Doug: Recently some of our readers have been clamoring (OK, probably "asking politely" is a better way to put it) for new photos of the comic room in my basement. As I had a free couple of minutes last week, I took some photos of the shelving. The rest of the room looks basically as it did several years ago when I first ran this feature. However, about a year ago I wanted to make the display look more like a library and a bit less like a conglomeration of everything I've acquired through my collecting life. While I didn't get rid of anything, I did box up close to 40 action figures and accessories. That allowed me to reorganize the books and categorize them. I've enjoyed this, as I go to the shelves often for the comics reviews we do here on the BAB -- it's just much easier to find what I'm looking for now. In regard to the action figures, I basically kept out the ones I liked the best; you'll notice some specific groupings which I think are fun to look at.Doug: The shelving unit was custom-made by the carpenter who finished our basement. It's about 6 feet high, with three compartments across by five high. You can get some scale by checking out the height as compared to the Archives/Masterworks; I believe the Marvel Legends Giant-Man build-a-figure is 15" tall.
Doug: I've tried to do a lay-out today that approximates what the shelving looks like in real life. Of course some of my camera angles weren't exactly what I'd hoped for, but I think you'll get the idea. Clicking on any of the individual images will get you something larger that will be kinder to your eyeballs. Let me know what you think, and thanks for checking it out!
21 comments:
I like the picture right in the dead center: first, because it's one of the only ones that doesn't have action figures impeding my view of the books, and second (& more importantly), it has the whole set of those big '70s reprint books (Origins, Son of Origins..), including my favorite, Superhero Battles. Outside of the books, the coolest things I see are the 7-11 cups. Great stuff, Doug...
Ah, well, I believe I was the 'clamoring one', without a doubt.
VERY nice, organized display, having it all in one spot is also a delight. The built-in shelving is spot on. I'm tired of seeing all the basement collections on those makeshift shelving units ~ The hero figures of today, and collectables of yesteryear richly deserve 'Diva-status' to say the least.
Definitely a reading room of class.
The main part of looking at collections, naturally is to see what I still need to acquire. Loving the Megos, I purchased hi-qual repo boxes and acrylic boxes, which'll ran about $30 each (both repo and acrylic case..).
They make gorgeous displays, here's my still-wrapped Ideal Spiderman '73 playset and MIB Talking GI Joe encased for examples...:
http://megomuseum.com/mmgallery/files/1/7/9/7/IMG-20110508-00016.jpg
I've been focusing on Legends figures for the last few years. LOVED the Avengers line, but am still waiting for a decent Bronze FF representation (haven't like Reeds and Ben's headsculpt variations).
Doug, LOVE the Legends Spiderman/Villains diorama with that classic pose. Whaaat a great idea.
As for books, I liked the 'Marvel Vault' especially for how cheap it is to buy, but I always wished they would have gone a step further and added a CD/DVD featuring a '70s FF radio show, interviews, or the MMMS Theme song sold on 45s back in the day.
Thanks much, Doug. Great to see your updated stuff, looking forward to more.
Very nice. I'll give you 20 bucks for the lot. (Well, a guy's gotta try.)
Wow, kind of jealous of your Justice Society of America collection there...
I also see you have a complete collection of the Marvel Secret Wars figures. Very nice. Even Baron Zemo, who wasn't even in the war.
(Zemo went awol? Coward!)
Doug, one other earnest suggestion ~ If I call Santa today, you can probably get those MU Goliaths delivered by the 25th..
Better yet, I'll just call your wife and get it goin'. Clearly, she'd agree with me that you simply don't have enough characters represented by outstanding articulated figures.
This is fun to see, Doug! Right away I like the cups--Conan caught my attention. I see Kubert's Tarzan and Savage Sword on your shelves--have to check your reviews of these.
Kirby King of Comics--was a review done of this book? I liked it, and it fired up my interest in Kirby again.
I don't collect action figures. The only things on my bookshelves are a viking helmet, a troll playing guitar, a ukulele, and a parrot! : )
Wow, your stuff is all in great shape...most of my books are falling apart! I see you have a red Daily Planet delivery truck (top middle, in front of the Thing figurine)...I had that truck when I was a kid, but I got it wet and the paper peeled off the sides. You must've been way more careful than I was!
Mike W.
Hi, Garett --
I haven't read the Kirby book. I acquired it a few years ago for nothing when I signed up for the Science Fiction Book Club. It's on my way-too-long "to read" list, however.
I'd like to fill out my collection of the Savage Sword of Conan reprints. I originally thought they'd contain mostly John Buscema art, but have been pleasantly surprised at the wide array of artists who've worked on the Cimmerian.
Edo -- apologies for the figures blocking the titles of the tomes. If there was a book or section of the display in particular that you were curious about, just let me know and I'll tell you what's there.
Thanks, everyone!
Doug
I particularly enjoyed seeing the Megos -especially The Lizard, which was the only one I ever had circa 1974.
I also covet the Superhero Battles and the Secret Origins- DC Superheroes books!
Nice to see you have a few of the same TPB's that I have. I also have the Justice Society volumes, Crisis the team-ups, and Crisis On ME's but I have 1 and 2. I'm pretty envious of the Legion Archives and the Joe Kubert TArzan collections. How come you don't have any Showcase Presents volumes?
BTW, the JSA figures are awesome.
Tony --
In regard to the JSA figs, I've boxed up Starman, Hourman, Dr. Fate, and the Spectre. I kept out a more modern version of Wonder Woman simply because she stands on her own; I have the GA Wonder Woman that was actually in the JSA line, but she has never stood up on her own. Looks great, but very impractically designed!
As to the lack of DC's Showcase Presents volumes, I'm somewhat sad to say that there really aren't any Silver Age DC's that I'm dying to get my hands on. I can handle Bronze Age DC, but not too much before that floats my boat. From the writing to the art to even the lettering -- I just can't really get into it (the Legion of Super-Heroes obviously being the exception).
Doug
Dougie --
The Marvel Origins books and the DC Secret Origins books are all vintage -- they've been in my hands for almost 40 years (wow...).
There are a couple of Power Records stashed away that you probably couldn't see -- the Spidey/Man Wolf one and the FF origin one. I used to have several others. The two I currently have were acquired later -- no idea what became of the ones I owned as a child.
Mike W. --
The various cars were all given to me, and were purchased at either garage sales or flea markets. I had some Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars as a child, but nothing comic-related (I did have a friend who had the 1966 Batmobile, though -- man, did I covet that!!).
Doug
Oooo nice doll, er, action figure collection there Doug! :)
I have a large collection of comic books but they are all boxed up; I should take a page from you and build a shelf someday to hold them all.
- Mike 'what's the name of your carpenter' from Trinidad & Tobago.
You'll find no frilly dresses in this collection, sir!!
Doug "Unless the Yancy Streeters get ahold of Bashful Benjy"
Fun! There is some classic goodness on those shelves... :)
Interesting that the subject of dolls came up; I'm trying to remember when the term action figure became the norm - because I specifically recall throughout elementary school my friends and I used to just call them dolls, didn't matter if they were super-heroes, Big Jim and G.I. Joe or the later Star Wars figures.
And Doug, can you believe that Kid? $20 for the lot - geez... I'll take just the whole set of books for $20 ... ;)
'Action Figures' became the norm in the early '80s, easily.
I'm thinking it was the advent of 3 3/4" scale figures, which became vogue thanks to 'Star Wars'. With that immensely successful line, nearly every (smart) '80s franchise went to that scale primarily.
That picture of you is great because you look so scholarly, and you're basically reading a comic book.
Nice collection of books and such. Your shelves look a lot like my own. I have a bunch Marvel Masterworks, Marvel Firsts volumes, and other various trades and hardcovers.
I also have somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 action figures (mostly Marvel Legends and DC Universe Classics), but I don't really display most of them. I get them out as I need them to make my figure comics with.
I agree about the Showcase volumes. I only have the ones in my collection because they were cheap at a used bookstore. I have Atom vol 1, Challengers 1, Haunted Tank 1 and Metamorpho. Enjoyable for what they are, but I wouldn't have paid full price for them. Especially Metamorpho, boy is it goofy. I feel the same way about Silver Age DC, other than Westerns and War stories, there's not too much that interests me from that period. Anyway, I'm hoping to do something like your room once my 2yr old is in her own room. Must get my convention sketches framed and on the wall!
William --
Scholarly? That's why my sons call me "Reed Richards". Oh, wait -- no, that's because of the graying temples.
Tony --
I would love to get into some SA Green Lantern and Atom, maybe some Hawkman. When I see Archives sales, I should probably just take the plunge.
Doug
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