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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 23, 2014 20:20:26 GMT -5
# 2 Defenders #32 (Marvel)My last two pick are an expounding of firsts. Sounds biblical, but really it's just instances of wonderful revelation. I had been out of comics for more than 20 years by the time 2005 rolled along. In fact I had long ceased to give them much thought. My childhood collection of comics was still intact and fairly handy too, but nothing really urged me too revisit my past. Then one day now forgotten circumstances led me to stumble upon mention of Steve Gerber in some desultory Internet browsing session. It sparked a light. A long dormant current of thought prompted me to dig into my original stash of funny books and haul out my copy of Defenders #32. The thing about Defenders #32 is that it is probably the weirdest of Gerber's famous Headmen run. It is full of disturbed interiority and symbol laden dream sequences. As a kid I kind of tossed this issue aside. Too light on action. Too damn "out there." But this late session of rediscovery had me newly intrigued about this oddity. It had me eagerly immersing myself in streams of art and inquiry which hitherto seemed very "un-comic" like. Well, I admit the "elf with a gun" enigma captured my attention no less as a kid than as an adult. How could it not? But if I also had never forgotten the name of Steve Gerber, now at least I began really appreciate him. And I wanted more of him. This guy was brilliant it turned out. And I wanted more of comics altogether. I wanted to get back into the damn funnybook business after 20 some years away. And here I am today. 'Nuff said and thank you Steve Gerber and Defenders # 32.  I love that cover. |
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 23, 2014 22:19:47 GMT -5
My pick was from my first ever Bud Plant order. For those of you who may not recognize the name, he's one of the foremost dealers in this industry, though long ago got out of actual comic books. He's refined his focus to mostly Marvel Masterworks, Golden Age reprints, GGA (Good Girl Art), some fantasy, sci-fi, and the oddball pop culture things, but mostly comic and illustration art. However, he carried more comic stuff back in the early 80's when I placed the first of dozens of orders with him. I bought this based on his recommendation in his huge beautiful black & white glossy catalog, along with many other things including all the Spirit reprints he had, Cerebus, and the issues he had left that went along with this reprint. Oh yeah, and a hardcover black & white reprint of some Judge Dredd with amazing art by Brian Bolland, who'd worked on the Green Lantern Corps mini-series. This particular issue was not only shocking, but it had first seen print in the 50's before the Comics Code !  This classic Feldstein cover and delicate but gripping artwork to "The Monkey" by the great Joe Orlando. Other EC greats in this issue were Wally Wood, Reed Crandall and Jack Kamen, any one of which are legends as well. Eventually I filled in the holes to the 12 issues that East Coast reprinted and then later found out about Russ Cochran's beautifully oversized magnificent hardcover collections of each of the EC titles. I took half of the graduation money I got from my high school graduation and bought the Weird Science set and loved it. Eventually I acquired all the sets except the Weird Science Fantasy and Crime SuspenStories. Considering they're over half a century old, if you've never read an EC, you owe it to yourself. They produced some of the finest comics ever. Thanks to Bud Plant's wonderful catalog, I got turned on to other great comics besides the Big Two or strictly superheroes and I'll never forget how this issue truly shocked me. |
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Dec 23, 2014 22:50:02 GMT -5
My pick was from my first ever Bud Plant order. For those of you who may not recognize the name, he's one of the foremost dealers in this industry, though long ago got out of actual comic books. He's refined his focus to mostly Marvel Masterworks, Golden Age reprints, GGA (Good Girl Art), some fantasy, sci-fi, and the oddball pop culture things, but mostly comic and illustration art. However, he carried more comic stuff back in the early 80's when I placed the first of dozens of orders with him. I bought this based on his recommendation in his huge beautiful black & white glossy catalog, along with many other things including all the Spirit reprints he had, Cerebus, and the issues he had left that went along with this reprint. Oh yeah, and a hardcover black & white reprint of some Judge Dredd with amazing art by Brian Bolland, who'd worked on the Green Lantern Corps mini-series. This particular issue was not only shocking, but it had first seen print in the 50's before the Comics Code ! This classic Feldstein cover and delicate but gripping artwork to "The Monkey" by the great Joe Orlando. Other EC greats in this issue were Wally Wood, Reed Crandall and Jack Kamen, any one of which are legends as well. Eventually I filled in the holes to the 12 issues that East Coast reprinted and then later found out about Russ Cochran's beautifully oversized magnificent hardcover collections of each of the EC titles. I took half of the graduation money I got from my high school graduation and bought the Weird Science set and loved it. Eventually I acquired all the sets except the Weird Science Fantasy and Crime SuspenStories. Considering they're over half a century old, if you've never read an EC, you owe it to yourself. They produced some of the finest comics ever. Thanks to Bud Plant's wonderful catalog, I got turned on to other great comics besides the Big Two or strictly superheroes and I'll never forget how this issue truly shocked me. Bud Plant! An iconic name from my childhood. My brother and I were turned on to EC by the 1979 Overstreet Price Guide and he ended up getting one of the EC crime comics (and some other prized items) through Bud Plant the following summer (I think he blew all the money he made from his summer landscaping job). Your story really struck a familiar chord; thanks for sharing. (And I've had the pleasure to meet and do business with Bud on a few occasions at the San Diego Comic Con; very nice guy.) |
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 23, 2014 22:53:43 GMT -5
Me too !
I was truly honored to meet him.
I'm still ordering stuff from him.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 23, 2014 22:57:32 GMT -5
#2. Iron Man v. 1 #1  This was my first holy grail of collecting... I know I'm very unlikely to ever get ToS #39, so this is the next best thing for my favorite Superhero. I got it about 12 years ago... my first ever e-bay auction, for about $50. I was thrilled and petrified the entire week I was waiting for it to arrive. It's not the best copy ever (probably a 2 or 3 on the CGC scale), but it's mine and it makes me very happy. I don't think I've ever paid more than $6 than any other single issue I own (certainly not more than $10).
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 23, 2014 23:11:41 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas #2
Fantastic Four #102
Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Joe Sinnott
1970 Why this book? Well as a 10 year old I was with my Grandmother crossing Delancey street when we happened apon a newstand. They had the old wire racks among all the magazines and Newspaper and there it was. The book that I just had to have. Marvels Greatest Comics #29 reprinting the first Hulk/Thing meeting. Yeah, I know, This is about FF # 102. Well, the aforementioned MGC was 25 cents and My grandma Naty, wanting to steer me away to the cheaper choice , told me to get another instead. I chose FF # 102, thus making it the very first book that I picked out for myself. ( Well almost). It was dynamic in layout and hooked me on the Foursome forever. I think I had read comics before, but now I was out and about making choices about what I would read. RIP Naty, and thanks.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2014 23:30:26 GMT -5
#2: Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (DC, 1970)  No inheritance stories this time around, as this pick is actually the most recent comic I've experienced in the countdown. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to collect all of the single issues of Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga, which began with Jimmy Olsen #133. Now, bear with me here, but I wasn't exactly jumping for joy in reading Jimmy Olsen. A comic about a young photojournalist can't be all that exciting, right? Boy was I wrong. Way wrong. While #133 commanded my attention, #134 took it to a whole new level. Mind-blowing. This was, IMO, Jack Kirby at his best. The Newsboy Legion. The Whiz Wagon. The Wild Area. The Outsiders. Habitat. The Zoomway. Superman. Kryptonite Gas. Flippa Dippa. The Mountain of Judgment. The Hairies. The Alpha Bomb. Darkseid. I was just astounded at how much stuff was packed into this issue. It was all amazing to me. The way Kirby mixed everything together was a sight to behold. From the lighthearted fun of the Newsboy Legion, to the serious tone of the Outsiders, to the darkness of Darkseid. Nothing else in the Fourth World universe ever captivated me as much as this issue did. |
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 23, 2014 23:40:33 GMT -5
# 2 Defenders #32 (Marvel)My last two pick are an expounding of firsts. Sounds biblical, but really it's just instances of wonderful revelation. I had been out of comics for more than 20 years by the time 2005 rolled along. In fact I had long ceased to give them much thought. My childhood collection of comics was still intact and fairly handy too, but nothing really urged me too revisit my past. Then one day now forgotten circumstances led me to stumble upon mention of Steve Gerber in some desultory Internet browsing session. It sparked a light. A long dormant current of thought prompted me to dig into my original stash of funny books and haul out my copy of Defenders #32. The thing about Defenders #32 is that it is probably the weirdest of Gerber's famous Headmen run. It is full of disturbed interiority and symbol laden dream sequences. As a kid I kind of tossed this issue aside. Too light on action. Too damn "out there." But this late session of rediscovery had me newly intrigued about this oddity. It had me eagerly immersing myself in streams of art and inquiry which hitherto seemed very "un-comic" like. Well, I admit the "elf with a gun" enigma captured my attention no less as a kid than as an adult. How could it not? But if I also had never forgotten the name of Steve Gerber, now at least I began really appreciate him. And I wanted more of him. This guy was brilliant it turned out. And I wanted more of comics altogether. I wanted to get back into the damn funnybook business after 20 some years away. And here I am today. 'Nuff said and thank you Steve Gerber and Defenders # 32. I miss Nighthawk. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2014 0:00:10 GMT -5
2. Superman #202 (80-Page Giant G-42) "Tales of the Bizarro World" Cover date December 1967 My fourth 80-Page Giant, & my favorite. And why? Well, duh -- it introduced me to the Bizarros. That's a wonderful thing for an 8-year-old. Hell, it's a wonderful thing for a 55-year-old. Either this or the Steranko & assorted other early Captain America issues I mentioned in my Day 3 pick were the first comics buys I ever made via eBay back around 2000. Around the same time, the Tales of the Bizarro World collection was one of the first comics TPBs I ever bought. The Bizarros & I go back a long way; it started here.  |
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Post by JKCarrier on Dec 24, 2014 1:19:23 GMT -5
 11) Promethea #12 (2001) The rap against Promethea is that the narrative often takes a back seat to Alan Moore lecturing the reader about his mystic philosophy. This issue certainly qualifies, as Promethea gets a lesson on the symbolism of the Tarot deck, conflating it with the Jewish Qabbalah to illustrate the history (and future) of mankind. As a counterpoint, running along the bottom of the pages is a mini-biography of Aleister Crowley, the occultist whose writings influenced Moore's beliefs. It's all done as a series of two-page spreads, each flowing into the next, until the whole thing loops back onto itself at the end. And yes, it's didactic as all get-out, but composed so brilliantly, and served up with enough touches of humor, that it's a thrill to read. Moore's love of language is evident throughout, from the rhyming narration to the rearranged Scrabble tiles that sum up each section. And I haven't even mentioned J.H. Williams' pitch-perfect artwork, rich with symbolism. What a trip! |
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Post by berkley on Dec 24, 2014 1:20:19 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas #2
Fantastic Four #102
Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Joe Sinnott
1970Why this book? Well as a 10 year old I was with my Grandmother crossing Delancey street when we happened apon a newstand. They had the old wire racks among all the magazines and Newspaper and there it was. The book that I just had to have. Marvels Greatest Comics #29 reprinting the first Hulk/Thing meeting. Yeah, I know, This is about FF # 102. Well, the aforementioned MGC was 25 cents and My grandma Naty, wanting to steer me away to the cheaper choice , told me to get another instead. I chose FF # 102, thus making it the very first book that I picked out for myself. ( Well almost). It was dynamic in layout and hooked me on the Foursome forever. I think I had read comics before, but now I was out and about making choices about what I would read. RIP Naty, and thanks. Are you sure it wasn't Yancy Street you were crossing? Yeah, the first comic you pick out yourself is very special, assuming it turns out to be one that sticks with you, that you still like in later years. My whole list is pretty much based on this idea. FF#102 is a strong memory from my childhood, as well. I kept reading the FF for several issues after Kirby left. I was too young to really pay much attention to the creators back then, and those first couple storylines after Kirby's departure still loom large in my mental landscape. |
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 24, 2014 1:56:16 GMT -5
By 1986, I had been reading comics for two years or so, and had started getting into the collecting side. I didn't know much about it yet, but my Dad had taken me to a comic store once where I had gotten a bunch of back issues - pretty much just buying the oldest things I could get my hands on. I was fascinated, as I mentioned earlier, by the history of the titles. The big numbers, what that implied - both the real world history and the in story history. I couldn't get enough. Now, at this time, my favorite titles were Fantastic Four and Avengers. On that first trip to a comic book store, I had bought the oldest issues they had of each - FF #61 and Avengers #36. I knew next to nothing about the titles except what I had read in the current stuff, and neither of these issues actually grabbed me in terms of the stories in them, but I wanted more. I just wasn't sure how to go about it. So one day my Dad said to me, instead of just buying random stuff willy nilly, you should focus on one title. Figure out what you like the best, then buy that title only - for back issues, I mean - until you finish it. Then you can start another. This was great advice. But I couldn't quite decide what title to focus on. So I got a price guide somehow - no idea where I got the money for it - and did some research. This opened my eyes to all sorts of things, but primarily to just how expensive some of the stuff I wanted was. But, after doing my research and searching my soul, I decided on a title to pursue. And then this happened: My Dad took me to a different comic book store, the second I had been to. With my new focus in mind, I marched over to the back issue bin to see if they had any old comics - not "old," not stuff that was from a couple years ago, but actually old. They did. They had one legit old comic in the bin. It looked like someone had used as a plate, or maybe set it under their car while they were working on the engine in order to protect the garage floor. I mean, it was messed up. The cover was coming off, it had stains, rips, pieces missing, the whole nine yards. But - and this is key - it was old as hell, man. So I convinced my Dad to buy it for me. For $12.50, he bought me this rag, which I took home, eager to read: 2. Avengers #4 I don't remember if I had any idea of the significance of this issue or not. As I mentioned, I'm pretty sure I had my first price guide by this point, so it's possible. But I'm not sure; I suspect I might have wanted it just because it was oldest issue of Avengers the store had, by about 15 years. And since I had decided to focus on Avengers, both because it was cool and because it seemed much more financially feasible than FF, I had to have it. Of course, there was still the problem of the fact that the spine was disintegrating. That wasn't going to work for me, because I planned to read it, and often. Luckily, my Dad had the solution: Super glue. Collectors today probably curl up into a fetus at the thought, but I was very happy to super glue that cover right to the spine, because it meant I could read the comic without worrying about the cover falling apart in my hands. And almost 30 years later, I'm happy to say the cover is still affixed as strongly and permanently as ever. Thanks, Dad! |
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 24, 2014 5:02:51 GMT -5
CLASSIC COMICS CHRISTMAS #2
DC SPECIAL #29
"THE UNTOLD ORIGIN OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY"
On Sale May 9, 1977 Written by Paul Levitz Penciled by Joe Staton Inked by Bob Layton Edited by Joe Orlando Cover by Neal Adams Regular JSA fighting with the JLA or in their own comic was great. Having them fight Nazis in WWII? Off the charts awesome. I eagerly anticipated the day when DC would publish new JSA stories from back in the 1940s and I didn't have to wait long. I love the sort of chaotic way the team is put together in this adventure. The President summons three heroes, Dr. Fate gets involved and starts dragging others into it. When all looks lost, this happens...  And yet the biggest save of the day is provided by the Atom...  Since everyone knows you can't split an atom, he's ok and so is FDR. up next...My favorite team's secret origin I always loved the JSA stories from that time, that creative team rocked. Didnt they do the death of Earth-2 Batman ? |
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 24, 2014 5:14:39 GMT -5
11) Promethea #12 (2001) The rap against Promethea is that the narrative often takes a back seat to Alan Moore lecturing the reader about his mystic philosophy. This issue certainly qualifies, as Promethea gets a lesson on the symbolism of the Tarot deck, conflating it with the Jewish Qabbalah to illustrate the history (and future) of mankind. As a counterpoint, running along the bottom of the pages is a mini-biography of Aleister Crowley, the occultist whose writings influenced Moore's beliefs. It's all done as a series of two-page spreads, each flowing into the next, until the whole thing loops back onto itself at the end. And yes, it's didactic as all get-out, but composed so brilliantly, and served up with enough touches of humor, that it's a thrill to read. Moore's love of language is evident throughout, from the rhyming narration to the rearranged Scrabble tiles that sum up each section. And I haven't even mentioned J.H. Williams' pitch-perfect artwork, rich with symbolism. What a trip! I hope I'm not committing a faux pas here but theres too much synchronicity in the air to not say anything. I went internetifying earlier and looked up JH Williams III (I think cos I mentioned him in an earlier post), and anyhoo, on his webby-site I finded this www.jhwilliams3.com/displayfull.php?id=43&special=0&retail=1 which I thought was kinda cool, 50 books by him for $50 incl some signed stuff blah blah blah. Horrendous postage to the bottom of the world may preclude this pakeha boy, but... Now if its not cool about me doing this, gimme a yell and I'll haul out the big ole eraser(called a rubber in real English) and gets ridda it. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,862
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Post by shaxper on Dec 24, 2014 13:01:47 GMT -5
2. X-Men #153 (Marvel 1981) This entry probably shouldn't surprise anyone. I've made my case for this story time and time again and enjoyed your kind laughter in reply. In 1991, I was first discovering the X-Men. On a friend's recommendation, I checked out X-Men #275. I couldn't understand a lot of what was happening, as the issue wrapped up years worth of Claremont continuity in one climactic story, but I was impressed enough by the sense that things had been building for a long while now, characters evolving, that I wanted to stick along for the ride and be part of wherever these characters were going next. So, when I first noticed a second X-Men title on the shelves the next month, I picked up the two issues I found from that series as well, not really understanding at the time that X-Men Classic was an all-reprint title. But that was for the best, really, as those two issues gave me all the background I needed to really understand what the X-Men were and where they had been. Those two issues were #42 (reprinting one of the final chapters of The Dark Phoenix Saga) and #57 (reprinting "Kitty's Fairytale"). While I was intrigued by the dire scope of The Dark Phoenix Saga, it was "Kitty's Fairytale" that really hit home for me and turned me into a hardcore X-Men fan. As I was reminded again with Richard Bishop's selection of X-Men #303 for Day 10, while the X-Men provided many compelling high-stakes storylines and events, it was always the epilogues they did best -- those moments when things had finally quieted down, and it was time to rebuild, and for characters to emotionally process all that had occurred and be changed by those events. X-Men #153 does just that, providing a necessary emotional reconciliation of the terrible loss the team had experienced during The Dark Phoenix Saga. We're given ridiculous, light-hearted fare as Kitty tells an absurdly childish fairytale version of The Dark Phoenix Saga to young Ilyana, but it humanizes each character and brings out their soft sides when they'd spent the past year having to conceal them in the face of a cosmic force that threatened to destroy everything and, in the process, broke all of their hearts. This story so effortlessly blended helping the team to laugh for the first time since Jean's death with subtly revealing the depth of emotional impact The Dark Phoenix Saga had taken on them all. It made them human and, for the first time since their Christmas shopping spree way back in X-Men #98, had made them a family again too. I could feel it then and, while the story does seem far sillier to me all these years later in hindsight, I can still feel it now when I re-read it, as well. But this issue has an even greater meaning for me beyond all this. Ever since reading X-Men Classic #57 at the age of 11, I've loved Kitty Pryde. I didn't have a crush on her, I didn't want to date her, and I couldn't imagine the two of us ever hanging out as friends, but there was something about her -- her warmth, brilliance, spunkiness, and imagination -- that I adored. I loved her in a way I didn't understand. Until I got to know my firstborn. As my young daughter began to grow and make sense of the world, I gradually came to realize that this was what I had always wanted out of Kitty Pryde. She was, in essence, my dream daughter. And so, fully understanding that my daughter would grow into her own person and could not be shackled by expectations, I nevertheless kept the Kitty Pryde ideal in mind and, as I played with her, attempted to talk with her, and taught her, I tried to ignite a mind that could be every bit as beautiful and brilliant as Kitty's. And, as Ellie grew, I began to see a young woman even smarter, kinder, more loving, and more imaginative than that two dimensional character could ever be. My daughter (well, both. I have two now) are more than a guy like me could ever have hoped for. And so, when Ellie began to show a passing interest in comics (as a six year old, she still isn't totally enamored by them, but she gets excited from time to time), I told her about Kitty Pryde, and we stretched out on the floor to read X-Men #153 together. Of course, she instantly took a liking to Kitty and to the story, also finding the comedy laugh-out-loud hysterical while only somewhat grasping the sense of loss that framed the whole story. Delighted that she had enjoyed it, and thoroughly moved by the moment we'd shared, I gave her the book. That copy is now my second favorite comic of all time. It symbolizes so much that matters to me about who Ellie is and the bond we share, as well as the memory of that moment in time, stretched out on the floor of her toy room, reading and laughing together. Additionally, when we went to Motor City Comicon last year, Ellie met Chris Claremont (twice, actually. There's a whole story there), and he was very surprised to learn she actually knew something about the X-Men and loved Kitty Pryde. They had a conversation that lasted at least three minutes, in which Claremont looked even more delighted than Ellie as they held up an absurdly long line of fan boys with large stacks of comics to be signed. Chris signed Ellie's copy of X-men #153:  but only after seeing that I'd signed it first.  One day, I hope Ellie will be a passionate comic collector with this book at the center of her collection but, for now, it matters to me.
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