Now I know what was stolen
Today I finished unpacking the last of the boxes from our PODS, and the PODS driver came to take the PODS away. (“PODS” is a cute acronym, but it’s a bit weird to use a word that ends in S as a singular: “My PODS is…”) Anyway, our driveway is clear for the first time since March.
And, as I put away books and crafting supplies, unpacked board games and sorted through office materials, it hit me now what hadn’t hit me before: They stole my comic books.
I wrote earlier (back in October) about a close call where we thwarted some would-be thieves taking stuff from our PODS. Back then, I thought all they had taken was some minor electronics. My Nintendo 64 was found, so really the only electronic stuff they took was an old boom box (not even worth $5) and an old analog video camera and tripod (probably worth $40). But I hadn’t noticed then what I noticed now: My five or six long boxes of bagged comic books are all missing.
Now, a lot of it was junk. I admit that. Superhero comics are very dopey, and even when I was actively collecting and reading comics (about 18 years ago is when I stopped), I didn’t really care for a lot of what I bought. Avengers. X-Men. Thor. Some of the more independent stuff, like Concrete or Nexus, was slightly less dopey. And some stuff, like Alan Moore’s work on The Watchmen , Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta and Miracleman, or the Frank Miller Daredevil runs or his various Batman treatments (like The Dark Knight Returns or Batman: Year One), was only a tiny bit dopey.
I’m not 100% sure of the value. One of my projects was supposed to be cataloging and selling the comics (keeping only the best), but I never got around to it. On the one hand, I’m sort of relieved I don’t have to find a space for the comics and I don’t have to do that project. (And my aching back is thankful I didn’t have to lift them again.) But there’s definitely a monetary value — probably $2,000 or so. (Hey moms, never throw out your kids’ comics, okay? Ebay them instead.) But more than that is the nostalgia. And even more than that is the realization that some of those series, like say Somerset Holmes or Tales from the Beanworld (which captivated Richard Stallman when he rented my room in Berkeley from me one summer), or The Whisper, or The Badger, are never going to be reprinted and are probably impossible to replace.
I didn’t feel violated in October. I shrugged it off. Part of me is still relieved. But now that I can’t do it, the number one thing I want is to just be a kid again and curl up in the corner and read some comics. Damn you thieves!
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Sorry to hear about the comics… I hate that violated feeling you get… Nathan has a bagillion if you want to borrow some 🙂
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Stephen,
no to worry, books like Nexus, Badger, Whisper, Somerset Holmes and Beanworld can all be cheaply replaced. Check the .25 bins at comic shops, that’s where they usually keep them. Fortunately quality is not necessarily what makes comics popular, so actually having taste usually means that you can find many good old independent comics cheap these days.
December 24th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Stivo, your homeowners insurance may provide some relief.
December 24th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I wish someone would have stolen my collection years ago. I’ve moved it repeatedly, at great effort (and sometimes expense, when being shipped), and given up precious closet space over the years. They’re impossible to price and more impossible to sell, and I never get around to cataloging them. I’d gladly ship them all to you Stephen, though they probably have more value in the recycle bin.
December 27th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Ahh no…that’s a shame. I remember reading some of your comics way back when at the house in Saratoga. They were the first ones I ever read. I also remember moving them around in your parent’s storage unit when they came to DC 🙂
You could always start Sammy on a collection now.
December 27th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I didn’t realize that I had a typo in my own name before I posted…