Quarter Bin #3 "Bargain Comics"

I mentioned in passing last week that it was at one point incredibly easy for me to find and read comics, and that’s basically how I read comics from 1993 to 1999, because for most of that period, I almost literally couldn’t go anywhere without bumping into some vendor, either a comics shop, or a place like Sam’s Club or Toys R Us, places where you definitely won’t find comics so readily available now (I think Toys R Us has made some deals recently, but nothing compared to what was available back then, when they and the Wal-mart bulk club packaged comics for your convenience or, at least, for mine).

Well, a few years ago, I stumbled into the holy grail once again, when the major bookstore chain I’ve worked at since 2006 actually randomly had some packaged comics available in its bargain section. I snatched them up. It didn’t matter that I was knee-deep in a then-thriving association with first-run comics. I snatched up as many of the bargain packs as I could. Granted, it wasn’t many, but I didn’t even think twice of it. I didn’t care what was in those packs. It was just so unexpected, and right up my alley, that I couldn’t possibly resist. What follows are the contents of those packages:

SUPERMAN #197 (DC)
From November 2003, this was one of my favorite finds, not simply because it was a DC comic, and a Superman comic, but a Superman comic from the period between 1999 and 2005, when I had generally not read Superman comics, even though the Man of Steel had been the central figure of my original run with comics. Many things had happened. Lex Luthor became president. Mark Waid did an acclaimed version of his origin to sync up with SMALLVILLE. He became unexpectedly culturally significant again, in the aftermath of “Our Worlds at War,” when the issue where he deals with the fake devastation of those events coincidentally coincided with 9/11. General Zod had his first twenty-first century crack at comics. But I had stayed away for all of that. Both because it was technically unlikely, and because I was abstaining. Comics simply weren’t around for that period. So here’s SUPERMAN #197, from 2003, in this bargain pack. The creators, Steven S. Seagle (who would truly leave his mark on the character with IT’S A BIRD…, a graphic novel of uncommon genius) and Scott McDaniel (the main reason while I read it that I really cared, because I have truly loved McDaniel’s comics work since his run on NIGHTWING); a story that really didn’t make me feel as if I’d missed anything. But still. Pretty awesome.

BIRDS OF PREY #54 (DC)
From June 2003, nothing much to speak of here. Happy to see Nightwing as a guest star, though.

JSA ALL STARS #1 & 2 (DC)
From July and August of 2003, so this isn’t the later spin-off book that (kind of needlessly) gave the Justice Society a second ongoing series, but rather a mini-series where David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns help readers become a little more acquainted with individual members. Now, again, this is from the period where I wasn’t reading comics, and the Geoff Johns/others JSA comics are some of the ones I most keenly wish I had been around to follow, not just because Johns really began to leave his mark on DC with them, but because…well, because they’re the comics Johns really started to leave his mark on DC with, and even his later reboot didn’t really have anything to do with them. It’s like a whole generation I missed. I know there are the trades to catch up with, but that’s another series of trades I need to read, joining the likes of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN, Grant Morrison’s INVISIBLES, and James Robinson’s STARMAN, which this book (or rather, its parent book) was an almost direct continuation of, at least in spirit, the only time Jack Knight was really allowed to exist outside of his own book, and be a “regular” superhero. So this was basically Johns being allowed to play in the rest of the sandbox. Also, #2 features Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, working their magic on Hawkman. Clearly, these two and the Superman comic were for me the real bargains in the packs.

FALLEN ANGEL # 3 (DC)
Peter David being Peter David. I really loved Peter David, back when I was a little more impressionable, and willing to overlook the lack of true inspiration. Well, that pretty much sums up Peter David.

STAR WARS - JANGO FETT: OPEN SEASONS #2 (Dark Horse)
From May 2002; like Peter David, Star Wars that wasn’t George Lucas was something I eventually grew out of and/or became disillusioned with, so I generally haven’t read a lot of Star Wars comics. But I guess it was inevitable that I would find a few of them in these packs. Here’s one that features Boba’s dad, I guess from just before audiences actually met him in ATTACK OF THE CLONES.

STAR WARS - X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON: THE PHANTOM AFFAIR #4 (Dark Horse)
From June 1996. Generally, the reason I don’t care for Star Wars that isn’t by George Lucas is because only George Lucas has proven that he has any real vision for the Star Wars universe. Anyone else just seems to do generic material that just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. Apparently, enough people really get off on that, because that’s exactly why the prequel films were ultimately rejected by the original fans, and why there’s still a deluge of Star Wars material that isn’t by George Lucas. Personally, I find that pretty darn depressing, in the same way those fans hang their heads in shame over the prequels.

STAR WARS: EPISODE I - QUEEN AMIDALA (Dark Horse)
From May 1999. Hey, and so speaking of which…! This is basically an interlude set during Amidala and L’il Annie’s first meeting on Tatooine.

SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #59 (Valiant)
From March 1996, this features what is probably an early Tony Bedard script. The Tony Bedard of 2011 probably isn’t all that impressed by it. I know I certainly expect far better from one of my favorite comics writers. Got two copies of this one!

DIRTY PAIR: FATAL BUT NOT SERIOUS #2 (Dark Horse)
From August 1995. This is how embarrassed I am by American culture: This was back in 1995, and already the insidious influence of manga on American readers was evident. Manga is basically the monotonous alternative to regular comics, something that is probably legitimately culturally relevant to Japanese readers, but comes across as ridiculously uniform and tediously expansive (that’s what all those volumes look like to me, anyway; a typical comic book can be read by issue or by volume, and no comic I know of has as many volumes as a tenured manga). Manga became popular once the initial 1990s comics surge went into backlash mode, and has become a staple ever since. It’s probably better than I give it credit for, but c’mon. Adam Warren was doing the American version more than fifteen years ago, and it’s still seen as perfectly acceptable for American readers to wait for their translations of popular Japanese series. Manga is seen as exotic. Manga is a stupid cult. I hate manga. It’s more than past time for American readers to either be honest with themselves, fully embrace it, or move on already. Give American culture back to comics!!!

CANNON GOD EXAXXION: STAGE 1 #1 (Dark Horse)
From November 2001. Oh, and not that it’s particularly relevant here so much as with Adam Warren above, but a lot of these Americans reading manga do it for the pervy underground opportunity to sneak in cartoon porn into the quasi-mainstream. It’s kind of pathetic.

TALES OF THE DARKNESS #1 (Top Cow)
From April 1998. Can we just admit that Top Cow doesn’t have any good ideas and/or execution already?

SERGIO ARAGONES ACTIONS SPEAK #2 (Dark Horse)
From February 2001; on the other hand, this dude will always be awesome.

ANGEL #3 (Dark Horse)
From November 2001, and the initial wave of Buffy-verse comics, and therefore about as relevant to today’s as the above JSA ALL STARS to the current comic that bears that title. I got to two copies of this one, too! However, at least I got different covers, one photo, the other illustrated. On a more sober note, this one also holds letters dating back to the events of 9/11. Weird little synergy going on here…A reference in one bargain comic reaction to actual relevance in another…

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #16 (Dark Horse)
From December 1999.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #21 (Dark Horse)
From May 2000.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER # 22 (Dark Horse)
From June 2000. Seriously, do you fully appreciate that all of these comics were produced while these shows were actually on the air? Doesn’t that seem a little quaint now?

XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS #1 (Dark Horse)
From September 1999. My memory’s a little hazy, but from the contents of this issue and what I remember about the conclusion of the TV show, I think these events coincide. I’m not really sure. I was never a fan of Xena. While it’s cool that Kevin Sorbo’s HERCULES actually got a spin-off, and Lucy Lawless definitely had the magnetic appeal to support her own show…XENA was basically exactly the same show, supported by more people, and less inspired. Anyway, remember Xena?

That’s it. That’s the twenty comics (with only two overlaps!) that I scored in those bargain packs. Most of them I would never have come within sniffing distance of without those packs, which certainly helped to make the whole experience interesting.

Aside from one more collection of actual quarter bin comics from Escape Velocity, this is basically the last time I will apparently fill a whole post with a random assortment and/or listing of comics. From here we’ll be delving into some targeted material, and a little expanded thoughts, on comics I specifically went out of my way to read. Should be fun!