Comic 3 pack love

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Back when I collected comics "seriously" (AKA when I was 11) the most dreaded thing to own was a "reprint". That Whitman symbol or a diamond price tag meant the comic was worthless and Willy, the local expert (and the only kid with an Overstreet Guide) was quick to point that out and shame you.

It's ironic now, some 30 years later that pretty much the only comics I collect are beat to crap Gold Key Star Treks and any Whitman 3 pack I can find. These 3 packs especially dominated every toy store and gift shop I visited as a kid and I bought a great deal of them.

Above is my latest score, the Black Hole three pack which includes the spell binding first chapter of "Beyond the Black Hold" Gold Key's attempt to keep the story line going.

Back in the day, my dad was actually friends with the guy who distributed these 3 packs in my area. One Saturday he went to visit him and I tagged along. In the giant warehouse full of these comics, I heard the man say "Take as many as you want" to me and he strolled back into his office. Just before my dad followed him, he turned to me and held up two fingers.

I spent the entire time trying to find two sets that had nothing but cool comics I didn't already own, it was heaven.

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[cjefferys]

Oh man, I loved those comics three packs when I was a kid. I remember looking at racks full of them at stores. I'd narrow it down to the ones with cool looking comics on the front and back, then from those I'd try to fiddle around with the bags just enough to hopefully get some hints on the hidden comic in the middle before I made my finally purchasing decision.

[rche]

three packs were a staple on any road trip. Love 'em.

[cjefferys]

Oh yeah, road trips definitely! I remember buying most of mine during family vacation/camping excursions when we stopped into a local department store.

[johnnystorm]

Those "Whitman" printings are now marketed as VARIANTS. I know there were a few Disney books that were high priced due to the fact they were ever only released in bagged packs, around the time Gold Key was closing up shop. You could really only buy these in Woolworth's, at least in my area. I remember getting some of the Charlton bags, I think they were a dollar or a bit less. Popeye, Beetle Bailey, & Blondie.

Been awhile since I've seen packs in the wild. A couple years ago a guy at the flea market had a bunch of DC Comics ones for $5 bucks each, I bought 'em all (& since sold them). I really like that Black Hole bagged set though- nice score. I'd love to come across the Star wars bags. I just know there are some unopened boxes sitting in warehouses somewhere!

[HardyGirl]

My got me 2 of those 3 packs that I remember; When I was almost 7, a Casper 3-pack for out airplane trip to CA, (I read all of them in in less than 2 hours, much to my mom's dismay), and then again when I was 11 she found a Looney Tunes 3-pack when we came to visit my older brother here in Oakland.

[EMCE Hammer]

The ones around here were completely random, and that middle comic was always a letdown for me. I'd always get two good issues with cliffhanger endings, and no hope of ever finding the next one in the series. The middle comic was usually a throwaway.

[Bruce Banner]

Absolutely loved those comic multibags.
Great memories.

[Earth 2 Chris]

It always weirded me out to see the Whitman smiley W in the middle of the DC bullet. That being said, I had a ton of those three packs!

Chris

[The Toyroom]

My DC and Marvel collection pretty much started with 3-Packs bought from Carl's Drugs. I too hated the Whitman logo. But ironically those command a higher premium now in the Overstreet Guide over the regular issues.

[Devlin]

When I first set out to organize my comic collection beyond just piling them up in a wooden chest, I was looking for a source of comic bags closer than the comic shop 45 minutes away, so my grandfather thought we should ask his friends at the local magazine and candy distributor. They had no insight into"collector supplies" per se, but they gave him a case of unused Whitman 3-pack bags (the "3 for $1.29" variety with the green-and-black header). We then installed pegboard on the walls of an aluminum garden shed I'd been using as a playhouse, dug out the peghooks left over from his defunct convenience store, and I then set out to hang everything three to a bag, alphabetized, and divided into major publishers. I had a table and chair and an old file cabinet that I used to file magazine-sized comics, and I eventually built a row of particle-board bins down the opposite wall. It was an impressive-looking setup, but it was a bit of a pain having to rearrange stuff in the bags whenever I acquired an issue that went in-between two already in a bag.

[EMCE Hammer]

That's a cool story, I bet you felt like a king in there.

[palitoy]

Yeah, that is killer. I remember playing news stand as a kid too.

[MysteryWho]

Those 3-packs were great but the hidden comic always frustrated me. As Cjeffreys said, I also used to twist and turn the bag, trying not to tear it, in order to get an idea what the hidden comic was.

[tay666]

Used to love those 3 packs.
Only had them at the one grocery store in my town. Value King.
I always snagged Star Wars, Conan, and Avengers one that I didn't already have.