03/15/2022
AAInfo Corner #2: In late '68 (12 years old) I scraped up $8.00 (birthday money) and sent in for books advertised in the current Marvels. A 3 issue sub to RBCC (54-56), Illustrated Comic Collectors Handbook 1-2, RB Timely Special #8, & Golden Age #2. For that money I kind of expected hardcover books (comics were still 12 cents) and at first I was dismayed when they came in one 8 1/2 x 11 manila envelope. That $8.00 laid the groundwork for ALL of my future collecting and dealing days. I read every line and every ad dozens of times. I learned about characters & books I'd never heard of, artists, writers, publishers, back issues, pricing, grading & overall collecting. I learned about comics ancillary hobbies (no Pokemon or Funco then) like Old Time Radio, Movie Serials, and that the SF & character (Doc Savage, etc.) paperbacks I had started reading were not new but reprinted from something called 'pulps'. These were fanzines, and I instantly fell in love with them and wanted to publish my own. Something I did in the mid 70's.
