The Clifton Comic Book Expo

Comic cons are fun. Well, except for the really big comic cons where there are so many people that it causes pinch points at every intersecting aisle and you're walking through chicken-tender-and-Mountain-Dew fueled fart clouds hourly. In cases like that, comic cons are less fun.

But what is fun are the small comic book shows, held in some unassuming hotel lobby or Elks lodge. And that's kind of what I'm getting at with the Clifton Comic Book Expo.

Held in the Clifton Community Recreation Center in Clifton, NJ (man, I typed "Clifton" a whole lot in these three paragraphs, didn't I?), the CCBE (managed to avoid it that time) allowed a small array of comic vendors to peddle their wares on a sunny, windy Sunday afternoon.

After an early show of TMNT 2, The Nerdy Pumpkin, Jonathan Nightmare and I headed north to check it out. The show had free admission, which was perfect because we got there two hours before it was scheduled to end, and even then people were already packing up and calling it a day. I rummaged through a few boxes, considered briefly a couple action figure and Funko Pop purchases, dropped $30 bucks between the three of us and we were on our way. Like I said: fun.

Anyway, here's a short video showing off some of the con.

Pug Productions puts on a number of small cons like these across the Northern Jersey area so if you're interested in checking out the next one, check out there site to stay abreast of their updates.

Wondering what I picked up? Well, check out this stack...

That's the result of browsing nearly every 50 cent bin in the joint. Taking a deeper look...

Three random issues of Dazzler to go with the #1 that I've had for years. Will I ever finish the run? Probably not, but this brings me a smidgen closer to that senseless goal.

A few issues of Sleepwalker. I have an affinity for obscure 90s super heroes so completing this run is more of a priority. I may already have that first issue in my collection but at 50 cents, I don't really care.

Now I know I have that first issue of Cloak and Dagger and yes, I bought a second one intentionally. But whatevs. Also, the issue Moon Knight joins the West Coast Avengers and a chromium cover issue of Silver Surfer, a comic that defines the 1990s.

Hey, remember what I said about 90s super heroes? I present Speedball #1 and #2 as proof.

What If is one of my favorite Marvel series. I have nothing to add to that statement. 

How about some popular 80s cartoons turned into comic books? One cannot go wrong with Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Roger Rabbit. And for a total of a buck fifty?

 And finally, a shitload of Supergirl comics spanning the 80s through the early 2000s. Supergirl is one of my favorite super heroines so this just felt natural. It was like a given when I saw all of them in the back of that box that I needed to just take them home with me. My only regret is that I didn't get so many more that the guy had.

Hopefully the dude will be at the next Pug Productions show and I can load up on a few more.