My inner fanboy

I've been a comic book collector ever since I was 7 years old. I still have the very first one I ever owned: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures," Vol. 2, No. 23.

But it took a couple more years before I started to read the "real" comics. I still remember that day in July 1993 when I picked up a copy of "Uncanny X-Men" No. 302.

The floodgates were opened.

Over the next seven years, I became an avid reader of Marvel Comics, reading all the X-titles, while staying current with various other books such as "Avengers West Coast" and a few others. Since then, I've been an on-again, off-again collector, picking up a few titles here and there, but never staying consistant.

However, I recently started collecting again. It's a little strange to actually have money to spend on leisure reading. Sure I pick up novels, but there's something about comic books that creates nostalgia, taking me back to my childhood. And some of the stories are amazingly written. (If you get a chance, go pick up a copy of Mark Millar's "Kick-Ass")

Last night I pulled out my two long boxes of comics filled with hundreds of comics from my youth. I had forgotten how extensive my collection was. It was fun seeing how some of the issues I owned are worth more than $50, according to the books.

Granted, they would probably only garner $15 to $25 on eBay, but the monetary value doesn't matter. It's the stories inside them that do.

I haven't had a chance to finish categorizing them yet, but it's been fun picking up the forgotten treasures in my collection and reading them all over again.

Money makers (the ones that actually have some monetary value): "Ultimate Spider-Man" #5 ($75, supposedly), "Ultimate Spider-Man" #2 car cover ($50), a few other "Ultimate Spider-Mans" that are $15-30 (notice a trend?)

Issues that took me forever to hunt down: "Gambit" #1 Gold foil, "Marvel Mangaverse" #1

Comics that make me glad I read comics: "Kick-Ass," "JLA/Avengers," "Secret Invasion"