by L.A. Mood Comics and Games

By Dan Brown 

I call it the Spinner Rack of Your Dreams.

It’s a second-hand comic rack that sits at home in my basement, which I have dubbed not the Man Cave, but the Dan Cave.

My wife spraypainted it silver before I set the display up. It looks fantastic, but still lacks a topper – you know, the metal box that has “Hey kids! Comics!” painted on the sides.

For the last several years I’ve been stocking it with the No. 1 issues that come into my comic collection. 

Why do I have a spinner rack in my basement? Because it makes the space feel like a comic store, and comic stores are my happy place.

Many times when I’m downstairs I will add a comic or two to the issues on display, which I rotate in and out of the most prominent spot at the front of each individual plastic display case.

Reflecting my tastes, two sides are devoted to Marvel No. 1s, one to DC debut issues and one to comics from independent publishers like Dark Horse, Eclipse, Image, and Pacific Comics. Most of the books are from the 1970s and 1980s.

You see, I don’t collect old comics for their value, but the way they make me feel like a kid again. 

Stored on the rack are a few, I suppose, that are worth something. There’s a Moon Knight No. 1 from 1980. The copy of Black Panther No. 1 I have likely went up in value after the first Marvel movie of the same name came out. There’s Ms. Marvel, Nova and Spider-Woman, as well as Red Sonja. 

The most-represented comic creator is Jacky Kirby, who did the No. 1 covers for titles like the Eternals, Destroyer Duck, Kamandi, and Sandman.

I have the Todd McFarlane-drawn Spider-Man No. 1, which I include on the display as a joke – after Marvel flooded the market in 1990 with that book, the issue plunged in value to the point of worthlessness.

There are sentimental favourites, like my copy of Alpha Flight, Marvel’s Canadian superhero team. Also by John Byrne, one of my favourite artist/writers, is Doomsday+1 No. 1 from Charlton. And yes, I have the requisite copy of Watchmen No. 1

I have No. 1s of both the Savage She-Hulk and the Sensational She-Hulk. I’ve got the Thing No. 1 and Marvel Two-in-One No. 1, Ben Grimm being my favourite superhero.

I don’t have to tell diehard comic fans how collectors fall into different categories. Some collect to make money, even if comics aren’t a surefire way to get a good return on investment. Some don’t care about the condition of their comics, they want to read them over and over. Some people love them as objets d’art. I probably fall into that category.

I also realize, one No. 1 is not the same as another. They were not all created equal.

I hate how Marvel, I guess to attract speculators, has been putting out a new No. 1 anytime a different creative team takes over a long-running title. 

Maybe it makes for a slight sales bump, but they are also devaluing the currency of all No. 1s since the upshot is that inaugural issues are becoming ubiquitous. In any given month, the so-called House of Ideas puts out a truckload of No. 1s, which disturbs the purist in me. Things really were different when I was young.

Also, let’s not forget that a No. 1 from back in the day is usually not the best issue from that series, nor does it always contain the origin story of the title character. 

In Captain Canuck No. 1, for instance, you won’t find any mention of Tom Evans gaining the strength of two ordinary men after he was blasted with an alien ray because that detail wasn’t revealed until he had a few adventures under his belt.

But as long as it has a No. 1 on the front, it’s fair game for the Spinner Rack of Your Dreams! I don’t make the rules . . . oh, wait, yes I do.

Would love to hear your take. What’s your favourite No. 1? And while you’re at it, let me know the reasons why YOU collect comic books!

Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.