Lee K

Maybe... Just maybe it would be more appropriate for persons with no registered sets and who don't appear to have any participation in the registry to comment on the chat boards in Comics General and leave those of us who enjoy journaling with out the vituperative nastiness that accompanies any opinion on the chat boards alone. Happy Hunting Lee

Sounds a lot like a business plan for failure I appreciate that the advertised turn-around times are guidelines, estimates, round figures, as it were, and that certain calendar days are excluded. But this summer has exposed a chronic inability to perform at a level that is close to the advertised times. We're well into fall and my most recent modern submission went to 'shipped safe' on business day 35. My current submission is on 'verified' on business day 23. I appreciate that any book resubmitted may receive a different grade than the original trip through. This is clearly disclosed in unambiguous english. But on modern books there really isn't any reason for the book to change in grade - unless the previous grade was a 9.9 or a 10 - a 9.8 isn't going to become less a 9.8 because CGC cracked it open and had it signed, it was in their control. And there shouldn't be any difference in grading due to age (GA bump shouldn't exist - and we all know it shows in the grades, whether because the graders of GA books are themselves more lienient or for other reasons), but if I select one of my SA CGC 9.6s and compare the modern books I am sending in, and my moderns are better books, then they should be 9.8s. While I can understand that there may be a difference of opinion between graders as to a 7.0 and a 6.5, or a 5.5 and a 6.5 even. Inconsistancy upsets the customer base. I appreciate that there hasn't been a change in fees since 2009. This is well established. But, well, for books from the 70's there already has been an increase because they were moved out of the 'modern' catagory for grading. And there hasn't been any change in the economy since 2009 - I certainly haven't seen an increment in my salary, and most of the nation is in the same boat as me. But even with all this - what really makes me angry is the $5.00 per invoice 'handling fee'. You are already being paid to handle my books. Unlike many subscribers - I only submit 3 to 10 books at a time, that's what I can afford. So $5.00 per invoice is an insulting surcharge, it's like going to the restaurant and being told that there's an extra $5.00 charge to have your food served on a plate. Yeah, I'm angry and disappointed with the service I received in 2011 and I don't think that paying more money is deserved for the service provided. Thanks for reading and Happy Hunting Lee K

Not what I expected at all... So I sent in a package of 10 moderns for my Justice League fix and today (that is day 30) my grades popped up. Now, I selected each of these books carefully but I know I'm not perfect and often I'll send in a book that comes back 9.6 and I don't fuss over that too much. All my books have to be shipped by Diamond to the west coast via UPS, and often they are banged up by the time my LCS gets them...but I still choose carefully. Oh, and somehow I grabbed the 'regular' covers for two of the books and not the variant covers, #9 & #10, I think. When I went back to my short box, I noticed that the regular editions have the better composed covers - I must've thought that they were the variants becuase of that. Oh well, I'll send them in later. Grades - yeah that's what you junkies are are looking for, isn't it? OK - seven books at 9.8, two at 9.6, and one at 9.4 (which is really disappointing because it is a great cover featuring Wonder Woman) BUT - and here's the part that makes me really, really happy - I did get back my copy of Justice League #1 (1/200 sketch cover) at 9.8/White. Mind you, my LCS only ordered 75 copies of issue #1, so I shouldn't have gotten one at all, and instead I got it super inexpensive and I got an excellent copy. Now all I need is a set to list it in. Happy Hunting - And Merry Christmas to all - Lee K

yep, I had a goal and it got away from me... I had high hopes at the beginning of the year of reaching the 25% point on my go-go check collection, something that would require 132 books from the 527 book set. Time and money (and a new car) have kept me from getting as close as I would like - I am 19 books short, with 1 book at CGC that I won't get back till 2012. My other goal for 2011, was to acquire one, or more, of the key go-go check books and there I was sucessful in adding Batman 181 in 9.2 - right on target. 2012? Well, I'd like to reach 30%, that's 158 books and that seems unlikely unless there is a magic fairy out there to give me a raise. But maybe I can shoot for one of the other two real key go-go check issues that I don't have: Detective 359 or Superman's GF Lois Lane 70, either in 9.2 or 9.4...I keep my head down and see. Other than that, Justice Leagues; Strange Adventures; and maybe the occassional Wonder Woman for my wife - sure, but go-go checks 1st. And to you - best of luck in 2012. and Happy Hunting Lee K

you! Have a great Thanksgiving.

times There once was a time that modern books moved from 'Scheduled for Grading' to 'Graded' in a day or so, but now it seems to take several days. I don't mind, nor am I complaining, but has anyone had a modern invoice change to 'Graded' today, and if so, what was your 'Received' date? Thanks Lee K

or how good is that guarantee? So, for those of you that have not been following my journals I had Strange Adventures #130 come back to me from CGC with the dreaded purple label of doom (echoes: doom, doom, doom)... I love Strange Adventures as a book - it just 'clicks' for me and as such I collect issues of that book outside of my normal go-go check collection. This time I had selected to send in three raw books that I had added over the past year (using my coupon - I love my coupon), SA #110 which I bought at Emerald City CC, from A-1 Comics who I believe are from Sacramento, and SA #130 and #185 (Big Apple) which I had purchased from WWcomics.com. Of course, almost every large on-line has either a guarantee or a waiver about restoration, and WWcomics.com has a well written guarantee on their website. It promises the return of the money spent for the book. Shipping & CGC costs are not discussed and therefor I assumed them to be entirely my expense - which is perfectly normal. Now, unfortunately, it was time to write the email and see how they would make good on the guarantee. I can't express how pleased I was, and am, with the customer service I received. I was told that I could break the book out of it's slab to save on return shipping costs (just include the CGC label, so they can call for grader's notes) and to ship it back and I would receive the money back I spent on the book. Additionally, I was offered a small additional sum to defray some of my shipping costs, which was and is extraordinary. On a separate note - I have now slabbed the two books I purchased from A-1 comics at EMCC and both of them received from CGC the exact grade that was on the price label when I purchased the book - SA #110, came back 7.5 (it was listed VF-), and SA #125 came back 8.5 (and it was listed VF+). I love accuracy like that, and I will buy more books from this dealer as money permits. Thanks for reading - and thanks for being such great dealers. Happy Hunting Lee

yeah... So it turns out that if you leave a message for Customer Service at CGC, no-one listens to it - because all the overnight messages go to a phone that sits on a vacant desk. So now - my package has been shipped safe to my billing address. No-one is at my billing address, that's why I have a shipping address. And no-one did anything all day to correct this, because no-one sits at that desk in customer service. I'm completely perplexed by this. Well - what do you know - I called before 5PM Florida time and they called UPS and issued a delivery intercept for my package and it will be delivered to the right place after all. Thank you CGC. Still - fix where the overnight messages go at customer service, OK? :L

What? So I wonder sometimes, when you use the phrase "My book went up/down a grade" - what do you mean? I tend to be a little old fashioned I suppose - I consider 'a grade' to be a change from one 'word' grade to another. In my world the grades are: Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, Fine, Very Fine, Near Mint, Mint, and Gem Mint - nine grades in all, and Iim still not 100% sure about Gem Mint. But as we all know those nine grades don't represent the numbers 1 through 9 inclusive. In fact, we utilize 24 numerical grades representing everything from .5 (No Grade) to 10 Gem Mint, when we purchase a book graded by a 3rd party. The nuances between VF- and VF+ (considered by many to represent a two grade difference) are a little vague to me - certainly if I use the old Overstreet criteria. But do you consider that to be a two grade difference (VF- to VF to VF+)? Or is that a one grade difference (7.5 to 8.5, representing a difference of 1.0)? Or are you a little like me and that isn't a whole grade at all, simply variations on the same grade (VF), or as I used to call it Very Fine-ish. Because, when all is said and done - the grade is just an opinion and the opinions that REALLY matter are the buyers and the sellers. Often I think that CGC is too hard on a particular book - sometimes I think that they are too soft on a particular book; and I believe that Golden Age books and Atomic Age books get a boost - and Modern Age books get whacked. I think that stamped and china penciled date stamps and dust shadows are far more offensive to the eye (and subsequently should be to the grade) than slightly rounded or rounded corners. But that's the difference between buying a number, and buying a grade. At least it is to me. Happy Hunting Lee

you, me... It has little to do with comic books - but thank you to all my fellow vets out there, for it is through your willingness to serve and my willingness to serve that all of us can enjoy our silly little hobby. Plus, without you and me - we wouldn't have such classics as Daredevil vs. Hitler; Superman 14; and oh so many covers from Action, Batman, Captain America, Young Allies, Marvel Mystery, Exciting Comics, The Nam, Weird War Tales, Our Army at War, Star Spangled War Stories, GI Combat, Air Combat, Combat, Heroic Comics, War is Hell...and so on... Happy Veterans' Day And Thanks

For all my damn slabs... I have storage issues - but let's be honest with ourselves, unless you collect something really small, say - stamps...hold on, hold on - my friend's dad passed away year before last and there were stamps everywhere in his 3-bedroom ranch house...boxes, books, sheets, letters from overseas friends formed during WWII, African stamps, Nazi Germany stamps - there were stamps EVERYWHERE...and then we found more; oh and he had a ting for maps (me too) so then there were three sea-chests full of maps: National Geographic, National Parks, road maps, city maps... That having been said - I (we I assume, since you are reading this) collect comics and proper storage required space - even raw comics, miles upon miles of raw comics, take up space - but my slabbed books, well they're a problem. I don't even have that many slabbed books, 150 maybe (?), but they are starting to infringe on the available space. I had been planning on ordering comic boxes designed to accommodate slabs, but every time I do I end up with 'issues' with getting the boxes - so I have subsequently given up, and no-one had any supplies for us slab hunters at Emerald City CC. Which is frustrating - Seattle is not a small city - and the con is both big and well attended, but all I ever get is a bunch of $1 books and some hammered SA & BA books and maybe 3-5 slabs that someone has overpriced on their back wall - because we're all loggers and fishermen in western Washington and we don't know how to surf the internet for auction sites or have even the slightest idea what stuff really sells for on-line, so I'll be happy to buy your book for 50% more than GPA. But no slab supplies. So...I was poking about with my books last night (or the night before) and I noticed that I had a couple options: I can either store my slabs in Magazine sized boxes, that are readily available at my LCS and have the lid not close 100%, which is OK; or I can store them sideways, lengthwise, in a short comic box with a little room left over - which I am figuring I can fill with old packing material (because I have sooooo much of that from CGC, Comiclink, Heritage....blah, blah, blah). I'm thinking the best bet is for me to clear out some old stuff that I don't care very much about (X-men anyone?) and use the newly empty boxes for the portion of the collection that I do care about... Anyone else have any inventive solutions for storing your slabs? Happy Hunting Lee

and what do I find? Everyone wants to know about turn-around times. Hell, I'm as impatient as anyone, but I'm more interested in what you collect or what interests you, than in how long your books have been at CGC. My main collection focus is well known, but - well, what about what you like to read? I know that many of you (not all, obviously) still look forward to Wednesday and the opportunity to purchase your weekly reading material. What do you look forward to? I'm enjoying a number of the new DC titles (or old titles). Blackhawks reads a lot like the modern GI Joe titles (thanks to the writer, I'm sure) - Demon Knights is proving interesting as Swamp Thing. All-Star Western's current storyline with Hex in Gotham is great and I look forward to it each month. Are any of you following the entire 'Spider Island' storyline over at Disney? I'm not, but I have been picking up the Shang-Chi issues (Disn...I mean Marvel always did write martial arts better than DC). What about the indies? Any of you look forward to or recommend any of the indies - I've heard good things about Lady Mech from Aspen, and I enjoyed the first few issues of DHP from Dark Horse (although I may have to let them go from my regular monthly reading due to the price) - but is there anything else you would recommend? Let's read and enjoy comics, rather than getting frustrated about where they are from day to day in the 9.9 White Page process... Thanks for reading & Happy Hunting Lee K

tease - tease - tease Got my grades in on 3 issues of Strange Adventures... #110 - 7.5 OW/W - which is better than I expected (7.0) and I am happy with, because although I know there are better copies out there, I'm sure they're all hoarded in the collections of those grey-tone fiends. #185 - 9.2 C/OW - Big Apple - which is what I expected, although I thought the page quality was one step better. But I'm happy I got my pedigree status without any questions. #130 - appearant 6.5 C/OW, SA - wow, I'm bummed on this one. I thought it looked better than #110, and I definately didn't see any amature resto work - but I'm not an expert; neither did the reputable shop I bought from though and they are, if not experts - then nearly so. I'm guessing it must be a pretty darn small spot. Oh, well - back to the hunt! Lee K

damn. That makes two now...restored SA DC books. The first one was purchased at auction and had some minor color touch to the cover - not a lot, just one little line; but enough to make the book a lot less sellable. This one - my second restored book, I purchased from a reputable dealer, one who regularly discloses restoration when selling, so although CGC hasn't disclosed the exact restoration as of this morning, I am going to assume that it is very minor and easily overlooked - hell, I didn't see it. So, now one book from my go-go check collection; and one book from my Strange Adventures set have the very pretty purple label. Oh well - what're going to do? Stop buying comics? HA! and double HA! Maybe the other two grades will be sooo much better than I expected that I won't mind too much. Thanks for reading and Happy Hunting Lee

He wrote a journal...now I have to write one too........ OK, so really I have been wanting to write a journal for days but have been at a loss for a subject till now. Lately, I have been surfing (not a pun) the internet and reminding myself both of the books I am looking to add to my collection now, and of the books that I highly desired in years past - and I was struck by the cover to Batman the Long Halloween (#1 maybe - I didn't look that closely), and I said to myself, "Self, is that not cool?" - and honestly, it is - not cool enough for me to want it before some other book that I desire, but cool enough that if it came to me as part of a box lot I might just keep it long term. And then, as I reflected later the same day on the myriad Bernie Wrightson covers that I never successfully added to my collection fifteen years ago, when that was my love - my thoughts drifted once again...and I came to wonder: What is your favorite monster cover? How about - what is your favorite monster cover on a non-monster book? A werewolf is cool, but how much cooler is it if he's (or she's - Wolvesbane counts, I guess) not on the cover of House of Mystery or Werewolf by Night? Just to get the ball rolling I offer up a couple of my favorites: Korak, son of Tarzan #54 - with its Kubert cover House of Mystery #133 - from when the book as a Sci-fi title Obviously, I love tentacles. http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/comics/ComicDetail.aspx?PeopleComicID=282761&PeopleSetID=49899 Lee

Ahhhhhh! There's a fire this morning in the same building that my LCS is located in and I haven't seen today's comics yet. I have no idea if there is smoke damage, fire damage, or water damage yet...at least I don't have much in my box. I hope this doesn't impare my LCS' ability to stay in business - it is awful tight right now for everyone. Good thoughts for my LCS and its really cool owners and employee... Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

American Kennel Club (AKC) or United Kennel Club (UKC) So I am preparing to throw myself into uncharted waters once again...I have purchased some pedigreed books from a reputable dealer and I was provided with certificates for the appropriate pedigrees. But, I haven't ever submitted a pedigreed book before. The process seems straightforward, but I am loathe to relenquish my original pedigree certificate when there is no guarantee that I will receive pedigree status on my label. I'm going to give it a go - but, well, wish me luck. Happy Hunting Lee K

Courious about the new 52, but don't know where to start? Stay away from Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman - you already know those characters, because everyone does...Do yourself a favor and try: Frankenstein, agent of S.H.A.D.E. or Demon Knights (if you like things medieval) or Suicide Squad. If you enjoyed reading The Killing Joke - try the new Barbara Gordon Batgirl and see how they incorporated that into her new backstory. There's a lot of good reading in the books that have been released so far - pick one up and give it a read - it isn't your father's DC...not exactly, anyway. Happy Hunting Lee K

Iron Fist 14, CGC 8.5 OW... Now it belongs to my buddy. Sometimes it's just the right fit. I picked the book up raw at ECCC maybe 6 years ago, undergraded and 1/2 price - slabbed it - to see how the process worked, and had it in my collection for that time. Now it needs to move on to someone else who will love it - so a 40th birthday present is what it became. Lee

Or why portraiture fascinates me I don't think I have actually journaled about my fascination with portraiture - my love of the human face (and some animal faces - many have character in them as well). While I work at a regular job, processing paperwork and pushing a pencil, in my off time I paint. I have had some success with local shows and interact with local artists, but, like most artists that is the extent of my success. When I buy comics - when I scan the sea of books available from the myriad publishers - one of the things that drags me in is a strong portrait on the cover. From that follows my love of Alex Ross, Brian Bolland and others - even Carmine Infantino and Mike Grell do character studies (mixed in with their other work) that fascinate me. Kubert's Tarzans and Sgt. Rocks - Barry W. Smith's Conans - countless others - CC Beck, HG Peter, Fred Ray. Many of these books I don't have, or I only have RAW. Some I will slab, some I hope to eventually buy slabbed, others I will never own - just because I can't afford them all (ain't that the truth!) Outside of the realm of comics - Beardsly, Modigliani, Muscha, and Jasper Johns (ok-no portraiture there) and some of the work of Warhol fascinates me - I love some of the pop-art colors and some of that work famously comes from comics to main stream art. Lots of heavy line work combined (in many cases) with color. For those interested I have some stuff up on my facebook artist's page and I welcome you to look (it's a public page). In the mean time - Happy Hunting! http://www.facebook.com/kessler-art-works/177147268986738

just like school - mostly B's... So I sent in some raw go-go checks & a Strange Adventures to use up this year's certificate with the expectation of a 7.0, an 8.0, and a 9.2...and off-white to white pages. I have to say that I'm pleased (mostly) with my returns: Swing w/ Scooter 4 - expected 7.0 off-white - received 8.0 White Strange Adv. 125 - ex: 8.0 off-white/white - received 8.5 OW/W Inferior Five 2 - ex: 9.2 OW/W - received 9.0 OW/W I may have to send in more Swing w/ Scooter issues... Happy Hunting Lee

yesterday & today combined to make a great week My books shipped confirming my grades. I finished paying for the Mike Grell splash page for DC Retroactive Green Lantern (with Denny O'Neil) My package showed up from Worldwide Comics (Tarzan 243 NM+, Strange Adventures 185 NM-, and Strange Adventures 192 NM-) showed up... AND my LCS got a 1/200 sketch copy of Justice League #1 which I picked up at a very reasonable price. Now I just have to by a 1/25 cover at a decent price on-line. Life is good - and I'm living it! Happy Hunting Lee K

Modern grades anyway... and they're not shipped yet, so the bet is still on whether the moderns (from 7/5/2011) will ship before my SA coupon books (from 8/15/2011). All the books came back 9.8/White - so that's nice (expected, but nice nonetheless) since I selected a mixed bag of JLAs JSAs Justice League of Americas (new #1 at my LCS today!) and a Brian Bolland Batman:Gotham for my brand new Brian Bolland collection (hey - either you dig his art or you detest it - I dig it for its differentness). I figure my SA coupon books should grade sometime in the next 7 days or so but I really expect a 7, a 8, and a 9.2 - nothing to write home about. But I'm not the best shopper of raw SA books... Later - and happy hunting Lee K

OK - I don't really do flaming swords - swords are for girls - I prefer a big ol' axe... Last night I had the time to sit down quietly with the last issues of the current runs of Justice League of America, Secret Six, Will Eisner's The Spirit, and Zatanna - all DC books that are wrapping up in order to make way for the NEW 52! As I have blogged previously, I don't have any issue with the DC re-boot - in and of itself - companies reinvent themselves all the time and the little baby-step resets that have happened over the past 20 years (25 years?) have failed to produce new readers in large quantities - at least not the numbers the industry needs to stay healthy. I'll agree that some of the re-imagined characters are a little silly - I just don't see that Clark Kent or Hal Jordan really need armor incorporated into their costumes - Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman - sure - they're not Kryptonian or armed with a ring that protects them from all kinds of dangerous stuff... That having been said - I will miss these books; these teams when the DC universe moves forward. The final issues ran the gamut from terrible to truely enjoyable. While I will miss the most recent team of Justice Leaguers - with & Donna, Bill & Mik, Jen & Kara...the last issue was terrible; a huge jumble of every story that was scheduled for the next several issues told piecemeal and retroactively as they went their own ways. A sad, poorly thought out end to a very pleasant book. Secret Six is like my secret pleasure - I always enjoyed the Suicide Squad, and this team carries the idea forward (kind of) with Deadshot and with Gail Simone's bloody incredible writing. Like any series some of the story arcs were better than others - but the closing story worked well for me. The only dissappointment was the lack of clarity of which of the six died and which lived. Zatanna. I love Zatanna - always have, even when she was drawn with that stupid space lobster on her head. Ugh! Whose idea was that? Anyway this 16 issue series is a lot of fun and an easy read. If you have never checked it out - go get them out of the dollar bin at the next con and read them in order. The closing issue was a treat, an enjoyable ending to an enjoyable ride. And The Spirit. This has been one of the better runs of the Spirit in recent years - the writing was excellent and well thought out and the art has been top notch. The issues with the Spirit Black & White backstories (the $3.99 issues) are the best treat - each one has a self-contained black & white story in the back of the book by an excellent artist/writer team. These are a serious treat - if you like the Spirit, track these issues down, I think they are #1 through #9. After missing these treats for several months (but continuing with the book) the last issue consisted of two of these black & white treats. And I loved it. So, while you wait for your status to change to: Scheduled for Grading - go read a comic; I did - I think I'll read some more tonight. Happy Hunting Lee K

So... So I now have two separate invoiced marked as 'verified'...one a small group of moderns that were checked in on 7/5/2011 and the other 3 books on my member coupon that were checked in today... Which group will be graded first? Which group will be shipped first? This is almost as exciting as anticipating my grades... Lee K