I’d Buy That For A Dollar: NEW MUTANTS #22 (December 1984)

Welcome to ‘I’d Buy That For A Dollar’ a column where I will be exploring the weird and wonderful world of dollar bin diving. The only rule is each and every comic is purchased for one dollar (or less!).

This week I’m focusing on The New Mutants #22. In this issue, superstars Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz co-headline a tale involving the New Mutants doing some danger room training. Night Crawler and Colossus make an appearance. Sunspot joins the Hellfire Club. And Wolfsbane writes a fairy tale. The story is classic Claremont and the setting and details allow Sienkiewicz to weave his surreal illustrative magic. Anyway, let’s jump right in and look at it!I'd Buy That For A Dollar

The New Mutants #22
Written by: Chris Claremont
Pencils and Inks by: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colors by: Glynis Wein
Letters by: Tom Orzechowski

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Here is my picture of the actual book. For a dollar bin book, it’s in great condition. Not that it matters much in the case of a buck, but when you got a Sienkiewicz cover, you want it as best as can be!

Fun detail: 60 cent cover price! Dollar bin book wasn’t even a dollar back then.

I'd Buy That For A Dollar
That black Spidey in the lower-left corner box is a dope touch!

One cool thing I wanted to highlight is the entire credits list for this issue. Notice the comic being called a ‘Production’. Paired with the ‘Once Upon a Time…’ on the cover it adds a total fairy tale vibe.

Id Buy That For A Dollar
Great use of layout here!

Also, that’s a who’s who of talent in this book. All the way to the editors.  Ann Nocenti, the editor, also had a super great run on Daredevil. And EiC Jim Shooter is well, a huge part of comics history. He started writing as a teenager, was EiC at both Marvel and DC and helped make Valiant popular in the 90s.

Part of the fun of combing through these books is also some of the ads of course. Here’s one for Mario Bros. for the Atari!  The ad is even a comic!

 

I'd Buy That For A Dollar
That’s for both the 2600 and 7800!

Alright onto some pages of the actual book. This comic is printed on newsprint, so these images have a very specific look and feel in the physical form. As awesome it looks here, flipping through the pages of Sienkiewicz art is even better. It reads well too as a one-off, which is a feat considering how dense Claremont’s stories have always been. Just take notice of all the lettering needed. That’s solid work by letterer Tom Orzechowski.

 

I'd Buy That For A Dollar
That’s a hell of a title page! Love how smooth Night Crawler moves. The lettering on that ‘BAMF’ is dope too!
I'd Buy That For A Doller
The squiggly panels here are fantastic. Such great detail. Everything also feels super lose but not messy. This one of the best pages in the issue!
Id Buy That For A Dollar
This drawing is my favorite image of this whole issue. So nutty.

Alright time to highlight another ad. Here’s one for Marvel’s line of ‘Secret Wars’ toys. These figures were some of the first comic book toys for a lot of folks (definitely for me). Again love how the ad uses the language of comics. These kinds of ads are all over the place in old comics.

I'd Buy That For A Doller
One of the best toylines of all time!

These series of pin-up style pages by Sienkiewicz are worth the dollar just by themselves. Enjoy!

I'd Buy That For A Dollar
Wolfsbane! Love how feral this page feels.
I'd Buy That For A Dollar
The colors here are awesome. Love the shapes too!
I'd Buy That For A Dollar
Another amazing image. The lave swirls on Magma are mesmerizing. That exploding volcano looks dope too.

Let’s end it with this cool Marvel Subscription page. Back then you could have these comics sent to your friggin’ mailbox at 16 issues for $6:50! Hell yeah!

I'd Buy That For A Dollar
Love they use Alpha Flight here.

You can find great dollar bins at almost every local comic shop. So find a shop, ask a comic clerk and start bin diving!

Got your own awesome dollar bin finds? Toss them at me! 
Send emails to manny@monkeysfightingrobots.com
Follow me on Instagram: _idbuythatforadollar_
Tweet at me: @MannyG1138

 

Manuel Gomez
Manuel Gomez
Assistant Comic Book Editor. Manny has been obsessed with comics since childhood. He reads some kind of comic every single day. He especially loves self-published books and dollar bin finds. 'Nuff said!