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surfer99

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Journal Entries posted by surfer99

  1. surfer99
    Latest addition...3 years, worth the wait!
    I let this one get away from me a couple times, once on eBay a few months ago, and three years before that at the SDCC. Check out this comment I made in my Success at SDCC!!! journal from 2009- It killed me, but I had to pass on a FF #104 CGC 9.6...it was in my hand, but the seller wouldnt take less than $600 and thats not gonna happen. So glad I held out, because I finally picked it up, and for less than half that price! This is proof that good things do come to those who wait!
    There are a number of reasons I love this book...
    1) Published the year I was born so theres some sentimental attachment there- I was a baby when this book Im holding in my hands was made, and it looks better than if it had just come off the rack!
    2) Features an appearance by President Nixon, before he committed suicide in Cap #175
    3) Oldest X-men (or X-villain) cover appearance after the flagship title entered reprint mode
    4) Continues the story from X-men #63
    I will elaborate on that last point. The first thing I thought of when I saw this cover for the first time was, Why is Magneto wearing this weird outfit? So I did a little research. It started with Magnetos defeat in Avengers #53 which led to X-men #62-63 where it was revealed that Magneto had fallen down an ocean gorge and into an underground series of caverns leading to the Savage Land. The new suit Magneto created for himself served two purposes- to allow movement to his damaged limbs (presumably suffered in the fall), and to syphon off the majority of his magnetic powers which he used to mutate the Savage Land natives (reminds me of the device Magneto used in the X-men movie to mutate Senator Robert Kelly). When the Sub-Mariner found Magneto unconscience on the outskirts of the Savage Land in Fantastic Four #102 he was still wearing this outfit.
    I think its pretty cool that Stan Lee and John Romita continued with the same outfit and storyline for Magneto in Fantastic Four #102-104 that Roy Thomas and Neal Adams began a year earlier in X-men #62-63. Im sure it helped that Stan was the editor too- way to keep up with continuity Stan, we do notice and appreciate it!
    Note: While in the Savage Land, Magneto also took the liberty of creating an energy-draining costume for Angel which he used against the X-men in Avengers #111, but thats a story from another journal (What happened to the X-men Part 2).
    Til next time...
    ***

  2. surfer99
    Latest addition?closer to my goal
    I love this book, and what?s more it gets me one giant step closer to my goal which is to collect an X-men ?set? of my own design. I had to make some hard decisions to pay for it (took a page out of Tnerb?s book and sold some of my other books that weren?t as critical to my collection), but it was well worth it. I?d like to collect all the X-men appearances (featuring two or more team members/villains?not including flashbacks) in CGC 9.6 condition during the time between teams (from X-men #66, Mar 1970 to X-men #94, Aug 1975) when the ?X-men? title was in re-print status:
    03/70 ---------- OLD X-MEN ENDS ----------
    04/72 Incredible Hulk #150 (Havok, Polaris)
    05/72 Amazing Adventures #12 (Beast, X-men)
    07/72 Amazing Adventures #13 (Beast, Blob)
    09/72 Marvel Team-up #4 (X-men)
    11/72 Amazing Adventures #15 (Beast, X-men)
    01/73 Amazing Adventures #16 (Beast, Juggernaut)
    03/73 Incredible Hulk #161 (Beast, Mimic)
    04/73 Avengers #110 (X-men)
    05/73 Avengers #111 (X-men)
    02/74 Incredible Hulk #172 (X-men)
    04/74 Captain America #172 (X-men)
    05/74 Captain America #173 (X-men)
    06/74 Captain America #174 (X-men)
    07/74 Captain America #175 (X-men)
    07/74 Marvel Team-up #23 (Iceman, X-men)
    09/74 Defenders #15 (Magneto, Blob, Professor X)
    10/74 Defenders #16 (Magneto, Blob, Professor X)
    08/75 ---------- NEW X-MEN BEGINS ----------
    I have reader copies of all these and just love the stories, art and covers SO much! Currently I only need Amazing Adventures #12, #13, #15, Hulk #161, Marvel Team-up #23 and Defenders #16 to complete my little mini-collection. These are not as difficult to find as my other books, but they?re not cheap. Hopefully I?ll have them before too long, but for now I am REALLY enjoying owning my Marvel Team-up #4! My goal after attaining graded copies of the above is to complete my CGC sets of Amazing Adventures #11-#17 and X-men #94-#143. From there, who knows? One thing I do know though?I will never get tired of collecting!
    Til next time?
     
    ***

  3. surfer99
    Latest addition...at last.
    The title of this journal was either going to be ?Getting outbid blows? or ?Latest addition?. I?m thankful it?s the latter and I?m still trippin that I actually own this comic (I elected to wait until the book was actually in my hand before posting this). It?s been a long stressful crazy road. This is the first comic I?ve ever bought from an auction site (company name withheld) outside of eBay and the experience has been nerve-racking to say the least. The auction was announced a MONTH before it began so there was plenty of time for the anticipation to build. It seemed like forever before the auction finally started and then I didn?t want to bid right away because it might generate more interest in the book than I wanted, and drive up the price. At the same time I didn?t want to wait too long and risk something going wrong (I?ve kicked myself before for waiting too long to bid and forgetting about it until the auction was already over). So about three days before the auction was scheduled to end, I placed a large bid and became ?high bidder?. Now I just had to wait until Saturday at 10:00PM EST for the auction to end to see if I won.
    This is where it gets weird. I tried to login to the auction website at around 6:30PM on Saturday to see how I was doing, but I couldn?t get on. I was finally able to login and check the auction about 15 minutes or so AFTER the auction was scheduled to end. I was still high bidder, but just barely. The current bid was within a few dollars of my maximum bid amount, but the auction showed an end date/time of Sunday at 10:00PM EST. Say what?!? The auction should have ended, but instead it?s been extended another day? I immediately e-mailed the tech support/customer service team for the auction site to find out what happened and express my concerns (I should have won the book, but instead the chances are now very good that I?ll get outbid). Their customer support was very understanding and supportive, and advised they would end the listing immediately, making me the winner of the auction. Sure enough, I brought up my account and it said ?Congratulations! You are winner of this book.? Score!!!
    Then about 30 minutes later I get an e-mail from a senior executive at the auction website who explained the problem. Turns out the images were so large on all their current auctions and so many people were trying to access the site that their systems crashed. Because of this, bidders were not able to login and place their bids during the last couple hours of the auctions. Their solution was to disallow viewing of the large scans toward the end of the auctions going forward and to extend the current auctions another 24 hours so that anyone who was unable to access the site to place their bids would have the opportunity to do so. I'm thinking, that?s great but I was already assured this book was mine...right? Or are you saying that I?m out of luck now?
    The next day I checked the auction and it still showed that I had won, but it didn?t give me the option of completing my checkout. I sent an e-mail to customer support and asked why I could not purchase the book. I was told a customer service manager would be contacting me on Monday to discuss it. Uh-oh, that doesn?t sound good, so I asked if I had cause for concern. The senior executive responded this time and assured me there was no need to be concerned. He stated I had won the comic, but an invoice had to be created manually. He advised my credit card would be charged and my book would be sent. It took a few days, but my credit card was finally charged. Even then, it wasn?t until I received the book yesterday that I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions! I?m thankful to the Staff and the Executive Team at this auction website for making the right call and I will hopefully be using them again in the near future.
    So why all the fuss over this book you ask? There are many reasons?it?s from the early Bronze Age (1973), it?s the HIGHEST graded copy on the census (only 11 copies exist in this grade out of only 46 total graded copies), it features a terrific battle cover with one of my favorite villains (Juggernaut), not to mention The Avengers and Spider-man, widely recognized as the best looking cover of the entire series, and it rarely EVER becomes available for sale (according to GPAnalysis there is only 1 copy of this book for sale on average in this grade each year; the last sale was 04/08/2007). I am extremely fortunate and thankful to have added this book to my collection.
    Til next time.
     
    ***

  4. surfer99
    Latest addition?second chances.
    This has been the best month of collecting in my life. I was able to find and purchase both of the comics that have been at the very TOP of my ?must have? list for the last couple years. What are the odds of both of them coming up for sale at the same time, let alone becoming high bidder on both?!?
    I could not believe it when I saw this book up for auction on eBay again, and listed by a seller who primarily deals in electronics no less (how he ever got a hold of it I?ll never know). This same exact book, same CGC serial number and everything, got away from me in May 2008 when I was outbid (don?t you just hate that?) by a collector of old U.S. dollar bills. That experience haunted me for weeks afterward, but it all worked out in the end cause now I got it, AND for $100 less than it sold for the first time!!! I still had to sell a couple of my minor keys to help pay for it, but its well worth it.
    This book has so much going for it?it?s from the early Bronze Age (1973), it?s the second highest grade on the census (there are only 2 copies graded higher at 9.8, out of only 74 total graded copies) with WHITE pages, it features what I consider to be one of the best covers?ever?with Magneto standing triumphant over the defeated X-men and The Avengers next on his hit list, and it rarely EVER becomes available for sale (according to GPAnalysis there are only 2 copies of this book for sale on average in this grade each year). I have no intention of ever letting this one get away from me again!
    FYI- I recently added back cover scans to all of my books. I decided it would be cool to check out all of the old advertisements (Chopcycles? Sweet!). My gallery also looks a lot better without having to look at ?image not available? anymore.
    Til next time.
     
    ***

  5. surfer99
    Latest addition, 1st appearance?
    This is one I?ve wanted for a long time and it?s been really hard to find in high grade. I was searching on ComicLink and saw that one had sold a couple months ago and was bummed because I would?ve paid more than what it sold for, but then I did a search on eBay and found the exact same copy/serial number?which I ended up getting for almost half the price! It features the first appearance of the Silver Samurai (real name: Kenuichio Harada) and sports a great battle cover against Daredevil. Crazy how different he looked then compared to the Modern Age where he?s all decked out in his silver garb. Reminds me of how different Bullseye looked in S.H.I.E.L.D. #15 compared to Daredevil #131 (I realize they?re not the same person, but they did take on the same identity). The Silver Samurai and Wolverine have had some fierce battles over the years and they have a long history together (he is the half-brother of Wolverine?s love, Mariko Yashida). He?s a great character and I?m very happy to be adding this gem to my collection.
    http://marvel.com/universe/Silver_Samurai
    http://www.comicvine.com/silver-samurai/29-3174/
    Decided to do some searching on the internet for the Silver Samurai and learned that he is purported to be a central character in the new Wolverine movie scheduled for 2013! According to rumors Ken Wantanabe is being considered for the role. That would be pretty cool (and funny since they?re both named ?Ken?)!
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430132/
    1979 X-men #128 CGC 9.6
    I also just picked up a CGC 9.6 copy of X-men 128 for a really good price. I love the cover on this one, and the fact that it stars Proteus?the mutant Wolverine fears because of his reality warping abilities! Makes sense, Wolverine relies on his heightened senses for everything and when he can?t rely on them he completely freaks out. ?A fist of ice closes around Nightcrawler?s heart as ? for the first time since they both joined the X-men ? he hears the sound of fear in Wolverine?s voice.? (Excerpt from X-men #127.) Great story!
    http://marvel.wikia.com/Kevin_MacTaggert_%28Earth-616%29
    Til next time?
    ***

  6. surfer99
    Final addition?
    My final CGC purchase of 2010 is Iron Fist #15 CGC 9.6 with white pages. It?s fitting that my last book of the year is also the last book in this series. I didn?t plan on buying anymore comics this year, but I had to bid on this and was shocked and ecstatic when I won. In this issue, Iron Fist meets the X-men for the first time?and of course misunderstandings become a battle royale! Good times. As an added bonus, this book has the third highest point total in my collection so far (behind Hulk 181 CGC 8.0 and X-men 107 CGC 9.6). A very welcome addition to my Bronze Age collection of X-men appearances!
    Well, that?s it for this year. Hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and a blessed New Year in 2011!
    P.S.- THANK you CGC Registry for updating the point totals on some of our previously undervalued comics!
    Til next time?
     
    ***

  7. surfer99
    Latest additions...
    or first journal of 11/11/11...
    I mentioned in a journal a couple weeks ago that I had unexpectedly "won" (i.e. had the privilege of purchasing) several X-men books I was bidding on in the ComicLink auction. Those books arrived earlier this week and I've added them to my collection no problem. All are graded 9.6 and look great. For what it's worth they gave me a nice bump in the standings as well- moving up from 552 to 500. The books I picked up were...
    X-men #124
    X-men #125
    X-men #134
    X-men #136
    X-men #138
    I also snagged a couple X-men books on eBay just before the ComicLink auction ended...
    X-men #108
    X-men #113
    Did I mention I wasn't buying any graded comics this year? Don't judge. What's that? No, I do NOT have a problem. I can stop any time I want, I um, just choose not to.
    So I went to add these last two to the registry and I received the dreaded "These books are registered to someone else" message. Issue #113 posted the next day so I assume the seller responded right away to the request to reassign the book to me...I am still waiting 3 days later for issue #108 to be added to my set. Can I just say, if you're going to sell your books, please, delete...them...from...your...registry! OK, climbing off soapbox now.
    Anyway, all things considered I'm happy to have added these to my collection and I look forward to someday completing the set. Check out AJRodriquez's collection if you want to see how amazing this set looks when complete in high grade (drool). That's how it's done my friend.
    P.S. Hey, how about those Value Tier turn around times? Sorry...couldn't resist.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  8. surfer99

    1st Appearance

    By surfer99,

    I'm sure Tnerb appreciates...
    Just picked up a reading copy of New Mutants Annual 2 at my LCS. Didn't realize this was the first appearance of Psylocke! It was a pretty good story. I like Mojo and Spiral...made me miss Longshot- what ever happened to him anyway? SPOILER: I never knew Psylocke was blind, or that Mojo gave her android eyes so she could see. Too weird. Anyway, I've always liked Psylocke and it was cool to check out her first appearance. Now go grab your copy!
     
    ***

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  9. surfer99

    1st Appearance Bullseye

    By surfer99,

    Latest addition...
    Not what you were expecting I know, but still...I love this book.
    I saw that Herb Trimpe was going to be at the Amazing AZ Con in February this year and I really wanted to find something cool for him to sign. I could have him sign my reader copy of Hulk 172 but I already have a 9.6 copy that I dont want to crack and the reader would only get like a 9.2 with a press, so nah. I decided to check the comic book database to see what else Herb had a hand in creating and thats when I came across Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD 15. I know, I know, he is not in any way related to the Bullseye we all know and love from Daredevil 131...which I would also like to pick up someday...but this is like the proof of concept character that inspired that Bullseye so to me thats pretty cool.
    Rather than having a supernatural ability that allows him to always hit his target, this Bullseye relies on weapons he creates himself that strike with amazing accuracy no matter who is pulling the trigger. He uses just such a weapon, a rifle that tunes in to the specific heartbeat of its victim, to assassinate Nick Fury in this issue. Wait? Nick Fury was killed? Well thats sure the way it looks until you follow the story in the next chapter in Avengers 72! I love it when storylines transition from one title to another like that.
    Also featured in this issue is an appearance by a rock group called Country Joe and the Catfish...never heard of em, but turns out they used to sing anti-war songs during the Vietnam era. In this issue theyre singing about the Fantastic Four and Dr. Strange, .
    Sadly, poor Bullseye meets his maker at the hands of Dum Dum at the end of this issue which is unfortunate cause he really could have had a great run if another writer took the time to develop the character. Oh well...Bullseye, you will not be forgotten and your legacy lives on in the new Bullseye.
    P.S. Ive never cracked a slab myself so I may need to look up that YouTube video we made with Ronnylama at ECCC last year.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  10. surfer99

    2011 Year in Review

    By surfer99,

    Yes I know January is almost over
    I was just looking through some of my previous journals and ran across one called Year in Review or No Comics in 2011. My goal was to give my wallet a rest and not spend any money on CGC books in 2011. Lets see how that worked out for me. The comics I added to my collection this year include
    2 22 11 Amazing Spiderman 92 CGC 9.6
    4 15 11 Marvel Team up 69 CGC 9.6
    7 23 11 Hulk 161 CGC 9.6
    8 4 11 Marvel Team up 23 CGC 9.6
    9 22 11 Xmen 128 CGC 9.6
    10 8 11 Sub Mariner 34 CGC 9.0
    10 14 11 Xmen 108 CGC 9.6
    10 18 11 Xmen 113 CGC 9.6
    10 24 11 Daredevil 111 CGC 9.6
    10 27 11 Xmen 124 CGC 9.6
    10 27 11 Xmen 125 CGC 9.6
    10 27 11 Xmen 134 CGC 9.6
    10 27 11 Xmen 136 CGC 9.6
    10 27 11 Xmen 138 CGC 9.6
    Looks like I went a little crazy in October. OK in my defense though I got a fantastic deal on all of these books and I did sell several books in my collection to help offset some of the cost. Id like to say I wont buy any CGC books this year but its a little late for that and Im really hoping to make it to the SDCC again. What I can say is that I will buy smart this year and make every purchase a worthwhile one.
    On a completely unrelated topic there were layoffs announced today in the company where Ive worked for over 15 years and my organization was directly impacted. Ive had a lot of folks praying for me and honestly Ive been ready for whatever God has planned for my life however scary that may be. As it turns out though God still wants me here for now and Im thankful for that even I say goodbye to some great coworkers who were not as fortunate. Regardless of what would have happened though God is still good and I know he cares about me. I say this to let everyone know that no matter what you may be going through in life you don't have to go through it alone.
    Til next time. Cause there's always a next time.

  11. surfer99

    All New X-men

    By surfer99,

    What do you think?
    Ive been on vacation since Christmas so this has allowed me to play catch up on some of my reading. I just finished All New Xmen 2 and thought it was awesome! I was excited about this title because it brought the original, or antique...no longer classic Im told, Xmen to the present day to face their current selves. What a great concept in my opinion.
    I love the first Xmen and really miss their innocence and noble character, back before they were scarred by the experiences of life, twisted by demons inside and out, and hardened to the world around them they once sought to embrace in peaceful coexistence. Even the Uncanny Avengers seems like a forced alliance, rather than a happy union.
    What would the younger more idealistic Xmen of yesterday think of their self absorbed, in fighting selves of today? Well, they stick to the personalities the writers of the day infused them with and do exactly what you hope they would do which is what makes this such a great story. OK, Im off to read issue 3 then 4!
    Great review...
    http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=5429
     
    ***

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  12. surfer99
    Latest addition, first pedigree...
    I bought this one on eBay a few weeks ago but am just getting around to adding it to my Xmen The Missing Years set. Ive never owned a pedigree, this one is Rocky Mountain, and this is a great Bronze Age appearance of Magneto so I had to go for it.
    I found a cool web site on pedigrees, but the story of Rocky Mountain isnt listed...comicbookpedigrees.com. I know Matt Nelson was working on a book about pedigrees so maybe I will learn something about it there.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  13. surfer99
    Not the SDCC of course, but still fun...
    Heard about this Con on the radio last week and decided I would take the family to check it out http://amazingarizonacomiccon.com/. We'd gone last year for the first time and it was fun so why not. Then I find out one of my closest friends was going to be in town with his family representing his company at the Con so it was awesome to get to see them while we there too.
    Like last year, the main attraction was The Walking Dead since the creators are local here. Not my thing, but it was um...interesting to see and hear the zombies vs. monster hunters contest. As with most Cons there were plenty of people in costume...my favorites were this big guy in a cool Thor costume, and this REALLY big guy in a Predator costume (seriously...I'm 6'5" and he made me look short, and he was built like a wrestler). Oh yeah, and I have to admit I also liked the women of Mortal Combat (see pic).
    I had a good time browsing through comic boxes and managed to pick up a couple nice reading copies of some old Avengers books at 50% off. There were a few vendors that sold graded books, but nothing that caught my eye. I did see this one seller who was asking $15,000 for a 9.8 copy of Hulk #181. I know it's a high grade copy of the first Wolverine, but man, $15,000?
    My wife also found a Pop! Marvel Captain America Vinyl Bobblehead I wanted. It looks great next to the Thor Pop! Marvel Bobblehead I got from my son for Christmas. Have you seen those things? I hate to use the word "cute", but I don't know how else to describe them. They have big eyes and no mouths. I was also hoping to find a few more Marvel Tokidoki blind boxes (they make great laptop bag accessories), but no luck there.
    Oh yeah, CGC was onsite too! I'll write about that in my next journal.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  14. surfer99
    CGC accepting submissions...
    As mentioned in my last journal, I was at the AZ Con this weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find that CGC was onsite, and accepting submissions. I checked the Con web site but didn't see any mention of CGC so I didn't expect they would be there. The guys I met at the CGC booth, Mike and Joe, both seemed really nice. I spent most of the time talking with Mike since Joe was pretty busy doing other stuff. I mentioned to Mike how some people on the registry have been expressing their displeasure with the current wait times and the $5 per submission fee. As far as the fee, he said it was a necessary part of doing business. It was successful when implemented for the NGC and since CGC mostly follows suit with what works in the NGC they implemented it for CGC as well.
    As far as the wait times, he said they are now shipping books that were submitted in August. He said they had considered updating the website to indicate the current wait time for Economy is longer than the published 40 business days (this is what I think they should do), but decided against it since they hope to get caught up. He said he does feel bad for the individual collector who maybe only sent in a few books and are stuck in line behind a dealer who sent in a few boxes. To be honest, this isn't a huge deal for me. I get that they're busy and I'm sure they're doing what they can to get the books graded and shipped out as quickly as possible. I don't see any reason they would intentionally drag their feet, and I would rather they take their time and do a good job.
    Which brings me to my next point...once I saw CGC was accepting submissions, I drove home, spent an hour going through my collection to find the best looking books , and ended up with a handful I thought may be worth submitting. I brought them to Mike and Joe gave me their thoughts, and I ended up submitting these 3 books...
    Doctor Strange #182
    X-men #80
    X-men #121
    My hope is that they all come back graded higher than 9.0, the X-men #121 could be even higher which would be fantastic, but we'll see. Mike says I should see the books by the end of February, or possibly early March. I'm not going to stress. I'll get them when I get them and hope for the best!
    Til next time...
    ***

  15. surfer99

    Amazing AZ Con 2013

    By surfer99,

    Bigger and better than last year...
    Last year the Amazing AZ Con was held in downtown Mesa at the Convention Center. This year it moved to downtown Phoenix at the Convention Center there. It was five times as big as it was in Mesa and we had a great time.
    Funny story. We paid 12 bucks to park the truck then walked to the Con from there. We were standing on the corner next to another family and this dude in a Joker outfit, complete with straight jacket, waiting for the light to turn green. When it did, the Joker dude lets out this crazy laugh and starts running across the street then up the Convention Center steps. The family we were standing next to starts to follow when one of the kids, a little boy about 3 or 4 years old, says...Not that way dad, thats Joker. Too funny.
    So I was bummed that Stan Lee couldnt make it, but I went to the Desert Winds booth and dropped off my FF 28 CGC 7.5 and Strange Tales 120 CGC 8.0. Stan will sign them once he kicks this flu bug and the books will ship to CGC...Economy, so I should get them back in July. Im extending a lot of trust to Desert Winds that they wont damage the books taking them out of the slabs. The big guy I was talking to there says he likes to tell the story of the previous tool he used to take books out of their slabs...he would let his two rottweilers tear the slab off then pull the book out before they could get their teeth into it. Yeah. The sad thing is some people actually believed him.
    I didnt submit any other books this time around. I figured the 200 dollars I spent to have the two books signed by Stan and resubmitted for grading was enough for one day. I looked for a high grade copy of Uncanny Xmen 286 to have Jim Lee, who also had the flu, and Scott Lobdell sign but no luck. This was the last Uncanny Xmen issue Jim Lee drew, even though it was only the cover, and it was the first Uncanny Xmen issue Scott Lobdell ever wrote so I thought it would be pretty cool to have them both sign it even though it has no other real significance.
    Wow this is one of the longer journals Ive written. Hope Im not boring you guys. So, I got to see my buddy Frank at Aspen Comics and he gave me a 1 in 200 copy of Legend of the Shadow Clan 1 which looks to be a pretty cool series. Then I visited all the other vendors and browsed their books. I didnt see any high grade books that interested me so I started looking to fill holes in my collection for the reading copies I needed. You would be surprised how difficult it is to find an Avengers 195. Finally found a copy that was like a 9.4 but the seller wanted 50 bucks. Huh? Oh I see, its the first appearance of Taskmaster. Really, 50 bucks? Needless to say I did not make that purchase. I did find a lot of other reader copies I was looking for though and as we were leaving I happened to stop at one more dealer with a really small booth...flipped through his books and found a Fine copy of Avengers 195 for 5 bucks. Score.
    My oldest son was most excited about the weapons booth and Japanese candy. We ended up letting him buy a hunting knife, though its more like a replica than anything. My youngest son bought a couple TPBs and a few Marvel tokidoki blind boxes...those little figures are way cool.
    At the end of the day our dogs were barking and stomachs were growling so we walked down the street to Majerles, named for the owner...former Phoenix Suns player Dan Majerle, grabbed some sandwiches, and headed home. All in all we had a great time. Cant wait to come back in May for the Phoenix Con.
    Til next time...

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  16. surfer99

    Amazing AZ Con 2014

    By surfer99,

    Good times...
    Amazing AZ Con 2014
    I was ill prepared for the first con of the season. After 5 hours of walking the floor my legs, knees, and feet were aching. My story is Im out of shape, not old, and Im sticking to it. The wife and I walked to dinner at Majerles...as in Dan Majerles, of Phoenix Suns fame...after we had seen every vendor at least 3 times, headed back to the con for one final walk around, then headed home. I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and soaked my sore feet in the hot tub...ahhh...now Im writing to give you the highlights.
    Unlike last year when we got there 30 minutes before the doors open, we chose to sleep in today and grab breakfast on the way so we ended up getting there about an hour after the con was underway, which was fine. First vendor I went to is a great guy who is there every year, Ed Robertson, and he has nice books at great prices so I picked up a couple decent copies of Tales of Suspense from him...I love the Cap stories. Then we walked around and tripped out on the cool costumes and scantily clad beautiful women...my wife doesnt mind that I look so long as I dont touch. There was one dressed as Black Cat, gorgeous...I will include a pic. It was funny, my wife said she admired the guts I showed by going right up to her and asking if I could take her pic because she saw several other dudes taking pics from far away trying to be all inconspicuous and she thought that was a little creepy. Just walk up there and own it dude...be like, your hot and I want your picture, is that cool? No I didnt really say it that way, but I was thinking it.
    As we walked around I noticed a lot of steampunk and Adventure Time, which are both cool. There were only about a half dozen vendors that carried comics from the Silver and Bronze age...the others were all Modern which isnt my thing, so that was a little disappointing. Not a lot of high grade books period unfortunately, and MAN the prices some of these vendors charge. Saw several copies of XFactor 6 for 60 bucks, Cap 14 for 50 bucks, Hulk 271 for 100 bucks, that kind of thing. I was hoping to find high grade copies to fill my Xmen the Missing Years set, but no such luck. I did go back to the first vendor I visited and bought a couple more issues of Tales of Suspense, including a higher grade...maybe 9.2 with a press...copy of issue 82. I had been looking for a nice copy of this issue because it features the first appearance of the Adaptoid and Ive always thought he was a cool character...found out that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch also make an appearance so thats a bonus as well.
    What else...oh yeah, I heard the funniest thing I think Ive ever heard at a con. You Liefeld fans should like this, ha ha. So this dude hands his books to Rob for his signature, and tells him...Oh man, I love your work. I think youre really talented, I dont care what anyone says. Dude...I was laughing out loud as we walked by, I couldnt help myself. You know the guy meant it as a compliment, but it sure didnt come out that way. I would have loved to hear Rob respond but his mouth was full of food at the time. SO funny.
    While I didnt find any additional high grade books for my collection, I did bring 4 with me that I handed to Nicole at CGC for pressing and grading. These were submitted on the Economy tier without fast track so she said it would be about 6 months before I got them back, which is fine. I think she was a little irritated with me...my books are each in a bag and board, then placed inside a larger bag and board with the cover facing the other board so its protected all around. Well, she started pulling out the comics, and after the first one I was like...youre making me nervous. She said I could do it myself, which I did, but they had to see each comic to verify that the book on the invoice was the book being submitted. I get that, but didnt know that was the process...had she explained that from the get go I would have been cool with it, you know. Oh well, no harm no foul. I would have liked to submit more books, but as it is Im looking at 25 per book for pressing and 35 per book for grading...does that seem expensive to anyone else. Makes you appreciate getting a good deal on a CGC book thats for sure.
    OK, thats enough for now. I need me some leftover pizza and another brew.
    Enjoy the pics, and feel free to leave comments.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  17. surfer99
    Latest addition, or I blame Tnerb...
    You know what? Writing these journals is almost as much fun as collecting the comics themselves?I said ALMOST!
    So in an attempt to be fiscally responsible this year, I pledged not to buy any CGC books in 2011, period. Well, I couldn?t even make it to March and I blame Tnerb! ?Check out this auction? he tells me. ?You don?t have to place the winning bid, just bid? he tells me. So what do I do? I place the bid and win the book! Just kidding Tnerb, I appreciate the head?s up on this one and I?m actually very happy with my purchase and the price. It didn?t hurt that I had a really nice bonus at work either.
    This book now becomes my oldest CGC 9.6 to date (January 1971) and it even has White pages. Man that was 40 years ago! How crazy is that? I often wonder how the book stayed in such great shape all these years?bags and boards haven?t been around that long and we all know how easy it is to damage a book (just check out this journal from Lee K http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=8276). Whoever the original owner was, you know they loved the book and took the necessary steps to keep it safe all these years. Thanks to the great protection provided by the CGC case it?s in now I will continue to look after this gem for years to come!
    So not only is this my oldest CGC 9.6 but it?s also the first appearance of an X-man (Iceman) since the team?s flagship title was cancelled (March 1970). That alone was enough to put this book at the top of my wish list so I?m really happy to have it safely tucked away in my collection now where it belongs. Now if I could just figure out how to display it?I?ve seen those wooden frames you can buy that let you slide the books in and out, but I?m not sure I?m sold on the idea of a wooden frame.
    Well now that I have the ASM #92, what?s next on my wish list you ask? I don?t want to say right now because I know Tnerb will find it and then I?ll have to buy it! ! Who knows, maybe I will end up with another CGC book or two this year after all, we?ll see. J
    Til next time?
     
    ***

  18. surfer99
    Latest finds from my LCS...
    I cant be in Baltimore enjoying the con with friends so I will satisfy my comic cravings and journal jonesing with stories of my latest local acquisitions. I love browsing Silver and Bronze back issue Marvels at my LCS...I never know what cool books Im going to find and truthfully I would much rather spend my money on reading copies of these than most of the Modern stuff out today. I only collect a few new Marvel titles any more...Uncanny Xmen, Uncanny Avengers, All New Xmen, Avengers. Yeah I think thats it...although because of Tnerbs review I may have to start reading ASM again, especially since Peter is back. I would love to read Cap but I stopped picking that one up when the latest volume started cause the stories were just bad and now they have gotten worse with Cap losing his powers. Sigh.
     
     
     
    Anyway, this journal was supposed to be about Marvel Feature. I like the Tales to Astonish stories with Ant Man and when I first saw these Marvel Feature issues I thought maybe they were reprints or something, but they are actually new stories. The last solo Ant Man book, or really Giant Man to be technical...its still Hank Pym any way you look at it...was Tales to Astonish 69 from July 1965. Hank was still with the Avengers as YellowJacket until he and the Wasp were essentially replaced by Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch in Avengers 75 from April 1970...my birthday book that I really want in high grade someday by the way. Ant Man and the Wasp would not be seen again until Avengers 137 from July 1975 when the Beast joined the team...another book I would love to have in high grade. Prior to that time however Ant Man and the Wasp had a solo book run in Marvel Feature issues 4 through 10 starting in July 1972...this was the reintroduction of Ant Man, and an underrated book IMO. This is the same Marvel Feature that gave us the first appearance of the Defenders in issues 1 through 3...I have not read those but would like to at some point. I was able to pick up issues 4 thru 8 at my LCS and have really enjoyed the stories so far so I purchased issues 9 and 10 off eBay as well to complete the set. Gotta have the whole story, right?
     
     
     
    Til next time...
     
     
     
    ***

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  19. surfer99

    Aspen Signing

    By surfer99,

    Nice to see an old friend...
    My good friend Frank called me last week to let me know he'd be in town for a signing Aspen was doing at Jesse James Comics in Glendale, AZ (http://www.jessejamescomics.com/site/). I like to hang out with Frank anytime he's around and I'd never been to this particular comic shop so I was looking forward to the visit. I guess the way it works is that since Jesse James Comics paid for an exclusive comic to be produced (Executive Assistant -- Assassins #2), Aspen agreed to come out and do a signing at the comic shop, which I think is pretty cool.
    Jesse, the owner, was a really nice guy and I got talk to him for a few. He's a huge Hawkeye fan like my youngest son and he had a whole wall dedicated to his personal collection of Hawkeye comics/art. Turns out when he was young he got to meet Stan Lee and Stan asked him who his favorite character was. He looked around and saw that copy of Avengers with Hawkeye prominently displayed on the over so he said "Avengers". Then Stan was like, no, that's a team, who's your favorite character? So he said Hawkeye, which he was really indifferent about at the time. So why did he continue to focus his collection on Hawkeye? Because otherwise he would have felt he was lying to Stan and he didn't want to do that, .
    I was hoping to browse through some Bronze/Silver Age books while I was there, but there weren't any. Jesse said he had a bunch in the back he was going to be bringing out in the next couple weeks so I think I'll have to make a return visit...trying to put together a reading copy set of Avengers #1 - #200, and I'm always on the hunt for high grade X-men appearances.
    I'm glad I had a chance to hang out with Frank and the guys from Aspen a little bit, and he even hooked me up with about 50 books I didn't have so that was way cool. Didn't even know there was a Soulfire volume 2 and 3, or that volume 4 just started so I'm looking forward to reading those! I'm a pure Marvel fan, but there's no doubt Soulfire is a great book (Charismagic was a fun read too), plus I gotta support my friend. Speaking of Soulfire, I had to take a pic of the main character, Grace, who made an appearance at the signing. She looks so amazing that I asked if Aspen hired her, but Frank said no, she lives here locally and just decided to come out on her own (she was at the Aspen booth at the SDCC as well). He said, and I quote, "we have the BEST fans!"
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  20. surfer99

    Aspen turns 10

    By surfer99,

    2013 schedule
    I had a great visit today from my very good friend Frank Mastromauro of Aspen Comics fame. Frank and I have been friends for many years, since back before he broke into comics at Top Cow, moved to Southern California, and later joined Michael Turner in launching Aspen MLT, Inc. Of course I miss hanging with him on a regular basis, but our families remain close and we do stay in touch. The holidays, and anytime he's in town for a convention, are great times to catch up if we havent spoken in a while. I enjoy hearing Frank talk about his experiences in the comics industry, from what goes on behind the scenes, to the comic con happenings, to the office hijinks and all the great people he works with.
    There are some really exciting plans for Aspen in 2013 to celebrate the companys 10 year anniversary, so I thought Id share them with you. Starting in February, Aspen will release one new book per month for 10 months at only a buck each. These will not be preview books where you get like 5 pages, theyre full length, real number one issues. Of course subsequent issues will be at regular price, but the thought is fans will enjoy the books so much theyll want to continue picking them up. The low cover price also allows new readers to jump on board and check out a book they might not have otherwise. The number one issues will alternate between new books like Legend of the Shadow Clan and Jirni, and new volumes to familiar titles like Fathom and Soulfire.
    Im looking forward to checking out the new Aspen titles in 2013, and the 10 for 10...that is 10 number one issues for 10 dollars...sounds like a win win for Aspen and for fans like us. Looking forward to reading some of your reviews!
    http://www.examiner.com/article/aspen-comics-celebrates-its-tenth-anniversary-2013-with-10-for-10
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  21. surfer99
    Latest addition...
    So I was reading Iron Man 68 from 1974 recently. This issue is Part 1 of a 3 Part story featuring Sunfire. Ive read these issues a couple times before and for the first time noticed that there was a footnote on the first panel where we see Sunfire...I really wish more comics today used footnotes to help tie everything into the big picture. The footnote reads...last seen in Avengers 117. Just when I thought I had identified every Xmen appearance from the time between teams I come across this beauty. Of course I was familiar with this book...its Chapter 8 in the Avengers vs. Defenders War, and I even own the hard cover trade of that storyline. I couldn't believe it when I read the reference...I pulled the reading copy I had and looked at the cover. Who is this mystery villain? Dont tell me thats Sunfire and I missed it. I opened it up, flipped through it, and sure enough...there he was battling Captain America and the Sub Mariner.
    I quickly asked Gemma to please add it to the Xmen The Missing Years set, and to my surprise it appeared in the set within a couple weeks. Thank you SO much Gemma...with your grading responsibilities and growing list of new set requests, it means a lot that you squeezed this in there for me.
    Unfortunately I didn't have the funds to buy the Avengers book right away, or Parts 2 and 3 from the Iron Man title that were available. This is why I had to part, at least temporarily, with a few of my Xmen books. So I essentially traded Xmen for Xmen appearances...I gave up my secondary goal for my primary goal. I can live with that. My books were just delivered by Fed Ex and I couldnt be happier.
    Ive always thought Sunfire was a much underused character, and I dont understand why. He has a cool costume, cool powers, a temper, and a chip on his shoulder. Whats not to love? His appearances in Sub Mariner and Iron Man from the Bronze Age were great, but other than that he has been kind of an afterthought. Im very excited to see that he joined the ranks of the Uncanny Avengers. I think Wolverine said it best when answering why he wanted Sunfire on the team...Well, I for one like the idea of having a walking atomic bomb with me.
    Thats what Im talking about.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  22. surfer99

    Avengers #55

    By surfer99,

    Look what I found at my LCS...
    I was at my Local Comic Shop yesterday picking up new issues...Infinity 1, and Uncanny Xmen 10. While there I got to talking with the owner, who I have known for 17 years now, and I mentioned how much the prices have gone up on Avengers 55 due to all the hype surrounding the upcoming Avengers 2 movie. I have a VG copy that I had bought from him like a year ago for only 10 bucks...he told me he had just sold a VG copy last week to someone for 50...crazy. He then tells me he has a couple more copies, one in NM minus that he was keeping for himself, and one in VF he was going to sell. He brought out the lesser grade copy from the back for me to look at, and it was every bit a F copy with great VF potential...very nice. He said it was mine for 100 bucks, knowing I could resell it right now for more than 200. It was tempting, but I passed.
    I went home and checked eBay...sure enough, F to VF copies were selling for over 200. I told my wife about this and she encouraged me to go ahead and buy it so this morning I went back and did just that. The book is pictured below...not the greatest photo I know, sorry. I made sure there was no restoration...my LCS had purchased it from the original owner who had bought it off the stands in 1968...and I took it out of the Mylar to thoroughly inspect it. There are a few creases that break color, some bends that can be pressed out, and the corners look nice...one drawback is the page quality which could be deemed cream to off white and I prefer to keep my collection free of cream pages, but then again for this price I really cant complain.
    Now for my dilemma...what to do with this book. I could keep it, and recoup half my money by selling the VG copy I have. I could sell it now and double my money right away. I could hold onto it and sell it later, closer to when Avengers 2 comes out hoping to make more of a profit. I could get it pressed and graded and keep both copies. I could get it pressed and graded and sell it now while keeping the VG copy...since I am trying to put together a complete run of reading copies. I have an idea of which direction I want to go, but am interested in hearing your thoughts.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  23. surfer99
    Latest addition...
    And so the greatest collection of Xmen appearances ever assembled gets even better. Ok so maybe thats laying it on a little thick, but this beauty does further secure my top spot in the Xmen the Missing Years set. For those that dont keep up with my journals, Im a huge fan of Xmen appearances made outside their own mag during the time between teams...1970 to 1975. This is Avengers 88 in CGC 9.4 condition with White Pages. Now to share what I know about this issue...
    This is the first time we see Professor X since Xmen 66...the last original Xmen story before the reprints began. He, in partnership with Reed Richards and Tony Stark, has created the means by which the Hulk will be securely contained until a cure can be found for his little anger problem...or so they believe, but with the big green guy you know how thats gonna turn out.
    The story was written by Roy Thomas and conceptualized by notable science fiction author, Harlan Ellison, for which he received recognition on the cover...an occurrence that was quite uncommon for the time. The talented Sal Buscema provided the artwork. This is part one of a two part story Harlan did that concludes in Hulk 140 where the Hulks true love, Jarella, makes her first appearance.
    The first page features a quote by weird fiction and horror author, H. P. Lovecraft...The most merciful thing in the world is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  24. surfer99

    Avengers CGC SS

    By surfer99,

    Latest additions...
    So bagofleas was headed to Heroes Con in Charlotte earlier this year and asked if I had any books I wanted to get signed. Well, one of my favorite writers from the bronze age, Roy Thomas, was in attendance so yes, I jumped on the opportunity. Now what could I have him sign. Something from my Xmen the Missing Years set would be awesome, but a lot of those books are so hard to find in high grade or are so expensive...for me any way...that I didnt want to risk cracking them. I opted for the books you see below, Avengers 103 and 104. Still near mint, but affordable if I had to replace them.
    I know a lot has been said lately about the inconsistency of grading between graders within CGC and between the graders of one company and another. There has been a lot of crazy swings in grades so the risk of my books dropping was very real. Thankfully, even without a press, both books retained their grades. The 103 remained 9.2 and the 104 remained 9.4 so I was very happy with that. I am grateful to bagofleas and his friend Jason for taking such great care of my books and hope to be able to return the favor at some point.
    I am also loading new pics today on a bunch of my books cause some were just way too blurry. The new iPhone does a really nice job and the lighting was perfect today. Check em out if you are so inclined, I love sharing my collection with this community.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  25. surfer99

    Avengers movie!

    By surfer99,

    No spoilers, don't worry
    Today my wife and I celebrated our 21 year wedding anniversary. We chose to take the day off work and go see The Avengers...twice! The first time by ourselves, the second time with the kids. I have to say this was the best action movie I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of great movies. It's like when you watched Indiana Jones or Star Wars for the first time, remember how cool that was? Like that! Thank you Joss Whedon, fantastic job!
    Marvel did it right- make great movies with these great characters, then bring all the (mostly) same actors back together again in one movie, united against a common enemy- yes! It was seriously like they took the best elements from all the best Avengers comics and brought them to life on the big screen for one ultimate slugfest! OK, enough with all the exlamation points, we get it, it was a great movie. Seriously!
    I'm thinking we'll go back tomorrow and watch it again, but this time in 3D. Hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did.
    P.S. stick around at the end after the credits, there are TWO stingers!
    Til next time...
    ***

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