Redartz: Hello all; Tuesday is back, and so is the Leader. And you know what that means: he (and we) are awaiting a topic upon which to expound. So open up your minds and memories, and send us a subject!
While you're cogitating about that, here's another little 'BitBA Bonus Topic' for you. While on vacation last week, my wife and I indulged our fondness for flea market safaris. We hit five antique malls and flea markets over the course of our trip, and saw many intriguing things; but not many that convinced us to open our wallets. Until,that is, our last stop. This particular flea market had a small booth with several dozen old comics; by old I mean Golden Age to early Silver age. All the books were marked with pretty much the same price, about 25 US Dollars each. What struck me about them was that they were mostly in pretty nice condition; better than one usually encounters at a flea market booth. Given the age and condition of the comics, I was tempted to grab several; but my finances wouldn't cooperate. I did pick out one book, a sharp copy of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories from 1948 (featuring a Carl Barks Donald Duck story, and a cover by the great Walt Kelly).
10 comments:
To answer your questions, I can be enticed into a making an impulse purchase, but the price has to be right - I'm a notorious cheapskate, and I'm always looking for bargains. (In fact, I wrote a post at the Atomic Junk Shop about a year ago that's close to this topic; as noted at the end, my impulse buy, the Andrew Offutt book, only cost a dollar).
The kinds of books that would make me perhaps spend a little extra would include old paperbacks with cover art I really like, or old hardcover SF, fantasy or adventure books with illustrations (either black & white or color plates) by some well-known artist, like Rackham, Pogany, Krenkel, St. John, etc. And yes, if I stumble onto an old comic (1950s or earlier) in pretty good condition for a reasonable price and it's something I would normally like to read, like that Disney book you snagged, I'd probably go for it.
As for the most I have or would pay for a single comic, well, like I said, I'm pretty tight with my cash, and in this Golden Age of reprints, I'm really unwilling to throw down too much money for something that can be found at far lower unit cost in some kind of reprint collection. So the answer to that parts a) & b) of that question is the same: $5. That's what I paid for Not Brand Echh #9 and Nick Fury #3 (yeah, the one by Steranko), which was an impulse buy some years ago here in Zagreb, when a local dealer pulled them out to show to me.
Totally forgot it was Tuesday!
Once again, Edo & I find ourselves cut from the same bolt of cloth (or at least the same run at the mill. . .). I'm just too flippin' cheap to lay down many $$ at all for any single issue of a comic. Rather than, "Oh! I'm gonna save up a BAZILLION dollars so's I can finally buy the rare first issue of Captain Thunderbottom and his Bean-O Raiders--!", I'm solidly in the camp of waiting patiently until I come across a $3 Reader's Copy that's been run over by a roofing-tar trailer. And if that opportunity never arises-- enh, 'tisn't the end of the world. I think the most I've EVER spent on single issues was at a local convention 25+ years ago, where I plunked down. . . $10 or $12 each?. . . for some seriously worn copies of Avengers #2 & #3. And that was in lieu of buying #1 for $75 dollars at the same convention. . . 'cause I simply couldn't justify spending that much money at that point in our life, y'know? And-- no regrets at all. It was the right decision-- and sheesh, I have #1 in at least one other reprint format anyhoo.
And--- I don't even pick up back issues these days, tbh. So my theoretical limit remains at $5.00---- but that cash register's covered in cobwebs. . .
Side question related to Red's Donald Duck purchase:
Is there anyone besides me that kinda preferred Mickey (to some degree) and Donald (especially) in comic book form as opposed to their cartoon incarnations? Try as I might, from EARLIEST childhood, I could never understand a flippin' thing that Donald ever said in the cartoons-- that "famous" voice has always been an unintelligible gargling garble to me, it annoyed me mightily. And Mickey's clipped, piercing falsetto was not much better. Never any true character or thought or intent behind it-- just fast & high. I never, ever "believed" Mickey's voice. It was just a forced sound.
Goofy, on the other hand, was a consistently hilarious Mortimer Snerd offshoot. And you could understand what he was actually saying, which was a big plus. . .
(I'm pretty sure that the Mortimer Snerd/Finnegan- from "Duffy's Tavern"/Goofy character archetypes would no longer be considered acceptable-- the whole "D'uhhh-" shtick being seen as derisive to people with cognitive challenges. . . )
HB
I'll add to the consensus; I'm not one to spend too much money on a comic, though I might be open to an impulse buy if the timing was right. I might spend 10 or even 20 dollars for a comic, if it was part of a run I really wanted to complete. Otherwise, I'm with Edo ... $5 is more than enough.
Edo, HB, and Mike-thanks for chiming in gents! You all are wisely guarded with your expenditures, probably more so than I am. Although, I sort of justify it to myself by average. To elaborate, a large percentage of my collection has been acquired by cheap flea market and auction purchases, which generally averages out to a dime or two per comic. So since so many of my books cost so little, I feel a little better about the occasional splurge. Indeed, according to my comic database, my average expenditure per book is about 40 cents. Not too bad. Oh, and to answer my own question: the most I've ever spent for a book was 70.00 for Daredevil #1, many years ago. My modern limit has been about 25 dollars.
HB- Yes, I'm with you about Donald's cartoon voice. Remember the great line in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", when Daffy remarks that he won't work again with someone with a speech impediment (of course he was referring to Donald)? And yes, Mickey's voice is a bit off-putting too. So yes, I definitely prefer the print version of Disney's creations. That said, it is challenging to come up with a 'voice in my head' when reading a Donald Duck story. Uncle Scrooge is no problem, nor the nephews. But Donald? I struggle.
Oh, and you win the Golden BitBA esoterica award for mentioning Mortimer Snerd. Man, there's a name I haven't heard in a long time.
By the way, HB- hope you don't mind if I take your side question and run with it! Expanding it a bit, to consider Disney's animated offerings against the Disney comics...
Oh, yeah: I definitely prefer the comic book versions of Disney characters, especially, as mentioned by HB and others, the Ducks and Mickey Mouse, over the cartoons - even though I do find the Donald Duck cartoons charming, precisely due to Donald's mostly incomprehensible sputtering.
However, the comics are something else entirely, especially when done by the right creators. For Donald and his miserly Uncle Scrooge, nothing beats the stories done by Carl Barks and, more recently, by Don Rosa - the cartoons just don't compare.
Lovey find there Red!
I don't have trouble plunking down some $ if I like the cover and the price seems "better than fair." I guess my max would be a few hundred? But again, it would have to be "wow!"
The funny books... I liked em when I read I read em. And I think the WDCS and Looney Tunes was superior. And I have quite a stack of Looney Tunes from late 40s / early 50s I got at a Flea Market for $3.00 back around 1975, LOL, in Gary, Indiana. Good lord... that was 45 years ago. Somebody shoot me!
Something that would "wow" me such that I plunk down some real geech would have to be like WW2 time frame. I could not see doing it for a silver age book.
Perhaps a genius Blackhawk cover by Reed Crandall or Captain Marvel Jr. by Mac Raboy?
Oddly if you are really patient (perhaps the recession in a year or two?) you might be able to find some real winners! I got an issue of Leading Comics 8, maybe VG+, with the 7 Soldiers of Victory on the cover for like $25. This was maybe 4 years ago? I mean, that was a "wow" for me.
Charlie- it's cool that you mentioned the covers specifically. Crandall and Raboy- beautiful stuff indeed. Glad to know I'm not the only one who might fork over some bucks JUST FOR THE COVER! Indeed, I paid 20 bucks just for the cover of Star Spangled War Stories 138, with a mindblowing rendition of Enemy Ace by Kubert.
And there is a 'cool factor' in simply having a book of such age. The old ads are fascinating. That WDCS book I got has an ad on the back cover for the then-current premiere of Disney's film "Bambi". Like holding history. Actually, it is holding history...
Red - I dig your style! That SSWS 138 is a CLASSIC!
Kubert was perfect for those "lone wolf" settings!
DC really had some great artwork on the war comics... Russ Heath, Joe Kubert (just off the top of my head as a I sally forth to the world of work, LOL)!
IN the big scheme of things, I just brown bag and stay off the tollway, a bit more, if I need to make an important expenditure like a classic cover!
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