Ken Aldred

The first dealer I bought a slab from on eBay, circa 2006, stated that it should always be borne in mind that CGC's grading is subjective, and there may be certain aspects of the book's presentation that you might disagree with. Whether CGC or yourself personally, there's never going to be a persistent, universal consensus across the board. Again, conflicting opinions, subjectivity; nothing new.

Both have very powerful but very different classic scenes. The death sequence in 121, Mary Jane staying with Peter at the end of 122. That's why both are classics. Perhaps 121 has the edge, for sudden impact, but 122 has more of the shock reaction to that traumatic event. Have to sit on the fence and go for both: an inseparable pair.

Fairly stable over the last ten years or so, then.

Shows how out of touch I am. I quit back when the cover price was raised from $2.99 For a handful of comics each week, that was high enough for me.

More FromSoftware masochism at a bargain price. Hard to beat as a gaming experience.

I do have the GOTY version, but didn’t realise you needed to use a code to insert the DLC. Never know, might play it again sometime. The code’s good until September 2067.

Just started Fallout 4 PS4 on PS5. Typical Bethesda RPG game structure, familiar to me as a Skyrim / Oblivion player. Scavenging resources everywhere, and I know I’m going to end up with another insanely large inventory. Great graphics, always one for exploration, finding it much darker in tone than Elder Scrolls. Likely be on it for months.

Never played that game. Most GTA plane missions had very clunky handling, with the worst being the radio-controlled model aircraft mission in San Andreas.

One of the hardest and most frustrating missions in GTA San Andreas. At least there was no model aeroplane involved.

I don’t recall ever haggling. Book in nice condition, price seems reasonable and affordable, then the discount offered by the dealer is a bonus. I’m not demanding or entitled that way.

I’ve occasionally needed to take a time out, recovered, and then, like a diehard comics geek, dived headlong back into the fray. Your mood changes, as can your resolve towards the situation in the long term.

A good idea. It’s tempting to get very frustrated by the way the back issue market has evolved and just pack it in rather than to explore alternatives, even if you end up not following the crowd anymore. There are certain aspects of my comics history that I wish I’d done very differently or curtailed much sooner, certainly, but I’m glad I continued with it in some form and adapted to inevitable change, on my own terms.

Sadly, no. The closest I got to that in the north of England at the time was going carp fishing in the local reservoir.

I believe he left with his pile of cash years ago and was glad to be rid of individuals like me, with that comment paraphrasing a post he made here personally a long time ago.

That’s true. Birds of a feather.

Very, very close. Get your oven gloves out, you’re red hot. One initial out, actually.

Roy’s great. Some of the nicest books I’ve ever received. A real shame he wasn’t around back then in the 80s. How different it would’ve been.

An interesting group of creators. I notice that many are from the underground comix scene of that time.

I remember those ! Congrats. BWS from his Rupert Bear period.

Back to the thread title of ‘Does Expertise/Experience no longer matter to be a dealer’… Again, this confusion is nothing new or anything to do with an influx of new players. Going back to the mid-80s, I bought a GSXM 1 and Hulk 181 from a very well-known dealer who one would’ve thought to be highly reputable, based on the reasoning that he was an Overstreet advisor, counsel for an industry bible. The books were trash, the grading incompetent, the response I received back after complaining was appalling and cliquey. I’m certain to be asked who I’m referring to, and the clue is that he was Canadian.

Yup. Ellis is no Keith Giffen.

A very cheerful comic. Laugh a minute.

Good point. Once a shop owner, employee or dealer believes they have a monopoly, courtesy and respect for the desperate, 'dependent' consumer can be seen to vanish. Once that addict dynamic manifests, it's time to move on. But, you often find the opposite kind of personality as well, helpful people I've bought from for many years.

It really isn't new. Many examples of behaviour I've seen as discourteous or abusive over the decades I've been collecting; at cons, in shops. It's subjective, and not everyone will agree with your interpretation.

A friend I used to go to comic marts with would haggle down over buying a single £2.50 comic. I remember it well. For some it's a game, regardless of magnitude.