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surfer99

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Journal Entries posted by surfer99

  1. surfer99
    What a crossover should be...
    It seems when Marvel first started doing these big crossover events, they would span across various titles...think Mutant Massacre, Gang War, and the Avengers vs Defenders War. I loved all these stories, and it was a great way for Marvel to get readers to buy titles they may not have otherwise because they wanted to follow the story. To Marvels credit, you could just stick to the titles you liked and still not miss a beat for the most part, but collecting all the titles allowed you to follow what was happening from various perspectives.
    The model Marvel uses today is more a miniseries format that may or may not spill over into the monthly titles. The most recent examples are Civil War, Dark Reign, World War Hulk, and now Age of Ultron. Sure, there were also stories like Secret Wars and the Infinity Gauntlet back in the day that had a miniseries with tie ins to the monthly titles but the tie ins were usually pretty weak and werent crucial to the main plot.
    Spoiler Alert for anyone that hasnt read Uncanny Avengers yet...
    On a completely unrelated note, just because its on my mind, I want to say that I am not a fan of the first story arc in Uncanny Avengers where the Red Skull puts Prof Xs brain in his head. First off, thats nasty, not to mention unrealistic. It also completely tarnishes the memory of such a great character. That would be like killing Peter Parker, taking the mind of Doc Ock and putting in Spidermans brain...oh wait. Seriously, is no one editing these storylines? Cmon Joe!
    Ok, sorry for the tangent. Now back to our regularly scheduled journal...
    I really miss the crossover events that did NOT include a miniseries. In fact I cant even think of the last time Marvel has done that in the past 10 years. Anyone? One of my favorite examples of this was the Xmen series, Fall of the Mutants. When it first came out I didnt collect every issue because I didnt want to spend money on titles that featured characters I didnt really care about so I passed on them. Now, years later, Ive gone back and collected them ALL, in addition to the aforementioned Mutant Massacre. Sure, I could have saved a bunch of money by buying the TPBs but I find it a lot more fun to open up each issue and read the stories as they were originally presented...old comic book smell and all. Its been a long time since I read these series, and there are some issues Ive never owned, so its going to be like reading them again for the first time and Im super stoked about that. What great series...creators like Marc Silvestri, Chris Claremont, and Walter Simonson. Villains like the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Apocalypse, and the Shadow King. As far as crossover events, it doesn't get much better as far as Im concerned.
    Lastly, thank you to Ronnylama and Tnerb for creating a registry set for Fall of the Mutants...might be a good idea to create one for Mutant Massacre, hint, hint. It was a big help in collecting the raw issues...though Im not sure how Hulk 340 relates, but I guess I will find out when I reread that classic issue again. Who knows, after I reread all the issues I may decide I want to get high grade slabbed issues of both sets, and get them all signed even. For anyone thats a fan of these characters and creators, I highly recommend collecting these sets for yourself...
    Mutant Massacre
    Uncanny Xmen 210
    Uncanny Xmen 211
    Uncanny Xmen 212
    Uncanny Xmen 213
    Uncanny Xmen 214
    X-Factor 9
    X-Factor 10
    X-Factor 11
    New Mutants 46
    Thor 373
    Thor 374
    Power Pack 27
    Daredevil 238
    Fall of the Mutants
    Uncanny Xmen 225
    Uncanny Xmen 226
    Uncanny Xmen 227
    New Mutants 59
    New Mutants 60
    New Mutants 61
    X-Factor 24
    X-Factor 25
    X-Factor 26
    X-Factor 27
    Captain America 339
    Daredevil 252
    Power Pack 35
    Fantastic Four 312
    Incredible Hulk 340
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  2. surfer99

    Daredevil...dead

    By surfer99,

    It really happened...
    Like a lot of people, I enjoy getting me weekly fix of new comics. What I enjoy even more is picking up Silver and Bronze Age books I havent read before. I recently read Cap 151 and 152 featuring the Scorpion and Mr. Hyde which was a great story. The problem is, these books are oftentimes more costly than the Modern books so I am forced to go back and reread some of the great stories already in my collection. This isnt so bad since I tend to forget what I read after several years.
    Once such book I just reread was Giant Size Defenders 3 featuring the Grandmaster. The Defenders enlist the help of Daredevil to battle a series of alien foes in a game of life and death with the Grandmaster. I love these types of stories that are along the same lines and Contest of Champions and Secret Wars. Anyway, spoiler...it turns out badly for Daredevil and the Sub Mariner, neither of which survive the match up with their opponents. I thought this would end up being one of those things where the battlefield ended up being in their minds or something...no way they could really die right? Well, I was wrong and they really didn't make it. Fortunately the other members of the Defenders did survive and as a result the contest was one, at which point the Grandmaster brought them back to life. Wow...I knew dude was an Elder of the Universe and all that, but did not know he could bring someone back from death. Crazy.
    Til next time...
    ***


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  3. surfer99

    Comics Shop

    By surfer99,

    Looking for opinions...
    If...and this is a big if...I was to open an online comics store, what kinds of features and things would you like to see? Some of the things Ive seen on other sites that I like are a quick search, advanced search, nice looking scans with descriptions, graded and ungraded books, a whats new section, and obviously a shopping cart that accepts credit cards and Paypal. I thought about a link to my eBay listings as well where I would list the same comics but at a higher price given the fees involved...and I dont know if eBay would allow me to include a link to the online store in the auction listing.
    Just an idea I was kicking around. Ive been scooping up some raw high grade Silver and Bronze Age Marvel books from various sources lately and I need to figure out what to do with them. Do I press some, grade some, press and grade some, leave some raw, keep some or sell some. So really Im not sure what Im doing with them yet, but I know I wanted them because they look amazing and the price was right...and I love comics. The idea of having my own store has always appealed to me as well, so we'll see.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  4. surfer99

    Bid Retraction

    By surfer99,

    Latest addi....not so fast
    One of the books I need to complete my Xmen the Missing Years set that has been difficult to find in high grade is Giant Size Fantastic Four 4. I saw a CCGC 9.8 copy come up for sale on eBay this week with no reserve and a low starting bid. I put in an initial bid of 100 to get the ball rolling, with every intent to increase the bid as the auction went along. Then I get this email yesterday...
    Dear eBay Community Member,
    The bid that you entered for the item has been cancelled. You can view the reason provided for the cancellation by selecting the bid history link from the individual item page.
    Please be cautious if you are contacted about purchasing this item after the bid has been cancelled and as always avoid paying for your eBay item using instant wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram as these payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.
    Regards,
    eBay
    So I went to the item page and see this description...
    This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.
    Gee, I wonder what happened...yeah, we all know what happened. Realistically I only had a small chance of winning the auction at a reasonable price considering the last two copies I saw sold for well over 500, which is insane to me. Still, I wanted a fair shot at it.
    I probably shouldnt be too sad really. I have done what this buyer did once myself, though only once...I really wanted my Fantastic Four 48 CGC 8.0 so I offered the seller 500. He accepted, ended the auction, I paid via PayPal, and he sent my book. Oh well, win some, lose some I guess.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  5. surfer99

    Random Collecting

    By surfer99,

    Signatures, Cons and the like...
    It seems like Ive been becoming more obsessed with comics lately. Thankfully I havent gone on a crazy spending spree or anything, but I do find myself checking eBay and the other auction sites more and more frequently. What am I hoping to find? Books that will enhance my collection mostly. A lot of the books I want though are very tough to find in high grade or they are priced out of reach. Despite my increased searches, there are a couple that I let get away from me...thinking surely someone else would bid more than I did. Yeah, I really need to learn to be more aggressive, go with my max bid and let the chips fall where they may.
    With all this talk lately of who will get what signed by who and when, Ive also been trying to find things for signature series. My plan is to make it to ECCC next year and Id like to take at least a few books with me. The problem so far has been that most all of the guests Ive seen are creators of Modern Age books and Im a fan of Silver and Bronze. I did make an exception at the Phoenix Con this year and had a few Modern books signed by Peter David...Hulk 337, 338 and 340, because I really like those books. Sure, I could find other Modern books to have signed just for the sake of getting them signed, but I would rather spend my time and money finding and slabbing books I really want...signature or no signature.
    My favorite writer is Steve Englehart...he, more than any other, kept the Xmen alive after their own title entered reprint mode with issue 67. Steve had the Xmen making guest appearances in numerous other titles which, I believe, kept reader interest in these heroes and ultimately led to the creation of a new Xmen team with issue 94. Steve tells me he will be at the Albuquerque Con in January which is only about a 6 hour drive for me, and an even shorter flight. My plan is to attend so I can meet the man and have him sign a few books...that is unless ECCC extends him an invite and he accepts, in which case I will just wait til March and see him there.
    Back to my initial ramblings...most of the books Im looking for are related to Xmen. Lately though Ive been losing my collecting focus a little and searching for any high grade books within the titles I like to collect. The latest is pictured below...Captain America 151. I found this at my LCS yesterday and thought with a pressing it has a great chance at a 9.4...not a bad grade with that black cover, and I like that it features a crossover of sorts with an appearance by the Scorpion and Mr. Hyde. Hey, for only 15 bucks I couldnt pass it up...and I could always sell it later if I want so its a win win.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  6. surfer99
    Disneyland goodness...
    My family and I just got back from spending the weekend at the happiest place on Earth...Disneyland. Thats right, we are big Mickey Mouse fans, and proud of it. We cant get enough, and bought annual passes for the first time earlier this year. Its cheaper to do that than to visit twice in the same year so it was definitely worth it for us. The drive from AZ is a little long, about 6 hours, but we have such a good time we dont mind it too much. The park is really cool this time of year too because its all decked out in a Halloween theme. Space Mountain has a spooky space ghost thing going on...pretty freaky really. The best is the Haunted Mansion with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme that even includes this HUGE gingerbread house in the ball room scene, made out of real gingerbread...it even smells like gingerbread during that part of the ride. Im telling you, those imagineers at Disney are genius.
    New this year to the Innovations attraction was an Iron Man exhibit. My wife told me about this...they have all the different Iron Man suits from the various movies on display as you can see in the pic below. Even up close they look real. They also had this virtual reality type deal where you stand on this 3 foot diameter circle on the floor and face a TV monitor where you see yourself on the screen in Tony Starks workroom slash garage just like in the movie. First, the armor starts flying onto the image of you on screen until youre all decked out in the suit...then you reach out your hands like youre grabbing for the helmet and the image of you on screen puts the helmet on...so cool. Now that you have the Iron Man suit on you get to do a weapons test, aka target practice with your repulsors, and then finally a test flight around the room by leaning forward, backward and side to side. How cool is that. My understanding is that sometime in October the Iron Man exhibit is going away and they will be showcasing a Thor exhibit instead. Looks like I need to check my vacation calendar.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  7. surfer99

    Where are they now?

    By surfer99,

    The original X-men...
    I read this excerpt from a recent journal posted by wardevil0...
    I progressed into the Marvel Universe at about the time of Secret Wars, and gravitated heavily toward the XBooks. I kept this up for about ten years, but by 1995 had quit comics completely. In mid 2001, the revitalization of Marvel with JMS on Amazing Spiderman, Grant Morrison on New XMen, and Joe Casey on Uncanny XMen brought me back. Since then, Ive transitioned fully to DC for new books. I just don't feel that Marvel is putting out comics that reach me. Ever since Civil War the Marvel characters have been strangers.
    Is wadevil0 right, have the original Xmen changed that much in recent years. He may be right. Lets take a look at where they are now...
    Professor X... killed by an angry, Phoenix corrupted Cyclops in Avengers vs. Xmen 11, November 2012. As if this werent enough of a travesty, lets desecrate the mans memory by allowing the Red Skull to then take the brain of Professor X and fuse it with his own so that he can tap his mutant telepathy and use it for his own evil ends. Seriously, it happened in Uncanny Avengers 1, December 2012. I blame Joe Quesada for allowing this to happen...shameful.
    Cyclops...corrupted by the dark Phoenix force, kills Professor X for trying to stop him from remaking the world in his own image in Avengers vs. Xmen 11, November 2012. His mutant powers are now broken...an ill effect of the Phoenix force, and he is on the run from SHIELD and the Avengers who want him to answer for his crimes. So, he decides to partner with Emma Frost and Magneto to start a school for new mutants which he christens...wait for it...Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters in Uncanny Xmen 1, April 2013. So you kill the man, take no accountability for your actions, and then start a new school using his name. I have no idea what Cyclops is about anymore, and I cannot bring myself to root for him...at all.
    Jean Grey, Marvel Girl...tricked by a Magneto imposter named Xorn, to end up trapped on Asteroid M as it drifted into the sun where she died in New Xmen 150, February 2004. It is believed she is still alive somewhere in something called the White Hot Room where the Phoenix force resides. More to come Im sure as Jean, thankfully, refuses to remain dead for long.
    Angel...had his wings first removed by the Marauders in Thor 373, November, 1986, and replaced by artificial blades in XFactor 24, January, 1988. The metal blades broke off to reveal real wings underneath in Uncanny Xmen 338, November, 1996. Had his real wings ripped off again, this time by a mind controlled Wolfsbane, before his techno organic metal wings grew back in XForce 4, July, 2008. It was revealed that he could now change at will from Angel with feather wings, to Archangel with metal wings any time he chooses...I like this concept. Is then stabbed by Psylocke with the Life Seed in Uncanny XForce 16, December, 2011, and thought dead but in reality just has an amnesia of sorts as he does not know who he is or who any of the other Xmen are...seems to think he is a real Angel who is supposed to help people.
    Iceman...still an Xman and currently a professor at The Jean Grey School of Higher Learning under headmaster Wolverine. Also in the early stages of a romantic relationship with Kitty Pride, aka Sprite. Gotta love that Iceman at least has retained those things that make him such a fun character.
    Beast...still an Xman and currently a professor at The Jean Grey School of Higher Learning under headmaster Wolverine. Unfortunately he has also recently mutated into blue furred ape like state in All New Xmen 5, March 2013...which wouldnt be so bad if he had Hulk like strength or something cool like that to go with it, but no such luck. Brian Michael Bendis has earned my trust though with All New Xmen so we will see what happens there.
    Lets face it, most of the writers of today have totally jacked up these characters. Its no wonder Bendis wanted to bring back the original Xmen from their youth, now appearing in All New Xmen. We long for a simpler time, and the innocence of these great characters who, although they faced many obstacles, never lost the sense of who they were individually and as a team. I for one will be sad to see the young Xmen go back to their own time, as they inevitably must, and hope their older selves learn some lessons from the experience. The ultimate for me would be to see the original Xmen of today reunite on the same team, order and powers restored to normal, and watch them take hold of Xaviers dream once again.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  8. surfer99
    Latest additions...
    Back in May I attended the Phoenix Con and submitted four modern books to CGC after obtaining signatures from Peter David and Bret Blevins. I dont usually collect graded copies of modern books but these were Xmen appearances and I couldnt pass up the opportunity to have them signed by the creators. A couple of weeks ago I saw they had hit Graded status...after Tnerb talked me down from the ledge I opted not to peek at the grades until they arrived in my hot little hands. Well, now they are here so I can share with you all...
    I opened up the box and saw the grades were facing up so I immediately turned them over so I could flip them one at a time to see the grades. Flipped the first one.
    Hulk 336, XFactor appearance. Predicted 9.8 and received 9.8SS...Peter David
    Nice, I got one right. Man, now Im really hoping issue 337 graded 9.8 as well so I can have a matched set.
    Flipped the next one.
    Xmen 211, Mauraders first appearance, CGC 9.8 given to me by Ronnylama...thank you again my friend...signed and sketch by Bret. Expected 9.8 and received 9.8SS
    Im really glad this one retained its grade. Even better, bagofleas footed the bill for the grading as a thank you for getting some of his New Mutants issues signed. Thank you again kind sir.
    Flipped the third one.
    Hulk 340, Hulk vs. Wolverine. Predicted 9.2, maybe a 9.4 after pressing and received 9.6SS...Peter David
    Wow, this was a pleasant surprise. Pressing really paid off in this case. Ive always loved this cover and now I have a great looking signed copy. Yea.
    Flipped the last one.
    Hulk 337, XFactor appearance. Predicted 9.8 and received 9.8SS...Peter David
    Yes, a matched set of 9.8SS and without pressing even. Score. I did pretty well with these moderns and may need to consider doing it again sometime if the right issues and creators come along.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  9. surfer99

    Marvel Tales #30 CGC 9.6

    By surfer99,

    Twin Cities Pedigree
    I know what you're thinking...Marvel Tales 30, no biggie. That's just a reprint of Amazing Spiderman...right. Not quite, but before I go any further I must tell you that I was so intent on winning this auction that I started writing this journal a couple weeks before the auction even began...seriously, this is me writing, right now, and the auction doesnt start for 2 weeks. At the time I thought for sure I would end up in a bidding war with xfiles over this one so part of me was really hoping he didnt see it...just like I didnt see the Giant Size Fantastic Four CGC 9.6 copy that he won not too long ago, and for less than I would have paid. I figure this would make us even. Given the unbelievable price I won this book for I can only assume he didnt see it and I am definitely OK with that.
    There are a few reasons why this book is so key for my collection of Bronze Age Xmen appearances...
    Number 1. It has been EXTREMELY hard to find in high grade. I have been searching literally for years and it never comes up. The last copy...this same exact serial number in fact...last sold on 1.12.2012. Yeah, I missed it that time or I would have snagged it in a heartbeat. This is the highest graded copy on the census and there are only 8 graded copies out there. Not only that, but I have never even seen a NM raw copy come up for sale...sure, there are plenty of lesser grade copies lying around in dollar bins or whatever but thats about it. I can conclude from this that additional high grade copies just dont exist, or there are collectors who are having a really hard time letting go of their copies.
    Number 2. Yes, it does contain a reprint of Amazing Spiderman 41 and 58, BUT unlike every other issue of Marvel Tales this issue also features an original story. Not just any story mind you, but one that was written by Jerry Siegel himself, the creator of Superman. How cool is that. This is part three of 3 featuring the Xmens Angel...the first two parts were in KaZar 2 and 3 which I also have copies of in 9.6 condition, giving me the complete story in high grade...insert happy dance here. What really perplexes me is that there is nothing about this on any of the CGC labels except for KaZar 3 which does make mention of it being an Angel story written by Jerry that concludes in Marvel Tales 30. Hopefully CGC adds similar notes to the other two books in the future.
    Number 3. Whats this. Is that a pedigree. Yes indeed...Twin Cities to be exact. I have heard this name before, but didnt know anything about it until I checked out the Heritage Auction website. The collection of more than 6,000 comics was assembled by the late Gary Dahlberg of Minneapolis, MN...thus the name Twin Cities. Dahlberg, who passed away in July 2010, was a meticulous collector who also had the advantage of working at a bookstore as a high school student in the early 1960s, with the opportunity to buy new comics from the store owner before they were put out on the stands. The VP of CGC was astonished at how nice these books were, stating that once collectors see them they will understand why CGC decided to give them a pedigree designation.
    I am VERY pleased to own such a cool piece of comic book history and it fits perfectly with the rest of my collection. Its very gratifying to find that book that has eluded you for SO long and the price was happy surprise...now, if I can just find a GS FF 4.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. surfer99

    What are you reading?

    By surfer99,

    Comics new and old...
    Its been awhile since I wrote a journal so I figured Id share what is and isnt on my reading agenda...both new books and old. I would love to hear what others think of these and find out what you all are reading as well. Be warned, I do talk about the storylines in these books so if you havent read them but plan on doing so then you may want to skip my opinion on that particular book.
    Cable and XForce 12
    Im on issue 11 now and I really enjoy this series. Im a Cable and Colossus fan and there are some intriguing relationships with Domino. I started this one late and had a heck of a time going back and finding some of the earlier issues without overpaying. I love Laroccas art too.
    Hunger 2
    I havent read issue 1 yet, but this is the one with Galactus...nuff said. The Silver Surfer, starting with issue 14 I believe from 1987, is the first series I ever collected so I will always have an affinity for the character. I cant believe no one has ever asked me this, but Im going to let you all know anyway...my member name, surfer99, comes from the Surfer and the year I first joined eBay. Theres your fun fact for the day. I was so crushed when that series ended, you have no idea. All attempts to bring it back have failed as well...I was screaming at Marvel that the reason the series keeps tanking is because they dont give it the right artist and writer combo.
    All New Xmen 15
    Im on issue 14 and I would have to say this is my favorite current series. Bendis is an amazing writer and Immonen is a talent. I got excited when I saw the name Campbell on the cover of this issue thinking it was J Scott Campbell, but no such luck.
    Avengers 17
    Im on issue 16 now. The jury is still out for me on this series. Im not really digging the whole lets make the Earth sentient and have it develop an immunity system to attack our heroes thing. I dont get the new life forms being created either. If the Earth became sentient and battled Ego, now that would be a good comic. Im sticking with the series for now just because Im an Avengers fan.
    New Avengers 8
    I havent really liked the series up to this point...when it comes to alternate universe storylines I usually pass. Thats why I didnt really care for Age of Ultron either. The only exception to this was Days of Future Past...that was amazing. Age of Apocalypse was pretty good back in the day too I guess.
    Xmen Legacy 14
    Im not a huge fan of the art, and I really could have done without the Red Skull with the brain of Professor X storyline, but Legion is just too much fun to put the book down. He is a great character and Im happy to see what theyre doing with him.
    Uncanny Xmen 9
    No matter how hard I try I just cant feel good about these characters, especially Cyclops after he took out Professor X. Dazzler joining SHIELD was brilliant though so Im hoping the stories get better from here.
    Uncanny Avengers 10
    This is probably my second favorite new series. I love the mix of Avengers and Xmen, Havok and Cap kind of coleading the team, the drama between Rogue and Wanda, the constant tension between human and mutant, all of it good stuff. Best move ever was bringing Sunfire on board...now Im going back and trying to find his previous appearances to see what he has been up to until now. Thats why I recently picked up Rogue 7 thru 12 from Mile High...another really good story.
    Charismagic 3
    The first series was great, and the second series is proving to be entertaining as well. I dont usually buy books that arent Marvel, but Aspen is the one exception. Recommended.
    Legend of the Shadow Clan 5
    I like ninjas and the story and art are really good. Think everyday family who finds out they have amazing ninja abilities, then theyre hunted down by the Hand who wants them dead.
    Marvel Graphic Novel 4
    First appearance of New Mutants. I was outbid on this issue twice in the last month. Found a decent copy at my LCS today for less than half the price. Nice. I also picked up New Mutants 1 through 4 since I already have issues 5 through 26 thanks to Tnerb.
    Other Silver and Bronze Age books Ive purchased in the last few weeks that I havent got around to reading yet...
    Daredevil 77
    Spiderman and Sub Mariner appearances, part 1 of 2.
    Sub Mariner 40
    Spiderman and appearance, part 2 of 2.
    Tales to Astonish 68
    Giant Man, Hulk
    Hulk 128
    Avengers appearance
    Strange Tales 121
    Human Torch battles Plantman...I remember him from an early issue of Xmen so I had to see him up against the Torch.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  13. surfer99

    Mile High Visit

    By surfer99,

    Status report...
    I wanted to post this at the start of my vacation, but I had PC issues...internet drivers not working...so I had to wait til I got back and Best Buy fixed the issue. Anyway, here ya go...
    My wifes family is having a family reunion in Estes Park, CO this week. While admittedly I would much rather be at the SDCC, this reunion has been planned for a couple years now and should be fun...and to be honest, I wasnt able to get tickets for the four of us to the Con...have I mentioned how much I dislike the new ticketing system.
    Anyway as we approached Denver, the pilot said that due to current storm conditions, we were not able to land...so we had to circle the airport for like 20 min. After saying we may have to land in Albuquerque instead, we were fortunate enough to get the green light to land in Denver...whew, I would not have wanted to make that extra trek. We are staying the night at a hotel nearby, and Im taking in a little reading before bed...New Mutants 15, the book that got Tnerb into collecting comics, and one of the many he sent me for which I am extremely appreciative. I can see why this book captured his attention...VERY good read and it sparks your curiosity about just who this Hellfire Club is and what happened to all the heroes in this thing called a Secret War, not to mention what happens to the stars of the book at the end. Good times, and I look forward to reading the next issue.
    Its Sunday morning and we just grabbed the free breakfast buffet at the hotel after a good nights sleep...the weather here is great, much cooler than the 115 we left in AZ. On the agenda for today is paying a visit to the Mile High Comics mega store. It may not be the SDCC, but I am super excited to visit this, the largest comic book store in the country...45,000 square feet of comic book goodness. My thanks to Brandon and the Professor for recommending this location.
    We follow Google maps which leads us through a residential neighborhood and then an industrial area before finally reaching Mile High at the end of the street. Not very impressive from the outside, just a huge warehouse. We open the door and there is a little office to the right and all this piping to the left, with comic posters on all the walls. Then we go through this door that leads to comic utopia...massive, wall to wall comics. I don't even know where to start...there are comics lining the walls 20 feet up and rows and rows of comic boxes. I decide to check out the books on the walls first, starting at one end and working my way around the perimeter of the store. Then I start checking the comic boxes, row by row, in the middle of the store...there are Silver and Bronze sections along one wall, and Copper and Modern age in the center.
    Now the real question...did I find anything worth buying that was reasonably priced...especially considering a large chunk of the good stuff is likely not in the store at all, but at the SDCC. Well, after learning an hour or so into it that all the books, with the exception of the variant covers and current releases, were 50 percent off I did find a few things and will include some additional pictures when I can...we are staying at the YMCA in Estes Park and the Wi Fi here is touch and go so we will see. These are the books I picked up...
    Rogue 7 NM...Sunfire, Forget Me Not Part 1
    Rogue 8 NM...Sunfire, FMN Part 2
    Rogue 9 NM...Sunfire, FMN Part 3
    Rogue 10 NM...Sunfire, FMN Part 4
    Rogue 11 NM...Sunfire, FMN Part 5
    Rogue 12 NM...Sunfire, FMN Conclusion
    Captain America 177 VG...Xmen villain Lucifer
    Captain America 178VG...Xmen villain Lucifer
    Thor 178 VG...Xmen villain The Stranger
    Daredevil 103 VF...Spiderman crossover
    Revenge of the Living Monolith VG...Xmen villain
    Shrugged 1 NM...Mile High variant
    My one complaint, other than not finding a copy of Daredevil 77 to go with the copy of Sub Mariner 40 I picked up at my LCS last week, is that most all of the Bronze Age and earlier books were reader copies, like VG to VF...there were no high grade copies to be had unless they were Modern. That was a drag, but I was still very happy to pick up the aforementioned reader copies and the experience itself was well worth the trip. Now I think I will read one of these new acquisitions and call it a night. Hope everyone is having a great summer...looking forward to hearing about your experiences as well.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  14. surfer99
    I managed to find a few things...
    Had a great trip. I bought a Saturday ticket, spent several hours at the Con, met a fellow board member...lpersky, it was GREAT to meet you in person my friend! My son enjoyed the Deadpool books and Im looking forward to reading the Cable and XForce series. I wish you all the best with PDot Comics and hope to see you at a future Con.
    I found some other books I was looking for...Marvel Fanfare 1 thru 4, Fear 20...supposedly there is an Xmen appearance, I dont know...Rom 31, and about 8 different Avengers books I needed from the original series...I now have issues 25 thru 225. I also managed to pick up a graded Sub Mariner 53 featuring SunFire! Thats a tough issue to find in high grade due to the black cover so I was really happy to snag that one. After the Con I headed over to Disneyland to meet up with the rest of the family. As usual my legs were HURTIN by the end of the day.
    Spent the next day at Disney again then Frank from Aspen invited us back so we cruised the floor a bit then decided to help with tear down at the end of the day so the guys could head back home sooner...when I thought about it afterwards it was kind a cool working next to the writer of Soulfire as we were packing things up. Frank hooked me up with whatever books I needed and a mini bust too so that was cool...he doesnt have to do things like that but he still does them anyway. Nice to have good friends.
    Well thats about it for the trip. I will leave you with a pic of the aforementioned Sub Mariner book. Talk to you soon.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  15. surfer99
    Looking good...
    As I shared in a previous journal, I had a couple of raw Bronze Age books pressed and graded at the Amazing AZ Con at the end of March. The books showed up on the registry as Shipped/Safe last week, but not one to spoil surprises, I refrained from peeking. Well, the books arrived and Im VERY happy with the results.
    1975 Marvel Team Up 38 CGC 9.4 with Off White to White Pages
    1973 Shanna The She Devil CGC 9.6 with Off White to White Pages
    Ok sure, the MTU 38 could have been better, but Ive been looking for that issue in 9.6 for years and havent had any luck, and I dont want to pay 200 bucks for a 9.8 copy. That being said, Im happy with the 9.4 grade. Cool Bronze Age Beast appearance...nice.
    The Shanna issue I thought was not in as good a shape as the MTU, so I was happily surprised to see it grade at 9.6. Once I found out this issue featured an early appearance of Professor X I went on the hunt for it. The only copy Id been able to find was on wwcomics.com and it had been sold already. Could it be...yes, xfiles had purchased this copy for his collection. Ugh. So, I found the best copy I could on eBay and the rest is history. I am adding this one to my Xmen the Missing Years set right now to further establish my dominance of this set, mmmwaahhaa...oh man, that bagofleas guy is getting in my head.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  16. surfer99

    New Mutants Love

    By surfer99,

    Its good to have friends...
    So I picked up issues 5 and 6 from the original New Mutants series at my LCS not too long ago. I dont normally collect NM but they featured the Silver Samurai who I do really like so I figured why not. The stories were good enough to suck me in and the art was good too. While the Silver Samurai storyline wrapped up nicely, there was a subplot that left me hanging. First off, someone was in Karmas head talking smack saying...I have come to claim you, body and soul, forever...and then the whole island the team was on just blows up. Now Im thinkin...uh, what happened to the team, and who was the dude after Karma?
    Of course I went where anyone seeking answers to New Mutants folklore would go...Tnerb, help me out my friend. He says...check out bagofleas set, he has great descriptions and pictures of every issue. So I went to bagofleas set as instructed...Tnerb was right, very thorough descriptions. I read the descriptions for the next several issues, but no news about Karma. What the heck? I went back to Tnerb who says issues 20 through 31 are the pay off issues for the Karma subplot. I cant believe Claremont would make readers wait for more than a YEAR to find out the fate of Karma...not cool Chris. Lucky for me, I dont have to wait. Even better, Tnerb gave me copies of all these issues and then some. Tnerb, I am very grateful for your generosity and look forward to reading these stories that have meant so much to you.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  17. surfer99

    Shipped/Safe

    By surfer99,

    Do I dare look...
    Ive been a member of the CGC Registry for a number of years, but its always been a FREE membership. I figured, why pay for a membership when I can get a discount on submitting my books by filling out the submission form using any number of websites...commicspriceguide.com, wwcomics.com, and pcei.com just to name a few.
    So I bring a couple of economy books with me to the Amazing AZ Con in March that I wanted to have pressed then graded. The kind folks at the CGC booth proceded to inform me that since the CGC and CCS computers arent yet integrated, I will need to fill out separate submission forms...and I would need a PAID membership. Sigh. Looks like I have no choice, so I opt for the regular membership. I dont submit books often enough to warrant paying for a higher level membership.
    Now that Im paid up and my books are submitted I do have one perk I didnt have before...being able to view my order status via the CGC registry. Thats pretty cool. Today my order status has finally changed to Shipped Safe and my grades are posted. Man...it is taking a lot of willpower, but I would rather wait for the books to arrive and open that box to find out the grades I received rather than take a peek online now. If I find out the grades now, then its just not as big of a deal when they arrive.
    I will let you know the books when they get here, and how they graded. Always hoping for 9.6, but expecting 7.0...its all we can do.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  18. surfer99

    Phoenix Con 2013

    By surfer99,

    Got some signatures...
    My youngest son and I just got back from the Con. We had a really good time. As we were waiting to get in we mapped out where the CGC booth was and then where the comic creators, Peter David and Bret Blevins, were going to be. The doors opened and we made a beeline for the CGC booth.
    Mike was there as always...super nice guy, and I met another board member who worked at CGC as well...beer30. He let me know that the first thing I needed to do was go make sure the artists and writers I wanted to have sign my books were where they were supposed to be. So my son and I went to their booths...on the complete other side of the Con. Luckily they were there. My son stayed with Peter David while I went back to the CGC booth to grab beer30 as my witness.
    Our first stop was Bret Blevins. Nine out 10 books bagofleas sent me to have signed were for Bret. I took them out of the box and Bret signed them all no problem. He said he had never seen anyone prep their books like bagofleas had...windows were cut out of the backing boards where the signatures should go, and even the desired marker color was noted on the board. He was a nice guy and I think was appreciative of the care that went into prepping the books. He was telling, I think his wife, which issues they were just based on what was visible through the cutouts. He was like, remember this one?
    I also had Bret sign a book for me, and even gave him an unsolicited twenty bucks to draw a little Wolverine head on the cover. The issue? Well, I searched a database online to see what he had drawn and found one issue of Xmen, number 211, in my collection which had been previously graded 9.8 and given to me by the immensely generous and all around good guy, Ronnylama. To top it off, bagofleas was very kind to give me an unnecessary but appreciated monetary thank you for getting his books graded. I was able to use this money to pay for having this book regraded after Bret signed it. So now I will have a high grade, signed and sketched copy of Xmen 211 completely given to me by my fellow board members and friends on this site. How cool is that?
    As Bret was finishing up the last of the signatures my son came over to see where we were. He told me someone had asked Peter David how he was doing after his stroke and Peter David was like, does everyone know I had a stroke or what? I believe this happened a while back but I still dont think it was something he was comfortable talking about so I didnt say anything about it when I met him. He was kind enough to sign a few books for me...Hulk issues featuring Xmen characters of course...and one for bagofleas. Then beer30 took a pic of me with Peter...see below.
    All comics now signed and in hand, we headed back to the CGC booth. I thought, man I will be glad to drop off these books and be done with the stress of handling these high grade beauties that arent my own. Dont get me wrong, I'm glad I was able to help bagofleas get a few signatures for his New Mutants set, but it was a little nerve wracking. What happens next...the CGC guys asked if I had Golden Age bags to put the books in since they were exposed where the signatures were and they needed to be protected. Um, no...I dont have Golden or Silver Age bags on me. So, we had to take all the books out of their bags and turn them around so the backing board faced the cutouts in the bag. We got through it though and thank goodness bagofleas selected pressing as well so even if there had been any mishandling, they should be in the same or better condition than before.
    Wow, this journal got long, sorry. So thats about it. It was fun to meet Peter and Bret. The Con itself wasnt as great as the Amazing AZ Con that was here in January, but my son and I had a great time nonetheless and we are looking forward to going again next year.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  19. 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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  20. surfer99
    Mixed results
    I submitted two books to Desert Winds at WonderCon in January for Stan Lee signature. He was supposed to be there, but unfortunately he was ill and couldn't make it. From the sound of things in another recent journal I didnt miss much since you really arent allowed to have any interaction with the man himself...unless you pay to have your picture with him. Regardless, I am super happy to add his signatures to my collection. This is the before and after signature...
    Strange Tales 120 CGC 8.0
    After...CGC 8.0 SS
    Fantastic Four 28 CGC 7.5
    After...CGC 7.0 SS
    So my Strange Tales stayed the same which is cool, but my FF 28 dropped half a grade. Sure, I wish it had retained the 7.5 grade but Im ok with it...Id much rather have the signature. I know he has signed a ton of books, but its just cool to think he signed MY books, you know?
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  21. surfer99
    Has anyone else ever wondered...
    In a lot of ways, I still feel like a kid. Today I watched Saturday morning cartoons. It started with the Regular Show, then Adventure Time, and I saved the best for last...The Avengers. I was happy to see the new Avengers episodes starting. This one featured the Enchantress pulling the strings of Loki and the Wrecking Crew.
    After I got my cartoon fix, I decided to read The Avengers number 22 from 1965 featuring none other than Enchantress who was manipulating her newest pet, Power Man, to take down the Avengers. I bought a low grade copy of this issue a few weeks back from my LCS and just hadnt had a chance to read it yet...good story. Anyway, I noticed near the Marvel logo on the cover the words Pop Art Productions. I had seen this before on other issues and just dismissed it. Today I was feeling more inquisitive so I looked it up on the Internet to see what it was about. Unfortunately I couldnt find much in terms of how it relates to Marvel, but I was able to learn the Pop Art movement began in the mid 50s and lasted until the early 70s. This matches the timeline of 1965 when the Marvel issues were produced with the Pop Art Productions logo. These are the related issues I was able to identify from that year that had the logo...
    The Amazing Spiderman 28
    The Amazing Spiderman 29
    The Amazing Spiderman 30
    The Amazing Spiderman 31
    The Avengers 19, Vista Publications
    The Avengers 20, Vista Publications
    The Avengers 21, Vista Publications
    The Avengers 22, Vista Publications
    Daredevil 9
    Daredevil 10
    Fantastic Four 42, Canam Publishers Sales Corp
    Fantastic Four 43, Canam Publishers Sales Corp
    Fantastic Four 44, Canam Publishers Sales Corp
    Fantastic Four 45, Canam Publishers Sales Corp
    Journey Into Mystery 119, Atlas Magazines, Inc.
    Journey Into Mystery 120, Atlas Magazines, Inc.
    Journey Into Mystery 121, Atlas Magazines, Inc.
    Journey Into Mystery 122, Atlas Magazines, Inc.
    Sgt. Fury 21, Bard Publishing Corp
    Sgt. Fury 22, Bard Publishing Corp
    Tales to Astonish 71
    X-men 13, Canam Publishers Sales Corp
    X-men 14, Canam Publishers Sales Corp
    There was also Daredevil 202, but this was many years later and was purely satirical so its not really relevant. If someone was interested, this would make a cool registry set...Marvel Pop Art Productions.
    If anyone has any further details on Marvel Pop Art Productions, please share.
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  22. surfer99

    Starbucks

    By surfer99,

    Tip jars...
    This was a great way to get me to leave a tip. I'm told Marvel is winning.
     
    ***

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  23. surfer99
    Selling books I want to keep is a drag...
    Sometimes you have to sell quality books to get quality books. This is what I'm faced with currently. I really want to build up my Xmen the Missing Years set. These would be the appearances the X-men and Xvillains made in other comic books, outside the Xmens own title, during the time between teams. This is my primary collecting goal. My secondary goal is to complete my Xmen 94 through 143 set. The problem is there are books I want to get to fulfill the first goal, but Ive already exceeded my self imposed monthly comic budget for May. I could wait until June, but of course Im trying to recapture the number one rank in this particular set and since the deadline for set registration is in June, I cant wait that long. The only thing left to do is begrudgingly let go of some of my Xmen books to fund the other books I want to pick up. It stinks, but I tell myself that finding the Xmen books again wont be difficult whereas the other books I want to get arent as easy to find so this is a good move. Yeah, I will just keep telling myself that. Has anyone else ever been faced with this dilemma, or am I the only one with limited funds and a wish list I cant always afford?
    Til next time...
     
    ***

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  24. surfer99
    Makes no sense to me...
    I know there are plenty of sellers here so maybe you can make some sense of this. Theres a book I was looking to purchase on eBay. The seller had it listed at $160 OBO. I put in a Best Offer of $120 since this is what I had recently paid for other, more significant, books in this series with the same CGC grade. This was a fair offer and I had no reason to expect the seller would decline it. I checked it today, and the seller counter offered with $155. Um, what? These are the things going through my head at this point...
    1. Were you insulted by my offer and so to show your contempt you decide to counter offer at $5 less than your asking price? If so, youre being petty and passive aggressive.
    2. Was your intent all along to accept nothing less than $155 no matter what offer you received? If so, then list the book at $185 OBO to give your potential buyers some negotiating room.
    Either way, I found this irritating and chose to ignore the counter offer and vent to you kind people rather than engage in pointless dialogue with the seller.
    Thanks for listening.
    Til next time...
    ***

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  25. surfer99

    Motion Cards

    By surfer99,

    Just had these graded...
    Ive got some Witchblade, The Darkness, and Fathom trading cards Ive been holding onto for years. Some are really cool like the sketch cards, the autographed cards, and the multiple cards that line up to make one image. I remember the most prized of these though were the motion cards. These were selling for like $100 each at the time because they were just SO rare and hard to find. I admit there were times I was tempted to sell mine and use the money to buy comics, but I held onto them because they meant something to me. They may be worth nothing today, but thats OK. I did try to find them on eBay but no luck.
    Anyway, in an effort to protect and preserve my cards, I decided to try out the card grading services of PSA...Professional Sports Authenticator. Im not a big card collector but from what I was able to tell this was the most well respected of the card grading companies and they offered a service very similar to CGC for non-sports cards as well. Here is an excerpt from their web site...
    Trading cards of all genres, both sports and non-sports, can be submitted to PSA. Once the card graders have determined the card to be genuine, they are then asked to determine whether or not the card shows evidence of doctoring. Doctoring is best described as the attempt to enhance the condition of a card by altering the condition, such as re-coloring or trimming.
    Finally, assuming the card passes the first two stages, the experts are asked to grade the condition of the card on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best. Once the grade is rendered, the card is then placed in a tamper-evident case which contains all the pertinent information on the label, including the unique certification number. A similar procedure is also used for collectible coins and pins.
    These are my cards and the grades they received...
    1996 Witchblade Motion Card, NM-MT 8
    1997 Darkness Motion Card, NM-MT 8
    From what I could gather, the NM-MT 8 grade is equivalent to the CGC 9.8 grade for comics so I was pretty happy to see that.
    If youve never seen these before and are curious what the back of the cards say...
    Witchblade
    The Witchblade, a cursed blessing?
    Only known to be of an organic compound, the mysterious Witchblade makes a connection with its bearer the moment its worn.
    Once activated by the wielder, the Witchblade has the ability to take on alternate shapes, usually that of a weapon. And since it cant function without the specific chosen being, it is no surprise that the Witchblade has an agenda to protect its owner from death at all costs.
    Generally choosing a new wielder once per generation, but sometimes longer, the Witchblade requires a strong body, but more importantly...an unbreakable spirit.
    The Darkness
    ART BY
    marc silvestri, pencils
    batt, inks
    jonathan d. smith, colors
    Lucky lucky boy. Havnt you guessed, Jackie? You are the Darkness. You have the power. You can do anything. And youll pay the price.
    Til next time...
    ***

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