One great thing about the Bargain Bin is the opportunity to check out great creators and popular comics from the past. Just because someone who is now a big name in the industry’s name is attached to a title from the past does not necessarily mean that the book will be worth anything. Everyone starts somewhere, and there is no reason that the stories or art in these “worthless” books are any worse than the valuable stories.

Same goes for series in general. Many “failed” books have a devoted following, and whether you agree or not with those fans’ assessment, there must be something about those books that attracted such loyal fans. Again, books like Slingers are a perfect example. There is quite a fanbase for Slingers who frequent Comixtreme. If you come across some copies of Slingers in the Bargain Bin, why not drop some change and see what the big deal is?

PITT #1-4 – Image, 1993 $.25 each

I have come across a couple of PITT fans in the last ten years. I never personally picked up any of PITT, and I have to admit that I had no real interest in picking up the title. I am always a little suspicious when something is liked so well by a relatively small group of fans, and I hear next to nothing at all negative from the rest of the general fanbase. The Bargain Bin, in this case, was a blessing, allowing me to see what the deal was at almost no cost.

Issues 1-4 contained a nice self-contained story arc. I will not go into any detail about the story, but it was certainly not bad. I can understand PITT’s draw, as unstoppable, vicious monsters are often easy to like. The story got a little cheesy in my opinion once or twice, but on the whole it was a decent read. For $1, I cannot really complain.

Spider-man 15-16 – Marvel, 1991 – $.25 each

Issue 15, by Erik Larsen, guest stars Beast, who Spider-man seeks out for a little heart-to-heart and professional advice. Peter and Mary Jane are contemplating having a baby, and the issue of their future child being a mutant, or having serious complications due to Peter’s condition weighs heavily on his mind. A neat little story, with a couple of fights thrown in to break up the serious tone. Peter and MJ, of course, decide against having a baby at this time. After reading this issue, I can definitly say that I like JMS’s portrayal of MJ, but that is a minor gripe.

Issue 16, written by Tom McFarlane, is the first of a two-part story that concludes in X-Force #4. X-Force and Spider-man take on the Juggernaut in a pretty destructive fight around the World Trade Center in New York. The issue ends mid-fight with Juggy completely leveling one of the towers. I am sure it would make a lot more sense with the surrounding X-Force issues to flush out the story, but this issue was a good slugfest. The image of X-Force pushing a temporarily blinded Juggernaut over a crouched down Spider-man was good for a chuckle.

In all, not a bad pair of reads by a pair of now-Image luminaries for only $.50.

Bottom Line

The Bargain Bin is a great resource for comic fans. Whether you are looking for a good laugh from some of the more ridiculous titles to come out in the past, or if you want quality stories and great examples of past works from some of today’s finest, the Bargain Bin has something for you.

All of us enjoy comics- that is why we are here. Often times, it is really easy to become jaded, and focus just a bit too much on the potential value of an issue and every possible flaw in the art and the story. Bargain Bin comics allow all of us the chance to take a step back from that, and enjoy a book for no other reason than the love of comics, and not worry about denting the spine.

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