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!

Suite 101 Bio

[Poking around some files, I discovered the autobiography I wrote for my time as an editor at Suite 101. Apparently I never put it up here on my blog, so here you go. It was probably written in late 1996. I've tweaked it slightly.]

 I was born in 1971. Later that same year, a new industry called "video games" was born with the release of Computer Space. Like me, it wasn't until 1972 that the industry took off. For them, it was with the release of the original Magnavox Odyssey and Pong. When we finally met, I knew we were destined to be together.

Actually, I no longer remember the first video game I saw. Perhaps it was Space War or some simplistic, black and white driving game. Regardless, I was attracted to them. Then a guy named Pac-Man came along and I was truly hooked. From the time Pac-Man was released to around the time I started high school, I just couldn't get enough. I would spend a good portion of my time and money in the local arcade. Then, when the money was gone, I'd go home and crank up the Atari 2600 and play some more. It was fun while it lasted.

It happens that my entering high school coincided with a crash in the video game market. This crash, coupled with the new distractions of high school, caused video games and me to lose touch with each other for awhile. It was video games, however, that led me into computers. I have come to make a career out of working with computers, as many other netizens have. There is no doubt in my mind that much of what led me down this path were the video games I played when I was younger.

Around the time I finished high school and began college to get a degree in Computer Science, I noticed that I could now get Atari 2600 cartridges much cheaper than before. The 2600 was on the way out and the Nintendo Entertainment System was in. Being a poor college student, I began to build my collection of 2600 cartridges. Then, it happened. I discovered Usenet newsgroups, particularly one called alt.games.video.classic. There I discovered that there were other people who actually collect old video game consoles and cartridges. Amazing!

Today, I strive to help preserve the old, classic video games. There is actually a sizable community of collectors and you can find us in rec.games.video.classic. For me, at least, it is a chance to preserve my youth and ensure it will be around for future generations to see how far we've come.