IT CAME FROM THE QUARTER BIN: HULK 417-418

[MattBrady]

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Marvel/Hulk417.jpg" width="185" height="284" border="0" alt="Hulk #417" hspace="1" align="right">You’ve seen the long boxes with the signs on them. “$.25 each!” they yell at you, but do you dare dive into their mustiness for a diamond in the rough? Never fear – Newsarama’s Ryan McLelland is trained for this sort of thing. Diving into quarter boxes with vigor, he surfaces with the treasures you may have missed the first time around. This week, <b>Incredible Hulk</b> #417 and #418.

And yes, these issues can be found in the quarter bin…you just have to look.

<I>by Ryan McLelland</I>

I was delighted to pick up <b>Incredible Hulk</b> #417 and 418 for a quarter a piece at the latest con. The issues don't contain one patented 'HULK SMASH!' yell, doesn't feature Dr. Bruce Banner fighting his inner demons, or wrestling with his larger-than-life alter ego. Furthermore, it's not written by the likes of Stan Lee or John Byrne, nor drawn by Jack Kirby or Todd McFarlane. No, these two issues can be credited to Peter David and Gary Frank, the phenomenal team that created the priceless story of the jolly green giant's funniest adventure: the bachelor party and wedding of stalwart friend Rick Jones.

In issue #417 “Party Animals” Captain America is making the rounds, recruiting teams like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four for a pair of ultimate superhero missions: bachelor and bachelorette parties. Unaware a party is being thrown for her, bride-to-be Marlo Chandler answers her front door, only to find herself stuffed into a bag headfirst and kidnapped by the likes of Sue Storm, She-Hulk, the Scarlet Witch, and a lot of other party gals. At Rick's bachelor party, the fun begins as Hercules, Thing, War Machine, Captain America and other heroes party it up. The Thing has lemons in his eyes, Cap is feeling tipsy from the 'non-alcoholic' punch, and some guy jumps onto Silver Surfer's surfboard singing 'Everybody is surfing', much to the Surfer’s chagrin. Suddenly, everything almost goes wrong, as the ladies, wooping it up at a male revue, are faced with a bunch of robbers (you would think a bunch of guys would at least rob a joint where the ladies are stripping). Rick's soiree takes a turn for the worse when the female supervillian, the Ecdysiast, shows up to rob him off his manhood. The gals take care of the robbers and the Ecdysiast is stripped of everything dear to her, namely her clothing. Clothes aside, the group of superheroes all gather round to watch a stag film, only to see a naked...oh, now that would be telling.

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Marvel/Hulk418.jpg" width="175" height="278" border="0" alt="Hulk #418" hspace="1" align="left">Issue #418 “We Are Gathered Here” has the near-newlyweds fighting. Irritated, Marlo takes off and decides to go to sleep, meeting the devil himself, Mephisto. Mephisto offers a simple proposition; he'll make Rick happy with Marlo again if she gives him her soul. Gee, what a bargain, so Marlo, knowing she's asleep, says sure. When she wakes, Rick likes her again, everyone is happy, let's grab some wedding cake. With more superheroes then you can shake a stick at; everyone gets ready for the wedding as the guests begin to arrive.

But as superhero weddings go, Rick begins to suspect things are going wrong when, invitation clasped in hand, Rom the SpaceKnight shows up. Rom the SpaceKnight? How the hell did Rom get an invitation!?! The same way Drax the Destroyer got one, as he comes barreling down from space during the ceremony, happy to be invited to the festivity. It's the trickery of Impossible Man, who invited every villain from here to timbuktu, as they all decide to peacefully come to join in on Rick and Marlo's special day. Krees and Skrulls separated, an unlikely pastor continues with the wedding, until Mephisto shows up looking to collect on his end of the bargain. Yup, there is the obligatory fight scene at a wedding as Hulk faces Mephisto, while Silver Surfer shows not one bit of consideration when he doesn't show up in a suit. Did I mention this issue featured Rom the SpaceKnight? How much better can you get?

These two issues present a great cast of characters getting together for a good cause interlaced with heroes using their powers for some fun. Peter David is truly in top form writing these issues and Gary Frank shows his artistic abilities as he draws a good portion of the Marvel universe over the two-issue span. You'll never laugh harder and you'll see that being friends with Nick Fury really has its advantages. Today’s Bruce Jones issues might be the hot item, but you may never have a better <b>Hulk</b> read then issues #417 and #418, which you’ll be happy to buy with two shiny quarters.

[IanZL]

I can't say much for the recommendation, but I definatly love the idea of this column. I hope this keeps up, I want to see what else my pocket change can get me. I mean thats goood, I know I can get Secret Defender's #1 and Lab Rats, but what else should I be grabbing?

[Tellos0]

Loved this columm and hope to see it continue. It (sadly) reminds me that here in Portugal there arent many backissue bins and the few that exist arent over-priced. I regret the month I spent in the US because I didnt buy anything there (comics wise) except a Wizard issue (Ive changed my ways since :P)

[MarcDeering]

I never see $.25 bins anymore.

Inflation.

Thery're all $1 now.







I miss $.25 bins.

[Garth Rockett]

Two thumbs up for spotlighting two of the best Hulk comics ever. 417 is definitely a personal favorite!

[BriRi]

I always loved the David/Frank pairing on the Hulk and I was sorry when it ended. I remember this storyline fondly and i loved the bachelor party issue. Such a dopey idea that was really done well. A very fun read that I went back to several times.
Love the column too by the way.
Bring on some more.

[Barry]

Ah, the good old days, when the Hulk was a great read AND actually appeared in his own book!

Thanks for the memories...

[V]

Pleeeaaaaaase ...

we want more !!!

This new column is simply great

[Zeus]

Heres the deal;

I bought these issues way back in the day, cause i was a total sucker for huge Marvel U. "crossovers", or rather, just having a ton of people in a book they dont belong in. And i freaking LOVED these issues!! Makes me wonder if Mephesto would take my soul in return for making things better with my girlfriend:(

[punk_love]

Ah, the quarter bins. One of the stores here in town used to have a great quarter bin, until they got rid of almost all their back issues to concentrate on trades and new monthlies. I used to find great stuff in there. Another store here now has $1 bins and 50 cent bins, although the better stuff is invariably in the $1 bin. This may be only a Texas thing and probably definitely only a US thing (sorry Europe) but I get a lot of comics at the Half Price Book store. They sell all books including comics at half cover price, even if it is an old 60 cent Marvel or a new 2.50 DC, they sell at half price. They have a quarter bin too but you have to really look and come on the right day to get something good and it's best if the person working there who stocks doesn't know jack about comics because they won't know a valuable comic if it bit them in the butt. I found Uncanny X-men 148 and Amazing Spider-Man 361 and 363 there for only a quarter and all three books were easily in fine to near mint condition. Sometimes they have a 10 cent bin where I found a fine copy of Marvel's Godzilla #1 for 10 cents.
One man's trash is another man's treasure...

[dollman]

Sigh...I REALLY miss Peter David's intelligent Hulk. I wish the Marvel braintrust will bring him back soon.

I tried Bruce Jone's version by borrowing a buddy's copies. I read the Abomination arc, and while I enjoyed the story and artwork, I'm not that interested in Banner battling his inner demons anymore. He's been doing for that almost 40 years, and I'm not sure if anything new can be said anymore.

The beauty of David's run was that the "inner demon" battles were not the main focus. He had a great support cast in Marla, the Pantheon, the Shield agents...it was nice to read about a truly different Hulk.

[The Escapist]

Not much of a Hulk fan (though I do have these and they're a blast!), I REALLY like the idea of this column. I'm always looking for stuff in the cheap bins and it'd be nice to have some new quality/fun stuff to bank on...

Keep this column going!!

[benhameen]

Peter David is hands down the best Hulk writer Ive ever read. He went from explaining the green/gray hulk thing to the best fight between Hulk and Wolverine, who can forget "Let's try that again?" and then he went on to form the new green hulk. Cant forget how mcfarlane and kweon did some of their best work and frank was cool too. Some weird mr fixit issues during that run but I enjoyed them too.
Bruce Jones is an ovverated hack. No for real I like his stuff but can the story move? Two years? the absorbing man was cool except for the dumbest ending EVER! i cant believe im still buying it

[Hdefined]

While I think it's a little bit insulting to relegate these issues to the quarter bin, at least in the column name, since I've seen them in plenty of normal back issue boxes, but it's good to see the positive recommendation. And yeah, keep this column going.

Know anything about the Beauty and the Beast 80's mini series by Marvel (featuring Dazzler and the Beast)? I've seen that popping up in quarter bins all over lately.

[Steve J.]

Originally posted by punk_love
Ah, the quarter bins. One of the stores here in town used to have a great quarter bin, until they got rid of almost all their back issues to concentrate on trades and new monthlies.

Yes, the quarter bin... what I like to call the "cut your losses" bin. I've long been a quarter bin bandit. Any store I visit that has a "quarter" bin definitely gets at least a few bucks out of me. Whether it's 50 cents or a dollar, I find it hard to go wrong. If I find a gem, then my time and money were well-spent. If I get a stinker, it's no big loss at the bargain price.

With a tight personal budget (and whose isn't these days?), I feel like a real sap handing over $2.95 each for three issues of a mini-series (such as Mek by Warren Ellis) that entertain me about as much as watching paint dry.

Unfortunately far too many comics shops don't offer a quarter bin. Or if they do, it's often used to try to get rid of 90's-era Valiant and Malibu titles while they hold out for cover price or more on recent unsold Marvel, DC and Image comics. Any comics retailer who actually believes that their backstock older than a few months is really worth cover price (or more than cover price) is only tying up capital. Regardless of how much you paid for the hundreds (or thousands) of comics filling up your backroom, you have zero return on your money with the unsold comics taking up space in your store. If they didn't sell the first week, month or year that they were published, what makes you think those comics will sell later on? So...

Fill your quarter bins and cut your losses! Chances are that selling Mekanix #3 for 50 cents today is more likely than selling it for five bucks (or even $2.50) in six months or a year. That's how I ended reading that Chris Claremont train wreck that I would've been very unhappy to have paid cover price for!

[starvenger]

#417 was a great issue. From the spoof of the "heroes looking at something shocking off-panel" to the Vision's line at the end, this was pure fun. You really can't go wrong picking this up in the bargain bins.

[NotAnIssue]

My best 25 cent finds.....Miracleman #'s 20 & 24.....22 to go!

[punk_love]

Right on Steve J. Every time I go into my comic book store I see the same recent back issues sitting on the shelves at cover price and sometimes 25-50 cents MORE. Who are you kidding? With the abundance of trade paperbacks out there, most of those aren't going anywhere for the prices you are asking. The money is already spent so try and get yourself SOMETHING back by cutting the price. By the way, with Marvel's printing policies, has anyone noticed how some stores have started selling even just 3-6 month old issues of current Marvel titles for HUGE prices?

Anyway that is getting a little off topic. I like this column. Cheap back issues rule! Keep this coming.

[Michael P]

Originally posted by starvenger
#417 was a great issue. From the spoof of the "heroes looking at something shocking off-panel" to the Vision's line at the end, this was pure fun. You really can't go wrong picking this up in the bargain bins.

"That is your fiancee? You must be very proud."

[J.C. Bakken]

Loved this column when Alex jr(shout out) did it befor he left for the horrid printed magazine world(;) )

Anyway, the Hulk was and is a great read in both the David and in the Jones aera, and sooner or later I will complete my david run, so far I'm on the Purvis aera, and have the issues around 400. It'll be great.

[littlewolvie]

Aaah... quarter bins, one of my favourite parts about comics, even more fun than getting your new comics as far as I'm concerned. Both my regular stores used to have plenty of them, but that trend seems to have died a couple of years ago. These days I only find them at conventions (and we only have one serious one over here: http://www.facts-convention.com 'sigh').

Let's see if I can remember some little treasures I found in there. Two I certainly remember are Wolverine (L.S.) #1 and Marvel Spotlight On... (Vol.1) #1.

Sure, in most cases you shouldn't expect your copies to be in NM condition (although it happens), but it's a great and fun way to extend your collection.

[xdemon]

I still remember when I brought #418 home and showed my mother (who has since passed on) the enhanced cover, she thought it was the prettiest comic cover she had ever seen.

[JackHoff]

Another stupid story illustrating how stupid most comic retailers are.I know how to make money-let's take books I paid anywhere from .99 cents to $2.36 for and put them in a box and sell them for a QUARTER.Wow I may get rich doing this do you think??? Closing out books for a portion of what you paid for them is the most stupid thing I have ever seen and just another example of why this industry is having so many finacial problems.If you have so many unsold comics you need to sell them for a quarter you better get your head out of your ass fast or you'll be scraping up quarters off the ground for your next meal.I think newsarama can find something better to write about besides retailers stupid business practices. Better title for this column would be "It came from some stupid retailer who is going out of businiss and has no business sense bin":(

[Chesscub]

Originally posted by JackHoff
Another stupid story illustrating how stupid most comic retailers are.I know how to make money-let's take books I paid anywhere from .99 cents to $2.36 for and put them in a box and sell them for a QUARTER.Wow I may get rich doing this do you think??? Closing out books for a portion of what you paid for them is the most stupid thing I have ever seen and just another example of why this industry is having so many finacial problems.If you have so many unsold comics you need to sell them for a quarter you better get your head out of your ass fast or you'll be scraping up quarters off the ground for your next meal.I think newsarama can find something better to write about besides retailers stupid business practices. Better title for this column would be "It came from some stupid retailer who is going out of businiss and has no business sense bin":(

After a while, they need to move the inventory out so that they can have space for silly things as, say, new stock. Some shops will buy collections for a small handful of issues and are stuck with alot of things they know they can't move, so into the quarter bin. It's not stupid.

If I can buy a collection of 1000 issues for $100 and I only want 100 issues that would cost me $500 to get individually, hell yes I'll buy the collection. Then I'll give some to my brother and donate the rest to a hospital. (Did it before, I'd do it again)

Jeff

[Chesscub]

As for the issues reviewed, I've got Hulk 418. One of the best issues I've read by Peter David. I loved the acknowledgement that Rick was Rom's sidekick for a little while (Rom 56-66, 72) It was a great issue that also showcased a character that's been around 40 years now but never got much attention.

Plus the gift Marlo got at the end was priceless. ;)

Jeff

[BlakSun]

Originally posted by JackHoff
Another stupid story illustrating how stupid most comic retailers are.I know how to make money-let's take books I paid anywhere from .99 cents to $2.36 for and put them in a box and sell them for a QUARTER.Wow I may get rich doing this do you think??? Closing out books for a portion of what you paid for them is the most stupid thing I have ever seen and just another example of why this industry is having so many finacial problems.If you have so many unsold comics you need to sell them for a quarter you better get your head out of your ass fast or you'll be scraping up quarters off the ground for your next meal.I think newsarama can find something better to write about besides retailers stupid business practices. Better title for this column would be "It came from some stupid retailer who is going out of businiss and has no business sense bin":(

:confused:

[kaletm]

I remember about ten years ago hitting the 5 for $1 bin at a convention and coming up with a near mint copy of Uncanny X-men #121. I spent the next hour going through all 12 boxes and grabbing Miracleman #'s 14 & 15. That was a great day. Not so great for the retailer, though...

[Michael C Lorah]

Man, those were two great issues of the Hulk.
I enjoyed the cross-company guest star Marlo met at the reception in #418.;)

I'd pay good cash if Marvel started pumping out some trades of PAD's Hulk, particularly the early stuff. I'm pretty set after the mid-380's, although I'd be willing to replace all of that stuff with collections also if the chance came up, but some of those early issues are hard to find.

[mpg]

not only is so cal's comic shops going under, the quarter bin is goining gone as well.

if you get a few bargains, you will come back. if you get ripped off , you dont come back.

i picked up a few iron fist sabertooth issues for 50 cents. made a lot of other independent coos as well. having that possiblity, made me show up and spend lots of time at the shop. it is like the vegas theory. give them the cheap room, they can spend money on other things. if you dont give them the room, they dont show, no other additional money.

[JohnnyONeal]

Is the Peter David Hulk run collected in any TPBs? It was before my time.

[mpg]

even if there was, you would pay much more than if you hunted them down

try milehighcomics.com they seem to have everything!

[glennewman]

A few weeks ago i got issues 4 to 12 of Crisis On Infinite Earths for 25cent each. Yes, including the one where Barry Allen dies. PS That's Euro cent cause i live in Ireland, So that 40 cent US each.

[Shortdawg]

Okay, this is a rather weird theory, but I've travelled fairly extensively across the Western U.S. and I've noticed an interesting trend regarding comic book bargain bins--in huge cities and small, rural communities, the cheapest you can ever find comic books going for is 50 cents, and usually $1. But in mid-sized cities (say 150,000 to 200,000 population), there are still many cool, thriving 25 cent bins.

Here in Oregon we've got two comic shops about a mile away from one another that both have impressive quarter bins. They're basically the only comics I buy anymore--mainly because I'm no longer in a financial position to shell out 3 bucks for a 10-minute read!

Over the last couple of years, my scores have included all seven issues of Peter David's "Atlantis Chronicles"; a copy of the original 1970s "Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man" #1 in fairly decent condition; and even a few issues from Frank Miller's "Daredevil" run!

Thanks to 25 bins (along with TPBs that can be read at Borders/Barnes&Noble or checked out from libraries), I can still collect comic books even though I'm essentially broke. I can't really ask for a better deal than that...

[Jer-el]

Good article! I especially like the flashback to a different generation of Hulk comics.

[Steve J.]

Originally posted by JackHoff
Another stupid story illustrating how stupid most comic retailers are.I know how to make money-let's take books I paid anywhere from .99 cents to $2.36 for and put them in a box and sell them for a QUARTER.Wow I may get rich doing this do you think??? Closing out books for a portion of what you paid for them is the most stupid thing I have ever seen and just another example of why this industry is having so many finacial problems.If you have so many unsold comics you need to sell them for a quarter you better get your head out of your ass fast or you'll be scraping up quarters off the ground for your next meal.I think newsarama can find something better to write about besides retailers stupid business practices. Better title for this column would be "It came from some stupid retailer who is going out of businiss and has no business sense bin":(

I know it's off-topic, but I have to respond:

Mr. Jack Hoff, I hope you're not attacking Ryan McLelland for comments I made in my post. I believe the columnist's intention is to review decent comics found on the cheap, regardless of where they're found: convention, retail store, or eBay.

Whether or not you have a quarter bin is obviously your prerogative, just as it's your prerogative to disagree with my opinion (as a former comics retailer myself). Just as it's the prerogative of any comics retailer to fill their store to the rafters with every unsold item they ever paid wholesale price for... as they wait to get a 100% return on their investment.

But can you argue with the fact that the potential sale of a comic for $2.95 is worth less than the closed sale of a comic for 50 cents?

And about my friendly, neighborhood comics retailer who's been in business for over 25 years? I'll let him know that he's stupid and has no business sense, and that his financial ruin is right around the corner. All because of the quarter bins at his store that I've been picking comics out of since the early 1980s. He'll be quite surprised, I'm sure.

(Stepping down from soapbox... putting soapbox away.)

[TemporalFlux]

Now this is a great idea and a great column! Drop the Stuart Moore crap - it's turned into something that's barely about comics and is usually just a way for Stuart to bait people into fights (which I don't believe is what you want this site to be about).

[J.C. Bakken]

Originally posted by Chesscub
As for the issues reviewed, I've got Hulk 418. One of the best issues I've read by Peter David. I loved the acknowledgement that Rick was Rom's sidekick for a little while (Rom 56-66, 72) It was a great issue that also showcased a character that's been around 40 years now but never got much attention.

Plus the gift Marlo got at the end was priceless. ;)

Jeff

How's been around for 40 years? Rick? Not in the early 90's, dude.

Originally posted by JohnnyONeal
Is the Peter David Hulk run collected in any TPBs? It was before my time

Yes, some of it. The Issues INCREDIBLE HULK #340 - #346 with art by Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen. Not a bad thing, and it's a great storyline too.
Then it's also Hulk: Future Imperfect with art by George Perez.

[mpg]

i shop at kohls when they have those 80% sales. i bought 4 pairs of pants for $3 bucks a piece. i also bought some other things, at regualr price. it got me in the store. it got me buying. they had too may pairs of pants, they wanted to turn volume in cash.

that is why quarter bins work. i can tell you this sandwich here on my desk is worth 800 bucks, but if you wont spend a nickel on it, it aint worth a nickel.

quarter bins are used to generate interest, give the cusmoter a bargain, generate some goodwill and clear out backstock and clear out space for new more expensive product. there is nothing stupid about it.

[utiti77]

Originally posted by Ryan McLelland
But as superhero weddings go, Rick begins to suspect things are going wrong when, invitation clasped in hand, Rom the SpaceKnight shows up. Rom the SpaceKnight? How the hell did Rom get an invitation!?! [...] Did I mention this issue featured Rom the SpaceKnight? How much better can you get?


How did they pull that stunt ? I thought Marvel lost the Rom licence ages ago... I know for sure that when these "old' Hulk issues were released, they had stopped publishing Rom for a long time...

Weird. Seems that every time David refers to Rom in either Hulk or Captain Marvel, there's no problem, but when you see Rom in Universe X or Spaceknights (of all the books !), he cannot be mentioned by name.

u77

[American Caesar]

Without exception, PAD's entire run on the Hulk featured strong stories and powerful art. He worked with MacFarlane, Keown (the best Hulk artist EVER), Frank, Sharpe, Bachalo, Duursema, Wildman, Adam Kubert... am I forgetting anyone? This was a must-have back in the 90s, a series whose content was way ahead of its time.

There should be more TPBs of PAD's Hulk work... I recommend "Ground Zero" as a good starter. The Banner/Hulk, Pantheon/Leader and "War and Pieces" storylines are the shizznit. The sequence when the U-Foes and the Leader attack the Mount, and Vector shears off the Hulk's flesh only to have it regenerate seconds later... great comicking.

[mpg]

Originally posted by American Caesar
Without exception, PAD's entire run on the Hulk featured strong stories and powerful art. He worked with MacFarlane, Keown (the best Hulk artist EVER), Frank, Sharpe, Bachalo, Duursema, Wildman, Adam Kubert... am I forgetting anyone?

Angel Medina, but that is when i stopped readin

[toolverine]

This is a big shout out to the Comic Zone (Fremont, CA)

There is a...

$.25 cent bin
$.50 cent bin
$.75 cent bin
$1.00 bin
1/2 off bin


:D Lot's of choices, too bad all shops can't be like this

[TheLimey]

If anyone is in the UK in a city called Gloucester I would very much recommend popping into a shop called Collector's Choice; they have a whole freakin room stacked to the ceiling with 50pence comics, we're talking twenty + boxes at the very least.

I've picked up the entire run of V for Vendetta, several Miracle Man's, at least one quarter of PAD's run on the Hulk, nearly all of Grant Morrison's Animal Man, several of Mark Waid's Flash, not to mention Miller Daredevils, Claremont & Byrne X-Men, large chunks of Cerebus...it's well worth an hour digging around and seeing what you can find.

[punk_love]

Props to First Federal Comics in Austin, TX, home of the 50 Cent and $1 bins and also a store that gives out numerous free comics on FCBD well beyond just the free ones the company provides-- and it's still in business!!!!:D

[Aquaboy]

Great topic and article!!
When i saw the cover, i got some amazin deja vu. PAD's run on Hulk was always a treat. He had such a great love of his supporting characters. I forgot how much I missed Betty, Marlo, Rick, and even the Pantheon. Every time I pass by the quarter bin, i am amazed what i see on the racks.
I agree with the poster who mentioned the ' goth girl' who brought Marlo the hairbrush. hahaha
The only collected PAD run I can think of was FUTURE IMPERFECT. Or is it out of print?

[speedball]

Originally posted by utiti77
How did they pull that stunt ? I thought Marvel lost the Rom licence ages ago... I know for sure that when these "old' Hulk issues were released, they had stopped publishing Rom for a long time...

Weird. Seems that every time David refers to Rom in either Hulk or Captain Marvel, there's no problem, but when you see Rom in Universe X or Spaceknights (of all the books !), he cannot be mentioned by name.


I think it's the combination of image and name that's not allowed. Whenever Peter brings up Rom, they show him outside of the copyrighted armor. Thus, he's just some guy whose name happens to be Rom...

However, over in Universe X and Spaceknights, they show the armor (I assume, I've never read either book), but can't refer to him by name...

Kurt

[OM]

Originally posted by punk_love
Props to First Federal Comics in Austin, TX, home of the 50 Cent and $1 bins and also a store that gives out numerous free comics on FCBD well beyond just the free ones the company provides-- and it's still in business!!!!:D

...Then again, Dragon's Lair still has the best service in town, and has for over a decade now.

[Cue Mikey to throw a thunderbolt and scream something about not starting flame wars over stores...:-P]

[stlfan79]

Originally posted by MarcDeering
I never see $.25 bins anymore.

Inflation.

Thery're all $1 now.







I miss $.25 bins.

I hear you there

[Garth Rockett]

Originally posted by American Caesar
Without exception, PAD's entire run on the Hulk featured strong stories and powerful art. He worked with MacFarlane, Keown (the best Hulk artist EVER), Frank, Sharpe, Bachalo, Duursema, Wildman, Adam Kubert... am I forgetting anyone? This was a must-have back in the 90s, a series whose content was way ahead of its time.

Purves was inbetween MacFarlane and Keown (although I wasn't crazy about his art) and current Hulk artist Deodato did his first stint on the character between Medina and Kubert.

Keown best Hulk artist ever? As good as Keown was, he's no Sal Buscema. Which reminds me - I'd like to give some props to the Mantlo/Buscema team, who told some really great groundbeaking Hulk material that IMO really paved the way for David to be as daring with the character as he was. In fact, Mantlo's next-to-last issue, #312 (gorgeous Mignola art!), is one of the most important issues of the whole series and made David's #-1 possible.

[punk_love]

Originally posted by OM
...Then again, Dragon's Lair still has the best service in town, and has for over a decade now.

[Cue Mikey to throw a thunderbolt and scream something about not starting flame wars over stores...:-P]

No, no, you'll not get any arguments from me over Dragon's Lair's service, those guys and gals have always been really cool.

[Morlun]

Originally posted by Shortdawg
(...) a copy of the original 1970s "Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man" #1 in fairly decent condition (...)

For 25 cents?... Oh, I'm in pain... :)

[BillReed]

This happens to be my favorite Hulk story of all time. Nice to see it covered. Love the guest appearances (including ROM.)

We need more of these columns here!

[farwell3d]

Just bought of these a few months ago (cost me a little less than a buck each, part of 12 comics for 10 bucks sale) in my never to be fulfilled quest to get all of PAD's Hulk run.

Great stuff, especially the Bachelor party

[adamania]

With Franks current great work on Supreme Powers, I pine for the days when his pencils on Hulk adeptly walked the fine line between Perez "realism" and Maguire "Bwa-ha-ha!!"

[mpg]

His Hulk work was just so clean. That issue, with every superhero in it, was really a showcase of what Frank could do.

Man i even remember Motormouth from Marvel UK. goodstuff!

[cult of Pat]

My comic store doesn't have a bargian bin. Instead, they sell five pound bundles of comics for $5.99.

It's a bit more random luck with those unfortunately. I do scan the spines in the bundles just to guess at what's in them. Mostly I stick with the mature comic assortments that have lots of Vertigo (and for some odd reason a lot of Marvel UK)

The only realy bargian bin priced comics I've seen around here are at the second-hand book stores.

As for those two issues of the Hulk, they were classics. The smart and emotionally stable Hulk has always bee my favorite. And the bit about the brush at the end of 418 was just hilarious...

[Frans Blix]

Coincidentally enough, I found #418 in a quarter bin as well. :D

[forgerelli]

I live for quarter bins. I built about 1/2 of my 10,000 comic book collection from .25 and .50 bins. I wont even look at anything else until I've searched through all the quarter bins at a con. Some of my all time best finds: Spectacular Spider Man vol. 1 #1, Miracleman 1-24(except #23, one dealer had many multiples of every issue except 23 before the prices went through the roof, I wish I had bought them all), Crisis 1-12, Watchmen 1-12, a full run of All Star Squadron 1-67 and annuals 1-3, about 200 different issues of Daredevil, Avengers, Iron Man, Amazing Spider Man, Batman, and Captain America EACH! I completed about 95% of my runs of Swamp Thing, Spectre vol. 2 &3, Green Arrow vol. 1, American Flagg, Shadow of the Bat, Legends of the Dark Knight, Sandman Mystery Theatre, etc. All are in at least very fine condition. It's hard to believe I know, but I swear on my mother it's true! Make sure you check the .25 bins!!!!

[Chesscub]

Originally posted by J.C. Bakken
How's been around for 40 years? Rick? Not in the early 90's, dude.


Please note: there was a qualifier on my 40 years comment. That qualifier was the word NOW. There for I was taking the 40 years from today's date which is in 2003. 2003-1962 (which is, if I remember correctly, when Hulk #1 came out) = 41 years. The point is still valid: Rick Jones has been around for a while and Hulk 418 were a very nice showcase for him.

Jeff

[Chesscub]

Originally posted by forgerelli
I live for quarter bins. I built about 1/2 of my 10,000 comic book collection from .25 and .50 bins. I wont even look at anything else until I've searched through all the quarter bins at a con. Some of my all time best finds: Spectacular Spider Man vol. 1 #1, Miracleman 1-24(except #23, one dealer had many multiples of every issue except 23 before the prices went through the roof, I wish I had bought them all), Crisis 1-12, Watchmen 1-12, a full run of All Star Squadron 1-67 and annuals 1-3, about 200 different issues of Daredevil, Avengers, Iron Man, Amazing Spider Man, Batman, and Captain America EACH! I completed about 95% of my runs of Swamp Thing, Spectre vol. 2 &3, Green Arrow vol. 1, American Flagg, Shadow of the Bat, Legends of the Dark Knight, Sandman Mystery Theatre, etc. All are in at least very fine condition. It's hard to believe I know, but I swear on my mother it's true! Make sure you check the .25 bins!!!!

I've done pretty well for myself as well in the $0.25 bins. I generally do DC series : Hawk & Dove, Starman (v1), !mpact books. They're fun to rifle through. I got a lot of my Elementals from "cheapie" bins and I love reading and rereading them.

Jeff

[reddragon1978]

Ahhhhh....the quarter bins! My store has one. Boy they should really pay attention to what they put in there.

I got I-bots #6, four of them....George Perez rocks!!!!

I picked up a Unity book from Valient, Harbinger #8...Frank Miller!!

I know these two examples are not going to be worth a fortune, but I still love the art! Nor do great finds have to be worth a fortune.

I am very fortunate I still go through the bins.

[belgand]

It's not completely a loss, in some cases it can even drive a sale.

In my case I happen to be friends with an online retailer, as a result I tend to order most of my stuff from them rather than a local shop (the only one in town anymore). I get better prices and service there and I get a huge reduction on trades.

Now there have been a few relatively recent series that I'd already missed a number of issues of. I had already resigned myself to pick them up in trade and just started subscribing where the trade cut-off would likely come. My local shop doesn't really carry any backstock for more than the past 3 months or so. Every so often though they bring in a bunch of old stock acquired from various sources and sell them for .50 each. Perusing through I found a bunch of issues of things I'd been planning to buy in trade. Now, if I can get 4-5 issues for .50 each I'm getting a better deal than I would with the trade. Buying those up I also wanted the newer issues at cover price. As a result the store made about $20-30 that they otherwise would have missed out on, merely by stocking cheap back issues.

The same goes for various older stock. I might buy about $4-5 worth of old 97-era X-Men at .25-.50 each, but wouldn't even consider it at $2. Even if I did buy them, I'd be picky... in this case I can afford to just grab as much as they carry.

Quarter bins are wonderful, it's a shame they don't have them as much anymore.

[Brian Garside]

Originally posted by JackHoff
Better title for this column would be "It came from some stupid retailer who is going out of businiss and has no business sense bin":(

When I used to work in a comic store, we would get literally dozens of people a week asking if we'd buy their comics. Especially in the spring, people will just walk in with four longboxes and say "how much will you give me", you look through it, find it's all the stuff you've got piled up in the store-room and say "I can't buy this now". Some people would tell us that they were just going to toss them, so I'd offer maybe $20.00 per box (less than a nickle a book) just to "take them off their hands".

Those books would go right to the quarter bins.

If we were overloaded on Quarter Bin stuff, I'd buy the lot myself, drag it to my 1980 Buick Regal, and take it to the local Flea Market on Sundays, where I'd usually pull in $100.00 on a $20.00 investment, and I ended up in the position where I had about 15 boxes of quarter bin stuff for the last ten years until I got rid of them last spring at a convention for .10 a book.

Sometimes there were gems in them (one guy came up with an Evil Ernie #1 when it was going for $100.00), sometimes there were just good stories to be found.

[Ionicavenger]

If you are looking for more hidden gems like this, take a look at West Coast Avengers 44-50. This mimi-arc has everything - John Byrne at his best, the first appearance of the Great Lake Avengers, USAgent AND Hawkeye in the same book, all culminating iwwht the reappearance of the Original Human Torch (Jim Hammond).

Like everybody else, this column is a tremendous idea. This especially goes out to the newer readers, just because some books are in a discount bin, doesn't mean they are not a valuable read.

[Gordon Lee]

This and the Aids story that Peter did while on the book are among my favorites!


If anyone wants to order some possible goodies, check out my website, under my name, and look for the sale page or just email me at orders@legendsinteractive.com to be added to our email list to be notified of specials.

[Waspinator]

I live for .25-.50 bins myself. But i'm almost out of room... I got them at my local comic shop's .50 sale on backissues. They have it once or twice a year.

I've thought of selling some on ebay, but would they even sell?

backissues of Morbious, A-Next, The Secret Defenders, several Image titles, and just some old junk. What do yout guys think? Would these sell?

[punk_love]

Originally posted by Waspinator
I live for .25-.50 bins myself. But i'm almost out of room... I got them at my local comic shop's .50 sale on backissues. They have it once or twice a year.

I've thought of selling some on ebay, but would they even sell?

backissues of Morbious, A-Next, The Secret Defenders, several Image titles, and just some old junk. What do yout guys think? Would these sell?

I don't know man. Some of that 90s stuff was overprinted and didn't have a long shelf life anyway. You can try to sell it on Ebay but I would look on there first and see how much of it is already being offered on there and if there are any bids. That's my advice. Good luck!

[fantomex]

the hulk: the bold and the beautiful. ack.

[Pascal]

The golden days of the HULK.


I wish them back...:(

[OM]

Originally posted by MattBrady
Today’s Bruce Jones issues might be the hot item, but you may never have a better <b>Hulk</b> read then issues #417 and #418, which you’ll be happy to buy with two shiny quarters. ...These two issues are proof positive that PAD & Frank need to still be doing the book. It's a testament to PAD's talent that pretty much every book he's been ousted from isn't around any longer.

Bottom Line: If it ain't broke, and someone upstairs says "fix it anyway", have that higher-up castrated immediately.

[Pascal]

I also found #420 in the quarter bins. This is an extremely well-written issue where Jim Wilson dies because of AIDS. Very moving.

[OM]

Originally posted by belgand
It's not completely a loss, in some cases it can even drive a sale. ...From a personal experience, this can work out quite well. Back when <I>Swamp Thing Annual</i> #2 came out, one local comic book store wound up with quite a few copies due to an order error. They weren't moving, but the owner was so taken with the story - and it <u>was</u> one hell of a story, no pun intended - that he gave away the copies to anyone interested in hopes of generating sales in the book that Alan Moore was turning the industry heads with. Every single copy generated not only back issue sales on <i>Swamp Thing</i>, but every single person who took the freebie added the regular book to their pull lists.

Of course, if you tried that with a Chuck Austen book...