Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get into some old-school comics lately, you know, the classics. I got this idea stuck in my head that I wanted to read “Action Comics #242”, the one where Brainiac first shows up. That’s like, comic book history right there.
So first, I started hitting up local comic book stores. I went into a few shops, flipping through those plastic-wrapped comics, but no luck. Some of the guys working there told me it’s pretty rare, and I was thinking that my best bet was just walking into a bookstore and reading them there, but who even knows if they have that issue anymore? Also, I figured it would cost a fortune to buy.
Then, I remembered seeing a post online about someone finding an old copy of Action Comics. So I checked online and found this auction site selling a graded copy, “Action Comics #242 CGC 4.5 1958 OW/W 1st Braniac, Kandor!”. It was cool to see, but way out of my price range. I mean, I just wanted to read the darn thing, not own a collector’s item!
- I searched for digital versions next.
- I found some sites that had scans of old comics.
- Finally, I stumbled upon a site that actually had Action Comics #242!
It wasn’t perfect, but I could read the whole thing. It was awesome to finally see how the Brainiac story started. Also, I found this other issue, “Action Comics #1073 (2024)”. It talked about Superman and Mon-El racing against time. Not bad.
Reading it online was a total win.
It might not be the same as holding the actual comic, but it was free and I got to experience a piece of comic book history. Plus, now I’m on a roll, digging through more digital comics. Who needs to spend a ton of money when you can find this stuff online? I got to learn a new word today, too. Kandor. I didn’t know that was a place.