500Club

14 hours ago, BishopT said:

I must have missed it, but when did Immortal Hulk #2 take off?

Popular book.  Underordered.  We had number ones on the racks here for a while, but two and three quickly got bought up.

On 11/5/2018 at 5:13 PM, ExNihilo said:

But the art...I can't believe Marvel doesn't have any supremely talented artists on its payroll. 

I think they do.  I think it’s more the house style and the style of the times.  There’s a lot of Bryan Hitch style art being done, by guys who aren’t Hitch.  They really need an art director who emphasizes clean lines and sequential storytelling.

It reminds me of when I started collecting in 1979 and didn’t like the art in DC books.  Of course, I didn’t realize then that a whole bunch of guys who weren’t Neal Adams were trying to draw like Neal Adams.

1 hour ago, Wolverinex said:

1 hour ago, 500Club said:

Thinking about this, Roy, it's possible whoever did it had to go and see the collection TWICE.   First, to note the ASM 1, and second, to bring the swap-out GRR copy  (unless they were told in advance there was an ASM 1)

 Smart, but it would be hard to prove it.

It’s more the idea that the owners could be asked if anyone had been by to view twice.

Of course, if Roy is right and a family contact slipped the book out, that approach is irrelevant.

On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:10 PM, VintageComics said:

After the books were received we noticed that the Amazing Spider-man #1 was a 1966 GRR reprint and not the original one from 1963 of which pictures that were originally provided.

It looks like someone who viewed the collection at some point switched out the ASM #1 for the GRR copy with the owners not being the wiser.

Thinking about this, Roy, it's possible whoever did it had to go and see the collection TWICE.   First, to note the ASM 1, and second, to bring the swap-out GRR copy  (unless they were told in advance there was an ASM 1)

10 hours ago, Jerkfro said:

On ‎11‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 2:24 PM, Science! said:

IIRC, that's their pre-PGX name, until CGC stepped in. Then they changed their name to PGA until the golf people stepped in.

Does that mean I can get my mashies and niblicks slabbed?

The PGA doesn't penalize for a little bit of slicing either.

I've liked Slott at times in the past.  That said, I agree with you, it doesn't seem to be a good fit here.  Schitti's smudgy art doesn't do it for me, either.

16 hours ago, Mapleleafvann said:

 

As far as I know, the first title that was to be printed under the "Black Label" was Batman White Knight.  

Yes and no.  At the time White Knight came out, it wasn’t a Black Label title, but DC decided over the summer to include it in the Black Label family.

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 9:14 AM, RockMyAmadeus said:

Fast forward 20 years, and all of these books...literally every book published with a manufactured bag and heat seal...have been damaged by the uneven pressure exerted by that seal over the ensuing decades

Fortunately, this funniest of ironies can be corrected by ironing of the funnies.

34 minutes ago, Aweandlorder said:

I don't think prices ever drop drastically on a "hot" book when it cools off. They drop, just not drastically. What happens is that the demand ceases at a certain point and collectors/spec'ers/what have you move on to the next hot item and then the cooled-off book stays trapped at a price it once was with absolutely no buyers. The only ones that would get it for a fraction of the price would be those bidding on that book at a .99 cent auction or a seller who's done holding on it for a long while and will let it go for a stupidly low best offer. But the BIN price will always stay the same. 

Yup.  An example of this is ASM 797.  It's trapped at $10 around here.  There's nothing special about it, but it got scooped up in the Red Goblin spec frenzy, and an artificial lack of supply ensued.

The best hope, as you say, is that a book like this gets pitched into the 50% off bin, or is run as a true .99c starting auction.

15 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Love the silhouette, by the way.

 

It's like Copper Age comic cover.  All that's needed is Spider-Man cowering on the ground, with arms outstretched.

11 hours ago, Nico Esq said:

I frankly don't understand the fascination with Warrior Nun   

Hot on the heels of the Batman: Damned nonsense, a bunch of dumb azz fanboys probably thought the title was Warrior Nun Areola.

No accurate idea, but guess a low selling title, with an homage cover being somewhat less than classic.

2 hours ago, kav said:

I would not have been mesmerized by this whatsoever.  I would have said dad can we leave now?

And that’s nowhere near the worst of examples.  At least that cover has some color contrast, and the main character featured prominently.   Most current covers are a mishmash of neutrally colored images, with poor foreground/background delineation.

Bring back the ‘hook’... an image that compels a desire to read the story behind it. 

5 hours ago, kav said:

can you think of any board argument that is still ongoing?

Hulk 180/181

1 hour ago, Jackhartmann said:

DC Comics has informed comic book retailers that, as it stands, the sold-out-in-a-flash comic Batman: Damned #1 will not be reprinted. At all. SAw it spike after this. 

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/09/27/dc-comics-reprint-batman-damned-1-2-late/

 

DC consulted a mohel, who advised a cut off.

1 hour ago, Ken Aldred said:

Before comics went mainstream thanks to the recent films, reading comic books as an adult was often stigmatised and considered to be a sign of stunted social development and a lack of emotional maturity.

This particular frenzy isn't doing us any favours, by basically promoting the stereotype.

No kidding.  This whole thing is ridiculous.  Artist, writer, editor...  whoever thought this was a good idea is an insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

1 hour ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

1 hour ago, 500Club said:

And even those that do, it’s in the context of the hobby having bastardized the term.  As I have posted before, ‘first appearance’ has come to mean ‘most important or meaningfully collected’ of the character’s introduction sequence.

Think of it as a colloquialization...  if I refer to someone as ‘bro’, I don’t literally mean to indicate they’re my brother.

Yeah, no. The entire hobby knows that Hulk 180 is the true first appearance of Wolverine. You can make arguments for why Hulk 181 is more valuable ( Great first story; great cover, iconic confrontation with the Hulk; first "Full" appearance; historical preference, etc.). But what it absolutely is not, is the first appearance of Wolverine in a published comic book. 

You missed the whole point of the commentary - that the expression ‘first appearance’ has been bastardized. 

You’re right - two plus two is four, the sun rises in the east, and IH 180 is the first appearance of Wolverine - period, full stop, end of story.  However, in the English language, there are numerous words and phrases that have been co-opted away from their initial or literal meaning. 

29 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

46 minutes ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

Virtually everyone selling that book says it’s the “1st” appearance of Wolverine.

Nice exaggeration. There are a lot of insufficiently_thoughtful_persons on there, but it's just barely a majority that put "1st Wolverine" (or some variation of that inaccuracy) in the listing title.

And even those that do, it’s in the context of the hobby having bastardized the term.  As I have posted before, ‘first appearance’ has come to mean ‘most important or meaningfully collected’ of the character’s introduction sequence.

Think of it as a colloquialization...  if I refer to someone as ‘bro’, I don’t literally mean to indicate they’re my brother.

33 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

Also, Todd is no longer a current title. As I stated. If the writer would have kept it going we do not know where the value would be. Again, as I stated, look at Saga.

Given sales numbers of the last issue, and the fact there was no LCS or show buzz at all about the book, I'm guessing there'd still be a tiny niche following of vocal supporters, and the value would be cover price.

2 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

6 minutes ago, 500Club said:

Yeah, agree, but for a lot of the Image cohort circa 2012, internet hype was the only reason.  With the hyped movie books, there's a surge of interest, but when it fades, you're still left with a baseline support of interest.

2012 is around the time when people who didn't read comics started coming online. When the sports card people moved over to comics. More and more everyday now.

Which is a good thing if they end up being readers.

Sadly, if they just speculate, they'll probably do it badly, and ultimately leave disillusioned like the johnny-come-latelys circa 1994.

1 minute ago, ygogolak said:

17 minutes ago, 500Club said:

As a show and internet dealer, he knows exactly what he's talking about.   These internet hyped titles played well in the speculator echo chambers, but not so much at shows or LCSs.   The lack of perpetuated interest meant that as soon as the speculators were gone, that was it for any visible interest in these books.

When he says the books 'died', he's talking about interest levels, not the actual ending of the title.

As a show and internet dealer you should know that happens with every single book now. Not "hyped" independent titles. The Big 2 movie books are the most over-hyped books out there.

Marvel Preview #4 sold for a high of $3,900 in 2014. The year of the fist GOTG film. The high so far this year is $2,300. Still a popular movie character and actor in general. The market has changed a lot in the past 5 years. Internet hype is a subset of that, but not the only reason.

Yeah, agree, but for a lot of the Image cohort circa 2012, internet hype was the only reason.  With the hyped movie books, there's a surge of interest, but when it fades, you're still left with a baseline support of interest.

6 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

The 180/181 debate is essentially about rules. What are the rules of this hobby. What is a first appearance? And why do some first appearances matter and others not so much. 

This is just the most prominent example of a 1st appearance of a major character being far less valuable than his second. 

This has relevance to this thread as it pertains to modern books heating up for (the most part) 1st appearances, and what that means.  

It comes down to this: there are no rules

I know that doesn't sit well with the finicky, OCD type collectors, but there it is.  In general, it's the introductory issue with the 'most meat', often cover appearance and full story, but there are all kinds of exceptions.

Play it where it lies.

2 hours ago, ygogolak said:

13 hours ago, kimik said:

They died as soon as the Image speculators left for the next title. That is basically why Image saw a spike in overall sales for a couple of years. I am glad that the creators were able to cash in at the start at least, even though the majority of titles were done before issue #10.........

You don't know what you're talking about. Stop spreading misinformation. Todd ended because one of the creators abandoned the project.

As a show and internet dealer, he knows exactly what he's talking about.   These internet hyped titles played well in the speculator echo chambers, but not so much at shows or LCSs.   The lack of perpetuated interest meant that as soon as the speculators were gone, that was it for any visible interest in these books.

When he says the books 'died', he's talking about interest levels, not the actual ending of the title.

10 minutes ago, kimik said:

They died as soon as the Image speculators left for the next title. That is basically why Image saw a spike in overall sales for a couple of years. I am glad that the creators were able to cash in at the start at least, even though the majority of titles were done before issue #10.........

Yup, and it’s now pretty clear that creators’ commitment to a title is a huge land mine if anyone is considering speculating.  So many independent books burn brightly at the start...

2 hours ago, kimik said:

The titles you mentioned are Image books, and when the pump and dump crowd started losing $$$ and left the threads they died. If you go back and read the threads, most of the posts were from people that had speculated on the books and were talking them up here on the boards and elsewhere in an attempt to cash in. Remember Bedlam, Nailbiter, Black Acre, Sheltered, etc.? In those threads, the number of comments from the top posters about how much they liked the book was directly correlated to the number of copies of #1 they were sitting on.

You forgot Todd, the Hypiest Kid, Four Hypesters Walk Into a Bank, Hypeheim and Hype Queens.