Old Box of Comics

My first exposure to comic books was in the early 80s when my older sister, Sarah, and I would watch Super-friends on TV.  Around that time we both got into Superman coloring books and eventually comics.  While both of us couldn’t read yet, they were still entertaining and the stories were still fun.  It was around this time that my dad would bring down a box of comics from the attic and we’d spend the whole day looking through these fragile yellow books.  A few years passed and I was reading comics on my own.

When I old enough to take care of my books my dad brought down the box and gave them to me, and they’ve been in my collection since.  Books like Daredevil #10–25, Amazing Spider-Man #30–51, Journey into Mystery #120-136, Strange Tales #138-152, Tales to Astonish 71-88, and X-Men #17–34. And when I moved out I took these books with me.

This year at Thanksgiving when leaving my mother’s house, she was cleaning out her attic and told me to take a couple boxes with me.  One of the boxes was apparently my father’s SECOND box of comics.

These books were in terrible shape, but I was still able to get a stack of fairly good quality books out of it.  I quickly ordered up some Self Sealing Silver Age bags and boards from Midtown Comics, my NSLCS (not-so-local comic shop) to add with my biweekly Pull List.  A couple weeks later they arrived and I began putting some of the better quality ones in bags and boards.  I was able to save a nice stack of them.

It looks like mostly early Marvel stuff. Lots of Tales of Suspense and Sgt. Fury’s Howling Commandos.  There’s also a good run of Fantastic Four.

Now for the details…

 

Tales of Suspense

#71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 80, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88

Writer: Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Flo Steinburg

Penciler: Don Heck, Adam Austin, Gene Colan

Cover Artist: Jack Kirby, Gene Colan

 

Some of the best and most energetic stories put to paper.

 

 

Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos

#24, 25, 28, 35, 36, 37, Annual 1

Writers: Stan Lee, Roy Thomas
Penciler: Dick Ayers
Cover Artist: Dick Ayers, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane

 

This is right around the time where Sgt. Nick Fury loses his eye.

 

 

Fantastic Four

#9, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59

Writer: Stan Lee

Penciler: Jack Kirby

Covers: Jack Kirby

 

What more can be said about the great family and cosmic fantasy of the Fantastic Four?  And while Stan Lee‘s writing is just ok (in my opinion), Jack Kirby‘s energetic style make this book very very entertaining.

 

Oh, and the crowning find in this box: