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About this journal

One man's journey to turn his lifelong collection hoard of comics into a streamlined, Superman-centric collection.

Entries in this journal

The one missing book.

Yesterday, I had mentioned that when I bought my almost complete run of DC Comics Presents from eBay, there was one issue missing that the seller had kept.  So what was the missing issue? The obvious answer is #26 with the first appearance of the New Teen Titans.  Well, you'd be wrong. Then, you might guess issue #47 with the first comic book appearance of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.  Well, you'd be wrong again. I'll give you a hint.  I bought this collection in 2006,
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The randomness speaks...

Back in the day, from 2009-2011, I used to have a blog called The Random Longbox.  The idea, was that I would let a random number generator pick a book at random from my collection that I would then have to read and review.  I had a lot of fun, and enjoyed the pure randomness of pulling a book out of the longboxes and reading with no prior context other than my (faulty at best) memory. The old link is long dead at www.randomlongbox.com, but the the original blogspot link is still up and act
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The curious part of the epic-ness

To wrap things up for the week, let's take a look at a few curious items I found at the estate sale. First up are these set of 6 Collector's Series Value Packs. I have never seen these before in my time, and I'm still not 100% sure where they came from.  I think these are the mini-comics that came with a cassette tape?  Maybe? The second book in each two-pack is either an Untold Legend of the Batman issue, or an Archie book.  Very curious.  I would imagine that these were rep
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My favorite part of the epic-ness!

Now it's time for my favorite part of the haul from my epic estate sale find. As I had mentioned earlier, when I was in the basement level rummaging around I had managed to snag a longbox to start storing all of my finds in.  I was working my way up the stairs to the third level, it was tricky to say the least as the stairs were very narrow, and a nice gentlemen noticed me struggling and backed up so I could keep going.  I thanked him, and as he noticed what I was carrying said, "I don't th
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The triad of epic-ness continues!

Day three, in the retelling of my estate sale find recap continues! The next book is a hard to find non-key, and was on my radar for some time before I found these. Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #106 from November 1970. With it's cringe-worthy (if not well-intentioned) look at race relations at the tail end of the civil rights movement amid the rise of the black power movement, this one has been sought after for the historical oddity that it is for a while now.  Snuggled r
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The epic-ness continues!

Yesterday I went through the narrative for my greatest estate sale find.  So for the rest of this week we're going to take a look at what else I was able to find, in addition to the Famous 1st Editions that I've already I shown off. After a little more digging I managed to find another sought after treasury sized book, since these were not with the majority of the others.  These three books were tucked away in a box with some newspapers, underneath a nearby table. Superman vs. The
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My epic estate sale hoard!

Time for a war story from the trenches! Over the years, I've had some mild successes with estate sales.  My best find up to this point was a complete run of 7.0 to 8.0 copies of Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths for a buck a book.  A nice enough score to keep you out there looking for opportunities, that's for sure. During my routine check of local listings, I came across an announcement for a camera/comic book store that was going out of business in Milford, Michigan.  That's
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The Fourth World at its best!

For my money, Mister Miracle was the most successful of the Fourth World titles in both idea and execution.  The deceptively simple concept, coupled with Kirby's out there early 70's imagination, led to some great stories. It took me a while to find a nice copy of Mister Miracle #1 from April 1971.  I finally picked up this nice looking mid grade copy from a fellow boardie for a nice price. Look at that cover!  How could you not want to pick that up!  Well, if that one didn't enti
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New Gods...new mythologies

While not necessarily Superman titles, I do consider the Fourth World books Superman-adjacent, since they did kick off in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.  So today, let's take a look at the series that laid down a lot of the mythology to come. New Gods #1 from March 1971. I think out of all the Fourth World titles, this cover is not only a classic, but probably one of my personal favorites as well.  I love the oversized logo, the black and white background, and the oversaturated color
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The other Darkseid 1st appearance

I seem to have stumbled upon a theme week routine here, so let's keep it up looking at some more Kirby Fourth World in detail.  Before the holiday, we had the 1st cameo appearance of Darkseid in SPJO#134, so let's see what else he was up to leading up to his first full appearance. Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #135 from January 1971 I can definitely appreciate what Kirby was going for, with the slow reveal of Darkseid to build up tension, but it sure makes for some lackluster first a
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Happy 4th of July

Seeing as how the oversized treasury editions were released in the mid-70's, there were some great patriotic covers to coincide with the upcoming bicentennial celebration!  I was only  6 ½ at the time, but I seem to recall quite a bit of bicentennial fever leading up to that summer. Limited Collectors' Edition #C-38 released on July 3rd, 1975.  The lead off story, reprinted from Superman #48, is the only one with a real patriotic bent.  Superman heads back in time to collect signatures
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Collecting Kirby

I commented last week about finishing up a mini-run of the 80 pg. Giants sprinkled throughout Action Comics and Superman, but there's also another nice little run that I finally finished up a few weeks ago with this eBay purchase... Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #148 from April 1972 Since I don't really collect any Silver Age Marvel (aside from the odd Avengers or Doctor Strange book that crosses my path) my collection has a serious lack of Jack Kirby goodness.  I started to finally
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Finishing up with interactive covers

Let's round out this week with one last interactive cover of sorts. Action Comics #388 from May 1970 So what is wrong with this cover?  Let's count 'em up... Krytpo as Streaky One Way road sign pointing up Cosmic Boy's gloves Cosmic Boy's legs are white Saturn Girl's logo Superman wearing glasses Superman has long hair (damn hippy!) Superman has short cape Superman's chest emblem backwards Flash marking on Superm
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More fun and games with comic book covers!

Yesterday we had a lot of fun with the board game cover of AC#360, so let's see what other "interactive" covers we have. Here's Action Comics #344 from December 1966. This cover boasts a mystery to solve, with all of the "Bat-Clues" right there on the cover.  Superman is having nightmares, and it's up to us to figure out the cause! Let's give it a good look...there's a crystal man on the cover, doing his best Santa Claus impersonation while a multitude of Supermen are frozen
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Board Game Cover

Here's another recent eBay purchase. Action Comics #360 from April 1968. This was the last of the 80 pg. Giant's that I needed for the Action/Superman collection, so I was very pleased to find a nice presenting, mid-high grade copy for a reasonable price.  This one cost me under $20 with shipping, so I call that a win.   There's nothing better than knocking off one of your mini-goals!  I still have quite a few of the 80-pagers that I need to upgrade into 7.0 or above territor
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Impeding traffic

So after about 2 ½ hours at the local courthouse yesterday, I got my 3 point traffic citation reduced to a zero point infraction for impeding traffic.  The actual fine went up $30, but I'd gladly pay that to avoid the higher insurance rates associated with a 3 point ticket.  Especially considering the fact that my wife and I just bought a new car last week! Here's Superman impeding traffic, from Superman #85 from 1953. This is another book from one of my LCS' monthly auctions.  I
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Being hassled by the man!

I actually worked this journal entry up over the weekend, as right now i'm in court trying to fight a traffic ticket.  In all honesty it's more of a "can you take my good driving record into consideration, put me on probation for six months, and take the points off of my ticket please?" than a 12 Angry Men type situation.  We'll see how that turns out tomorrow.  In the meantime, enjoy these covers of Superman getting hassled by the man! Action Comics #359 I'm questioning the the c
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Hands down, the best Superman gorilla cover ever!

And finally, we have what has to be the greatest of all Superman gorilla covers...or at least the zaniest! Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #98 I mean, c'mon...what's not to love about this one... Jimmy as Tarzan, getting married to a female King Kong in a bridal veil, with the ceremony being performed by Superman, who just happens to be the local witch doctor.  Since he's a witch doctor, he has brought with him his boiling cauldron.  It's good to know they went for at least one as
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We might as well round out this week with more Gorillas

At this point, we might as well round out the rest of this week with more Gorillas. Here we have King Krypton, the Super-Gorilla! Action Comics #238 This issue features the first, and only, appearance of King Krypton.  I won't spoil the ending that necessitates this being his only appearance, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. I love this cover for two reasons.  First, it's a gorilla in the Superman costume.  Second, it's the improbable physics involved.  You'r
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The other big monkey key

Yesterday we saw my latest semi-key monkey book.  Today, let's take a look at another. Superman #127 The first appearance of Titano, from February 1959! This copy I bought off of eBay about 4 or 5 years ago.  It looked great in the scan, so I was surprised that I was able to sneak in and snag it for under $50.  Especially knowing the fascination with monkeys, apes, and DC. Initially, I thought the top edge might have been trimmed, as that upper right corner is just too s
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Newest acquisition...Superboy #76

Here's my newest acquisition, straight from the wilds of eBay. Superboy #76 When I first discovered the eBay alerts were a thing, this was one of the first that I set up.  I have no idea why it took such precedence, as it's just the first appearance of a very minor character, that being Beppo, the Super-Monkey!  In all reality, who wouldn't want this book, am I right? Over the intervening years, I have found it near impossible to find a nice looking copy at a fair price.  The
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Happy Father's Day

Happy belated Father's Day to all you Dad's out there, as I'm sure this forum has their fair share of 'em!  I got these two lego guys from my wife and son. I'm pretty sure I have an unhealthy obsession with Lego, as I got so pleased to see a Bizarro lego figure.  Bizarro?!  C'mon, that's just fantastic.  At this point, I think my obsession with Lego's has turned Pavlovian, as I see a kit and I just have to build it immediately. And that's not even touching on the fact that they ma
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The next first

So yesterday was the first comic I ever read, and coincidentally enough, it was a Superman book.  What was the first Superman comic book I bought once I decided to start reading and collecting? That honor goes to Superman (Vol. 2) #13 from 1988. As I said in my first journal entry, I was pretty much a Marvel zombie for the first 7 or 8 years of my reading and collecting.  I remember getting the Crisis mini-series as it was fresh on the stands right when I started reading.  I was e
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The first of the firsts!

Let's take the first few journal entries and talk about some firsts. So what was the first comic book that I ever read?  I can't be 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure it was this one... I vividly remember the Christmas I got this, although the year is fuzzy.  I'm guessing it was 1977, and I was 7 years old based on the copyright date.  I also got the Batman treasury with the dead Robin on the cover, and an agonized Batman and Ra's Al Ghul laughing in the background.  Both of these co
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The origin story

One of my favorite things about the CGC Boards, is when people take that time to go through parts of their collections.  In the process, they are revealing tales about their acquisitions and motivations that I always find fascinating.  I figure if I get a kick out of others stories, maybe someone will get a kick out of mine. For me, it all started back in the spring/summer of 1985 when my best friend at the time came back from a trip to somewhere in Pennsylvania.  He was gone for a couple o
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