I normally bore you all to death on here by talking about how I bought the first issue of a specific comic book title back in the day. However, the truth is that apart from on a few occasions, the event was usually marked by myself simply walking into a newsagent in my old home town, seeing a comic I wished to purchase, and buying it. Of course, there was always the fanboy elation at finding that first US issue but if you are a comic book fan then you know that feeling. Below are a few of my “famous first” purchases that have no specific memory or story attached to them. these along with my first US "Fantastic Four" comic (above) - #150 from June 1974 – cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia, still hold memories of a diffenrt time. Enjoy:
Above: Ghost Rider #7 - Cover by John Romita and Gasper Salindino - from May 1974.
Above: X-Men #79 cover by Gil Kane & Frank Giacoia - September 1972 (I know I need to buy a replacement copy, this one is a bit tattered but it's my original)
Above: X-Men #96 - Cover by Marie Severin & Sal Buscema - December 1975 - I was never a fan of the original X-Men (I missed the Steranko and Neal Adams issues first time around) and my "first" X-Men issue 79 was a reprint, so this is my second first issue of the title. I really enjoyed the team of Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum on this title -This is a replacment copy as I read my original so many times that it is falling apart.
Above: The Flash #208 - Cover by Neal Adams - August 1971.
Above ; The Mighty Thor #205 - cover by Gil Kane & Frank Giacoia - August 1972.
Above: Warlock # 5 - cover by Gil Kane & Frank Giacoia -January 1973.
Above: Captain America #121 -Cover by Gene Colan and Joe Sinnott - October 1969 - This was one of the first US Marvel comics that I ever purchased (around 1970) and it is still a big favourite of mine.
Above: Teen Titans # 34 - Cover by Nick Cardy - August 1971 - Another classic comic book from the bronze age.
Above: The Demon # 13 - Cover by Jack Kirby - October 1973 - I was never a big fan of Kirby's 1970's stint at DC, but the Demon (and Kamandi) were pretty decent.
I was probably about seven years old when I walked into my local newsagents in Cambuslang (near Glasgow) with my pocket money firmly he...
Following on from my last post featuring some of my favourite Marvel comic book covers from 1973, I thought I would show some of DC's ...
Nearly a half-century on I still consider 1973 to be the year that cemented my destiny in becoming a lifetime comic book fan. It was a yea...
Nice covers. The FF #150 I have now isn't the original one I bought, but I've had it for decades so it seems as though it is. I remember reading it (again) on my grandparents' itchy red bed-settee one Sunday back in the '70s, as I did with so many other comics from that time. Happy days from long ago that sometimes seem far more recent than that.
ReplyDeleteThe FF cover shown here is also a replacement ( from around 1986) but I still have my original tattty issue . I was never overly protective of my comics and a few of my originals from the early 1970s are in a bit of a state so I have bought a few replacements over the years (decades). Fun days Kid, over 50 years ago in many cases, yikes!
ReplyDeleteLooking at vintage comics is like time traveling. They sweep back to a time when getting the next issue was supreme fun. I was lucky enough to get all of these off the newsstand save for X-Men #96. It slipped through my fingers some and I had to dig it up later. Thanks for the treat.
ReplyDeleteIt was even more fun in the UK as US comics distribution could be erratic at times, but the fun in seeing new or continued titles in the spinner racks was a joy. I still can't get my head around the fact conics from this time are now "vintage" but they are
ReplyDeleteGathering up comics in that era was an erratic process that required more energy and zeal than I have for the hobby today. I normally visited at least three stores to check the weekly output back then to see if I had the Marvel and DC and Charlton books I wanted. Comics shops made it way easier and I'm glad they came, but part of me misses the thrill of the spinner rack chase.
DeleteIt's strange to read that in the US that many comic fans went through the same process in trying to track down their favourite comics that most of us in the UK did as well. I agree specialist shops were good but now that many ( in Glasgow at least) are closing, it makes for an uncertain future. Online shopping has never interested me but that may have to change.
ReplyDelete