Ken Aldred

At this stage he looks more like Swamp Thing to me. But, it's a work in progress, of course.

Yup. Mullet covers are quite commonly ridiculed these days. A dated hairstyle.

At the time this was immediately a hot comic, and Jae Lee a hot, up-and-coming artist. He did get much better. Like Dale Keown's Hulk issues, always priced up by dealers but plentiful and never actually that hard to find cheap, with a little digging.

I think you did the right thing. Particularly in the current, overheating speculator market you should have many vendor options and similar copies to choose from. Even a few years ago when I was buying books in the three-figure range I wouldn't buy without a scan or grade screening process, and now, with many of those same books in the four-figure range and completely unaffordable to me, a common sense observation is that such processes have become even more important to buyers like yourself who are still involved with the back issue market. It's a risk, at current levels, that I'm unwilling to take; a circle I don't wish to intersect with anymore. No grading, no screening, not much of a problem at present, as it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone else more obliging and more transparent to fill those gaps for you.

Thanks for posting that. I would've found the warehouse and its stock far too overwhelming. I recall Koch and Dolgoff being popular sources for British dealers back in the 90s, lots of mid-grade Silver Age Marvels and obscure Bronze Age DCs. But, it looks like a bit of a dump. The Avalanche seems to have lost its Wonder somewhat.

Thinking about it, I did break my arm and had a screw put in it, and later removed, of course, so that counts as restoration. As with comics, pristine condition becomes rare with time. Few of us are blue labels.

Too tight. The grade I gave myself was, perhaps, a little optimistic, more likely a Mile High NM, or real world 4.0, which would be in line with my pitiful grading attempts here on the boards.

Judging from the fact that the last time I attempted a grading contest here I ended up second last - extremely badly. Although I'm in my 50s and there's been some wear and tear, I'd grade myself around a 9.0, perhaps a gift grade 9.2.

I can wait. I prefer to wait until the middle or late period of a console's lifespan, in order to pick up loads of cheap but excellent games. For Playstation that's mainly the Platinum or Classics series. For me, the emphasis is on cheap entertainment. Easy then not to get worked up about what happens at the start of a cycle, as with this particular complication.

I've definitely come to appreciate Kirby's work at Marvel in the 70s more with age. The creativity feels quite unrestrained, as with the bizarre physical appearance of Arnim Zola in the Captain America series, and borders on insane at times, as in parts of the short-lived Devil Dinosaur run. The dialogue polarises, but there's a manic quality to it which fits the visuals for me. I'm sure you'll find his work here an entertaining choice to start with.

Yup. Likewise. I call it obsessive-compulsion. More like anxiety.

I consider myself to be quite out of touch with Star Wars. Perhaps the younger fans, readers and collectors are much more familiar with the Extended Universe in novels, animated series and comics, not just the films, and that makes a big difference.

It’s a shame. I agree.

About 10 Giant-Size X-Men 1 in NM condition. I got one late 1980 for £20 / $40.

I know I had a few panic attacks. I had to be heavily sedated. But, at least the worst is over. Hopefully there’s no long term PTSD as a consequence.

Great news! I was concerned about neurotransmitter withdrawal and falling into a deep depression due to lack of dopamine stimulation. This has now been alleviated by the return of the laugh emoticon, which will hopefully continue to provide a regular boost to my fragile ego, as I keep the boards entertained with my unceasing wit. It’s the right decision. Everyone wins.

I thought that it’s been a general growth area for several years now. Far pricier than it used to be, though a primary focus has been on classic, gory covers.

A couple of years ago it possibly was primarily film and TV speculation, but since Covid it has become much more complex and multi-factorial than that, vectoring steeply upwards together for now. Interesting to see if it’s sustainable, or a quick-burning supernova.

Any topic there can become a subject for intense philosophical debate. Any topic. Even the social complexities of the smiley face. It's to be expected.

Exactly. Abused groups don't feel they have to be kicked around and just take it anymore, as options now exist to speak up about the way they get mistreated. That applies to my autism / Aspergers group as much as it does to ethic or religious discrimination. It's a reason I'd never want to go back to the 70s, or even the 90s, as progress and understanding has been made, but, there's still a lot of majority inflexibility to combat, to go up against with words, even now.

Top 5 metal albums of all time for me. A masterpiece.