Dang. I thought our hobby was expensive...

[bull]

...but apparently it's nothing compared to the comic geek racket. Half million for a life-sized Spider-Man and $10k for a Superman painting? Dang!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Spider-Man-Limited-Edition-Life-Size-Replica-1-in-3_W0QQitemZ6585569522QQcategoryZ17082QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Amazing-Spiderman-1-March-1963-CGC-8-0-Spider-man_W0QQitemZ6584726790QQcategoryZ32739QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ALEX-ROSS-Cover-Original-SUPERMAN-FOREVER_W0QQitemZ6586290433QQcategoryZ3985QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[69bananabeast]

  6K to ship that bad boy?

[GTX]

Try dealing with theater film equipment and films.

Setting up a Dolby, SDDS or DTS sound system is big bucks and that's after you have spent $$$ on the projector, film transport and lenses.
One amp for one of six channels can set you back $1000+
( I don't spend that!!)

Add the movies and that's why I'm so far behind on my Charger build.

[69_500]

GTX do you work in the film industry? Doing sound or video?

[41husk]

I would be afraid to add up how much I have into my cars

[ChargerBill]

I just don't get the comic book superhero worship at all. Seems rather nerdy and cultish to me, but maybe I just don't understand it. Personally I'd rather spend 20K on a car I can drive than 20K on a cutout of a full grown man in spandex....

[Charger_Fan]

I don't get it either. I used to know a guy who seemed fairly normal, but he had a Superman fetish. He had a room in his house completely dedicated to Superman (and all the arch villians) stuff...it was kinda cool to look at, but this guy was 30 years old...and married with kids!
He even had a "S" tattooed on his shoulder.

To each his own, I guess. It's still better than the brother of a chick I dated in school who was completely immersed in "Dungeons & Dragons".

[GTX]

GTX do you work in the film industry? Doing sound or video?

Nope, just a little guy who also dabbles in a backyard drive-in theater and soon a downstairs matinee.

[ChargerBill]

Not to sound too analytical, but I honestly think it has a lot to do with them latching onto this "hero" persona as kids. Probably had very lame, abusive or unattentive fathers...or even no father at all. I guess if you're going to adopt the persona of a fictional character, a superhero with virtues like Superman or Spiderman would be better than something like D&D, but all in all I see these people as somewhat damaged goods. I knew a cop who had a 6" Superman tattoo on his arm and talked about Superman in the present tense. I also knew kids in HS and college who were into D&D and other fantasy games and were obsessed...even consumed by the lure of this fantasy existence. It's a little freaky to see and hear these 25, 30, 35 year old men talk about these comic book characters and game characters as though they are real...and the Xena, Hercules, Star Wars, etc.. groupies IMO aren't much different.

I thank God I had a father and grandfather to look up to and who were my heros as a kid...

[nh_mopar_fan]

Not to sound too analytical, but I honestly think it has a lot to do with them latching onto this "hero" persona as kids. Probably had very lame, abusive or unattentive fathers...or even no father at all. I guess if you're going to adopt the persona of a fictional character, a superhero with virtues like Superman or Spiderman would be better than something like D&D, but all in all I see these people as somewhat damaged goods. I knew a cop who had a 6" Superman tattoo on his arm and talked about Superman in the present tense. I also knew kids in HS and college who were into D&D and other fantasy games and were obsessed...even consumed by the lure of this fantasy existence. It's a little freaky to see and hear these 25, 30, 35 year old men talk about these comic book characters and game characters as though they are real...and the Xena, Hercules, Star Wars, etc.. groupies IMO aren't much different.

I thank God I had a father and grandfather to look up to and who were my heros as a kid...

Holy cow. That's a nice wide net you're throwin there. I read lots of comics when I was a kid. I had thousands of them. My old man was there for me always and would kick my ass if I got out of line.

OH, by the way, I still have those 20 boxes of books from the 60's and 70's iin storage. They'll be paying for my kid's college in 3 more years.

[GTX]

I used to have to sneak comic books into the house tucked in my back under my shirt.  Most kids did that with porn but I had to do it to read comics. I snuck out and bought comics although not usually superhero and read them behind the local 7-11 and then had to come up with an excuse for how I spent my allowance so she would never know.
My mom trashed any comic book she got her hands on. I wonder what they would be worth now?

Of course my mom also made mommy dearest look like June Cleaver.

Burn in hell bitch!! 

Sorry..........

[69_500]

I don't know if its all that strange of a wide net to throw out there. There is a big difference in someone who had commic books as a kid and kept them, and someone who still goes to stores and talks about them and fantisizes about owning a particular comic book. I think its all a little weird for a grown man to have a bunch of Spiderman stuff, but then again a lot of people look at me the same way. Considering I own about 1,500 hot wheel cars of Mopars over the years, and a few hundred 1/18th diecast cars. Posters of Cars, and things like that. Is it childish to want the toys of the Mopars, YEAH I'll admit it is. But does that deter me from it, NO WAY. So call me a geek too, but I'm proud of the stuff I collect. Then again I have a baseball card collection that dates back to cards from the 1940's as well. So guess you can tack that one up to being a GEEK too. 

[Charger_Fan]

Holy cow. That's a nice wide net you're throwin there. I read lots of comics when I was a kid. I had thousands of them. My old man was there for me always and would kick my ass if I got out of line.

OH, by the way, I still have those 20 boxes of books from the 60's and 70's iin storage. They'll be paying for my kid's college in 3 more years.

I don't think Bill meant that everybody who kept comic book collections were automatically labeled as odd ducks or something...only certain people who take it to the level of obsession.
However, I'd still rather see guys obsessed by superheros than 7 year old kids.



*EDIT* Looks like 69_500 beat me to it.

[nh_mopar_fan]

Ok, maybe I read it wrong.

I think that grown men that are into it heavily have a problem. The ones that dress up at the Star Trek conventions and Star Wars movies are truly losers.

[Charger_Fan]

Ok, maybe I read it wrong.

I think that grown men that are into it heavily have a problem. The ones that dress up at the Star Trek conventions and Star Wars movies are truly losers.

Yep, no disagreement there!

[69_500]

Ah now come on Stars Wars is awomse. Okay so I woudln't go so far to dress up but the convention was pretty neat last year.

[ChargerBill]

Yep, my net was meant for the escaped lunatics and obsessed...not the average Joe.

BTW: I read comic books a bunch as a kid and I also enjoy the LOTR and StarWars...

[69_500]

I can imagine ChargerBill dressing up like a Hobbit from the LOR and going to a convention.

[volk68]

Wait a minute, here!  I have over 300 comics in my collection, and started collecting them in my mid-teens, and continued to do so through my first couple years of college.  My father was never anything but a stand up guy  

I'm 31 years old with 2 kids.   Now, I don't collect anymore, but I do occassionally read some of my books from time to time, and I will eventually put some of my favorites on display. I also go to see most comic based movies and at least lately, really enjoy them.  I like the combination of eye candy and a great storyline, I guess...plus I love to read in general.  Maybe I am just a big geek, but I like to consider myself well rounded    

As an aside, not every comic book is some little kid's funny pages, lots of them are graphically stunning, and there are a lot of very mature titles out there.  The Sandman series, Watchmen, and Sin City are all excellent examples of outstanding mature comic books.  Some of the books that were out when I was collecting got more hardcore than anything available on TV at the time.  For every Spiderman and Superman out there, there is a Crow (which was wwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy darker in the comic book than it ever got in the original movie) and Spawn.  If you have kids that eventually want to read comic books, make sure you check out what they are reading...there is a lot of really nasty stuff out there.

[69_500]

Where did the idea of people who read comic books didn't have good fathers? Where did you guys come up with that one?

[ChargerBill]

I'm not even sure why I bother talking sometimes...seems like a bunch of people just pick the parts they want to latch onto and disregard the rest...

[volk68]

[GTX]

 

[charger_72_318]

i agreed

[Big Lebowski]

Ok, maybe I read it wrong.

I think that grown men that are into it heavily have a problem. The ones that dress up at the Star Trek conventions and Star Wars movies are truly losers.

  One time, hangin w/ the local Mopar club guys, a couple of guys admited to being Trekkies, I also admited to seeing all the old episodes, but I said in my defense..."Hey at least I dont have a Klingon dictonary" and a buddy next to me said "Uh oh" because he has one.