Author Archive

New Issues: In Praise of Spidey Sense

April 12, 2011New Issues2 Comments

What distinguishes a superhero from a plain old “hero” are superpowers. The ability to fly, super-strength, heightened intelligence, etc. all qualify. Otherwise you’re just a do-gooder who would likely fall victim to a Green Goblin pumpkin bomb or Doctor Octopus’ tentacles. You need honest-to-god powers to compete in this

Remembrance of Comics Past: Amazing Spider-Man 252

By Mark Ginocchio

April 8, 2011Remembrance of Comics Past, the big box of comics8 Comments

It was probably a year or so before the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst was released when my then-girlfriend, now wife and I were at my parents’ house on a Saturday night for dinner. Typically, my mom always puts some coffee and dessert out after

New Issues: Amazing Spider-Man 655 and Power and Responsibility

By Mark Ginocchio

April 5, 2011New Issues2 Comments

As a companion to the “Remembrance of Comics Past” tomes I will post on Chasing Amazing, I thought it was also important to look at the other end of my collection — the new issues. Amazing Spider-Man is still a living, growing entity, publishing issues twice a month. I’ve

Remembrance of Comics Past: Amazing Spider-Man 63

By Mark Ginocchio

April 1, 2011Remembrance of Comics PastNo comments

Something I’d like to do with some regularity around here is to highlight specific issues of Amazing Spider-Man which I own and give you some background and insight about when and how I obtained them. While these posts may contain some general talking points about the issue itself, its

The March 2011 Haul and Am I a Robot?

By Mark Ginocchio

March 28, 2011monthly haul1 Comment

The haul: ASM #33 (Good/Very Good condition) ASM #48 (Good/Very Good condition) ASM #49 (Good/Very Good condition) Final Tally: 27 issues left for the complete run. I knocked three more back issues off my Spidey bucket list this month. Not too shabby, though I guess it’s a mild disappointment

Random Reflections: Seeing the Future, Longing for the Past

By Mark Ginocchio

March 15, 2011graphic novels, random reflections1 Comment

This past weekend, I decided to journey into a relatively new comic book shop in Brooklyn that had been featured in an episode of one of my favorite shows, HBO’s Bored to Death. When I walked inside, I was blown away by the store’s aesthetics: buffed hardwood floors, wall

Random Reflections: If I Had A Million Dollars

By Mark Ginocchio

March 9, 2011random reflectionsNo comments

Those familiar with both Spider-Man lore and history, and my personal quest and collection have occasionally asked me about my ultimate intentions to buy Amazing Fantasy #15 – aka the very first appearance of the Spider-Man character and the Holy Grail of Spidey comics. News that a private collector

Random Reflections: The Smell of Disappointment

By Mark Ginocchio

March 7, 2011random reflectionsNo comments

Apparently, one million comics is not quite as many as you think it would be – at least not if you’re in my shoes and you’re sifting through the million to try and find about 30 very specific issues. A few weeks back my wife received an e-mail about

The February 2011 Haul (And A Look at My Standards)

By Mark Ginocchio

March 2, 2011monthly haulNo comments

The haul: ASM #30 (Good plus condition) ASM #37 (Good plus condition) ASM #44 (Very Good minus condition) ASM #45 (Very Good condition) Final Tally: 31 issues left for the complete run. I feel like I made out pretty well this past month, grabbing four issues and getting an

How Did I Get Here?

By Mark Ginocchio

November 7, 2010Remembrance of Comics Past3 Comments

Many people have collections, and many people specifically collect comics. But I don’t know many people who are attempting to do what I’m currently doing: collecting every single Amazing Spider-Man dating back to issue #1, which was originally released about 18 years before I was even born. Let’s get