The day I chose a $4 back issue over the brand new #1

Last Tuesday at my local shop in Austin, I had forty bucks burning a hole in my pocket. I was set on grabbing the shiny new #1 everyone was talking about, but then I spotted a beat-up copy of Uncanny X-Men #137 in the bargain bin for four dollars. I went with the old one because I wanted to see what the fuss was about with the Phoenix saga, and man, that was the right pick. The art was dated and the pages were yellow, but the story hit way harder than any modern relaunch I've read lately. Has anyone else passed up a hot new release for a dusty classic and felt better about it?

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kimmurphy22d ago

Two years ago I would've grabbed the new #1 without thinking twice. But last summer I spent twelve bucks on a ratty copy of Claremont's New Mutants run and it changed how I look at everything. That old stuff has a patience to it, the story breathes instead of just setting up next month's cliffhanger. The modern relaunches feel like they're trying to sell you a movie, while those $4 finds are just letting you sit with the art and the dialogue. I'm not saying every old issue is gold, some of it is pure cheese, but the good ones stick with you longer. So yeah, I get why you made that call, and I think you got the better deal.