Try finding that now without breaking the bank!

..and yeah, the Captain Action line only ran from 1966-68. Probably one of the shortest action figure runs in history, yet its one of the most celebrated and pursued over the past 50 years. I guess Ideal did something right!

Crisis was harder to read because it had a much larger cast (though mainly in cameos) and assumed much prior investment in the characters, or else the destruction of Ultraman and his universe (for instance) means less than Phoenix eating the D’Bari asparagus planet. It would certainly lose its impact for those who didn’t cut their teeth reading stories in the lineage of “Crisis on Two Earths,” or the annual JLA/JSA crossovers, etc.

I personally find Secret Wars more straightforward and logical. I didn't like the general concept at all, as it didn't make a lot of sense to have an omnipotent being make a bunch of ants fight for him so he could learn about "desire" (there seem to be countless easier and more fruitful ways to learn about stuff), but once we accept the premise the rest of the story just follows a sort-of sensible path. 

COIE, on the other hand, has been describe jokingly as "Crisis everywhere at once all at the same time". More ambitious than Secret Wars, that's for sure, and with much better art and more long-lasting consequences. But right from the start I was puzzled by the notion of time being treated as just another place. Yes, I know the series was meant to deal with all of DC:s heroes, from Anthro to Kamandi by way of Batman and the Legion of super-heroes... but how come the Anti-monitor's creatures attack the universe in the past, in the present and in the future but not at every single moment? Were some random (or significant) moments picked throughout the timeline? And if so why?

I was also confused by the idea of Earth being treated as if it were the entire universe. If you preserve the Earth behind some kind of ad hoc barrier, the rest of its universe is still being destroyed... and as for the "anti-matter wave" destroying everything in its path, is it a phenomenon appearing simultaneously throughout space? Because otherwise it means that it's been chewing up real estate for as long as the universe existed, as it's clearly not moving faster than light (which in itself would be impossible, but that's comic-book astrophysics for you. Secret Wars had the same problem actually, when it showed a galaxy being ripped apart under our eyes. No-Prize seekers would argue that it was a mental projection).

COIE also used a comic-book trope that I hate: an über-villain who threatens everything and everyone in the entire universe, with our heroes stopping him by... ganging up and punching him all together? Even when you have a couple of Supermen and one Superboy in your ranks, it hardly seems possible. 

COIE ended up being a story about heroes from different eras and universes running around while George Perez drew thousands of tons of flying rubble, with many characters dying heroically and others gnashing their teeth. The plot didn't seem to lead anywhere, and early on I had the impression that the conclusion would be something like "We must now go on a last-chance mission in which by (fill in the blank) we can destroy the Anti-monitor and save the universe". The whole thing looked absolutely gorgeous, and the drama of seeing old favourites die was gripping, but the overall plot was not particularly sensible.

Of course, same here. Their cleaning house made it more enticing for me to really delve farther into their work and characters.

Basically, it's a way to bring all the major superheroes and supervillains in a year long maxi-series. But of course, the ultimate goal, was the toy company coming out with the Marvel toyline, and they needed a venue to promote them.

Looking back, I liked the interactions between heroes that I've never seen interact before. 

Secret Wars certainly wasn't a cataclysmic game changer, but comics are no stranger to the "Spider-Man's life is about to change.... forever!!!" hype monster. That kind of bombast was central to Stan Lee's carnie barker appeal. "This is the one, true believers! If you miss it, you'll never forgive yourself..."

Its main impact was behind the scenes, ushering in the era of regrettable events trying to outdo the last like a couple of teenage boys doing stupid bike tricks until one of them breaks an arm.