How old was that can, like did you check the date on the bottom before you sprayed? The propellant or the oils can break down over time even if it still sprays fine, so a can that sat in a hot garage or cabinet for a couple years could totally fail on you. Wondering if yours was stored somewhere warm before that Phoenix trip.

There was a whole thread on a comic board about this exact thing last year. A guy tracked a Journey into Mystery for almost a year, then found one in a dollar bin at a show and said the win felt weird and empty. A few folks in there said the hunt builds the story you tell about the book, which is real. But most of them said a grail is a grail, and if the shop guy can get it for $180, that is just smart shopping. For a gift with a deadline, the hunt only matters if you enjoy losing auctions. Your brother gets the book either way, and he is gonna care way more about the Surfer than how you got it.