X-Entertainment | Return of the Comic Book Ads!

Return of the Comic Book Ads!

Return of the Comic Book Ads! I've been saving these up for months, and though none of 'em are really anything special, they're all personal favorites of mine. Take a trip back about twenty years or so, with ads from Abracadabra Magic Shop, the Fun House, and even a special deal where Spider-Man teams up with a cheese company to hand out backpacks. Hooray.

Posted by Matt on 05/07/2004. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 126 comments

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OMG! I was obsessed with CYOA books, in fact I bought a whole set of them off eBay a couple years ago so I could re-live my youth…My favorite of all of them was "Inside UFO 54-40" ! A brother and sister who were abducted by aliens abord this ship. These guys were one corrider choice away from ending the world, or ending up in paradise! Used to scare the shit out of me. Classic.

Chestnuts roasted by B-Dawg @ 05/07/2004 10:26 AM

Choose your own Adventure was the only reason that I went to the Bookmobile (Where the failed librarians worked). I have that same Sectaurs comic. I think I bought it in a series of 4 just to have all of them. Never really liked them. Chia part 5. Rember when Chris Elliot ordered a submarine on "Get a Life" and built it in his bathtub? Head Paperboy!

Chestnuts roasted by sixpointsix @ 05/07/2004 10:41 AM

Sweet Mother of Pearl! Mile High Comics was the biz-nomb!

Be sure to mention the hovercraft ads in your next article–if there is one (it floats on air!).

And I’m still waiting for Olympic to send me my 7 point Calculator Watch…

Chestnuts roasted by Slacker @ 05/07/2004 10:56 AM

Man, I remember reading my brother’s old Mario CYOA book, then being so inspired by it that I went to a used bookstore and bought a bunch of them. By a bunch, I mean two or three goosebumps ones, because I didn’t have much money.

Chestnuts roasted by Mr. Tiddlewinks the 3rd of Cuddlesville @ 05/07/2004 11:40 AM

You can find some CYOA gamebooks for download at http://www.the-underdogs.org/gamebook.php including three Super Mario ones.

None were better than The Way of the Tiger series, though.

Chestnuts roasted by Kwon @ 05/07/2004 11:41 AM

Actually, Mile High is still around at http://www.milehighcomics.com! They’re known for having way-too-high prices now, but if you’re looking for an issue you always know they’ve got it, and they tend to have a sale at any given time so if you wait for their 80% off sale that happens every few months you can get a heck of a deal.

Chestnuts roasted by VeganMike @ 05/07/2004 11:55 AM

I have two CYOA-type books, one from the Wizards, Warriors, & You line written by R.L. Stine, and a Doctor Who one. You think the Captain O operators had to wear those funky tiaras at work, even though no one outside of the boiler room would ever see them?

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 05/07/2004 11:59 AM

I used to spend many hours and dollars at Mile High Comics. I still have a bunch(in bad condition), that I keep around for reading. There are still a bunch of the stores around, but the Broadway ones are gone. Thanks for the memories Matt, brought me back to age 13 again.

Chestnuts roasted by Fugu C @ 05/07/2004 12:07 PM

Man oh Man. I remember Bonkers, that candy was soooo good. It’s so true, people not only didn’t want to hear me out when trying to sell for cash or prizes but they hated me with a passion for it. Especially my mother. I remember clearly all of the "they’re all gonna laugh at you," discouragement. I remember having that Quik mug, it was irresistible. Unfortunately I still remember when that rabbit mug shattering as it hit the ground. Sad, sad day.

Chestnuts roasted by G4L @ 05/07/2004 12:19 PM

I have about a dozen choose your own adventure books. All from different makers…Wizards, Warriors, and You…and a couple that had little tips. Certain decisions had a little "tip" page you could turn to in the back for a hint on the correct line of action. These were my favorite, because instead of the randmness of most CYOA, these you actually followed clues as to which path to take. I rememebr vividly a Dinosaur one and a Time Machine one.

Chestnuts roasted by Stilewalker @ 05/07/2004 12:29 PM

woooooohhhh 35th post!!!
really its pathetic how everybody clambers to be 1st post on here.

Chestnuts roasted by marc lewis @ 05/07/2004 12:35 PM

Yah Marc, real pathetic.

Chestnuts roasted by Clamors @ 05/07/2004 12:48 PM

CYOA is awesome, but most cross promotions with CYOA. I recently picked up some CYOA Transformer books from 1985 in a thrift shop (#1 and #3), and boy, are they as bland as hell.

#1: The Decipticons take over the Dinobots and have them rampage across a few farms. The Transformers save the day with with magnets.

#3: The Autobots have to escape from a cave full of Insecticons… No biggy…

Chestnuts roasted by Mr. Mr. Mr. @ 05/07/2004 12:56 PM

The Charles Atlas seal of approval!

I loved CYOA. I remember Superbike the most. And some one where the kid levitated.

Chestnuts roasted by Piscez @ 05/07/2004 1:19 PM

Just 2 quick comments…I had the CYOA book with the haunted house that if you did the wrong thing, you could be dismembered by the "scary" gardener, or be turned into mice to be eaten by the witches cat. No never affected me much! And I ordered a "ghost kit" from one of those comic ads when I was a child, and was totally dissipointed by the ghost (it was just a trash bag with a ballon to put inside), but I was added to a list where they sent me a catalog once a year…very thrilling for a nerdy 13 yr old. Flash forwars many years, and I’m working at my promotions job with a new name ( I work in radio) and in the mail one day comes …THE NEW JOHNSON-SMITH CATALOG! Even with my radio name on it! What a thrill to read after last seeing one 20 years previous…and as I sat and relived part of my childhood, I could help but think in the back of my head………how did they track me down?

Chestnuts roasted by superflash68 @ 05/07/2004 1:34 PM

Kids at school used to have CYOA races where we’d each pick one and start reading and see whose story went on for the longest before they ended up mutilated because no one ever got to the good ending on the first try.

Chestnuts roasted by Gabbylicious @ 05/07/2004 2:54 PM

http://www.peakentertainment.co.uk/monsters.htm
Whoa!

Chestnuts roasted by Behonkiss @ 05/07/2004 2:55 PM

Awesome! I have 3 old Batman comics with classic ads such as Megaman 2 and TMNT cereal! Very fun times..

Chestnuts roasted by Andrew @ 05/07/2004 2:56 PM

My sister’s Archie comic books had one of those ads that basically said "GET A BUNCH OF FREE JUNK IN THE MAIL" but not in so many words. Basically, it was give us your address and we’ll send you free samples and put you on every possible mailing list known to man. My parents started a recycling program after that…

Chestnuts roasted by Clambake @ 05/07/2004 2:57 PM

Oh, and no mention of Sea Monkeys?

Chestnuts roasted by Clambake @ 05/07/2004 2:58 PM

Holy shit… the Quik Bunny mug… I bet that’s still here in the house somewhere. I have to go tear my kitchen apart now.

Chestnuts roasted by Mike Fireball @ 05/07/2004 3:02 PM

I always loved the sea battle or civil war army men sets. By my rough estimation you got about 12,000 army men and it looked like a oil painting when you set it up.

Chestnuts roasted by Radworld @ 05/07/2004 3:10 PM

I’m with Clambake…Sea Monkeys have to be included in any discussion regarding Comic Book Ads. Those smelly little disgusting growth-stunted Mosquito Larva were quite entertaining.

Chestnuts roasted by Mark @ 05/07/2004 3:53 PM

No D&D ads?!?! I remember ads most prominently for the Monstrous Compendium and the various additional volumes (well, back then it was still sold in binder form) on the back, but I’m pretty certain there were plenty of other ads. Man, these things made me want to play D&D before I even had any idea what it was, I just knew that whatever was being advertised was something I wanted in on.

Guess I was fated to be a geek from the beginning.

Incidentally Mile High Comics still advertises in comics. They’ve had an ad running in Marvel (maybe DC, too lazy to get up and check) books for the past few months trying to get people to sell them high-grade copies of various golden and early silver age comics. Yeah. Cause I just had this 9.8 copy of Action Comics #1 (indeed one of the listed comics) lying around and I was wondering whether I should use it to wipe my ass or not. Anybody who reads comics and owns any of the issues mentioned knows what they’re worth and is either wanting to buy, not ever selling, or already sold it.

Most of the ads in comics anymore are the same shitty slick ads you’d see in any youth-oriented publication for videogames, candy, and movies. Marvel in particular keeps trying to push the most assinine crap just because it’s Marvel branded (in case I want to join a bolwing league and get a Hulk ball, purchase a set of Wolverine darts, or buy a Spider-Man cell phone)

Chestnuts roasted by Belgand @ 05/07/2004 4:06 PM

i was all about the CYOA books when i was a kid, and i still have a few of the, and i am pretty sure one of them is the fabled text containing gorga the space monster.
i had a couple of generic off-shoots, but my favorite ones were my choose your own horror or something like that..i had craven house horrors, and nightmare store, and i am pretty sure its not the most educational way to sepend your road trip to your grandmother’s house trying to avoid the crazy girl that wants to pour acid down your throat…
i used to always cheat and flip through the book finding the one or two "good" endings (read: you didn’t die) then i would follow the pages backwards and then be the hero of CYOA…
Thats right, i am proud to say that i had to cheat on a BOOK…

Chestnuts roasted by cycoyuk @ 05/07/2004 4:07 PM

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