Things I Bought at Tampa Bay Comic Con

I had fun bragging and showing off cool stuff I bought last month at MegaCon, so I’ve decided to post all my purchases from this weekend’s Tampa Bay Comic Con for all to see. I’m pretty lucky to live in Florida where a con literally happens twice a month, so expect more bragging posts in the future. Like last time, I’ll explain how much I spent on the item, how much they run for, and if I saved any cash buying the items at a convention rather than the Internet or Amazon.

Top photo, Volumes 1-3 of Tank Girl: This was a really neat find. Those of you who are really into Gorillaz should already know what this is about. Tank Girl is a comic book series started by Jaime Hewlett (illustrator and co-creator of the Gorillaz) and Alan Martin (writer), revolving around an outlaw girl who drives a tank (obviously) and dates a mutant kangaroo. Sick stuff, great art, and for the mature. The second and third trades run at roughly $10 new on Amazon, while the first trade is around $30 new on Amazon. I got each of these trades for a lousy $2 each. I spent $6 in total for these in almost near mint condition! They were even bagged and boarded.

Second and third rows of photos, Iron Man 1963 Fine Pewter Original Statue: I honestly don’t understand how I got this little pewter statue for so fucking cheap, but I paid $5 for it from some guy with a table of just over nine different busts. The picture’s a little blurry due to my camera lens not being able to focus on the background comic of the bust, but it’s the issue of Tales of Suspense which Iron Man originated from as the backdrop. This tiny statue is under seven inches, came with a certificate of authenticity, and is running for $75 new on Amazon, with sellers asking for $50. Maybe the dude I bought it from had it for a while and it’s brought him bad luck or something, but I’m glad I picked this little guy up.

Forth row photo, Heavy 3PO: The Coleman Chronicles of Scud the Disposable Assassin: I read about this comic book last month and bought it this weekend because of that reason. I have no fucking recollection of why I was actually looking into this comic book in the first place, but this trade was only $4. The writer, Rob Schrab, apparently also directed all seasons of The Sarah Silverman Program, as well as directing a couple of episodes of Parks and Recreation, Children’s Hospital, and Community. According to Wikipedia: “The protagonist of the series is Scud, an average Heart Breaker Series 1373 model assassin. On his first mission, he is sent to kill Jeff, a rampaging female mutant with mousetraps for hands, an electrical plug for a head, and a squid for a belt.” This is probably why I was subliminally interested in the series in the first place…

Fifth row, comic books: I mean, no shit, right? I went to MegaCon this year to find comic books and I didn’t get anything I was really hoping to grab. At a small comic convention in Tampa though, I managed to grab various issues of Sandman, Swamp Thing, Lone Wolf and Cub, Human Target, Hellblazer, and some comic book by Alan Moore called Skizz. I grabbed over 50 issues of these various titles, with at least 20 of them being Swamp Thing issues from Vertigo, and another 20 being Sandman issues. I spent less than $50. I don’t really have to explain how good of a deal this is — the beautiful cover art of Sandman and Swamp Thing alone are worth $3 an issue, in my opinion.  I’m framing some of these this week and throwing them up on my wall.

So yeah, add a price of $15 admission to the actual convention and I think I spent around $90 tops for one day at the con. Not bad with what I grabbed.

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Dr. Who x Vertigo Print

This awesome “Vertigo Who,” print was created by artist duo, Crowsmack, for sale on their Etsy shop ”Awesome Stuff for Geek Parents and their Nerd Offspring.” The poster is inspired by Alfred Hitchock’s Veritgo film poster.

Check it: More Doctor Who on Albotas
Buy it: Doctor Who TARDIS Mug

Death’s Trophy Wall

Commissioned sketch by Sam Kieth.

(via neil-gaiman)

A Little Bit On The Fables Side: Adam Hughes cover for Fairest, the upcoming Fables spinoff focusing on the origins of the various female characters in the series. It comes out in March.

(Via Multiversity Comics)

Le Cat Noir

Rafael Albuquerque took some time from his drawing duties on Vertigo’s American Vampire to create this Catwoman-infused version of a poster for Le Chat Noir.

(Source: rafaelalbuquerqueart.deviantart.com)

The Death of…

Fables #105 goes on sale this week and it’s a throwdown between Bigby Wolf and his father, the North Wind. Much like the rest of Joao Ruas’s covers for the “Super Team” story arc, this is an homage to a previous iconic comic book moment. In this case, Snow White and Bigby mimic the Lois and Superman cover for The Death of Superman trade paperback.

[Via Graphic Content]