Comic Shop Review - SuperVillian Comics, Cocoa Beach FL

Continuing our Florida hunt, yesterday we spent some time in SuperVillians Comics located in Coco Beach. It is a nice little comic shop, with a small selection of new comics, toys and high end statues. They also had a table of back issues sold at cover price and a wall of higher dollar back issues.

Toys included Pop! Vinyl figures, action figures and some high end figures. I especially like the black and white Batman statues that DC has been putting out recently.

Along with the high end statues SuperVillians also have life size replicas of the power batteries from the various Lantern corps.

We purchased some comics from the back issues bin, these comics were all cover price which was great because some were from the 1980's. we picked up The Uncanny X-Men #205 and 208 for .75 each. These issues are written by Chris Claremont. Great price for some older X-Men issues.

Also picked up a reprint of Justice League of America #217. This is the So Much Fun! Reprint from 1987, paid cover price $1.25. We did some research on this reprint and found out it is very rare. Read the details below.

The store is on the smaller side and their inventory isn't very large but there were some hidden gems.  Staff was very knowledgeable and extremely friendly, which always helps. SuperVillians also had a nice selection of Greg Horn art, who happens to be one o our favorite artists. We just meet him at Wizard World Philadelphia.

Store is worth a visit. Check them out on-line SuperVillians Comics

Things gathered on this Hunt = 3

Comic Shop Grade = B

The story of the So Much Fun! Justice League of America 217 reprint

2nd printing Justice League of America 217 with an altered cover. The cover image on the original Justice League of America 217 is made to look like it's jumping off the page at the reader. The So Much Fun! reprint does not have the same effects. Also, the image of the super-heroes is smaller than on the original cover. The UPC box is not on the reprint and, in its place, is a So Much Fun! box. The Justice League of America logo is also different, as the one on the reprint edition is the more current JLA logo that is found on the Justice League "Detroit" issues. There were only 5,000 copies of this and other So Much Fun! reprints, which were sold exclusively by distributor So Much Fun! to gift shops, such as card stores. These were packaged in bags of three. So Much Fun! randomly picked issues for reprinting. DC Comics had to do some production work on these, due to the changes on the covers, however, it is not known who changed the covers to reflect the newer additions. 

We have seen this issues priced at $70.00 so for cover price of $1.25 is what we consider finding a hidden treasure. Great addition to our collection.


As we always say, there are treasures out there waiting to be found.


Good Luck on Your Hunt.  
#jointhehunt

Animation Comic Game Hong Kong Fair Exclusives

It's bad enough that we have to try and hunt down exclusive items sold only at specific Comic Conventions located throughout the United States ( still looking for Blue Lantern Flash), now you are going to have to hunt down items from Hong Kong based Animation Comic Game Fair or ACGHK for short.

This year will be the 15th Annual and there will be some awesome exclusive comic book based figures for you to hunt down. These three high end figures are from Hot Toys. Each of the three are 1/6 scale figures.

Directly from the blockbuster movie Iron Man 3 come the Python Armor (Mark XX) figure. This is one of the suits you can see during the final battle of the movie.

Continuing this movie themed line, there will also be Joker Bank Robber version from Batman: Dark Knight. The figure comes with his shotgun, clown mask and a bag full of grenades.

Finally there will be a an Ancient Predator figure from Alien vs. Predator. It comes with a the various weapons used in the movie and a Xenomorph's (Alien) head on a stick.

ACGHK runs from July 25-29th so get your reservations, buy your tickets and get your butt to Hong Kong. This will be an international hunt.

If you are able to attend ACGHK you can pre-order these figures by going to Hot Toys or Clicking here.

You should also check out Hot Toys Online, they have many cool high end movie figures.

Good Luck on your Global hunt.

#jointhehunt

Comic Shop Review - Past, Present, Future Comics & Gaming

What we have here is a true comic shop! Past, Present, Future Comics and Gaming has back issues, old and new toys, heroclix, rare high end items and Funko Pop Vinyls. If it has been for sale in the comic book world it is here. A GREAT SHOP.
Located in Lauderhill, FL ( They also have stores in Davie and W. Palm Beach, FL)

They have a ton of back issues and they are arranged in alphabetical order. The boxes included Silver Age, Bronze Age and recent comics. A great selection and priced fairly. The even had some Silver Age Flash comics, we didn't have our list with us. Damn you list!


Get your Funko Pop Vinyl!, an entire wall dedicated to these whimsical figures, every type you could want. I need a Chuckie doll one, wait does it come to life at night to,stalk me and my family, I'll pass.

PPF also has some old toys, no Justice League Unlimited figures, but they did have old Toy Biz X-Men stuff. Haven't seen them on the shelfs for a long time, brought back some great toy store hunting memories.

Their selection of high end figures included many Bowen Figures is fantastic. Looking at so many of these figures together you can see how much work goes into the detail of each character. We do not own any of these yet, but I did see a 1960's Captain Marvel I might need to add to my collection

The high end items didn't stop with Bowen figures there were also scale models of Thor's hammer and helmet, Dr. Dooms mask and Red Hoods mask (awesome). My daughter was going crazy for the Thor helmet. She is a hunter in training.

One of the most Amazing aspects of PFF is the entrance, a life-size Incredible Hulk and Silver Surfer are standing on either side of the door to greet you. Shoplifters get smashed by the Hulk.

This is a shop you should consider taking a hunting trip to, worth the time and travel!

Things gathered on this hunt = 0 (saving for Thor Helmet)

Comic Shop Grade = A

Good luck on your hunt! Visit Past, Present, Future Comics and Gaming if you are in the area.
#jointhehunt

Comic Shop Review - Islander Comics, Melbourne FL

Located in the Merritt Square Mall on Merritt Island in Melbourne Florida, Islander comics is more of a gaming store then a comic shop.

Yes they had new comics but they had one table containing four boxes of dollar comics. Boxes were in no order . So not many back issues. We love back issue hunting.

Islander also has a selection of current toys, no old stuff here. They did have a grand collection of Funko Pop! Vinly figures, another one of our favorites. Unfortunately they didn't have any we have been hunting, curse you Blue Lantern Flash!
They also have the biggest collection of Eaglemoss figures I have ever seen at a comic shop. If you collect these and have been hunting for any, this is the place for you.

Much of the stores space is dedicated to gaming, they have tables set up for playing your favorites and also have gaming nights. Great for gamers not for hunters.
We collect comics and if you do to, this is not the place for you.

Things gathered on this hunt = 0

Comic Shop Grade = C


If your a gamer and would like to visit Islander Comic Shop start with a click.

Good luck on your hunt!
#jointhehunt

San Diego Comic Con Exclusives - Diamond Select Toys

As each SDCC exclusive is announced it hurts just a little bit more that I will not be there. Today we look at some of the Minimates exclusives that Diamond Select toys will have at their booth.

Minimates have become very popular over the last few years, basically they are miniature action figures which include articulation and switchable heads. They come in pairs or four packs. Many of  Marvels most popular heros and events have been produced by Diamond Select. The SDCC exclusives continue the trend.

Marvel Minimates X-Men Days of Future Past Exclusive Box Set
If you haven't seen the newest X-Men movie yet then stop reading this post and go out right now to see it, we'll still be here when you get back.
Okay now that we are on the same page, remember how Wolverine went back in time to the 70's Diamond Select is doing the same thing with these minimates exclusives, all the way back to 1981. That is the year comic legend John Bryne brought us Uncanny X-Men  #141, the beginning of the Days of Futures Past story arc.
DST is playing homage to this great moment in comic history with a  4-pack of Minimates that includes key characters from the story, Future Wolverine, Future Kitty Pryde, Mystique and a Future Sentinel.  Each of these figures stand 2 inches tall and feature interchangeable parts and accessories. They are Limited to 3,000 pieces and will retail for $20. 

X-Men #23 “Days of Future Past” Minimates Cover
To compliment the Minimates box set Diamond Select Toys will also have a variants cover of X-Men #23. Cover includes minimates  style versions of Wolverine and Kitty Pride, an excellent homage to the original John Bryne cover to Uncanny X-Men #141 (compare it below). The new artwork is by Barry Bradfield and is available at comic retailers for $3.99.

To see more of Diamond Select Toys many great items check out their blog for all their upcoming releases DST Blog

If you are going to SDCC reach out to me would like to make some trades for NYCC exclusives Hunter/gatherer email

Good luck on your SDCC hunt!
#jointhehunt

Comic Shop Review - Famous Faces and Funnies, Melbourne FL

We will be looking at some comic book shops we recently visited in Florida, starting with Famous Faces and Funnies Comics and Toys. Located in Melbourne Florida the store is large, both in space and inventory.

One of the things I liked most about FFF is they carry a lot of older toys. If you have visited most any comic shop lately older toys do not hold any shelf space. FFF is not the norm. I picked up a Justice League Unlimited 3-pack for $12. They also had a bunch of old Star Wars and Star Trek toys. Plus many new Toys from Marvel, DC and of course Walking Dead.

FFF also had a large selection on Funko POP Vinyl figures. All the different lines Funko is currently putting out are here: DC, Marvel, Disney, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, movies, TV and cartoons. A great place to find that one Pop! Vinyl you missed. I picked up a Darkseid I have been searching for,two cons and three shops.

If your looking for back issues and current issues FFF has these to. Many boxes of back issues in title order reasonable priced. Got a New Mutants #100 for $2.

How was the hunt? A genuinely good place to hunt old toys and ack issues. We found a couple of toys and comics we were looking for. The Pop! Vinyl Darkseid was a big find as was the Justice League Unlimited 3-pack (Superman, Amazo and Star Man).

It is worth a visit if you are hunting anything old or new.

Thing gathered on this hunt = 3

Comic Shop Grade = B+

Finally I am not sure why everyone doesn't have a stuffed Mr. Mxyzptlk in their collection. Go out and get one right now. It's worth the $12. Just don't say his name backwards because he will disappear.

Take a trip to Famous Faces and Funnies Comics and Games
Enjoy your hunt!
#jointhehunt

Wednesday Whacked Comic Cover - Captain Marvel Adventures #75

Sometimes the cover of a comic book just captures the essence of not only the issue in hand but also the character which stars in the issue. Think of some of the great 1940's Captain America issues.
Captain Marvel #75 does neither of these, why you might ask? I do not think fighting a big pile of yeast, yes yeast, makes for a menace or is it astonishing.

With a great selection of villains, such as, Black Adam, Mister Mind, and Captain Nazi why did Fawcett Publications decide to go with yeast as the main villain. Fighting a huge pile of yeast is bad enough using it as the selling point on the newsstand makes for one whacked out cover. We have chosen this cover because it confuses us and raises many questions. Was yeast a big threat in 1947?  Did they run out of ideas for villains? Did they have to use 75% of the cover to show the yeast? Eternal question which can only be answered by cover artist C.C.Beck, who we can thank for a whacked out cover.

If your looking to hunt this issue down it can be found for a couple of hundred dollars, but I recently saw one in fine condition for only $30. You can own one of the whacked cover stories for three ten dollar bills, what are you waiting for?

Brief history lesson on Captain Marvel:
 Created by Fawcett Comic in 1940 based on the success of DC Comics Superman Captain Marvel became the top selling comic book in the 1940's. His rise to the top was attributed to the fact that Captain Marvel is actually Billy Batson, a young boy who when he says the words "SHAZAM!" turns into a magical superhero.
Unfortunately for Fawcett, DC comics felt that the character was to similar to Superman so they sued for copyright infringement. Fawcett was forced to cease publishing Captain Marvel-related comics in 1953. In 1972, DC licensed the Marvel Family characters and returned them to publication, acquiring all rights to the characters by 1991. 

Whacked cover of the week and a comic history lesson all in one post.
Enjoy your hunt!
#jointhehunt