Picking Up Some Great (and UNUSUAL) Comics at a Special Nighttime Comic Con! 

When I was in my '40s I was running around the St Louis area buying comic books. I had lots of energy for the hobby but now I'm in my '60s I'm happy to watch young guys like you run around and do what I used to do I know that sounds funny it's true that you really do slow down when you get older. I've been watching you for a good while now and I've enjoyed every episode and your enthusiasm and your joy of collecting. I've been watching American pickers and they were in a barn and they came across a big stack of mad magazines and cowboy comic books they didn't look like they were in very good shape but they were from the '70s and I think he they gave 10 bucks for them. They should have took them to a comic shop to be appraised like they do other items that would have been cool.

I think that Paul Smith is an underrated artist. That X-men 169 was a good deal!

FantaCo was founded by Albany comics store owner Thomas Skulan in the late 70s. The company published some really fun books including 6 or 7 volumes of Fred Hembeck material, the beautiful Gates Of Eden (sadly only one issue) with both mainstream and Indie creators and a range of good horror books. The articles in the Chronicles series still make interesting reading. Critics' Choice File also released a book on the early Alan Moore Swamp Thing issues. Unfortunately, well researched, thoughtful and well written analysis of specific comics titles, creators and characters reached its high point in the 70s (for example, Steranko's history of comics) and the 80s (FantaCo, CC File and several pre-Wizard magazines). With the 90s came the spread of the internet and eventually RU-vid, with all the poorly expressed opinions from people with no understanding of the history and breadth of the medium who bristle at any challenge to their views. Thanks goodness for channels like yours Mike, and your sense of wonder and discovery and your appreciation for learning about comics that are new to you.

Here's a bit of history about that X-Men Chronicles book. PhataCo was a publisher that was owned by a comic book shop. That X-Men comic was actually produced with a licence from Marvel (which they didn't often give out!) and they did a Fantastic Four Chronicles series too. In the FF book, they published an interview with Jack Kirby in which Kirby was critical of Marvel, and Marvel responded by pulling the licence that they'd given to PhataCo.

Man did that look like a great show. I loved seeing all the unique books from overseas that we don’t get to see that often. You picked up some good ones! Congrats Mike!

I like the prices in those Uncanny books. $5-15 is where it should be for non keys.

Wow! As a comic book collector who just happens to be Thai, that was one of the coolest bookest I think I've ever seen! Thanks for showing it off.

I lived with that X-Men Chronicles when it came out. It was my comfort read when I needed to escape school lol

Man I love watching this, this is all I want to do is travel and look for Comic Books!!!!😊

Those X-men novels are killer!!!

I can attest about how that Sheena book was shipped as I worked at a comic shop when it came out. The book was indeed shipped without glasses and a pile of glasses, rubber banded together, was shipped separately. The glasses were flat and not folded at the arms.

I bought a bunch of those Chronicles when they came out. I still have my X-Men Chronicles and I think I still have the Spider-Man Chronicles. I could be wrong but I think the Avengers Chronicles had a George Perez cover.

You found som really cool stuff for the price! That's fantastic. Great finds!

Mike, you did a great job! All these comics are great deals. I love these videos: seeing comics I never knew existed

Loved seeing that X-men Chronicles book from FantaCo. My neck of the woods. Thanks for the video, Mike. This was great!!

The 1970s and early 1980s featured some really cool oddball stuff. The X-Men Chronicles was just one example of them.

Really fun looking show and a diverse group of X-related books. I love it!

As soon as I saw you hold up X-Men Chronicles and state that you dont run across them often, I dug through my collection.......and yep!, I had a beautiful bagged copy sitting there! I remember NOTHING about how I obtained it, but now I'm glad I have it! Thanks for letting me travel in my waaaaay-back time machine!

Hey Mike,another awesome video. I'm happy you finally got your Holy Grail comic. It doesn't matter of the condition it's in as long as you're happy. Who knows later on you might be able to find a better one in one of the weird and unusual places in your journey. I finally got my X-men #130 completing my Dark Phoenix Saga. I was so happy but I wish it wasn't graded because the others are not. I got it at a local comic con and paid a fair deal with all the T.Swift press.

I bought all of those Fantaco Chronicles issues off the rack…I need to pull them out and look them over. Good seeing you and that was a fun show!

Great haul, Mike! Getting 169 for 3 bucks is amazing. I thought that book would be worth more than that.

Love the Critics Choice X-men! Books that size should be read laying on your stomach in the living room. Great pick ups!

I just got my NM 87 today! Would have to say mine is a 9/9.2 no spine tics at all but a very slight spine roll. Looking for someone local to press it for me. Congrats on your upgrades!!!!!!

Great pickups! Picked up my 1st Cable from a familiar face this past Sunday - so great minds think alike. Also that Bell City Comics shirt was AWESOME! 5:40

Would love to go hopefully find a way 🎉just need a passport as mine has run out 😢love your show 😊

I can never seem to make it to a convention, and I always see the Batman 421 on the shelves where they're advertising sales, and I just wonder what kind of deal they're offering.

Man X-men #111 still on my list. Seen it a few times but the pricer always too much for condition. Good Grab

I understand how hard it is to stay on a budget with this stuff. I am working on the Claremont/Byrne run of Uncanny X-Men myself. I went to a new store over the weekend and ended up buying #130, 133, and 134 (along with 7 issues of Rogue across 3 volumes to complete all of those runs). Now I'm only missing 109, 120, 121, and 122. Maybe I will get a good deal on those next weekend at Old Man Con in Scottsdale AZ, though what I'm really hunting for is Alias #1 and MSH Secret Wars #8 with extremely wild aspirations for cheap copies of Ghost Rider #1 and #2. lol Wish me luck.

I have a copy of X-Men Chronicles. I bought that about the time it came out in late 1981. I thought it would make a cool companion piece for my X-Men run (which was pretty small back then). I do wonder how many are in existence as I have no idea how many were circulated. Wasn't aware of other Chronicle books so you informed me today. Noticed the Elvira comic you were holding. Currently wearing a t shirt with that cover on it. Would have been funny if you bought it. Great vid.

Oh, X-Men Chronicles! Somehow that one has managed to stay with me for all these years. It still looks really good even though I read the bleep out of it. Nice pickup!

Loved that Green Lantern show, wish it had more seasons.

I wanted to go to the Friday night show but the stars just didn't align for me. Maybe I'll see you at Most Excellent for FCBD. If not, the 3MiB show in two weeks. And I'm with you on the high prices on 90's books. Too many of those titles were printed in the 100,000 range. There should be plenty to go around. Someone has to be hoarding them. $10 is usually my limit on early 90's Marvel.

Mr. Stevens also did two cd covers for the band The Hot Rod Lincolns (Blue Cafe, Astronaut girl)

I'll be a vendor at the Brimfield Antique Show at the Deerfield Fairgrounds next month in N.H on the 25th and 26th, bringing all my old 50s comics hope to see you there brother

I have The X-men Chronicles! I picked up the first Cable when it first came out. I was lucky I kept my collection and bagged from when I was a kid🤓

was out of country.... Glad that finally a X-men #1 in these local cons. Hoping to pick one up locally after selling some big keys last year

Really digging your channel Bro!!

Fantaco did a few of those Chronicle style index books. I think they did a Fantastic Four and a Spider-man as well. I vaguely recall that there might have been a magazine style edition as well.

Awesome video man! Thanks for sharing!! Digging the channel!

Liefeid actually did the cover for New Mutant 87 and McFarlane inked it

Was that a McFarlane The Crow 1 for $20!? 😮 Wish I coulda been there to buy that beaut. Great video as always Mike!

I was at the Steel City Con and saw a copy of the ROCKETEER movie adaptation packaged with the 3D glasses.. They offered it to me for $40 (down from $45) I passed. Not one of Dave's best covrs, In my opinion!!

Awesome video and haul! I loved all of the unique and cool books you got! I always seem busy each time another Cliff Con happens😭. If not this month I hope to be at the one in May.

Just wonder if the Morlocks ever encountered Ed Norton down there...

Great stuff man! Any more information on those big French “newspaper” format comics?

Whoa. Never saw that Steven's Card 🤯🤯

Great stuff

Love the alt-comics by companies that aren't Marvel or DC.

Great video Mike Thanks

Awesome looking show! Great to see it packed. I gotta get up there sometime, im from the NJ area

i have a copy of daredevil chronicles, same publisher. Published during the Miller run. Why I bought it, I do not know.

Looked like fun...and you experienced it !

Awesome books Mike! Cant wait to see if you were able to show restraint at this past weekends show or if you caved lol

💯👍

So I am asking around for Ideas for displaying comics , but what do you have your resting on?? Thanks!!

Congratulations on the great books! My favorite is the Sheena by Dave Stevens. I’ve been looking for a perfect copy at a reasonable price. No luck yet. I have been buying and selling Stevens books and doing quite well. I’ve been looking for perfect copies to send into CGC and selling the ones not up to my standards. Found some of his stuff in weird formats. Dark Horse Presents 100 has a Stevens back cover and back inside cover art that is great. Preview Pin up special is a magazine featuring Stevens Sheena covers. Still looking for the Crossfire 12 also! You should just do an episode of all your Dave Stevens books!

I wish I had comic Friends none of my people collect comics sadly

hi mike i just found a box of 50 action comics 1938 where superman holds the car up all pristine never been opened found in a box under the stairs how much you gonna offer me

How do I get one of those short box t shirts!? 😅

I believe that it is a whole Nother game when people give you books. You no longer have the name lunch money Comics the new name should be. I take free comics. It’s cool it’s nice, but it is not lunch money. That said the books that you were given a pretty cool.

So you just going to skip right pass that first app of Mad Capt America ?

Pretty awesome Mike thanks for the upload and I really really enjoy the stories behind your interactions with old and new friends!

On the topic of you liking foreign comics do you also like/collect heavy metal magazine ?

Can i ask a question, at 2:30 you pass by a booth with all kinds of MAD magazines, do you have a name of this vendor?

On your Chris Claremont run what issues were your hardest wants to find I got six Claremont for I traded 4 vinyls for them issue 136 145 146 161 and 173 are the ones I traded for four vinyls

Am I the only one who prefers either a Voice over or just convention ambience ? I like to clean while watching hunting videos and the music just sucks I want to hear what’s going on not listen to cheap stock music- (Assuming you didn’t compose it- if you did I apologize 😅)

I think that Paul Smith is an underrated artist. That X-men 169 was a good deal!