Last week's story of my comic book beginnings left off just as I had discovered my first real comic store, Lady Jayne's at age 11. When I first found the store, I was excited, but when I stepped inside and saw long boxes full of old comics plus all the new titles, I was shocked. I hadn't known such paradise existed on Earth.

My limited 11-year old budget only let me purchase a few books that first time (a couple of tattered G.I. Joe back issues from the quarter box), but I returned the next week with some not-so-hard-earned allowance money.

First I checked out the DC titles which I had remembered from my earlier collecting days. I was confused at first because New Teen Titans had recently undergone a conversion to the Baxter format. I saw #3 of the new series and didn't realize it was a brand-new series, so I didn't buy it. I did buy my old favorite All-Star Squadron though. My other "must-have" title Captain Carrot was nowhere to be seen. (It had been cancelled during my buying hiatus.)

Since I still had some money in my pocket, I checked out some other DC titles including Flash, Action Comics, and Justice League. When I got home, I read them all cover-to-cover several times. I was hooked.

When I returned to the store a couple weeks later, I talked to the store owner and found out that I could get a hold-box where they would reserve new issues for me each month. This meant I wouldn't have to hunt down that missing issue every again. (I remembered how difficult New Teen Titans #5 (first series) had been for me to track down.) I immediately signed up for the minimum 5 titles required for such a reserve box, but I soon found 5 was not enough.

Within the next month, I was signed up for almost every regular DC super-hero title. Sure, I had to budget my money a little better to afford it, so my G.I. Joe toy purchasing would have to stop.(I felt peer pressure to do so anyway, because by this age action figures were not the "in-thing" to buy.)

My buying was still pretty much restricted to current issues, though I did try to fill in gaps on All-Star Squadron and Titans. Cover price was 75 cents, and back issues sold for 90, so I had to limit my back issue purchases.

Then one day while I was looking for a couple of New Teen Titans back issues, I happened to find Teen Titans #16 in the back issue box. It looked very different than "my" Titans and it cost 3 dollars. I didn't buy it, but I was intrigued.

I suppose I was naive in not realizing that "New" Teen Titans implied that an "Old" Teen Titans existed. Still this was my first exposure to Silver Age comics.

My return to DC was just in time for Crisis on Infinite Earths. I bought the entire series and DC's Who's Who which introduced me to a ton of new characters. Now I had some concept of DC's history and began buying back issues rabidly.

One of my early strategies resolved around footnotes that editors would include at the bottom of some panels that referenced events in other comics. I would note the issue that was referenced, then attempt to find and buy the back issue.

Over time my allowance increased, allowing me to buy more comics. At Christmas time another local store, Future Dreams, had a 50% off coupon for back issues. Some of my family gave me money for Christmas, so I headed to the store with cash burning a hole in my pocket and proceeded to buy hundreds of comics. By 1986 I had at least 2000 of them.

At one such Christmas sale in 1986, I overheard a conversation while searching back issue bins. A customer was telling a store employee that he owned every DC comic. The light bulb went off in my head. This was what I wanted to do too.

When I got home, I strategized a plan to achieve this new goal. On my next visit to Lady Jayne's I signed up for the remaining DC titles that I wasn't already buying including Swamp Thing, Demon, and a limited series called Watchmen. My next step was to use the Overstreet Price Guide to find out every DC that existed. It took a few weeks to make my list. It was larger than I thought it would be, but at the rate I was buying comics, it seemed achievable. Though I knew at the time early issues like Action #1 were worth thousands of dollars, it didn't occur to me how much money my goal would take.

At around this same time, I attended my first comic convention. I was stunned by the large dealers room filled with expensive books. I remember the first time I ever spent 5 dollars on a single comic, Flash #117 in NM condition. I knew this was where I'd be able to find all those comics that the local shops didn't have. The conventions were held 2 or 3 times a year. I always saved up money for them and would leave with long boxes full of back issues. I was obsessed with my task.

By the time I reached high school, I began to realize how much money this project was going to take. When I turned 16, I got an after-school job. My entire income was spent on comics. I received a discount from another store, so I switched shops. I soon bought a copy of every DC back issue they had, so again I switched stores.

I decided at that point to try adding other publishers to my buying list. I was soon buying Marvel too. As I got out of high school and continued to work, I had more money for comics, so I added Dark Horse, Valiant, and Image to my buying list. By 1992, I was considering opening my own store.

This period was also one of tremendous growth for the industry, as sales fueled largely by speculation grew. I hesitate to admit I contributed to that trend by buying multiple copies of popular titles. I justified it as buying inventory for my future store.

I made some good deals and bad during this time (none worse than buying hundreds of copies of X-Men #1), but by 1994 I decided to quit buying multiples. I also began managing a comic shop. However, the salary was so small, even with employee discount I made the decision to give up on buying stuff from other publishers and focus solely on DC. Cerebus was my only regularly purchased non-DC title after that.

I didn't stay employed at the shop for long, I quit and went back to my old job and salary. I also gave up the idea of opening my own store. I realized it wasn't a good financial risk for me.

By the mid-90s it was becoming increasingly difficult to find DC back issues I needed. Local stores and conventions only had stuff I already owned. I attended the San Diego Convention, but books were all high priced. I eventually turned to mail order to supply my habit. Still, the rate at which I purchased back issues slowed, as the ones I didn't have cost quite a bit, even when priced fairly.

When I switched careers in 1997 and took a computer job, I decided to learn how to design web pages. Naturally my first page was devoted to comics. That page has gradually morphed into what you see here today.

I've recently gone back to college. In January 2003, I made the decision to stop buying new books for awhile. The cost of comics and number of titles has grown incredible over recent years. With college expenses, I just can't afford them anymore. I already feel the withdrawl pains from not getting my DC "fix" each week. I am tracking what I have missed, but if/when I return has yet to be determined.