500Club

I walk into the LCS to buy some bags periodically (and just this weekend) I used to speculate 5- 20 copies of a title back in the 80's, but I just don't see anything that jumps, that screams buy me, not even a single issue. I guess I want to see flames or at least smell smoke be for making a modern purchase of the rack.

Good luck.

In the current age of increasing speculation, you'll be lucky to find oxidation, unless you have an LCS where no boardies shop.

Works for me.

Not wishing to harp on - but I did say that Image and Marvel were VERY pizzed by the antics of a certain someone.

Co-incidence?

I doubt it very much.

Based on what? Do you have any specifics to support that?

"We have decided to cease second printings of single issues of titles that are known over-performers in hopes that it will help initial sales find their proper level. That’s marketing-speak for “You know this sells, so you’d better make sure you order enough!”

We'll see how this goes.

first appearance of coulson was on some episode of the new adventures of old christine that was on reruns today. The sound was off but I assume he was there to recruit shield agents.

So would you buy DVDs or BlueRay copies of that episode?

I like that cover better than the first print.

I think a bigger scan would help to clarify things, Larry.

I seriously doubt Image is furious. Those books don't get printed without their "OK". Any suggestion to the otherwise is just obnoxious.

+1

And, the books aren't 'ruined'. The stories' quality is independent of whether there are variants or not.

Yeah its been written so bad for so long that nobody cares.

 

You dont see the love for Supes like you do for Batman

 

After reading Action Comics #1 I'm not surprised. Writing and art was absolutely atrocious.

+1

I left mine in the can.

With the Man of Steel coming out June 14 2013, when do you think hoarding of both old and new Superman comics occurs?

The only books to look at would be first apps of villains, and storyline related books. Even then, as noted above, Superman doesn't get much hobby love.

[*]Uncanny X-Men #350 - $10.50

Why?

 

Gambit trail. Maybe that's in the next movie?

Thanks for the list, again. (thumbs u

[*]Uncanny X-Men #350 - $10.50

Why?

Ahhh. I see. So the paper gets crushed and pushed beyond the staple, while the staple remains anchored to the less mobile inner sheafs.

Anyone have before/after pics?

Oh, I believe people (especially unqualified people) can do all kinds of things to damage a book with a press, including push the cover back to where it looks like the staple was recessed or sink off set staples into the book. I don't believe it happens as often as some would like everyone to believe, and I believe the examples used are examples of books manufactured with recessed staples.

I don't get this either.

 

Can someone explain the physics of how pressing would cause properly placed (not offset) staples to be driven into the book? How will a press create a force from the side to push a staple through the spine into the book?

 

I find the Litch groin bump more plausible.

 

The theory goes that if a cover has some bounce to it (large radius curve at the spine) and is pressed down onto the interior the spine might actually move back relative to the interior pages.

Take any round ball. Large radius. Small radius. Soft. Hard.

Now, press down on it. WHEN are you EVER going to see the sides bow inward? The force put on the top/bottom of the rounded object cause a bowing effect of the sides, and there is nothing to stop the staple from moving with it, as far as I can theorize.

Oh, I believe people (especially unqualified people) can do all kinds of things to damage a book with a press, including push the cover back to where it looks like the staple was recessed or sink off set staples into the book. I don't believe it happens as often as some would like everyone to believe, and I believe the examples used are examples of books manufactured with recessed staples.

I don't get this either.

Can someone explain the physics of how pressing would cause properly placed (not offset) staples to be driven into the book? How will a press create a force from the side to push a staple through the spine into the book?

I find the Litch groin bump more plausible.

I no longer perceive a conflict of interest in this CI acquisition.

 

Really?

 

 

No.

 

But does it matter?

 

Yes. What you post matters.

+1

I value your opinion.

What bags do comic books originally come in?

The ones that say "Robert Bell" on the flap.

 

This is a baseball thread; don't you mean Albert Belle.

 

he'll always be joey to me.

Me too... he of the corked bat theft, GPS on ex-GFs car, chase of Halloween vandals, and ball thrown at a fan.

We started to learn Metric Conversion 50+ years ago in Grammer School.

 

The only thing that stuck with me was 2.34 centimeters per inch.

 

:

 

 

 

I don't have full confidence in the 'Grammer' he learned, either.

I'm actually OK with this story.

Because, in the end, it won't be a change to the status quo. It'll be a six month change at most. Nobody wants to read about an Otto Octavius Spider-Man long term. Unless Marvel wants to see Spidey sales slide into the 25K range or less, this will be a temporary situation.

Didn't like Alpha? Octavius Spidey, if written to character, will be equally obnoxious.

Is this ASM 698???

Read and open the links at your own risk!!!

 

http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/front-page-comic-news/64374-drunk-comics-creator-spills-spider-man-spoiler-strip-club-12.html

I hope that's a story.

Well, most threads bashing Matt Nelson have mysteriously disappeared.

Only because they were stupid.

Gotta get rid of the stupid Ewert, Schmell and Dupcak threads next.

Any proof, in 12 years, that CGC has abused the tying of the FVF to the grade given to a book? Any at all? Any rumors? Whispers?

 

None. Not one.

 

Would there be? Will there be, if the CI relationship is abused? Look at the board's history of uncovering things like Ewert's shenanigans and the Schmell JIM resub...

Explain to me how, in a perfect world, one could hope to prove such a thing as grade inflation to bump a FVF. It's such a miniscule risk to begin with. If anything, I think people underestimate their value to stay in a certain tier and it goes uncorrected. They'd make more fixing that leak.

Are you understanding the FVF issue correctly? It's not about submitters underestimating values. It's about CGC charging 3% of market value for books graded over a certain market value.

 

Take an AF 15, 8.5 vs 9.0. CGC charges that 3% based on after-market value. Therefore that 3% is larger if the grade is larger. Therefore an inherent COI, as bigger grade given equals bigger payday for CGC.

 

How would it be proven? With difficulty, but with the number of eyes and ears on the ground here, patterns would be spotted. That was the point of the Ewert reference - it was a pretty miniscule finding that led to the discovery.

Yes. I understand it. I was saying CGC's cut on inflating a grade to make a higher FVF is far less than you make it out to be.

Oh, ok. Then I'll follow with the thought that CGCs cut on improperly using the CI relationship would be even less.

Say you start giving gift grades to books coming through CI. What's the plan? To increase submissions to CI so you can make more money? For that to happen, submitters would have to know that CI books were getting favorable treatment. What would be the end result of that? Bye-bye CGC reputation and bye-bye CGC.

Any proof, in 12 years, that CGC has abused the tying of the FVF to the grade given to a book? Any at all? Any rumors? Whispers?

 

None. Not one.

 

Would there be? Will there be, if the CI relationship is abused? Look at the board's history of uncovering things like Ewert's shenanigans and the Schmell JIM resub...

Explain to me how, in a perfect world, one could hope to prove such a thing as grade inflation to bump a FVF. It's such a miniscule risk to begin with. If anything, I think people underestimate their value to stay in a certain tier and it goes uncorrected. They'd make more fixing that leak.

Are you understanding the FVF issue correctly? It's not about submitters underestimating values. It's about CGC charging 3% of market value for books graded over a certain market value.

Take an AF 15, 8.5 vs 9.0. CGC charges that 3% based on after-market value. Therefore that 3% is larger if the grade is larger. Therefore an inherent COI, as bigger grade given equals bigger payday for CGC.

How would it be proven? With difficulty, but with the number of eyes and ears on the ground here, patterns would be spotted. That was the point of the Ewert reference - it was a pretty miniscule finding that led to the discovery.

It's ridiculous to think that CGC would do anything in this situation that even smells of a conflict of interest - does anyone honestly think they're going to flush a reputation earned over 12 years down the toilet simply so they can sell a couple extra $10 press jobs?

 

Why would one of the greatest military commanders we've had in the past 20 years ruin his reputation over a piece of p*ssy? The business and professional world is rife with companies who make incredibly poor decisions and it all starts over the idea that they can *get away with it*.

 

I have no intention of "trusting" a company. I trust people. I trust myself. I don't "trust" a company to do the right thing. Ever. I engage in an equitable transaction that will mutually benefit both myself and the company. When that transaction becomes more in the favor of the company than myself, I start rethinking my financial choices.

 

I can't even imagine trusting CGC (or any other business for that matter) to do the right thing merely because they have cultivated a positive reputation in the marketplace.

 

It's an apples to oranges comparison.

 

CGC's business model is already built up around trust - trust that they'll grade your books impartially, that they won't swap the books while they're in CGC's possession, that they won't intentionally damage your books, that they won't give preferential treatment to high-volume submitters, etc.

 

You either trust CGC to run their business according to those tenets or you don't, but there's nothing in the purchase of CI by CGC's parent company that changes the CGC business model. So until CGC says otherwise, I'm going to assume that books will continue to enter the grading room in a mylar with a barcode and the CGC graders will continue to remain oblivious as to the owner of said books.

So what's changed from the time that they decided PCS was a bad idea? My money is NOT on "people just accept pressing more now."

What is your money on?

Until I see a problem which results from the acquisition, I have no problem with it.

 

I honestly don't see anything happening which has not been done before. Books have been getting pressed by CI, they submit them to CGC, books get graded. Should be the exact same process now.

 

Is there the appearance of a possibility of conflict of interest? Sure. However, if Paul and the other graders really don't know whose books they are grading, then I don't see how it is a problem.

 

That's a mighty big if. Before, CGC had no direct financial interest in knowing whose book is being graded. Now they do. That's the problem to me.

It's a small 'if'. Hasn't happened. Won't happen.

 

And, CGC, with the HA ownership issue, did/does have a previous direct financial interest in knowing the submitter.

 

Not only that, as I said before, this is a minimal COI compared to the Final Value Fee calculation COI.

 

Frankly, this issue is more of a tinfoil hat wearer's wet dream than a valid COI concern. Two years from now, all the angst of this thread will be long forgotten.

 

In the immortal words of what's becoming the battle cry of this thread, prove it. How do you know it hasn't happened? You can't prove it hasn't any more than I can prove it has. But CGC now has a more immediate financial reason to commingle. This announcement is a Rorschach test. But not every one who sees a problem with it was a conspiracy nut when they heard it.

Any proof, in 12 years, that CGC has abused the tying of the FVF to the grade given to a book? Any at all? Any rumors? Whispers?

None. Not one.

Would there be? Will there be, if the CI relationship is abused? Look at the board's history of uncovering things like Ewert's shenanigans and the Schmell JIM resub...