Return Of The Angry Comic Collector (Age Witheld)

  To be honest I'm stupid. I treat people honestly and fairly and expect them to reciprocate. Last August I posted this item (and it took me AGES to find this post):

Never Ever Let People Near Your Comicx Collection

I have to admit that until I started trying to catalogue (again) the old 1960s comics I had such as Odhams Fantastic and Terrific and, of course, my Alan Class collection I had no idea just how many comics had been...well, stolen by visitors I used to have when my apartment was an open door to comic people.

How bad are the losses?

Well, I now have only issues 11, 12, 13, 45, 60, 67, 76 and 77 from my Fantastics and I was given a large stack at the old Bath mart in the 1980s by David Johnson.

The Terrific comics I just stared at in shock. Only two left -issues 6 and 7.

That is pretty gutting but my own fault since I was so open to visitors.

It was when I came to my Alan Class box that I discovered there were only just over 50 books -and a big space in the box.

I only have

Amazing Stories of Suspense 98, 102, 117, 127, 153, 174, 186, 219, 221 and 233.

Out Of This World 4, 7 and 18!!!

Sinister Tales  54, 75, 100, 106, 108, 117, 144, 184, 208, 214 and 227.

Secrets Of The Unknown  104, 139, 194, 206, 229, 230 and 241

Uncanny Tales  30, 64, 66, 73, 116, 141, 152, 153, 169, 173, 179 and 183

Astounding Stories  8, 76, 81, 93, 94, 122, 130, 141, 144, 171 and 188

Creepy Worlds  133, 138, 141, 159, 165, 204, 205 and 239


If you are a member of my Yahoo Alan Class group and have seen the cover scans I uploaded there years ago when I started the group you will see that I am missing...a lot.

By the gaps between numbers it looks as though people just put their hands in, grabbed a bunch and that was it.

I can actually see now WHY collectors tend not to let others near their books -especially unattended. I'm not the first to have had a collection looted but let it serve as an example to you. 

Can I rebuild the collection?  Not likely since ebay sellers are pushing prices sky-high and well out of my range.

Just utterly winded.

...........................................................................................................................................................

So why repost? Oh, that's simple. You see, as most of you reading these posts will have gathered, since I was a youngster I was a big -BIG- fan of Marvel Comics The Avengers.  My collection started back in the 1960s -though the past decade has seen and end to that love -but not of the old books.

 

Until I was in my 40s (yes, I know, you see my photo and think "but he looks so much like a young Jude Law!" you teases, you!) I never had a permanent home and nine years into my 'permanent' home the local authority decided it had to be demolished.  So, where-ever I lived was a drop-in point for comickers. They looked and read through my collection....

 

...but my Avengers collection remained boxed up to preserve their full colour goodness. Only a piece of tape sealing the lid down but good enough (I thought).

 

Now, last week I decided that I needed to catalogue the issues to try to, eventually, get the issues I needed to fill in my collection. I've read and re-read The Essential Avengers volumes so often I thought I'd treat myself to a full colour read.

 

What greeted me when I opened the box was devastating to say the least. Having been ill I thought seeing those books might pick me up. It did the opposite.

 

The early books were never "very fine" or "mint" but good reading copies because I have no pretentions that they were my pension in storage -and let's face it, when I shuffle off this mortal coil the books are going to be dumped or sold on to some dealer shark. 

 

So what did I find? Lots of ripped covers and huge gaps in the run of books. Someone, or some persons, have quite obviously just put hand/hands in and grabbed whatever. 

 

The fact that I never checked the 'secured' box is my fault. That I let people near my collection is my fault. I have to be philosophical about this because I am assured tracking down everyone who ever visited my homes, torturing and then exacting a comic book type vengeance on them is not allowed.

It's a lesson learnt a bit late in life. So, I need to replace all the issues up to #118 -BUT the Neal Adams #93 is still there and intact (HA HA YOU THIEVING SCUM YOU MISSED THAT ONE!! ITS HERE ON MY DESK UNDER THE COFFEE MUG AND...................oh.

Joking aside, at least I have a task for my declining years while white hot vengeance burns its way through my raging heart...or maybe I should take some more Gaviscon (the paranormal investigator and comic book professionals friend)?

If you love your comics -treasure them!