Lee K

and the days just flash by Welcome to calendar day 191. My books arrived today (UPS - not USPS) - on the 40 business day tier. I think today is business day 132 - but I may have missed a day or two or added a day or two, somewere in there, but it is definately outside of the 100 days I was told when I dropped them off on April 1st. (perhaps that was the problem, some sort of April Fool's thing...? nah.) The excellent news is: Today is a business day - my most recent shipment was received and verified today - so CGC is hard at work on your books and my books today. While we wait, I would like to reflect on my favorite 'spaceship' covers... Batman 59 (have a copy) Famous Funnies 214 (need a copy) and Strange Adventures 46 (totally need a copy). Happy Hunting Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Ye shall receive. So last spring (2011) I was out at Mike Grell's place helping him shuffle some stuff around in the garage when I happened upon a box of comics (weird, huh?) - only unlike the other 100 boxes of books, these weren't written or drawn by Mike. They were, in fact, his reference books. Later last summer, I went back out just about on my birthday to enjoy the peace & quiet on his ranch and to just generally hang out; but I also had an agenda for one afternoon. I brought a long box 300 bags & 300 boards and I put his books away for him properly and I had a chance to look at them as I did. Contents: a damn lot of Tarzans (pre-DC), a bunch of Adams Green Arrows & Detectives, and a run of Miller Daredevils - with condition running from poor to very fine (or better...) But, hidden in there was an oddity - a first issue of 1,000,000 BC - signed & inscribed. "To Mike, Mi Compadre...blah, blah, blah ~Neal" So - with Neal coming to the west coast for EMCC, and oddly enough with Mike attending (or intending to) for the first time in some years - I asked. Mike, may I have this book from your collection? Mind you, I've never asked Mike for a book or sketch or anything of that sort before - we're both working artists and I feel it would be rude. I have purchased a splash page from him, I've eaten his food, and I have gifted him a print of one of my paintings - but I've never asked for anything. And... He said 'sure'... So now...I intend to have Neal sign it again at EMCC, the only question is - do I have Mike sign and inscribe it to me as well? I love a book with a story. BTW - the book isn't in great condition...if memory serves, it's probably about a 6.0 Happy Hunting Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

So much more fun in the 50's and early 60's In the days when we truely knew nothing about the moon, the other planets in our solar system (remember Pluto?), or the bottom of the sea - I find those science fiction comics fun, or more fun than the current batch of sci-fi anyway. I'm really pleased with my recent acquisitions and the books I have at CGC or on their way back from CGC at the moment. My House of Mystery 133, is coming back as a 9.0 white. I just added a bunch of Strange Adventures that are off to CGC now: 71, 72, 73, 76, 159 & 186 (I totally read them first!). Plus a great number more that are not worth slabbing - but are great to read. And then - I was just in my LCS and saw that they had added some house books - including House of Secrets 11, 46 & 46 - which I may go back and negotiate for - particularly the 11 which appeared to be a solid, mid-grade book. I'm still working away on my go-go check books - enough so that I may soon ask Gemma for a set for them - but I got a little side-tracked when I picked up the go-go check Strange Adventures and Sea Devils and I remembered how much I loved those stories. Happy Hunting! Lee K

is now at 1/2 calendar year... That's right, that's right - the over/under on how long it will be before I have my books back from CGC is 1/2 year, 6 months, 182.5 days...weigh in where you will. I sent a small package (all I can afford) on Friday - as soon as it is marked received, I will start the clock. When the books are back in my hands, I will stop the clock...it's a race against time, and the other contestant is the earth revolving around the sun (1/2 way). Now, before you consider whether you are in on the over or the under - you should be aware of the most current data that I have. My package (same size, same tier) dropped off on April 1st, is graded, but not verified and (obviously) not shipped. Today is calendar day 170...that means there is only 12.5 days left for my existing package to get back to me on the under - since I dropped them off at a few minutes of noon, I'll give them till midnight to get here (although UPS gets here at 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM). C'mon, play along...which is faster, CGC or the earth revolving around the sun (halfway)? And for tonight - off to look at a short box of 1960 - 1965 Strange Adventures...plus some other early 60's DCs... Happy Hunting Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

My LCS passed on a collection of comics that came in, refusing even to make an honest offer on the first batch of books the seller brought in - fortunately they seller took them down the road to a store that specializes in toys. AND.. There's about 30 issues of Strange Adventures that I am missing from my collection in mid-high grade -call them 7.0 to 9.0- with a couple of gems and THE key issue in VF - I may not need all 30, and I certainly can not afford to pick them all up in one fell swoop, but I can start filling some holes in my collection... BTW that seller has now taken several boxes of books to the toy store, and the toy store is getting a fairly large number of mid-high grade early silver age DCs, Marvels, and Charltons....and my LCS? They bought a box of Poor to Very Good copies of Archie Books. And three long boxes of Poor to Good 70s DC horror books. Did they make money on them, sure. did they serve me, no. Ah well - Hunting Party on Tuesday! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I like White Ahh well - 102 "business days" later my books are graded and I am not just satisfied, but happy with my grades. Only two books - House of Mystery 133 (with a great octopus cover) - 9.0 White Tarzan 243 Western Penn (with a great shark cover) - 9.6 White While each is a single notch lower than I was hoping for, I mostly expected that the Tarzan was a 9.6 and not a 9.8...although I did anticipate that the House would be a 9.2 Now to wait for them to be verified and add them to my registry sets. Happy Hunting! Lee K

2012... So this hasn't been my most productive summer as a collector - so many other obligations are wearing away on my finances that I have only added 9 silver age books since the 1st of May (although I do like them - eight raw Capt. Storms and the last go-go check Inferior 5 I needed already slabbed). There were no books that caught my interest were at EMCC to purchase - and of the three books I dropped off on April 1st, only the modern SS book is back and that with an unsatisfying grade (I shouldn't grade #1's I'm never pleased with the grade - I should just buy someone else's after they are slabbed)... Hopefully more money will be available in the months to come, and maybe some books will catch my eye that aren't too much more than I am willing to spend on them...only time will tell. For now - I just need something to read, I guess I'll go through the back issues at my LCS and see what's available in the $5 range for a reader or two... and just maybe there's an issue of Rip Hunter or a banged up Sea Devils or even a SA justice league... I hope your summer collecting is coming along better. Happy Hunting Lee K

... I'm scheduled for grading...Yay! Now after waiting all this time I'm no longer excited about my anticipated grades. Oh well, I should know in another 20 days or so. *fingers crossed*

What has happened in the seventeen weeks since April 1st? Seventeen weeks ago (come Sunday the 29th of July - I won't be at my computer then since I will be at the ocean celebrating my birthday) at Emerald City ComiCon, I dropped off two packages of books with the CGC representative on-site - one SS modern book which I have received back (with a terrible grade), and a second package with one SA & one BA book. Since then... I have vacationed in New Orleans (twice). I have started six new paintings. I have finished four of those new paintings & finished two other paintings that I had started previously. I have had a wonderful art opening and reception at an art gallery in New Orleans (Gallerie Royale on Magazine Street - if you know NOLA). I have donned my armor and jousted or fought in front of a live audience on multiple weekends, including travel all over to do so. I have watched my registry position drop 26 places. I have read dozens of newly released comic books - mostly DC, but other titles as well. I have gone visiting at Mike Grell's house twice (and three times this weekend) I have read the Postman, Startide Rising, Treasure Island, and the last third of Moby . CGC has verified my comics. A lot can happen in 17 weeks. Maybe more will happen between now and Tuesday - which will be 1/3 of a calendar year. I worry that if I submit more books today (and I have books to submit) - that the world may come to an end on December 21st before I get my books back. Happy Hunting! Lee K

11 weeks... So I take a beautiful, 9.6 or 9.8 copy of a modern book to ECCC in March, I have it signed, and although I'm not a big fan of the signature series books I decide I will go ahead and have this one book certified... The book, with it's crisp edges and sharp corners, is signed by BILL SIENKIEWICZ, and then immediately handed over to the CGC rep, who carries it back to the booth. I wait 11 weeks. And I get a 9.2?!? Really?!? If I get my book back and it has a pizza stain, because the CGC reps were all eating peperoni pizza in the booth, I'm am going to be livid. Right? The book wasn't shipped, so the "I didn't pack the book properly for shipping excuse doesn't fly" - it was clean & sharp when I handed it over to be signed, and it was clean and sharp when Bill handed it back and when I handed it to CGC... Just sadness and anger. Oh well, at least I won't waste more money on signature series signings.

sort of... I wish that the lone, modern, signature series book that I had signed at Emerald City ComicCon in March would get graded. end of list. LeeK

Am I the one that needs a ticker? Is it possible, that the best use of a ticker would be in the grading area at CGC? A huge ticker that reads out how many days the oldest order has been there for each tier? I would love to have my new books added to my registry sets before the 6 Days and 22 Hours run out - but they've only been with CGC since the 4th of April - 63 days (or 45ish business days) so there isn't any chance I will see them before my birthday at the end of July - and probably not before then either. So I guess there just isn't any sense of urgency on my part any longer. The graders took that away from me and buried somewhere in the swamps of Florida. Happy Hunting Lee K

It is that time again... and as always the real question is: do I have the money to go? I hope to - and if I do, I intend to go Sunday only like I did last year. I know, I know, I'll miss some of the hoopla - but I will be able to move, and I should be able to get to the boxes of comics I want to see (raw copies of Strange Adventures)... Plus, even though their piles of pages and sketches have been picked over, I'll have a better opportunity to enjoy talking to the artists themselves...and maybe, like last year, I will still find a page that I want to buy - I got a great deal on a back splash page of Elasti-Girl from the modern Doom Patrol run...I should have it framed soon so it can go up on the wall in my studio... Well, here's hoping I have the $$$ and the time - and if not, well there's other cons and other years. Happy Hunting Lee K

I'm finally 'Shipped Safe' Economy turn around time - in the off season is 75 business days (not counting Thanksgiving [2 days], Christmas, New Years, MLK Jr Day [whether they observe it or not], President's Day, or the friday before Wizard World New Orleans)...yeah, that's right my comics were received before Thanksgiving, 11/17/2011 to be precise. If my math is right, that's 115 calendar days...by the time I receive my books (UPS Ground) I haven't seen my books in a third of a year...it's kind of sad. I've forgotten what they look like. Grades - I supposed now that they are confirmed I should share grades, at least here I am not unhappy. Strange Adventures 155, 8.5 C/OW - I was hoping for a 9.0, but it was borderline, so I'm ok with that. Strange Adventures 192, 9.4 White - that was a nice surpise I was expecting either a 9.0 or a 9.2, although I have to admit I did expect White pages, they looked real nice to me. So now I need only peruse my raw books to determine the next two books that I would like to part with till my birthday, in July... Happy Hunting Lee K

67 business days today Or for those of us using a Gregorian calendar, 103 actual days since my books were received. In the 27 business days that have elapsed since my target shipped safe day, 41 calendar days have elapsed - that is to say the entire month of February and 12 days of January. All I can do now is hold my breath and hope that they go from Scheduled to Graded to Shipped Safe in less than 19 calendar days, otherwise my books will have been in Florida for a third of a calendar year. Say that out loud: one-third, 33%, four months, approximately 80 business days... Hmm.

Really? And my silver age books are still sitting at Verified. I'm beginning to wonder if they've been forgotten or misplaced. 1/6th of a year...

OK - day 54, not car 54... And as my SA submission enjoys its 54th business day at CGC and I'm still verified. Hmmm.

Or not? Wizard World New Orleans is this weekend, so is that a major con? If it wasn't for my cosplay friends in NOLA I wouldn't know about it at all, so if it isn't on my radar, could it possibly be significant enough to count as a work stoppage day for CGC? I don't care one way or the other - I'm just trying to track how many business days my regular SA submission has been in Florida and I don't know if I should count today or not. I think I am going to not count it - just because. Lee K

CGC doesn't In response to negative feedback from their customers, both Verizon Wireless and Bank of America scrap plans to add 'additional charges' to their existing fee structures. Bank of America's was originally to be a $5 fee per month for having a debit card, and Verizon Wireless' was a $2 fee every time you pay your bill on-line using the 'one time only' payment option. CGC's website still says that there will be a $5 handling fee per invoice - in truth it says it four times on one page, twice in italics. Perhaps CGC should consider this additional fee once again, in light of the behavior of those 'big' corporations. Just my $.02 worth. Lee K

something, I don't know what or when But, it's business day 36 on my modern submission - and I appreciate that everyone deserves vacations, particularly around the holidays - maybe to go to Florida and get some sun (OK kidding - but I'm a long way from the sun). On the other hand I've been scheduled for grading for days now and I'm wearing out my keyboard looking to see if my grades are in - because I am totally impatient. Oh well....

even you Marvel collectors Everyone, seriously, Merry Christmas to you - whether you are a registry member or an employee of CGC (cause I know you guys read this stuff). Here's to another year of collecting and good fellowship to all. Lee K

No, probably not... As I reach the end of day 31 on my current modern submission, I am forced to look back and see when my last modern submission was graded. On day 30. Now the current submission could take fewer than 5 business days to go from Graded to Shipped Safe and then my overall process could be faster...but I'm not counting on it - the last submission spent 5 days at Scheduled for Grading and I'm not even there yet. Oh well...

Submissions waiting to be graded over another weekend... So I had two modern submissions and one economy submission at CGC this past month plus... Yesterday was day 41 for the first modern submission and I received my books back. Today is day 29 for the other modern submission and it is still 'verified' Today is day 19 for the economy submission - and it is 'verified' as well. Those are business days, not calendar days and they don't include national holidays... oh well. Lee

it sounds like the sky is falling... While my position on the $5 per invoice fee hasn't changed; that is I am still upset about it and I still think it is a poor business decision as it weighs unfairly on the small collector that cannot afford to submit 30 books on an invoice; I am surprised by the passion that it has stirred in others. In review, I submitted ten invoices this year - two coupon submissions, one signature series, on silver age, and six modern. I have no idea if the $5 charge will apply to coupon submissions or not and I'm not going to pop over an look in the middle of my journal, so I am going to assume, right or wrong, that it does/will apply to my next coupon submission - and I will have another. For when my membership expires next September, I will renew again. So let's consider the effect of the $50 I would have had to spend extra had my 2011 submission been submitted under the 2012 guidelines: I would have had one less submission of modern books. That's it. I would have spent that same money at CGC, not more, not much less - because I have a hard budget for comics, and a portion of that budget is for CGC - a specific hard budget, not a flexable one. And 2011 represents the year I sent in the most submissions - I think I did five or six in 2010, and only four in 2009...I just don't submit that much stuff myself. As for the increase in actual grading and encapsulation costs: I guess I would have to had sent in two fewer books in those nine remaining submissions to cover that additional cost. All told - I would have ended up with seven fewer CGC graded books in my collection. But - with an increase in all the grading costs - that 10% discount is worth more, right? See, there is a silver lining. Would I like CGC to reconsider the idea of the $5 fee? Sure. Am I going to go away if they don't? No. Are they going to get more money from me than they would anyway? No. But are they going to do less work for the same money? Yeah, they are. Happy Hunting Oh, and Merry Christmas! Lee

Because my wife helps me with other measurements... Registry & journaling...here - as opposed to Histank or Live Journal or wherever... Well, hell, I really enjoy the registry, because I love seeing what other people love and collect, not from some need to beat my chest like some jungle dwelling comic character of days gone by (not that I wouldn't collect all those jungle books if I had the $$$ to do so) - but, more than that, I enjoy seeing what everyone else collects. In my time journalling (is that a word?) - I have made some friends, a couple of which are people that I believe I would spend time with outside of comic books, and I cherish and enjoy the contact we have - supportive, although what we collect is unrelated, and positive. In the year I spent on the chat board, I made one friend - the kind you get a phone number from, and I even purchased some issues of Swing with Scooter from him - but he was eventually chased off of the boards by the same negativity that keeps me away as well. There were other people and are other people on the boards that are wonderful, positive, supportive collectors, but their efforts and positive feedback is overwhelmed by the nastiness - the pettiness, and the 'good old boy' club attitude of most of the boardies. Those people love the boards and I won't take that from them - it's what they like. We, those of us who would rather journal, love journalling - and if you don't, then you are welcome to stick a sock in it. Happy Hunting Lee