hey all, I'm only fourteen to get things straight, and for christmas this year (yes I start making my list mighty early) I plan on getting alot of comic material, and i need some help deciding. So far on my list I have...

1 case of CM Heroclix (43 packs)
ZOMBIES! (a roleplaying game)
New head phones
And a subscription to Captain America, New X-men, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, U. Spiderman, and U. X-men

Now I need some comic books to get from these titles...

Dr. Strange (one where he battles dormammu or nightmare)
Silver Surfer (one where he battles another herald or thanos)
Spiderman (one where he fights A really strong villain)
Fantastic Four (one where they fight DOOM)

It's ok if its like, a three issue kinda thing, just no really old and expencive comics ($1-$10 is perfect). Also, I was looking at those Marvel encyclopedias the other day, and I got the Marvel (#1) and Spidy(being my favorite)(#4) and was just wondering what #2-#3 were focussed on. And lastly, I got SECRET WARS last year for Christmas, and... oh my god! I just had so much fun reading it! it has to be like one of my top 3 favorites ever! It was just so cool, especially with doom who is my favorite villain! so i was wondering if there are any other just high quality, fun to read, great adventure stories. ( especially ones with kinda like everybody in the story) ya know, like two or three of them. Oh yeah, AND NO DC!

THANX

A fly-by, top of the head combination of these two: Go for Fantastic Four # 257-260 for a combination. You'll get the FF, Doom, Silver Surfer and Terrax. The Surfer and Terrax have a fiery battle at the end. Those Byrne issues shouldn't be very much per issue, and you should shop around for the best price. An eBay search might be the best, easiest, first step.

Shibitz,

Not to be picky, but a case is 48 boosters. If your folks(or whoever you are giving your list to) wait till after CM comes out, they can pick up the case for a little cheaper than the preorder. The best option is to have them contact your local dealer, he can probably hook up a decent deal. ($230 or less) If not, there are a couple good websites, I'd direct your benefactors to www.gatherground.com, they seem to be the most reliable and have the best deals. I would avoid wwww. i c o n u s a , people have the most problems with them, in fact, the filters don't allow you to even spell their name out on this site, unless you use spaces like I did. Never a good sign.

As far as Secret Wars goes, I'm 30, and that is still my favorite series ever. Couldn't agree with you more. Hope you get lots on your list, and have a great holiday season!-Joel
p.s. Do a search on this site for "Ponchot". He made a bunch of Secret Wars clix custom style, and even made a Galactus, which is by far one of the sweetest customs I have ever seen. You should definitely check it out if you love SW. Later!

I'm in a christmas mood today, so I"ll just include the link to his site:

www.ponchot.com

I was going to mention that, but then I thought... let him be surprised if he finds out it's 5 more than he thought!

If you're paying much more than $220, including shipping, for a case, then you're being rooked. Check eBay right around the release date. Go with a high (positive) feedback vendor, and you'll likely be able to hook up with a case for around $200 + $10-15 for shipping.

While I C O N has gotten some horrible press I've found them to be pretty good, especially in terms of buying full cases. (Most of the complaints from way back involved suspicion of tampering with loose boosters.) The problem they generally have is their supply line; if one hasn't gotten his order in four months ahead of the release date then he's going to be stuck waiting for the second, third or so wave of shipments. My order went in in August, so I'm supposed to be getting mine from the first wave. I like that I get a tracking number as soon as my package enters the UPS system, so I know right when to expect it. Also, they don't charge your card until they're ready to ship, so if there are any delays and you find a better deal, you can call up, cancel, and move on.

I haven't looked at gatheringground in a while, though I don't recall being particularly impressed with them when I did look. Either that or there was some other reason I never ordered anything from them. I can't recall what it was, but considering how many I've bought from various places there must have been something I had a problem with. I should take another look.

The whole of Europe is. No surprise here.

EmperorNorton

Thanks for the clarification. I'll be honest, have never ordered from either company, but I keep close tabs on what folks say here. It has been a while since anyone has blasted i c o n So if you say they've cleaned up their act, I'd be inclined to believe you. I know that gg.com has cases for like $205-$210 total, including shipping, and many folks I've traded with swear by them. I usually order through my local retailer, and he hooks me up for about $220 total per case. I could get cheaper going elsewhere, but I believe in supporting my local retailer, and I know he appreciates it, as I do his fine service. Regardless, thanks for the info, hope this all helps shibitz, and that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!-Joel

$205-210 including shipping is a fine price - better than I C O N's $205 + shipping - and if I could get a case for $220 through a local dealer (well, after tax) I'd do it, too.

As for I C O N, I can only go by my experience. Some complained about shipping delays, but except for orders placed "late"on new releases they've been fast and reliable for me. More - and it's been a long time since I've heard it - complained that the boosters had been tampered with. I had some loose Hypertime that were suspect from them early on, but I still pulled some uniques out of them. Also, two of the three Nightcrawlers I pulled came from loose boosters I'd bought through them, so after a while I was inclined to think many of the tampering claims were a combination of bad luck and that I C sells loose figures, so they plainly cannibalize some of their inventory.

Thanks for the information, btw!

actually, I'm not getting it delivered to my house, The comic shop gets it, then takes out 5 of every case(so he has somewhere to get single clix. don't worry though, It'll cost $215+tax so i'm getting each pack for 5 dollars (or so)

Oh yeah, and how is INFINTY GAUNTLET (or whatever it's called) The one with thanos blowin up the universe, that looks pretty cool.

Well, in Amazing Spiderman #498-500, Dr. Strange fights Dormammu--thats very recent so its not in TPB format just yet, but I'm sure the single issues are still available. I think JMS should write a Dr Strange Series.

Silver Surfer (one where he battles another herald or thanos)
Can't really help you there.

Spiderman (one where he fights A really strong villain)
Again, sorry I got nothing here

Fantastic Four (one where they fight DOOM)
That's another easy one. In FF 67-500, there's a showdown with the good doctor, and there's something different about him this time...I won't spoil it for you. This should be really,really easy to get as it just came out in Trade Paper Back recently. Great stuff.
THANX [/b][/quote]

And boy, thats an expensive X-mas list!

The ultimate battle with Doom took place in #200. After that, get yourself a TP of Unthinkable.

Silver Surfer messed with Thanos from #37 to #50 of his last series. Should be pretty cheap now.

For Doctor Strange versus Nightmare and Dormamu. The Essential Doctor Strange vol 1. Steve Ditko always turned in a much better job on his Strange issues than on Spidey.

The Infinity Gauntlet was great (as was the whole trilogy).

However, for the best in Starlin, you should pick up the reprint series for Adam Warlock. Still in the top ten storylines ever to come from Marvel.

For Spidey, see if you can find the TP for his battle with Juggernaut. No I'm not kidding. It's an all time classic.

Whatever you do, don't read Secret Wars II.

I know you said no DC, but you had at least better read The Dark Knkight Returns, and The Dark Knight Strikes.

Actually anything by Frank Miller regardless of the company logo.

hey, are these ok? (and if they are, how much do they cost)

Silver Surfer - Kree/Skrull War
Infinity Gauntlet
Marvel: The end (love thanos)
Spiderman - Maximum Carnage
Spiderman - Spider slayer saga

Infinity guantlet I can actually get the six indivisual issues for $25, and The two spidy ones i can only get indivisually. what about the S/K war thow, can i get aTPB of that?

Good comic reads in my opinion:
Marvel
Hulk-future imperfect (tradepaperback)
Thanos Quest (tradepaperback? only 2issues)
X-Men Days of Future Past (tradepaperback)

DC
Cosmic Quest (tradepaperback? 4issues)
Kingdom Come (tradepaperback)
Alex Ross books

Merry Christmas!