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bagofleas

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Journal Entries posted by bagofleas

  1. bagofleas
    Let the journals begin!
    Now that Megacon 2014 is a thing of the past, I can sit down and do some journals on my experience. This was nearly impossible during the show because of the sheer volume of things I was wanting to get done.
    I was so busy getting signatures, organizing my items, getting photo ops done, filling out forms, looking for celebrities, shopping for various items and so forth, that I just didn't make myself stop and focus on anything much other than what I was doing.
    I would never have been able to do everything without my big brother, Tnerb and his lovely companion going out of their way to help both of us accomplish our goals. May both of you be blessed in all of your future endeavors and I look forward to seeing you again.
    So, now I can actually write about the show and my results from it. I will do so in a series of journals, starting with this one.
    As I stated in a previous journal leading up to this show, I planned on submitting five raw copies of Dazzler in order to finish up my set. I want them all in 9.8, but after five years of grinding them out and being down to the last five, I decided I would submit some high grade raw copies and input them into my set regardless of the grades they achieved.
    I bought these five issues from Mile High Comics a few weeks before the show and specifically asked them to send their best near mint copies of each, since I was going to have them signed and graded at Megacon. They graciously accommodated me.
    Of these five issues, #9 has never had a copy achieve 9.8 and #35 has never even been graded before! Even better is the fact that these particular two issues are also Sienkiewicz covers, so I could get them signed at the show! I actually submitted two copies of #9 to give me a better chance. The other copy was from an Ebay purchase from months earlier, but to be truthful, I just didn't see how either could possibly achieve a 9.8 grade. But I figured even SS 9.6 would be really nice copies.
    So on Sunday afternoon, when we picked up our onsite issues, I nearly fainted! I don't even remember exactly how I acted, but apparently it was geeky enough to elicit smiles and laughs from everyone else at the tables, accompanied with statements like, "that's why I love this hobby" or, "why aren't I recording this?".
    I'm sure Tnerb can be more forthcoming about my behavior at that moment, but this is what came of my Dazzler submissions...
    #24 and #25 got 9.6 WP - this was fine by me, especially since there is still no 9.8 copy of #25. I will put them into my set and keep my eyes open for 9.8 copies, hopefully in the near future.
    #20 got 9.8 WP!! Wow! Awesome!! This is only the third copy ever graded and only the second to get 9.8!! Fantastic!
    #35 got SS 9.8 WP!!!! Unbelievable!! This is now the ONLY GRADED COPY IN THE WORLD and I couldn't have asked for a better result!
    Now, as for the two #9 issues, I slowly revealed them to myself only to see that the first one had achieved SS 9.8 WP!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! After five years of putting this set together and still no 9.8 copy being achieved, I had accomplished it with a raw copy bought sight unseen! Amazing!!
    Once I saw the first #9 copy, which was the Mile High copy, the other one was nearly inconsequential. Or so I thought....
    Can you believe that the raw Ebay purchased copy ALSO achieved SS 9.8 WP!!! I was incredulous!! This was the point where I sort of blacked out and apparently did some sort of geeky dance accompanied by squeals and giggles. While I don't remember the next few seconds, I'm sure Tnerb can elaborate.
    What this means for me, is that I now have a complete graded set of Dazzler with all but two issues being 9.8 WP or better!! Of the two 9.6 copies, one doesn't even exist in 9.8 yet and the other has only one copy in 9.8, so that's perfectly acceptable until I can drudge up a 9.8 copy of them.
    These Dazzlers are only one aspect of this show that will forever be etched into my memory. Having Tnerb with me to celebrate the event just made it all the better.
    Below is a pic of the issues. It's not the best shot but I will take better individual pics for when I input them into the set in the next day or so, once CGC clears the certification numbers.
    I will post more journals on results from Megacon in the days to come, so stay tuned!

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  2. bagofleas
    A new order?
    Let's face it, While we all love CGC and what they've done for the interest in our hobby, they have been woefully lacking in the modernization department.
    I'm sure each one of us could come up with at least one thing that CGC could do better. But until now, they have had no reason to do so.
    Since January, 2000 CGC has been revolutionizing our favorite hobby as the premier comic book grading company. There have been, and still are others out there, like PGX and the newer Vault grading companies, but CGC has continued to be where most people send their books. Arguably 90% of comic books are submitted for grading through CGC.
    With such a stranglehold on the grading market for so many years, CGC has done little in the way of updates and upgrades. They did manage to change the look of their labels once, almost five years after using the older labels. This was probably the last great, significant improvement to any of their service.
    But now, things may be on the cusp of changing. I am referring to Steve Borock starting up his own book grading company, CBCS. They will be accepting their first submissions at the Indy PopCon at the end of this month, which makes me almost wish I could go.
    I'm sure there are many different opinions and outlooks by many of us here on the registry, but I personally believe this will be a good thing, regardless of how it all pans out.
    Why? Because competition breeds innovation.
    The biggest reason for the lack of any real competition to CGC up to this point has been a lack of established integrity. If anyone has a chance to challenge CGC, it's Steve Borock, former President of CGC, as well as it's first primary grader. Steve is one of the most respected and knowledgeable individuals in the industry.
    Do I think this will lead to the demise of CGC? Absolutely not. What I believe it WILL do is cause CGC to finally take a long, hard look at many aspects of their services.
    I'm sure many of you will make suggestions as to what improvements could be made, and now I believe CGC will need to seriously consider many of these recommendations from us. We are, after all, what keeps them going.
    As for some of my thoughts in this regard, I can put forth a few items:
    1 - Quality of materials.
    The sturdiness of the outer casings, the quality of the label's paper stock, etc.
    2 - Restoration determination and accuracy.
    This has been a very contentious issue lately with CGC. I am also very curious as to how Mr. Borock will handle the pressing of books. CGC has determined that pressing is NOT restoration. I wonder if Steve will agree.
    3 - Quality Control improvements.
    This is another area that CGC needs to work on. There are times where I believe QC is not even applied to invoices other than to glance over the graded books quickly one time and pass them on to shipping. Mistakes in QC have increased in the last couple of years.
    4 - Accurate and consistent turnaround times.
    This is an area that Steve Borock is attacking head-on. He is "guaranteeing" turnaround times for books submitted through his company, it will be interesting to see if this happens and how it affects CGC's procedures on this issue.
    5 - updated and more modern online software.
    This is a biggie. The software CGC uses for all of its online chat, boards and registry is about ten years out of date. It really needs to be modernized. Being able to link through and apply changes made on the registry to other social media apps alone would be a welcome change.
    The one big thing that CGC has had going for it over anyone else is the online Registry. The way it breeds competition among collectors and allows us to show off our books and sets, as well as have the opportunity to receive awards for our collections, is a huge benefit to CGC.
    It will be interesting to see if Steve works something like this into his company eventually. To do so would surely be the biggest single boost to his chances of overthrowing the big boy on the block.
    CGC really needs to look into updating its online presence for the modern era of mobile inter-connectivity. I very much hope this competition brings about a change in this area.
    It will probably take a couple of years for any real competition to develop between these two companies, but I am hopeful that Steve's re-infiltration into the grading industry will benefit us all. If CGC can see this as a legitimate threat to its near monopoly of the grading market, then maybe we can start to see some serious changes to their practices and software applications.
    I know some have been skeptical in the past about CGC's grading accuracy, but the truth is, this is the one area that will be equal between the two companies in my opinion. It shouldn't affect either company's status in the market.
    I think it will come down to customer service, turnaround times and all the little aesthetic extras applied to their services that will ultimately determine how it all ends up.
    CGC, the ball is in your court.
    Below is a preliminary example of what a CBCS graded book will look like. Let's discuss, everyone.

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  3. bagofleas
    First In, First Out?
    Well, first of all, let me give a disclosure statement up front.
    I LOVE CGC!!!
    I have no animosity towards them whatsoever. I know for a fact how busy and overrun they are from time to time in the process of attending cons and grading submissions, all of which has increased ten fold over the last year or so.
    So I understand the workload involved in their offices, and I know it's tough to keep up with the demand with the current staff they have. So I don't begrudge them any when it takes months for my invoices to get back to me or when set requests take six months or better to get created.
    With that said however, I have noticed an unusual trend this year from CGC when it comes to them being accurate in their updates on member's order status pages.
    At first, I thought it was just that they were running behind in keeping up with the online postings of invoice status changes. They have done this before in the past on an individual basis, but this time it seems like they're doing it to a lot more members at the same time.
    And this may be the case now, but I'm starting to wonder if it's more than just that.
    Why?
    Because I have proof that they aren't necessarily doing invoices in the order that they come in. I'm not talking about one grading tier in comparison with another. We all know they grade at different time intervals depending on the tier. But this event takes place among invoices in the same tier.
    So here's what's happened.
    Tnerb and I attended Megacon. We both had some invoices done onsite. We also had invoices that were submitted normally. Tnerb then attended ECCC the next week, where I also had an invoice done.
    Among the invoices I submitted normally at Megacon were two that became Recieved on my order status page on 4/10. This was 8 days AFTER the invoice from ECCC was put on as Received.
    Why did the ECCC invoice post as Received first, when the Megacon invoices were done the week prior? I figured that the guys at CGC just failed to actually post the Megacon invoices online until the next week. No problem. It really wasn't a big deal. As long as they're getting done, you won't see me complaining.
    But then something very strange happened...
    The ECCC invoice, which admittedly was posted online before the Megacon ones were, went on to become Verified and Scheduled For Grading and Graded and Grading/Quality Control and Shipped/Safe and back in my hands.
    Meanwhile, the Megacon invoices stayed Received during this whole process! In fact, even though the ECCC invoice was NOT marked for Fast Track, it got processed and back in my hands in just 36 days!
    But the Megacon invoices were not Fast tracked either, and yet it took them 32 days to just move from Received to Verified? This isn't because of severely altered turnaround times. These invoices were all submitted in the same week.
    I almost wonder if somehow, the ECCC invoice was accidentally included into a batch of Fast Track invoices and accidentally processed as such. Otherwise, I simply don't know how to explain the severe time differential.
    Again, I'm not complaining here. I'm super stoked about getting my ECCC invoice back so quickly. I'm a little confused about the slowness of the other two Megacon invoices from the week prior but that doesn't really bother me.
    What bothers me is not knowing or understanding how such a time discrepancy can occur. Very, very strange.
    Anyway, just tossing the observation out there. Has anyone else noticed anything weird in CGCs turnaround times or the order in which their invoices are being done?
    Just curious.
    Below is a pic of one of the issues Tnerb had signed for me at ECCC. New Mutants #34 SS 9.8 WP signed by Ann Nocenti and Steve Leialoha!

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  4. bagofleas
    I do so love a good mystery!
    I always have. It's like a puzzle just crying out to be solved. A lot of times, even when you can't find a factual reason, the mystery still yields surprising and often enlightening results.
    But there are also times when the mystery completely eludes you, leaving you at a loss to explain the results that stare you in the face.
    And sometimes, either way can bring you happiness, regardless of whether you come to a satisfactory result or not.
    This story starts with a desire; a decision to start putting together the best Mutant Massacre set on the CGC registry. Not an easy task, considering that a few issues for the set can be tough to find graded at all, let alone in high grades.
    I began by applying the issues I already had to the set. New Mutants #46 and X-Men #210 through #214 were among the graded issues I already held within my hands, so they were the ones to get my start. They were all 9.8 copies, which was my ultimate goal for the set.
    I set out to find the other issues for the set, so I searched the internet.
    Ebay, World Wide Comics, My Comic Shop, Comic Link, Comic Connect, Metropolis Comics, Heritage Auctions. You name it, I searched it; for months and months, turning into well over a year.
    I acquired Power Pack #27 on Ebay, which was one of the tougher ones to get in 9.8 grade. I acquired X-Factor #10 and #11 on World Wide Comics. The third X-Factor issue, #9, I managed to win off of Ebay. It is the rarest 9.8 copy from the series to acquire in the first ten issues.
    Thor #373 and #374 were also found on World Wide Comics. I mainly found everything on either Ebay or World Wide, but there was one I couldn't find anywhere.
    Daredevil #238!
    I knew I had a copy that was part of my personal, original collection that me and my dad put together years ago, but after a close examination, I was sure it would get 9.4 at best. This was before CGC began offering pressing as an option through CCS.
    In the meantime, I had determined that the best way to assure myself of a top ranked set that would stand the test of time, was to get them all signed.
    So I started with Megacon 2013. Chris Claremont was there and since I not only wanted to start getting New Mutants issues signed, but also issues for the Mutant Massacre set, I figured #46 was definitely one to get done. So I did.
    I sent my Power Pack #27 off to Desert Winds for Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove to sign at SDCC 2013. It came back still enveloped in 9.8 glory.
    After that was Baltimore Comic Con, where I met up with Tnerb. That was where I got my Thor #373 and #374 both signed by Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema. It was also where I got all three X-Factor issues signed; one by Louise Simonson and Joe Rubinstein, and two signed by Louise Simonson and Walt Simonson.
    Ronnylama had also sent me a copy of Daredevil #238, since I wasn't sure of mine being able to acquire a higher grade. As a result, I sent his copy to CCS/CGC for pressing and grading, not knowing that Sal Buscema was going to be at Baltimore. So when Baltimore came along, I went ahead and took my original copy for Sal to sign, since I had determined that my copy at least had a shot at 9.6 with a press. I decided a SS 9.6 was better than no 9.6 at all, especially when signed by Sal Buscema, so I also had it signed at Baltimore.
    When the Daredevil #238 Ronnylama sent me came back, it was Universal 9.6 WP. When the copy I had Sal sign at Baltimore came back, it was SS 9.6 WP.
    So that was where I stood for the time being. Everything else I had signed came back retaining their 9.8 grades. Then along came NYCC, and another shot at some signings, I sent my X-Men #210, #211 and #214 to my brother, Tnerb for Claremont and Wiacek to sign. They also came back retaining their 9.8s.
    At this point, all of the issues I had cracked for signings had retained their 9.8s, which was fantastic! The only issues I hadn't had signed yet were X-Men #212 and #213.
    And, of course, I still didn't have a 9.8 copy of Daredevil #238.
    Then along came ECCC 2014! Since I was meeting up with Tnerb at Megacon 2014, and he was going to be attending ECCC the following week, I decided to send both of my 9.6 Daredevil #238s with him for Klaus Janson, Ann Nocenti, Arthur Adams and Steve Leialoha to sign!!
    I mean, who wouldn't jump at the chance for four sigs on one comic, all at the same show! And since my original copy had already been signed by Sal Buscema, that would make 5 sigs on it!!
    Now, here's where the mystery comes in. When I originally had the copy that Ronnylama sent me graded, I had it pressed first and then graded, and it came back 9.6, just like my original collection copy, which was ALSO pressed before grading.
    But after having both copies signed four times and graded a second time, with NO re-pressing, the four signed copy came back as SS 9.8!!!!
    My original copy, now with 5 sigs, came back still as a 9.6 WP. But for some reason, without a pressing or anything, the other copy, with 4 sigs went from 9.6 up to 9.8 WP!!
    I looked both of these over once they had been pressed and graded the first time, and determined that they would never go above 9.6, but for some reason, the 4 signed copy jumped up a grade.
    My original plan was to sell the 4 signed copy once I got them both back. But now, with the 4 signed copy bumping up to 9.8, I can't sell it. And I just can't bear to part with the 9.6 5 signed copy now, since it was part of my original collection from me and my dad,
    But the real mystery here is...
    Why did the one copy go up? I'm not complaining, of course. This adds 73 registry points to my set and gives me a quadruple signed 9.8 copy of a Copper key Daredevil issue! Not to mention it makes me easily the number one spot for the set for the fore-seeable future. I only have X-Men #212 and #213 to get signed and then I doubt anyone will ever be able to top it!
    In this case, there is definitely a mystery, but the result is amazing, so I'm a happy camper.
    ... even if I can't sell the other copy.
    I can't thank my big brother enough for this! He has personally handled four of my big issues for this set and had them signed for me, including this Daredevil #238 that went UP in grade after the signings. It is due to him and Ronnylama that my set is nearly untouchable now. Thanks guys!

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  5. bagofleas
    For CGC comics, that is.
    It's been a couple of weeks since my last journal. I've been so busy with other things. So here is something totally new that I can do one on...
    I requested a set to be created months ago. I was actually surprised that no one had thought to ask for this set to be made a reality before now.
    So I did some research, gave Gemma the list, and made the official request. Nicole has taken over this duty since then and has done a fantastic job with keeping up with our numerous requests, both in the full set category and in the set expansion category.
    Thank you, Nicole!!!!
    It may take a while for our requests to finally reach creation status, but with Nicole working hard for us everyday, they DO get done when she gets to them.
    So after waiting for quite some time, I can finally say, "Welcome to the CGC registry!!!!", because the Marvel 25th Anniversary Border Covers (1986) set has FINALLY become a reality!!!!!
    This set features every single comic book that Marvel released during the month of November of 1986!! Ok, maybe not ACTUALLY released at that time, but at the same time nonetheless. November is the "Published" date anyway.
    The cool thing about this set is that it allows a variety of issues from a variety of series to be grouped together in one set, since they all share the common uniformity of the exact same border on every single one of their covers.
    I believe this is the first instance of Marvel doing such a thing with their comic books, though I could be wrong. Feel free to correct me in the replies to this journal if this is the case.
    But regardless, this set now exists and I know that I couldn't be happier! It is so cool to see something that you came up with become accepted and endorsed in the broader social medium, within which, you reside.
    The hardest issues within this set to acquire will be the Marvel/Star Comics. Series like, "Masters of the Universe", "Ewoks", "Muppet Babies", "Care Bears", "Heathcliff" and "Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham"' will be among the hardest to acquire in graded form for this set.
    So without further ado, everybody check the set out and see which issues you have that could apply to it, and maybe, just maybe, you may feel the desire to slowly work on completing your own set in this category.
    To give you an example, below is a pic of my Conan the King #37 that I have in my set, which will show you the border that belongs on all of the issues in this 1986 set.

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  6. bagofleas
    Different sorts of OAKs!!!
    Ok, so I have always been one to do things that no one else has done before. I look for ways that I can apply things that exist for everyone, in new and unusual ways in order to create something special or extremely unique.
    Since CGC certifies not only comics but also photographs, I decided to start using this in a couple of different ways.
    Im having all of my photo op pictures with celebrities certified and encapsulated by CGC. They use the same Barax plastic to encapsulate them as what they use on the inside of the normal CGC casing.
    This may seem funny, since the picture itself shows that I was with the celebrity, but it just adds a layer of verification and protection to the photo in my opinion. Plus it just looks cool!!
    I had all but one of my photo ops at Megacon done this way, and the only reason for not having the last one done was because the person was finished doing signings for the show by the time I got to him. But I will see him again and just get the sig later.
    To make this even better, my big brother Tnerb was with me and I had him join me for the photo ops!! So in the end, these became even more memorable for me, and hopefully for him as well!
    We had photo ops with Peter Mayhew, James Marsters, Eliza Dushku, and four original cast members of Battlestar Galactica(from the 70s), Dirk Benedict, Richard Hatch, Ann Lockhart and Herbert Jefferson Jr.!!!! I got signatures from everyone on them too!
    On top of that, we also had our photo taken with Stan Lee and even added Tnerb and my signatures to the photo!!! So now both of our names are on an actual CGC yellow label!!! Now THAT is unique if I do say so myself! We signed them in front of Chandler from Desert Wind Comics and had him laughing about it, because it was something he had never seen done before!
    This is pretty unique in and of itself, but wait until I tell you what else I used this CGC feature for at Megacon!
    I printed up some very nice 8x10 pieces of art from Michael Golden and Bill Sienkiewicz. I figured if they were ok with signing them, I could get them certified this way. But of course, these were basically bootleg color copies done on photo paper without permission, so I figured they would probably say no. But I figured it was worth asking.
    So on the first day, I go to Golden and show him the printed art and asked if it was ok or not. He said no. I told him that was fine and I understood. Dang!!
    This did not bode well for the other three I had for Sienkiewicz, but I had to try. He is probably my favorite comic artist! So when I went to his booth, he was not there yet, but his handler was. So I asked the handler what he thought.
    He did not seem like he was going to approve of it either. Then it hit me what to do! After making my proposal, he completely changed his opinion in the matter and assured me that Bill would take care of it! Awesome!!!!
    In the end, Bill agreed because I am such a big fan and only had one copy of each art piece and promised that they were just for me, which they definitely are. But it was also the other thing I did that put it over the top for him. I wont say what I proposed to him, but suffice it to say, he ultimately agreed!
    So, as a result, I now have three awesome photo prints of art done by Sienkiewicz that he has never, to my knowledge, offered as prints for sale! And they are signed and certified by CGC to boot!!!!!
    How is that for a different kind of OAK?
    Below is a pic of one of the art pieces. This one is actually the cover art for the upcoming Elektra #1 Sienk variant cover that has not even been released yet! It comes out later this month.
    The other two are very interesting pieces as well. I will put them and the photos into the replies in a few moments. Just give me a little bit to put them all in there.

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  7. bagofleas
    Said I wouldn't, but I did.
    Ok, so a long while back, I made the comment that I would NEVER have an actor or actress put their signature on a comic unless the cover was a photo cover featuring them.
    I said that having people sign comics that weren't involved in their actual creation was silly to me.
    Well, I've gone and done exactly what I said would never do.
    I will preface what I'm about to reveal with this. I had James Marsters sign a 2nd print of Angel: After the Fall #2 at Megacon, since the cover features an actual photo of him. That is something I said would be a possibility for me in the future.
    But a few months ago, I went to Pensacon over in Pensacola, Florida and took a few issues with me, including one particular Star Wars issue. I mainly took it for David Michelinie, but it just so happens that one of the original cast members of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi was also in attendance at the show.
    Billy Dee Williams!
    The issue I took was #56, which just happens to feature Lando Calrissian on the cover, battling with Lobot! Now, I already had this issue signed by Walt Simonson last year at the Baltimore Comic Con, so by bringing it to Pensacon, I was giving it an opportunity for two more sigs!
    But did I really want to have Billy Dee sign it? Didn't I say I would never do such a thing? Wouldn't I be making a liar out of myself if I did it?
    Yes, yes and...... yes.
    .... and I don't care!
    So yes, I went completely against my previous statements and had the man sign my copy. And I must say, it was completely awesome to stand there and watch him do it! He signed his name and added "Lando" right under his last name on it! So cool!!
    So now I have three sigs on it and I plan on having Tom Palmer added to it at Supercon!
    Anyway, I said I never would, but when faced with the opportunity to do so, I jumped at it! Now I wouldn't do this on a major key like Star Wars #1, but for a non-key like this one, I can no longer say I blame anyone for having it done.
    After all, if I had listened to myself when it came to this issue, it wouldn't look like it does now.

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  8. bagofleas
    Searching through the trash of yesteryear in search of treasures, just like Indiana Jones.
    Perusing through boxes of old, dusty comics in pursuit of possible 9.8 candidates can be a lot like being an archaeologist.
    You sift through the dirt and dust of ancient artifacts and try to distinguish what's trash and what's treasure. In our case, you look through the boxes at comics one at a time and try to distinguish what's 9.8 worthy and what's not.
    Being able to physically hold and look over the actual books is the vastly preferred method of doing this, but not everyone has the access and time to do so. Instead, most of us have to deal with going online and doing some cyber-archaeology to find those rare beauties.
    This is a daunting task. Not being able to actually hold the comic in your hands, as well as having to deal with only pictures and sellers "assurances" of condition can be like tip-toeing through a digital minefield! Trying to determine what condition a particular comic is really in, is extremely difficult this way.
    Through trial and many errors, I have become pretty good at this, if I do say so myself. While I do still have my moments of getting issues that don't begin to match up with what the seller says, I have had a number of incidents now, where I get it exactly right, even when the seller doesn't.
    My Howard the Duck #2 is just one recent example of this. The seller had it at 9.6, and after getting it in my hands, I knew it had a shot at 9.8, which is exactly what it got!
    I find ancient treasures through Ebay, Mile High, LCS in the cities where I attend cons, you name it. The two Marvel Graphic Novels I just picked up raw in Orlando speak to my ability to find the needles in haystacks. They got 9.8s as well. I even have two other MGN copies from the same store that I am waiting on signature opportunities later this year before submitting.
    I'm not trying to toot my own horn here. I've made plenty of mistakes. But those have become fewer and far more infrequent as of late.
    So here's where the title of this journal really takes on proper meaning. I recently came across a number of raw issues from a seller on Ebay that I felt really had potential. Out of the issues he had for sale, were a few Indiana Jones copies that I just HAD to get my hands on.
    Especially since two of them had never reached 9.8 status in the census yet. This is a series that I eventually want all of in 9.8, so I just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to get what I felt were top notch copies.
    Once I received them, I determined that they truly WERE worthy of 9.8 status! So I put them aside to wait for the right opportunity to submit them with maximum potential.
    That moment came just a few months later when I was able to go to Pensacon, a little over a month ago. David Michelinie was in attendance there, and even though CGC was not going to be there, someone else had procured a CGC witness to be with them throughout the show and I was able to tag along.
    I got Michelinie to sign four of the copies I had and submitted them! The only one that I was worried about was #18, since it had three tiny tears along the bottom edge of the front cover. But I determined that these were MDs, or Manufacturing Defects, so I went for it. The other three I was sure of 9.8s with.
    Well, I just got all four of them back, and guess what.
    Further Adventures of Indiana Jones:
    #18 - SS 9.8 WP
    #20 - SS 9.8 WP
    #21 - SS 9.8 WP
    #27 - SS 9.8 WP
    All are signed by David Michelinie, who wrote each of them.
    All are now single highest graded SS copies!
    #20 and #21 are now the ONLY 9.8 copies in existence!
    I cannot begin to express how stoked I am at these becoming what I knew they could achieve! It's no different than I'm sure professor Jones would be at discovering a new tribe or relic from the past. But without the complications of a giant, rolling stone ball trap attempting to destroy you for trying to liberate the treasure!
    Below is a pic of #21. I will put the others on the replies in a moment, so check back to see them!

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  9. bagofleas
    A Boost to my collection!
    A couple of months ago I made a query to our resident Good Karma CGC native, Ronnylama. I was curious about finding a top notch copy of Booster Gold #20 for signing at Megacon, since Dan Jurgens and Arne Starr would both be there. It is one of 11 issues I still needed to complete my graded set.
    I was always sure I would never find a 9.8 copy of this issue, due to its jet black cover. As we all know, solid black covers prior to 1990 are always real toughies to find in 9.8 or better grade. This issue is no exception.
    I figured if anyone would have a great copy of it, it would be Ronnylama. I told him I was looking for a 9.8 worthy raw copy and was willing to pay for it if he had one. He came up with what he thought was a top notch copy!
    When it was all said and done, we did a sort of trade. I would have Sienkiewicz sign a number of his issues at Megacon, and in return, he gave me 10 of the 11 issues I needed for my Booster Gold set!
    He sent them to me along with 30 issues for Sienkiewicz to sign. They all looked really good. I did not think all of them would get 9.8 but I did not care. I put all ten issues aside for Megacon.
    Tnerb and I got everything done and signed at the show, both for me and Ronnylama. I had Jurgens sign all ten Booster Golds and Arne Starr on #20 as well.
    Here is how they came out:
    #7 - SS 9.4 only graded copy
    #8 - SS 9.4
    #9 - SS 9.6 single highest graded copy
    #10 - SS 9.6 only graded copy
    #12 - SS 9.8 only graded copy
    #15 - SS 9.6 highest graded/signed copy
    #20 - SS 9.8 only graded copy
    #21 - SS 9.8 single highest graded copy
    #24 - SS 9.8 only graded copy
    #25 - SS 9.8 only graded copy
    As you can see, almost all of these are now single highest or only graded copies, even if some did not reach 9.8 status. And #20 actually DID get 9.8!! I was astonished!!
    I now need only one more issue to have all 25 graded. That is #22, which I will now be on the lookout for along with possibly higher graded copies of some of these that did not make 9.8.
    Thank you, Ronnylama!!

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  10. bagofleas
    Maximizing your point increase.
    One of the issues I took with me to Megacon was Daredevil #236. This issue is significant to me for a number of reasons.
    It is an original collection issue. One that my Father and I picked up right off the shelf back In 1986. It has been stored from that moment on, for decades now. This makes it a sentimental issue for me.
    When I looked it over about a year ago, to determine its grade, I put it at an easy 9.8 without a press! But I waited until now, so that I could get a sig on it.
    The big advantage for me with having this issue graded, is that it benefits not one, but THREE different sets!!
    It goes in my Daredevil set, my Bill Sienkiewicz Covers set, and in the upcoming Marvel 25th Anniversary Border Covers set, which is currently 42 spots a way from creation.
    That's a lot of benefit from one comic! Having it come back exactly how I thought it would, with an awesome Sienkiewicz signature emblazoned on it, has me giddy with joy. I just wish my dad was still around to enjoy all of this.
    I hope Tnerb, Ronnylama, Lee K, Shivabali and Surfer99 all have a blast at ECCC!! I'll shoot for next year guys. Meeting all of you will be quite a honor whenever the time comes!

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  11. bagofleas
    One Dollar Goodness!
    Who says you can't find 9.8s in bargain boxes anymore?
    I have been working on completing a graded set of both Marvel Fanfare and Vigilante for some time now. I've had far more success with the Marvel Fanfare set.
    While at least most of them have been submitted from time to time, Vigilante issues are extremely difficult to come by in graded form. In fact, outside of the first few issues, most have not ever been submitted for grading at this point.
    I understand that the character is not a hot topic with the general comic population or anything like that, but I really liked the character and stories when I was a kid. Probably because at the time, it was a series that was "suggested for mature readers" and I thought it was cool to be able to read more mature material as a kid.
    Anyway, I am getting much closer to a complete set of Marvel Fanfare, but up until now, I've had to rely on Vigilante issues that show up on auction, which is almost never, with the exception of #1. In fact, the only non-auction issue I have acquired in 9.8 was a #28 that Ronnylama sent me a while back.
    Until now, that is. There is a Books A Million near my house here in Tallahassee. About six months ago, they apparently bought somebody's small collection of comic books and put them for sale at one dollar each. I quickly went through them a few months ago and picked a few out, but it was when I had decided for sure about attending Megacon this year that I went back for a more thorough examination.
    I went through every box, comic by comic. Most were 90s cannon fodder. But there were a few 80s goodies mixed within them. I wasn't interested in most of the 90s material, but I found a decent amount of 80s issues for consideration.
    Once I had weeded out all of the ones that were definitely not worth grading, I took the remaining ones out of their bags one by one and did a more exhaustive eyeballing of them to determine grade worthy items.
    Among them were three particular issues. A Marvel Fanfare #25, a Vigilante #40 and a Vigilante #41. I was sure that these three were 9.8s with a pressing.
    So I took them with me for onsite grading at Megacon. These weren't to be signed by anyone, so I just turned them in to CGC as soon as Tnerb and I walked in the door at the show. I wouldn't have spent the money for onsite on them if I wasn't absolutely sure of 9.8s.
    These weren't for me to resell and make money on. They were to help with set completion. The Vigilante especially were big deals to me. These just don't get submitted at all.
    When it was all said and done, I was thrilled to see on Sunday that my grading skills are right on target!
    Marvel Fanfare #25 - 9.8 WP
    Vigilante #40 - 9.8 WP
    Vigilante #41 - 9.8 WP
    The Vigilante issues are both dark covers as well. #40 in particular has jet black going right down the spine! While these aren't big key issues or even sought after or popular issues for most collectors, I am ecstatic that I am creating OAKs that are helping me towards completing my sets!!!!
    And for just one dollar each for the raw pickups!!!

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  12. bagofleas
    My only Economy submissions.
    Everything I took to Megacon was modern tier with the exception of one invoice. On this invoice were three comics. Spider-Woman #14, Micronauts #1 and Howard the Duck #2.
    I picked up the Spider-Woman off of Ebay and figured it for 9.6, but felt it was worth it to get Sienkiewicz to sign it.
    I purchased the Micronauts raw, sight unseen from Mile High over six years ago. I knew it was a great copy even back then, before I knew what to look for when self-grading for CGC 9.8 candidates.
    Since Michael Golden was attending Megacon, I thought that now might be the time to look into getting it signed and graded, so I pulled it back out and really eyeballed it thoroughly with my now-far-more-experienced grading eyes. I decided that it would get 9.8 without any problem.
    The Howard the Duck #2 was an issue I have always wanted in 9.8 condition, but they are just so hard to acquire in that grade. Since Frank Brunner was attending Megacon, I decided to go searching online for a possible higher grade copy to buy and have Frank sign!
    Finally, on Ebay I found two separate raw copies from the Tongie Farm Collection that they had personally graded at 9.6 and when I looked at the pictures of them both, I had to agree. Once I decided which one looked a little better to me, I was ready to buy. It was so close to the show however, that I didn't know if I could get it in time, so I asked if I could pay a little more to have it shipped faster. They said yes, and for only $3 more I would get it in time. I received it on Wednesday, the day before leaving! Whew!
    I looked it over personally and saw that it was an easy 9.6. I wasn't sure how much a press would help but figured that I may as well do it, just to give it a shot at reaching 9.8.
    So Tnerb and I hit the show floor on Friday morning. We got there five hours early so we were only like the sixth or seventh people in line. We had agreed that Sienkiewicz was our first goal, simply because he was the person that we had the most things to get signed from. After looking over the floor map, I discovered that Bill Sienkiewicz, Michael Golden and Frank Brunner were all in the same bank of booths. This would make it easier for us to get them all done in one fell swoop!
    So we grab a witness, head over there and find out that Sienk isn't there. But Brunner and Golden are. Brunner is ready to go right then, so I have him add his scrawl to the Howard the Duck issue. Awesome!!
    Then we go around to Michael Golden, who is also ready to go! I have him sign all of the issues I had there for him, which included Indiana Jones issues, Marvel Fanfare issues, a Howard the Duck Magazine #1 and, of course the Micronauts issue.
    I was stoked! The only thing that bothered me at the time was that Sienk wasn't going to be there until like 3:00 so I thought that I wouldn't get him done in time for onsite. Luckily, CGC had organized onsite differently for this show and it worked beautifully! Not only was onsite open for the entire first day, but also for an hour or so on Saturday! Wonderful!
    So we got these all turned in and went on about our business getting everything else done for onsite that we both had. The weekend went by quickly, unfortunately. I very enjoyed every moment spent with my brother. But Sunday afternoon, we got everything back and among it all was this economy invoice.
    The Spider-Woman was what I thought it would be. It got 9.6 WP signed by Sienkiewicz. So that was fine.
    The Micronauts #1 was also what I thought it would be and that was GREAT! It now sits at SS 9.8 WP signed by Michael Golden! I love it!
    The Howard the Duck BLEW ME AWAY! It got 9.8!!!!! I was ecstatic! I have always wanted a copy of it in this grade, but to not only have it, but have it signed by Brunner and after having Brunner sign it myself! And with my brother there to celebrate nonetheless! What a memory!!
    If it had got 9.6, I was gonna send it with Tnerb to get Steve Leialoha added to it for ECCC, but since it got 9.8, I just can't risk it again. I am happy with the Brunner sig!!
    Again, I want to thank my brother, Tnerb and his lovely friend for all of their help during the show. I wouldn't have gotten everything done without them!
    Another one of many great memories from Megacon 2014!!!

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  13. bagofleas
    Here is my second Megacon update!
    I left Tallahassee early on Thursday morning to make my way down to Orlando. It is about a 4 hour drive, and it went really fast because I was stoked to see my big brother again and be able to spend some time with him.
    After meeting up and having breakfast together, we decided to go around and check out some LCS and see what we could find. The first store we went to was one that he had checked out the day before called Coliseum of Comics. We had perused through the store for a little bit when all of a sudden I looked down under the tables and realized that they had magazines under the tables!!!
    As many of you may know, I am a magazine junkie. Whether it's magazine sized comics or Starlogs or any other item that interests me and can fit in a magazine sized CGC slab.
    I'm sure I acted a little geeky when I saw them, because Tnerb smiled and shook his head. Haha
    Well, among all of these magazines, I found a large group of Marvel Graphic Novels! This is my ultimate, favorite magazine set to collect in CGC form. These have also been skyrocketing in selling price lately in top graded form. So I love to find raw copies I don't have and seeing if any are 9.8 worthy.
    Well, I ultimately bought five of them for no more than original cover price! After getting them back to my hotel room later, I determined that three of them were most definitely 9.8s! At first, I didn't think I would submit these at Megacon, because I was under the impression that they were not doing onsite for magazines. But on the second morning of the con, I found out that they were still accepting for onsite grading for a short time and that they WOULD do magazines!
    So I turned in two of the 9.8 candidates to be done onsite. The only reason I didn't do the third one was because I plan on having it double signed at Supercon later this year. With these two, I don't see me getting signatures any time soon.
    So at the end of the third day of the show, when we received all of our onsite submissions back, I was absolutely thrilled to see that my Graphic Novel grading skills are right on target! Both of them received 9.8s!!!
    The #27 Emperor Doom starring the Mighty Avengers, is only the second graded copy now, with the other being 9.8 as well.
    But the #9 The Futurians, is one that I never thought I would find in 9.8, let alone find raw in a store and accomplish the grade! It is only the second graded copy as well, but the other is only a 9.0!
    It is solid black all the way around the front cover, and on the entire back cover, just like #4. But where #4 was always prized for its New Mutants 1st appearance, this one was not generally handled as gingerly, and as a result, they are virtually impossible to find in such good condition.
    That's why I was astonished at finding such an awesome raw copy in an LCS on a trip to a con! These two MGNs were another reason for me to forever remember this show.

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  14. bagofleas
    Do you know?
    I just purchased a copy of The Hulk! Magazine #13 on ebay yesterday in NM condition(see pic below). It should get at least a 9.4 from my estimation of the pic, hopefully higher.
    I purchased this issue for a number of reasons:
    One - I have never owned one before now.
    Two - It is a really neat Hilk cover.
    Three - I love 70s magazine size comics.
    Four - ?
    While the first three are all good enough for me to want a copy to submit to CGC, it is the fourth one that is the biggest reason for my purchase of this particular issue.
    Can you guess what the real significance of this issue is? Most people do not know. CGC does not even include it on the label to my knowledge. I will point it out to them and write it in on the submission form as a comment for them to put in the notes on the label when I submit it.
    Ronnylama and Tnerb are exempt from guesses due to the fact that I have already discussed it with them, so they already know the answer.
    Huh? Clues, you say? You want clues? Already? Sheesh! ... Ok.
    I will tell you that it is not the first purple pants on Hulk, as suggested jokingly by Tnerb. He is a funny guy! It is also not the first gratuitous butt shot of Hulk on a cover, as suggested by me. I am a funny guy, too.
    While these are said in an obviously joking manner, I will give you one big hint.
    Another reason I purchased this issue is because I can get it signed at both Megacon and Supercon this year.
    Ok, that is all you are getting from me! Any guesses, everyone?

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  15. bagofleas

    Such A Rush!!

    By bagofleas,

    Dushku delirium!
    Ok, I haven't done any journals like my big brother up until now during Megacon because I've just been too busy getting everything signed and done.
    I had a lot of stuff to do for this show. WAY more than I originally planned. Not only has Tnerb been a huge help to me here at Megacon, but so has his friend. She is a blessing I cannot possibly describe in mere words. A real trooper and very helpful and patient. We would not have accomplished everything we did so far without her.
    Thursday was a day to prepare, get settled into the hotel and hang out with my big brother. We checked a couple of comic shops and I found some unbelievably awesome Marvel Graphic Novels!
    Day one was nothing but signatures on comics. Some were for onsite. Some were not. We busted tail to try and meet the onsite deadline, not knowing that through a difference in management of the process, it was handled far better this year. Onsite was open all day of the first day!
    I got everything comic oriented done with two exceptions. My Daredevils for Stan Lee. I plan on taking care of those on the last day.
    Day two was all photo ops! I had decided that I would proceed to start getting more photo ops at shows, and since Tnerb was going to be attending with me, I wanted him to be in all of the pictures as well.
    I originally thought that we would probably have to wait until the last day to complete all of the photo ops, but the staff was very well run and handled everything smoothly and with very little to no mistakes. We got all six photo ops done on day two!!
    Not only that, but I also managed to acquire five signatures on my photos before they shut down for the day. I now only need four sigs and I'm done. I am having all of my photo ops certified by CGC. It doesn't matter to me that it's a publicity photo. I paid a lot of money to have that photo done and for the signature to be placed on it. I have no problem dishing out just a few more bucks to have it sealed, protected and certified by CGC.
    I did this last month at Pensacon with Billy Dee Williams and it came back beautiful!! I will post my Billy Dee photo in the replies so that you can see what a finished CGC photo op looks like.
    I am now back in my hotel room, sore feet and all. But I can sleep a little longer tonight. I will get my Stan Lee signings done first thing in the morning, followed immediately by the last few other ones I need and then we can really look around and enjoy the last day of the show.
    Below is our photo op with none other than the uber sexy Eliza Dushku herself!! Rooowr!!

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  16. bagofleas

    Being the First!!

    By bagofleas,

    Setting the mark.
    There is a distinct thrill to being the first person to do something. Whether it is the first to have an idea or the first to create a new product or the first to win a challenge or any number of other scenarios.
    In the hobby of CGC collecting, you can accomplish this thrill in a number of ways.
    First to complete a run.
    First to complete a set.
    First to get top grade on an issue.
    First to get a signed copy of an issue.
    There are other ways as well, but you get the point.
    The funny thing is, with the popularity of CGC exploding over the last year, combined with the number of years that CGC has been around, There are still many issues that have not achieved 9.8 or better. Heck, there are many issues that have not been graded at all.
    Tnerb and I will be attending Megacon in just a few days and among the many issues I will be getting done, I will have a number of first time graded specimens to get done. Among them is the one you see pictured below.
    One of the sets I have been working on over the last five years is Dazzler. I am down to the last five issues I need to complete the set. While I have striven to have only 9.8 WP for the set, I have now decided to do what I need to in order to go ahead and complete the set even if the last five are not quite 9.8 copies.
    As a result of this, I have fantastic raw copies of all five issues to have done onsite at Megacon, including a 9.8 possible copy of #35, which until now has not only failed to achieve 9.8, but is currently the only issue of the series to never have been graded at all!!
    To make it even better is the opportunity to have Bill Sienkiewicz sign it at the show, since he did the cover. The same goes for the #9 issue I am taking, which has never achieved 9.8 status. This of course means that these two issues will also become part of my Sienkiewicz Cover Set as well.
    Of the five raw Dazzlers, some have a real shot at 9.8 and some may only reach 9.6, but this will allow me to have the complete graded set! Whichever ones do not get 9.8, I will still be on the lookout for 9.8 copies to get the whole set in the grade. Until then, I will be happy to have finally completed the set in mostly 9.8!!
    And also to be the first to ever have a copy of #35 graded.

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  17. bagofleas

    RIP Harold Ramis!!!

    By bagofleas,

    The first Ghostbuster to become a ghost...
    I was in Pensacola this past weekend talking with Ernie Hudson about the other Ghostbusters guys.
    So it feels ironic to me that two days later, one of them passes away.
    Harold Ramis,69, died this morning from complications of Autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, which is an inflamation and swelling of the veins.
    He was diagnosed in 2010 and it got so bad at one point that he had to relearn to walk!
    Rest in peace Harold. You gave much joy to a generation of kids who wanted to be right alongside you busting Slimer and the other spooks!

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  18. bagofleas

    Cons of a new Con

    By bagofleas,

    And a few pros too!
    I found out by sheer chance last Monday about a Con in Pensacola this weekend. Its called Pensacon and this is the first year of the show.
    Which of course means that they dont exactly have their act together on organization. Most shows can be frustrating to one degree or another with their coordination, but a first time con can be a big headache.
    CGC was not there but they did send one employee for witnessing for just me and a couple of others. It was like getting the royal treatment! He walked around and hung out with us during the entire day on Saturday. Very cool!
    His name is Darrell and I want to give a shout out to him right here for his helping us to get our sigs done at a show that we normally would not have been able to.
    You rock, Darrell!!
    Now to the details...
    The pros of the Con -
    1. A very interesting list of guests.
    Mike Grell
    Neal Adams
    Mark Texiera
    Peter Mayhew
    Dirk Benedict
    Ann Lockhart
    Richard Hatch
    Herbert Jefferson Jr
    Billy Dee Williams
    Ernie Hudson
    Walter Koenig
    And best of all.... David Michelinie!!
    There were many others, but none that I was really interested in. Others could
    have been though.
    2. Having the CGC guy right there with us the whole time made it easy to get the
    sigs at our leisure without feeling pressed for time.
    3. Location. For me anyway. I'm in Tallahassee, so Pensacola is not that far away.
    Now the cons of the Con -
    Very unorganized.
    Very little signage to direct you in what to do.
    Different info depending on who you ask.
    Badges acquired across the street from center.
    Kept you outside in cold until letting in.
    Nothing to indicate where lines for each thing was.
    Vendor area, celeb area, and food area all in different places on different floors.
    Narrow stairwells, one elevator, etc. etc.
    Almost no top notch back issue dealers.
    Very few cosplayers. At least any worth noting anyway.
    Very cramped vendor area, which was actually on top of ice, due to hockey season being played there right now. Sheesh!
    You would go to a celeb or creator, just to find out that there was a line for the table around the corner and against the wall with nothing to indicate that was the case. It was haphazard and cramped and very confusing most of the time.
    The vendor area was down at the bottom of a hockey rink with plates set on top of the ice to create the floor for the vendors. Very strange.
    Then to get from there to certain creators, you had to go back UP the aisle stairs, take the ONE elevator (or very narrow stairway) DOWN to the 2nd floor, then all the way around to the other side of the center to reach where a bunch of the creators were!
    The spread apart randomness of locations where each stage of attending and enjoying the Con were set, just made for a very confusing experience.
    But.... with that said, once you finally figured out where and what you were supposed to do, it was great to get done what you wanted.
    Just being able to get Michelinie made the trip worth it. He only does small cons and LCS shows, most of which CGC does not attend, so he can be tough to get. He told us this is his last show of the year already!
    I had him sign four raw Indiana Jones issues for me as well as my ASM 300. Now I have him, McLeod and DeFalco on it! Just need Stan Lee and McFarlane now.
    I had a probable 9.8 Starlog signed by Walter Koenig!
    And I also had my 9.8 SS copy of Star Wars #56 signed by Michelinie and Billy Dee Williams (Lando) since they were both there! Their sigs now sit right alongside Walt Simonson. I may get Tom Palmer added to it at Supercon.
    I also couldnt pass up the chance for a photo op with Billy Dee! So I did that, had him sign the photo and even turned it over to Darrell for CGC to certify.
    Because of the cramped and unorganized nature of the Con, it took pretty much the whole day to get those few things done. But ultimately I am happy with what I got done.
    The one plus side to the vendor area was one dealer with a nice, large high grade back issue selection at reasonable prices. We spent the whole time searching for gems in that one spot. I did find what I and all of the others believe is a 9.8 copy of Spectacular Spiderman #64 for $17! I was astonished at the quality of it for the price. I will have DeFalco sign it at Supercon.
    Anyway, just wanted to throw out a con story for everyone to read. Below is a pic of the vendor area from above. Remember, this whole area is literally on ice!

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  19. bagofleas
    Finally!!!
    After about five months, the Bill Sienkiewicz Covers set is finally a reality!!!
    Sienkiewicz is without a doubt, my favorite comic artist. Many of his covers were among my first forays into comic collecting and reading. At first I hated his art, but over time I have come to not only appreciate it, but love it!
    One of the nice things about this set is the fact that many of the issues in it are not available for listing in the registry on any other set!! So definitely check it out for some of those graded copies you may have that do not exist on the registry yet. This is your chance to have them listed and shown to others!
    When I requested for this set to be created, I did a bunch of research online and was able to come up with over 300 issues with covers by him!! That was a great jumping off point for the set to be created.
    He has actually done a few more covers since my initial request. I have also found a few others that were not included in my initial list as well.
    But while the extras are being added, I am putting out a keep-on-the-lookout notice to everyone. If you happen to come across a Sienkiewicz cover that is not on the list, please request that it be added in the set expansions thread in the chat boards.
    Remember, these are COVERS by Sienkiewicz, not issues where he only did the interior art. I can tell you that I have already requested the following to be added...
    Hit-Girl #5 Sienkiewicz variant cover
    Shadowman #1 (2012) Sienkiewicz Variant Cover
    Star Trek: The Next Generation #1 (1988 mini series)
    Locke and Key Alpha #2 Sienkiewicz Variant Cover
    So do not ask for these. But otherwise, be on the watch. Lets make this set a very accurate and comprehensive set.
    Tnerb and I are also looking into asking him at Megacon if he did the cover for Marvel Age 68. The only place online that we can find that indicates who the cover artist is does not show that it is his, but we are pretty sure that it is. If he tells us yes, then I will request it to be added.

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  20. bagofleas

    A Pair of Jacks!

    By bagofleas,

    No, I am not talking about poker, though I DO play poker.
    Six years ago, I bought a group of Near Mint Comics from Mile High. Among those was a copy of Machine Man #19. This is the low print run last issue of the series.
    After a few years, I decided to include it in my first raw submission to CGC for grading. I felt it would get a 9.6. I was astonished to find it had recieved 9.8 WP! This issue is a triple whammy!
    It is difficult to find in 9.8.
    It is the last issue of the series.
    And it features the first appearance of the Jack O Lantern!
    The Jack O Lantern is an interesting villain. The character was created by Jason Macendale Jr, who would later go on to take up the mantle of the Hobgoblin, which had been held by a few others before him.
    Ironically enough, the Jack O Lantern mantle itself would later be taken up by five other people. Steven Levins, Daniel Berkhart, Maguire Beck, an unnamed man claiming to be Levins brother, and the current unnamed person.
    Steven Levins used the mantle as a member of the Skeleton crew, then would later pop up in the Civil War as a Hero Hunter for Baron Zemos Thinderbolts before being murdered by the Punisher.
    Berkhart and Beck worked together for Norman Osborn for a time as the villain, using the name Mad Jack. Berkhart would later go back to using the Mysterio mantle and Beck would continue on with the Mad Jack mantle until her arrest.
    During the Dark Reign, Steven Levins brother would take up the mantle and work for Osborn until his disappearance.
    The current man behind the mask is an unnamed operative of The Crime-Master. Claiming to have killed all previous users of the Jack O Lantern mantle, he has appointed himself as the archenemy of Agent Venom.
    While some of these individuals were normal people using costumes and technology, the Levins brothers claimed that they sold their souls to Mephisto, who gave them supernatural powers to become the Jack O Lantern at will.
    After losing fights with Spider-Man and the Green Govblin, Macendale tried to get Nastirh to grant him supernatural powers during the Inferno crisis, but instead the demon had him possessed, and ultimately the two were incompatible and fought each other for control until the demon ripped itself away from him and went on to become the Demogoblin.
    Macendale would later be killed by the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, who came back from retirement to reclaim his original mantle.
    I always thought it was neat how the writers would come up with elaborate ways for characters and villains who were otherwise normal to be able to perform in their heroic or villainous roles. In the case of the first Jack O Lantern, it was described as such.
    Jack O Lantern employs numerous types of custom designed grenades including anaesthetic, lachrymatory, regurgitant gas, smoke, and concussion grenades. He wears a complete body armor made of metal-covered, multi segment Kevlar panels, incorporating a rigid, articulated shell which can resist a 7 lb. bazooka anti-gun warhead. Jack O Lanterns head is covered by a bulletproof helmet with an internal, 3 hour, compressed air supply and is equipped with telescopic infrared image intensifiers for seeing in the dark. The base of the helmet is equipped with a fine network of pin holes which maintain a low temperature flame ("stage-fire" - a low density flame used safely on stage to simulate fire) that rings around his head at all times. The air supply cools the interior of the helmet semi-adiabatically through expansion. He was also equipped with wrist blasters, which incorporate high-frequency electric transducers that can deliver a long-range shot (effective range - 35 ft).
    Pretty wordy and intricate, showing the lengths writers will go to, to explain the possible reasoning behind the abilities of an unusual character.
    I have just recently come into possession of the 2nd appearance of Jack O Lantern. Spectacular Spider-Man #56, where he loses to the web slinger as referred to earlier. This issue has a nice black cover with webs and the two protagonists getting ready to duel. This would be a great issue to display during Halloween.
    Anyway, just wanted to throw something out there for everyone to read and waste a few minutes of your day.

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  21. bagofleas

    CPR

    By bagofleas,

    Everyone should know CPR, right?
    I know what you are thinking. What does breathing life back into a human being have to do with comics, right?
    Well I am not talking about CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). I am talking about my new term for attempting to improve on the condition of an already graded comic.
    CPR... Cracking, Pressing, Regrading.
    This can be done when you have an old labeled CGC issue that you want to try to improve by giving it CPR and a new label. Or it can apply to a CGC copy that you want to get signed while applying CPR to help it retain its previous life or maybe even improve upon it.
    Either way, CPR in the CGC sense is a way to breathe new life into your CGC copy of a valued issue. And there is no better feeling than knowing that you have not only saved the life of a comic, but brought it back as an OAK!
    I have given CPR to multiple comics from my CGC collection over the last year with the four different cons I attended. In fact, I just got back my last invoice from Baltimore!
    CPR does not apply to this invoice, since the three Bronze Age issues on it were raw to begin with. No cracking involved. But two of them are now OAKs! Here they are...
    Special Marvel Edition #15 - SS 9.4 OW/W signed by Jim Starlin
    Master of Kung Fu #17 - SS 9.6 OW/W signed by Jim Starlin
    Marvel Two In One #3 - SS 9.8 OW signed by Sal Buscema
    I am ecstatic about these grades! The SME 15 is a big Bronze Key issue, of course. The MOKF 17 is now the only SS copy in any grade for the issue! The MTIO 3 was better than the 9.6 I placed it at, and is now the single highest graded SS issue!
    While I did not have to give full CPR to these three, I have done it to numerous copies over the last year, and created a number of OAKS in the process.
    So now you know how to give CPR to your CGC comics. One day you may be able to save the life of one of your precious collectibles.

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  22. bagofleas

    90s Flash TV Series

    By bagofleas,

    Remember this?
    Who remembers the Flash TV series that ran for one season in 1990 and 1991?
    I have a DVD set of the season and it is really neat to revisit it!
    I was 17 when this show aired and absolutely loved it. It is dated to some degree by the effects and the clothing and hairstyles and such, but this was probably the very height of live action comic book TV series up until 2000. The only other TV show I would put ahead of it is the Hulk series from the 70s.
    This show was a little goofy but the suit was neat and the characters were interesting. It was not grade A acting by any real standard but some of the guest appearances were very memorable.
    Denise Crosby, from Star Trek: The Next Generation fame, appeared in an episode. And the ever immortal Mark Hammill appeared in two episodes as the Trickster!
    I was just curious if anyone else saw this series or remembers it. I remember being very disappointed that it did not continue for another season.

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  23. bagofleas
    Give and take and victory!
    One of my resolutions for the new year was to work on consolidating and streamlining my CGC collection. By selling off issues that are not really key issues or part of any of my sets that I strive to complete, I figure I can make my collection more focused and as a side result, raise my total registry points and points per comic average as well.
    For the last four weeks, I have removed from my registry a number of issues and even entire set categories and begun selling the issues off. I have reduced my number of pages of sets down from three to two. And the sells of my issues so far have allowed me to purchase comics that are part of sets I am wishing to complete.
    I have been acquiring a number of graded issues this month. I have won Indiana Jones issues, Dazzler issues, a Daredevil #181, a couple of New Mutants issues, and even a Groo #18, all paid for with sales from the issues I removed.
    I have also won a total of 28 copies of Caspers Ghostland! While I have a lot of nostalgia associated with Marvel and DC comics, I also have a great love of Silver and Bronze Age Harveys. These were my first foray of any kind into comics. I was a little kid who did not know any better. I just liked the characters of Richie Rich, Wendy, Casper and the others. I had some actual comics, but most of what I had were digest issues.
    Now that I am big into CGC comics, I have slowly been acquiring Harveys of characters I remember whenever I can get them for decent prices. Caspers Ghostland is the main Casper set I have focused on.
    These Silver/Bronze Age Harveys have really good registry point (RP) values, so by consolidating my collection and getting higher RP comics, I am slowly increasing my average RP per comic ratio, which now sits at 123 per comic!
    Acquiring 28 more copies from this set has boosted both this set for me and my overall registry points.
    I am now finally over the 100,000 RP Mark!!!!
    I have been collecting CGC comics for over six years now and have just now passed this mark. At one point I was ranked 145 on the overall registry ranking, but it has become harder and harder to keep up with many of you other collectors who, like me, have not stopped buying and submitting.
    I currently sit at 168 on the overall ranking, and it has been a struggle to stay in that area! But the biggest reason for me being able to keep up happened when I started to acquire older Harvey issues.
    I now have 60 of the 99 issues from the Ghostland set! I never thought I would get this close, this fast to a whole set of them!
    I may still be 39 issues away, but that is amazing considering that I have only been collecting them for two years now. Especially since I will not purchase one that is less than 9.6 OW/W. The only one that does not meet this requirement is my #10 which has OW pages, and the only reason for me getting it was because I got it so cheap!
    Anyway, go check out this neat little Harvey set of mine. I am slowly working on putting scanned pages from actual raw copies of the issues into the second picture spots. I only have a few done right now, but I will be picking up more low grade reader copies to continue adding these pics.
    For the moment, my XMen set still has slightly more total registry points, but it will not be long before my Ghostland set surpasses it for the single largest RP set in my collection.
    What is most interesting about my reaching 100,000 RP is that I ultimately had to sell off issues to purchase ones that would put me over the top. Funny, huh?

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  24. bagofleas
    My oh my!
    Ok, I have payed close attention to prices on graded comics. Lately, like in the last two months, I have seen a definite uptake in the prices 80s issues are selling for.
    I am not completely sure why this is. In some cases, I can only say its because of the Copper Age 1st appearances issues, which have skyrocketed in selling price lately. I saw a Captain America #354 from 1989 in 9.8 sell for $161!! I can only assume that this was because the issue was the 1st appearance of US Agent. But $161? Sheesh!
    Other Cap issues with 1st appearances also sold for silly prices.
    #253 9.8 - $105
    #282 SS 9.8 - $154
    #323 SS 9.8 - $116
    Secret Wars #8 9.8 - $160!!!!
    Longshot #1 9.8 - $155!!!!
    MGN #4 9.8 - $536!!!!!
    These are all Copper Age 1st appearance issues, but it still seems ridiculous to me. I got my 9.8 copy of Secret Wars 8 for $70. Two copies of MGN #4 for $200 and $250. I got my MGN Avengers Death Trap issue for $26 just last year, but another 9.8 copy just sold for $110. I have got a total of $95 in my MGN ASM parallel Lives with a sig from Saviuk (see pic below), but a universal 9.8 copy just sold for $164!
    I do not know if I have just been lucky, or just managed to catch the market right before it went nutty!
    Has anyone else been noticing big time upward prices on Copper Age issues lately?

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  25. bagofleas

    Signed. Bronze. OAK!!

    By bagofleas,

    What a rush!!
    I have written in past journals about the risk and rewards that can come from cracking graded comics for signature purposes. If they fall in grade you have to find another copy in the higher grade to either try again or simply live with it as is.
    As referred to in a recent journal by Kaholo1256, we as CGC collectors have been conditioned to strive for 9.8s or better. There is nothing wrong with that. It is just the way it is.
    This means however, that if a cracked issue falls in grade, we bemoan its failure to hold up during intermediate handling while acquiring the signatures we want from the creators we love.
    But the absolute joy and thrill of having an issue retain the 9.8 while improving its status on the CGC registry and comic collecting world in general is something every collector should experience.
    It is a thrill like no other and once you do it the first time, you will become just as addicted to getting sigs as you were to simply acquiring or submitting CGC comics in the first place.
    I have caught this bug. I have caught it pretty bad! I have cracked and resubmitted over 150 comics myself in the last year! I have had a few failures recently. I have had some raw issues that rose to grades I did not expect, as well.
    And when it comes to the Baltimore Comic Con last year, I have acquired a boatload of OAKS by having over 80 comics signed and graded or re-graded!
    While almost all of my invoices are back in my hands, I still have two that are in process. Until now that is.
    My last journal was a teaser about one of these two invoices. This journal features the final results of that invoice, since I now have the issues back in my hands!
    And these are some FABULOUS Bronze Age beauties!
    So without further ado, here they are...
    Spectacular Spider-Man #1 CGC SS 9.6 WP signed by Sal Buscema - I purchased this copy over six years ago in raw form online through Mile High comics, sight unseen. I held onto it with no real plans for it until I found out about Sal attending Baltimore! He never does shows! It is excruciatingly difficult if not impossible to get his sig on a CGC comic, so I could not pass up on a chance to get him on this Bronze Key. I thought it would get a 9.2 or 9.4 before a pressing. I did not know how much a pressing would help it. I am surprised and ecstatic for the 9.6!
    ROM #1 CGC SS 9.8 WP signed by Sal Buscema and Joe Rubinstein - I bought this years ago already graded in 9.8 for $140. I felt that a chance for two sigs on it was worth the risk of cracking it, so I did. It is not on the label, but Joe Rubinstein inked the cover, which was penciled by Frank Miller. I wish Rubinstein had not signed right along the darkest part of Roms ankles, but its ok. Having 2 sigs on this is fantastic to me!
    Star Wars #16 CGC SS 9.8 WP signed by Walt Simonson - this issue is significant in that it is the first work by Walt for this series. I asked him about it and he said it was true. It is now the earliest Star Wars issue I have signed. I will be looking to get most of the first issues signed by Chaykin and Palmer at Supercon in July.
    Jonah Hex #2 CGC SS 9.8 WP signed by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez - This was a big risk for me. I purchased this copy on Comiclink years ago for $150. It is currently one of only five 9.8 copies! So for me to risk it with a cracking, signing and regrading was a risky proposition. But in this case, the reward was worth it, because it is now the only SS 9.8 in the world! OAK CITY!
    Jonah Hex #1 - Since I knew I would taking my #2 copy to Baltimore for Garcia Lopez to sign, I decided to keep an eye open to finally acquire a 9.8 copy of #1. I had seen a few sell over the years for $400 or more and just never went after them. Three weeks before the show, I bought this copy for $330. Not bad at all. With 30 copies in 9.8 and none higher, this was the single biggest risk of the show for me. Not all of the 9.8s have White Pages either. As you can see by the pic below, I am absolutely ecstatic about the results!!!
    Apparently I am the only collector so far with the guts to crack his 9.8 of JH #1 for a sig. Or maybe I am just nuts? It is now also the only SS 9.8! This means that I have JH #1, #2 and #92, each the only SS 9.8s!!!
    I am thrilled with the results of this invoice. I was actually trembling with excitement as I pulled them out of the box one by one. I now have just one invoice left at CGC, and it has three Bronze Age beauties on it that I bought raw from Mile High years ago as well. As soon as I get those in hand I will post a journal on them.
    I will post pics of the other four issues on this invoice in the replies. But check the biggest beauty of the show for me right below!!

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