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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1980)
Superheroes boost some bank balances BEING PICKY David Heiligman, a junior jour nalism major and collector of comic books, is pictured here with a small portion of his collec tion. Heiligman estimates he could make a down payment on a new car with the comic books he has now. By GLENN KRAMPOTA Battalion Reporter David Heiligmann, a junior jour nalism major from San Antonio, re trieved a discarded comic book ab out a group of mutant teen-agers from a file cabinet. Today the 94th issue of The X-Men is worth $50, Heiligmann says. Not every issue of his 1,500 book collection returns such profit, he says, but the joys of comic book collecting have kept him at it for nine years. “I got started on a trip to Colora do,” he says. "I picked up a Justice League No.101 and I decided I wanted No. 100, too. These were part of a trilogy so I needed No.102 to complete the story." That is how he got started. By the time the 150th issue of the Justice League came out, he says, he had a complete set, one through 150. Heiligmann enjoys the artwork and storylines, he says, but the real lure is the fantasy air that surrounds them. “A lot of it’s the idea of having Alvarez guitars reflect the tone, touch, and craftsmanship you would expect in a much more expensive guitar. Attention has been given to every detail. Visit ^Keyboard Center and see for yourself! B SB it *858? Some models specially priced. PICK YOURS TODAY! KtyboARd La!/awai/Now g-\ for prime time CENTER Christmas MANOR EAST MALL delivery. 713/779-7080 BRYAN, TX 77801 ay yvkfw im mi mrvvmivvmiwwwinjmjvy ww mi mi mi mi mi TRI-STATE A&M SPORTING GOODS THE ‘PARALYZER’ TEAR GAS You Cannot Purchase a Safer, Stronger, More Effective Tear Gas or Chemical Device. • Twice the strength of competi tive aerosol devices. • Fast, simple easy to use. • Causes no permanent injury to assailant. • Performs perfectly in hot or cold weather. • Non-flammable and non- lethal. • Nozzles and valves will not clog. • 5 year guarantee. 3600 Old College Rd. 846-3280 846-3570 m: I Pocket Size Police Size VISA powers beyond the mortal ken,” he says. “That appeals to me.” And as Heiligmann’s experience with an unwanted X-Men comic illustrates, comic book collecting can be a sound investment. Ed Graham, a senior physics ma jor from San Antonio, also collects with an eye to the investment angle. His interests and methods of col lecting are a bit different though, he says. “I don’t overextend myself on older ones,” Graham says. He goes chiefly for current comic books, buying 20 separate comics a month. “I’m more of a book reader,” he says. “I O.D. on all these comics once a month and then that’s it until the next month." Graham says he has been buying comic books since before he can remember, but actively collect ing only for the last several years. And what is odd, he says, is that he can’t really remember how he be gan collecting. “I just started hanging on to a couple, I guess,” he says. “A few friends gave me some of theirs and it just picked up.” A third student collector has been at it for only about a year and a half. Doug Dodson of Alvin cannot now recall what caused him to pick up his first comic book. “I had read a few of my uncles’ when I was real young, but for the most part I thought comic books were pretty dumb," he says. “I bought a few once I got into college that turned out to be really good as far as the story went, so I started buying more and more,” Dodson says. “Some of them really are stupid, but after you buy them a while you get to where you know what to expect quality-wise.” Dodson said he is very interested in collecting older issues, and plans on doing so once he “gets his feet wet.” All three students engage in a