A Comic Book Buying Observation at Comicpalooza

Yesterday at Houston's Comicpalooza, I took my boy and his friend. Both are juniors in high school. My boy and I went with agendas, hoping to find certain things. My boy found only one thing, but didn't get it. His anime interests skew a thin line, away from the more mainstream and to a more nuanced appreciation. I was looking, as always, for more black-and-white reprints (DC's Showcase or Marvel's Essential) but found none. I was also seeking the trade for a new story called THE WRONG EARTH. I didn't find it either.

But my boy's friend just shopped. We'd all thumb through dollar-comic boxes. I found a few, but put them back. Why? Well, when I saw a run that looked interesting--say, Jack Kirby's 2001 comic series--the run wasn't complete. Never mind I had almost all of them in my hand, but why bother starting a story if you can't get the whole story? I ended up purchasing an issue of DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU for a dollar and volume 1 of the complete Howard the Duck. You see? Complete run.

What struck me with the other boy was when he would show me two random issues and ask my opinion on which he should buy. It was a pair of Marvel Two-in-One where Thing was teamed up with Ant-Man (1982) and Iron Fist (1975). Both covers were great and he just needed a nudge. I suggested the 1975 book because, well, it was the middle of the Seventies and anything went. He got that book.

I just loved that he was just shopping for reading material. Not a collection. Not a trade. Just some cool comics.

Like I used to do at the newsstands.

When I return today, I will shop with that spirit. Yes, I still have my list of things I saw and now want to circle back and purchase, but I think I'll pick up a few books just because the covers look cool.