A.X.E.: Starfox

 

Comic: A.X.E.: Starfox

Where Purchased: Comic Hunter in Montreal, Quebec

When Purchased: October 23, 2022

When Read: November 12, 2024

Starfox is another one of those characters who joined the Avengers when I started collecting.  I didn't know ANYTHING about him.  He was introduced with a little bit of a mystery that was fun to see get explored at the time.

To non-comic readers, he is the character that Harry Styles was playing in one of the post-credit scenes in The Eternals.  

Another fun thing about Starfox was when Smacky discovered a little resemblance back in 2016...

All of which leads to me seeing this particular book on the shelf with a variant cover.  It is a one shot from another event that I did not follow.

This issue was...impenetrable.  I know the mantra of "every issue is somebody's first" no longer applies at Marvel but criminy this was just too much to process.  I don't know why it wouldn't have been a part of the main event series.  Why a one-shot?

Perhaps I have been away from this character for too long.  I did find a copy of the She-Hulk issue pictured above.  Perhaps when I give that series a read I will come back to this because I did not recognize this character at all.

I bought this variant covered A.X.E.: Starfox at one of my top three favorite comic shops, Comic Hunter in Montreal.  It is such a great place to spend some time scouring the back issue boxes for great comics.  The exchange rate always helps and they offer some cool promotions during your birthday month.

They have a neat shelving system for back issues, a dollar section, action figures, and so much more.

They were able to obtain a copy of Conan #1 for me during the height of my pursuit of birthday month comics.  Knowing why I was looking for the book, they got me a good deal on a decent copy.

Looking at the stats of my collection, I have purchased exactly 100 comics from them.  I grabbed this during the last time I visited.  Before we moved, it took me a little over an hour to reach Montreal.  Now Google Maps says it is more than a five hour trip.  C'est la vie.

My only caveat for visiting is that parking is a BEAR.  But it is a great shop with the friendliest of staffs!

Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night

 

Comic: Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night

Where Purchased: Time Capsule in Seekonk, Massachusetts

When Purchased: June 21, 2023

When Read: November 10, 2024

I think I mentioned that I have always been a fan of She-Hulk.  She was a member of the Avengers when I started reading comics.  After the events of Secret Wars in 1984, she joined the Fantastic Four, taking over for The Thing, who stayed behind on Battleworld.  As I was collecting the Fantastic Four at the time, this just meant I got to see her written and drawn by my favorite creator, John Byrne.

I also collected She-Hulk's solo book in, a comedy series that broke the fourth wall, when it debuted.  

But, there came a time where I stopped collecting and when I returned, it took me quite awhile to start gathering things I missed.  As I made an effort to collect the original She-Hulk run, I also started hunting down the more recent relaunches.

At some point, I was made aware of this title and added it to my want list.  I couldn't recall many stories with these two together and I really like the artist so it was a no-brainer to pick this up.

It really is a fun romp.  It requires a little more knowledge of Marvel history than one would expect from a one-shot and I am not entirely sure how self-contained the story really is.  But all things being equal it is a solid 7 out of 10.

I had forgotten that artist Bryan Hitch took over on the Sensational She-Hulk series when John Byrne quit in the first year.  There had been a rumor that the art for this book was from unpublished issues of Bryan Hitch's earlier run on Sensational She-Hulk.  It seemed likely, as he only drew the fist 25 pages, with the final 14 drawn by Ivan Reis, with inks by Randy Emberlin.

However, Bryan Hitch himself explained that these pagers were originally intended to be part of a Thing/She-Hulk miniseries that had been announced in the late 1990s.  That project was canceled before it could be completed.

You can read all about the origins of this one-shot here: https://www.cbr.com/she-hulk-thing-bryan-hitch-mystery/

I bought this issue on my first work trip after we moved last year.  Time Capsule has two locations, one in Seekonk, MA and one in Cranston, RI.  I have been to both of them twice over the years.  They are great places to stop for back issues.

She-Hulk #11

 

Comic: She-Hulk #11

Where Purchased: Earth Prime Comics in Burlington, Vermont

When Purchased: May 6, 2023

When Read: October 27, 2024

When I first started reading comics, She-Hulk was new to the Avengers.  I didn't know much about her but she fit into the group well.  I was intrigued when she joined the Fantastic Four and thought Byrne did a great job using her in that group's dynamic.  Her second solo series by Byrne was a delight.

She was on the Avengers again when I started collecting again in 2002 but her solo books didn't hit my radar again until a few years ago.

I am pretty far behind on a lot of books, hence this one sitting on my shelf for over a year.  Which is a shame because it looks like I was really enjoying this series when life got a little out of hand and reading new comics wasn't a priority. 

Which is a bummer because this issue reminded me of how much I've missed it.  Rainbow Rowell has a good grasp on this character and the supporting cast.  It is a lot of fun, there is a little bit of mystery, some romance, some fighting.  I gave it an 8 out of 10 and will be back before too long!

I have more comics in my collection that were purchased at Earth Prime Comics in Burlington, Vermont than any other store.  About 1 out of every 6 comics I won came from Earth Prime.  It was the first comic store I ever visited, shortly after they opened in 1983.  When I was growing up, the folks at Earth Prime would hold direct sales only books (like Dark Knight and Watchmen) for me and my two best friends that my grandfather, who lived in Burlington, would pick up and hold on to until I visited.

I had a pull list once I moved to Burlington to attend college but when the two owners had a falling out, I followed one to their new venture (Crisis Comics) across town.

I stopped collecting for a while even before Crisis closed down in the late 90s.  When Nan convinced me to start getting books again in 2002, I went back to Earth Prime and started back in.

Early on, Earth Prime was great for back issues.  When I went back in 2002, it was for new books.  Back issues weren't their thing.

And there were some rough years.  It wasn't always inviting to "others"...especially women and kids which was...odd.  But through a host of managers and employees, I always liked shopping there.

The last year before we moved was harder, as employee turnover and changes to the business made me start to feel like an outsider.  But the place is ingrained in my DNA...even if I'll probably never visit it again.

The post script for this story is that Chris Farrell, one of the two original founders, passed away recently.  It was a poorly kept secret that she had a complete collection of every DC Comic ever published.

I wrote her a letter before we moved and I hope the employee I gave it to sent it to her.  While she would have no idea who I was, she was a very important person in my life.  From the kindness she showed my grandfather all those years ago up to providing me a place to keep up with my love of comics, I will forever be indebted to her.

Here are a few links about the store (https://sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/origin-story-how-burlingtons-earth-prime-comics-helped-unite-vermonts-comics-lovers-35006000), about Chris (https://vtdigger.org/2024/10/11/with-a-massive-comic-book-collection-up-for-sale-fans-remember-the-woman-behind-it/), and about her collection (https://www.sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/a-look-inside-christine-farrells-rare-comics-collection-42069251)