SHOPTALK : Comic-Book Heroes
THOSE STILL FASCINATED with the real (that is, comic-book) Superman, Batman and Spiderman can thank Rick Werft, owner of the Comic Castle in Fullerton and Funtime Comics in Pomona, for keeping their larger-than-life heroes alive in all their original glory. Both shops stock impressive comic-book collections that date from the 1940s and ‘50s (the Golden Age of the comic book) through the ‘60s (the Silver Age), until present day.
Comic books and such heroes notwithstanding, the real value of the Comic Castle for the wily few in-the-know is its exclusive collection of TV Guides. Currently, there are about 500 of the popular little magazines in stock, including issues from 1957 to 1979. Prices run from 50 cents to $200, depending on the celebrity who graces the cover (a 1966 TV Guide featuring “Batman” star Adam West is priced at $75) and whether or not it is a Fall Preview issue. (Also noteworthy are the Los Angeles Times television logs from the ‘60s.)
Comic-book prices are determined by the identity of the artist, the condition of the book and its series number. A Spiderman No. 1, for example, can run as high as $3,000. According to Werft, the X-Men series that sell for $1 an issue are the most in demand. “For some reason, many people identify with these misunderstood mutant teen-agers.”
Comic Castle, 107 W. Amerige, Fullerton, (714) 879-6160; Funtime Comics, 147 E. 2nd St., Pomona, (714) 629-8860.