Doug: I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea a) why I bought this, or b) what I am ever going to do with it. It should have been a failed purchase right from the start. Below you can find a couple of photos of the inside and outside of an uncut sheet of covers to Avengers #360 (March 1993). I purchased this from a dealer on eBay -- not sure when. But for those of you who remember the issue, it was on cardstock (not too stiff) and had the (obviously) gold foil stamping; ah, the 1990's! So my point is that it was rolled for shipping -- any manner of indiscretions could have arisen! But alas, it's in great shape. Again, I don't know how useful it is, but it is sort of cool. I also have no recollection of the price I paid, but I know it wasn't unreasonable. What's it worth? What's it worth to you -- that's what it's worth, pal.
Doug: So as I said at the top, I'd like to know what oddities you have. I wish we had a way for you to upload photos if it's really cool or strange -- I guess if you can host them yourselves and don't mind, send us a link in the comments, so we can all check it out. Thanks!
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Not sure if this counts, but next year I’m getting my loft converted and moving my comic & book libraries up there, which apart from creating a load more space generally, will free up a load of wall space. To celebrate, I’m getting a friend who works for a graphic design agency to turn some of favourite comic covers into wall art. I’m currently trying to think of the best and most ironic places to hang each poster, so Drac #26 (a super Kane cover of Drac swooping on an innocent girl, natch) will be over my bed, Avengers #57 (Behold the Vision) will be hovering over my stairwell, and, in the aforementioned library, which will also house a pool table, Avengers #181 (....seven of you can stay....).
Another thing that is, of course, not actually weird outside the US, is that we all acquire comics here and there in languages other than English. This is not weird in itself, but I always found it strange to have Spidey et al swinging around New York speaking German, French etc, with the place names and other things that can’t be translated still in English. I could always imagine Peter Parker’s American accent via his dialogue and the cadence of his speech, but as soon as it was in another language, it seemed like another person.
Richard
I'll really have to think about that.. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I have been collecting some great pics from some of my fav Bronze shows (original Galactica and 1999) on 35mm slide format CHEAP.
Not that I have a carousel player anymore (my mom still does..), but you can find some ultra-rare images that way, then have a local photo-processing place print them out on photo paper.
Just off the top of my head the weirdest thing I probably own is a roll of comic printed Spider-Man/Hulk toilet paper.
I also own an unopened can of Spider-Man tennis balls, a Spider-Man pocket knife and many other Spider-Man themed objects. I'd have to get the bin out of storage to remember everything.
My current comics-related collection is pretty straight forward, just some floppies and a bunch of tpbs, HCs, phonebooks, etc. I think the most unique (at least from an American perspective) thing in my original collection was a few of these "British annuals" I came across pretty cheap back in 1980 or so. I had the X-men, Captain America and Spider-man volumes - the X-men book featured the Sentinels story by Thomas and Adams, and the Cap book reprinted the three legendary Steranko issues. Can't really remember what was in the Spider-man one, though. Apparently those are pretty rare now - I did a few web searches a while back and remember finding only a handful of references to them.
Richard, funny that you should mention American comics translated into other languages - it is definitely weird. I've flipped through a few Marvel books (Spider-man, Daredevil, etc.) translated into Croatian a few times, and it just seemed so off. It's like when you come across a satellite channel showing the Simpsons dubbed into German or Hungarian...
Oh, I do impress my wife and family at times with my STILL mailer-wrapped plastic Marshmallow Container from Star Trek V, courtesy of Kraft Foods.
I saw someone selling it cheap on eBay so I grabbed it. I still think it's one of the coolest Trek items.
One of the most unusual books I have is a landscape collection of early 70s "Jeff Hawke" strips from the Daily Express. In Italian. These faintly saucy sci-fi epics were hugely exciting to read as a kid.
So: both Bronze Age and comics-related!
Hi Edo – Oh yeah. UK Annuals. Those 2 you mention are superb. Essentially giant size, full colour, hardback versions of the Adams Sentinels issues and the Steranko Caps.
Two other favourites of mine were the Avengers Annual 1975, which reprinted the Magneto/Xmen story from Avengers circa #110, and the 1977 Annual which reprinted GS #1 (the Nuklo / Whizzer story) which , to this day, is the only format in which I have that story. I also very fondly remember Hulk annual 1978. Can’t remember what’s in it, but a great Starlin cover.
Richard
Well. . . I do have a goodly bit of oddball comic-related paraphanelia and "stuff". Not really collectible, maybe-- just accumulated. I did go through a brief ebay frenzy about 10 years ago where I was grabbing Hulk things in particular.
I do have 54" tall cardboard Hulk promotional figure-- part of a Doritos tie-in w/ the animated series from back then. It even came w/ the bag of Doritos (!), but first a VERY little HBSon started to open them, and then mice found their way in. . .so it was time to return them to the clay, as it were. Love the figure very much, o'course.
Let's see-- I also have an "animatronic" Hulk telephone down there in the comic book room. It functions as a phone, but isn't 100% reliable in how the animatronics respond to incoming calls. It is a DELIGHTULLY kitschy piece, though!
On the wall is pinned the hopelessy ragged remains of an iron-on purple Hulk t-shirt my Mom got for me when I was in 7th grade. It's from that famous cover for #123 (Leader & the Murder Module). It is, literally, a ragged piec of cloth-- that's it-- but every time I threw it away, I always somehow pulled it back out of the trash before it was too late.
A couple of rather nice Hulk piggybanks. Two or three Hulk Gamma Blasters (battery-operated, noise-making "rayguns"-- absolutely no contextual connection to anything that has anything to do with the Hulk. . . pure marketing grab. . . ). The envelope from my FOOM Membership kit (and the poster, naturally). The old, old, OLD Hulk poster that I got in 6th or 7th grade from the Scholastic Book Club that serviced our school system. Most of the Incredible Hulk board game. I mean, if folks found a broken Hulk toy laying in the gutter, they'd give it to me, and I'd provide a home for it. There's probably an animated film waiting to happen in this scenario somewhere. . .
HB
That, HB, is an awesome list of love! And by the way, I finally saw your PM on the AA! site -- only about 10 weeks late!
Doug
Oh, I figure you're an astonishingly busy guy, Doug-- I wasn't worried, believe me!
Hey, I do still have one more question about the Season's Greetings header up there (which makes me happy every time I look at it): Penciled by Gil Kane, I believe was the earlier response, although gosh, it just doesn't look like Kane to me. Is the inker Joe Sinnott, maybe? Or possibly even Sal Buscema? Something about the clean lines just looks like "House Marvel" at its best, to me.
HB
HB --
The Grand Comics Database credits Kane and Sinnott with both covers (front and back) to Marvel Treasury Edition #13, from which comes the image on our masthead. I agree that not all of the characters in the image scream "Gil Kane!" to me, but then I don't know how often I've seen Kane inked by Sinnott, either.
Doug
Thanks much, Doug. I guess my eye for inkers is finally, finally starting to improve-!
Good ol' Joltin' Joe. "He overpowers the penciler" seems to be a common criticism, but sheesh, I don't know if I can think of a case where that was detrimental to the visual effect. (As I once again veer chaotically OT. . . )
HB
HB - loved that Hulk FOOM envelope. Didn't keep it, sadly, but I do still have the membership card...
As for unusual, there's my ID card from Spanish Club in high school. Not so unique, but the back is autographed by Dr. Demento! He had an appearance in our town one afternoon, and was gracious enough to sign the card ( I had nothing else to write upon). His radio show was a big influence on my impressionable young mind; and I've always tried to "stay demented".
I keep meaning to do a post on it at my blog, but I never get around to it. A few months ago the guy who runs my local shop showed me some actual metal printing plates he got hold of for the cover of a Classics Illustrated comic (Miles Standish if you must know...and of course you must). He had the plates for all four colors, a plate for each and it was fascinating to see and hold them.
He didn't even know what they might be worth or what to charge for them, but I'm sure if I wanted them he'd have sold them. I have no clue what to do with such things.
Rip Off
Richard, yep, those are the books I'm talking about - and they were really cheap when I bought them back in 1980 from a mail order comic ship, about $2 or $3 dollars each if I recall correctly. The last time I did a web search for them a few years ago, one of the few sellers offering them was charging about $30 a piece. Those books are definitely among those things from my old collection I REALLY regret not having any more.
And HB's tale of his lovingly preserved Hulk t-shirt reminded me of something else I regret not having any more: although I had several superhero t-shirts, my favorite was one featuring the Thing. The front featured that rather standard image of the Thing standing with arms raised and fists clenched, while the back had that same image as seen from, well, the rear. And on the back, the Thing's little blue trunks had written on them in very tiny letters: "If you can read this, you're too darn close!" I remember when I wore that in P.E., even one of the stern and serious nuns in my grade school found that amusing...
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