pst. hey you. Here it is. My story of incredible luck.

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 11:52:59 am

Hey everyone. I figured post #2 should be a pretty great one to help "introduce" myself to this great community!

I started collecting VALIANT post-UNITY, when I was a sophomore in High School. I remember walking into our local Comic Shops and seeing a copy of HARBINGER #1 hanging on the wall with a 200$ price tag. A book that was barely a year old and already it was banking. I thought I'd never get to add these rare pre-UNITY books to my collection. MRF #21 was the first Valiant book I purchased and I collected nearly every issue I could get my hands on. I remember being so jealous of my friends who could afford to buy EVERY Valiant issue that came out, where as I could only afford 1/2 of the titles and knew I'd never got the full run of UNITY issues. I blame the downfall on DEATHMATE RED and Rob L at Image.
I stopped just after Chaos Effect. Harbinger #41 was the last Valiant book I bought on the news stand. I steered clear of the V2 series', figuring that nothing could compare to the stories Valiant put out in the early ninties.
My collection sat in a single long box for almost 10 years before I dusted it off to change the bags and boards. In the process of rebagging, I started flipping through them again. The memories came flooding back. I'd heard the market value had dropped on the issues, and I was shocked to find so many sitting in the quarter boxes when i went looking for them again. I found copies of Solar #1-11 at a shop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a buck a piece. Magnus #1-11 in a quarter box in Iowa city. And severalHarbinger #1's for a dollar, and Harbinger issues all with their coupons in Omaha, Nebraska. I completed my UNITY collection 3 times over thanks to a now closed shop in Waterloo, Iowa and finally got to read the last issue of The Second Life of Dr Mirage.
It was at the time that UNITY V2 came out and I put my Valiant Hunt into high gear. I would haggle with the shops in Des Moines, Iowa and walk out with a short box full of pre-unity issues for a little less than a dime a piece. They were, after all, just taking up space in the shops. I would beg the store managers to go through their "back room storage" for books I needed. Along with the VVSS and GOLD variant covers, there were 3 issues that always seemed eluded me. RAI #3 and #4 and Magnus #12. I had honestly lost hope I'd ever see them in my collection.
Then, in 2005, I met one of my personal Valiant goals. J Calafiore and Walter Simonson were at Wizard World Chicago and I got them to sign several UNITY, X-O, RAI and MAGNUS issues. They both seemed honestly shocked that people still valued these books enough to go to all the trouble of getting them signed. This was also the time I found TIMEWALKER and OUTCAST and finished the PSI-LORDS' run and GEOMANCER.
When I moved all the way back in 2005 I found a binder full of Valiant trading cards and several of the promo post cards. Anyone remember the cool NINJAK and HARBINGER post cards? Or the VALIANT SERIES 1 and 2 series' and UNITY??? And I found my first VVSS and GOLD Variant issues. A Bloodshot #0 VVSS for a buck and DEATHMATE PROLOUGE GOLD for a quarter!!!
I left the collection alone during all of 2006 and 2007.
It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I had heard Valiant "might be making a come back." I was intrigued, to say the least. I scoured Omaha for Valiant books. Nearly completed full runs for NINJAK and HARD C.O.R.P.S. and BLOODSHOT just by going back through the quarter boxes. 5$ for a RAI #1 and 6$ for an X-O #1 but still no RAI #3 or #4 or my much sought after Magnus #12. I found more pre-UNITY issues, dozens of copies of Harbinger #1-6, all with coupons. But I didn't care if these issues of MRF and Harbinger had coupons or not. I wanted them all. Solar #10 (2nd print) soon found a home in my collection, as well as X-O issues I had never seen before. And why did no one tell me that Pete was The Visitor??? BLOODSHOT #51 for cover price and another full run of the UNITY issues.
And this is when the story gets sad. A very well-known gentleman in the Omaha, Nebraska comic collectors comminity had recently passed away and his entire Comic Book legacy (nearly 40 years worth of issues) was being sold for a quarter a piece. Yesterday was the 4th weekend in a row that his nephew had had the sale, but how many people in Omaha, other than me, really collect Valiant? Apparently Not many.
I felt like a vulture picking on a zebra carcass as I was going through his collection. Full runs of every title. he was carefull and bought two issues if they had coupon redemptions in them. 3, 4 or 5 copies of the first issues and 2 or 3 of the final. Each was treated like gold. Not skrapes or staple creases in any issues. But still not a single RAI #3 or #4 or MRF #12.
I took my short box full of issues upstairs to pay the gentleman. "Hold on," he told me, "You're looking for Valiant Books, right? I found this box hiding upstairs, it's got some Valiant in it." The first bundle of issues I grabbed was MFR #1-#4, 2 copies of each. One w/ coupon and one w/o. Then It was HARBINGER #1-#4. Also had books w/ and w/o coupns. Then MRF #5-#8. Then another complete UNITY cross over run. Harbinger, RAI and X-O TPBs and another MRF lot, this one was #9-#12. I finally found a MFR #12 and it cost me a quarter. I almost peed myself. Honest. I was so excited. Here I am, 30 years old, still excited about Valiant books that make me feel like I'm 14 again. This man who's name I never knew and may have never met had nearly made me cry. For 15 years I'd been looking for several of the issues I found in his collection and I felt so honored to have these issues, but so guilty about how I came to possess them. Thank name-less-guy. You've really put things into perspective for me.
So ... here I am today. Writing this post when I should be working but I'm so excited that Valiant is FINALLY back! But I'm still looking for a RAI #3 and #4

myron · Post by **myron** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:00:36 pm

welcome...nice story.

keep posting...

depluto · Post by **depluto** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:05:33 pm

Sounds like those books made it into the right hands.

Nice story.

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:16:30 pm

it still makes me feel sad about exactly how those books made it too my collection. Makes me wonder what's going to happen to my collection when I'm gone.

depluto · Post by **depluto** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:26:29 pm

adammikael wrote:it still makes me feel sad about exactly how those books made it too my collection. Makes me wonder what's going to happen to my collection when I'm gone.

It sounds like the guy was a serious collector who cared about the books. Since nobody in his family wanted them, I think you did right. Just look at Rozanski with the Mile High find ... those people were ready to throw the stuff away because they only wanted the house. Chuck made a big profit, but those books are in collections all over the world now.

Can't take it with you.

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:29:15 pm

very good point. I'd almost forgotten about the MHC collection.

Our current running joke is "He who dies with the most toys, still dies."

I just hate to see comics thrown away.

JustCallMeAric · Post by **JustCallMeAric** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:37:37 pm

I hadn't read the Visitor yet but don't think I will now because you ruined it.

Elveen · Post by **Elveen** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:40:45 pm

Great post. I would love to see the deals that you have.

greg · Post by **greg** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:43:17 pm

JustCallMeAric wrote:I hadn't read the Visitor yet but don't think I will now because you ruined it.

You can't complain about 13 year old spoilers.

MoonChild · Post by **MoonChild** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:06:39 pm

Welcome, great story.

You can find Both Rai's on ebay no problem. I had 3 extra copies of #4 but they all sold quick for over 20 each. I had 1 extra of #3 same thing. I just got my first CGC slab Guess what it was: Rai #3 [well centered!]. Bite down & hit the ebay bro

Draco · Post by **Draco** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:08:14 pm

greg wrote:
JustCallMeAric wrote:I hadn't read the Visitor yet but don't think I will now because you ruined it.
You can't complain about 13 year old spoilers.

heeeheeehee !!!

Elveen · Post by **Elveen** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:22:26 pm

MoonChild wrote:Welcome, great story.
You can find Both Rai's on ebay no problem. I had 3 extra copies of #4 but they all sold quick for over 20 each. I had 1 extra of #3 same thing. I just got my first CGC slab Guess what it was: Rai #3 [well centered!]. Bite down & hit the ebay bro

Yeah, you'll have to pay for them.

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:23:46 pm

JustCallMeAric wrote:I hadn't read the Visitor yet but don't think I will now because you ruined it.

Opps. Sorry

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:26:16 pm

Elveen wrote:Great post. I would love to see the deals that you have.

I think it was all due to dumb luck. I won't have found a complete MRF run if I hadn't been in the right place at the right time.

Same with most of the issues in my collection.

I guess it pays to be patient and just wait it out.

I feel like a proud father knowing that I'm not missing only a few dozen issues to complete a total run of V1 and I've got 3 or 4 copies of the "HOT" issues. Maybe I'll ebay some so I can get those RAI #3 and #4

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:28:17 pm

Iowa and Nebraska are the BEST places to find V1 issues in mint condition.
and it's usually at the "Mom and Pop" shoppes.

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:30:05 pm

JustCallMeAric wrote:I hadn't read the Visitor yet but don't think I will now because you ruined it.

Did you know that Rai dies also? And I think Bloodshot did too ... kinda left that an open ending.

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:38:00 pm

Welcome aboard, nice story.

myron · Post by **myron** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:59:20 pm

greg wrote:
JustCallMeAric wrote:I hadn't read the Visitor yet but don't think I will now because you ruined it.
You can't complain about 13 year old spoilers.

beat me to it...

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:59:45 pm

Thank you for having me!

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:00:29 pm

I can't believe it took me 13 years to finally find out about the Visitor!

Dr. Solar · Post by **Dr. Solar** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:18:59 pm

Welcome to the bored!

Rufusharley · Post by **Rufusharley** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:06:29 pm

Welcome !

Elveen · Post by **Elveen** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:24:24 pm

Yes, hola compadre.

adammikael · Post by **adammikael** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:57:45 pm

thank you!!!

Chiclo · Post by **Chiclo** » Mon May 05, 2008 5:14:17 pm

Welcome aboard.

ValiantFans.com Board - Since 2004

pst. hey you. Here it is. My story of incredible luck.

pst. hey you. Here it is. My story of incredible luck.

sad

Re: sad

by the way