Roommates!

Thanks again for reading!

May the Force be with you...

Of Hobbits and Fish-Men

 

Until next time:

May the Force be with you...

Blatantly Subliminal Advertising

(Buy comics! They're great!)

That time has come again - time to unload some comics, games, toys and other cool stuff. Just so you know in advance, this post is cleverly designed to subliminally persuade you to buy my comics and action figures at the upcoming Victoria's Ultimate Hobby and Toy Fair , April 1st @ the Pearkes Arena in Victoria BC, presented by Cherry Bomb Toys. I'm afraid resistance is futile against this particular Jedi mind trick.

(Cherry Bomb Toys is awesome!)

Rebel Alliance Canada lives again!! In case you haven't figured it out - Rebel Alliance Canada is pretty much just me - Andy. An 'Alliance of One', as it were.

(Andy of Rebel Alliance Canada is the coolest guy you will ever meet.)

I had the pleasure of selling at the last toy show in Victoria in  September, and this time around promises to be even better! It turns out that selling comics and stuff and going to conventions is just as much fun here on Vancouver Island as it was in Winnipeg. The faces may have changed, but there seems to be no shortage of sci-fi/comic geeks like myself out here. In fact, some of y'all put me to shame! Anyone reading this that is not able to make it to the show for geographical reasons (because you're like, in Winnipeg or the UK or something), I can forgive you. For those of you who live on Vancouver Island, you'd better have a damn good excuse for not being there!

(You want to buy as many toys and comics as you can... from Rebel Alliance Canada...)

In any case, here's a small sampling of some of the stuff that will be for sale at the show. After the show, whatever is left over is likely to end up on ebay, and I'm sure I'll let you know about that too...

(You want to buy every item on this page - from me.)

 Let's see... I've got some Silver Age DC's...

(Although not nearly as cool as Marvel Comics, DC Comics are still pretty bitchin'.)

I have a schwack-load of Savage Sword of Conan magazines...
(Conan is awesome - even nailed to a tree, he's still awesome. You wish you could be Conan.)

 

(Alliance of One is the best blog you have ever read.)

 

The Tantive IV

(You are a true Star Wars fan... you know what the Tantive IV is. You don't have one yet.)

  Godzillas to spare...

(Godzilla is the coolest rubber monster to ever walk the earth... You love Godzilla.)

 Tons of carded SW figs

(You will never have enough Star Wars figures - you need multiples of your favorites)

 

(He-Man Rules!)

 

 (You need a Pinnochio figure to complete your Shrek collection.)

 

(No price is too high to pay for your very own Captain Picard figure...)

 A staggering amount of loose figures... including but not limited to Marvel Legends, MacFarlane Toys, Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, Transformers, Muppets, Star Trek, McDonald's Happy Meal toys, etc, etc... 

(You wish you owned every McDonalds Happy Meal toy from every movie you've ever liked. You will buy them at the Toy Fair. From me.)

Over 1000 great comics - Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and more - Silver Age to Current - tons of blowout $1 comics...
(Rebel Alliance Canada has the best comics at the best prices anywhere. Marvel is still better than DC.)

Heroclix figures at $1 a pop...
(You want to play Heroclix - with figures you will buy from me.)

More Conan magazines and comics... I have so much Conan stuff right now that I think I'll be remembered as 'the Conan Guy'.
(You will bring a bag large enough to hold the 20+ lbs of awesome comics and toys you will buy from Rebel Alliance Canada. You especially love Conan the Barbarian.)

 I will have prints of my homemade comic Everyday Heroes for sale - autographed for free if you like...
(Everyday Heroes is the awesomest of all the awesome things available from Rebel Alliance Canada.)

But of course, there's lots of comics of all kinds... and toys of all kinds.
(The Avengers is coming to theaters very soon. You need to stock up on Avengers, Hulk, Iron Man and Captain America comics so you'll know what's going on. You will purchase said comics from me.)

Instead of my listing everything for you, I think you'd get a better idea of what you can find available from Rebel Alliance Canada when you arrive at my table in the Pearkes Arena, April 1st at Victoria's Ultimate Hobby & Toy Fair.

(Ultimate Hobby & Toy Fair April 1st in Victoria. No moment in your life will ever be better than this day.)

You are coming, right? The hypnosis should have kicked in by now... 

May the Force be with you... 

(Sucker.)

Seriously Angry Action Figures

I know you've all been saying to yourselves: "All these nature photos are great, but when the hell is Andy gonna get back to talking about action figures?"

Ok, so not all of you are saying that... maybe a couple of you are... maybe no one is... Good thing I don't really listen to what people say about me, because life is just more fun that way.  I have a whole bunch of figures that I've picked up in the last few months, and I want to present them here to you. You may have seen a couple of them pop up in my web comic, Everyday Heroes, but I feel that they need a proper formal introduction. There are of course more Marvel than DC heroes here, and there's even one non-super type in there... Keep in mind that I rarely buy figures in the stores or at full retail price, so none of these are exactly new. You won't find "the latest, greatest action figure reviews" on this blog. What you will find are a few random and ridiculous comments about toys owned by a man who is far too old to be playing with them. If you've read my blog or seen any of my Flickr photos before, you'll know that I treat them in a most unorthodox manner... mine may be the only blog out there where you'll find the Silver Surfer sharing a jug of moonshine with Cletus the Slack-jawed Yokel...

None (or at least very little) of that craziness here today, however. No-siree. This here's serious business. Let's get to it then, shall we?

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D.C. Universe Classics -

Superman

You can't have a superhero collection without owning at least one Superman. He's the original; the oldest, the most easily recognizable, most iconic hero out there. Thing is, I really only want one Superman, so I searched high and low on Ebay to get the one version that I think looked the best. He is pretty cool-looking... pretty stern and serious, just like you'd expect from a guy who saves the world on an hourly basis. With a schedule as hectic as Supes must have, you ain't got time to f**k around. That's the beauty of owning a Superman figure, at least for me... his generally serious nature makes him the perfect straight man to balance out the more goofy characters like Sokka from Avatar:The Last Airbender, Howard the Duck, or Spider-man.

(Check out the last installment of Everyday Heroes to see what I mean...)

Anyway, this Superman figure is fully articulated and extremely well-sculpted... blah blah blah... I just think he'll look pretty funny wrestling farm animals and drinking margaritas with the Hulk...

...speaking of whom...

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Marvel Legends Series 1 -

The Incredible Hulk

Just like Superman and Spider-man, you just can't have a superhero collection without this guy. Also, just like the aforementioned comic book icons, there are quite a few versions of the Hulk to choose from. The one I ended up with isn't necessarily the best in my opinion, but I got him for a song. He looks pretty stereotypically 'Hulk-ish' - ripped purple pants, gigantic bulging green muscles and a permanent angry look on his face. Looking at him, you can almost hear the words "HULK SMASH!!" coming out of his mouth. The only thing I don't like about this particular version is the fact that his fingers can't make a fist... a Hulk with no fists? That's like a Spidey with no webs! Or the Punisher with no guns!!

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Marvel Legends -

Punisher

Okay, so I am not a big fan of this character... in fact, I think he's about the dumbest addition to the Marvel Universe ever. I mean, c'mon... a guy with a skull on his shirt that has absolutely no super powers and just shoots the bad guys with a bunch of military-grade rifles and machine guns? Not for me, thanks. Yeah, yeah, I know there's a huge Punisher fan base out there... he's got a tragic and complicated backstory and his comics are full of gritty realism.... but Marvel makes comic books people! It just doesn't work for me to have the Punisher interacting with the likes of the Mighty Thor or the Fantastic Four. What I personally enjoy is the goofy, non-realistic side of comic books. If I want to see a Vietnam Vet running around shooting people, I'll watch Rambo... actually I wouldn't, because those films are even stupider than any Punisher comic book out there.

So why do I own this figure, you ask? Well, I certainly got him cheap enough... I think I paid $5 for him at a trade show, and he came with everything you see in the above photo except for the handgun (glock?). Again, he's another one of those 'angry' action figures that might look funny sitting in Barbie's Dream Mansion. (You may remember that I have two young daughters who have a ton of girly toys... I swear that I don't personally own any Barbies or Barbie-related accessories.) Best part about the Punisher is the M-16 that he came with... I'm not any kind of a gun nut mind you, but there are a lot of comedic possibilities with weapons of any sort.

(*insert psychotic laughter here*)

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Marvel Legends Series 6 -

Wolverine

There are a billion versions of this guy too. This one is by far the coolest one - the legendary 'Brown Suit' Wolverine. He was originally packaged with a sort of 'dojo' backdrop, complete with Sensei. Of course, like most of my Marvel Legends collection, he was purchased loose (ie; unpackaged) and I didn't get any accessories with him. My Brown Wolverine has some wonky bends in his claws too - I guess that's why I got him so cheap... from Hong Kong no less. I guess he was a 'factory second' or something like that.

In any case, he's badass, and he sports a sneer nasty enough to rival the great Billy Idol. As a sidenote, I don't know what the odds are on this, but it seems that every single one of the figures in this particular batch are sculpted to look seriously pissed off. Come to think of it, I think the only figures that I own that are actually smiling are the Green Goblin (more of a maniacal grin, really) and Ghost Rider (who can't help looking that way... he has no lips, eyes, eyebrows or any other facial features whatsoever... he's all skull and teeth!)

Back to Wolverine... Of course, I'm going to have to pose him with the Hulk to re-create the endlessly re-created first meeting of these two... seems they just can't leave each other alone. True to form, Wolvie (Logan to his friends) is scaled a good bit shorter than many other ML figs. Put him next to the Hulkster and he looks absolutely tiny... but still nasty of course...

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Marvel Legends -

The Savage She-Hulk

If you thought all those dudes looked angry, get a load of She-Hulk. Although she's not nearly as gigantic as the better known He-Hulk, she's taller than most other superhero figs of the same 6" scale, male or female. She's got a crazy greenish-black rat's nest of hair and a face seething with unchecked rage. Her left hand is sculpted as though she's about ready to claw your eyes out with her long green fingernails... more like ready claw your entire face off...

There are of course multiple versions of everyone's favorite gamma glamour queen, but the the Savage She-Hulk is definitely more desirable. Here's why:

*Removeable dress - Hello!!!*

Well, that good enough reason for ya, Fanboy? With a bod like that, she's going to cause quite a stir in the world of Everyday Heroes.

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D.C. Universe Classics -

Aquaman

I have a special place in my heart for Aquaman... I mean, I've always found him a little bit lame, but I kind of feel sorry for him. I think it's the orange shirt, really. That and the fact that, although he's always been a Justice League alumni, he's not really in the same 'league' as the other DC heroes. Batman has the whole detective/gadget shtick down pat, Green Lantern can create physical manifestations of anything he can imagine, the Flash can run around the world in like 5 seconds, and Superman... well, Superman can do just about anything. Aquaman, on the other hand, can swim really fast and speak with fish. Given the fact that most Justice League adventures take place on dry land, well... he's just a little bit useless.

This photo isn't a great indication, but his figure sports a very stoic look on his face... almost as if he's about to snap... Maybe he's been overhearing all the trash-talk that the other heroes have been doing behind his back.

Oh, and I didn't get his awesome trident when I bought him. Personally, I think he looks better sporting the Punisher's M-16:

(Spidey had this comin'...)

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NECA Toys -

Classic Predator

Not a superhero, nor a supervillain; just a kickass huge scary-looking alien. You've got to love the Predators. These guys have taken on Ridley Scott's Aliens, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, Carl Weathers, Danny Glover and even Adrian Brody. (For some reason, that last one doesn't sound all that impressive...) They've got infrared heat-vision, a personal cloaking device, poison darts, spears, guns, claws and just about any other doo-dad you can imagine. Each one of them is kind of like a seven foot tall Batman on acid.

Although I only have a passing interest in the Predator film franchise, you have to admit that the figure is a pretty cool one to have. I don't know if he came with any accessories or not. I only received what you see in the photo for my $6 (shipping included!). It's amazing what kind of deals you can get when you don't mind ordering from Asia and waiting two months for shipment...

I guess that this guy doesn't really qualify as an 'angry' action figure, but it is pretty hard to imagine that there's a big happy smile under that facemask.

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That about does it for now. I have been promising another episode of my web comic for at least two months now, and I'm just now finally getting around to doing it.  Uh, hello? If you've been keeping up, you'd know that I just recently relocated my entire family to another province... kinda keeps ya busy, y'know?

I'll try to keep a little more up-to-date with this blog in the coming months, but please don't get on my case.

In the immortal words of Bill Bixby:

"Don't make me angry - you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Until we meet again,

May the Force be with you...

The Legends Return!

First off, I hope everyone is having (or has had) a great Holiday season! Mine was very good - got to spend lots of time with family and friends and of course my traditional X-Mas bottle of  Drambuie .... (mmm...sweet golden liquor...). Warmest wishes to everyone who helped make this a great winter holiday (you'll note I'm being non-denominational here), May the Force be with you, one and all..

And now back to the expected nerdy weirdness...

I've accquired a few new action figures lately, as well as having parted with a few old favorites. Power Man is gone, as well as Kingpin, both casualties of the recent Central Canada Comic Con this last October. (You've read all about that here already, right?) Theirs was an acceptable loss, since each went for a good price, and I brought home this awesome replacement:

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Marvel Legends

Elektra / Ronin

Two-Pack

I've never really followed the stories of these two characters, and I don't really know much about them, but I'll share what little info I've got on them. Of course, I could link you to their respective Wikipedia pages or their entries on Marvel.com, but nothing is more fun than reading a review by someone who doesn't know jack, am I right?



- Elektra is a former love interest of Daredevil. Where their relationship stands at this point, I don't know or care.

- Elektra first appeared in Daredevil #168, was killed by Bullseye in Daredevil #181. Since then, I'm sure that Marvel's writers and artists have resurrected/re-killed/re-resurrected her a bunch of times. (Comics do that a lot, eh?)

- Ronin is actually a bunch of characters who all apparently look the same and kill people with swords & nunchuks. This version is alias Clint Barton, better known as Hawkeye (the archer, longtime Avenger). Although I haven't been current with Marvel books lately, I've read that Ronin was at one time a deaf girl and also one of Moon Knight's multiple personalities.

Like I said, I'm not really a fan of these characters, but I couldn't pass up this deal. I wanted the Elektra figure so I could have another female in my collection. She's way better than the mostly non-poseable Wonder Woman that I have, and comes with all the cool stuff you see in the package above. I like that she can hold a sword as well as her trademark sais, but why they gave her an extra head with a different hairstyle is beyond me. Ronin is a pretty cool-looking figure too, complete with a katana and a pair of nunchuks (which I can't seem to remove from his left hand without breaking his arm). He's pretty much your standard ninja, and I definitely needed to get one of those.

These two were purchased new in the package, which is rare for a cheap-ass like me. As you've already seen in Everyday Heroes, there's a boatload of comedic potential with these two, and I'm very happy with them. 

So, as a note to Power Man and the Kingpin:

So long, suckas!!

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Marvel Legends

Ghost Rider

(Series 7)

This guy was on my list of 'Holy Grail' action figures - the most desireable and hardest to find characters; a list that also includes The Juggernaut (Ser. 6), Tigra, Savage She-Hulk, Vindicator, Brown Suit Wolverine and The Silver Surfer (see below). There have been a few Ghost Rider figures in the ML line, but this is the one I wanted most. I mean, check out those flames!!

The sculpt of this figure is amazing if you ask me... I love the detail of the skull and neck, and the realistic-looking leather riding outfit. His motorcycle looks pretty good and stands well on the shelf. You can remove the front shield portion of the bike so it looks more like a bad-ass chopper. I bought this figure mint in the package from a seller on Ebay, and though I considered keeping it this way to retain its value, I think I lasted a whole 5 minutes before I ripped the box open. Ghost Rider is just way too cool to be stuck in the package.

Here's some facts about the character:

-Real name: Johnny Blaze - motorcycle stuntman. First appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5 (1972).

-Made a deal with the Devil to save the life of his adopted father who was dying from cancer. He ended up dying in a motorcycle accident immediately after he was declared cancer-free, and Johnny was still indebted to Satan. (Just goes to show ya....)

-Transforms to the Ghost Rider when evil is present.

-Fights for the innocent and punishes the wicked.

- Was once a member of the ill-fated (and rapidly cancelled) super-team known as The Champions, which also included the Black Widow, Iceman, the Angel and Hercules.

-Was (horribly) portrayed in the (half-assed) 2007 film by Nicolas Cage. I've just read that there is a sequel scheduled for release in 2012, for reasons that are beyond my understanding...

- Has often worked with Marvel heavyweights like Spider-Man and the Thing (Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One, respectively).

There's lots more history and stories about him, but basically, he's a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle - and that's about all you really need to know. 

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Marvel Legends

Silver Surfer

(Series 5)

w/Howard the Duck

What these two guys are doing together, I don't know. One is the cosmically-powered sentinel of the spaceways and a former herald of Galactus; the other is a three foot anthropomorphic waterfowl. As far as I can recall, the Silver Surfer and Howard never appeared together. The toymakers decided to package them together for some reason, but the Silver Surfer packaged without Howard the Duck (and otherwise exactly the same) is actually worth a lot more. I really only wanted SS anyway, but when I ordered him loose, he still came with the Duck.

- Silver Surfer first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (1966) and has been going strong in Marvel Comics ever since, having had at least 3 ongoing self-titled series. Often teams up with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, and was once a member of the Defenders along with Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Hulk and Dr. Strange.

- Howard the Duck first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 (1973), alongside the Man-Thing. Howard himself is not at all fearsome in any way, but he can sometimes be dreadfully un-funny.

- The Silver Surfer has battled Thor, the Hulk, Spider-Man and many other Marvel characters, but is for the most part a good guy - just misunderstood.

- Howard the Duck has battled no one in particular. I don't think I've ever seen him throw a punch. Most of his comics are concerned with political and societal disapproval, and there's not a lot of action.

- The Silver Surfer travels the universe on his Cosmic Surfboard.

- Howard the Duck lives in Cleaveland.

As you can see, these two are as different as night and day, and have no business being together. I guess that they really wanted to make a Howard the Duck Marvel Legends figure and couldn't really sell him on his own. I think he would have been better suited as a sidekick for the Man-Thing, since they've at least been in comics together. Either that, or they should've packaged him with a figure of Beverly Switzer, his longtime human female companion. His actual figure is a bit disappointing too - his feet aren't very stable and he falls over all the time. His beak is stuck wide open, and he doesn't come with his trademark cigar (but then again, you don't see a lot of toys with tobacco-related accessories). Actually, since he's in the proper scale, Howard the Duck looks kind of cool next to the other Marvel Legends figures that I have, and I have to admit that he does look pretty funny riding Ghost Rider's bike.

The Silver Surfer rocks. He comes with a cool stand and his feet are actually magnetized so he sticks to the metal on his board. He's well sculpted and painted, but I wish he had poseable fingers like some of the later figures, such as Spider-Man, Power Man and Moon Knight. Still, he's pretty awesome.

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I'm sure you'll see all of these figures in on this blog in the near future. I've also just recently got a 6" Superman figure as well, but since he's just a lowly DC character and not from the Marvel Legends line, he's not worthy of being in this blog entry. (Calm down DC fans, I'm only kidding...)

Happy New Year, and

May the Force be with you...

"Desirable" & "Noteworthy" Comic Books - From the 60's til Now

You may ask yourself:  "If your comics are so awesome, why are you trying to pawn them off on us, Andy?"  Well...... as much of a huge comic fan as I am, I do have ulterior motives. I intend to liquidate as much of my collection of comics and action figures as I possibly can to raise money to relocate my family, career and side business(es) to another province. That's right, I will become a British Columbian within the year!

Oh, don't act so surprised.....anyone who's ever spoken to me in person knows that there are a multitude of reasons for us wanting to move and it was bound to happen sooner or later, and it's not like the entire thing rests on successful sales at the Con (but it'll sure help). Of course I will miss my hometown of Winnipeg, and I swear to you now that this will not be the last time you will see me at the Central Canada Comic Con (October 29-31 @ the Winnipeg Convention Centre, as I've mentioned many times already). The convention scene is almost non-existent where I'll be moving, and this'll give me yet another reason to get back to the 'Peg to party down on a yearly basis.

No, this Fall will definitely not be the last you'll  hear from Rebel Alliance Canada. Nosiree, Bob. Not by a longshot. I'm sure I'll continue to be selling art prints and photographic services in BC, as well as hocking the occasional comic book or figure wherever and whenever I possibly can.

For now, I'd like to feature some more of what I consider to be 'highly desirable' comics...stuff I loved reading (and might have some trouble parting with) - comics I think you'd enjoy as well. Or at least you should give them all a chance, if you know what's good for you.



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Defenders

# 1

(1972)

Take a look at this cover and tell me what you see..........how can this not be awesome?

The Crowned Ruler of Atlantis (Namor, the Sub-Mariner - the guy in the green Speedos on the table), the Earth's Sorceror Supreme (Dr. Strange - the 'flamboyant'-looking guy in red and blue) and the most dangerous Green Bastard on the face of the planet (the Incredible Hulk - like you don't know who he is), all together in one comic! Old news, you might say, but back in the 70's, this was blockbuster type stuff. By the time this comic came out, I think The Avengers had already reached somewhere around the early-to-mid-100s, and The Uncanny X-Men were selling quite well, so Marvel must have felt it was time to get a new 'Super-team' comic going. Rather than create all-new characters (which they did later on in the series), they smartly chose to throw together a collection of old faves - big names that everyone knew; but characters who until then had primarily worked solo.

(True, the  Hulk was a founding member of the Avengers, but he was only actually on that team for like 2 issues. Also true that the Sub-Mariner was a member of The Invaders, but that was like 25 years earlier in the Marvel timeline.)

Anyway, it turns out to be a pretty cool series. I must admit that most of the other Defenders comics that I have are much later, like in the 40's and 50's (issue #'s - not decades) and though the Hulk and Dr. Strange seem to be in a lot of them, the Sub-Mariner isn't in too many. Defenders # 1 is a good read, and my copy is in pretty nice shape for a '20 cent-er', but I think some of he best stories are the ones that contain later additions to the team, like the Valkyrie, Silver Surfer, Nighthawk, Son of Satan and (much later) the Angel and the Beast, formerly of the X-Men.

The  Defenders had a reputation for being a sort of loose 'non-team' that only came together in the most dire of times, when the entire earth/universe/all-of-reality was threatened - which was conveniently every month - so they didn't have a permanent headquarters or matching uniforms or a special super-sonic plane or anything. In fact, they rotated team members in and out so often, most of the time you didn't know who exactly was part of the team and who was just guest-starring. One thing was certain....there'd be crazy uberhuman-type battles going on all the time.

Defenders # 1, although not the official first appearance of the team (that would be Marvel Feature #1 - 1971), is nevertheless an excellent early Bronze collector's issue.... and I gotsa nice copy!

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Journey Into Mystery

with The Mighty THOR

# 121

(1965)

I love this issue. How many times do you get to see the title hero getting bitch-slapped right on the cover? Pretty much the whole comic is action, pitting The Mighty Thor against one of his coolest enemies, the Absorbing Man, who has the power to take on the abilities and strengths of any material he touches. Thus, if he touches a diamond, he has super-hard, indestuctible skin and hits harder than a Mo'Fo; and if he touches Thor's Hammer (made of mystical Uru metal), it's all over....or at least we're meant to think it will be. You'll just have to buy the comic to see how it turns out.

J.I.M. # 121 is great Silver Age comic, around a VG condition overall. You can't go wrong with 60's Thor comics......there are more 'thee's and 'thou's per page than you can shake a stick at, and the legendary Stan Lee/Jack Kirby sory/art combination is untouchable, IMO.

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HELLBOY

The Wild Hunt

#7

(2009)

Hellboy is an excellent character, and an excellent comic. I really enjoy the movies, which I was exposed to first, but after reading the comics (especially the ones actually drawn by creator Mike Mignola), well, the films pale in comparison. Mignola's artwork is minimalistic and moody, full of dark shadows, creepy skeletal forms and highly stylized good guys and bad guys. It's actually quite unlike any other comic that I read, and that's what really makes it shine. I have a soft spot for the cheesy 60's and 70's mainstream superhero stuff, but this has got to be one of my favorite Modern Age comic titles.

 The stories are multi-layered,deep, spooky and engaging, most often dealing with supernatural and/or mythological beings and situations. Hellboy's been around since the 90's and has a lot of interesting backstory to work with, and there are several offshoot titles and Limited Series as well (such as B.P.R.D. and Abe Sapien). If you read current comics at all, I'm sure you've already read Hellboy, unless you're one of those old-timers who won't read anything outside of Marvel or DC. The comics that Dark Horse puts out are among the best out there - rivalling and perhaps exceeding their mainstream counterparts on a regular basis.

Pick it up! I have more than a few issues of Hellboy in my bin, and have a few nice trade paperback collections as well as comics. When these go up for sale, they never last long!

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Justice League of America

# 24

(1963)

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, etc. - collectively, you might know these heroes better as the Superfriends (or at least that was my first exposure to them as a team back in the 70's). Long before they were Super-friends, they were the Justice League of America; perhaps at the time they were just Super-acquaintances....

This issue is typical of JLA in the 60's: a supervillan hatches a crazy plot that involves messing with all of the JLA members, they spend at least 15 pages figuring out what's going on, then they whomp his villainous ass in the last 5 pages or so. It's all pretty straight-forward and not too deep in the story department, but you do get to see them all use their different cool superpowers and spout off a lot of 'Great Scott!'- and 'By Neptune's Trident!'-type dialogue. Lots of fun for old school superhero fans. In my opinion, this is definitely the best early Silver Age, multi-hero DC comic out there, with World's Finest Comics a close second. If I'm not mistaken, I don't believe Batman and/or Superman actually appear in this issue.....

This isn't a great copy, but being from the 60's, it's still worth owning despite the pen marks on the cover and the rough spine....roughly a GD+. The picture above is the actual scan. This would be a perfect 'starter' Silver Age comic for newbies, or a solid 'reading copy' for JLA collectors. Are you one of these? I'm hoping so...

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Don't you just love the random nature of this Blog? Well, it's not that random, I suppose....it's either movies or comics with me lately. In any case, I certainly hope there's some sort of entertainment in there for you somewhere. I'm sure it misses the mark often enough.....but ya gotta 'break a few eggs' and all that once in a while - am I right? 

Irregardless (even though that's not a real word), until next time;

May the Force be with you...

Bronze Age Keys

Although I am a big fan of Silver Age  comics, I'm a child of the 70's. I grew up - or rather, tried not to grow up - during the Bronze Age of Comic Books (1970 - 1985).  Marvel Comics were always my favorite and made up the bulk of my collection, but looking back now, DC Comics had some pretty cool stuff too. In the Bronze Age, these two comic companies were really the only choices out there. Of course there were always Archie, Gold Key and Harvey comics too, but if you wanted super-hero type comics, DC and Marvel were where it's at......or where it was... (Personally, I have no use for Jughead or Richie Rich and the like, so I'll probably never mention them again.)

I'm proud to say that I have a good selection of Bronze comics, and a lot of the landmark #1s and 'key' issues as well. Here are just a few of the awesome 70s and 80s books that I'll have for sale at the Central Canada Comic Con (Winnipeg Convention Centre, Oct 29-31).

Once again, look for the table that says Rebel Alliance Canada. I'll have comics galore, action figures, toys, cards, books, movies and games, as well as original photographic art for sale. Stop by and say hi, even if you don't buy anything. (Of course, we might get along better if you did...)

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The AVENGERS

Annual  # 10

....and King-Size, no less! This is a key issue because it's the first appearance of Rogue.... you know, Rogue... the X-Man(woman?)... played (crappily) in the movies by Anna Paquin? She's a mutant who can steal the powers and abilities (and memories) of those she touches. Later on in other comics, when she becomes a good guy and joins the X-Men, we get to know her better and learn that her mutant power is as much a curse as a blessing. Although I'm not current on my X-Comics right now, I'm sure she's still around somewhere, and is still a good guy.

Anyway, this issue has the Avengers being attacked by a mysterious mutant who's stealing the powers of the whole team... they all go after her and kick her ass. Rogue is the villain in this one (along with Mystique and some others) and here she really seems to enjoy being evil, in sharp contrast with her more carefree 'tomboy' demeanor in later X-Men appearances.

I've always loved Annuals, because they're almost always a complete story unto themselves - you can pick one up from any series you like, and you don't have to keep buying the series to find out what happens. The Avengers always had great annuals too - being a super-team, you always get some coverage of all team members, usually followed by the big mega-battle at the end.

This copy (actual scan above) is by no means mint, but it's still in nice collectible shape and reasonably priced for a great Bronze 'key' comic. It probably rates as about FN condition. This one will definitely be in my bin (not for long!) at the Con this year.

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WHAT IF...?

# 1

This is the first issue of an intriguing comic series that explores the possibilities of what could have happened in the Marvel Universe if things played out just a little differently.... It features a different set of characters in just about every issue, and every story is complete unto itself (and sometimes there's more than one per issue). This one is all about exactly what the cover states - Spidey joins the F. F. shortly after both of these have just begun their careers, and they save the the world (and the entire universe) together. It's a pretty cool read, and it's fun to see how they'd all work together as a team.

About this series, I like the fact that (again) you don't have to keep buying the series to follow along with a continuing storyline. (I guess I have commitment issues when it comes to buying comics.....) Anyway, if you're only going to buy only one issue of What If..? , you may as well get the best one; the one that started it all... and you should probably get it from me (at the Con).

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The INCREDIBLE HULK

# 271

Okay, so this is technically a 'key' issue because it's the first appearance of Rocket Raccoon, but c'mon.... Rocket Raccoon? Although I enjoyed this comic and even have a few issues of Rocky's own series, I realize that this isn't exactly for everyone. It's pretty goofy talking animal stuff, with the Hulk dropped in from outer space. The Hulk sure logged a lot of light years around the universe in the Bronze Age.... seems like every other month he'd arrive on a different planet and kick some alien ass. In this case, he's beating up on evil talking rabbits and making friends with a Raccoon and a Walrus. All this to free the world from the clutches of a megalomaniacal mole.......

Yeah, it's weird. But fun!

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GREEN LANTERN /

GREEN ARROW

# 112

I don't have much to say about this comic, because I haven't actually read it. I like Green Lantern just fine, and his teaming up with Green Arrow was one of the smartest things DC Comics had ever done in the Bronze Age. I want to read this comic, but the thing is, when I bought it, I started to take it out of the bag and noticed that it was too perfect to handle. The pages were still so crisp and the cover and spine were completely flawless - it felt like the cover had never been opened before. I immediately (and carefully) put it back in its bag and have not touched it since. Definitely in at least NM (9.4) .

Add to that the fact that it's a key issue for re-telling the origin of Green Lantern, well, it's pretty valuable for a Bronze book.

It just sucks that I can't read it.... I'll reserve that pleasure for whoever buys it. I'll pick up a crappy copy to read for myself.

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Marvel Super

Heroes

SECRET WARS

# 1

This in itself is not a particularly valuable comic, but the whole 12-issue series is awesome - one of my favorite 'events' in the Marvel Universe. A handful of the most powerful heroes and villains are whisked away to another world to battle for the ultimate prize. Issue #1 sets up the whole thing, and is noteable for that, but the real gem in the series is....

Marvel Super

Heroes

SECRET WARS

# 8

This is the real and true beginning of Spider-Man's 'black suit' storyline. The suit is of course an alien symbiote that Spidey sort of accidentally bonds with after his normal costume is shredded in battle with the bad guys on the Beyonder's planet. The alien symbiote did not conveniently crash-land on earth inside a meteor as depicted in the film Spider-Man 3. This here is the real deal.

If you're familiar with Spidey and the black suit, you know that it starts to try to control him and he tries a few times to get rid of it, finally doing so in Web of Spider-Man #1 (another great Bronze key issue, which I also have for sale). The symbiote then moves on to another host - Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom. This is revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man #300, an uber-valuable issue which sadly I do not have.

I do have the entire series of Secret Wars, and I'll probably want to sell it as a set, but I might let #8 go individually for the right price.

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The Mighty

THOR

# 337

I'm sure I've mentioned this comic on my blog before, so I won't bore you with a description of the story. Let's just say that it's a key issue because it's the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill (depicted on the AWESOME cover). It also marks the beginning of an excellent run of Thor written and drawn by Walt Simonson. This is some of his best work and certainly the coolest that the series ever got, in my opinion. Simonson had a way to portray, through his stories and (especially) artwork, the epic feel that a character like Thor deserved. The current writers and artists on the title are pretty amazing too but nothing beats the Simonson run. At the time when issue #337 came out, it sold out quickly and shot up in value within a couple of months. This is noteable to me as the first time during my comic buying years that I remember seeing an issue on the shelves at regular price (.75c in Canada) one week, and then suddenly selling for something like $30 a month later.

If you're unfamiliar with the character, do yourself a favor and buy a whole bunch of Thor comics (from me) before you see the movie next year. Then you'll see what Thor is really supposed to be like, and you'll have a reason to complain.....

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As I said, these are but a few....Bronze Age comics make up the bulk of what I have for sale, and I have a pretty good selection spanning the entire era. More Marvel than DC of course, but all good....I wouldn't try to sell you crap!!

Feel free to comment on the blog, and I hope to see you this Halloween! All comics and photos (at least the ones of my own) are for sale from me at negotiable prices, so contact me for more info. If you can't get to the con, email me for some prices.

Thanks again for your time. On behalf of Rebel Alliance Canada

(still an Alliance of One)

May the Force be with you...