In many ways, this will be a homecoming -- a return to my hobby roots. Collecting comic-books was probably the very first hobby in which I ever engaged, starting around the age of seven. I started by purchasing random comic-books at the news-stand whenever my parents were willing to give me some spare change (in those days, comic-books cost about 30 cents), and at first, I had no idea that comic-books were numbered in series, and that one could collect the issues all in a row. Then, I discovered the Godzilla comic (then published by Marvel Comics). I found issue #1 by sheer luck, and after a few months, realized that the books were published monthly and in a numbered sequence. Starting with around #10, it became my mission to collect every single issue in sequence, which I did until the final issue, #24. (In those days, I had no concept of the "back-issue", or I am certain I would have hounded my parents to buy me the missing issues in the series.) Following Godzilla, my sister and I collected Star Wars and Shogun Warriors, and I then moved on to Rom: Spaceknight and Micronauts (at that age, toys, monsters, and Star Wars were my primary interest).
A few years later, I met a good friend, Stuart Johnson, who got me more involved in reading about superheroes. Through him, I developed a love of Thor, the X-men, the Avengers, and the Legion of Super-heroes. Eventually, I expanded my collection to include many other superhero books, such as Captain America, Supergirl, and Batman. I continued collecting comics until early 1999, and then, for a variety of reasons, I stopped.
Until December 2012. After more than 13 years without buying a single comic-book, I have returned to the world of superheroes and collecting. This time, unlike my younger days, as a grown-up with a job that pays fairly well, I can afford to buy what I want, rather than the bare necessities. And that includes expensive things like collectible action figures, statues, and other items. These quality items did not exist when I was a kid, by and large -- or if they did, were far too pricey for someone scraping nickels together to pay for the parking on campus tomorrow. This time, I will be able to buy some of those collectible items I could only salivate over when I was younger. And so this time, my journey will not only include the art and stories of the comic-books themselves, but will also include the acquisition of fine collectibles, such as this "Crisis Supergirl" action figure, which I bought from Amazon in December of 2012.Because I will be collecting both comic-books about superheroes, and physical models (action figures, busts, statuettes, and the like), and reviewing/discussing both the comics and the collectibles here, I decided to call this blog "Statues and Superheroes." I hope it will serve to be both interesting to people who like comic-books, and informative to folks who are interested in buying collectibles. Especially, I will try to thoroughly review the (often expensive) collectibles such as statues and high-quality action figures, so that people thinking about buying them will be able to do so in an informed way.
This blog will document a personal journey for me, from 13 years away from comics, back into the world of super-heroes. I welcome you along for the ride, and will be glad to have feedback from you in the form of comments. I only ask that you stay on-topic and follow the rules.
