The 54th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast: Mistakes, Missed Opportunities and Regrets.

Don't worry, I'm not going to break out in a song but I have to admit, when I was thinking about writing this edition of the broadcast, the lyrics to "My Way" were floating around in my head...."regrets...I've had a few..." don't worry, there's not going to be a video of me singing My Way.  Besides no one sings it better than Ol Blues Himself.  And I don't mean Ben Grimm.

Welcome to the 54th Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast, this time I wanna talk about some absolutely dumbass mistakes I made, the missed opportunities and most of all that sense of regret thinking back about these mistakes.  I know that a lot of people say it's useless to keep thinking about what mistakes you've made, yesterday is gone and that you should look ahead, well I do agree with that and that's what I am doing but I'm hoping that my sharing my dumbass mistakes can help a new comic collector avoid such mistakes.

When I first started reading and then seriously collecting comics, I have to admit I was...well misguided.  A lot of my friends had a bigger allowance than I did and they were able to buy and collect whatever they wanted and they did.  I wanted the same.  I wanted what they had and more but as I said I was misguided and I followed some bad "advice" Buy this.  Buy that.  Start collecting this because later they'll go up in value.  Collect this because everyone is collecting it now.  Buy this because it's the hottest comics ever. Blah blah blah blah.  I heard them all and yes, ol dumbass here went along with their advice, I thought they were telling me the truth but that wasn't the case.  As the years went along, there came a period when there were speculators who started getting interested in comics, buying them in bulk, hoarding these issues and artificially driving up prices.  Making any comic seem like GOLD!

I was also "befriended" by a few so called collectors who said they wanted to help me along.  Let me tell you that their advice and guidance was crap. Thanks to their help, I bought and collected a lot of comics I didn't even like.  Hey, I was a young impressionable naive kid, what can I say?  Once I realized that I had made some mistakes, it was a little late to do anything.  I decided to continue collecting as it was a great hobby, I enjoyed reading and collecting them but I didn't collect what I liked.  Well that changed when I decided to buy and collect and read what I want.  What I liked.  Is it the title?  The Writer?  The Artist?  It could be any of the three reasons I mentioned or it could be anything.  I say follow what you enjoy, what you like.  That worked for me, just wish I realized that earlier on.  Big Mistake on my part but they say you live and learn.

Missed Opportunities.  Wow, there were many, like this one time when a classmate said to me: "Hey, you like comics right?"  I of course replied "yeah Of course".  Well he offered me a few comics for what seemed like a very fair price.  I was so excited.  One of the titles he mentioned was Iron Man, well I said yeah sure, please, I'd love to buy them off you.  Well, the day came when he brought the comics for me.  I looked at the first comic on the pile and it was this one.

The Invincible Iron Man # 95.  The cover is by Jack Kirby and Al Milgrom. This issue was released in 1977.  A classic.  George Tuska and Don Perlin did the interior art with a script by Gerry Conway and Bill Mantlo.  Now this being a comic book from the year 1977, the pages were a little yellow and there were a few nicks here and there but overall it was a good looking comic.  In fact, it was a very good looking comic. Now today if someone were to ask me if I wanted this comic and the entire pile, I would look through them and pick what I liked and paid the seller a fair price.  That's what I would do TODAY.  Did I do that all those years ago?  Is this comic in my collection now?

The answer to that questions is a huge NO!  The naive kid that I was, I said" "Hey, this isn't a new comic, this isn't a current issue!"  I told him to take it all back with him. I didn't want these comics because they were OLD COMICS.....Oh god, thinking back, why did I say that?  Why didn't I just say yes, I'll take them or something like that?  Why?  Well, I guess I didn't know what I had in my hands at the time.  I could have started a pretty nice, small but nice collection of some really nice classic comics back then but I was too naive to appreciate what I had in my hands.  I don't know what happened to them after that.  I have always regretted this dumbass decision of mine.  That comic and who knows the rest of the comic in that pile could have made a great collection but I can't turn back time and correct this mistake.

I mentioned this issue of Fantastic Four in my first ever broadcast.  One of the first comic books I ever read.  Fantastic Four # 224 was written by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz did the breakdowns and Pablo Marcos finished art and inks.  I remember this issue so well. A strange red mist descends on New York and messes with the FF's powers. When they head to the Arctic to investigate, they are captured by a race of scientific vikings who need help with their dying god. I must have read this issue a hundred times or more.  I loved it, the Fantastic Four, their adventure against these Space Gods was just thrilling for me and this happened when the team starts losing their powers.  Wow.  Exciting.  My first ever comic and I don't remember where this issue went.  I somehow lost this issue and I have not been able to find it.  At the time I was really careless with my toys and comics and somehow I just lost this comic.  I wish I had kept this one properly, if I had then I would still have it today but it just wasn't meant to be.  

This is Captain Marvel # 44 from 1976.  This was one comic I bought from a friend of mine a few years ago, it came in a pile of comics and I bought the whole pile.  There were a few keepers but mostly comics that were okay.  I remembered this one because it was one of the older ones in the pile.  I kept it but I lost this one as well.  The only thing I know is that it's somewhere in the house.  It'd be great to find this one again.  Guess that carelessness streak in me did not go away with age. Sigh. 

One of my favorite issues of the Fantastic Four, I love this issue.  Issue # 95 was titled: "Tomorrow, World War Three!!'  For a young kid at the time, that was something to read and the blurb on the cover: "If The FF Fails, It Means World War III"  This issue featured the villain The Monocle as he attempted to indeed start WW3 by assassinating a UN Delegate at the UN Headquarters.  What i remembered the most was the art of Jack Kirby, the way he drew the press gathering around a press conference and the way he drew cameras was somehow just new to me at the time.  I loved the artwork and especially this page.

Just look at that page.  I love how Kirby did the art for this issue.  I was hooked after reading this.  I can't recall how I got this classic but I know one thing, this issue is also missing.  It's gone.  I cannot remember where it went, all I know is that it gave me some great memories.

I love this cover.  Another missed opportunity, I had chance to buy this issue for a very very low price. The seller was willing to hold on to this issue for me seeing as how I was really interested in it.  Thor # 288 had this great cover by Keith Pollard and Bob Layton. In this issue written by Roy Thomas, breakdowns by Keith Pollard and finished art by Chic Stone, Thor battles first The Forgotten One and then the Celestial known as The One Above All on the Celestial's ship. Thor is shown an image by the Celestials of Odin bowing to them in the past.  Well, it seems that apart from being careless, I was also a procrastinator.  I waited and kept waiting to call the seller and say yes, hold on to it for me.  Please keep it, I want it.  That's all I had to do but did  do that?  Again the answer is No.  And I missed out getting this nice issue.  Sigh

Once upon a time, I actually had these two issues in my collection.  It was an exciting time to be a Spider Man fan as he was sporting a brand new costume, as fans we didn't know if this was going to be permanent but hey, it's a new costume and we were scrambling to get anything that had the Black and White Spider Man costume.  It was that hot.  The Amazing Spider Man # 255 featured a cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein who also did the interior art, the issue was written by Tom DeFalco. In this issue, The Black Fox is on his final burglary, the one that will allow him to retire, but unfortunately, he has chosen the residence of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes; The Red Ghost compels the Fox to work with his Apes in carrying out the robbery of a jewelry store to fund his latest invention, the Cosmicizer; Spidey intervenes, follows the Apes home and blows up the Ghost's pet project; All but forgotten, the Black Fox merrily makes off with the jewels.  Great issue.

Amazing Spider Man # 257 had a great cover by Frenz and Rubinstein again.  They also did the interior artwork with Tom DeFalco telling the story of The Puma, who is about to eviscerate the fallen Spider-Man but the Black Cat swings in to the rescue and is able to beat the assassin with her new bad luck powers; Spidey and the Cat make it back to his apartment where he tries to nurse his injured left arm but the Puma is still on their trail; The Black Cat finds Peter's civilian life depressing and takes off but MJ shows up to hang out just before the Puma attacks again; Peter pushes MJ out the door and slips into his alien costume as the Puma strikes; They take the fight outside and MJ bursts in to find Peter gone; Spidey and the Puma engage in a brutal battle but the assassin breaks off the attack when he witnesses Spider-Man take time out to save civilians; The Kingpin discovers that the Rose has put out an unauthorized contract on Spidey's life and warns his underling to call it off; Fireheart returns home; Hobgoblin contacts Rose; Peter returns to his apartment to find MJ is still there and, as he is fumbling with an explanation, she tells him that she already knows he is Spider-Man.  Great Issues both and both missing in action.  Gone.  Again, I cant find them.  Hopefully they're somewhere in the house, underneath a pile of comics, maybe.  Hopefully.

I mentioned this issue before in my previous broadcast.  A friend of mine bought this issue and he wanted me to read it because it was the first appearance of Spidey's new duds and all.  If I had any brains at all those days, I would have asked him to sell this issue to me.  I probably wouldn't have been  able to pay a premium for it but in hindsight I should have tried.  Instead what did I do, I traced over the pages where the costume was featured.  Like this page.

Yeah I traced over that.  Over and over again in a madman's foolish deed to copy the costume.  I didn't know what I was doing I guess.  This has got to be one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made.  Sigh.

Oh these?  These are some of the looks and responses I get when I share these stories of mine.  I'm not the one to give anyone any criticism when it comes to comic books and collecting as I have made some huge mistakes when I started collecting.  And then some after I got started.  I guess if I did have any advice, it would be to collect what you like, what you like to read.  Follow the character, company, writer, artist or even colorist that you like.  And enjoy it.  Just have fun and enjoy it.  The words of someone who has made so many mistakes.  Let's not even go into the mistakes I made when I tried to save my comics with tape....ughhhh.

These days I am just trying to share my passion for comics with anyone who might share the same interests.  I am also trying my best to save my collection of comics and also every so often sit back, relax and read them. Thanks for spending your time reading about the regrets and misadventures of a comic book broadcaster.  I'll chat with you again next time on the next Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast.  Until next time, as always take care.