Just got the oldest son into comic books...

[Mike the Lab Rat]

A new comic book store opened up on Mian St., about a 5 minute walk from my house.

Brought back memories.

When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my dad used to let my younger brother and I pick out three or four comics each time we went to "Joe's Delicatessen." We each ended up with a pretty good collection of X-Men, Avengers, Spiderman, FF, Defenders, etc. As the prices shot up, we dropped most of the titles we collected and each focused on one or two. I wound up staying with the X-Men and pretty much kept up with it (more out of habit and future investment) up through college. About 15 years worth of X-Men and some spin-off titles currently sit in my attic, waiting to be cashed in for Little LabRat's college fund.

I decided to take my oldest son (who is eight) to the comic store and I bought him a Spiderman title that was rated appropriately for his age (the storyline issues in most titles now aren't really for youngsters any more..kinda sad). He's hooked. It's freaking awesome to pass down a hobby that was a part of my own youth and see him excited to read the stuff voraciously (up late, reading with a flashlight).

Maybe I'll go to the attic and dig out some of the old issues that probably aren't worth much and increase the kid's collection a bit.

[Risa]

Maybe I'll go to the attic and dig out some of the old issues that probably aren't worth much and increase the kid's collection a bit.

Because god knows comics books are for collecting, not reading.

I'm not downing you. I realize some comics are worth an extreme mint, if they're in mint enough condition and rare enough. It's just that the collectors' bug is why stupid gimmicks like '4 different covers on the same comic' and the extreme analism of 'must buy this comic to find out why this is being referenced' (reaching its nadir in Crisis) was so evil.

I'd want my kid to enjoy the unique storylines presented in Animal Man and the black Green Lantern and the Maxx and the Dark Knight and early Milestone titles.... not to worry about how much they're worth. You know? So how do you balance enjoyment with investment?

[indyfrisco]

The only kids I knew growing up that messed with comics eventually ended up getting into Dungeons and Dragons. Congrats on slapping that "Kick Me" sign on your own kid's back. And I thought Michael Vick was cruel...

[Risa]

The only kids I knew growing up that messed with comics eventually ended up getting into Dungeons and Dragons. Congrats on slapping that "Kick Me" sign on your own kid's back. And I thought Michael Vick was cruel...

You never picked up an EC horror/sci-fi comic? Never waited to find out what was gonna happen to the Tomorrow/Forever People (man, that was a loooooooong time ago)? Never roamed the Universe with ROM? Never wondered which Hawk and Dove was the better team? Not even some DC/Marvel crossovers, or good commercial shit like GI JOE versus Transformers?

No ogling Wonder Woman or She Hulk or Angela or Wytchblade or Avengelyne or......

yeah, right.

[indyfrisco]

No, I had friends and played sports outside.

[Mike the Lab Rat]

Maybe I'll go to the attic and dig out some of the old issues that probably aren't worth much and increase the kid's collection a bit.

Because god knows comics books are for collecting, not reading.

I'm not downing you. I realize some comics are worth an extreme mint, if they're in mint enough condition and rare enough. It's just that the collectors' bug is why stupid gimmicks like '4 different covers on the same comic' and the extreme analism of 'must buy this comic to find out why this is being referenced' (reaching its nadir in Crisis) was so evil.

I'd want my kid to enjoy the unique storylines presented in Animal Man and the black Green Lantern and the Maxx and the Dark Knight and early Milestone titles.... not to worry about how much they're worth. You know? So how do you balance enjoyment with investment?

Some of my old comics are individually worth $150 or more (currently). I would be a complete idiot to fork those over to an 8 year old. The comics that aren't worth anything (due to their condition, usually) are the ones I'll hand over.

I'm getting my son into the hobby to keep him reading and have him enjoy the world of superheroes. I never got into it as an investment and only looked at it as such later on (when I was in h.s., and college).

And I'm bringing him up right and having him read Marvel. I frigging hate DC comics.

[OCmike]

I collected comics for a few years from about the same age MtLR was introduced to them until about age 12. I got into it because I enjoyed reading them and got out of it when I started collecting them for investment purposes and not for enjoyment. I just lost interest after a while. It also didn't help any that at the time it seemed like prices went up a quarter every three months. How much are they now, $4.00 apiece?

IF, I was invited to a friend's house to play D&D once. I showed up to find a bunch of unshowered LotR-types who had this deep reverence for this one geek who was supposedly this ultra-kickass dungeon master. I stayed for about 15 minutes, realized how incredibly gay it was and bailed.

[OCmike]

And I'm bringing him up right and having him read Marvel. I frigging hate DC comics.

RACK. DC comics have always been gax, in my opinion as well.

[Mike the Lab Rat]

The only kids I knew growing up that messed with comics eventually ended up getting into Dungeons and Dragons. Congrats on slapping that "Kick Me" sign on your own kid's back. And I thought Michael Vick was cruel...

Guys with over 5.5K posts on this board alone live in kind of big glass houses to be throwing the "geek" stones around.

But thanks for your input. We value and respect your opinions in childcare. Really. Honest.

Oh, and to answer OCMike: most of the titles are about $3 a pop. The days of dads casually letting kids pick up three or four titles a week are OVER.

[Risa]

No, I had friends and played sports outside.

You can have friends and play sports and still dig comics.

And nobody talked about shit like the Serpentor arc, or what Snakeeyes face looked like when the Baroness and Destro took off his mask, or whether the Baroness was hotter than Scarlett or Cover Girl, or figured out Tomax/Xamot.

Nobody had scoreboard for owning the $100 convertible cobra command base, or had arial fights with X-30s versus Ravens and acting out stuff.

Nobody played with dolls and read comic books.

Nobody then went to play out on the basketball court somebody's dad rigged up in the neighborhood, or caught minnows and frogs in the creek down the road.

Ok. :? It just sounds weird. Were you an anime kid, instead?

[Risa]

Some of my old comics are individually worth $150 or more (currently). I would be a complete idiot to fork those over to an 8 year old. The comics that aren't worth anything (due to their condition, usually) are the ones I'll hand over.

I couldn't do it, man. No matter how much the comics are worth. If I wanted to sell them, I'd sell them. If the kid shows an interest then I'd be happy. I gues it's moot since there's so much out there that just about anything would keep their interest, right?

I'm getting my son into the hobby to keep him reading and have him enjoy the world of superheroes. I never got into it as an investment and only looked at it as such later on (when I was in h.s., and college).

Who did you start collecting?

And I'm bringing him up right and having him read Marvel. I frigging hate DC comics.

:? What's wrong with DC? Hero choice or editorial dislike?

[indyfrisco]

IF, I was invited to a friend's house to play D&D once. I showed up to find a bunch of unshowered LotR-types who had this deep reverence for this one geek who was supposedly this ultra-kickass dungeon master. I stayed for about 15 minutes, realized how incredibly gay it was and bailed.

Did you meet this friend at the comic book store? Was he into comic books?

[Moving Sale]

...most of the titles are about $3 a pop. The days of dads casually letting kids pick up three or four titles a week are OVER.

You are right 10 bucks is a boatload of money... if you teach Darwin, incorrectly, to 5th graders.

You are a tard of the highest order.

[indyfrisco]

Guys with over 5.5K posts on this board alone live in kind of big glass houses to be throwing the "geek" stones around.

Notice my response to Risa. I played sports and played outside as a kid as opposed to reading comic books and giggling at the cleavage of Wonder Girl and Super Woman. I average 4 posts more than you per day. Look at my history of posts and you'll see the vast majority of them are in the Sports Forums.

No, my interests haven't changed much since I was a kid sans some faux pas high school shit. I'm still into sports. I see yours haven't changed either Comic Book Boy.

[OCmike]

IF, I was invited to a friend's house to play D&D once. I showed up to find a bunch of unshowered LotR-types who had this deep reverence for this one geek who was supposedly this ultra-kickass dungeon master. I stayed for about 15 minutes, realized how incredibly gay it was and bailed.

Did you meet this friend at the comic book store? Was he into comic books?

:D

No, actually I just knew him as a neighborhood kid. We generally just did fun stuff outside, like turn the hose on a six-inch wide wasp nest, or blow up rotten peaches in the orchard with firecrackers...that kind of thing.

My next door neighbor's old man was into comics, which is how I got into them. He had a collection that rivaled MtLR's. He had several worth hundreds of dollars, and some worth more, like a Superman #1. He only showed it to me once, but that was enough to get me hooked. Wait...bad choice of words... But that still wasn't enough to get me into DC comics. I liked FF, GI Joe and the Transformers, as I recall. His step-son and I used to go to the comics store together once in awhile. And no, he wasn't into D&D either.

[Mike the Lab Rat]

...most of the titles are about $3 a pop. The days of dads casually letting kids pick up three or four titles a week are OVER.

You are right 10 bucks is a boatload of money... if you teach Darwin, incorrectly, to 5th graders.

You are a tard of the highest order.

Gee, Tinypants, I'd consider someone a "tard" who, like you, thought that high school was 5th grade.

Or maybe that's what your family told you to spare your feelings.

[Wolfman]

anyone old enough to remember these ??

BTW--- I know I had original Mad comics along with all my baseball cards from the early 1950's, including a set of photos of the 1949 Yankees that I had left in my old house. My folks moved out of there in 1964 and after my Mom passed away and my Dad sold that house, I could not find any of them. I think the movers that moved my folks in 1964 stole that stuff. My Mother probably didn't pay much attention to "kid's stuff" of her son.
So, Mike--you might want to stash those relics in a safe place, cuz---you never know.

[Mike the Lab Rat]

I played sports and played outside as a kid as opposed to reading comic books and giggling at the cleavage of Wonder Girl and Super Woman.

Oh, so in your mind, reading comics books and playing outside were mutually exclusive.

You were obviously a very deep kid.

Trust me - my friends and I did plenty of playing outside as kids. We also happened to be able to read comic books and [gasp] actual books also. All of us even went on to college, had sex with real women, drank alcohol, and did all the same stuff that the less erudite high school kids got to do...except we actually left town to do it.

I average 4 posts more than you per day. Look at my history of posts and you'll see the vast majority of them are in the Sports Forums.

That doesn't lower the "geek" quotient a bit. We all still post on an internet board. It's geeky. Deal with it.

No, my interests haven't changed much since I was a kid sans some faux pas high school shit.

Nice to know you've cease to grow as a human.

I'm still into sports. I see yours haven't changed either Comic Book Boy.

Umm...how does my turning my eight-year-old son on to comics equate to ME still being into comics? I turned the two-year-old on to Winnie-the-Pooh...does that equate to ME being into it as well? I buy toys for both kids...does that mean I'm still into them? Nice logic. Maybe you should have spent a little less time playing outside and a little more time doing some "book larnin'."

[Jay in Phoenix]

MtLR--

Speaking of Marvel, do you have any memory of this one...



This is the first Kiss book, the one that was supposed to have had its' cover ink mixed with bands' blood. I sold my copy a few years back for $300. Cover price paid in 1977--$1.50. Not a bad turnaround.

Best price on a sale so far, $500 each for Spider-Man #'s 121 and 122.

Childhood geekdom = cash. Keep on buying and collecting for your kids.

[Mike the Lab Rat]

$300 for a $1.50 comic book?!?! Holy crap!

The only reason that I know that I've got some valuable issues of X-Men is because the guy at the comic store has a bunch of issues all bagged & stuff hanging on his walls, listing prices. I recognized some of the covers as being the same issues that I had. Some day I'll have to get the energy to dig the stuff out of the attic and catalog and price my old stuff.

$300. Holy frigging crap.

[Jay in Phoenix]

It would be worth your while Mike. I had boxes of the things from back in the 70's. The ones that are mint or near-mint, like baseball cards, are worth a surprising amount. Hadn't thought about them for years, then one day I thumbed through a price guide at a Barnes and Noble. I suprised myself in the titles I had held onto versus the ones I gave away. Most of the keepers were the oldest or rarest, lots of number ones, etc.

Just a lucky benefit of a geeky hobby in kidhood.

[Moving Sale]

Gee, Tinypants, I'd consider someone a "tard" who, like you, thought that high school was 5th grade.

You teach Grade School and we all know it. So what? Ashamed?

Now back to the topic at hand. You are teaching your son to get beat up ..... err introducing him to comics and 10 bucks is a lot of entertainment money for one week? How does it feel to be a humpbacked, lazy eyed, lurch like tard who teaches science to 10 year olds and pinches pennies in his doublewide?

[indyfrisco]

Maybe you should have spent a little less time playing outside and a little more time doing some "book larnin'."

Those who can't do teach. Nuff said.

[BSmack]

Maybe you should have spent a little less time playing outside and a little more time doing some "book larnin'."

Those who can't do teach. Nuff said.

Oh dear.

[Mike the Lab Rat]

Maybe you should have spent a little less time playing outside and a little more time doing some "book larnin'."

Those who can't do teach. Nuff said.

Nice punctuation. Apparently you can neither do, nor teach.

By the way, since you have such a high regard for sports, you should remember the rest of that "chestnut."

"Those who can't teach, teach gym."

[Mike the Lab Rat]

You teach Grade School and we all know it. So what? Ashamed?

That's be news to the high school students that I've been teaching...and to the district in which I've worked for 5 years...and the state of NY.

Don't you have imaginary grad students to teach?

Now back to the topic at hand. You are teaching your son to get beat up ..... err introducing him to comics and 10 bucks is a lot of entertainment money for one week?

I really don't think I'll take parenting advice from someone whose own prospects for reproduction are limited.

Since it is apparent that both science and math are not your strong suit, allow me to explain this to you. Slowly.

$10-$12 a week X 52 weeks a year = $520 to $624 a year for a frigging hobby for a ten year old kid.

That's too much damned money to spend. Those of us who have actually managed to reproduce and are good parents realize that spending that much money on comic books is ridiculous.

How does it feel to be a humpbacked, lazy eyed, lurch like tard

Wouldn't know, Tinypants, what with Goobs already pointing out that you've confused me with another poster and all.

who teaches science to 10 year olds and pinches pennies in his doublewide?

I've come to the realization that you're tendency to be an ankle-biter has a lot more to do with your convenient height limit than anything else. No wonder you've had to resort to creating an imaginary family of biologists (who conveniently discuss Darwin and Spencer with you over Happy Meals) and making up a class on "Con Law" that you claim to teach. Dream big, Herve. Stand tall in your Build-A-Bear-Workshop threads, pump your malformed, Yoda-like fist in the air, and let out in that mighty squeak: "I AM SOMEBODDAH!"

[indyfrisco]

Maybe you should have spent a little less time playing outside and a little more time doing some "book larnin'."

Those who can't do teach. Nuff said.

Nice punctuation. Apparently you can neither do, nor teach.

By the way, since you have such a high regard for sports, you should remember the rest of that "chestnut."

"Those who can't teach, teach gym."

Those who are smacked go to spelling/punctuation/grammar smack.

Let me save you the trouble.

Those who claim BODE, have no BODE.

[RadioFan]

No wonder you've had to resort to creating an imaginary family of biologists (who conveniently discuss Darwin and Spencer with you over Happy Meals)

[velocet]

I thought it might be impossible to assault the fact of the influence of Aristotle, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, Plato and Socrates on the history of ideas all at once. Now Indy reminds me that there is that retarded, overused and of course baldly untrue cliche:

Those who can't do teach.

Of course. That is the key to confounding what notions people have entertained about those named teachers. None of them "could do" so they taught. And since they were therefore precluded from doing, it must be said that there was something wrong with them; a flaw so fatal that they mustn't be taken seriously.


Well whatever analytical criticisms have evolved about the teachings of these personages over the millennia, the fact is we now have a new method that deals with them all in one fell swoop. This is truly an exciting development. Sure, the details have to be worked out but the body of the contribution is in place. Indyfrisco, I suggest you submit your finding to





... and claim credit for all it's worth.






velocet

[Adelpiero]

a guy who fags out to male cheerleaders casting stones?




simply amazing

[Moving Sale]

Mike the Pyrodice,

I am sorry I called you a nerd.

Sin,
TVO

[Mike the Lab Rat]

Mike the Pyrodice,

I am sorry I called you a nerd.

Sin,
TVO

At least you kept it shorter than normal.

By the way, Tinypants, nice to see that you are so bereft of ideas that you have to steal a joke from other posters and then put it in TWO threads.

[Moving Sale]

Is that the sound of you accepting my apology or packing up the Camero?

[Mike the Lab Rat]

Is that the sound of you accepting my apology

or packing up the Camero?

[Moving Sale]

And YOU are citing ME for unoriginality?

I Laughed!

[Mike the Lab Rat]

I Laughed!

[indyfrisco]

velocet,

You read way too much into things.

I've never even conversed with MTLR in these forums until this thread. I was just sparring with the guy. Do you really think that I think he's an idiot who can do anything? My intent was more of a "Yo momma so fat.." kinda thing.