In the Dark

A journal by Tnerb

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About this journal

Oblivious to anything new

Entries in this journal

An experiment in selling

Or what it is worth to you might be different then what it's worth to me. I am curious on what a book is worth when there are no sales for "said" book. When I am asked what is a book worth I respond with "What's it worth to you?" I understand the answer sounds like a smart answer but I believe a book is worth what you decide to pay for it, regardless of what a price guide or the GPA might state. After telling myself I wasn't going to buy anything until next year I purchased a few more comi
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Passing 60

Or did my car really drive that fast? At one point of time I needed the best car I could afford. After the reality of my life set in I settled for a car. This last car, my current car has been the most reliable even though it is 25 years old. On longer trips I take back roads, like the trip to the Philadelphia Comic Con. Today though was different because the time I went I should have been sleeping. I decided to take the interstate from beginning to end. This allowed to get me there a lot earl
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Who Needs Sleep?

or If I gave up sleep I can work two jobs. Working nights is a good way to mess with your sleep schedule. There are times I am up for twenty hours sleep four and stay up twenty more. Today the Philadelphia Comic Con is hosting Herb Trimpe. His signature adorns one of my latest acquisitions. When I first started with my bags for the signatures I thought of being different with this book. I have his signature scrawled against Zabu. The angle seems to add to the signature like all those lessons
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Breaking News???

Or a day late and a dollar short Here I am at work and I checked my e-mail on my break. I received one from Classics Incorporated. It had nothing to do with my submissions but nonetheless I opened it curious to read what news had transpired. It looks like Matt Nelson will be joining the ranks of CGC. BUT, what does that mean for us, the collector. I can only speculate that with Matt and staff going, does that mean more graders. Will turn around times be dropping instead of growing? There is
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And It has Arrived

or I wish I could trust my Postal Worker For a little over a year now I have had to send my books to my parents house, well not actually just books but any package. After four went missing and the third only showed up because someone forged my signature I like to have them shipped to my parents. Of course this means I have to wait a little bit longer. My Incredible Hulk and X-Men books have not only arrived in Philadelphia but they are sitting comfortable at my parents and I might not be able
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I said I wasn't

or I guess I decided I was There was a book I bid $666 on. I talked about it in my journal 666. it was a book I had from my childhood that I don't know how I got it, especially since the book is older than me. I found one on Pedigree Comics and figured I would bid $250, I would just lose anyway. This same mentality got me a copy of Daredevil #1 in a 3.5. I was hanging out when I noticed that I did indeed one. Now of course I have to figure out how I am going to pay for it. I do have a few bu
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What if I'm Wrong?

Or is it a Sapling or an Oak? I have confirmation that my X-Men #109 is a Sugnature Series 9.8. The thing is this is only confirmed in my status area and not in the census. There is a mention of a 9.8 restored on the census but nowhere is there a mention about a 9.8 signature. I do know that a purple label can have a signature on it but wouldn't that be mentioned on the invoice. The books are on their way and although they will be delivered on Thursday, I won't get them to Wednesday of next
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Another on its way

or My second invoice from NYCC 2012 is coming back I wonder if it's just the signature series that get priority. Both invoices that are on its way back have been on time. CGC has kept to the allotted time as far as their current turnaround times...NOT the estimated times. And maybe they will get on track but I wonder if those that grade the comics will be grading the new movie lobby grading cards as part of their work load... http://www.cgccomics.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=3039&
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Expanding my Collection

or taking two steps back, to take one step forward. I have decided to get rid of some of my raw books. This will take place after I sell my graded copies I feel are no longer part of my collection. Some of them never should have been. At times in my life I have bought things just to buy them. This also includes CGC graded books. I normally try to sell them at the price I got them plus only a few bucks more because I just want my money back. Of course if I decide to sell X-Men #109 I will be se
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Another great day

Comic books in its way??? I know the invoice won't change on the weekend but I still look. On my modern invoice that I had fast tracked I received an e-mail confirmation before the site updated my information. I realized that I got excited waiting for these and maybe on the modern invoice going through the regular process I might start to get impatient. I don't think so since the books have to be somewhere and they might as well be at CGC. I have two books on the standard invoice that I gue
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Filming Again

Or Scene 4, Take 5...and Action. After a double shift at work talking about my good fortune with a recent grade a book of mine received, I realized they would rather talk about shoes. I got to chat with Ronnylama and then it was off to bed. The off to bed part didn't work our to well, it took another hour to finally doze off. Three hours later I was up and out of the house soon after. I'm sitting in my friends house waiting to travel to the site where the Zombies are once again going to ramp
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But, Is It an OAK?

or I'm stealing Bagofleas terminology. Not only did I get a fantastic grade on my Signature Series copy of X-Men #109 I won in my game of Nine Ball this evening, and let me tell you it felt like a great win. I was in control the whole time, something of a rarity I might add. And with that word rarity I am going to go back to talking about CGC graded comic books because if I don't I'll have to change the title to "How I won my Nine Ball game" I decided to see what other graded copies are out
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NEXT! Yes, 2nd Invoice Graded

or Why am I scared to look? It is day 15 for the next invoice I have at CGC. I turned this over at the NYCC after getting signatures from Herb Trimpe and Chris Claremont. The two issues in question are Incredible Hulk #109 and X-Men #109 before they went and became Uncanny. Once again I decided to jump right to the journals and write about it. I am not so much afraid of the grades but part of me knows that if they don't attain the grade I hoped for, I might be slightly upset. I purchased bot
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Selling on eBay Pt II

or One down and a lot more to go I was able to sell one book on eBay. I didn't make any money off of it but after all the fees and shipping I make my money back. That's all I am looking for. I don't need to make a profit I just need to feed my habit. I sold a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #674 in a 9.6. I hope it finds its way here on the registry because I think it would be pretty cool to know it is going to a good collection, like an X-Infernus I use to own. If I sell everything I plan on sel
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Getting Closer to my Goals

or Can I get all my New Mutants in a Signature Series The New Mutants set has 109 books in it. Every single book is from the series excluding Marvel Graphic Novel #4. When I first started this series I was in awe with someone else's collection. In fact I still am. There are some sets he has started to collect that one day I too will follow, but until then I have been happy in getting my books signed. I fell in love with the idea of an artist placing their scrawl on a book I own. I decided at
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I Blame Kaholo1256

or I might just give it a try I went to my LCS today and not only picked up this week's books but last week's books as well, not to mention I DID receive my New Mutants #54 Signature Series in a 9.8. I felt like I had a hefty haul, something I haven't had in a long time...OK conventions do NOT count. I picked up the books I wanted to read, including the all black cover of ShadowMan. However, this was the first time I picked up two number ones in a long time. I decided to give Iron Man a try
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Pissed at UPS

or How can I get my packages delivered? This is a rant, spelling and grammar be damned. I was all happy this morning when I checked my e-mail to see my package was delivered. I was going to have in my hands tomorrow my Signed Signature Series New Mutants #54. I even checked to see my standard invoice was scheduled for grading. I sent a text to my parents because I have had trouble getting my packages through the USPS service, in fact they stole four. Of course the USPS denied it and said that
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What is CVA?

Or is this something else I am going to get addicted too? Is something arriving on the scene so new and revolutionary that we will be upset we didn't start with it at the beginning. Will CVA be just as big in ten years as CGC is today? Will they be the next standard? Which bequeaths me to ask, what is CVA? What does it stand for? Are they another third party grading company? And is it worth it? CGC appeared in 2000 out of Parsippany NJ., a baby company sprouting from the already popular NGC
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What a week

or did seven days pass already? This week was a decent week. I made a good bit more than I budgeted for, I helped a friend with filming a movie, and I got some things done around the house. If I keep making what I have been making I might be able to buy a couple more comics books and all the ones Surfer99 has been showing makes me want to start finally collecting the X-men I wanted to get. However, I do know it would be better to pay off what I already purchased first, not to mention maybe g
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Zombie Casserole

Or this isn't the Comic Journal you're looking for So here I was this morning (Saturday November 3rd) waking up fifteen minutes before my alarm goes off and after only three hours of sleep. I promised a friend that I would be by to help him film his little "love child". You see as much as I have a distinct love for Comic books, his adoration is for Zombies, and not necessarily Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead. I have purchased a few of those and if you take a look at my set, those are the ones I
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My $2.83 an hour plan

Or I have to film a movie in the morning If I stick to my budget and don't buy any more graded comic books for the year I should be able to pay off what I spent at the NYCC, pay for the Marvel Graphic Novel #4, and pay off what I owe my parents all on $2.83 an hour. Even though work has slowed down I had a shift added and a shift dropped. Fortunately the added shift more than makes up for the dropped shift. I am hoping that the way the books at CGC are scattered I should not go through any m
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WOW! It's Shipped

or I really can't believe it. I was shocked when I got the e-mail saying something was being shipped to me. It has been a long time that CGC shipped me anything that I just figured I had a spam e-mail. I was curious though, I knew my New Mutants #54 was graded, I knew it was only a matter of time before they would ship it, I just didn't think it would be so quick. I turned over the books at the NYCC to be part of the signature series. I brought none books total. One book is going through Deser
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My Third 30 in 30

or it begins... One invoice is graded, the second invoice is marked verified, and the third invoice, the one that will take the longest is still marked received. I used three different tiers just to experiment and see how long it takes for each one. I have to say so far I am impressed at the first tier I used. Not to mention I know own my 34th New Mutants book in a SS 9.8. I am sitting around trying to get a few things done including placing some books on eBay. One book I took out of my "hav
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Hurricane Sandy

Or I made sure all my comics were placed at hip level for this? I figured if I worked during the hurricane I wouldn't stay at home looking on EBay to try to buy something I want or even worse, something I don't want. And while at work I could also make some money if people decided to brave the storm. I got lucky and unlucky and luckier still all in the same day. I was making money despite the horrific winds, but I didn't make the amount I spent on a book graded a 9.8 by CGC and signed by Bob M
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WOW! It's Graded

or WOW!!! It's Graded I didn't expect it; I just figured I would do my daily check and see about my New Mutants #54. I had this turned over at the NYCC earlier this month. I figured I would chance the signatures of Mike Mignola and Chris Claremont, much like Wallace did with his Marvel Graphic Novel #4. I expected to wait another week before I got impatient with them since I did pay the extra ten dollars for the fast track. I was charged on the 17th which I considered day zero. My Journal Five
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