Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Talk here about just about anything associated with British comics or story papers and the industry that does not fit in any other forum.
There are separate fora open to registered members for discussing specific comics, artists, websites etc.

Moderators: Al, AndyB

User avatar
tony ingram
Posts: 1169
Joined: 12 May 2009, 18:20
Location: Suffolk, England
Contact:

Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by tony ingram »

I picked up a box of comics from an 'antique auction' in a neighbouring village this morning; didn't have a chance to check them out first, but I got the box fr two quid, so it hardly mattered. A cursory inspection once I got it home has so far turned up, out of the 200 odd comics in the box, twenty five TV Comic's from the seventies, all with Doctor Who in them, and around fifty Warlord's, though I already have some of the latter. The duplicates will end up on ebay. Rest of it seems to be humour tiles like Whoopee and Whizzer & Chips, but it's too hot to start sorting through properly now. I'm really pleased with those TV Comic issues, though. Given the rest of what was on offer-mostly glassware and furniture that was going for silly prices-I've no idea what this stuff was doing there. :)

User avatar
Digifiend
Posts: 7315
Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 11:43
Location: Hull, UK

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by Digifiend »

1p per comic!?! Bargain of the year! Lucky you. Gonna be hard to beat that - and you may yet get them for nothing, if the duplicates sell for a total of more than the £2 you paid. Easy money. 8) I'm almost jealous...

Phoenix
Guru
Posts: 5360
Joined: 27 Mar 2008, 21:15

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by Phoenix »

One of my most memorable is a copy of The Story Of Robinson Crusoe Told In Pictures. This is one of only four titles that Thomsons issued in their Famous Books In Pictures series. The hardback book is in Fine condition, the dustwrapper complete, not even price clipped, with just a couple of nicks and some handling wear. The asking price for this now would be in the region of £70. I found it about three years ago in a charity shop in Lincoln, and they absolutely insisted that I pay their full asking price of 50p.

STARBOY
Posts: 696
Joined: 12 Oct 2008, 22:05

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by STARBOY »

A nice little bargin there well done - the best bargain I got (unexpectedly) was about 6 years ago when I bought 25 comics ( in 5 sets of 5 comics bagged together) they had no titles noted and you could only see the first comic - most were US comics with awful Marvel books on the front from the late 70s but in the sets I found 8 Archie comics and 2 Marvel Millie the Modells in very nice condition from 1965 - 1970 all by Dan Decarlo (one of my all time favourites) when I went back to the shop to tell the guy he said he hide the ARCHIES/Millies in there as no one liked them and he couldn't get ride of them (sneaky, but for me a big plus). I also managed to pick up ( about 15 years ago) a massive coffee table book on the Trigan Empire (new from Hawk Books) for £1.50 in one of the original Book Bargin shops. I'm still looking for Action Comics No1 , the Beano and Dandy issues 1 etc for under 50p at a car boot sale!! :D

User avatar
Digifiend
Posts: 7315
Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 11:43
Location: Hull, UK

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by Digifiend »

Unlikely since most were pulped during the second world war... :cry:

Awful Marvels? Not well known characters such as Spiderman or the X-Men then? (They've published everything from Doctor Who and Transformers through to Thomas The Tank Engine, so there is some really crappy stuff out there from them)

STARBOY
Posts: 696
Joined: 12 Oct 2008, 22:05

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by STARBOY »

The Marvels in question, from memory were awful titles like Rom Spaceknight, Supervillian team-up and Omega (which I never liked - some did) not a great time IMHO for US comics in general. They pulped those great comics?? awwww still it was the war I'll allow that lol :(

User avatar
Digifiend
Posts: 7315
Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 11:43
Location: Hull, UK

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by Digifiend »

Considering I've never heard of Rom Spaceknight, it must've been bad.

Don't forget, back when WW2 started, The Beano and Dandy were both under 2 years old (Beano in fact was 13 months old). Wouldn't have been thought of as so great at the time. Anyway, I know you was joking about getting them at that price. :lol:

User avatar
tony ingram
Posts: 1169
Joined: 12 May 2009, 18:20
Location: Suffolk, England
Contact:

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by tony ingram »

Digifiend wrote:Considering I've never heard of Rom Spaceknight, it must've been bad.
I loved Rom: Spaceknight (the underrated Bill Mantlo on a sci-fi epic about a cyborg warrior seeking out alien shapeshifters on Earth), Omega the Unknown (one of Steve Gerber's finest; I don't think he ever wrote a substandard story) and even Super Villain Team-Up. 70's Marvel was part of what made me a confirmed comics fan. And someone else must have liked Rom: it lasted 65 issues between 1979 and 1986! He was based on a toy, but actually became one of Marvel's bigger names for awhile.

User avatar
Digifiend
Posts: 7315
Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 11:43
Location: Hull, UK

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by Digifiend »

Funny how he isn't mentioned nowadays. No role in Civil War for example, which featured every major Marvel hero except the Hulk (who wasn't on Earth at the time). Even the Punisher featured, and he has no powers!

User avatar
philcom55
Posts: 5170
Joined: 14 Jun 2006, 11:56

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by philcom55 »

Digifiend wrote:Funny how he isn't mentioned nowadays.
Probably because Marvel only licensed him from Parker Brothers and don't own the copyright.

I hated Bill Mantlo as a writer - so much so that I feel a bit guilty about it now that he's virtually brain-dead following a bizarre skate-boarding accident. On the other hand, I loved Steve Ditko's art on some of the later issues of Rom, inked by some amazing inkers like P. Craig Russell. Incidentally, wasn't there a Rom Action Man at some point?

- Phil Rushton

User avatar
Digifiend
Posts: 7315
Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 11:43
Location: Hull, UK

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by Digifiend »

philcom55 wrote:
Digifiend wrote:Funny how he isn't mentioned nowadays.
Probably because Marvel only licensed him from Parker Brothers and don't own the copyright.
Obviously, I wasn't aware of that. I think there was a similar situation with Transformers.

User avatar
philcom55
Posts: 5170
Joined: 14 Jun 2006, 11:56

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by philcom55 »

It also applied to Marvel's Micronauts title which was about the only thing by Bill Mantlo I ever actually liked, at least during the early issues that were drawn by Mike Golden. I always thought that had the potential to become as big as the X-Men; but then I don't suppose there's much incentive to push a property when somebody else stands to get all the money from movie deals, etc.

- Phil Rushton

STARBOY
Posts: 696
Joined: 12 Oct 2008, 22:05

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by STARBOY »

I just felt that by the late 70s Marvel was getting stale and too many writers like Bill Mantlo (a decent writer, but I also wasn't a big fan of Bills - sad to hear he is still so ill, I had thought / hoped he was recoveing slowly) too many licensed characters for my liming such as Rom, Godzilla, Shogun Warriors and ever Star Wars, which by then IMHO was getting old (the comic not the films) - I did like the Micronauts though great Ditko and Golden work (and had Sal Buscema who I thinks great although not his best work onthis title) - Titles like Omega had a great cult followign but for me it just left me cold (another Shazam wanna be for me). Then again I was about 18/19 in 78/9 so I was probably getting a bit old for comics like that (and comics in general) and was looking for something else - as you ca see I never found it :D - to others these were their golden years no doubt.

User avatar
tony ingram
Posts: 1169
Joined: 12 May 2009, 18:20
Location: Suffolk, England
Contact:

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by tony ingram »

philcom55 wrote:
Digifiend wrote:Funny how he isn't mentioned nowadays.
Probably because Marvel only licensed him from Parker Brothers and don't own the copyright.
Correct. The Rom series ended with the Spaceknight becoming human again and going back to rebuild his home planet with Earth woman Brandy Clark. They must have been busy, because a new generation of Spaceknights subsequently appeared in a limited series a few years ago. Rom himself was last seen briefly visiting Earth to attend Rick Jones's wedding in a 90's issue of Incredible Hulk.
I hated Bill Mantlo as a writer - so much so that I feel a bit guilty about it now that he's virtually brain-dead following a bizarre skate-boarding accident. On the other hand, I loved Steve Ditko's art on some of the later issues of Rom, inked by some amazing inkers like P. Craig Russell. Incidentally, wasn't there a Rom Action Man at some point?

- Phil Rushton
The Marvel character was based on the action figure, which was originally tied in with the Action Man: Space Ranger line.

I actually really liked Mantlo's work. I still think Micronauts was one of the best SF comic series' ever, even if it did become increasingly bleak and nihilistic...

Bill is not 'nearly brain dead' incidentally, he is aware of his surroundings, though he will never really recover. He was the victim of a hit and run. The driver was never caught.

User avatar
philcom55
Posts: 5170
Joined: 14 Jun 2006, 11:56

Re: Anybody found any bargains in unexpected places?

Post by philcom55 »

tony ingram wrote:Bill is not 'nearly brain dead' incidentally, he is aware of his surroundings, though he will never really recover.
Poor Guy! In a way that sounds almost worse - to be seriously brain damaged, yet still aware of what one has lost! Hadn't he recently qualified as a lawyer when it happened? :(

By the way Tony, for what it's worth I really did like Omega the Unknown - at least when it was written by the late Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes (Lord knows what I'd make of it now though! ). I guess we must have just been on different wavelengths at the time... :roll:

- Phil R.

Post Reply