RCheli

I'll take it.

I'm not a fan of the Omnibuses because they're just too unwieldy. I read a lot on the train or on the plane or at lunch, and I'm not lugging those things around with me. And Marvel printing is crummy, and the spines tend to break. (That's my grumpy comment of the day.)

The guy who ran it lost his shirt. It was a great convention to get signatures -- Kubert, Infantino, Windsor-Smith, Arnold Drake, Fradon and Severin, Murphy Anderson, Novick, so many other -- but the halls were empty. (Alter Ego #147 had an entire issue on the show.) I think if CGC had been doing Signature Series then (heck, I think the company had only been grading books for a few months by this time), it would've been better attended. But I think this con -- which was nearly 20 years ago -- really showed that the older artists that we all beg convention organizers to bring to their shows don't actually drive attendance. I mean, this was the best lineup of Gold/Silver/Bronze guests the East Coast had seen in decades, and nobody came. (I remember the person I spoke to the longest was Henry Boltinoff. I probably sat there with him for a half hour and we just went through various comics with his half-page gag strips.)

It's a great book. I have it signed by Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, and Murphy Anderson (at the terrific White Plains con in 2000).

People need to start realizing that this book (and a lot of other key DC Silver Age comics) pre-dates every Marvel super-hero issue. Whether it's this or B&B #28 or every Showcase up to #34, they all appeared on the stands before FF #1.

Now $55, which is how much I paid for my Daredevil #1 in 1988.

$60 is less than you'd spend on a nice dinner for you and the wife at Outback, and what's more important to you: steak or comics. I think we know the answer to that...

Now $65. I'm going to stop at $50, so grab it now before someone else.

And now it's $70!

Now $75!

It looks like the GoFundMe has died. They're at $6.5k, and I highly doubt they're reaching that $50k goal. If they had offered something like a "Save Our Store -- $100 worth of back issue comics for $50" voucher, I suspect they'd get a lot more love.

For all you DC Universe variant fans, here's your chance to get 8 of them in their original packaging! Shrink-wrapped! Blessed by someone whose name has already been forgotten! Best of '94 -- DC Universe Variant Pack Includes: Aquaman #1 Batman Adventures #21 Damage #0 Flash #91 Robin #9 Superboy #8 Superman: Man of Steel #30 Wonder Woman #90 Since these are still in the box and unwrapped, I cannot vouch for their condition. Though I suspect that they're pretty good. Because... well... they're still in the wrapping, right? The price includes shipping in the US. I will gladly ship outside the US, and that will cost exact cost minus $5. I accept Paypal or check/MO. Price: $55 (Every 12 hours, I will drop the price $5. So at noon-ish Eastern tomorrow, it will be $75; midnight -- or thereabouts -- tomorrow it will be $70; and so on.)

There's one in Jersey, in or near Collingswood. (I don't know if it's still open, though.) I've never been.

They are by no means my favorite shop, so I don't want you to think I'm defending them too much. I'm just saying the days of a straight comic shop are over. Whether that means toys or Funko Pops or statues or t-shirts or gaming, you need to expand. And that expansion shouldn't be in back issues -- unless you're going all out. By that I mean, actively looking to add things to your stock (old and new, graded, $1 books, whatever), selling online, doing conventions. Ontario St. Comics is another shop that I have no idea how it's still in business. Fat Jack's could work and could be successful. Their location is very good. They have a loyal customer base. They are in a big city. It needs to be $50k and a new plan.

I would say that the Old City Brave New World is a lot different than their suburban location, which has a lot more room and more comics. When you're in a high-traffic/high-rent area, you have to focus sales per square foot. And Fat Jack's has about 1/3 of the store set up to sell back issues. While I obviously have never seen their books, I can almost guarantee that 1/3 of their sales (or even 1/10) is back issues. It's a bad business decision to waste so much of your floor space on stuff that doesn't sell as well.

I've seen more than one toy dealer at shows who sent in mid-grade, non-key Silver Age books to get graded because they thought that's just what you do. So you have this table full of Funko Pops and action figures and Star Wars stuff and then a couple of random mid-300s Action Comics in 3.5. They all realize that they're not valuable -- but also know that nobody is going to buy them for the cost of the grading.

Just to be clear. It doesn't seem like the GoFundMe was initiated in any way by the owner. It looks like it was done by an employee/customer. And I just found out this morning that I need to buy a new boiler. So I'm starting a "Keep the Cheli Family Warm" donation plan.

I think this is their problem. And it's not isolated to comics. The way anything is sold in the brick-and-mortar world is different than it was even 5 years ago. There is another shop about 20 blocks away (Fat Jack's is on 19th, I believe, and Brave New World is on 2nd) that is how you have to have your shop now. Pops, toys, statues, trades (a decent selection of 1/2 price books), nice (but not huge) wall books, only a few boxes of back issues, $1 bins... and your new books. That store, even though it's in a less desirable (though still nice) neighborhood, is thriving.

Yesterday, on my Facebook feed, a new GoFundMe appeared. It was to help save a local comic shop -- Fat Jack's Comicrypt in Philadelphia. After being in business for many, many years, rising rent and shrinking sales, they are on the edge of going under. An employee there has started this campaign in hopes of getting $50k. (So far, a day in, they're at $6k.) https://www.gofundme.com/vjzd2z-save-fat-jack039s-comicrypt My question for you is, would you donate to something like this if it were a local shop knowing that you weren't getting anything out of it other than the store staying open? (You're not getting back issues with the money, for example.) The store is three blocks from where I work, and I rarely go there. The back issues are just meh, and they don't seem to be getting much new stuff in (Gold and Silver wise). It used to be the best shop in the city, but no longer, possibly because there isn't the available capital to get new stock in beyond the weekly shipment. Thoughts?

I haven't looked at his site in years. He always has things I want. The prices are just a little too high for me.

I mean, if you're looking to sell, there are enough keys/big books in there to make your money back right away. Between the GS1, 94, 101, 120, 121, 141, 266 and plenty others that you could sell immediately, you'll find profit in it. The only problem is that non-key issues after 150 are not great sellers any more.

I have had requests at my last couple of shows for the reprint era X-Mens (post-Adams, pre-New) as well as the late Sgt. Fury issues which were reprints (in higher grade at least). Both are tough to find in grade.

Regardless of what technically is the first appearance or cameo or teaser or whatever, the market determines what it most desirable and not an individual (or individuals) who have facts or definitions to back them up. So my personal opinions on Jimmy Olsen #134 or Hulk #271 or X-Men #266 are practically meaningless; the market has made the decision for me (and us).