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Post by dbutler69 on Nov 9, 2019 9:52:14 GMT -5
I went from a 6-10 year old kid getting whatever Marvel and DC (mostly team) comics I could from the local Convenient Food Mart to a kid with an allowance who had finally discovered the local comic book shop. That allowed me not only a larger selection of team books, but any solo book that had an interesting cover. More important, it allowed me to buy back issues and catch up on the histories of the superhero groups I had grown to love so much.
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Post by Farrar on Nov 9, 2019 12:24:47 GMT -5
Do you REMEMBER WHEN you changed from being a kid who got random comic books sporadically as a gift or impulse purchase of a single issue when you could convince a parent while shopping and you began to actively "save" your money to spend on comic books and actively collecting? Whether it was a specific series or publisher or hero you began to focus on and the never-ending hunt had truly begun for you with the need/compulsion/addiction of being a comic book COLLECTOR? ... Probably around 9. That's when I went to a new school that was not in my neighborhood and I had to take the city bus. I also took a bag lunch with me and so every day my mother gave me a couple of bucks in case I lost my bus pass or lunch. I immediately realized I could spend that money on comics (and candy) so that's what I did. The extra money funded my monthly must-haves: the FF, Avengers and X-Men comics. Then when I was 10 I got an allowance (a quarter, or maybe it was 50 cents), which meant I could buy even more comics on my own, though by this time I was buying less new comics and more back issues at the collectibles store on my block. Also, since I loved the Legion so much I begged my parents for a subscription to Adventure. Of course a couple of issues into the subscription the Legion was dumped from the book and instead I was stuck with Supergirl.
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Post by Trevor on Nov 9, 2019 14:40:47 GMT -5
Plop was the first book I actively sought each issue, about 1971 I guess. Later, Micronauts was the first book I subscribed to, about 1980. Around 1982, I discovered Westfield Comics and my house has been full of paper since.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2019 19:08:36 GMT -5
My comic buying habits: Dad bought me random issues until 1968 (age 6) when I got an allowance and spent most of my money on comics. Since they were bought off the news stand there were times when I couldn't get every issue I wanted. In 1978 (age 16 with a driver's license and a part time job) a LCS opened and I was able to get back issues and any new issue I wanted.
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Post by brutalis on Nov 21, 2019 8:23:31 GMT -5
Do you older folks (me included) out there in CCF land Remember When there were no cool and collectible comic book toys? Today is a golden age for "collectible" comic items of all sorts and varieties that we might possibly never have dreamed of in ye olden days of yore. The past delivered "real" toys capable of playing with that were mostly mediocre or crap (depending on your own opinion) with very little attention by companies as to caring if the toys were actually representative of the characters used for selling them. The only thing mattering was the sales from folks buying them because of the name recognition. Those days when just about ALL you could find was the big names on toys: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Lone Ranger, Tarzan, King Kong and such. All were instantly recognizable for the most part by people unfamiliar with comic books.
I am talking about looooong ago in the past before action figures were conceived of. When characters names were used to selling a toy or the toy only vaguely had anything to do with the hero and villain. Things like parachute toys you toss into the air and watch them float down, or all of the crazy cars with actions and a hero figure seated in the car (does Hulk even know how to drive or have a legal driver's license?) that may not even look like the hero. Styrofoam glider planes, zip pull cars/cycles, putting hero costumes onto another action figure (looking at you Action Man) but never actually creating a hero figure. Superhero watches, rings, belt buckles. The Slurpee Cups. Halloween masks. The plastic Colorforms playsets. Coloring books. Sticker sets. And other such odds and ends that a superhero name could be slapped upon by Corporate America to engender indifferent parents for buying such cheaply created toys for their children.
We all had our share of cheaply crafted toys that we enjoyed simply for the fact our heroes were on it when there was nothing else to choose from. What are your memories of such toys from childhood?
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Post by dbutler69 on Nov 21, 2019 9:13:07 GMT -5
Yeah, I used to have the plastic soldier with the parachute, an the Styrofoam glider plane, and a car that you pulled a plastic thing out of it, which revved up the engine, then you put it down and it went, and I of course had the coloring books and sticker sets. My memories of most of that stuff is vague, though. I remember having a Star Trek Tricorder that, if I remember correctly, was mostly just a tape recorder or something.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2019 9:58:08 GMT -5
My comic buying habits: Dad bought me random issues until 1968 (age 6) when I got an allowance and spent most of my money on comics. My Dad was not supportive, told me comics were a waste of money. Whenever I was with him and seen a comic I wanted he would lecture me, saying "do you really want to waste your money on that crap?" In spite of him I grew up loving comic books. I envy those who grew up with fathers who were supportive of their comic collecting.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2019 10:06:15 GMT -5
My comic buying habits: Dad bought me random issues until 1968 (age 6) when I got an allowance and spent most of my money on comics. My Dad was not supportive, told me comics were a waste of money. Whenever I was with him and seen a comic I wanted he would lecture me, saying "do you really want to waste your money on that crap?" In spite of him I grew up loving comic books. I envy those who grew up with fathers who were supportive of their comic collecting. My Dad is exactly like yours and I know what you're talking about.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 21, 2019 11:09:57 GMT -5
Do you older folks (me included) out there in CCF land Remember When there were no cool and collectible comic book toys? Today is a golden age for "collectible" comic items of all sorts and varieties that we might possibly never have dreamed of in ye olden days of yore. The past delivered "real" toys capable of playing with that were mostly mediocre or crap (depending on your own opinion) with very little attention by companies as to caring if the toys were actually representative of the characters used for selling them. The only thing mattering was the sales from folks buying them because of the name recognition. Those days when just about ALL you could find was the big names on toys: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Lone Ranger, Tarzan, King Kong and such. All were instantly recognizable for the most part by people unfamiliar with comic books. I am talking about looooong ago in the past before action figures were conceived of. When characters names were used to selling a toy or the toy only vaguely had anything to do with the hero and villain. Things like parachute toys you toss into the air and watch them float down, or all of the crazy cars with actions and a hero figure seated in the car (does Hulk even know how to drive or have a legal driver's license?) that may not even look like the hero. Styrofoam glider planes, zip pull cars/cycles, putting hero costumes onto another action figure (looking at you Action Man) but never actually creating a hero figure. Superhero watches, rings, belt buckles. The Slurpee Cups. Halloween masks. The plastic Colorforms playsets. Coloring books. Sticker sets. And other such odds and ends that a superhero name could be slapped upon by Corporate America to engender indifferent parents for buying such cheaply created toys for their children. We all had our share of cheaply crafted toys that we enjoyed simply for the fact our heroes were on it when there was nothing else to choose from. What are your memories of such toys from childhood? I kind of hit a pretty sweet spot because I was just the perfect age for Mego's World's Greatest Superheroes line. They scratched my itch for super-hero product. I was talking to a buddy last night about the triumph of "nerd" stuff. This is a guy who I played D&D with in junior high and high school, who was instrumental in getting me into Edgar Rice Burroughs and who I introduced to Robert Heinlein. He sent me a link about the extension of the Tolkien show to two seasons. In 1980 none of us would have thought it was remotely possible that we'd have so many superhero movies coming out that we could pick and choose which ones to see and so many on TV that you almost can't see them all. That we'd have had a fantastic adaptation of the Lord of the Rings (and a bloated turd of a Hobbit) and have another big-budget Tolkien series coming to television. That Philip K. Dick would be, if not a household name, at least a name that is known outside deep SF fandom and would have two TV series' devoted to his work along with a ton of movie adaptations. That Dungeons and Dragons would become mainstream and we'd see Hollywood actors playing. Add to that that it's far easier than it's ever been to have access to old comics and comic strips and it's a pretty golden time
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Post by brutalis on Dec 11, 2019 9:07:42 GMT -5
since we are on the subject of comic book toys, Remember When you could send away for vintage toys and other oddities from those inner advertisements found inside your comic books? Whether you pestered your mom until she helped order just for getting you out of her hair, or convincing your dad how cool it would be to have something you would both play with or spending those quarters which your grandparents would give you? There was so much strangeness to be explored through the mail order!
Of course there was the reliable back issue lists for sale and go from a wimp to instant body builder, but I am talking of all the schlock stuff your pennies, nickels and dimes would buy for you. Crazy, wild and wacky like X-Ray glasses, 6 foot tall cardboard monsters, secret book safes, onion gum, trick baseballs, joy buzzers, how to throw your voice, bald skin head wigs, the Tom corbett cosmic vision helmet that let you see people and they couldn't see you, Sea-Monkeys, the Hercules wrist band, foaming sugar, secret pocket pen radio, the automatic hypnotizer, secret pen spy scope, 100 piece toy soldier/knights/army/navy sets, springed space shoes, Dick Tracy 2-way wrist radio, Kryptonite rocks, exploding replica army hand grenades, grow monsters seeds, air rifles and bb guns, Dracula soil necklace, giant cardboard rocket ships/tanks/planes/submarines/boats, smoke bombs, stamps, fishing rod sets, miniature pet monkeys and other oddities.
Did any of you out there in CCF land ever actually order any of these weird and wild ads? My mom actually ordered Sea Monkeys once as a summer gift for me. Also another time she ordered an ant farm that arrived with all of the ants being dead from the Phoenix heat during the summer. Oh the memories!
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Post by dbutler69 on Dec 11, 2019 9:42:54 GMT -5
since we are on the subject of comic book toys, Remember When you could send away for vintage toys and other oddities from those inner advertisements found inside your comic books? Whether you pestered your mom until she helped order just for getting you out of her hair, or convincing your dad how cool it would be to have something you would both play with or spending those quarters which your grandparents would give you? There was so much strangeness to be explored through the mail order! Of course there was the reliable back issue lists for sale and go from a wimp to instant body builder, but I am talking of all the schlock stuff your pennies, nickels and dimes would buy for you. Crazy, wild and wacky like X-Ray glasses, 6 foot tall cardboard monsters, secret book safes, onion gum, trick baseballs, joy buzzers, how to throw your voice, bald skin head wigs, the Tom corbett cosmic vision helmet that let you see people and they couldn't see you, Sea-Monkeys, the Hercules wrist band, foaming sugar, secret pocket pen radio, the automatic hypnotizer, secret pen spy scope, 100 piece toy soldier/knights/army/navy sets, springed space shoes, Dick Tracy 2-way wrist radio, Kryptonite rocks, exploding replica army hand grenades, grow monsters seeds, air rifles and bb guns, Dracula soil necklace, giant cardboard rocket ships/tanks/planes/submarines/boats, smoke bombs, stamps, fishing rod sets, miniature pet monkeys and other oddities. Did any of you out there in CCF land ever actually order any of these weird and wild ads? My mom actually ordered Sea Monkeys once as a summer gift for me. Also another time she ordered an ant farm that arrived with all of the ants being dead from the Phoenix heat during the summer. Oh the memories! I think the one that really piqued my interest was the Sea Monkeys, but alas, I never ordered them, or anything else from the comic ads.
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Post by beccabear67 on Dec 11, 2019 13:08:50 GMT -5
I remember being surprised by an ad in a 1979 Marvel for kryptonite rocks that showed the Distinguished Competition's Superman (in b&w though). The only time I wrote off for anything in a comic ad was for the list of back issues available from a large Montreal re-seller.
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Post by badwolf on Dec 11, 2019 14:16:55 GMT -5
I remember sending two quarters in for the Michael Golden Marvel Universe poster in the 80s, but I never got anything back.
Fortunately I got the "remastered" version that came out years later.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2019 17:13:55 GMT -5
I bought the "fake" kit. Fake vomit. Fake poop. Fake cast. Etc. 8-9 year old me thought it was fun😁
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Post by brutalis on Dec 11, 2019 17:22:10 GMT -5
I bought the "fake" kit. Fake vomit. Fake poop. Fake cast. Etc. 8-9 year old me thought it was fun😁 I was lucky, about 30 minutes for a straight drive up 35th avenue from my home every Friday night when we grocery shopped there was a local magic/gag store I visited with my dad. Like you said, if it was plastic and fake my dad loved it. Whoopie cushions, gum packs that snapped like a mouse trap, onion gum, fart makers, card tricks, magic rings and any kind of cheap magic trip they could sale and my dad bought so he could pull gags on friends and family.
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