Comics... Online

Okay, so my inner childhood geek could be getting very happy. While I was going through my daily routine this morning, I followed a few references that led me to this: Marvel Comics are bringing their archives online. Now, it doesn't look like all of the titles are going to be going live (at least, no time soon) - they are mainly sticking to bringing the biggest guns out first.

Like famous first episodes from the beginning of the fmaous series (Spideman, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Hulk, etc.) - you don't get much bigger than those. Years ago, when I actively collected comics and consulting price guides, some of those were considered some of the Holy Grails for a collector, easily fetching price tags over $1,000 in good condition.

I've scanned some of the initial offerings, and many of the series that are listed are newer lines, or related to popular/famous characters. There are some "classics" (read: short, niche runs, or lines that rights have since been sold to other publishers) that I would love to have access to, to actually follow the entire series... like Transformers, GI Joe, Forgotten Realms - ones that hold a significant portion of my youth with them (not from reading the comics, per se, but my other interests as a kid as well).

I have picked up some graphic novel versions from the new publishers (for Transformers & GI Joe), and while I like the stories, and the art is incredibly sharper than the issues I grew up with, I grew up with them coming from Marvel.

Now, here's part of my dilema... there are only a few lines that I can see sinking into (at the moment) from Marvel... at least, there are holes in the lines (hey, it IS a new service, so it can't be to perfect off the bat, right?). Second, the only real time I can see myself spending a lot of time reading would be while at work (hehehe, but not that great of an environment). Third, there are other series and publisher lines I would like to see as well (Image's Spawn and WildCATS, to name a few)...

But the writer in me would love to explore the site, to explore the lines as "research" for possible techniques... how to build a story for a comic format.

But the options are there... to ponder the possibilities... to Marvel at the past, present, and possible future...

(Corny, I know, but I couldn't resist...)