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Above is the seller's photo of a comic I've just purchased on eBay for a very reasonable price. It seems to be going for silly money these days, mainly on account of some dealers being seemingly unaware (or not caring) that it's a 1975 reprint of the 1968/'69 debut of the GUARDIANS Of The GALAXY from MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #18. I actually have the MSH #18 original, obtained between 25 to 35 years ago, but I had the AT reprint back in the '70s and recently decided I wanted to own it again. No doubt I'll have fun comparing both versions for any differences*, but it's also nice to welcome a former acquisition back into the fold.
(*The main difference is that the 22 page story has been cut by 4 down to only 18. Unfortunately, they forgot to delete the corner page numbers, which gives the game away.)
Anyway, working on the principle that 'interactive' posts are more likely (hopefully) to attract a response from regular readers, here's a question for all of you. Is there a US comic you had back in the '70s that you'd dearly like to have again, but the price is currently too prohibitive to justify you forking out for it? What does the comic represent to you, and do you hope to one day be able to pick up a copy at a more reasonable figure than it currently sells for? In fact, what's the most you'd be prepared to shell out for a comic from your past? Tell all in the comments section.
Update: Before you do, though - take a look at the poor condition copy below that another eBay seller is currently asking £90 for. Beyond belief, isn't it?
Update 2: The seller has now amended his price to £6 - after an eBay message from me.
8 comments:
GI Joe #21 is a comic I would like to reacquire. It's the "silent issue" and blew me away first time I read it - I'd never seen a full comic with no words before, and on top of that it's a really entertaining story.
There are currently 2 copies on Ebay, one at £36.00, the other at £99.00, which are both more than I'm prepared to pay (especially as I think I may have a reprint of it in a UK Action Force issue- not sure though).
My hope is that whomever has the license to produce GI Joe comics these days will publish a facsimile edition - although they'd presumably have to remove the Marvel trade dress. But hey, that's for them to work out!
There's a copy of Astonishing Tales #29 on ebay, which isn't in as good condition as the one I bought, yet is priced higher than mine. Madness, eh? Keep checking ebay though, DS, as eventually a copy of GI Joe #21 will pop up for a few quid. Incidentally, what's the most you would be prepared to fork out for it?
Oops, just realised I hadn't replied to this!
I would probably pay around a tenner for a decent condition copy, although I still have this nagging feeling that I have the UK reprint somewhere- I really should check.
I hope you can get one for that price, DS, but I fear the worst. I took a look on ebay and there are several copies available at ridiculous prices. Over £500, and up to over £1,000 in some cases. Madness.
I'd probably go a bit higher, to be honest, but its not a big deal if I don't find it - I'm lucky enough to own just about every comic that has some kind of sentimental or nostalgic appeal to me, I'm grateful for that!
Are they all your original copies, or are some replacements?
Bit of both. Some are the originals, such as an Alan Class comic I bought in Blackpool in 1986 and some others.
Some are relatively recent replacements, and some are replacements I picked up in the mid-90s, when I decided I wanted better condition copies of some comics that meant something to me. Not neccessarily a bad idea, but what I do regret is getting rid of my original copies. Worn and ragged though they may have been, I should have treasured them more than I did.
I felt the same when I replaced posters, pin-ups, pages, and panels in my room with duplicates. The old ones were faded, tanned, rippled, and mottled, but they'd been on my walls for nearly 40 years in some cases and it was hard to say goodbye to them. My room looks a lot brighter, more colourful, and newer now, so it had to be done. I scanned some of the originals and printed them out (using digital technology to restore them), others were scanned from spare copies bought at the same time and from the same place as the 'originals', and a few were scanned from replacement issues bought more years ago than I ever owned the first ones. Off the top of my head, only one was from a recent replacement of a mag I first had back in the very early '80s.
When it comes to replacing comics, in most cases I don't have the originals anyway, so it's easier for me to view the replacements as being the originals in some mystical, magical way. Sometimes though, when I get a better condition copy of a replacement comic, I'll keep both copies. It depends on how long I've had the first replacement for.
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