That box of graphic novels

I mentioned this buy yesterday, but here are some details.  Keith told me I needed to check out this table at the community sale because it was "right up my alley."  I had bypassed this table originally, because there was a crowd there going through the boxes of records they had for sale. 

At first I was just going to buy a couple of the books, because the prices were more in line with buying things to keep rather than sell.  Besides, I already have or have read many of them.

Out of the blue, however, I decided to go for it and try to snag the whole lot.  I counted them up, totaled the prices, and then decided on my number.  I asked the sellers what they would do for all of them, which really surprised them.  They thought a while, looked it all over, then quoted my exact number!  I love it when that happens.

Some highlights from the box.  This is less than half of what was in there, which also included several loose comics books.  Think of this as a little crib notes section for comics--what makes some things special and/or worth picking up, at least in my opinion.

A very nice, very pricey coffee table book with slip cover

Modern classics

Those blue tape bits are the original price tags from the sellers, which I forgot to remove before I took the picture.  Those numbers don't count, as the price I paid worked out to less than half of what they were asking for most books (and sometimes even more off, as in the big book above.)

Did you know that both those movies were based on comics?  Well for Watchmen it was probably a little more obvious.  Both of these are perennial sellers and the kind of thing I like having in the booth, when I can get them.  It's kind of hard to go into a bookstore with a graphic novel section and not find these titles.

Quirky fun

These two are more my speed for personal reading--quirky, oddball tales with black and white artwork.  I've read the one on the left, so it goes right to the booth.  The other one will go once I have a chance to read it, which I am looking forward to doing.    The creator and I probably disagree on every major issue out there, but I do enjoy his work.  If anyone remembers the classic 90's cartoon Earthworm Jim, he is the one who created it.

My comic reading habits roughly break down into three categories these days: original work like this by creators with who make interesting stories, older comics and nostalgia (more on that in a minute), and comics with an educational or religious purpose.  My buying habits consist of what I can get at  store sales or second hand.  New comics are too damned expensive.  Even electronic versions of monthly titles are two bucks a throw.  That's too much for a download that I'm only going to look at one or two times.

Another modern classic

Reading these stories as a teen blew me away and really opened up my perceptions of what a comic could be.  I don't think they've aged particularly well though.  Part of that is the way Miller has evolved as a talent, which is simply not to my taste or liking at all these days.  This is the kind of book someone will pick up because it's easier and cheaper than tracking down the individual issues reprinted inside.

Contemporary fan favorite

Did you know the show is based on a comic?  The crossover appeal for this one should make these an easy sell.  I've never read the comics or seen the show.  I think the idea of zombies is pretty cool, but I just don't watch much TV.

Bat-books!

More Frank Miller on the right.  That book is now up to it's 25th anniversary edition.  You can never go wrong with Batman.  Ever.  No matter what version.  Everyone loves Batman.  Everyone wants to buy Batman crap.  Always pick up Batman stuff.  That is a rule.  At least for me. 

The Long Halloween is a book that has gotten a lot of acclaim since it was first published in the late 90's.  I'm holding onto it long enough to read, as I have never done so before.  It's pretty thick, so I might not read the whole thing. It depends on the story and the art.  Right around the time this came out, the artwork in super-hero comics was entering a downward spiral from which, I think, it hasn't yet fully recovered.  For the most part, the art in super-hero comics is atrocious these days--a factor that has played a huge part in my disinterest in the genre.

KEEPERS!

I love that red dinosaur!  This is the nostalgia vibe I was talking about earlier--classic tales from the fifties and sixties.  These books remind me of the thick giant comics that you could buy when I was a kid in the 70's.  There would be one new story and then a whole bunch of older stuff reprinted.  I loved those things.  (I have a longer post planned on these.)  I'm about a fifth of the way into the Justice League book.  It's my current bedside reading.  I read a story or two each night, and it's awesome!  Fun stories with solid classic art.  That's really all I need.  (And cheaper than trying to find the original issues.)

Tomorrow, stories from Saturday and the smalls.