Fond comic book store memories

[BugsySig]

6 years ago I was at the comic shop that is now my LCS, there was a sale there and I was piddling around trying to find comics to buy and then a 'light' came on: Lets look for Valiants! So I go in the indie comics section and find Harbinger #1-7 w/ coupons , X-O Manowar #1-3, and 10, Rai #1-5, Magnus #0-4, & Solar #1-(i think)10! Best part, I got them ALL VF condition under cover price!

A few months later I get to fill in the gaps at another shop along with Harbinger #0 for about $28 and Archer & Armstrong #0 GOLD at $5.

I still think back to that time and just go, "man, that was a good time and the BEST trips to the comic book store ever!"

Welcome to the boards. I hate you.

[jmatt]

6 years ago I was at the comic shop that is now my LCS, there was a sale there and I was piddling around trying to find comics to buy and then a 'light' came on: Lets look for Valiants! So I go in the indie comics section and find Harbinger #1-7 w/ coupons , X-O Manowar #1-3, and 10, Rai #1-5, Magnus #0-4, & Solar #1-(i think)10! Best part, I got them ALL VF condition under cover price!

A few months later I get to fill in the gaps at another shop along with Harbinger #0 for about $28 and Archer & Armstrong #0 GOLD at $5.

I still think back to that time and just go, "man, that was a good time and the BEST trips to the comic book store ever!"

Don't ya just love that? Those days are over, methinks. Valiant is back in the game and back issue prices are rising.

[ECKSRAE]

6 years ago I was at the comic shop that is now my LCS, there was a sale there and I was piddling around trying to find comics to buy and then a 'light' came on: Lets look for Valiants! So I go in the indie comics section and find Harbinger #1-7 w/ coupons , X-O Manowar #1-3, and 10, Rai #1-5, Magnus #0-4, & Solar #1-(i think)10! Best part, I got them ALL VF condition under cover price!

A few months later I get to fill in the gaps at another shop along with Harbinger #0 for about $28 and Archer & Armstrong #0 GOLD at $5.

I still think back to that time and just go, "man, that was a good time and the BEST trips to the comic book store ever!"

Don't ya just love that? Those days are over, methinks.

Oh! most definitely! I remember back in the early 90's when all those early Valiants where through the roof. Harbinger #1 alone was going for $100. I couldn't help but think one day those prices would go back up! And even if they didn't I would have something that meant the world to me!

AND I forgot to mention I got a VF+ condition New Mutants 98 for cheap RIGHT before the Deadpool craze hit!

[manga4life]

I was reminded the other day about when me and a friend of mine walked to the comic book store in a snow storm back in 1995, we didn't even know if it would be open thanks to a blizzard we were experiencing (we didn't call to find out) but we headed on over anyhow. It wasn't a really far walk, maybe 2 1/2 miles, but it was quite the experience to battle the snow under out feet and the whipping winds on our faces as snow fell from the sky at an alarming rate. We finally got there and the store was open even though nobody was shopping, the owner said they'd be closing in about a half an hour (this was around 1:30pm) so we began going through the back issue bins and I ended up buying like 12 comics that day and my friend bought 5 or 6. The walk back was brutal but it made buying those comics all the more special and when we got home I let out a huge sigh of relief that we were no longer out in the freezing cold, I miss times such as this before I had a car and whatnot.

[chriskay99]

A local comic shop (now out of business) was open every Thanksgiving Day from like 10-3 and they would have a 50% Off all back issues sale. There used to be lines out the door but my Dad would always take my brother and I there before we went to Grandma's house for dinner.

One year, my brother and I pooled our money so we could buy spend $50 on back issues. We went through all of the bins and pulled out $100 worth of books and were getting ready to get in line when we saw a Magnus Robot Fighter #0 for $100. So, we could either get a couple dozen books, or one single issue of Magnus #0. We debated about it for a few minutes but ultimately decided we would be better off getting several books instead of just one. I don't even remember what we got that day but I do remember us agonizing over whether to invest in one single book, or enjoy several books.

[stp1503]

I think my best comic shop memories were from a comic shop that used to be open in Ft. Lauderdale. I grew up in a small town in north Florida and moved to south Florida in 1993 when I was 19. I was watching tv one Saturday morning when this commercial comes on for Tropic comics. Where I grew up there were no comic shops much less one that had commercials! I immediately talked my cousins into going with me. We got to the store and after looking around a bit I asked if they were hiring. The owner said no but took my number just in case. A few weeks passed and I get a call from a number I didn't recognize. It was the owner asking me if I could work that day and that he needed me as quick as possible. I of course said yes and jumped in my car. Since I was young with no bills or responsibilitys I worked for back issues. What that means is there was never a salary involved. I would just pick out back issues from the huge collection that he had. As a grown up now it sounds ridiculous but as a 19 year old kid with no bills and responsibilitys it was a great idea. I only wished I would have picked out better books than I did at the time. I worked part time at a LensCrafters and would work at the comic shop on my days off which were really like 4 or 5 days a week. I had a great time there and the owner and fellow employee were always really nice and treated me great. The best comic I got while I was there was a Giant Size X-Men #1. I still own the book to this day.

[stp1503]

Deleted!!

[manga4life]

I used to go to a flea market every Sunday back in the early to mid 90's with my friend who was an avid collector of basketball trading cards (as was I) and we would go to this flea market because they would have 4 or 5 booths setup with nothing but sports cards and collectibles. Some booths sold video games, toys, and other fun collectibles and some old food and other supplies but there was one (only one!) that sold comics and I credit that place as one of the reasons I got so into comics. See, with comics I would always pick up a random issue here and there as a kid, I didn't have a run of comics and I would just select an issue of Superman, Batman, Hulk, or Spider-Man off the shelf just because they were big time heroes, it wasn't until 1992 when I got totally series about comics and started buying them based on stories and creators and whatnot. This stand at the flea market turned me onto The Death of Superman storyline as well as Batman and Amazing Spider-Man, it was here where I first was introduced to truly collecting comics and I couldn't wait to go to the stand every week. I would bring old toys that were collecting dust in the basement as well as old video games that I haven't played in years and I traded them in to multiple booths for money and I'd spend that money on comics at that one stand, it was so much fun and I'll never forget the giddy feeling I had to go each and every week.