I’ve been collecting comics for quite a long time. And over the years I’ve picked up quite a lot of stuff related to comics.
I remember getting the Super Powers and Secret Wars action figures. As a super hero fan, I couldn’t get enough of these figures. On the DC side I had Green Lantern, Superman, Martian Manhunter and Darkseid. On the Marvel side I had Spider-Man, black costume Spider-Man, Wolverine, Doc Ock, Doc Doom and Iron Man.
That’s right; at one point my collection was favoring Marvel.
But after that there was a lull for a decent amount of years.
I didn’t really get into the Marvel action figure boom of the 90’s. I remember seeing rows and rows of those action figures, but I think by that point, I was beyond playing with toys and action figures.
However in the late 90’s I got back into the game and never looked back. I got heavily into comic t-shirts (symbols, not characters.) For a few years I picked up every Flash or Green Lantern character that DC Direct churned out. And of course I picked up all of the Green Lantern Power Battery Props. Except for one.
And that brings me to my point this week; there are some things that have eluded me and I figured I’d use my column as a soapbox to broadcast my desire to obtain them.
First up is the Abin Sur Power Battery Prop. It’s the only GL Battery Prop that’s been released I don’t have. I’ve got the original Hal Jordan prop, the Alan Scott prop, the Sinestro Corps and the Red Lantern props. But so far, Abin Sur’s prop has remained beyond my grasp.
I missed out on Abin Sur because I was between something. I was either between jobs or between comic shops. But it slipped through my fingers because I foolishly believed I’d be able to pick it up in the future on the secondary market.
Of course now I goes for easily double the original price. On the rare occasion that one does pop up for auction, it always exceeds $500 when all is said and done. Still, I do hold up hope that one day I’ll be able to complete my collection.
The next thing that I’m desperately looking for is a Golden Age Starman T-shirt. It’s really simple; it’s a red shirt with a yellow star in front. I’ve looked everywhere for it, but I can’t find one. And googling “starman t-shirt” is just frustrating.
What really sucks is that I actually had one. Granted it was just a large (I prefer XL), but I did own one. It got lost when I moved from Las Vegas to Baltimore and I’ve basically been trying to replace it for the past five years.
I honestly believe that I’ll be able to find it. I’m sure there’s a comic shop that has one in stock, but that the shop has little to no web presence. Given the lack of web presence, it’ll take lots of luck for me to get my hands on it, but I’m hopeful.
Another thing I’m trying to get a duplicate of is my Flash Messenger Bag. This was a product that was offered in Previews years ago and ended up shipping much latter than advertised. I’m fortunate in that I do actually still have mine, but I’ve put it on ice because I don’t want to ruin it, since it’s essentially one of a kind.
If you Google “Flash Messenger Bag” you’ll actually see that some site advertise it, but no one has it in stock anymore. Again, I’m guessing this is a matter of finding it in a quiet little shop that specializes in comic miscellanea.
Periodically, I’ll do web searches for those three items, on the off chance that I’ll find something new or a website will pop up offering them for sale. While I occasionally find new leads, I inevitably end up disappointed.
Though, this past weekend I did find a new hit on the Flash Messenger Bag that I’ve yet to fully investigate. Trust me when I say that my fingers are crossed. And should you happen upon any of these items, I’d certainly be grateful if you dropped me a line at mathan@4sternstaging.com.
(It’s funny that I just realized that these three things tie into my three favorite characters and legacies in the DCU. It’s either nutty or makes complete sense.)
Well, that’s it for this week. Next week, I’m sure I’ll be writing about Forever Evil and Villain’s Month. Anyway, it’s Wednesday, to and pick up some fresh new comics from your local comic book shop.
