Thrift Store Finds: Book And Comics

I found a horror book and eight comics at one thrift store this morning. The book was I Am Frankenstein by C. Dean Andersson (Zebra Books, 1996) that I picked up for fifty cents (yellow tags were half price today).

The seven comics that I picked up at the same store for a dollar each include The Computer Masters of Metropolis (a Radio Shack giveaway featuring Superman and Wonder Woman), Flash Gordon #36 (Western/Whitman, 1981), A-Next #2, Iron Man #9, Incredible Hulk #466, Spider-Man, Fire-Star and Iceman (advertising supplement to The Denver Post in 1983), X-Men: Liberators #3 and Disney's Return To Oz (Scholastic, 1985). The Radio Shack giveaway comic has seen better days since the covers are torn at the bottom and are hanging on by one staple. The Flash Gordon and Dallas Post giveaway are in worn condition but the other comics are in fair shape.





At another thrift store, I found a battered copy of Devil Kids #90 featuring Hot Stuff the Little Devil for thirty cents. Not only are the covers worn and stained but three-fourths of the last ad page has been ripped out. Some one must have ordered the Sea-Monkeys. It has been a while since I last read a Harvey comic so I just to pick it up. I used to pick up anything with Hot Stuff and Richie Rich before I hit my teens.

Today was a great day for this comic fan to hit the thrift stores.

Thrift Store Find: McDonald's Lightning Lad

Put me down on the list of not getting any of the Legion of Super Heroes toys when they originally came with McDonald's Happy Meals a few years ago. The action figures were based on the cartoon show. I found a Lightning Lad figure still in the original box this morning at a local thrift store for twenty-five cents. A trading card still in the plastic came with it. The figure itself does not stand on its own but I do like the box and card.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 1: Disney's Enter If You Dare!

Not only is this the first post for this year's Halloween Countdown but the object is also a thrift store find. I found a copy of Disney's Enter If You Dare: Scary Tales From The Haunted Mansion by Nicholas Stephens and illustrated by Sergio Martinez (Disney Press 1995) for fifty cents. The back cover shows a small picture of a graveyard with RIP on a tombstone. The back text is as follows:

Welcome, come in - They're all waiting for you in these five tales of terror and woe - The spirits and ghouls are inviting you in, but beware! They might not let you go! Premonitions and apparitions are dying to give you a scare. The mansion is open and waiting, dear friends - so ENTER IF YOU DARE!

The five tales include "The Fortune Teller", "The Face In The Mirror", "Music To Their Ears", "The Eyes Have It" and "Late For The Wedding".

Thrift Store Finds: Superman Knightfall

I actually found these two items at two different thrift stores on Friday morning but I am just now getting around to posting about them. The Superman action figure has some wear on the paint and smells like crayons but it was only fifty cents. The Batman: Knightfall by Dennis O'Neil paperback book was had for a dollar and a half.

Thrift Store Finds: Fantastic Four Universal Guide

For fifty cents, I found a copy of Fantastic Four: The Universal Guide by Tom DeFalco (Marvel Publishing, Inc 2007) this morning at a local thrift store. This five by eight book has articles such as "Fantastic Four Orgins", "Headquarters & Hardware" and "Jack Kirby's Galactus Trilogy". There are also interesting write ups on each of the members plus their friends and foes (yes, even H.E.R.B.I.E. is mentioned). While the front cover has been damaged, the eight stickers the size of trading cards are still intact inside. I am also not fond of the thrift store's new price tag method since it involves using tape (thankfully, they put the price tag on the back cover). Overall, this is a pretty fair thrift store find.

Mysterious Figure Found

The mysterious figure that I posted about earlier is none other than White Pantera from El Tigre, which I have never see an episode of.

Thrift Store Finds: Star Wars Bobble Heads

I had to work today so I did not get to the thrift stores. However, my sister found for me a bag of action figures for fifty cents. The following two Star Wars bobble heads were found in McDonald's Happy Meals in 2008:

Chewbacca bobble head on AT-ST:

General Grievous bobble head on starfighter:

The other action figures in the bag included two from Kung Fu Panda: Monkey with spinning bamboo staff and Tai Lung with kicking action. An unknown action figure was also in the bag and looks like he is from Mucha Lucha (a show that I only watched once). I have been doing a search for his identity but I am having no luck. He is wearing a red with yellow trim mask, red tie, white suit jacket, white shirt, black gloves, black pants and yellow boots that appears to have spikes or spurs attached to them. The copyright has McD's 2008 and 2007 Viacom.

Thrift Store Finds: Bat Masterson And Constantine

I found two books at a local thrift store this morning that I just could not pass up. The first was Bat Masterson by Wayne C. Lee with illustrations by Adam Szwejkowski that was published by Whitman in 1960. This was an authorized edition based on the television series starring Gene Barry. This is in better shape than the Annie Oakley in Danger at Diablo book that I found a few weeks ago at another thrift store for three dollars. The price of Bat Masterson only set me back a dollar.

The second book was Constantine by John Shirley published by Pocket Books in 2005. This is the novelization of the movie based on the Hellblazer comic book published by DC Comics under the Vertigo imprint. I actually enjoyed the movie but maybe it is because I have only read a handful of the comics. Constantine was also a dollar.

Yesterday's Thrift Store Find: Adventures of Tintin Volume 5

I found The Adventures of Tintin Volume 5 yesterday at a local thrift store for a dollar. The hardback collects the following three adventures: "Land of Black Gold", "Destination Moon" and "Explorers on the Moon". I was surprised that it was it in good condition considering that this was a used book.


I remember watching the Tintin cartoon on tv back in the early Nineties but I never read any of the comic strips so this is indeed a treat. If you want your own copy, then you can get one using the following:

Thrift Store Find: Spider-Man Water Squirter

To be honest, I had no clue what this toy was other than Spider-Man sitting on a barrel. I had to search Google and eBay to find out that it was a water squirter. According to the auction, this toy was released in 2002 by Playfully Years. The Spider-Man water squirter that I found was missing the bottom part. The toy is 2.5 inches overall. The back has 2001 Marvel and Playfully Yours China while the bottom has three holes. Not a bad find for fifty cents.

Thrift Store Find: C3PO, Spider-Man And Friends Pez

I actually found these Pez dispensers at a local thrift store on Thursday but I finally got around taking a picture of them today. I found C3PO from Star Wars, Spider-Man from Marvel Comics, Halloween Skull and Pebbles Flintstone for fifty cents each.

I also found a Pirates of the Caribbean telescope from McDonald's Happy Meal circa 2006 also for fifty cents.

Thrift Store Find: Silver Age Green Arrow Figure

I found the Green Arrow figure from the 1999 DC Super Heroes Silver Age Collection at a local thrift store this morning for only $6.50. The box appears never to have been open but there is a little wear and tear on the corners. The features includes a display stand, a bow that actually fires arrows and a cloth costume like the Mego dolls...er, action figures from the 1970s. This is a rare find for me for none of the local stores ever stocked these nine inch figures.

The back of the box has the following text:

The greatest heroes in the universe join forces to comat the world's most diabolical villains!

The Green Arrow
Real Name: Oliver Queen
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Eyes: Green
Marital Status: Single
Weight: 178 pounds
Hair: Blond

Oliver Queen, wealthy world traveler, was on a South Seas cruise when a sudden lurch threw him overboard. Currents carried him to a deserted jungle island, and upon regaining his senses, he realized that he would have to fend for himself. Inspired by his Robinson Crusoe-like situation, Oliver began developing his own method for catching food and protecting himself: an array of trick arrows.

Soon, Oliver was catching fish and fowl whis his net arrow, drill arrow, and a number of other types of arrows. He also created a green camouflage suit of leaves. One day, Oliver spotted a freighter anchored off the island. Swimming to the ship's side, Oliver realized that the ship had been overtaken by mutineers. Oliver used his trick arrows to rescue the crew, calling himself the Green Arrow. Upon his arrival back home again, he continued to protect innocent citizens as Green Arrow.


Front of Silver Age Green Arrow figure

Back of Silver Age Green Arrow figure

Thrift Store Finds: Star Trek Books

I actually found a whole bunch of Star Trek books at a local thrift store this morning but I could only pick up two (I had to buy medicine yesterday and that left me real short of cash). The ones that I picked up had to do with Marvel Comics and each were fifty cents. Marvel Illustrated Books: Star Trek is from January, 1982 and has three comic stories while Star Trek The Next Generation and X-Men: Planet X is from May 1998 and is an actual novel. Here are pictures of the front and back covers:

Front covers
Back covers

Spider-Man Wall Clinger 2004

I found a Spider-Man wall clinger from 2004 at a local thrift store on Saturday for fifty cents. He has the classic colors instead of the movie colors. The back of his left leg has 2004 Marvel, Gosrich Group, Inc. and Made In China. He originally came with a bottle of bubble bath that was not found at the thrift store.

Back of Spider-Man wall clinger

Front of Spider-Man wall clinger

Thrift Store Finds: Hulk Figure And Iron Man Regener8'rs Vechicle

I found two cool toys today at a local thrift store. They are a Hulk figure and an Iron Man Regener8'rs vehicle.

The Hulk figure has a feature that you can push his upper torso up and down thus giving having him go from six-pack abs to a four-pack. His arms and head does. 1996 is printed on the bottom of the Hulk's left foot.

The Iron Man Regener8'rs is a pretty cool vehicle that can be transformed into eight different vehicles. Not only does the three-part body twists and turns but the tires move 360 degrees. I can turn the Iron Man Regener8'rs into more than eight vehicles even if some of them will not roll properly.

Here are some pictures of the Hulk figure and Iron Man Regener8'rs vehicle:

Front of the Hulk figure and the top of Iron Man Regener8'rs vehicle

Back of the Hulk figure and the bottom of Iron Man Regener8'rs vehicle

Update: The Hulk figure is a rare McDonald's premium that came with Happy Meals in 1996.