Trevor

Darn, I would have sold you mine for much less. I really need to get my stuff organized and start purging it to you all.

terrycloth

Hey if you still wanna unload them! shoot me an price id be interested

terrycloth

I finally got to my lcbs after like 3 months of not getting there my pull box was 60$...knew most of my stuff ended but dang convergence and secret wars is saving me money!

The Valeyard

I'll shoot you my Wish List once you're organized.

PhantomStranger

Have these come down in price? That seems like a good deal for them. I guess the big money these days all go to graded copies.

PhantomStranger

I came across a pack of comics at Marshalls, the clothing store. Ten individual comics for $4.99, all from the late 80s or early 90s. Stuffed in with the children's books aimed at 3-year-olds. Here is part of what I have read so far:

Justice League Europe #21 - I had this issue already in my collection, as I am a huge fan of Justice League Europe. Hadn't read it in many years but immediately remembered its central plot of the JLE moving from Paris to London in it. A pretty funny issue where Captain Atom goes around laughing his butt off.

Captain Atom #13 - Written by Cary Bates, this was like a completely different character than how he was written in team books. I was never big into Captain Atom's solo adventures and this was a depressing Christmas tale where a homeless man nearly burns to death.

Batman #462 - From the Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle Bats team. A friend of Bruce Wayne dies under mysterious circumstances, leading Batman to investigate in...San Francisco. This was the beginning of an mini-arc, so the story is just getting started.

Catwoman #1 (1993) - The artist on this book was Jim Balent, who for my money drew Catwoman as well as anyone ever. The cover is a nice die-cut piece emphasizing Catwoman's...curves. This wasn't a bad read for a first issue, setting up her current problems at the time in what I believe was her first solo series.

I am a sucker for these old packs of comics, even though I often own many of the issues. I fondly recall picking these kind of packs up in the late 1980s. Whenever I went to a comic book shop at the time, the back issues would always be outrageously priced if they were popular heroes like Batman or Superman. So coming across five random back issues for $3 or whatever the price was back then seemed like a great deal.

PhantomStranger

Superman #149 (1999 publication) - Some female character called the Strange Visitor arrives wearing Superman's old containment suit from his electric days. The art is a little unpolished, Sal Buscema is credited with "finishing" it for another artist.

Superman: The Man of Steel #3 (1991 ongoing series) - A silly tie-in with the War of the Gods crossover. Superman has to fight a resurrected Mayan god. The best bit in the entire issue involves Jonathan and Martha Kent on vacation.

rocket1312

I loved those old packs. In the early 90's Costco would sell 20 packs of random Marvel issues for 10 or 15 bucks. They seemed to always be full of random fill-in issues that were probably returned unsold from the newsstand. Still, they were a lot of fun for someone like me who could only afford to follow a couple of titles regularly. I remember getting packs at Toys R Us as well, but they weren't as random. They usually contained entire storylines or revolved around a specific theme.

PhantomStranger

It was always weird drug stores and Toys R Us that had those multipacks of random comics back in the day. The only store I know of now that regularly gets them is Five Below, a chain of stores where everything is supposed to be below $5. Their packs are usually only 4 or 5 comics for that price.

mrhan

Back in the late 80's when Big Lots was called McFrugals here in CA. they carried those comic packs, also. Besides those they also had the Fireside books. For those that don't know, they use to publish collected reprints of Marvel and DC comics. Titles such as Sons of Origins, Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer and a bunch of others for $2 each. I never picked them up but I wish I had so I would at least have a reading copy today.

mrhan

I wish I had picked those up when I was growing up. I have most of Neal Adams' artwork for Marvel and DC but I don't own a single one of those Power records book he did. Thanks for the link.

Trevor

I'm a sucker for those packs as well. I've bought a bunch at Dollar Tree, can't beat 3-4 comics for a buck. But now I know I need to check Marshall's too, wow.

PhantomStranger

Here is another issue from the pack:

Adventures of Superman Annual #5 - This was part of the Bloodlines crossover event, when DC made a concerted effort to introduce new heroes activated when bit by these insect-like monsters. I don't think a single hero introduced during this event made a lasting impact, many of them were terribly generic efforts. This annual focused on Superboy (calling himself "Superman") hitting on a new superheroine while he fought the insect monsters. I never cottoned to this version of Superboy, either his visual design or general attitude.

This issue did have one great line in it. Being a superhero is like working as part actor and part boxer. The bad parts of each profession.

PhantomStranger

The Punisher War Journal #42

A completely disposable Punisher standalone story that feels like pure formula. The Punisher does have a funny mention about Irish gangs being the toughest of them all. Most startling for me in the issue was an ad for some Marvel trivia line charging $4 per call. Funniest thing in the issue was Stan's newsletter where he promises that Jim Cameron is working hard on a Spider-Man movie that will hit theaters very soon.

I was pretty shocked to see something like a 900 number being promoted by Marvel in their own comics. The ad warns kids not to call more than four times per week.

Daredevil #300

The man without fear finally brings the Kingpin to legal justice. Peter Parker makes a one-panel cameo. Marvel's softball team lost two out of three to DC's team that summer from the Marvel bullpen column. Though somehow the writer still gloats over Marvel's lone victory.

mrhan

Anyone else collect these? Picked these up at a recent toy and comic show for $5 each. Issue 1 and 3 with interior art by Dick Giordano.

Trevor

What are those? Charlton reprints of Marvel books?

mrhan

Not reprints but all original work. I'm surprised you haven't seen these before....



Deadly Hands of Kung Fu

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Deadly Hands of Kung Fu is a martial arts comic magazine published by Marvel Comics. There were a total of 33 issues published plus one Special Album Edition before the series was cancelled.

This magazine was published in the early 1970s amidst the brief kung fu movie craze. Bruce Lee had recently died, and his movies were scoring huge box-office grosses, along with other Hong Kong martial arts films (not to mention Billy Jack) that were shown in the United States at the time which did not quite as well. The Kung Fu TV series was being watched by millions. Carl Douglas had a hit song with "Kung Fu Fighting". The martial arts in general, and kung fu in particular, were on many people's minds at the time.

Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu magazine was launched in 1974 and ended 33 issues later in 1977. Some of the core recurring characters of the magazine were Shang Chi, master of kung fu; Iron Fist; the Sons of the Tiger; the White Tiger; Samurai; and Daughters of the Dragon, two female characters who had appeared in the Iron Fist comic. Each issue was an anthology with comic stories from these characters, both single issues stories and multi-issue arcs.

In addition, most issues had some kind of martial arts movie review from a recently released film. Other issues had interviews with authentic martial arts instructors, while others had interviews with movie or television celebrities related to martial arts. The early issues had a martial arts instructional section which described some elementary fighting techniques. These were provided by comics illustrator/martial artist Frank McLaughlin.

The magazine was strictly black-and-white with no color except for the cover. The cost of the magazine was 75 cents for issues #1-14. Issue #15 was a "Super Annual" (all reprints) issue and cost $1.25. Issues #16-33 were $1.00, as well as the Special Album Edition (June) 1974.

http://www.comicbook-collecting.com/...of-Kung-Fu.php

http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/M...0Fu/index.html

Trevor

Interesting. I knew of the magazine and may even own a couple, but the cover confused me. I thought Marvel would have been on it somewhere.

mrhan

Curtis Circulation Company is the name on the top left corner. Marvel started using their own name on the later Conan magazines. Issue no. 3 is also one of Frank McLaughlin's (Flash inker) early work.

PhantomStranger

If I had been around when those were first published, I would have gone crazy for them. I don't remember seeing them before and I've gone through a lot of long boxes at conventions.

The art looks great.

mrhan

I'm still on the look out for the Caine and Billy Jack covers. I have most of the Bruce Lee covers.

JumpCutz

Speaking of the old black and whites, picked this up last week.

For size:

mrhan

^^ Awesome cover!

Trevor

I really need to come up with a reading plan to get through my Conan backlog. I think I own every issue ever. Well, at least the Marvel and Dark Horse runs. What is that, maybe a thousand books? Good gracious.

PhantomStranger

More random issues I just bought from a grab-bag of 10 issues on the cheap.

Fantastic Five #1 - This was apparently a mini-series run a few years ago. It is the Fantastic Four plus Johnny Storm's wife and features the return of Doom from somewhere under the sea. I kid you not about that last part, Doom surprises Namor in his secret lair under the ocean. Somehow he then gets the power Cosmic and goes after the Fantastic Five, starting with the Thing. Ben struggles as his ex-wife shows up demanding their kids back.

Fantastic Four 323 - An Inferno crossover featuring Mantis and everyone's favorite time-traveler, Kang the Conqueror. Now this is my idea of the Fantastic Four and what I expect from their book. Johnny's powers are acting up and he's having problems flaming off. This is from the period when the Thing had mutated once again and took on an even rockier appearance. It's left hanging but there is an odd line by Kang how lonely he is to Mantis.