Lee K

Staples anyone? It was brought to my attention that I neglected to address staples in my mile-long dissertation last week. And after having it tossed in my face, I have to admit that I don't really look at staples - not as part of a mental checklist, and it doesn't seem to be a deal killer for me. So, I went to my LCS - and pulled through their bin of 60's Charltons thinking about how I look at staples. I look for discoloration; I look for dimples, stress lines and staple related tears; I look to see if the book has been repaired at the centerfold and the staple folded back over the repair to 'hide' it; but staple placement didn't really stand out to me - at least not until I got home and looked through my CGC books. And well - I 'knew' from looking at the book when I bought it, that it had terrible staple placement - and looking at it again I was reminded that the staple placement was less than desireable; but in retrospect - I would have still purchased the book. Later this week - more discussion on dust shadows, sun shadows, and oxidation shadows following the requests of some of my readers. In closing - a pretty photo of a pretty fabulous 50's Batman, with terrible staple placement. For those of you who currently read Secret Six: the debut of Deadshot. Thanks for reading and commenting. Lee

OK - we all collect what we love, but how do you select from your myriad of purchasing options? As much as it hurts me to do so, I assume we all have grade ranges and paper quality requirements for our collections, so I don't want to revisit those discussions. Instead I am interested in those things that are important to each of us that aren't really about the grade: Pedigrees, Dust Shadows, Spine Ticks, Rounded Corners, Date Stamps; Handwriting in ink/wax pencil/pencil; Cover Centering; Cover Gloss; Color Depth on the cover. Are they important to you? Ok - some of these items should be covered in grading, but CGC doesn't appear to grade particularly hard, if at all, against date stamps or dust shadows. Pedigrees: As a collector of mid to high grade silver age DC books I have some pedigreed books in my collection: Rocky Mountain; White Mountain; Pacific Coast (hard not to); Big Apple; Boston; and because I have a copy of Whiz Comics a Crowley - before I am done with my go-go check set I hope to add a Green River, a Sucha News and maybe one of whatever else gets added to the CGC pedigree list for SA DC. But - what I don't do is pay extra for the pedigree status, or at least not substantially more than I would have without the pedigree status. What about you? Is a book's pedigree status as important as the grade? the page quality? is it even a consideration? Dust shadows/sun fading: Ugh, I despise dust shadows, and while I don't have a copy of the OSPG handy while I am writing this - it seems to me that dust shadows are permitted on grades of 8.0 or less in the OSPG grading system. This is one of those instances where I agree with OSPG and I question CGC. I recently purchased at auction a CGC 9.2 copy of Our Army at War #178 with Off-White pages. This is a favorite cover of mine from the run and the scan provided by the auction house is of good quality and doesn't disclose any dust shadow. The book arrives, I open it, and lo & behold there is a dust shadow running the width of the book at the bottom edge. I am seriously disappointed. Where do you stand on the issue? Are dust shadows or sun lines a deal killer for you or just a negotiation point? Spine ticks: I have an unreasonable dislike for spine ticks; so much so that I would rather have a comic with a lower technical grade (one or two steps) that didn't have any spine ticks over a book with visible color break at the spine. How about you? What's your deal killer? Dates: OK, so I don't like date stamps - I know, I know, there are many people who love dates: stamped, pencilled, inked, even wax pencil. I would just as soon replace every book I own that has a date stamped/pencilled/inked on the front cover with another book of even grade as soon as the opportunity presents itself - except Strange Adventures 195 where the number 66 is written on the cover in pen - that's my White Mountain book and I got a killer deal on it. Stamps are the worst for me - particularly if they obscure any of the artwork or are distracting within the masthead. Like 'em/hate 'em? Share your feelings. Cover Centering: I think everyone prefers a well; centered book, but is it a primary concern for you? Me, well if there is a well centered option, I'll take it; but it certainly isn't a deal killer and I have many poorly centered books that I love. Cover Gloss: Not a big deal for me with a slabbed book, just because I can't tell. But in a raw book it is something I look at, and I look at it rather closely. I like a nice shiny book with strong colors - Finally - cover color strike: This is less difficult to tell in a slabbed book than gloss - you can tell if the color is deep and rich even through the plastic. I really prefer strong, clean colors and a clean color strike. I also want my white covers to be white. There's nothing like a dingy white cover to turn me off on a book I am viewing. Where do you stand? Hey - Thanks for reading... Next week: what's important within a set listing to you? and in closing - the image clip of the week: Rocky Mountain.

The best superhero team ever... At least I think so; and I thought so as a child and teen as well. There was something about the Justice League Roll Call at the beginning of every issue. Would this issue have Green Arrow and Black Canary? Would the Justice Society visit from Earth-2? Everyone who was anyone in the DC universe could be in any given issue. You want Power Girl, Black Canary, and Princess Projectra - it could happen. You prefer the GA Flash, SA Green Lantern and SA Atom? OK - we can do that. The team headquarters is in a cave, or the Hall of Justice, or the Justice League Satellite (I know I spelled that right - but it looks funny. What an odd word: satellite). The members are Batman and Superman - no, wait, those aren't original members: the members are the Flash, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, with white gloves - don't get me started on why white gloves are important, but they are and they should get their own journal entry another day). Hundreds of appearances later the Justice League came to an end the 1st time - issue 261; at which point the only remaining members were Vixen and Gypsy - not exacly heavy hitters. Over the years we put up with Snapper Carr, Vibe (I can dodge bullets because I can break-dance; no really!), and Zatanna running around with a space-lobster on her forehead (bad costume idea). On the other hand we've had the big 5 or big 7 or big 9, depending on how you think about them: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and Atom. There's been Dr. Light, Elongated Man, Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Animal Man, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Zatanna, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Hawkgirl, Ice, Fire, Booster Gold, Starman (the alien one), Congorilla, Supergirl, Jesse Quick, and lord only knows who else - good characters, good storylines, countered by villians both dangerous: The Injustice League (original name idea there) and dastardly: Sinestro, Two-face, Merlin (the archer - not the magician), Black Manta and demented: the Joker. Years and years of reading enjoyment, improved by the blurred line of who is a member and who isn't - some continuity (over rated in my opinion) from story arc to story arc, but writing and art not restricted to a specific roster of members - if you can't draw Plastic Man, don't use him. If you can't stand Guy Gardner but you need a Green Lantern, use John Stewart or Hal Jordan. Have fun; be creative - let those creative juices flow as you consider your story arc or your 1-shot. In closing, I share with you a cropped image from the JLoA's 11th appearance: Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #29 - with an issue date in-between issue #7 and issue #8. Lee

Is it better to address the room or to engage the room in conversation? So as of today I have been a chat board member for exactly 2 years, but I have a measly 307 posts the majority of which happened in Silver's 1 to 365 thread in 2009. (Great thread BTW - if you have never been to the chat board it is worth going just to search for and read this thread, but give yourself LOTS of time to get through all the images). When I cruise the chat boards I find myself seriously disinclined to comment. When I look at the threads on the chat boards I am overwhelmed by how many of the comments are spiteful at worst and completely unhelpful at best. There appear to be great board members out there whose posts are informative; but woe be unto the new board member who makes an error of opinion, or who disagrees with an older boardie without using suitably humble language to phrase that disagreement. Fire, brimstone, and malicious posts will follow. The newcomer is lambasted as stupid, unreasonable, unknowledgable, and contrary. There is such a limited sense of community, on occasion I read welcome posts to the new members - but most of the positive that I see in the boards is reserved for the 'good old boys' - I understand that you are more likely to share with a friend, I am too; but I joined looking to some kindred spirits, and I haven't really found any there. Now here - here I have found poeple I can relate too; people who collect what they love and who don't appear to slaughter every mis-posted, mis-quoted, or erroneous statement made. Maybe it just takes too long to click on my name and send an email, allowing time for a comment that might sound insensitive or downright rude to get filtered through the brain before posting. Posting - I think that might be the root of the problem, it is too easy; too fast to add your 2 cents worth and move on; so threads get derailed into diatribes better suited to the late night soaps. In closing - a portion of the cover for the book of the week - Sea Devils 13. In part because the flaming balls of fire remind me of what a derailed thread reads like. Thanks for reading my _ Lee

I find myself considering my acquisitions for the year... and I am happy. I added 25 books to my go-go check collection, 1 I purchased raw and 24 slabbed. 4 @ 8.5 (including the raw book that I had slabbed later); 6 @ 9.0; 10 @ 9.2 (including a Rocky Mountain); and 5 @ 9.4 - I nice haul for a year where I couldn't buy much because I had the expense of a wedding and a honeymoon cruise; which was well worth it. My shopping started with Superman 194 in 9.2 in January and ended with Our Army at War 178 in 9.2 in December. 2011 looks to be a great year for collecting for me and I hope it is for everyone else as well. All the best to my friend-readers, Tnerb, surfer99, and Red Hook, and to everyone else who sticks there nose in here to see what I have to write about. I leave you with a crop of the cover of the week - Cavalier Comics no. 2. Having handled most of those weapons at one time or another, I respect the unnamed artist for representing them well; what an ugly bunch of pole-arms. Happy Hunting Lee K

or: how I dropped 30 ranks in 30 days... I don't know - last month I was ranked 391 and trying to determine how many years it would take me to get in to the 200's - now I'm ranked 421 and wondering how many months it will take to get back in the 300's. Did we get a bunch of new registry members? if so, that's really cool - more people to share with. Or did everyone all of a sudden have a lot more money to spend on our hobby than me? which is kinda cool, but I wish I had some cash too... Oh well, buying season is ahead and I anticipate good things for 2011: reaching the 20% mark for my go-go check, and acquiring one of the 'big 3' of the go-go check set in HG: Lois Lane 70, Batman 181, or Detective 359... Happy hunting Lee

After 30 days of reading, I think I'm hooked Now that Tnerb has finished his 30 in 30 experiment - my morning routine has a hole in it. Although perfectly aware that it is December this morning, I anticipated logging in and reading what new tid-bit Tnerb had to share with us today and I was terribly dissappointed when there wasn't anything. Obviously no-one can write every day, forever, ad infinitum...but good writing, and I think Tnerb's qualifies, is addictive. Thank you for 30 days of entertainment & enlightenment. Lee

I mean, we all collect comics or we wouldn't be here, right? So, what else makes you smile like comics make you smile? Now, I don't mean your spouse or family - my wife makes me smile, I understand that. But, I have other guilty pleasures - I love looking at the movie poster auctions on Heritage. I haven't purchased any - as an artist myself, I have no wall space; but I might make wall space for the 'perfect specimin'. When I was young, I was sure that I wanted to collect Buffalo Nickles - that didn't last. Before that and after that, stamps. U.S. Postage, which along with comics have some relation to my art. I love portriature - people are too cool not to paint. And, I have a thing for vintage european cars: right now it's a 1969 MGB GT, which was a little bit banged up Friday night by my buddy's Silverado. That's alright - we'll get it patched up: new grill, grill badge, grill trim, bumper arms, and hood. Plus repaint the hood. Now - what makes you smile? L

Just so there is something to read that Tnerb didn't write... OK - just kidding, I read Tnerb's journals all the time, I find them an interesting window into the thoughts of another collector that I will probably never meet (I'm on the other coast...). But I wanted to take the time to give a little thanks. Thanks to each of you for being part of a bigger community that I enjoy, because without many of us and our many different likes there wouldn't be a comic book industry. Thanks that I still have a job, and even in this poor economy I have the extra funds to spend on something as frivolous as comic books after paying my mortgage(s), car payment, insurance, food, power, water and all those other little things we need to make our worlds go around. Thanks that I am healthy, that my family is healthy, and that we can all get together tomorrow and enjoy more food than some families see in a month. Thanks that as bad as life is compared to the 'good times' just a few short years ago, that life is still pretty darn good. Thanks you all. And as Tnerb says, "Thanks for reading." Lee

Finally I have a place for each one When I first decided to pursue all of the go-go checked books issued by DC in 1966 & 1967, I failed to adaquately comprehend the magnitude of my targe collection: 464 issues over 45 titles; war books, super-heros, funny books, and romance... Sure, some sets: Action, ASM, X-Men, Detective, for instance are larger, longer, contain more books - but at least some of the books are bronze & copper...the titles have strong followings, so there are multiple slabbed versions to choose from. On the other hand, all of my books are from 1966 or 1967; some: Sugar & Spike, Secret Hearts, or even All American Men of War, don't have many slabbed examples to select from - or they may be tied up in the collections of Silver, or SeaDevils (special thanks to SeaDevils for the raw Swing with Scooters that I have) he was very fair and kind. The more immediate obstacle when I started was that some of my sets didn't exist: there was no place to put my Inferior 5's, my Sugar & Spikes, my Swing with Scooters...but today, today I was able to add the final collection - Gemma, bless her heart, added Swing with Scooter and although all of my books are still raw, I have a place to put them after I have them slabbed. Today is a great day. Happy Hunting! Lee

Image yeah - well...here it is, cropped to fit the journal standards.

I got my image today too... I have to admit I am happy. Lee

Sweet book Bob!

9.6? 9.8? 9.9? 10?!? OK - ok, so I carefully hand picked a modern book to send in for the signing; and I selected Wonder Woman because my wife digs WW...So how could I possibly be disappointed with a 9.8 White SS book? Well, I really gave it a hard, critical look before I packaged it up to send cross-country and I was completely comfortable that the book was nicer than the one 9.9 I own (since I read that one before I sent it in...) That having been said, I am certain that I will be happy with it upon its arrival and my wife will be happy with it under the Cristmas Tree, cause she's my Wonder Woman. Happy? yes. Ecstatic? no. I'll post my image when they email it to me. Good Hunting Lee

Wonder Woman makes anything better. L

What does it really mean? For practical purposes, it means I should see my grades tomorrow; but hasn't my package been 'scheduled for grading' since it was received? I just making noise because I haven't gotten my grade back yet on my SS submission - so, maybe tomorrow I'll be satisfied (maybe I'll be happy too). L

thanks to Tnerb for reposting in his half-answer. 10 books? 10 BOOKS!? That's it as I'm running out the door in the underwear because the house is on fire? In all honesty whatever books were on top - or in the top box of slabs would probably be the ones that were saved, so Action, Adventure, Batman, Brave & the Bold, and Blackhawk would make it out the window/door...but, if I could choose 10 books, limited to my CGC slabs (I do have a couple brand x slabs...), then I would choose these - presented in alphabetical order. 1. Batman 59 - CGC 8.0 OW - 1st Deadshot. Plus I love this cover with its childlike stars & planets and silly bat-spaceship. 2. Brave & the Bold 28 - CGC 3.0 Cr/OW - 1st Justice League. I still maintain that this should be a 4.0; it fails to have any of the major flaws associated with a 3 - no detached cover, missing staples, significant tears or other damage - without regard to its grade, it is still my grail book. When I was young, Justice League was the first book I looked for on the rack with my mighty 20c in hand, and it still is today. 3. Brave & the Bold 70 - CGC 9.4 OW - Pacific Coast. One of my nicest books from my go-go check collection and one of my favorite cover composition of the B&B run. 4. More Fun Comics 78 - CGC 5.5 OW - One of my favorite Green Arrow covers of all time. Although not part of my go-go check collection, it is the 1st book in one of my forthcoming collections of Green Arrow cover More Fun books...I love the Arrow Car with the fins on the back and the pointy front-end; I love the spring loaded seat and just the fun of the whole composition. 5. Our Army at War 168 - CGC 9.2 OW - 1st Unknown Soldier. The black backgound makes this one hard to find in high grade, it really should be scarce in HG in overstreet. My 9.2 is tied for second on the census with only a 9.6 higher. I might try to dig this one out 1st. 6. Our Army at War 173 - CGC 9.4 OW/W. Not as rare in grade as the previous book, with 2 others at 9.4 and two at 9.6; but this is probably my favorite OOAW cover composition of the go-go check run; background explosions, the beach-head and whatever those big metal things are called that keep landing boats from beaching there - the men hunkered down into their helmets, it all ties together to be a favorite of mine. 7. Sea Devils 3 - CGC 7.0 W. The only White Pages catagory on this list. There has always been something about grey tone covers that resonated with me as a collector. I don't have many of them, but the few I do hold a treasured place in my collection. 8. Strange Adventures 195 - CGC 9.0 OW - White Mountain - 1st full Animal Man. For some reason, I really love Strange Adventures - but I have a fascination with anthology books anyway. Any time I can skip issues and still get an entire story (or 2 or 3 stories) in a single book, that make me way happier than continuity. 9. Wonder Woman 164 - CGC 9.4 Cr/OW. The first book in my go-go check collection and still one of my favorites. What a great cover, plus a special meaning to me in the set. 10. World's Finest 165 - CGC 9.6 - OW/W. Tied as the highest graded book in my go-go check collection. And the 9.6 with the best looking cover. There's just something fun about the little -eyed crowns and the gold swords that Supes & Bats are waving around. Kings of Crime indeed. This was harder than I thought - there's so much stuff to choose from. Well, that's my thoughts for the day. Happy Hunting Lee

So I finally got back to 100% images and 100% texts for my entries.. I don't really have a lot of time to spend on the computer, so I am happy that the site makes it so easy for me to add a comic to one of my sets. The problem is, I don't always have a comment about a book right away and I often have to adjust the image if I ripped the image from a site I bought from or I have to work up my own and edit it - and that takes time. I feel much better knowing that my page is up-to-date. Now I can get some journals written and maybe answer Surfer99's question myself. L

But I'm not really a marvel collector, I mean a read some Marvel when I was young, but the stories don't really hold up well for me as an adult... So after digging through my stacks of DC goodness I found Stan Lee presents Just Imagine Wonder Woman - for some unknown reason I was really, really choosy when I selected this off this rack so I am excited to see how it comes back graded. The nice thing is my current wife is a huge WW fan and I didn't even know her when I bought this, so she's never seen it. It might just make a really nice stocking stuffer. L

Books are out to CGC and are verified... so now all I can do is wait. Plastic Man (1966) #1; Inferior 5 #1; and Teen Titans #2 are all sitting in line waiting their turn behind boxes and boxes of convention submissions and I'm sitting on my hands. I anticipate they will come back 9.0 OW/White; 9.2 white; and 9.0 OW - I hope I have gotten better at grading before I sent this batch in... L well - here's an interesting turn of events, my order status from CGC says graded, but they came in as follows: Inferior 5 #1 shows 8.5 OW/W and I anticiapted a 9.2 - this is the nicest book by far; Teen Titans #2 came in 8.5 OW - which doesn't surprise me too much - I thought it was a weak 9.0, but that's what Heritage had called it and I was willing to agree...the problem is with Plastic Man V2#1 - it came back 9.2 White, apparant SP. Slight color touch on cover. Damn Lee

I know I can't see the frame too well in the photo - but the depth looks like it would hold both a piece of glass and the CGC holder. Conservation glass isn't that expensive for pieces that small - I would simply go to my local frame shop and purchase pre-cut conservation glass that fit in front of the comic - if I really wanted to display my book and not a poster-sized scan of my book. You may not be able to get a national craft store that does framing to sell the glass individually, but a glass store or locally owned shop certainly would - I have my original comic art displayed that way, and the guaranteed 100% UV protection is worth the extra couple $$$.

Nice haul of Golden Record comics...

those are NICE. yes, a very good week indeed. Congrats on the 6. Lee

Nice book!

The mailman was good to me today: It's my dream to one day own all the Green Arrow covers from More Fun Comics & Leading Comics. I had to start with this one - it's my favorite and it features the very cool Arrow-car. L