spracknetch23

I collected from about '86 on. At first it was Disney Gladstone comics, Heathcliff, Planet Terry, ALF, etc. I wasn't into the "cool stuff" until the '90s. Spider-man Saga is responsible for sparking my interest in collecting silver age superhero back issues. 

X-men and Spider-man for Sega Genesis

As much as I maybe should have in some cases (ASM 3), I could never hold on to my duplicates. There was always something else I wanted, so I sold the undercopy. 

The only exception: when I was a teenager, I had piles of books signed on the cover at cons (raw). As an adult I wanted an unsigned copy of some of those books, so for those few, I own a signed and unsigned copy. 

my 15

On 1/14/2022 at 10:13 AM, sorrenmj said:

I just received a copy of TMNT volume 4 #32 to finally complete my run of volume 4 - very happy! I have noticed issue 32 is ever so slightly smaller than the others? It looks legit, other than size is a few mm's smaller than the others in the series, but I am slightly anxious I have a fake/self printed copy. I'd feel a bit more relieved if others were able to let me know that theirs are smaller too? Thanks guys  

I no longer own any of the final four v4 issues, but I don't recall a size difference in #32. 

I can vouch for the fact that during the time between '97 and '03, most Turtles collectibles were dirt cheap (and you'd get a funny look if you asked dealers for them). I paid $10 for Archie original art pages and $100 for Eastman and Laird early pages. I also sold a ton of TMNT items dirt cheap at that time, among them an MOC Scratch and 2 bagged Chef Boyardee Super Shredders.   I'm not sure why I didn't buy a #1, 1st printing at that point in time, but I waited until 2013.

On 1/9/2022 at 7:52 PM, Professor K said:

Yikes! 15,600 for a 7.0 ASM 3 and the same price for an ungraded coverless AF 15 on HA. I'm shocked. And stunned. Very stunned.

That's insane. I'm never getting an AF 15 now 

Wow, I actually have this calendar stashed away somewhere. It was a random "comics" gift from a friend in like 2003, and has sat in storage since. I should display it this year. 

On 12/30/2021 at 4:00 PM, JDNYC said:

Is there a general opinion on having Kevin Eastman sign TMNT books that he didn't work on? Like Mirage Studio 'Guest Era' books? I know Kevin will sign them, but should I have it done?

Since he co-created the Turtles themselves, I think it's justified. 

On 12/28/2021 at 8:49 PM, William-James88 said:

Agreed, and I think the 4th and 5th print notion is flat out wrong. An extra printing is when a book sells well and they make more to fill the demand. These were reissues done later. That being said, I think the "4th print" stands on its own as a collectible since it is the first cover appearance of Shredder, something that hasn't been really acknowledged when talking of key Turtles comics .

His shadow appears on the cover of the first three printings. Would that count, or at least half-count, as a cover appearance? Would a reflection count? 

I loved TMNT 3 GB. I wonder if it holds up today. 

On 12/15/2021 at 2:48 PM, Pantodude said:

You mean "nicer copy"  Appreciate this one b/c it is nice.

Thanks, my old copy had a heavily faded cover, so this one has much better eye appeal IMO 

It could keep rising. The property is still going strong. Will kids grow up and be nostalgic about "Rise of the TMNT"? I can't understand how, but maybe. 

I've thought about selling as well, just because I'm not comfortable holding such an expensive single item. But for me it's the culmination of years of collecting, and something I'd never get back. So it's a difficult decision. 

Interesting. I've never heard of this error. Could be in all copies? I'm curious about this too. I no longer own a 5th print or I'd check mine.

On 11/11/2021 at 2:15 PM, DST said:

Well today is the day!  The final piece, ASM#7 has been found, has arrived, and is now in hand completing my linear run of AF15, ASM 1-20, and Annual 1 all in the same grade and page quality (5.0 White Pages).

This project started back in January 2019.  I had already had an ASM1 and ASM14 both in grade 5.0 in my collection.  It was during this month that I upgraded my AF15 from a 4.0 WP to 5.0 WP, which made this entire run a possibility.  From there I set my sights on procuring the original Sinister Six first appearances and Annual 1 all in the same grade and page quality.  I bought the Annual 1 first, a 5.0 WP to match my AF15 and ASM1, and over the next few months picked up the rest of 2, 3, 4, 9, 13 and 15.  I sacrificed some big books in my collection, including an X-Men 1 3.5 WP and DD1 4.5 WP to finance these purchases and make this all happen.  Nothing makes me happier than collecting ASM, so even though it was extremely difficult to part with those big SA keys, I don't regret it, especially with where I sit now.  By November 2019 I had acquired all of the first appearance and crossover keys between AF15/ASM1 and ASM20 (notably 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 16.  I thought I was done, but the collecting itch remained to fill in the gaps and make it a complete run from 1-20.  I know the completionists out there will suggest I acquire ST Annual 2, FF Annual 1, TTA 57, and ST 115, but I'm good with keeping this run all within the ASM title, with the exception of AF15 of course.  Two years later, on November 3rd, 2021, while I was sitting in an autobody shop parking lot at 8:30am waiting for my car's state inspection to be done, the final piece, ASM7, popped up on the ebay app on my phone.  I clicked buy it now, finally completing/accomplishing my goal

 

If you'll all indulge me, in the next few posts I'll do a little countdown from ASM20 to AF15 so you can see all of the books individually.  Thanks to everyone on the boards who kept their eyes peeled and supported me along this journey.

 

Just incredible, congrats! I bet you couldn't hit that BIN fast enough.

On 10/30/2021 at 8:39 PM, sorrenmj said:

Many thanks a lot for looking in the first place  Hopefully I will be able to track these down!

All I could find online is that Laird posted the issues in their entirety (I think) on his blog in 2010 and 2014:

http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/tmnt-volume-4-31.html

http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/tmnt-volume-4-32-digital-edition.html

On 10/30/2021 at 6:32 PM, sorrenmj said:

A long time ago Peter Laird made available volume 4 #31-32 available as free downloadable high quality pdf files. I can’t find these anywhere. I’d love them on my tablet as I don’t own the issues and would love to read volume 4 as far it ran. I own up to #30 and love the series. Does anyone have the pdf files or know where I may find these please? I’ve looked everywhere I know of online. Thanks for any help 

Just checked my files, thought for sure I'd have them, but I only have #29 and #30 as digital files. Good luck! 

There was still an original Turtles pinball machine at a rest area on my way to Chicago from Cleveland a few years back. I wonder if it's still there. 

Nice! I actually have a soft spot for that book as it was my first exposure to Mirage TMNT when I was a kid. Goofy story and an awesome cover. What's not to love?