I picked up all four volumes of the Shang-Chi Omnibus along with both Deadly Hands of Kung Fu collections, and I wanted to keep them in great condition. So I stopped by a used bookstore that sells Brodart book covers—the plastic jackets that protect dust covers.

The man behind the counter said he wasn’t busy and offered to put the covers on for me. He mentioned he had a pile of comics in the back if I wanted to browse while he worked, and casually added that there were some Shang-Chi issues back there too—though he figured I might not be interested since I already had the omnibuses.

I went to take a look anyway… and sitting there was Marvel Spotlight #15 — Shang-Chi’s first appearance, in mint condition. At the time, the movie hadn’t come out yet, but it was already in production.

I picked it up and he said, “That’s been on the shelf for a couple decades. I’d like to see it go to a good home. Is twenty bucks a fair price?”

I agreed immediately.

Not long after that, the value of the comic shot up to around $800–$1,000. And to top it off, I later met Jim Starlin at a convention—and he signed it.