My Story - a new guy...
Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg
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lindsayadams
- Working on the first full appearance of me
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2010 8:58:28 pm
My Story - a new guy...
Hi - this board is a brilliant resource. I only discovered it recently after coming across a bunch of Valiant comics at a recent comic fair in my local town (I live in Perth, Western Australia). That got me back to Valiant after a loooong absence.
I first started collecting (I was 13!) comics in 91/92 and my first book I bought was X-Men 9. After enjoying the book I researched all the local comic shops in Perth (there was 2!). Although it took me a while to make it in the shops, I was soon hooked with the idea of collecting comic books (as you are at that age). I was reading and enjoying them, but the thrill of picking up a shiny new book in a plastic cover was the most exciting bit I think.
After a while of tripping in, I picked up a Wizard magazine on one trip and through the top ten lists and price guide's they had in there, I realised there were these ultra-hard to find books from "Valiant". Looking in my stores, back issues were hard to come by and I only managed to get a hold of a Solar #18 at the time which I still thought was exciting, even though it was a new issue.
I had little idea what Unity was (although it was rare) and pre-Unity books may as well have been imaginary for the likelihood of finding one in my local comic shops!
I think the novelty value of how rare and hard to find all these books were (particularly all the way in Perth) made it all the more cool to collect comics. Soon I picked up an X-O Manowar #19 and then saw what I thought was the ultimate find (little did I know how many they printed):
Turok #1
The cover reeked of premium and I was doubly hooked. X-O Manowar #0 had me again, but you could not find any earlier issues of anything anywhere in Perth.
For the most part I stuck with books from Image (I didn't have a huge budget during my teen years) and picked up books like Stormwatch, Spawn, Wildstar (Yikes!) and only got a Solar , X-O and Turok when I could find one.
Fast forward a lot of years and I'm walking around a comic fair with my 4 year old son (BIG fast forward) and a guy is selling back issues for $1 each and if you buy 10-20 the price drops etc. So i look through and a I see a Harbinger #3. I stop and then I see a #4, #6, a Bloodshot #1 and a Unity #0!!! I started feeling a bit excited. Then I saw a Rai #3! The guy had about 40-50 Valiant backissues and i grabbed the lot - $20 he said. I just about freaked out (of course I hadn't realised just how far the prices the dropped in 15 years!!).
I thought I was making a total steal. After this I pretty much have set out to get a complete collection of Valiant books (pre-Acclaim) and am about 75% there. I generally pick up whatever I can off ebay and from places like Milehighcomics (if the prices aren't ridiculous!) and also mycomicshop.com
Its only now that I am able to appreciate the quality of writing in the books as I read and re-read all the early stuff (massive fan of Rai and Magnus). It is still exciting to collect these books, even after almost 20 years since I first discovered them. I still have that first book - Solar #18 and sits proudly now in my collection along with Harbinger, X-O, Shadowman, Archer and Armstrong (love it!) and Eternal Warrior. I am trying to find the rest of the Rai's I need but #4 is hard work to find!!!
Anyway - thanks for a great resource, I am loving looking around at all the great collections you guys have, and how much love you have for all things Valiant. I wouldn't put myself in the class of Valiant collector/lover that I can see around here, but I know exactly why you guys are so dedicated.
Thanks
Lindsay
(still in Perth, WA)
I first started collecting (I was 13!) comics in 91/92 and my first book I bought was X-Men 9. After enjoying the book I researched all the local comic shops in Perth (there was 2!). Although it took me a while to make it in the shops, I was soon hooked with the idea of collecting comic books (as you are at that age). I was reading and enjoying them, but the thrill of picking up a shiny new book in a plastic cover was the most exciting bit I think.
After a while of tripping in, I picked up a Wizard magazine on one trip and through the top ten lists and price guide's they had in there, I realised there were these ultra-hard to find books from "Valiant". Looking in my stores, back issues were hard to come by and I only managed to get a hold of a Solar #18 at the time which I still thought was exciting, even though it was a new issue.
I had little idea what Unity was (although it was rare) and pre-Unity books may as well have been imaginary for the likelihood of finding one in my local comic shops!
I think the novelty value of how rare and hard to find all these books were (particularly all the way in Perth) made it all the more cool to collect comics. Soon I picked up an X-O Manowar #19 and then saw what I thought was the ultimate find (little did I know how many they printed):
Turok #1
The cover reeked of premium and I was doubly hooked. X-O Manowar #0 had me again, but you could not find any earlier issues of anything anywhere in Perth.
For the most part I stuck with books from Image (I didn't have a huge budget during my teen years) and picked up books like Stormwatch, Spawn, Wildstar (Yikes!) and only got a Solar , X-O and Turok when I could find one.
Fast forward a lot of years and I'm walking around a comic fair with my 4 year old son (BIG fast forward) and a guy is selling back issues for $1 each and if you buy 10-20 the price drops etc. So i look through and a I see a Harbinger #3. I stop and then I see a #4, #6, a Bloodshot #1 and a Unity #0!!! I started feeling a bit excited. Then I saw a Rai #3! The guy had about 40-50 Valiant backissues and i grabbed the lot - $20 he said. I just about freaked out (of course I hadn't realised just how far the prices the dropped in 15 years!!).
I thought I was making a total steal. After this I pretty much have set out to get a complete collection of Valiant books (pre-Acclaim) and am about 75% there. I generally pick up whatever I can off ebay and from places like Milehighcomics (if the prices aren't ridiculous!) and also mycomicshop.com
Its only now that I am able to appreciate the quality of writing in the books as I read and re-read all the early stuff (massive fan of Rai and Magnus). It is still exciting to collect these books, even after almost 20 years since I first discovered them. I still have that first book - Solar #18 and sits proudly now in my collection along with Harbinger, X-O, Shadowman, Archer and Armstrong (love it!) and Eternal Warrior. I am trying to find the rest of the Rai's I need but #4 is hard work to find!!!
Anyway - thanks for a great resource, I am loving looking around at all the great collections you guys have, and how much love you have for all things Valiant. I wouldn't put myself in the class of Valiant collector/lover that I can see around here, but I know exactly why you guys are so dedicated.
Thanks
Lindsay
(still in Perth, WA)
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comicsyte95
- It's Porktastic!!!
- Posts: 9572
- Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:30:20 pm
- Location: somewhere in the valiant universe
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Daniel Jackson
- A toast to the return of Valiant!
- Posts: 38007
- Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:33:38 pm
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96Valiantfan
- You gotta have Faith!
- Posts: 817
- Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:06:09 am
- Location: Waterbury CT.
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Draco
- Well I think I talked enough poop...
- Posts: 10178
- Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:44:09 pm
- Valiant fan since: preordered vh1 from start
- Favorite character: X-O from vh1
- Favorite title: X-O vh1
- Favorite writer: Good question?
- Favorite artist: ooooh another good question
- Location: Dead Universe Comics, Buckinghamshire, England
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lindsayadams
- Working on the first full appearance of me
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2010 8:58:28 pm
