If you were a kid in the 70s/80s, book and record sets were fun because everytime you heard a chime it gave you permission to turn pages.  How authoritarian! Of course, the only thing better than a book and record set was a COMIC book and record set.  When I was very young and listening to my grandparents' big floor model record player, I'd occasionally get comic book/record sets to listen to.  At some point, someone gave me Star Trek: Passage to Moauv, and I enjoyed listening to it many times. I probably haven't heard it since I was a kid, but it is still stored with my collection, joined by many other comic book/record sets.  Considering my later love of Star Trek, this one deserves to be dug out of storage and re-experienced.  If you'd like to experience some of these sets (and find mp3s of the records), here's a link you might want to try: http://powerrecordsplaza.blogspot.com/

The Sensational She-Hulk #7 was the first issue of this series I picked up at a local gas station when I was young.  The depiction of an old Marvel monster on the cover made me buy it.  Once I read it, the book was a revelation.  The old fourth-wall-breaking gag was in full effect as part of this book's makeup.  John Byrne was having tons of fun being humorous with the readers as She-Hulk would talk to them and integrate conventions of the comic book into her story. 
It was also fun to see semi-obscure characters given something to do, as U.S.1 (from his own short-lived series), Razorback (from old Spidey comics), Blonde Phantom (a golden age character), and Xemnu the Titan (the old Marvel monster who also appeared in issue of Incredible Hulk and The Defenders) all played a part in the tale.
I couldn't afford to keep buying this title at the time, but I have since sought out and read most of the rest of Byrne's She-Hulk issues.  He worked on #1-8, then took about 20 issues off before returning to do another 20 issues. 

Here's a link to a former blog entry for The Amazing Spider-Man paperback book reprinting the first several issues of that title, as well as Amazing Fantasy #15:
http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=214294
As the entry says, this is where I first read Spidey's first several issues, although I had previously read the origin story elsewhere.  I remember being a kid in the family vehicle reading this little paperback full of old Spider-Man stories.  Fond memories are wrapped up in the first appearances of Doc Ock, Lizard, The Tinkerer, and Sandman... and it was in color, unlike many other paperback reprints.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe vol.2 (Deluxe Edition) #16 was the 3rd issue of this series I bought when I was young.  I was and still am obsessed with character handbooks thanks to these Marvel Handbooks.  This issue began a five issue spotlight on the "dead" Marvel characters.  At the time, I thought it was the coolest thing to read about these characters' histories and how they died-- especially since I hadn't heard of many of them.  I waited quite impatiently for each new issue of the "dead" to come out.  So, in the spirit of Halloween, I present this as one of my old favorites.  It's still fun to go through these five issues and see how many of the characters have remained "dead," and how many have returned from the grave...

Here's a link back to the earlier blogpage covershot of Amazing Spider-Man #202: http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=154455
As the link headline reads, this was my first comic (as far as my memory tells me).  When I first received this comic, it would have been new.  It has a March 1980 cover date, which means it probably came out near the end of 1979.  I would have been 2 years old and quite unable to read it.  However, I was allowed to look at it.  Believe it or not, it is still in great shape-- most likely because my family wouldn't let me mess it up.  Several years later, when I began collecting comics for real, this was a jewel of the bunch. 

Here's a link to a previous blog posting of mine showcasing the cover of another of my favorite comics, The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #105:  http://comicbookattic.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=157238&comments=on
I got this book as a kid at a yard sale with some Superboy issues, a Land of the Giants issue, and an adaption of Disney's Jungle Book.  (Some of those may pop up in this feature some day.)  The thing that made this issue kinda weird when I read it was the guest appearance of Superman.  A "serious" character crossing into a silly comic was fun, unlike the bizarre raised-eyebrow crossover of Archie and the Punisher.

West Coast Avengers vol.2 #20.  This was the first issue of this series that I bought new off the stands.  I've probably mentioned this comic before on the podcast, but this Steve Englehart scripted tale was part 4 of a lost-in-time storyline for the team.  Different members of the team were lost in different time periods and interacting with other Marvel characters from those time periods.  Great stuff-- but then again, I'm a sucker for time travel stories.  I remember asking my family to pick this one up for me when I was 9 years old.  They brought it home from a Sheetz convenience store, ready to be devoured by my eager comic-reading eyes.

Ew.  Icky.  Love stuff.  Although the cover was a little overboard with all the happy hearts, the tale inside was a bit better.  When I read Superman #12 as a youngster, I don't think I knew that this was a post-Crisis re-telling of the Lori Lemaris story.  The story of early love for Superman was a sad one, and the tail...um, tale had a twist.  I originally bought this comic as part of a 3-pack of Superman issues at either a K-Mart or a now defunct local chain called Gee Bee Department Stores.  This issue was part of John Byrne's run that began the post-Crisis Superman.

Giant-Size Defenders #4.  I believe this was a flea market find when I was young.  This comic is not only cool for me because I like the Squadron Sinister/Supreme characters that appeared in the main story, but it's cool for me because of the type of tales that made up the rest of the book.  My young self was thrilled to see the classic Ditko Doctor Strange reprint story that ended the book.  My young self was even more ecstatic to discover the early 1940s Sub-Mariner reprint from Human Torch comics that appeared in the middle of the issue.  A nice issue with a mix of the 40s, 60s, and 70s.

Thor #387.  This was one of the first 2 or 3 issues of Thor I ever owned.  The insane struggle of Thor vs. the Celestial began here and continued over the next two issues.  This story provided an exciting, action-filled jolt to my young imagination.  I bought this comic off the spinner rack of a local drug store-- the same drug store that supplied me with many of my first comics.  Ron Frenz's art on Thor is wonderful.  Frenz is one of three artists that I consider Thor's great artists (the other two being Kirby and Simonson).

Superboy #149.  Another Superboy comic that I got as a kid at a yard sale.  This one was extra special because of the Bonnie and Clyde angle.  It sports one of a number of covers Neal Adams drew for the series.  This issue contained two stories, one new and one reprint from Adventure Comics.  I don't remember much about the plots of the stories since it's been probably 20 years since I last read it, and it is stored away so I can't readily look.  Honestly, though, this is a favorite merely because it was one of my first comics.  It did well to serve my lifelong liking of old Superboy stories.  It's funny how that works, isn't it?

This 1982 Amazing Spider-man giveaway comic was one of my first comics given to me at my dentist's office.  In partnership with Aim toothpaste, Marvel published this tale of Spidey vs. Doc Ock vs. toothaches.  Dentistry and a battle ensues in "Crisis at Cape Canaveral!"  I read this over and over when I was a kid.  I didn't care that it was a comic meant to help sell toothpaste because the advertising didn't drive the story like those old Hostess ads (which were great 'cause they were short and odd).  This was a comic that would entertain kids and give them an incentive to go to the scary dentist...

Marvel Super-heroes Secret Wars #4. Two words: Hulk.  Mountain. 

Happy goosebumps appear as a youngster-- heck, still as an adult-- while looking at the scene of Hulk holding up a mountain while the other heroes (trapped under there with him) devise a method of escape.  The heroes working together is nice to see... much better than watching them tear each other apart as they seem to do in civil wars these days...

This series is a favorite of mine, as is the much maligned sequel series.  I own all issues of both series.  But this issue tops the other individual issues, however, because of the Hulk-meets-mountain scenario.  I got this issue as part of a three pack of Secret Wars issues in the late 1980s from Value City.  Oh, the memories...

Superboy #180.  As any listener of the show knows, I have a weakness for the old Superman/Superboy comics.  This is another one of the first 100 or so comics I owned (and still do, of course).  It was bought at a yard sale with a handful of others.  This comic is a thrilling 48 pages (no small amount when you're a kid), with two fun Superboy tales and a Legion of Super-heroes reprint (probably the first Legion story I ever read, featuring the origin of Bouncing Boy).  Definitely sunshine-n-smiles memories over this one...

Avengers #275: The first issue of Avengers I bought fresh off the stands.  The Masters of Evil siege of Avengers mansion was an exciting storyline that I fell right in the middle of as a youngster.  This era of Avengers history is one of my favorites-- probably because it was a starting point for me, right?  Nevertheless, the key kick to the artwork for many years of the Avengers was the inking of Tom Palmer.  His finishes put a realism overtop anyone's pencils.  Buying this while young was a key reason why I am a huge Avengers fan today,

Have you read the first issue of the new Brave and the Bold series?  It conjured memories of fun old 70s DC team-up comics and appropriately so, I suppose.  It's the most fun I've had reading a comic in a while.  To celebrate the new Brave and the Bold series, I selected this issue (#197) of the old series, which is one of my favorite comics from childhood.  It contains a wonderful story about the golden age Batman and Catwoman.  Although I don't remember the details of the issue (and I can't go look at it; it's stored away), I remember it being quite moving at the time...

New Mutants #41.  The New Mutants comic was one of my favorite books as a young reader.  My first issue was #45, but I was able to find recent previous issues soon after, including this one.  This solo Mirage (Dani Moonstar) story was a wonderful character study with beautiful artwork.  Mirage travels home and finds herself in a showdown with death.  I remember reading this comic on a sunny day in front of a picture window, thoroughly finding myself inside the story.  Go get it!

Here, in Captain America #224, Cap goes through disorientation as his face seems to have changed, his memory is whacky, and he has some painful bumps on his arm... what has happened?  This issue, when I was a kid, was so odd and offbeat, that it took several reads to straighten out the flashbacks (a hazard of being a kid and knowing nothing).  But, this was one of my first comics, and it has a striking cover.  We also get a guest appearance from the Avengers (did I ever mention that I love Beast as an Avenger?).  This would have been my first Cap comic too.

DC Comics Presents #97.  Another favorite from childhood-- but, frankly, many of these favorite comics will be.  I know that will make these favorite picks biased because of sentimental value.  Oh, well.  As long as you folks know that too, I suppose.  Anyway, this was the first issue of DC Comics Presents I bought and, ironically, the last issue produced.  I'll never understand why they would want to cancel it three issues shy of #100.  I enjoyed this issue because it was offbeat and rather dark (at least for a naive kid in the 1980s reading comics).  It's Superman vs. the Phantom Zone criminals in a story that was psychological and dreamlike.  I generally love the DC Comics Presents series.  I always buy a back issue if I see one, and one day in the far future, I may actually find all the issues.  If anyone has any they want to get rid of, let me know!

I want to take advantage of the blog here to show you some of my favorite comics that I own.  Completely at random, I have chosen one of my faves: Avengers #131, a comic I bought at a flea market as a kid.  Why do I love this one?  The Avengers are prisoners of Kang, who unleashes the first Legion of the Unliving.  I loved the L of the U.  I loved the old, supposedly dead characters being pulled from time to appear in the same comic.  Original Human Torch!  Frankenstein's monster!  Wonder Man! Even smaller, obscure characters.  All that and an early appearance of Mantis.  Cool stuff.  I was even lucky enough to find the following issue at a different flea market and continue the story.