If it's springtime, it must be...MICRO-CON!

I use the term "springtime" lightly, since most of Minnesota received a surprise last-blast of winter over the past few days...including snow in many parts of the state. It's a bit like those psycho-killer movies where the psycho-killer pops up one last time before going down for good (or until the next sequel).

Anyway, a springtime tradition here in the Twin Cities metro area is the Micro-Con, which (as it's name implies) is a scaled-down version of Fall-Con, the area's largest comic convention (which I covered here last October). Instead of an all-weekend thing, Micro-Con is one day only with about the same number of comic book dealers, but not as many of the "extras" like programing and A-list guests. Oh, we have the reliable cast of local pros showing up, but none of the "headliner" guys Fall-Con specializes in. For me, it's essentially a chance to do some hardcore "comics shoppin".  So, with my want list in hand and my iPod securely attached to to my head, I'm off.  I'll check in later today with a full report.

UPDATE:  Okay, I'm back.  Some random thoughts on Micro-Con:

1.  Not much "Micro" about it as far as attendance goes.  Hitting on a cold and periodically snowy April weekend did wonders for drawing hordes of people to the Con.  In fact, when I got there at !0:00, there was a line several blocks long waiting to get in.  I thought that sort of thing only happened in San Diego!  Of course, being a middle-aged dude, I was dressed for the weather, but alot of my younger fellow geeks were wearing shorts and t-shirts (!) and looking quite cold. Oh, and another thing:  bright pink hair and multiple piercings lose a substantial amount of coolness when said pink-haired-multiply pierced person is hunch-shouldered and shivering uncontrollably. 

2.  I was surprised to see so many costumed people wandering around...since Micro-Con hasn't normally been a "show up in costume" kind of event.  There was even a guy in a Gonk costume (the "box robot" from the Star Wars movies) awkwardly wobbling about.

3.  As with Fall-Con, I was at Micro-Con strictly for hunting down deals on back issues.  I typically spend about half an hour just walking the floor to get a sense for who's there to move some comics and...who's not.  The guys selling their comics at the Overstreet Guide or above...buh bye.  Guys with 50-75% off?  That's where you'll find me.  However, even those guys you have to watch out for, because 50% off a $14 comic book is still too much to pay for a book that should only be $3 to $4...and that's something you can only get a sense for if you've been doing this awhile.  Not to brag, but it's good to have a working "Spidey Sense" that can tell me in seconds if a dealer's display is worth my time searching through. Once the walk-through is done, I "swoop" in a scoop up the deals.

4. Speaking of the deep discount tables, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many dealers were willing to sell their stuff at 50-75% off the marked prices.  Whether it's a result of heavy eBay competition or the economic downturn, I don't care.  It's good news for collectors like me looking to get the most bang for their buck.  Sure, a couple of dealers stuck to their usual "150% of guide" pricing policy, which scared off most of the browsers. However, I suppose for those guys, if they sell a handful of comics at horribly inflated prices, their Con visit was worth the money and the trouble to set up shop.

5. Finally, how about a look at "The Stack" itself?  My enthusiasm for 1970's Marvel Comics keeps on rolling, as nearly 90% of the comics I bought are prime Marvel Bronze. Some highlights (click on the comics for a larger view):

Marvel Team-Ups: One of my favorite titles as a kid was Marvel Team-Up, especially the first couple of years of the series.  It served as a neat little "primer" to the Marvel Universe, as a favorite hero (Spidey) met dozens of new and exciting characters. There was also a real effort to tie the storylines into the continuity of the Amazing Spider-Man title, so you really had a sense that these team-ups had some bearing on the characters' lives and the overall Marvel continuity (unlike the somewhat isolated feeling of DC's team-up titles). The great Gil Kane drew the covers for issues #7 and 24, while John Romita Sr. did the Spidey/Iron-Man one in the center.

Marvel Monster books: I can't get enough of the excellent Tomb of Dracula series.  The stories hold up remarkably well, many of which are genuinely spooky and well-crafted.  The other one?  Giant-Size Man-Thing #1.  I'm such a sucker for battling monster covers, I overcame my inner 4th grader's relentless snickering about the title and bought the dang thing.

Battling Man-Monsters: I recall having Hulk Annual #5 as a kid, but have no idea what happened to it (there's a segment of my 70's comics that mysteriously disappeared during "the moving years"), so I bought a replacement.  Hulk battles a gang of famous Pre-Marvel Monsters, including the first "Hulk" character (now called "Xemnu the Living Titan", upper right corner). Second, Hulk #139 (1971).  What can I say? Any cover with the hero in the middle of a "gauntlet of arch-enemies" is as good as mine. The last one is Marvel Two-In-One #50 (1979), featuring another theme I enjoy: modern hero battling a previous version of him or herself. In this case, it's the current Thing battling his lumpier incarnation from early issues of The Fantastic Four.

A Couple of Caps: Captain America #171 (1974) for no reason other than the stellar Romita cover.  Captain Marvel #30 (1973) because it's the last issue I needed in Jim Starlin's epic Thanos Saga, still one of the coolest cosmic hoo-hahs in all of comics.

Some Sub-Mariners: Not a title I've collected much, these covers caught my eye today, particularly the Dr. Doom one.  As a surprise bonus, Gene Colon does the interior artwork, which was fun since I don't recall ever seeing Colan's version of Doom before.  The Sunfire cover? Anytime a character more arrogant than Namor fights Namor, that's worth checking out.  Lastly, the new costume cover...come on, it's a Romita...of course I'm going to buy it (plus I've always liked that blue costume with the armpit fins).

A Measly Three DC Comics: I seem to be buying fewer and fewer DC Comics as time goes on.  Perhaps it's because alot of their 1970's comics simply aren't as entertaining as Marvel's (something I finally admitted a number of years ago), or that Silver Age (1960's) DC's are getting priced out of my comfort level...whatever the reason, I'm not big on looking for DC's at conventions.  When I can, I keep chipping away at my Action Comics want list, today picking up issues #363 (1968) and #447 (1975). I also picked up The Brave and the Bold #200 (1983), for most of its history a Batman team-up title. Much like the issue of Marvel Two-In-One above, this one features an earlier and current version of Batman battling a common foe. It's also got an incredibly sharp-looking cover, with that brilliant red background color, the clever positioning of the current Batman and the Bat-Signal, and that wonderful old Batmobile.

Now...time to relax and go read some of these beauties!

Comments

[ShadowWing Tronix]

Better hurry, though. Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday!

[Mark Engblom]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I think Free Comic Book Day might have overstayed its welcome. I think it started out as a good idea, but over the years, it hasn't delivered the new audience it was supposed to attract. That, and the pile of free stuff available each year isn't that terribly impressive. Cast-aways or reprints from the bigger publishers, and the typically underwhelming Indies just leave me cold.

Yeah, I know..."Bah, Humbug!". Listen, some stores do it right and make it a genuinely fun event...but many more of the comic shop owners wouldn't know how to promote comics if their lives depended on it (which, now that I think about it, it does...at least from a livelihood angle).

[Wes C]

Wow!

More excellent bronze age Gil Kane covers.

Dr. Doom really pops off the Submariner cover (to say nothing for the rather phallic snake)
His design sense could really make those boxed off covers work.

Do you know if there are any collections of Kane's 70's covers for Marvel?

[Mark Engblom]

"Do you know if there are any collections of Kane's 70's covers for Marvel?"

I don't think so, but there certainly should be! In fact, I would love to see a series of collections that feature many of the top cover artists of the past several decades. Besides Kane (who I believe did his best covers for Marvel during the 70's), other collections could spotlight the covers of John Romita Sr., Nick Cardy, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, and Brian Bolland...all of whom were prolific cover artists.

Of course, since Adams and Kane did alot of work for both Marvel and DC, it would be a legal challenge to feature the full scope of their work for both publishers..but hopefully those kinds of sticky details could be ironed out and get something like this published.

Comic book covers are a singular art form that deserve more concentrated attention....I can't do it all by myself! (kidding)

[John Trumbull]

You're in for some good reading with Brave & The Bold #200, Mark. That's one of my favorite comics from my childhood. Mike W. Barr & Dave Gibbons did a fabulous job.

[Brian]

Read the comics?? Read??!!?? B-b-but...You should be packing them in GSC plastic cases and preserving their collector's value! What if you get fingerprint stains on them or something???!!?? (:

I love the covers collection idea-- I sometimes prefer those 70s covers to the story inside.

[Mark Engblom]

"You're in for some good reading with Brave & The Bold #200, Mark."

That's the one I've got on tap for this evening, John.

Some relax with a glass of fine wine. I relax with a fine (or VG) comic book.

And a glass of wine.

[Mark Engblom]

"Read the comics?? Read??!!?? B-b-but...You should be packing them in GSC plastic cases and preserving their collector's value! What if you get fingerprint stains on them or something???!!??"

LOL! Yeah, I'm such a heretic, I know. The plastic cases are the single dumbest thing to ever hit the comic book hobby, and are simply a tool for the "investor class" to drive away all of us quaint simpletons who think reading and enjoying comic books is the whole point of the enterprise, not to mention the intent of those who labored to create them.

"I love the covers collection idea-- I sometimes prefer those 70s covers to the story inside."

Yeah, I'd love to see an outfit like TwoMorrows or the publishers themselves put something like this together. A DC volume honoring Nick Cardy's covers, or a Marvel volume (or two or three) honoring Gil Kane's covers would be a wonderful addition to anyone's collection. Hardcover would be nice, but softcover would certainly work for me, if only to get their covers in front of more eyes...especially the younger comic fans who have no memory of a time when covers weren't just pretty pin-ups that have nothing to do with the story inside.