FOR COMIC BOOK GEEKS ONLY
Back in the early '90s, my neighborhood comic shop was having a 50-percent-off-back-issues sale. This shop had a beat-up copy of the coveted 1960 book "The Brave and the Bold" #28, which presented the first-ever appearance of the superteam known as the Justice League of America (which counts in its membership Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash -- all the big guns). The book wasn't in great condition, but it still had its cover. The 50-percent-off sale brought the price down to a relatively affordable (by "The Brave and the Bold" #28 standards) 80 bucks.
Man, did I go through some excruciating, soul-searching internal debate on whether or not I should buy that book. I'd never spent that kind of money on a single book before. I was afraid I might be crossing a line, addiction-wise. Kathy and I had a lot of bills, like any couple. But life is short, and you should treat yourself once in a while. What to do? I ultimately decided, with a heavy heart, NOT to buy it.
The day after the sale, I attended a comic-book-and-trading-card show at a nearby mall. I ran into an acquaintance who was there with his teenage son and his teenage son's friend. I mentioned that I came "this close" to buying "The Brave and the Bold" #28 for a lousy 80 bucks. The teenage son's friend said, "I DID buy it. I've got it right here." He pulled that same copy of "The Brave and the Bold" #28 out of his bag! There it was -- a book that every '60s comic book collector considers a Holy Grail!
I said: "Oh, man, I'm so STUPID! Why didn't I buy this book?"
The little punk said: "You want it? It's yours for 200 bucks."
1 Comments:
Don't feel so bad. Hardcore record geeks (like myself) make those same kinds of "life or death" decisions all the time. Many is the time I've passed on a slightly expensive 45 only to regret it later.
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