Ken Aldred

I was there in early 2005. They didn’t seem to have a great back issue selection by then.

The new Foom 2 for this year.

I found it disappointing.

I hope he doesn’t use the Edgar Church copy. Please note, your comics book will not look this good.

Yup. Better safe than sorry.

I’m impressed.

Likewise, the only one that was tempting to me, but a more complex story that might be absorbed better in short intervals on Blu-Ray or streamed. Endgame was packed out for ages at the cinema I go to, and I waited a while, eventually watching it in the late morning in a largish, completely empty auditorium. Still had a power nap during part of the time-travelling sequence, though.

Yup. It's far better for me to watch in 20 or 30 minute sections, to pay the maximum attention possible to what's going on and to the dialogue. This was made clear to me recently when I watched the Apocalypse Now Final Cut on TV, an approach which worked really well, allowing me to be able to appreciate the greatness of a very long and often very slow-paced film. Even with fast-paced, CGI-dominated films, when I watch them at the cinema, power napping is common for me. I'm getting old.

I just wonder, can an auditorium be efficiently sanitised in the short period between screenings? The virus is supposed to remain active on surfaces for around 72 hours. I remain unconvinced. Yes, I am OCD.

It’s already been established via existential analysis in this thread that he’s a cosmic level entity. Perhaps, like many characters of a similar nature, the answer is universal balance; a fulcrum somewhere between The Celestials, their arch-enemy Galactus, and Chuck Norris.

Certainly there’s a lack of empathy, of conscience, of concern, about the unpredictable, injurious effects on others. The behaviour I observe in my country saddens me.

I’ve been concerned about this, pal.

No. In the U.K. it isn’t remotely safe. The other day in a clothes shop, someone scraped straight up against the side of me, I pointed out lack of social distancing, and he then threatened to ‘kick my * head in if I told him what to do again’. It’s a tough neighbourhood. Elsewhere, the common attitude seems to be one of obliviousness, unless there’s a degree of enforcement, such as in stores or Uber taxis. I would imagine a cinema auditorium would be difficult to efficiently disinfect. Home viewing for me.

I concur. One that’s in my top ten along with Hellboy 2.

2014 was a particularly strong year; Winter Soldier, GOTG 1, X-Men Days of Future Past.

Reminded me that I still have a run of SSOC 1 to 50, and Savage Tales 1 to 11.

Yup. My new washing machine has a steam de-creasing program which works brilliantly. My trousers look ironed after just one 20 minute cycle. Alternatively, there’s always the classic Corby method...

Only if a new comic got a bit of a spine or corner curl while carrying it home from the LCS. I’d use the primitive technique of placing a few larger hardcovers on top of it to flatten.

Nothing worse as a collector than seeing a badly cracked slab.

One of my favourite Python sketches.

Yup. I have a lot of Omnibus editions, Absolutes and Archives, containing extensive runs, but very few runs as original copies. I also have a lot of digital manga, runs which would take up huge amounts of space as physical copies.

If it was real estate it’d be ‘a fixer-upper with tremendous potential’, and restoration would be expected rather than frowned upon.

For older comics they tend to grade tighter, and so that beaut’s an easy 9.4 at most.

I concur. Other than poor grading, if this copy reached 9.8 because its interior is flawless and the pages the most supple and bone white of any comic in the history of comics publishing, I’d still go for a lower grade, better-presenting copy with superior eye appeal.

Exactly what I was thinking of doing.