I just made a post about Giant Size Zine, but in the process I decided I’m ready to do something I’ve been thinking about for a while: post some pictures of my actual offline collection tied to Polaris!

First, the highlight: my copy of X-Men #49!

It’s not in perfect condition, obviously. Yet even in this condition, I was incredibly fortunate to meet someone who was willing to sell it at a price I could afford at the time.

Next, a few collectibles.

Not pictured: my copy of Lego Marvel Super Heroes (having trouble finding it), and the Super Hero Squad figurine for Lorna.

Women of Marvel there is a calendar I bought solely cause Lorna was included in it. I’ve never even opened it. I just wanted to buy it for Lorna.

I’m not a big collectibles person. The only thing I’ve bought collectibles for besides Lorna was Final Fantasy IV, for which I imported tons of stuff.

I don’t count collector’s editions of video games. If I get those, it’s usually either cause I feel the price isn’t too much, or I really support what it’s doing (e.g. Wolfenstein II).

Now for a bit of where my fandom started!

I’ll retell the tale. I discovered Polaris by happy accident when link-hopping around the Marvel wikia. After I found her, I immediately went out to a nearby comic book shop for the sole purpose of buying stuff with Lorna in it. I grabbed anything I saw with her on the cover, because at that point, I had no concept of what depictions of her were good, bad, whatever. I just wanted to read her.

I honestly don’t remember when or how Jeff Parker’s Exiles volume came into my hands. Maybe I bought it at the shop. Maybe I got it later. Maybe I knew some titles in advance before I went, or maybe I thumbed through to see if this random green-haired woman was Lorna before I picked it up.

In any case, these were among the first things I read with her in them.

Next, progress!

I bought every issue of All-New X-Factor. I could swear I bought two copies of ANXF #14, but I can’t find my second copy.

I vaguely remember what happened surrounding X-Factor #243. At the time, I wasn’t reading X-Factor. I expected the worst from Peter David before I gave him a fair shot, so I didn’t want to give him any money. When X-Factor #243 came around, though, I… still expected the worst. So I didn’t preorder. But it did grab my attention.

When it came out, and people spoke well of it, and I saw pages and panels to back it up, I went out and bought a copy. I would’ve bought two, but it was the last copy. I know because I talked with the shop owner about getting a second copy. That convo led to finding out there was a lot more interest than usual, and maybe Marvel would put out more copies with a variant cover because of it.

Never happened, because Marvel doesn’t have the kind of respect toward Lorna needed for such a thing to happen. But I held out hope for such a thing back then.

I gots one last picture.

When Secret Wars hit with some version of Lorna in multiple places, I started buying double copies to really show my support for more Lorna. The cost for these right here alone is $24, and it’s not all I bought. I bought all of SW:HoM, all of the final Magneto arc, and stuff like Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde too. In most cases, I also bought digital out of pocket. Meaning I basically bought three copies of the same book just cause Lorna was in it.

Then Marvel put Lorna into forced limbo for two years. That ended me going out to buy physical copies of comics.

I saw no reason to do it because first I figured any appearance she had would be a minor cameo. Something so they could say they technically used her before sending her into forced limbo again.

Then she settled on Blue, but I didn’t want to go out and buy physical yet because of how she was treated in Blue #8 and #9. I wanted to see improvement before I went and did it. Improvement never really came. Either it would be far too little to justify going to buy physical, or it would be undermined by Bunn putting Havok on a pedestal and making any progress for her into just a footnote or a boost for Havok’s story.

I have more comics featuring Lorna since 2009, but these are the highlights for me.