Part of my New Year’s resolution was to ease up on my purchasing of comic books. I went full throttle on eBay and ComicCollectorLive.com to fill out my Marvel What If? collection, and I believe I’ve completed the entire set (numbered series and the one-shots; more on that when I have the final issue in hand). After going through that and some regrettable purchases from the quarter bin at my local comic book store, I’ve decided it’s time for some to go out before any more come in. With that in mind I’ve dug into my comic collection to put together a few odd lots worth mentioning:

Three issues of the 1967 Ghost Rider western series. This ain’t your regular Johnny Blaze, this is the “Phantom” Ghost Rider of the old west. The issues (4,5, and 7) have writing on the covers, but I feel a decent price for a lot of 3 to jump start a Silver Age 12-cent collection, or a Western collection.

Two issues of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. Before he was an Agent, Colonel, or Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., (or Samuel L. Jackson), Nick Fury led the Howling Commandos in WWII. These issues, 40 and 45, are in better condition than the Ghost Rider issues, as only one has writing on the cover and they are in generally good condition. Likewise, a good way to start a Silver Age collection.

The 1998 X-Men/Fantastic Four Annual signed by Paul Pelletier. In case you haven’t heard of Paul Pelletier, here are some of his credits. I got this signed way back when, probably late 98 or 99 at some show, probably in Portland, Maine. It’s remained in the bag ever since, save a couple readings, so this issue is in good condition.

A lot of 5 Amalgam Comics from the first 1996 wave. When Marvel battled DC in 1996, an event only doodled about before took place: Heroes and Villains were combined across universes to form Amalgam Comics. There’s Super-Soldier (Superman and Captain America), Spider-Boy (Sensational Spider-Man and Superboy), Speed Demon (Ghost Rider, Flash, and a dash of The Demon), JLX (some Justice Leaguers and some X-Men) and Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D (Bruce Wayne and Nick Fury). I love these things, with bold character designs, wacky stories, and the “meta-fiction” history alluded to in the captions and letter pages. Items are in good condition, considering they’re from the “modern age” of comics where all the paper is coated in a nice plastic sheen.

Ghost Rider (1967)