Welcome back! Total we’ll see the second half of my Silver Snail ten-cent haul that I talked about in my last column. From the hipster to the weird to the wonderful, sometimes hidden treasures languish in the most unexpected of places, and ten-cent grabs become beloved favourites in a place of honour on the bookshelf.
Shall we?
Suburban Folklore
Date Published: 2006
Author: Steven Walters
Original Price: $11.99
Price Paid: $0.10
Apparently, “Suburban Folklore is a hypnotic periscope into the turbulence of adolescence.” I just bought it because it had the word ‘folklore’ in the title. Though thoroughly disappointed that there would be neither alligators in the sewer nor cats in the microwave, I preserved. Five friends, growing pains, etc. I admire the fact that the same guy did the writing and the art, but neither one blew me away. Only so-so.
High Adventure #93
Date Published: 2007
Author: Edmond Hamilton and others
Original Price: $9.95
Price Paid: $0.10
Even though I bought this at a comic book shop, it isn’t actually a comic book. It’s a collection of three pulp sci-fi ‘novelets’ about the adventures of Captain Future and his Futuremen as they battle aliens across the galaxy. As an ardent lover of Bradbury and Asimov, this collection had me at hello. The stories are brilliantly written to evoke both yesterday and the distant future of heroes and villains. My only complaint about this brilliant collection is that there aren’t more of the campy illustrations that adorn the cover and back. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I have to go dig up my Buck Rogers VHS tapes and search out the first ninety-two volumes of High Adventure.
WitchCraft
Date Published: 1996
Author: James Robinson
Original Price: $17.95
Price Paid: $0.10
Imagine my surprise when I saw a trade from powerhouse Vertigo in the bargain bin! And Vertigo delivered. WitchCraft is a multi-part story that sees the death and rebirth of Hecate’s priestess through the centuries, each time seeking vengeance for the rape and murder in her first lifetime. The goddess oversees each of her incarnations, which are each illustrated by a different artist. I’m a sucker for stories about rebirth and karma and the wheel of fate, so this one pulled me in right away. It’s got blood and sex, and an apologetic note from the author that he promises it’s feminist sex, not to be confused with because-it-sells sex, but that didn’t put me off. It’s rare to be able to find a trade of such an old series that collects the whole thing – no loose ends for me to try and hunt down. I think this has to be my favourite find of the trip.
What man’s trash is your treasure? Think I could have spent my sixty cents better? Give me two of them below!