mackenzie999

This one isn't a story about risking life and limb over comics, just a stupid odd little anecdote. I have always really liked the Marvel price dots that is my avatar, even when I was very young. Back in the day I had a pretty sweet collection, including a near-complete run of FF, #2-200 or so. I did have a #1, but it was just a GRR with no price dot. This always bugged me enormously, so one day I decided I would add one myself. I was about ten, and I was a decent artist (eventually sold my collection to go to art school and have made a decent living as an animator) so I was sure that I could do a convincing job by hand with a magic marker. So, if any of you has the FF #1 with the magic marker price dot, know that is part of the so-rare-its-unrecognized MacKenzie999 Pedigree collection.

I was just about to add this.

Would being featured on a television show be something noted on the slab? Seems like a cool bit of provenance that could possibly be lost over time.

Very good for pulps is, well, very good!

Hi everyone... I have a hardcover first edition of the first Dark Tower book and it seems like now's the time to sell it. I really know nothing about grading or selling books, anyone have any suggestions how best to go about this? I'm guessing putting it up on eBay "as-is" is probably the way to go, but I'm uncertain about pricing, and perhaps there is a better venue than eBay. I can post pics if anyone is willing to offer opinions or suggestions. Thanks!

Very helpful, thanks guys

I always imagined Swamp Thing was a placeholder title until they got around to coming up with a better name, then just said f- it.

This whole debate could probably move in a more conclusive direction if we could attach comparable numbers to this statement, there is anecdotal evidence to support both sides of the argument. I haven't made the baseball cards analogy because I think that's kind of its own thing. Seems like baseball cards as a hobby have been a bit of a rollercoaster, but the ups are certainly there. Also baseball exists on many levels, as a spectator sport, as a recreational sport, youth leagues, in schools, etc. It really has been given every opportunity to succeed, and if there really is a recent card legitimately priced at half a million I'd say it's doing just fine. Having Disney backing you up is certainly a recipe for success, but I suspect it views Marvel mainly as a source of thousands of pre-scripted, pre-storyboarded properties it can turn into movies. I hope this keeps going on forever, but I suspect it will wax and wane, people will tire of it after a while, then a fresh new audience or major talent will pump it back up. But I still maintain that kids will not develop nostalgia for a medium that wasn't as prevalent as it was when some of us were kids. There will always be love for Bats and Spidey due to their corporate overlords, but when today's kid gets that collecting itch it will more likely be for toys or games. Exitmusicblue, you make a strong argument for optimism, and while I remain unconvinced, I really hope you are right.

There absolutely were, unless I am misunderstanding the kind of shop you mean. MTG didn't exist in the '70s but there were comic and gaming shops in Boston where I grew up.

Could not agree more. Skip everything I've written here, this post is everything.

I think the comic book format is what is getting old. Perhaps my take on this is alarmist although I'm not suggesting this will happen overnight, but to think this "ever-expanding market" will choose overpriced printed paper over other forms of media is patently naive. I'm not suggesting heroic and other genres of comics fiction will go away, just that the vectors for their delivery is evolving beyond the comic book format. What is that expression, evolve or die? There are a lot of comic fans in their peak earning years right now, and that will keep the hobby going for some time, but comics are no longer visible in every drugstore, 7-11 or supermarket, they are simply not an integral part of the childhood experience as they once were. Meanwhile tv is going through a golden age and special effects have matured to the point where anything that can be imagined can be put on film. Kids who grew up with all of this plus the internet may see some appeal in the original source material, and there will probably always be some collectors, but the demand will be for the more easily accessible, easily manageable and more environmentally friendly formats of media that they grow up with. I'm sorry if you find my arguments tiresome but this is in fact a discussion board where we discuss things. I've proven nothing, but my points are reasoned and thought out. If you find dissenting opinion to be alarming, perhaps this isn't the place for you. PS I've put a bit of time into these arguments but do not take this as my desire for the outcome I've been predicting. The absolute best conclusion this debate could take would be for me to be completely wrong and I welcome every effort towards that. I will gladly trade being made to look foolish for a firm belief that the collecting of paper comics will outlast me.

Any idea how many copies of HoS 92 were printed? Did some digging online but came up empty. Thanks!

And you think this would push movies, television and games behind comics at the big cons? But ok, I'll play. I can think of one surefire way to accelerate the decline of the hobby even more: make it even harder to find comics by taking away eBay and other online sources. There was an interesting thread a few weeks ago (and possibly still ongoing, I haven't checked lately) about a guy looking for advice on starting up an lcs. The majority advised that it was a bad idea, but those in favor, many with actual lcs experience, all suggested that it was pretty much essential to support the MTG card playing crowd in order to survive. Winter is coming...

Also, adjusting for inflation, comics are 4.5 x more expensive than they were in 1955

I remain unconvinced but I really hope you are right

Is the Sorcerer Supreme really shushing the Hulk?

Not the worst by a long shot, but an excellent example of Ditko jazz hands. I am really really really not a fan of Ditko.

I agree these characters will live on, but the media they exist in will also evolve. I think for people who did not grow up in eras of comic book ubiquity, people who grow up with access to pretty much the entire world of popular culture in their pockets, the idea of collecting paper versions of their favorite holodeck characters willseem pointless. Those people will surely be out there, and items like Action 1 will remain priceless antiques, but actual collectors of paper comics will dwindle significantly. This process has already begun. Look at what is ostensibly comic fandom's largest gathering, Comicon, and tell me, are paper comics still the main attraction there?

I believe digital media has caused a fundamental shift in the way people, particularly younger people, view consumption and collection. I think the availability and convenience of digital media trumps the fact that we old timers get a boner from the smell of old paper. My son, for example, is a huge consumer of popular culture and has access to pretty much any kind of cultural experience he wants. It would never occur to him to attach anything beyond face value to any of the things he consumes. When he is older I suspect nostalgia, if it hits him, will be more for experience than objects. I think the bonanza of comics-based film and video we are currently enjoying will eventually fade as all trends do, although I think this trend has longer legs than most. Collectors take comfort in the longevity of Superman and Batman, but ignore the lessons of Tarzan and Flash Gordon. As boomers age, the market will be flooded by collection dumps and the collecting population will die off. Young people may intrigued by the character of Spiderman, but will they seek out musty old paper with art/stories that haven't necessarily aged well in terms of modern storytelling sensibilities, or will they put on their goggles (or whatever new tech arrives) for a virtual swing around the towers of NYC? I've read most of this thread and some have put forth reasonable positive scenarios for comics future, but I feel these scenarios are more hopeful optimism than realistic possibility. I love my comics and have no desire to part with them, but I hate thinking that by the time I pass these along the market for them will have all but disappeared. My collection is relatively modest, probably around $10K today, and although I do expect it to creep up some over the next few years, I hate the idea of watching the value die a slow death over time. I love them too much to get rid of them, but it will be really disheartening to watch the value ebb away over the years.

Well I tried to make it a s s but it wouldn't let me

Not quite in the wild, but I discovered these boards in 2008 when I fell for an AF15 eBay scam where they put a nice repro cover on a coverless copy. I think I paid about $600 for it, which at the time was a rip but I really wish I had held onto it, I'm sure that's a great deal today.

Agreed, that's why I skipped the first FF Omnibus and went right to the good stuff!

I've heard there was debate in the bullpen about this issue's title. It was either going to be "The Coming of Galactus" or "Alicia Fixes the Silver Surfer a Sammich." And what the hell is she wearing?