Letting go

When I moved to Memphis last year, I knew I’d be moving into a smaller space and that I had to pare my “stuff” down. A lot. That meant not only books, clothes, and CDs … but comics, too. Over the last few years, I had regularly been shedding comics I’d read (and may or may not have enjoyed reading) but didn’t want to keep in my collection. This time, though, was different. I also got rid of comics I’d liked. Comics I had actively collected. Comics I’d held on to for decades in some cases. Comics that were sometimes hard to let go of.

But, ultimately, comics that no longer spoke to me saying “hey, I’m worth the space on your shelf!” Not only random issues of incomplete series, but full runs of once favorite titles. Comics like…

• Champions (Marvel, 1975-1978) was one of my favorite superteam comics, featuring an oddball mix of heroes (even for 1970s Marvel!): Angel, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Hercules, and Iceman. I discovered it nearly on the eve of its cancellation, and loved tracking down their appearances, especially the Mantlo/Byrne issues that came at the end of its run. It all went (partly because I hadn’t read them in years, partly because Marvel collected them as a trade a few years ago) … except for the Godzilla crossover issue, which is less likely to see print again.