General Zod

So my girlfriend laughed at me upon viewing that and said "yes, they are a real thing and you should have bought me a pair!" I bought her a baby Groot t-shirt and Spidey baby booties instead. And went home with nothing but cash after selling a few books. I did have a lot of fun at the con despite not sticking around the rest of the weekend to catch any celebs. Maybe next year - this was more about getting money for grading and upcoming house expenses. And hiding part of the profit from the little woman. Never disclose your full profits in case you want to splurge on a book later! My gift to you, ladies and gentlemen.

Phoenix Comicon 2017 Was anyone around to witness the armed man targeting the police? My best friend texted me about it and I was like, "gunman? What gunman?" I stuck just to the Exhibitor's Hall on the bottom floor so I never saw anything out of the ordinary. Except for this (no, not the blue people - I don't know who they are, like 50% of cosplayers these days):

This is why I asked. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Our-Army-At-War-151-CGC-8-5-DC-1965-1st-Enemy-Ace-Sgt-Rock-Cover-D12-cm-/351274501209?hash=item51c9978459:g:CsQAAOSwMpZUqEP1 That listing and two 9.0s (asking price $1,295 and 1,500) just came up today after I couldn't find anything in the ballpark even on Heritage Auctions within the past few years. For what it's worth, I ended up submitting it for grading. Those are the two best copies I've seen for sale but I felt my copy was well worth grading. Oh and the back is good. My scan actually doesn't do the book justice but it's a strong candidate for 8.5 if not better.

Now I need a drink. Eureka! Thank you sir. (And I didn't read in time to include the other reply with this one. I am sorry for inflating my post count.

Whenever the mood strikes you. I don't plan to whip you into obedience right now. I did get saluted at the Phoenix Comicon tonight, so I am satiated for now.

A pile of these?

Trying to get back in the saddle, that's what's up!

Our Army At War 151 value My apologies if this is the wrong section of the boards to post this here. I am struggling very hard to figure out the value of this book since I don't think a copy like this condition comes up for air often:

Lazyboy, I am struggling so hard to get your post accurately quoted and giving up for now. But: 1) I agree, ads aren't part of storylines and not really appearances. As for the flashback reference, people are now saying Domino in NM#98 isn't her first appearance because later it's revealed it was a shapeshifter or some other garbage and she "appears" for the first time in a flashback. Or something like that. I feel like I dropped acid just trying to make sense of what people have said about it. This doesn't need to be rocket science. 2) With all the one-shot type stories out there and some retcon-hopping out there, it's only going to get harder to keep up with (remember "One More Day"? Ugh) "is so-and-so really that person?" We're getting shape-shifters and copycat vigilantes. If some writer gets the hair-brained idea to turn Clark Kent into an impostor from day one and insist the new one is the true Superman today, we are going to have problems keeping the sanctity of what constitutes a first appearance even further. 3) I need an energy drink. My ADHD is getting worse these days and I had to re-write my response three times to get my point across. Clearly, I hope. Cheers.

Thank you! Arizona also has those. The big 3, plus many other good places. Even Sonic's.

Timing is indeed everything. Nearly every key book I bought between 2006-2009 during my intense buying period has been a home run or a grand slam. JoeyPost knows what I'm talking about. I focused almost solely on DC silver age keys (especially dark covers) and a couple of indies from the '80s. They're undoubtedly much more expensive to obtain now but $800 will still find you a delicious DC SA key with lots of room to grow, if you have about 5 years of patience. If you're a comic book collector looking for potential great returns, you can't be a Marvel fanboy.

Observations after a prolonged absence. 1. Wow, the boards look different. Will take some getting used to but I see positive things from it. 2. I found out what happened to Nik. I was in mourning last night having just told my girlfriend a few days ago why I refuse to sell a "crappy" book I sent to him for slabbing in jest for a grading contest here years ago. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. He affected us all in many good ways. Solid character which I know the world misses. 3. Glad to see comic collecting is still going strong. I really haven't been pleased with how Marvel (and to a bit lesser extent, DC) have been feeling anti-consumer with pricing, variants and re-booting but I guess I am not really their target demographic anymore somehow. What really bugs me is that they do almost nothing to make this much more kid-accessible price-point and story-wise. There is currently no real or sustainable way to grow the market with the younger generations through their philosophy. So who are they trying to keep or grab, if loyal readers like me get dumped along the way? I was reading since the late '70s! Why do I single out Marvel a bit more? One name: Joe Quesada. Forget David Gabriel. Joe has really done a lot of damage with his behind the scenes work. The quality of consistent storytelling has seriously dropped off a cliff under his watch. I feel the ship is getting out of control. 4. On the other hand the movies are pretty good. The quality across the board has been rising, even the DC ones (except for Suicide Squad - a real stinker aside from Margot Robbie stealing the show). Hopefully the bar will continue to get raised and we keep having more fun going to the theaters. 5. I see I don't recognize a lot of posters here. It's been a while since I last lurked or posted here. I don't seem to have enough free time for everything anymore. I need to finish school so I can pretend to work while I browse the boards. I would like a time machine or at least a remote that stops time. Thank you in advance if you get me one. 6. Cameos are the first appearances, screw you guys. Now I hear about flashbacks not counting. C'mon. First appearance is about timing. Argue all about what context it is in, but the first time someone appears, no matter what role it plays in the story, that's the first time a reader acknowledges the presence of said person/entity/amoeba. This needs to be uniform all across the board, too. Hulk #180 - first appearance. Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 - first appearance. Stop the madness! 7. JoeyP is still the man. 8. I'm hungry now. Are there any cookies in the back or do I have to go to In-and-Out to get something to eat? I know you don't have those in Florida. Which is a good reason why I moved. Humidity, screwballs and lack of In-and-Out? Nuh uh!

I've spoken to Mr. Perez twice. Seriously nice fellow. Best regards to him, hope he gets back to speed very soon.

Are they the only loose action figure grading company? I've had interest on and off in collecting figures but have never paid very good attention to who's doing the grading or the pricing market.

Sad for him and his family.