Trying to find a single issue from a 90s run took me three months

I got it in my head that I needed Uncanny X-Men #304, the one with the first full appearance of Joseph. Figured it would be easy, it's not a key key. My local shop in Cleveland didn't have it. I checked every con within a two hour drive for two months, nothing. I finally caved and looked online, but the prices were stupid for the condition. I spent maybe 15 hours total digging through long boxes at different stores. I finally found a decent copy for cover price at a tiny shop in Akron I'd never heard of, just sitting there. The hunt was way harder than the actual comic was worth. Anyone else get stuck on a random issue that just vanishes from the earth?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_zara2mo ago

Used to think hunting in person was a waste of time. After a grind like that for some random Spider-Man issue, I get it now. The chase is its own weird reward.

hill.margaret1mo ago

Remember my friend's hunt for that old Moon Knight book?

angela_knight32mo ago

Finding that one book is a special kind of headache. Your hunt for Uncanny 304 sounds brutal, but at least you got the win. @the_zara is right about the chase, but man, sometimes the comic gods just hide the common stuff to mess with us.

wesleym482mo ago

Ever think some comics just go into hiding? I used to laugh at the idea of hunting for a single issue, but after my own wild goose chase for a random Alpha Flight book, I get it now.