Thursday, November 18, 2010

Gold Key Fever!

Is it wrong to shop in the 50 cent bin? Should these bins be eschewed by the "serious" collector? Am I a "serious" collector? Nah, I consider myself more a wacky, slapstick collector.

I dunno, sometimes I find stuff there in better condition than stuff I've paid more for online. Anyway, it serves me well when I know I'm sort of impulse shopping, buying something I'm curious about but that I probably won't want to collect all of. What I'm collecting purposefully right now will probably keep me occupied for the next five to ten years. Also, it's just nice occasionally to actually pay less than a dollar for a comic.

So here's a few things I picked up recently for four bits.

I've heard the name Magnus: Robot Fighter bandied about quite a bit. In fact, unless I'm mistaken there's a revival on right now. It turns out that he's a guy who fights robots - in the future. You can't go wrong. What is it with the name Magnus in comics, anyway?

Well, Star Trek is pretty self-explanatory. It's the comics spinoff of one the greatest TV shows known to science. This issue is rather late in the run, the earlier ones have groovy photo collage covers and are now worth quite a bit as Trek collectibles. I remember when these comics were persona non grata to collectors but times change.

And that is just a cool, crazy cover, what can I say? It's a spaceship that looks like a bat and I want one. One of the things that makes Gold Keys amusing is how everything is presented with deadly seriousness, so even Magnus or Trek reads like a Classics Illustrated. I can remember as a youngster the painted covers deterred me, I think they looked too grown-up. Now they look quite funky to me and I will probably have them out in the comic room for their aesthetic appeal.

For those who don't know, there are more fun covers to look at, and words to read, on Gold Key Comics!

7 comments:

MOCK! said...

Our local mall recently picked up a "collectible" store that has $1 comics. I have found a TON of semi-cheesey 1970s and 1980s Superman plus some Justice leagues.

It is kind of funny, because I will read these laying on the couch and fold them back, but if I pay the same amount for a comic I "want" from mycomicsshop or milehigh, I freak out and get all anal about reading....no matter what the condition!!!

LissBirds said...

Ah, you beat me in posting about Magnus. I just became aware of him via one of Frank's sites.

Yep, there's a new Magnus series ongoing, which is only so-so. The first issue reprinted the very first story from the 60's and I really liked it. A trade paperback of some of his earliest issues is being released in a few months, and there are "archives" versions out there, too. (I could only find the first volume at the library and refuse to pay $50 for any of the others.) The original series is a good read for sci-fi fans, and it's refreshing to read about a different universe for a change.

I love painted covers. I think Adam Strange had all of one painted cover in his Silver Age days, and I wish there were more.

rob! said...

It takes a real man to fight crime in short-shorts and white go-go boots.

LissBirds said...

Ohhhh, those aren't shorts, rob. That's a tunic. And you've got to be pretty secure in your masculinity to fight in THAT.

Aaron said...

There were some crazy costumes in the seventies like Cosmic Boy's bustier style top - but I can believe in the future people will wear some strange stuff, which also covers Magnus I guess; and really, Darkseid is also wearing go-go boots and a mini dress (sometimes) and still manages to be ominous, but I guess he dictates fashions on Apokolips along with everything else. ("Is that Darkseid...or Nancy Sinatra?")

I also really like painted covers, and Gold Key was kind of ahead of the curve since they started becoming more common in the nineties.

Mock - 70's & 80's Superman and Justice League sounds great to me! Gotta love the cheap bins.

LissBirds said...

I just realized there's a chariot with horses in space, with what looks like a Dodge Charger in the background...only Star Trek could pull off all those disparate elements and make it look cool.

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