Doohickamabob

I just got Forbidden Love #1 and paired it up with a friend:

That's a beauty Indeed, I would like to see what grade that would receive.

Three responses, each hilarious....

I'm having a hard time making sense of that boob.

A couple of more comedy-oriented funnybooks... The first one is #16 but it's actually #1 of the series. The other is relatively hard to find and became an early EC title (from the Max Gaines era). The jokes inside are pure vaudeville and genuinely funny.

That Forbidden Love is tough in any grade... Thanks (also to Squeggs)! I have Forbidden Love #2 as well. Need to get it out and take a dual photo.

A few GGA comics... Mid-grade and low-grade...

my old copy. Glad the certificate is still with the book. I'll keep it safe until you want it back!

Picked up my first Okajima the other day. Not a "camp" book but nice to have one from the pedigree anyway.

Those Weird SuspenStories sure get around the house? This looks like a journal of their day -- they wake up on the carpet, make some phone calls, then it's down the stairs before heading off to work...

Hey, it's another "Reform School Girl" comic! I don't see Alice Kelley here though... Haircut is Bettie Page... Face is....not Alice Kelley., in my view. (The other one's an artist's portait -- hard to tell, but she does have the dimples.) Great stuff anyway.

"Help me! Help me!" "No problem, missus! I'll just shoot the snake in the face!" (These are super-groovy, by the way...)

Only if you "neg" the prettiest girl in the group.

It sounds like the shorter version of what you're saying is, "Don't be an arrogant, pushy type, but instead be a gracious, polite type who treats the customer-service person as a human being and communicates with them as an equal," etc. The only part I disagree with is you turning it into its own form of act or role, calling it the wounded-bird method, as opposed to what I'd call it: The being a reasonable guy method. My experience has been similar to yours, though unlike you, I can't say that it always works. But it works more often than not, and definitely works more than the pushy-guy method. With eBay, it especially helps if you start off from a position of having already done due diligence in terms of following eBay policies, documenting things, and having taken the high road in eBay's messaging system. Then you've got the back-up substance so when the customer-service rep checks your story, they can see you're not playing them or bending the facts, etc. Removal of negative feedback is like a get-out-of-jail card that you can only use occasionally. I was able to remove a neg from a buyer who didn't communicate or do anything to follow eBay policy. I also was able to remove a neutral given by a buyer who was belligerent, in a situation where I had been on the phone with eBay trying to follow policy well before that buyer even came along -- so there was a paper trail (electronic trail, whatever) to go with my side of the story. Having more than 16 years (going on 17) of positive eBay transactions undoubtedly helps my cause. I've never raised my voice, gotten sarcastic, been snotty, taken on a harsh tone, or otherwise tried to browbeat, belittle or pressure a customer-service rep into doing what I want. I've expressed inward frustration (perhaps that's the "wounded bird act") but I figure the customer-service rep has a crummy job as it is, and if I'm adding stress to his/her shift, as opposed to giving him/her the opportunity to feel like he did a good job by making somebody happy, then that minimizes my chances of getting a desirable outcome. When the outcome isn't so desirable, the only thing that works is polite persistence. Raising one's voice, getting rude, getting sarcastic, etc. are futile. Being persistent -- but staying polite the whole time -- can often work out. The rep still won't think you're an (at least not much), but they will want to get you off the phone to lower their call time, so they'll have the maximum incentive to work with you. I used to work in a customer-service call center for AOL, back in the mid-1990s when AOL was on the rise. I know what it's lke to be on the receiving end of somebody losing their cool. It never, ever got a better result from me than was already available if the person was calm and polite. The customer-service person is very low on the totem pole and has a limited amount of power. They almost always have absolutely no say or responsibility for the forces that set any bad situation in motion, so directing negative emotions at them in any way -- other than as non-accusatory, impersonal expressions of your own feelings -- is pointless. (On the other hand, telemarketers are the scum of the earth, as they willingly took a job knowing they'd be pestering and trying to manipulate people.) As for Rock Me Amadeus's situation, my observations from his initial post were that it sounds like he was following eBay policy very closely and taking the high road in communication. It definitely sounds like something where he could get the negative feedback removed -- in ideal circumstances, at least.

The Kav Method -- it will bring a tear to your eye, and put a song in your heart.

Mansion of Evil! Tough to get without paying through the nose. Nice score.

You're saying that Superman was based on the Golem? My understanding is that Siegel originally conceived Superman as a villain. Then, years later, he and Schuster decided to make him a hero in the spirit of Tarzan.

I am sorry I can't go... Can I send you with my wantlist? .... (not really but tempted)

I dunno, there are pretty good reasons to slab low-grade books, like if the book is rare, or if it has very weak staple connections and you don't want your 2.5 to become a 2.0/1.8. Love these Bakers... And the first one you posted is one I haven't seen in forever (or maybe never).

Looks like they copied the lettering typeface style of Mad comics.

I am having deja vu. I could swear you posted the same exact message in the Water Cooler area. Some of the goldenage guys never go into water cooler! I wanted them to see a different POV that some us enjoyed it. I, and the authorities I represent, will let it slide this time -- since you put a lot of work into the post. Next time, though: You will get a stern talking-to.

I am having deja vu. I could swear you posted the same exact message in the Water Cooler area.

Here's my signed copy of Vampirella #1. Frank Frazetta personally signed it for me at the Mshqutcxialrogian Convention in 1994.

A fantastic game called Samorost 3 (official website) was just released yesterday. I bought it immediately (through Steam) and it's every bit as good as I hoped. The game is made by the Amanita studios in the Czech Republic. These game designers also made Machinarium, Botanicula, and previous Samorost games. The new game, Samorost 3, is their most ambitious yet -- with more screens, levels and puzzles, and also more richly detailed settings, graphics, sound and music. It's said they spent over 5 years developing it. That said, the style of gameplay is old-school. It's a 2-D style game witha little character who walks around solving puzzles. That's it. You can play the whole game using only a mouse. (The newly designed 2-D screens have introduced advanced parallax effects, so it feels new and immersive even though it's a primitive style of gameplay.) The approach is very simple and direct. The music, by Tomas Dvorak (aka Floex), is phenomenal. This is the kind of music you can listen to on its own, repeatedly. I'm a big fan of Dvorak's soundtrack for Machinarium, and this is right up there with it. The price of $20 is really low for a brand-new game. I can't recommend this enough! I think everybody here who loves good animation, storytelling, richly imaginative design, and high-quality craftsmanship will appreciate Samorost 3. One more thing: I am the kind of person who grew up on early videogames like Infocom's Zork and other interactive text adventures, as well as Atari games including the original 2-D game "Adventure." I love that stuff; it's a part of who I am, which is why the book "Ready Player One" made me feel kind of funny because it encapsulated my formative cultural experiences. Anyway, this game, Samorost 3, is exactly the kind of thing that is perfect for somebody like me -- and also perfect for the children of somebody like me. It's something where you can play it as an adult, or you can sit down with your child and play it alongside them, and have a really enjoyable experience. You could sit there smoking a doob (only recommended in states where's it's legal, okay?!) and the game will send you out into the cosmos, or you could put the game on with all your church grandmothers and they'd love it too. That's how much I like this game... Listen to this awesome music: Here's the game's teaser video: