Hey folks! Back again, and with tons of new content for you! We'll start off today with a report on the happenings this weekend.
As I reported last year, my favorite gaming/comics shop, Borderlands Games and Comics, has a big blowout sale about this time every year.
As
El Jacone, non-blogger Joe and I drove up to the store on Saturday morning, we saw the usual sea of nerdery waiting anxiously to get in. I swear, if a comet were to strike that parking lot at that moment, the nerd IQ in Greenville County would drop to almost nothing.
Before the doors opened, Stan, the owner, sent out his daughter in an attempt to use beauty to calm the nerdy beast. After imploring the crowd not to stomp her to death, she explained the rules, and quickly scuttled out of the way. IT WAS ON!!
I ran to the back, hoping to repeat last year's amazing RPG haul, but found nothing. Then, I ran to the frnt, hoping for cheap figures again. This time, I hit pay dirt, snagging a Legion of Superheoes Heroclix starter set for a measly $2.
Behold:
Not only does this set include Superboy, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, and Timber Wolf, it includes a play mat, rules set, dice, and scenery!
My only other gaming purchases of the day were a single blister of Warhammer Lizardmen, and a copy of
Axis and Allies D-Day, which I picked up for 20 bucks.
And now, for the comics. Again, we'll divide this up by fanboy category:
Firestorm: I snagged 22 and 34 of vol. 2 from the 3/$1 bins. There was probably more to be had, but I had reached the limits of my budget by that point. I also grabbed Justice League of America #179, where Firestorm joins the JLA!
Blue Devil: Issues 12, 15, and 18 of Blue's colo run. Almost done with this one!
Namor: Issue 2 of Namor's 80's miniseries
ROM: The Spaceknight made a good showing this year! I got issues 13, 44, 46, 47, 48, 51 and Annuals 1 and 2. Plus, I got Marvel Two-In-One #99, starring The Thing and ROM!
Moon Knight: A decent showing for good old Marc, with issues 25, 27, 28, and 32 of of his second series, plus issues 1 and 2 of the Fist of Khonshu mini.
Amethyst: Only 1 issue this time: #5 of the ongoing. I have nearly every Amethyst issue out there, so finishing off the list is getting tougher.
Justice League Europe: Annual 1 and issue 33. Another series that should be easy to find, but isn't.
What If?: Issue 43, 31, and 33 of vol 1, plus #32 of vol. 2. All interesting stories!
Aquaman: El Jacone gave me quite a few Aquaman comics back on Halloween, and I've continued the tradition by picking up few more. I got issue 62 of Aquaman's first series, plus Adventure comics #466, starring Aquaman.
Defenders: Giant Size Defenders #5. Yup, that's it!
AND INTRODUCING NEW FANBOY CATEGORY:
Legion of Superheroes!I've picked up a few random Legion issues here and there over the years, but this year the discount bins seemed stuffed with them, and I couldn't pass it up!
I got: issues 198, 299, and 264 of the orignal series. In fact, 198 was early enough that it was still branded "Superboy, starring The Legion of Superheroes." In addition, I got issues 33, 92-99, 101-104, and 106-117 of the reboot era Legion. I've read about 10 of those issues, and it sure does make for some great comic fun! All those issues, plus the Heroclix Legion.
And now, for the subject of this blog...
Green Arrow!Not too much this time,, unfortunately. I did find a few issues of Green Lantern, still badged as
Green Lantern/Green Arrow, # 117 118, and 121. I also grabbed
The Brave and the Bold #166, guest starring Green Arrow.
Random: Not much random stuff this year. I managed to focus pretty narrowly on my fanboy obsessions. I did pick up the first issue of The Soviet Super-Soldiers from El Jacone the night before. I also grabbed the 1st issue of Animal Man, by Grant Morrison. I also found 3 issues (6, 7, and 8) of Crisis on Infinite Earths, all in pretty good shape! That was my main surprise find of th morning.
Trades: Every year Borderlands puts out a nice selection of $5 trades. This year I grabbed DNAgents vol. 1, plus vol. 1 and 2 of Alan Moore's Tomorrow Stories. I'm really excited about that last one!
No toys or anything this time, unfortunately. However, our friend the Monitor from the Crisis of Infinite Earths line was STILL there, for the 3rd or 4th year running! I swear, if that thing is still there next year, I'm going to buy the poor guy out of pity.
The Green Arrow fig seems to take its inspiration from the Mike Grell era costume, complete with the hood. He also comes with a bow, the only accessory in the set. Black Canary is decked out in her classic black costume, but lacks fishnets. Hal is, well, Hal, and has a fittingly stern look on his face.
