Betty and Veronica. I gave it a shot, without looking into it. I should have been warned by the "Adults Only" label, but by that time I'd picked up some undergrounds by the likes of Robert Crumb and Howard Cruse. Figured I was sophisticated enough. Turned out to be some pretty cheesy porn; rather embarrassing to look at or even possess. And it wasn't even particularly clever or satirical porn, just tacky. I got rid of it quickly. Oddly, that book seems to have developed some kind of cult following in the intervening years. At any rate, ever since that fiasco I try to look through any 'new experience in reading' I'm contemplating. Which, actually, is a good practice anyway: like the time I bought a copy of Silver Surfer #1 at a rather inflated price, very early in my collecting career. Opened it later to find four pages missing and a detached cover. It just goes to show you, caveat emptor!What about you fine folks? Have you ever wasted your fifty cents (or fifty dollars) on some four color failure? Open up and we'll share our miseries together...
