It’s been a while since I’ve written about my bargain bin finds– a while since I’ve rummaged through bargain boxes at all, in fact– so I was thrilled to stumble upon the “50¢ Island” during last weekend’s grand opening of 901 Comics on Young Avenue in Memphis. In addition to a healthy supply of bargain reads, they stock a pretty respectable number of back issues, including signed comics and new and used trades. New single issue selection was still a little sparse, but for a store that hasn’t even been open a full month yet, that’s not surprising.
But I was more than thrilled with the gems I found, including…
Super Goof #43 (Whitman, 1977): Not only did it have a fantastic cover cameo by Donald Duck, but it was also an issue I didn’t have!
Love and Capes #7 (Maerkle Press, 2008): I enjoy Thom Zahler’s “heroically super situation comedy”, and this issue (a FCBD offering) also gave me a peek at how he markets and monetizes his webcomic with ancillary merchandise.
Marvel Saga #1 (Marvel, 1985): I had never read an issue of this cut-and-paste retelling of Marvel’s continuity, but for half a buck I figured it was worth a try. An interesting primer, but I thought it came off really dry, with none of the excitement of the original stories. Had they done this 15-20 years later, when they could have used digital lettering instead of typesetting, and actually taken the time to lay the cut-and-paste images into full pages of comic art, I think it would have worked much better.
Super Powers #3 (DC, 1986): When I opened the cover to this issue to see if it was drawn by Kirby (it’s actually by Paul Kupperberg, Carmine Infantino, and Pablos Marcos), not only did I know I had to buy it, but I had to write about it …
… the sight of Darkseid using a crowbar to break into a thrift shop was just too good to pass up! And that’s not even the most ignominius thing to happen to him in the first three pages, either! Almost puts Thanos’ helicopter to shame…
Cosmic Capers (Big Muddy Comics, 1972): One of the things I was hoping to stumble upon when I shifted my location so far from Kansas were different locally-published comics. This underground gem from New Orleans has a flavor all its own that certainly fits the bill!
Tales from the Tube #1 (Print Mint, 1973): The find of the day! Surfing-themed comics from Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, Robt. Williams, Crumb, and other underground legends!
Wildstar #1 (Image, 1993): While I’m not a big fan of the blood-drenched superhero vibe of the early Image comics, it’s got Jerry Ordway art! That alone makes it worth a read!
Adventures in the DC Universe #7 & 15 (DC, 1997-98): Captain Marvel & family (the version then being done by Jerry Ordway), in entertaining animated-style adventures (by Steve Vance & John Delaney). Ever since I read the Ordway/Parobeck story that used that formula in Superman & Batman Magazine, I thought it was a winning combination. It even happened for an all-too-brief period in the underrated Franco/Baltazar/Norton stories from Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (#13-21)…
Rip in Time #1 (Fantagor Press, 1986): Bruce Jones and Richard Corben– definitely worth a look at that price!
The Age of the Sentry #1 (Marvel, 2008): Luckily, it was written by Jeff Parker & Paul Tobin (not Bendis!), and the art by Nick Dragotta and Ramon Rosanas is fresh and fun to view.
Secret Origins #5 (DC, 1973): Unlike the Secret Origins series of the 80’s, this was a reprint book, and this issue was all about the Spectre: 20 pages of Bernard Bailey’s origin of the character from 1940’s More Fun Comics #52-53. I also enjoyed the subscription ad in that issue, which served as a stark reminder of how diverse that publisher’s output used to be:
Thank goodness for Image and the independent publishers who have made good use of genres ignored as DC and Marvel became so superhero-centric over the years since then.
There were even a couple of beat up much-loved copies of Micronauts #1 (Marvel, 1979) and Marvel Team-Up #74 (Spider-Man and the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players! from 1978) that I left for someone who hasn’t read them yet to discover on a future visit to 901 Comics…
Maybe it’ll even be you…
Smeary Soapbox Press 
I always enjoy reading about your bargain comic book finds, Dale! The entire The Age of the Sentry miniseries was a lot of fun. If you liked the initial issue, the remaining issues are well worth tracking down.
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Glad to hear my sharing doesn’t come off as bragging! Thanks for the Sentry tip, too…
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