Omerta - Mobstirr's VALIANT Tale

[mobstirr]

I've been a member of the boards for a month now, and an occasional lurker for sometime before that. I guess I should tell my tale...

"Call me Ishmael (Moby-Dick reference #1). Having grown up in a small rural town, and in the days before wide spread cable television, I've gravitated to comics as a form of entertainment for nearly as long as I can remember. My older cousin was a huge Conan fan, so I always had access to his collection of Conan titles and various other Marvel Bronze Age comics whenever he visited.

Fast forward to 1982. The Falklands War begins. War breaks out in Lebanon and the Soviets invade Afghanistan. Knight Rider debuts on television and Michael Jackson releases “Thriller.” Blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins dies and hottie actress Jessica Biel is born. The Commodore 64 is released and the average price for a gallon of gasoline is $1.29. I’m 9 years old. Collecting comics seemed the norm for other 5th graders, and we traded and bartered and borrowed from one another constantly. Due to my cousin’s early influence, I collected Conan but read everyone else’s super hero titles. By the 6th grade I got hooked on Uncanny X-Men and became a “Marvel Zombie.”

A local pawn shop in my home town sold used comics, amid fishing lures and archery supplies, for $0.20 each. I would go there every chance I got since very little money would buy a whole stack of “funny books.” DC’s Weird Western Tales, Gold Key titles, then-current Independent comics – I bought and read everything I could. If I didn’t like a comic the pawn shop always bought comics for $0.10. I guess the older kids would sell their collections when they discovered girls and pot and beer, and I was there to buy them (if my mom would take me).

Probably since I was quiet while reading comics (and wasn’t aggravating my parents or kid brother), my mom was instrumental in my collecting and would let me stop at the two local 7-11’s and various drug stores to browse the spinner racks. Since my parents wouldn’t let me subscribe by mail, spinner racks were the only way I could acquire new comics until…

Fast forward 10 years. The Bosnian War begins. The Soviets announce that they will stop targeting US cities with nukes. Jay Leno begins as host on the Tonight Show. My man Bill Clinton becomes President of the US. Image Comics is founded. Blues legend Willie Dixon dies and Kurt Cobain’s daughter is born. On average, gasoline is $1.12 a gallon. I was working several jobs and attending a local community college prior to leaving for a larger university. Among my many jobs was working part time at a friend’s comic book store (for trade). With an entire shop at my disposal, I read everything I could – and discovered Valiant. Instantly recognizing Magnus and Solar from old Gold Key’s and Whitman reprints, I read a few issues and was hooked. After Unity I added all Valiant titles to my pull list and, like everyone else, began scrambling to accquire those tough to find pre-Unity back issues. You know how this part ends, so…

Fast forward to June 2007. Ongoing wars continue in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The Soprano’s concludes after 8 years on HBO. Heiress Paris Hilton goes to jail. Gasoline is averaging over $3.14 per gallon. After I stopped collecting comics around 1994, I didn’t pick anything new up until about 2001 when I began collecting again in earnest. Having sold off nearly all of my Valiant collection before the bottom fell out in the nineties (excluding some of my favorite Solar, X-O, and Eternal Warrior issues), I became sentimental and began picking up pre-Unity Valiant’s. While doing so, I discovered ValiantFans.com and learned that the rights to the Valiant characters had recently been purchased and that a new Harbinger story by Jim Shooter is soon to be published.

I decide to finish my Pre-Unity collection. And Golds. Yes, Pre-Unity and Gold incentive issues. And VVSS. Just Pre-Unity, Golds, and the great white whales known as VVSS (Moby-Dick reference #2). And a full run of X-O. Pre-Unity, Golds, VVSS, and X-O. Aw, hell, I’ll just get an entire run of all regular issues. Pre-Unity, Golds, VVSS, and all regular issues. And a CEAR…"

[TKWill]

I decide to finish my Pre-Unity collection. And Golds. Yes, Pre-Unity and Gold incentive issues. And VVSS. Just Pre-Unity, Golds, and the great white whales known as VVSS (Moby-Dick reference #2). And a full run of X-O. Pre-Unity, Golds, VVSS, and X-O. Aw, hell, I’ll just get an entire run of all regular issues. Pre-Unity, Golds, VVSS, and all regular issues. And a CEAR…"

You have all of the symptoms, although it spreading pretty reapidly in your case. I am gonna warn you now to stay away from Knightt and Chiclo they they are the DU pushers around here they have titles that are more insidious and have many more variant issues (Ultraverse). On second thought come with us, Elveen and I are dabbling in the other Dead Universes now, all the cool kids are. You know you want to.

[mobstirr]

As tempting as that sounds, I can't afford another dead universe right now. I basically sell comics on eBay just to support my collecting habit. And baby #2 is on the way. Just found out today that it's a boy!

Although I do remember liking Prime, Mantra, and Firearm really well...

[Elveen]

I decide to finish my Pre-Unity collection. And Golds. Yes, Pre-Unity and Gold incentive issues. And VVSS. Just Pre-Unity, Golds, and the great white whales known as VVSS (Moby-Dick reference #2). And a full run of X-O. Pre-Unity, Golds, VVSS, and X-O. Aw, hell, I’ll just get an entire run of all regular issues. Pre-Unity, Golds, VVSS, and all regular issues. And a CEAR…"

You have all of the symptoms, although it spreading pretty reapidly in your case. I am gonna warn you now to stay away from Knightt and Chiclo they they are the DU pushers around here they have titles that are more insidious and have many more variant issues (Ultraverse). On second thought come with us, Elveen and I are dabbling in the other Dead Universes now, all the cool kids are. You know you want to.

..... um, wait..... ..... well...... .....

[*SQUEE*]

As tempting as that sounds, I can't afford another dead universe right now. I basically sell comics on eBay just to support my collecting habit. And baby #2 is on the way. Just found out today that it's a boy!

Although I do remember liking Prime, Mantra, and Firearm really well...

Congrats on the spawn!

[leonmallett]

As tempting as that sounds, I can't afford another dead universe right now. I basically sell comics on eBay just to support my collecting habit. And baby #2 is on the way. Just found out today that it's a boy!

Although I do remember liking Prime, Mantra, and Firearm really well...

Thanks for sharing the story, fella!

Give in to the DU habit, you know you want to...

[Stinger]

I notice you're trying to make a profit out of me buying your comics on ebay. Just kidding, I'm glad that you have some left overs for me to recover anyway.

[slym2none]

As tempting as that sounds, I can't afford another dead universe right now. I basically sell comics on eBay just to support my collecting habit. And baby #2 is on the way. Just found out today that it's a boy!

Although I do remember liking Prime, Mantra, and Firearm really well...

Thanks for sharing the story, fella!

Give in to the DU habit, you know you want to...

First cats, now DU's... this tactic isn't working, Leon.





-slym

[slym2none]

Great story, mob. Stick around, I think you've already seen we can be a great bunch (at least most of the time.) And it only gets better...



-slym

[tarheelmarine]

Welcome aboard.

[leonmallett]

As tempting as that sounds, I can't afford another dead universe right now. I basically sell comics on eBay just to support my collecting habit. And baby #2 is on the way. Just found out today that it's a boy!

Although I do remember liking Prime, Mantra, and Firearm really well...

Thanks for sharing the story, fella!

Give in to the DU habit, you know you want to...

First cats, now DU's... this tactic isn't working, Leon.





-slym

Are you sure?

Because you know you really want cats and more DU's in your life...

[mobstirr]

I notice you're trying to make a profit out of me buying your comics on ebay. Just kidding, I'm glad that you have some left overs for me to recover anyway.

It's not actually profit, as the funds always seem to find their way from my PayPal account into CKB's...



But I have been dabbling in buying bulk comics and collections and breaking them down for resale.

[Lightning Strike]

Congrats on the new baby

[Zero]

[Daniel Jackson]

Nice trip down memory lane, although being reminded of $1.12 a gallon gasoline is enough to make a grown man cry....

[tarheelmarine]

Nice trip down memory lane, although being reminded of $1.12 a gallon gasoline is enough to make a grown man cry....

indeed.

[mobstirr]

Nice trip down memory lane, although being reminded of $1.12 a gallon gasoline is enough to make a grown man cry....

indeed.

I thought it added a certain "perspective" to the story. The $1.12 gasoline of our generation is the "$0.05 candy bars and sodas" our grandparents talked about.

And yes, the current gasoline prices make me want to simultaneously cry, vomit, and wet myself.

[slym2none]

Are you sure?

The only "cat" I like, I eat.....

-slym

[mobstirr]

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005 ... uke-p1.php

[Chiclo]

Are you sure?

The only "cat" I like, I eat.....

-slym

Why do I get the impression that leon is not inclined towards feliphagia?

[cobra_commander]

Are you sure?

The only "cat" I like, I eat.....

-slym

Why do I get the impression that leon is not inclined towards feliphagia?

What he does with his cat's "phagia" is completely up to him. I don't want to know anything about it

[cobra_commander]

Great story, mob. Stick around, I think you've already seen we can be a great bunch (at least most of the time.) And it only gets better...



-slym

Ditto to that mobstirr

[mobstirr]

Thanks, guys! You've got a really great community here, and I'm glad to have become a part of it.

Congrats on the spawn!

[worldsbestcomics]

Ha! It is all downhill for you from here on out

Collecting all the Valiant titles is fun, and still pretty affordable unless you have to have super-high-grade copies. There are some trustworthy Valiant sellers on these Boards. Send a pm to CKB with your wantlist if you haven't already.

Good luck