"Feb. 12-14, 2008"

As, pretty much everyone already knows by now... yet another great comic book writer, Steve Gerber is no longer among the living..(You'll need to scroll on down to Evanier's 2/12/08 obit post).

I can't remember a single title that he worked on that I didn't like when I read it. I was a huge fan of "Howard the Duck", bought every issue and at one time or another had full runs of both that title and the magazine version, plus any appearances elsewhere (such as in the "Man-Thing" tales from that characters "Giant Size" issues and Adventures Into Fear, many issues of The Defenders and a run of the original Omega the Unknown (which I still own today with an extra copy of #1 in my collection, signed by Gerber).

His work will indeed be VERY missed by me.

Sort'a funny story relating to this. I was very taken by the HTD character back in the 70's, and it was the only Marvel comic I ever took out a subscription to, then RE-subscribed to it following issues until its end. I went to the 1976 "Omnicon" comic book convention in Louisville, Kentucky on July 17th., 1976 (my 25th. birthday, incidently) and Frank Brunner was one of the guests, and I had him sign a copy of HTD (either #3 or 5, I forget), and he didn't even do that issue! Frank was just a little annoyed I'm sure by that. But he was nice enough to sign it anyway. I think he was doing work for Pyramind Publications at that time which was producing digest-size comic book graphic novels (the same people that pubished Jim Steranko's Chandler). I used to have ahave a photo I took of Frank actually signing that comic, but it seems lost now "somewhere" in this mess of a couple dozen various folders I keep of such things.


Well...I've tried to put my winnings from various auctions to good use as much as I can with what I've sold and got paid for thru Paypal. This week I've used the "Buy It Now" eBay option to purchase copies of the 1996 Supergirl series #'s 68, 75 and 77, thus completing that set. I would have already completed this but for a while there, #75 was getting such a premium price that the only way I could afford it was collected in a TPB of 75-80 of that series. Issues were floating around eBay at the $30.+ range. NOW I find one for around cover price, which just shows how a book can be hot, then NOT.

Other comics I've bought include a copy of Booster Gold (1986 DC series) #6 to complete that set as well, a run of the Dark Horse Comics limited series Hermes VS. The Eye-Ball Kid 1-3 by Eddie Campbell (which is actually reprinted within pages of various issues of Bacchus, but I wanted an original set), and from the silver-age, Charlton Premiere #'s V2 #'s 1 & 3 (circa 1967). CP was one of my faves of the SA Charlton lot although there was technically only 5 issues ever published. #19 of the first volume, was in fact, the first issue since Charlton was always changing titles somewhere in mid-stream of a title. Formerly (and for the first 18 issues) it was a war title: Marine War Heroes. In these four issues of V2, Charlton used this as a Showcase sort of book, introducing such as "The Shape" (by Richard "Grass Green"), "The Spookman", and "Tyro Team" in #1, "Sinestro Boy Friend" in #3 (a humor issue), and "Unlikely Tales" (fantasy-horror with Aparo and Ditko art) in the final issue, #4. #2 was the best, and considered by most (including myself) as a classic with the full-length story, "Children of Doom" with Boyette artwork. It was an experimental story, partially in B&W. To this day it remains as what I consider the best single Charlton comic of the 1960's "story-wise".


We "dodged the bullet" weather-wise here in SCentral, KY, with only rain today, whereas the northern part of the state is receiving much ice and snow. My wife and I had planned on going to Hodgenville (about 45 miles north-east) for opening day of the "Abraham Lincoln Celebration" at Lincoln's birthplace. The first lady is supposed to be at the opening festivities, but this weather will certainly give her a cold reception! (Tuesday: 02/12/08)


Already got in the copy of Supergirl (1996 DC series) #68 yesterday and was pretty happy that it was the first to arrive from my auction wins as this was the only issue from that series I'd never read. Pretty neat story with Supergirl fighting Mary Marvel, and it hosted a slew of cameos and app.'s of characters like The Demon, Jason Blood, Captain Marvel Jr., and the current version of "Comet". I'll be glad when the other two issues I'm missing in that run arrive so that I can finally, after a couple of years attempting to complete a set, put that particular title to rest.

I also received a full refund due to receiving the wrong volume of Swamp Thing 1-20 and have put my VFN lot of 14 duplicates on auction (in case anyone interested in those they can be seen HERE). I sat myself down and read those 6 issues from that series that I had never read before, and was happy to discover them to be some of the highlights of that set, featuring the "Red Harvest" storyline as well as one issue featuring Tefe's father, "John Constantine"(aka: "Hellblazer"). Nice Glen Fabrey cover on some of those as well. Now that I've read the whole set it certainly makes more sense "story-wise".

Not much else on my plate today on this last day off before I pull 8 days straight at work, save that in an hour or so I will be taking my mother over to a nearby town for her doctor's apointment. Perhaps I'll stop by a store there and pick up a handful of newstand comics if we have time.

"Happy Valentine's Day!"(Thurday:02/14/08)