Just Could'nt Walk Away..

Still managing to tap the Elizabeth's vein as on recent visits in the last week have turned up a few prize gems at still good prices..

assorted Vertigo, Dark Horse, Renegade titles

Have never read this reinterpretation of the classic DC Creeper - looks interesting, and completed a couple of Hellboy series. Flaming Carrot still one of my faves from the lost time of 90's weirdness..

assorted Marvel, First, Fantagraphics and independent titles

Longtime inspiration Rick Geary was not to be passed up.. and have never read the Chaykin graphic novel or the Detectives Inc - both one of the first GN of their time. Fantastic Winsor McCay collection. Really looking forward to checking out Krazy Kat in 3D!

assorted Marvel, First, independent titles

Slowly building up that Grim Jack collection, and some beautifully produced Gilbert Hernandez Cocoino Press from Fantagraphics. And still some more 3D to ogle over..

assorted Marvel, DC, independent titles

.. including this Wally Wood 3D curio..

I'm still checking each week at both stores to see if anymore trickles thru....

The Well Dries Up..

I finally did make it back into Elizabeth's last week, only to discover that probably 90% of the cracker stuff I left behind last time was already gone.. I say La Vi.. and I hope they've all gone to good homes. Still, I managed to find these gems in the depleted new stock bin..

Wednesday Comics - Various one page stories - DC Comics - 2009

I've always wanted to read these for the fave Kamandi new stories and at $1 each it was too tempting - even when issue 1 (of 12) was not found..

Assorted Warren and independent releases

Can't understand why no-one had picked up the early Eerie's (# 2,3,4,& 100) at $5 a piece as they are fantastic, along with some curios..

Assorted Marvel and independent releases

Always wanted to read the Allred Red Rocket (#1 & 2) and nice to have a better copy of the classic Warlock for the files. Particularly like the Rich Buckler How to Become a Comic Book Artist from 1986.

One further trip in on last Fri pretty much showed the well to be dried up.. as always I await in the shadows (where Only The Shadow Knows)...

Right Place-Right Time

After the surprising Ghost Rider find at Elizabeth's Newtown in last post I ventured into the city to check if the fates were with me. Sometimes in this game of Acquiring it's all about Right Place-Right Time.. and last Friday was that time..
After securing a handful of new bin finds, including some neat underground items and a Man-Thing appearance in an early Master of KungFu, I headed to the counter just in time to find a pile of comix being priced and bagged. At a casual glance I could see it would be worth looking thru and asked if I could. The lady behind the counter was a bit perplexed at what she should be setting the prices at and thought that $3 was too high for these old items. I could only agree. She then pointed to a large tub filled with even more 'old items' and asked me if I'd like to go thru them and give her an idea of what to price them.
After pulling aside the tub and settling on the ground these are what I came out with to purchase...

Assorted Marvel, DC, Tower, Star Reach

PC, Kitchen Sink, Eclipse, Atlas & Burleyman.

1960's to 2005.

After reassuring the lady that she would have no trouble selling most of the stock I was more than happy when she offered to sell me my selected for $2 each and more than happy when she said $90 for the lot!

What I didn't pull out, including many 60 and 70's Avengers & Daredevils (already had) plus other Marvel 70's and many assorted Kirby 70's DC and earlier DC space adventure titles, I couldn't really afford to buy duplicates of what I already had (but regret not getting those pre-100 Neal Adam Avengers..), and left them for some other fortunate to stumble across.. anyway I plan to be back next week after  a trip to Canberra, to see what has been put out into the bins and what is still left...

With a Ghost of a chance...

Delving into the Elizabeth Books comix bins on a regular basis can be a thankless task.. weeks, months can go by with only a rare pick up of some character's numbers/appearance to add to my already burgeoning comix pile.. then, with a casual Newtown 'Let's just sees if there's anything come in while I'm passing by' attitude, I come across these beauties...

Marvel Spotlight (7,8,9,10,11) & Ghost Rider (4,6,7,8)

Marvel Comics - 1972-74

While not such a Ghost Rider collector, these early Spotlight and GR issues feature many references to one of my fav Marvel 70's horror creations - The Son of Satan - while also leading up to the introduction of SS in his own series in Spotlight #12. This haul fills in a few missing issues and, hell these are Marvel issues from the early seventies and for $3 each is well worth the delight taken in Ploog, Sutton and Mooney artwork. 

I better check the city store quick to see if any other gems are surfacing....

Absence makes no sense, but nonsense...

Big apologies to anyone who has checked these pages lately and it's inaction.. medical dilemmas and holidays have hindered the Hordeing - but here's a taste of a few recent pickups..
Firstly a trip to Surry Hills Salvo's brought these gems forth.. proving that oddball can still be found at a decent price..

C'mon Aussie C'mon... - The Aussie Battlers - KGC Records - 1979

(only 50c!!)

Uri Geller - Uri Geller - Fork Bender Records - 1999

(I'm sure I didn't pay the marked $4..)

This collection of 70's Marvel monster comics reprints (covers only - ask no questions.. and receive all for $1) also proves that it's always worth digging into boxes of books that haven't made it to the shelf yet. Of note is WMD #6 where Groot makes his historic first appearance before becoming a major film star.. would like to read the story tho...

Also pulled out this Batman classic from 1966 for a buck, with a great TV show style story based around the alphabet - no better way to learn your ABCs..

Batman and Robin from Alfred to Zowie - Golden Press - 1966

I suspect that this came with a record, long gone, telling the story also.

While delving into the TShirt racks I took a small bated breath and hoped this would fit, which it did unlike most great tshirts that I find, and was only $4..

Thrasher - Itsus International - Canada - date unknown

Once again, please bear with me as I attempt to be more reliable in updating this blog.. it encourages me to see that it has now pushed over the 2500 views mark, and if anyone would like to leave a message via the post comments or the messagebook at the bottom of the page then it helps me realise that The Rack finds it's way into other peoples homes (and hearts)...

Continuing to Guard

Wintermagic in Katoomba, a couple of weekends ago, unearthed some mountain oddities walking the streets during the parade and after (and seriously, don't those Onceies ever come out of their cossies?).

Amongst the general mishmash of generic (how many lizard beanies can the world cope with?) festival stalls that can be seen from one end of Glebe to Cairns, one lady harkened back to those days where handmade was creative and didn't just mean that Bangladeshian fingers had run thread thru a 50 year old sewing machine.

Happy Tuesday's stall had attracted my attention with some fabric from the 70's that she converted into useful apparel and accessories..

Firstly, does anyone remember these cosmic Marvel characters who will hit the big screen next year in the next big blockbuster comic adaption movie?

These characters are the original GGs, who I don't think will appear in the modern roster that appears in both recent comic book and upcoming film (more the shame). As a collector of the ongoing series from it's 70's origins, I'll be disappointed - but am still excitedly awaiting this modern take.

Anyway.. back to Katoomba.. While looking over vintage Star Wars prints that Happy Tuesday worked with I realised that these accompanying cosmic-patterned items were vaguely familiar. On closer inspection their origins became clear (if not a bit muddled from their source..).

If you desperately need to complete your GG collection then I suggest you give Sarah a ring on 0409 266 532 and mention that The Rack sent you..

Where are those MasterMans?

Possibly one of the reasons for my collecting habit can be traced back to my grandfather, Herman. After I went to live with my grandperes, when I was 7, I discovered that hidden away in dark hall cupboards were small collections of things that brought some pleasure to the hard life he lived as a wharfie in Hobart during the 1950s & 60s.

Yours truly & his Grandfather - 1959

Most importantly for my future indulgences he had gathered issues of English war comics, those small almost square editions that you rarely see nowadays, and only at ridiculous prices. Tucked alongside copies of Battle were also vaguely remembered copies of MasterMan, a typically 60's version of limey superhero antics. These must have imprinted into my brain after many Sunday arvos laying on his bed reading these salty desert Rommel bashings and now forgotten black and white pre 2000AD scifiings.

By the time of 12 I had started to amass (courtesy mostly from my next-door neighbour Robbie who was kept in supply from his older cousin and passed off to me what he wasn't interested in) my own Marvel and DC bundles - an ongoing increasing mass that continues to this day.

I never did get to obtain his comic collection after he died when I was around 10 (still a mystery), but I still carry with me evidence of Herman's other passion - matchbox covers. As a dock worker he had access to a trade coming in from all corners of the globe and there are memories of an exotic collection, which, again did not make its way to me. Instead I carry his collection of Australian labels that he had asked me to soak off the box and display in a scrapbook. This collection probably owes more to his other passion.. smoking, which may have been the reason he died a man not that much older than I am now.

I've always loved this scrapbook, partly for the memories it evokes, and for the detailing to the quaint 1960s cover photos done by my brother Steve and I. This may also be my earliest example of future cartoonist in action..

Inside on now yellowing and crumbling pulp paper lays many a cold Warrane arvo glueing travesties. While not a completist project it conveys a serialist finickiness that tried it's best to adhere to a straight line..

There is one page missing though, a series on Roman/Greek gods and monsters that made it's way into an artwork a few years ago.. I'll go hunting for it.

Here's a cold stout raised to you Herman.. and where are those MasterMans...