The Toy Box: Ron Marz

We've finally reached the end of the road of my visit to Big Lick NOVA 2023, a two day convention where so much happened it took me three months to talk about all of it. We wrap this all up with a nice big bow, the icing on the cake, the big kahuna, if you will.

In anticipation of meeting so many great creators of comics I've grown up with, I decided that I wanted to get a convention book to bring along to the show. A book that would ultimately become my souvenir that everyone I met would sign. Something that with each subsequent convention to come would just continue to gain more signatures.

There was only one book I could think of special enough to fit this bill, but that was far out of my price range in its original format. However, after searching and searching, I came across a wonder fan made version which was meticulously created using original scans from front to back, and even printed in the original size of this grail.

This fan made reprint of Amazing Fantasy 15 will become my center piece for all future conventions, having every creator I meet signing wherever they feel like on it. Front, back, inside, wherever. I only wish I had it when I went to Galaxycon 2023.

Art Suydam

Jim Shooter

Mark Waid

Michael Golden

Renee Witterstaetter

Rick Leonardi

Ron Marz

Even if I don't own something specific that someone worked on, this will serve as an opportunity to meet them, and get a signature. I can already see this book becoming my absolute favorite in my collection.

But, now we truly have reached the end. This completes my journey to Big Lick NOVA 2023. I hope those of you who stopped by each week over these past few months have enjoyed following me on this journey as much as I enjoyed going on it. The convention was amazing. A big thank you goes to all of the above signors of this book for being there, and for signing so many other books, as well as taking the time to chat. An even bigger and wholeheartedly thank you to Mr. Jim Shooter, the Stan Lee of my era of comic book reading. A truly generous man to his fans.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Go back with me to day one of Big Lick NOVA 2023. Back to when I had my brother, girlfriend, and George of G.I. Jigsaw getting books signed by Jim Shooter. While they had a select few Spider-Man books among them, for the most part, they were tasked (for lack of a better word) with various miscellaneous and one-shot books.

First up was Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. I'm not a big reader of this series, and as such, the books I own revolve around specific story arcs, or covers, such as these that follow the Death of Elektra and Born Again story lines, as well as the Marvel 25th Anniversary issue, and McFarlane cover.

Death of Elektra, skewered by Bullseye

Iconic cover art by Frank Miller

First battle of Daredevil versus the Punisher

First team-up of the Punisher and Daredevil

Kingpin discovers Daredevil's identity,
and Born Again part one, runs through
Daredevil #233

1st appearance of Sister Maggie
Murdock, a nun and Daredevil's
mother, and Origin of Daredevil
retold

Matt Murdock learns that Sister Maggie
is his mother

1st appearance of Nuke, the first
successful mutant test subject of
Weapon Plus who became Weapon
VII

Early Todd McFarlane art

Much like Daredevil, my collection of The Incredible Hulk is tightly confined. However, unlike the prior series, this one is not necessarily story driven, rather the majority of them are the issues which were penciled by Todd McFarlane. Sadly, Jim Shooter was not involved with that complete run.

1st appearance of Rick Jones as the Hulk

First cover art on a main Marvel title
by Todd McFarlane

1st appearance of the intelligent
Grey Hulk, and Peter David begins
writing on The Incredible Hulk title

Samuel Stearns becomes the Leader
again but his head is further mutated
with the appearance of a brain

Cover art by Steve Geiger, interior
art by Todd McFarlane

Todd McFarlane art

The Punisher is a series I used to own in its entirety, along with a complete run of all the spin-off titles. These days, I only own a handful of them.

On the opposite side of that spectrum is a series I never owned, but purchased when I started collecting comics again.

Also signed by Chris Claremont and
Josef Rubinstein when I met them
at Galaxycon 2023!

There were also a handful of miscellaneous books I got signed.

This first Fantastic Four issue is of particular importance to me, as it ends with the symbiote suit escaping its prison, and ultimately the Baxter building. It would lead to the first issue of Web of Spider-Man, and ultimately Venom.

The symbiote escapes the Baxter Building

I wish I would have gotten my issue one and twenty-one of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero signed by Jim when I was at Big Lick NOVA last year meeting Larry Hama. But, rectified now.

Also signed by Larry Hama at Big Lick 2022!

Early Todd McFarlane art

Also signed by Michael Golden that same day!

Also signed by Rick Leonardi that same day!

A very early appearance of the symbiote suit was featured in issue three of the Transformers mini-series.

Also signed by Rick Leonardi that same day!

Jim Shooter wasn't at all affiliated with this late issue of What If volume two, but since he wrote the original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, I was keen on getting him to sign it.

Switching gears to Spider-Man, that brings us to my run of Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham, which also includes Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham, the latter of which was the character's first full appearance.

1st appearance of Peter Porker, the
Spectacular Spider-Ham, Hulk
Bunny, Captain Americat, and
Goose Rider

Also signed by Michael Golden that same day!

1st appearance of Deerdevil, Batt Burdock

1st appearance of the Sub-Marsupial,
and the Asinine Torch

1st appearance of Ant Ant,
Waspbunny, and Sandmanatee

1st appearance of Galactypus, a
platypus version of Galactus, and
Kingpig

1st appearance of Nick Furry, Agent
of S.H.E.E.P.

1st team appearance of the Scavengers:
Black Panda, Squackeye, Quacksilver,
Scarlet Pooch, Pigeon, 1st appearance
of Kangaroo the Conqueror, and
Ultrog, a gorilla robot

1st team appearance of Croak and Badger

And, it all wraps up with some great Spider-Man one-shots!

1st appearance of Firestar, not in
regular continuity

1st and only appearance of Skip Westcott,
a teenage neighbor who inappropriately
touched Peter Parker when he was a
young boy

Death of Ned Leeds, Wolverine
discovers Peter Parker is Spider-Man,
and Spider-Man inadvertently kills a
woman by punching her, thinking
Wolverine snuck up on him

So many great books, so many wonderful signatures, and guess what? I'm not even done! The big books hit the Blog next week. The ones that I specifically went to the show for...

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Big Lick NOVA 2023! Part XIV: Convention Book

Big Lick NOVA 2023! Part XII: Jim Shooter Part VII