Archie #325

• Date: September 1983
• Publisher: Archie Comics Group
• Cover Price: 60¢
• 2012 NM Price: $6.00
• Stats: 22 color pages plus ads.
• Writer: Frank Doyle
• Artists: Dan DeCarlo Jr., Jimmy DeCarlo, Bill Yoshida, Barry Grossman
• Notable Notes: The return of Jinx Malloy!

Not Just For Kids!

Good old Archie comics - they were another staple of my childhood. This series is aimed at teens, which probably explains why it holds up better on a re-read than my childhood favorite: Richie Rich. Is there any comic book fan who hasn't read an Archie comic? Maybe people who starting reading comics when adults - if so they are missing out on a great, classic story!

Daredevil #57

• Date: October 1969
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Cover Price: 15¢
• 2012 Price Range: $5 - $65
• Stats: 20 color pages plus ads, Marvel Bullpen Bulletins and "Let's Level with Daredevil" letters page.
• Writer: Roy Thomas
• Artists: Gene Colan, Syd Shores, Artie Simek
• Notable Notes: Daredevil reveals his identity to Karen Page! Oh, and Death's Head makes an appearance.

Daredevil!

Gosh, I recently realized that I haven't even reviewed any issues of my all-time favorite series: Daredevil - shame on me! So I'll get the ball rolling by taking a look at an issue I bought a decade ago but never read. And what a great cover huh?!

Captain America #3 (Vol. 3)

• Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Cover Price: $1.99
• 2012 NM Price: $3.00
• Stats: 22 color pages plus ads and Bullpen Bulletins.
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artists: Ron Garney, Bob Wiacek, Joe Rosas and John Costanza
• Notable Notes: Cap gets his old, old shield back!

Nostalgic for the Old Cap?

If you are a fan of the old Captain America (a la Golden and Silver Age Cap) then you'll find some fun tidbits in this issue. Namor, the historical display and Cap's old shield are all reminders that Captain America has a lot of history. It is good to see creators remind us of this title's rich heritage!

Swamp Thing #20

• Date: January 1976
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Cover Price: 25¢
• 2012 Price Range: $38 - $3
• Stats: 18 color pages plus ads and "Swamp Things" letters page.
• Writer: Gerry Conway
• Artist: Nestor Redondo
• Notable Notes: Swamp Thing battles its doppelganger!

Whoops! Not That #20!

Ok, I'll be honest: when I bought this issue I thought I was getting the one that was Alan Moore's first issue... but I was sadly mistaken. Alan Moore's first Swamp Thing script was in Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, not this one, which is just plain old Swamp Thing #20. Sheesh! Such a rookie mistake - I am totally embarrassed! Oh well, I bought and read this one so let's see how it stacks up shall we?

The Amazing Spider-man #247

• Date: December 1983
• Publisher: Marvel Comics Group
• Cover Price: 60¢
• 2012 Price Range: $1 - $10, depending on condition
• Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and "The Spider's Web" letters page.
• Writer: Roger Stern
• Artists: John Romita Jr., John Romita Sr., Joe Rosen and Bob Sharen
• Notable Notes: In which Spidey picks on "Nose" Norton!

Still on the Trail of Hobgoblin!

When I read Spider-man #246 I was a bit disappointed that Hobgoblin didn't play a bigger part in the story, so I was excited to get back to the storyline in this issue. Yeah, turns out Spidey is still looking for Hobgoblin, but he doesn't get too far in this issue. Oh well, I'm sure he will next time... right?

Richie Rich Billions #5

• Date: August 1975
• Publisher: Harvey Comics
• Cover Price: 35¢
• 2012 Price Range: $3.00 (good) - $25.00 (NM-)
• Stats: 37 color pages, plus a two-page text story and ads
• Writer: ?
• Artists: ?
• Notable Notes: In which Richie discovers a robot from an ancient civilization!

52 Pages... Really?

So, the cover of this issue shows that it is "52 pages" - which I took to mean 52 pages of story, however that is not the case. Sure, there are 52 pages in the book, but only 39 of them are actual story pages (and 2 of those are a text story!) Nevertheless, I actually enjoyed seeing and reading the old ads - things like Grit, Hostess, American Dental Association, Camp Fire Girls, Cub Scouts and the ever-famous Sea-Monkies! They were quite a hoot I tell ya! I'm sure I didn't like the ads when I was a kid, but now they amuse me to no end!

Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure

• Date: March 2002
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Cover Price: 10¢ (duh!)
• Current NM Price: $3.00
• Stats: 22 color pages, plus ads
• Writer: Greg Rucka
• Artists: Rick Burchett, Klaus Janson, Willie Schubert, Lee Loughridge
• Notable Notes: Intro to the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer" cross-over event.

It Is Only 10 Cents!

I have a collection of about 1,000 comics or so, and not one of them is a 10 cent issue... well, except for this one. Too bad I don't own one of the Batman comics that originally sold for 10 cents back in the day! Oh well, I can dream right? And maybe that is something I need to put on my comic bucket list!

Spawn #1

• Date: May 1992
• Publisher: Image Comics (but actually published by Malibu Comics)
• Cover Price: $1.95
• Current Price Range: $2.00 - $12.00
• Stats: 22 color pages, plus ads, poster, illustrations and "The Spawning Ground" letters page / soapbox.
• Story, Pencils & Inks: Todd McFarlane
• Other Artists: Tom Orzechowski, Steve Oliff
• Notable Notes: The 1st issue of Spawn and one of the first comics ever published by Image!

Spawn was my Re-introduction to Comics!

In the late 1990's I got back into comics after an 11 year absence, and Spawn was one of the first titles I started reading. I thought it was fun and exciting to learn about Image comics and be part of the "scene." Anyway, after reading a few issues I was quickly turned off by Spawn in general and Todd McFarlane specifically. When I saw this issue in my box of back-issues the other day I figured it was time to give Spawn another try and see if I still felt the same. Yeah, I still do.

Ant-Man & Wasp #1 - 3

• Cover Dates: January - March 2011
• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• Cover Prices: $3.99 each
• Current NM Prices: $4.00 each
• Stats: 22 color pages each, plus ads
• Story & Pencils: Tim Seely
• Other Artists: Victor Olazaba, Val Staples and Simon Bowland
• Cover Artists: Salva Espin and Guru eFX
• Notable Notes: A Marvel 3 issue limited series, featuring Tigra!

So, I actually like Ant-Man and the Wasp... well, the old versions anyway. I was thinking this series was going to be about Hank and Janet, but alas, it was not to be. Oh well, I should have done my homework I guess. Anyway I jumped right in and found it to be a mixed bag - I both liked and disliked it. Here's what the series was about and what I thought of it:

Thor #293

• Date: March 1980
• Publisher: Marvel Comics Group
• Cover Price: 40¢
• Current Price Range: $1.00 - $8.00
• Stats: 31 color pages plus ads, "Bullpen Bulletins" and "The Hammer Strikes" letters page.
• Writer: Roy Thomas
• Artists: Keith Pollard, Chic Stone, Joe Rosen and C. Gafford
• Notable Notes: A giant eyeball that keeps referring to itself as "eye"!

A Fan of Mythology

Ever since 5th grade I have been interested in mythology - mostly Greek and Roman, but others as well. Because of my comic reading days when I was even younger, I also found great interest in Norse mythology. So, it was kind of cool to read about the Norse gods who existed before the Marvel Comic's version, and how their actions lead to the current version. I don't know how much of this issue was based on real Norse mythology, but it was still fun to read about, and even more fun knowing that the creators at Marvel were giving a nod to the real myths.