Marine Headline News
Comic
book, card enthusiasts invade enlisted club
CAMP
FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan
— Close to 100 comic book and trading card
enthusiasts arrived throughout the day to buy, trade and sell
comic books, trading cards and sports memorabilia at the
monthly comic book and card show held here June 5 at the Globe
and Anchor enlisted club.
Five
vendors set up shop in the club, displaying a wide variety of
goods available to the patrons.
“We
started getting together to put on this show in May 1997
because I wanted comic book and card collecting to be
accessible to people living on base without people having to
order everything over the Internet,” said Gunnery Sgt.
Monroe Stueber, chief instructor for Special Operations
Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters
Group.
Some
people think the show is just about making money, but Stueber
explained that it is for people who appreciate comics and
cards.
“There
are three types of people (who) collect comics and cards,”
Stueber said. “There are collectors, hobbyists and
investors. Collectors buy new cards and comics so they have
that certain card or comic. Hobbyists buy cards and comics
that are (autographed) or worth money to enhance the value of
their collection. Investors buy comics and cards so they can
resell them at a higher price.”
Stueber,
who has been collecting sports cards and memorabilia for 34
years, says enthusiasts can find any comic they are looking
for at the show, and if vendors don’t have it, they can find
and obtain it for a customer.
“I’ve
been a Rams fan since 1969, and I started collecting
autographed cards. My collection and love for collecting grew
from there,” Stueber said.
According
to David Yip, who has been collecting comic books for more
than 10 years, a lot of people buy comics from the base
exchange or from bookstores, but they don’t offer the
variety people can find at the show.
“The
show is also a way for people with a common hobby to talk to
each other, have a good time and relax,” Yip said.
Despite
the stereotype that comics are purely forms of entertainment,
Yip said people can learn valuable life lessons from their
pages.
“Many
comics reflect events that are happening in the real world.
They talk about war or tough decisions and
sacrifice,” Yip said.
Yip
also believes comics are a way for children to read and enjoy
reading.
“If
children don’t like reading regular books, then parents
should give them comics books as a way to get their children
to read and help them continue to read,” Yip said.
Collecting
comics is a healthy hobby, according to Airman 1st Class Logan
Ayala, a F-15 Eagle tactical fighter armament weapons systems
apprentice.
“Some
people think that people who collect comics are very
unsociable, or they are ‘geeks,’ but we are just like
normal people just doing what we love,” Ayala said.
CAMP
FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan — David Yip, who has been collecting
comic books for more than ten years, holds up his most
valuable comic books during the comic book and card show June
5 at the Globe and Anchor enlisted club here. The comic books
at the time they were sold were worth less than three dollars
and now are worth more than $500.
(Official Marine Corps Photo by Pfc. Brandon R.
Holgersen) (Released)
