02 February 2020

I Own What Comic?

So, it may not seem like it at first, but this post is about my appreciation for Rom, Spaceknight and one thing that fascination has led to in my life.

So it was recently pointed out on Twitter by fellow Rom fan PTOR, that Rom has appeared anew in Marvel Comics. Sort of. In the wake of Stan Lee's death, Marvel has been rerunning some of his old Soapbox columns that are of more timeless topics. The one reprinted in Marvel's January 2020 comics was originally published in February 1980. (And I'm just going to insert PTOR's scan here.)


Now, look right under Stan's Soapbox. If you're a Rom fan, you'll notice part of an ad that's familiar. It's the small house ad Marvel used to promote then new Rom comic book. (Scan also stolen from PTOR.)


So, after finding out about this, another fan known as A Rom Curator, started trying to identify every comic that the reprinted Stan's Soapbox column appeared in. He sent me a list and I attempted to help him out a bit the next few times I went to my local comic shop. Some of the comics he wondered about were part of Marvel's budget reprint line, True Believers.

My copy of Daredevil #131
When I went to one shop, they only had two of these titles left. One was True Believers: Criminally Insane — Bullseye, reprinting his first appearance and origin from Daredevil #131. I didn't recognize the cover, but when I opened it to the first page and saw Daredevil was fighting the Rocketeers, the foes of Rom's ally, the Torpedo. "Wait a second", I thought. I consulted the database of my comics collection on my phone. "I own an original copy of this issue! Is it worth something?" It turns out, yes, it is. a CGC graded 9.8 copy of it sold for $2,000! Lower quality examples had sold for substantially less, but still over $100.

So eventually I pulled out my copy. It's in very good shape, but not a 9.8. I've never been a believer in slabbing comics, but now I'm wondering if it might be worth it. I could use the money and now I've got a reprint of the issue. (Yes, I bought a copy of the True Believers reprint.) But there's still something about owning the original, not a reprint. I don't remember what I paid for it back in the day, but it was probably less than $10. Possibly less than $5.

So, what I'm trying to say is this. I bought the comic in which Bullseye debuted because the Rocketeers were in it. I cared because they were related to the Torpedo, who was in Rom. And I found out the comic was Bullseye's debut and worth something because I was trying to help out another Rom fan. Thanks, Rom!

3 comments:

  1. Glad to be of service!
    .
    (Now to discuss my finder's fee )

    ReplyDelete
  2. [Current confirmations as of 3/18/2020 releases]

    In an earlier post I'd said I didn't expect changes other than 2nd/3rd Printings. However, I since found out about:

    more retailer exclusives of Star #1 (2 more) and Thor #1 (6 more) which released at the same time as the original 1st Printings;

    an "Error" version of the Star Wars #1 Blank Variant with an interior Thor art cover under the Star Wars white cover & partial Thor story pages mixed with Star Wars pages; and

    a ComicsPRO convention edition of Star #1 which I call the "Swag" Printing.

    Also added, 2 further printings expected to release soon: Thor #1 2nd & Thor #2 3rd.

    ---A ROM Curator

    The Stan/ROM page appears in 47 unique titles, 50 different issues, with 181 different covers including variants:

    • Aero #7 (1 cover)
    • Amazing Mary Jane #4 (2 covers)
    • Amazing Spider-Man #37 (2 covers)
    • Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle #1 (4 covers)
    • Avengers #29 (2 covers + 2nd)
    • Avengers/Defenders: Tarot #1 (3 covers)
    • Black Cat #8 (2 covers)
    • Black Panther #20 (2 covers)
    • Black Panther And The Agents Of Wakanda #5 (3 covers)
    • Captain Marvel #14 (3 covers + 2nd)
    • Conan: Serpent War #3 (4 covers)
    • Daredevil #16 (2 covers)
    • Deadpool #2 (2 covers)
    • Doctor Doom #4 (2 covers + 2nd)
    • Ghost-Spider #6 (1 cover)
    • Hawkeye: Freefall #1 (4 covers + 2nd)
    • Immortal Hulk #29 (2 covers)
    • Immortal Hulk #30 (2 covers)
    • Iron Man 2020 #1 (13 covers)
    • Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #1 (2 covers)
    • Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #2 (2 covers)
    • Magnificent Ms. Marvel #11 (1 cover + 2nd)
    • Marvel Tales: Ravencroft #1 (2 covers)
    • Marvel’s Avengers: Thor #1 (3 covers)
    • Marvel's Black Widow Prelude #1 (1 cover)
    • Marvel's Spider-Man: The Black Cat Strikes #1 (4 covers)
    • Marvels X #1 (7 covers)
    • Miles Morales: Spider-Man #14 (2 covers)
    • Miles Morales: The End #1 (2 covers)
    • Morbius #3 (2 covers)
    • Punisher: Soviet #3 (2 covers)
    • Revenge Of The Cosmic Ghost Rider #2 (4 covers)
    • Ruins Of Ravencroft: Dracula #1 (2 covers + 2nd)
    • Ruins Of Ravencroft: Sabretooth #1 (2 covers + 2nd)
    • Runaways #29 (1 cover)
    • Savage Avengers #9 (1 cover)
    • Spider-Man And Venom: Double Trouble #3 (1 cover)
    • Star #1 (8 covers + 2nd + Swag)
    • Star Wars #1 (11 covers + Error)
    • Strikeforce #5 (1 cover)
    • Sword Master #7 (1 cover)
    • Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #2 (4 covers + 2nd)
    • Thor #1 (29 covers + 2nd)
    • Thor #2 (3 covers + 2nd + 3rd)
    • Valkyrie: Jane Foster #7 (2 covers)
    • Venom #22 (2 covers + 2nd)
    • Web Of Black Widow #5 (3 covers)
    • Web Of Venom: The Good Son #1 (2 covers + 2nd)
    • Wolverine Vs. Sabretooth 3D #1 (1 cover)
    • Yondu #4 (1 cover)

    The Stan/ROM page does NOT appear in new January 2020 (March indicia) comics issues Amazing Spider-Man #38, Atlantis Attacks #1, Avengers #30, Avengers/Defenders: Tarot #2, Avengers Of The Wastelands #1, Captain America #18, Captain Marvel: The End #1, Conan The Barbarian #12, Conan: Serpent War #4, Deadpool: The End, Dr. Strange: Surgeon Supreme #2, Excalibur #5 & 6, Fallen Angels #5 & 6, Fantastic Four #18, Ghost Rider #4, Guardians Of The Galaxy #1, Hawkeye: Freefall #2, Marauders #5 & 6, New Mutants #5 & 6, Peter Porker The Spectacular Spider-Ham #2, Ravencroft #1, Ruins Of Ravencroft: Carnage #1, Scream: Curse Of Carnage #3, Spider-Verse #4, Star Wars #2, Star Wars: The Rise Of Kylo Ren #2, Weapon Plus: World War IV #1, Venom: The End #1, X-Force #5 & 6, X-Men #4 & 5; nor in any True Believers: The Criminally Insane reprint comics (Absorbing Man, Bullseye, Bushman, Dracula, Green Goblin, Gypsy Moth, Klaw, Mandarin, Masters Of Evil, Purple Man); nor in any Facsimile Editions of Amazing Spider-Man #347, Fantastic Four Annual #6, Incredible Hulk #180; nor in any related/concurrent promotional items Iron Manual 2020 Primer aka 2020 Iron Manual #1 (1/15/2020 mini-comic), Marvel Free Spotlight: Marvels X aka Marvel Sampler November 2019 #1 (11/13/2019), Marvel 2020 Calendar #1 (12/26/19), Marvel Previews v4 #30 (12/26/19) & #31 (1/29/20).

    ReplyDelete
  3. In the interest of making sure the latest information is seen, Gary requested his earlier comments with the lists be deleted.

    ReplyDelete