kimik

+1 I finally got around to watching Ant-Man with my family last night. My son liked it, but not as much as the other Marvel movies, my wife and I were neutral - it is okay but could have used a better cast - and my daughter left halfway through as she was bored with it. Maybe it is just me, but I did not like Paul Rudd at all as a leading actor - he is a support actor that can't carry a lead role which is what you need for a second tier character. They needed someone more like Chris Pratt in GotG if they are casting a second tier property with a less well known actor.

They should just sign up JSC as a variant cover artist for all new #1s and be done with it.

Here is a recent return from Sarasota that gets me into the club.

I thought that the Thanos CGI was a bit weak as well. Ronan looked cooler in GoTG IMHO. That being said, this movie looks like it will be a fun action flick. It will hopefully do well at the box office so Fox expands the X-universe further on the big screen and TV.

If it is one variant per issue #50 from the best selling titles it could be okay. However, if it is 4 or 5 per every title it will likely backfire at the higher price point IMHO as there will be too many weak sellers getting them.

It is the new #1 every 12 months effect that is propping up the Marvel #s. Look at how many different variants there are of every new #1 - that is what is driving the numbers for the Marvel #1s and DK3 #1. The same thing happened with the New 52 relaunch.

It is receiving much better positive buzz re: the quality of the covers and the chance for the random original sketch than other variants they have done. I don't see the same level of interest for the January coloring book covers, and the past few they have done (2015 lenticulars, Flash month, GL month, Other month, etc.) have been at best.

The reason this worked well for DC is the line-up of artists and popularity of the character. If they do it en masse for all of their other characters it will be overkill. However, doing one for Batman down the road, Wonder Woman, Superman, etc. every quarter or so should be okay as long as DC ensures that they have A list artists doing the cover variants.

I have had multiple dealings with Randall now and it is a pleasure to deal with him. Thanks again for another smooth purchase.

The Extraordinary X-Men 1 variant is up for sale today on his site........................

You should buy my set on eBay Already covered on that front. I grew up in the sticks so all of my books from back then are Canadian newsstand variants.

It's not over yet. Interesting piece here on MOS 18 http://comicbookinvest.com/2015/12/10/superman-man-of-steel-vol-1-18-1992-dc-comics/ Disclaimer: Any opinions or expression of investments in this article should be used at the sole discretion and judgment upon the investor, not Astoria. So please use your own discretion when investing and have fun. The speculator not only has to be accountable for their gains and loses, but their own research as well. Although my efforts have been utilized to ensure the accuracy of information in this article Astoria cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies contained within. Please help by nicely pointing out any errors, rather than the usual CGC grey-hair "thats wildly_fanciful_statement comments" I like the poster's comment at the bottom: "The comic market is nuts, if 17 is the first Doomsday then Web 18 is the first Venom."

There are Canadian newsstand editions of the TMNT Adventures early issues.

Looking back at price action the past 4 or 5 years on a 6.0 copy, the best time to buy is November/December, while the best time to sell is during April - August. This jives with the comic market action in general. Buy at the end of the year to flip the following summer.

Not much auction or price activity on the book leads to lack of discussion, I guess. I am thinking of putting one of my copies up soon just to test the waters.

True enough, but I have opened spec cases where 20 books are mangled due to the way Diamond packed they. They can be brutal with their haphazard packing IMHO.

I was shocked by how low Batman sales were considering it was such a huge seller just a couple of years before that. It goes to show how huge the star artists were at the time - Image was killing it.

I wonder if the way Diamond handles the books isn't part of the problem. I see horrible batches of books on the shelves at LCSs on a regular basis.

Looks like the message from DC is this - buy the polybag, not the book.......

No love for the classic DKR #4 battle?

I cracked three open yesterday at home and got one of each (color, pencil, B&W). The color is the best by a wide margin IMHO. If the print runs are the same for all three as I have been told, the color version should do the best long term.

x1000. My kids and their friends didn't talk about MOS 2 years ago and aren't talking about BvS today. I wish they would. But it's too dark and too gritty. Not doubt, WB will sell a TON of tickets to the 18 to 34 demograph, but then it has to reach to draw in the younger and older. Marvel is clever. Casting Robert Redford in the last Captain America film? Brilliant. You've just attracted the Baby Boomer audience. Throwing in humor and color (literally, color) and toning down the gratuitous violence? Brilliant. You've attracted the sub-18 crowd and their parents (see, e.g., a 3rd tier character or group like Ant-Man or GOTG). Collectively, that's a TON MORE in ticket sales. That's what Marvel (and Disney) do correctly. And my kids (10 and 11) both like MOS. Their friends have seen it and liked it as well. This past summer they all saw AoU, but hardly any (including my kids) saw Ant-Man. My daughter thought that Ant-Man was a lame concept from the trailers and had no interest in it at all. I heard the same thing from her friends as well. I don't think it had the same crossover appeal that the other Marvel movies with strong female characters in the trailers did for tween girls. Add in the fact that Paul Rudd is not Chris Hemsworth and my wife had no interest in seeing it either. Interestingly, my kids have only watched the AoU DVD once since we picked it up, while with the first Avengers movie they watched it several times the first month we had it. They prefer GotG to AoU. I don't disagree with them on that call - AoU was a weak film. As far as BvS, they are both keen to see it based on the first trailer. I have shown them the Civil War trailer as well but they were kind of with it at this point (I felt the same way). My guess is that the second trailer will be better and they will be more excited. I will be taking them to both movies regardless.

This. FANS weren't pleased with the Doomsday intro -- as I pointed out, the criticism has outweighed the praise. SPECULATORS were pleased, which resulted in overnight increases. The _only_ difference between the Doomsday & Black Panther reveals is that speculators already knew BP would be in the movie a year ago & get his own spin-off flick (so FF 52's already realized huge increases), whereas Doomsday was rumored, but a surprise. But the fan reaction I've seen to the brief Black Panther shot has been both insane & positive. And I have heard from plenty of people that BP spot in the trailer that was indifferent or negative (or, in one case, "Who is that hero in the small Iron Man suit?" ) Outside of us comic nerds, nobody really cares about BP or Doomsday.

where are you getting your numbers from? several thousand seems like a lot since I can get an OA sketch done and a con for about several thousand less.... That stupid Vader Down variant is getting $3000 plus, and you are going to tell me that somebody out there will not pay a stupid amount of money for a comic that will have a pedigree like this one? I really think the winner could get several thousand dollars. I have no actual numbers, just a bet. I'm not saying it wont. i'm just skeptical. Anything is possible. But, paying that much for a book that can be replicated on any blank cover for thousands less seems silly. While it can be replicated, it would be on a regular blank and not the one and only original sketch edition blank cover. That is why it would carry a nice premium.

Aargh. Major dilemma now. I ordered a small stack (50) of copies to flip at shows next year. Should I open them to check for the OA cover or keep them sealed?