8 Important Comic Books in My Collection

In this video, I go through eight comic books in my collection which I feel are pretty important. To be honest, I don't think I'd find a better way to discuss these random books and to just make a video like this! I hope you like them!
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[@stampscapes]

That Avengers Annual was a big spec book when it came out but only because we knew the X-Men were in it and anything those characters were in were "keys". No one even cared about Rogue or it being a first appearance. I never had a problem with the cover. It's an Annual so they wanted to differentiate it from the monthlies and showcase the loaded number of storylines which would have been tough to figure out how to illustrate if it were one splash.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

You're totally right about trying to show how many stories were within. Does that make it a good cover? Ah, the subjective opinion that defines what makes art "good!"

[@stampscapes]

@@UncannyDerekComics Certainly right from that angle. I'm assuming it's the multiple windows that people might not like as opposed to the actual drawing? The windows do make it a good cover as far as communication goes which is what good cover illustration is. It has to compel and drive sales. With the more interior layout style, it did stand out when grouped with about 50 other current titles on the stand/wall. The, kind of, loaded clutter (lol) was also communicating that you're getting your money's worth as the annuals were more expensive so they had to justify that added expense. Standing alone, it's not effective as a bolder image which is like what movie poster art is about as those have to stand out from something like 20 yards away or whatever that formula was. But, on the rack, we're looking at the books from a few feet and, with this one, the thing that drove the sales were the X-Men so the more of the team they showed the better but you wouldn't dominate that small space with them because it wasn't their title. Now if you ask me about the actual drawing, I wasn't as impressed with that. Golden was a hot new(er) artist at the time and I loved his Micronauts work but thought the figures on this cover were kind of chunky and stiff looking but maybe that thick line work was for easier color separation/registration when printing or something like that.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I agree with all of your points. The drawing in of itself is fine - it's the windows: the busy looking cover is arguably the issue. But from a marketing perspective, your points are spot-on. It's definitely a unique book which would stand out on a spinner rack.

[@comicbookninja5268]

All great books! Did not know about that Hulk story. May be worth tracking down. Do you collect Xenozoic Tales? It's the comic that Cadillacs and Dinosaurs evolved from before the name change. Both are from the underrated Marc Schultz. The 1st appearance is in Death Rattle #8 I believe from Kitchen Sink Comix.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thanks for the comment! I do not collect Xenozoic Tales and unfortunately I've never seen it out in the wild. I know those books go for a pretty penny. And yes, Schultz is an underrated gem!

[@nighttigercomics7323]

A great video! I enjoy hearing about the history behind your favorite books! I've never heard anyone say everyone hates the cover for Avengers Annual #10! I love the cover and it's my favorite Marvel comic of all time due to the great writing and Golden art! I actually talked with Milgrom and he said Michael Golden would have missed the deadline if he had done the cover. Thanks for putting the Hulk #150 on my radar. I definitely want to add that one to my pc.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for all the kind words! I may have been SLIGHTLY hyperbolic over stating "everyone" hates it. I can tell you it's likely not on anyone's "Top 10 Best Covers" lists though. ;-) Interesting story about Milgrom! Thanks for sharing!

[@pulsarstargrave256]

I have PLENTY of oddball but beloved books in my collection because I collect for the love of the medium! I'm hoping there's a Dave Stevens Catalogue of sorts because I doubt I have any of the books for which he did covers! I may have owned The Rocketeer graphic novel years ago but I remember liking it but not loving it! Anyhoo, if I have a Spidey or X-Men "key" or important book in my collection, it's merely coincidental!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

The comic book medium is so vast and so wild, there's literally something for everyone. And in case you're unaware, the Dave Stevens website has a checklist of all of his published works. It's located under the "Gallery" section.

[@stevewhite4533]

Very kool books🎉

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you kindly!

[@Moncomics]

Dude, you and I could have been "collecting twins" separated at birth! I had a pad and pen writing down books you have that I now want lol. ESPECIALLY that Strange Tales 83 since I also love Fin Fang Foom, AND, it's pre hero monsters which is so important in Marvel's history. Loved all of your books, thank you for sharing!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

When I saw/commented on your recent JiM book, I was thinking the same thing! The early Atlas books are sooo good! My other "big" monster boom is JiM #62 which I've showcased in another video. Such underrated gems.

[@Moncomics]

@@UncannyDerekComics I need to get a lot more before other people catch on to our impeccable taste lol. and yep, I'm gonna need that JIM 62 also lol. Great video my man!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Much appreciated, sir! ❤️

[@zeeeman8744]

Nice comics thanks !

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@Stickygoose]

chill video

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for watching!

[@kayakboy6748]

I got my Avengers 10 signed by Michael Golden and he was a jerk. Anyone can have a bad day but he was rude to fans, put down the industry, get off my lawn vibes. Real bummer

[@UncannyDerekComics]

If you haven't seen my "Should you get your Comic Books Signed?" video, I sort of had a dismissive encounter with Claremont (complete with photo!). I've encountered many artists and writers who have bad things to say about the industry. It's unfortunate, but yeah, as fans we just have to deal with the hand we are dealt.

[@user-ql4by3iw9d]

Loved seeing your collection! Comic books are timeless treasures.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much! There's so much variety to choose from, it's such a varied hobby that anyone can get into!

[@sadusattack2628]

Just be honest. You bought the Airboy for the cleavage! LOL! My most important comic books would probably be the first silver age appearance of Hawkman, the first appearance of the Sentinels, the first appearance of Kang, the first appearance of the Abomination, first appearance of Rhino, first appearance of Banshee, first appearance of Hawkeye, and the first silver age appearances of the Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul. That's all I can think of off the top of my head right now without going through my collection. I want that Avengers Annual #10. I'm eyeing a few of them right now for around $60-70 in very good condition.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Back when I first started collecting, I had the option of grabbing either that X-Men 15 on my wall or that ASM first Rhino. They were the same price and I ended up going the X-Men route. Picking up the X-book really gave me a desire to collect. And while I don't think picking up that ASM would've changed my love for X-Men, I can only wonder what I would be mainly collecting if I went the early ASM route instead. Good luck on the Annual hunt! Fortunately there's tons of them out there - it's just hard to find the right price/grade ratio. With X-Men '97 right now, the book has had a bit of an uptick in price.

[@tensixtythreecomics]

Some great books! Love Scott pilgrim! Just watched movie and show with my daughter. Cool to see people’s picks for books! Not sure where all the Dave Steven attention came from. Great covers for sure but just seems to have come from nowhere! Cool about hulk 150. Never knew that. Lighting is tough. Took me a lot of trial and error to get something I liked for now anyway. That avengers cover is one of worst for a key. lol.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I still can't get over how terrible the cover is for the annual! Haha. And yeah, I feel the Dave Stevens stuff started picking up around the same time Matt Baker art started booming. I think the speculative market is deciding they're similar to one another, albeit still two completely different styles.

[@WhatIsOntheComicRack]

Avengers Annual #10 is an ugly cover...that is simply GoCollect propaganda. Yes, it harkens back to a previous age of comics. The cover and the contents inside inspired me enough to use my own money to buy that comic off the rack, hard earned money mowing the lawn but I can understand why people don't like it.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I'm not familiar with what's being said about it on GoCollect! Spill the beans!

[@WhatIsOntheComicRack]

@@UncannyDerekComics Type in "key issues with the worst covers" into Google and it will take you straight to the article. Here is what it said about Avengers Annual #10: Al Milgrom’s cover mimics a style from some Silver Age covers (see, e.g., Amazing Spider-Man #4) where it mimics the panels contained in the interior of a comic book. Milgrom's storytelling units tell different parts of the story in an attempt to capture a potential reader's interest. Maybe this is just my personal preference, but I don't like this style! It looks cluttered; there's too much going on. In addition, there's a lot of text on the cover. Lastly, although one of the panels hints at Rogue's first appearance, this issue just misses its opportunity to prominently feature her on its cover. It's a shame its cover didn't look more like the cover of Uncanny X-Men #171.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Very interesting! I'm definitely not that big fan of the style either - however I could see why Rogue wasn't front and centre on the cover too - nobody knew who she was yet - and she was clearly made for the X-Men, not Avengers, so that'd make for a strange dynamic.

[@finnsterling6514]

I have that one, too; I don't remember if I bought it or if someone gave it to me. Never bagged so it's in pretty bad shape. But yeah, it's a cool book to have.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

@@finnsterling6514 Absolutely - regardless of the shape it's in! "Buy the book, not the grade!"

[@josephgottli4676]

Oh yeah? Well I've got 9 important comic books in my collection. No big deal.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

That's it! I quit! ;-)