Comics on the Street

After a lovely dinner at my favorite Lower East Side eatery, Yaffa Cafe, I was walking down 8th st., which is commonly home to different street peddlers selling incense, books, art and other items. After stopping for a coffee I notice a guy selling old comic books on the sidewalk. He had '70s and '80s issues of Thor, Jonah Hex, Battlestar Galactica and a bunch more. They were all beat up and weathered and in horrendous condition. Yet, I was still drawn in. He was selling one for $3 or two for $5. Now, this was an incredibly ridiculous price but I didn't really care. I still felt compelled to give him my money and picked up Daredevil #167 and New Mutants #1. I realized I'd read the DD story before as it was reprinted in the Frank Miller Visionaries Vol. 1. I was also satisfied with the issue of New Mutants — it was revealed in the first few pages Shan has a brother whose name is Leong.

It was a good escape from variant issues, event books and collecting. I still enjoy reading the comics of today, mind you, but this had a certain nostalgic feeling to it. I didn't care if I creased the pages, I didn't care if it had a bag/board (most of mine don't anyway). Just having fun reading funny books. The ad inside featuring the Hulk sipping tea and reading Atlas Shrugged didn't hurt either.