In the Dark

A journal by Tnerb

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About this journal

Oblivious to anything new

Entries in this journal

18 Months

I always felt weird when people would say my child is 18 months old instead of a year and a half. 18 months I have come a long way since I first started these journals. I have written both on a regular basis and sometimes erratically. In November I wrote 30 journals in 30 days as a precursor to actually having to write on a schedule. Now I write for Comicbooked.com and although they have not assigned me a set schedule I still want to write on a regular basis. I plan on doing this with a s
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Best Laid Plans

Hiatus.... What Hiatus? Best Laid Plans My budget is complete up till the end of June. I even have three miscellaneous categories just in case there's something extra I wish to purchase. Of course the unexpected does occur. May is the month I have my annual car inspection and as I budget for everything I did so for this, just not enough. I had plans to send CGC some of my own books. I wanted to send in three sets of 10, one in June, one in July, and one in August. I might just opt to wait
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<a href="http://Comicbooked.com">Comicbooked.com</a>

Can you believe there are others who do not know what fun it is to collect a CGC graded Comic Book? I love being able to talk about my experiences and the fun of collecting comic books graded by CGC. There are many websites out there that sell graded comics. I purchase mine from numerous sources. Over 10 years ago it might have been hypothesized that CGC would never last. After a few comic books sold for a minimum of $1 million each I would have to think those naysayers were proven wrong. A
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Pre-graded comic books.

We're talking about new comic books, I say new comic books.... I think DC did the right thing by lowering their prices to $2.99 a book. Almost every week in Comic Shop News I see an ad for DC ?holding the line at $2.99?. I was waiting for Marvel to follow. Before Joe Quesadda stepped down I remember reading that Marvel was going to do the same thing. I think this was in December. The months passed and every week I looked, I saw the same $3.99 price per book on the books I loved. There has been
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The Price of Gas Pt 3

No thanks, I'll walk. Finally Spring has arrived. My gas bill had increased during the winter months and now of course since it is Spring I no longer have to keep the heat on high (or even on at all). Although heating a basement apartment costs more, I don't think it was any colder this past year than the previous year. Unfortunately I forgot to turn the heat down more often than not. I spent more on my monthly bill than I wanted too but at least it was less than I budgeted. I take public tr
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The Cost of... Insurance

What would you do if you lost it all? I love my parents. This is for a few reasons. There are people out there that sometimes forget what their parents are to them. I have not. I have a Father and Stepmother that are wonderful and both love me unconditionally. They want what's best for me even when I don't know what that is. They also worry about me when I think they shouldn?t have to. So what does loving my parents have to do with insuring my comic book collection? I started writing Novembe
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My Deal Breaker

Why I wouldn't buy that 9.8 I remember talking to another collector and he mentioned to me that if a modern age book is anything but white pages then they don't want it. If I am not mistaken someone even wrote a Journal about why they wouldn't want a CGC graded comic book. Currently two of my 9.8's have off white to white pages, both of them are part of the signature series. I still bought them, although to be honest I overlooked the page quality. It never bothered me till that conversation an
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One Step Closer

Closing in on my original goal. Wednesday Morning I was on the el heading to see my father. My ear phones were on and I closed my eyes hoping by the time I saw my Dad I would be more awake. I finished an eight hour overnight shift and I always look forward to the weakly routine of coffee and comic books. Every Tuesday night I work on the register rather than serving tables. It?s a guaranteed eight hours at a guaranteed wage. This amount of time also gives me the moment to reflect on the comi
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What is in a Name?

Or Why I use Tnerb? I have been posting for almost a year and a half. During that time I have replied to other peoples posts and have done my best to replay back when someone answers mine. I like the friendship that others extend on this site. There are no freaks, geeks, or other alienated terms, we are collectors. This is both negative and positive. My comic books are an essential part of my life. Could I live without them, yea I can. Do I want too? No not at all. What I do love when I chec
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The Calm before the Storm

Do I really need it? I?ve been good (don?t we all admit this even when we are not). Really, I have been good. I have stopped spending beyond my means. I didn?t stop spending, just stopped frivolously. I do have two books I am paying off; both could be used in either New Mutant sets. I?m saving up for another four books I promised to purchase. Two from one seller and the other two from a friend, each book will be a step closer to completing a set. Normally I will also bid on other books or even
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Goals, Dreams, and Ambitions

Striving for that Final Aspiration We all have these. They could be as simple as getting through the day or as complex as providing for your family. If you?re reading this, it could also be finding the comic book you?ve been searching years for. It might be because you are coming closer to completing a set and the only thing stopping you is locating the books themselves. I have been doing my best to complete a CGC set of New Mutants. This includes all 100 issues, 7 annuals, 1 special, and th
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That's it, I'm done.

Enough is enough. For the past year and a half I have been writing journal after journal. I wrote what I was doing, what I did, and what I wanted to do. During this time I have also been diligent in what I have been collecting. I have solidified my second place standing in the full New Mutants set and also lost my 2nd place standing in the ?Liefeld? New Mutants set. So what am I to do? I have spent thousands of dollars on encapsulated comic books, enough to purchase a new car. Last year in t
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What if...?

Doesn't everyone ask themselves this question? I didn?t have consistent internet access when I purchased my first CGC, nor did I have it when I bought my copy of New Mutants #1 in a 9.8 at a local comic book show. I was able to get online with a laptop when I brought it to my friend?s house. He would let me use his wireless connection to get online. I used this primarily to check e-mails and not for on-line bidding. It was a few months later that my laptop broke (unfortunate demise) and I pu
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Juxtaposed

How things have changed... I started collecting comic books when they were sixty cents. That might not be more than some reading this but it is likely more than most. I got an allowance which was my original funds for my comic book collecting and I normally shied away from purchasing back issues. My main (immature) reasoning was the cost; back issues were too expensive compared to new issues. When books hit seventy-five cents apiece, the simple math was I could buy four books for the $3.00
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I'll take Comics for a hundred thousand Alex

What is Incredible Hulk #181? You're right. I'll take comics for a Million......So soon after Amazing Fantasy #15 in a 9.6 sold for 1.1 Million Dollars, another milestone occurred with the selling of Incredible Hulk #181 for $150,000. This book was originally graded over ten years ago by CGC in a 9.9 and was kept in a private collection till its recent sale through ComicLink.com. Here is what they said about the illustrious issue:....?Hulk #181 is by far the most significant comic book printed
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Million Dollar Comics

What do you mean they are only worth 30 points? This was originally Written for Comicbooked.com I thought it would be appropriate here too??   It finally happened; a silver age book broke the 1 million dollar barrier. A copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 recently sold for a whopping $1.1 million dollars, marking the first time in history a Silver Age comic book has breached the one million dollar price mark. Amazing Fantasy#15 featured the first appearance of the acclaimed comic book superhero Spi
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The Cost of... A Grade

If you don't notice the difference, does it matter? One of the books I desire in a high grade, higher than the one I already have is Daredevil #168. The current graded copy I have is a 9.2. This was the same back issue I bought as a teen in the eighties. However I would like a copy of this issue in a 9.8. Recently one sold on E-bay for a little over $500.00. With annual price guides stagnant, CGAnalyisis.com seems to be the way to go. After I posted my ?Price Guide? journals a few people rec
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New Mutants VS. Sandman

More goals for 2011 I know this hobby can get expensive. I added up what I spent in the last six months of last year and have decided not to spend as much this year. Normally from January 1st up until the convention in June I save my money. Now it seems I won?t be able to go for the full three days this year, so what am I still saving for? My goal for this year was written in another journal. I mentioned simple things I wanted to do. It is two months into the year and I picked up one CGC box
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My 125th Journal

Hey, I like to write, but I also like to read. 125 journals and I?m stll writing them. I started a blog and ended it because I didn?t like the site. I would start again if I could find a decent site, kind of like this one. I enjoy writing about my thoughts, feelings, and utter ramblings. I tend to post something when I am no longer in the top three or four days later. I wrote about this a long time ago in 3 VS 4. In every 25th journal I write about some of the journals I have enjoyed writing.
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Playing Pool VS. Wizard World 2011

OK! Now What?!? Recently I joined the American Pool Association, or otherwise known as the APA. The first connection with that anagram was three very different words. I had to pay an annual membership fee and I pay table fees every time I play. Currently we play once a week, and if I add everything up for a year it would still be cheaper than the Daredevil #1 in a 3.5 I bought. I have played pool since I was a teenager and have only now realized I wasn?t playing so much as I was hitting balls
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<a href="http://GPAnalysis.com">GPAnalysis.com</a>

Is it Worth it? As mentioned in my ?Price Guide? journals, the final price of a book and what it is worth all depends on what you want to pay for it. As I wrote those journals I was notified about the GPA. As it was with CGC, it was the same with GPA. I knew about the site and even used the free trial. This ?free? service is only good on three particular books. If you used the trial then you already know which ones they are. What got me curious to part with my ten dollars ($9.95) was not to
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The Cost of... a Pedigree

What is the real difference? I tried winning a Rocky Mountain Pedigree (oooh look at the sticker) in the latest ComicLink auction. I made sure to bid on a book I wanted rather than just to have an actual pedigree book. I limited myself to a $150 and after firmly setting myself to bid no higher, my final bid was $200. I didn?t win and the final tally was $220 the comic book I lost out on was Daredevil #164 with white pages (I know you were probably thinking it was Ro #1. It was probably a good
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No Guarantee...

Would you chance a Signature? I like to go to the Wizard World conventions to purchase books I can?t find in the area. My friend goes for the signatures, this year I think he is going for Bruce Campbell?s autograph. Lately I have been interested in the Signature Series so I might go this year just to get a few. I have a copy of New Mutants in a 9.8. it is an extra since I got a 9.9 and I?m thinking if there is someone there that has something to do with this book I might just have to get it si
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28 in 28

28 journals in 28 days....or something else. In November I challenged myself to write thirty journals in thirty days I succeeded in getting this done, but did I do a good job? I had ideas that I wrote and then posted, and then I had ideas I wanted to, topics that would only be justified by time and research. At times I think of a title and write based off that title?other times it is an idea and I just continue on until I either think I wrote too much or that I made my point. During my experim
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Approaching 10,000

Reaching another Milestone I have four more comic books coming my way. Three are for my collection and the fourth is to be a decorative gift for my best friends (soon to be) game room. I still use the books I get him for my registry points. These four will put me directly over (if only slightly) the 10,000 mark. Currently I am at 9900, unless of course there is an immediate point change due to any new algorithms. The most recent one that I had changed (without me doing anything) was my New Mut
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