F For Fake

I know, I can't believe these lushes. Anyway, who wants to blaze one? It's 4:20 somehere, bro!

Hey, who knows, you may dig it! If you can just hang in there until Roy Thomas and Neal Adams show up, it definitely picks up a lot there. So there's something to look forward to! For me, the post-Kirby nadir is when the Frankenstein monster shows up. I think that was my "whooo, boy", moment. ha

The Omni is popular, it has been through two printings already, and is currently out of print, and sells for $150-$175. So, buying the individual issues may not be a bad idea, cost wise. There's probably a softcover collection as well, which is probably going to be the cheapest route. I read AoA this story, via the Omnibus and the companion Omnibus. I'd really looked forward to it, as this was the story that brought me back to X-Men. It...wasn't great. Definitely not as good as I remembered. The Jad Mad art had some of that magical zip, but otherwise it wasn't what I'd call great storytelling. Some nostalgia buttons pushed, which I guess is the best I can ask for this sort of stuff.

I did a "full read" of X-Men myself, several years ago, from X-Men 1 through what was current at that time, which I believe was A vs X. And yeah, the early X-Men stuff really is a chore. That panel you posted re: Jean/Prof X really illustrated how they didn't really have a firm grasp of where they wanted the book to go. It didn't have a strong identity. And once Kirby leaves, it gets reaaaaaaaally dire. Neal Adams shows up eventually and gives the book a shot in the arm, but it's too little too late. Obivously, from GSX 1 onward, things pick up quite a bit. But yeah, of that entire read, getting started was the hardest part, aside from some really ugly 90's/00's stuff (particularly the Chuck Austen, Joe Casey, etc runs, which are trash.)

Ordinarily with Best Buy, if shipping isn't available, then it's only available at your local stores, and is sold out at their warehouse. So whatever is floating around out there in the physical stores, that's all they have in stock. So, it's likely that they will sell out soon. Unless there's some other glitch going on right now that I'm not aware of. Slave 1 is showing that way for me, my closest BB has it in stock. In a way, I almost hope it sells out shortly so I'm not longer tempted to buy it! ha

I don't collect SW at all anymore, but that really is neat. I have this sitting in my BB cart. The power of Buzz compels you!

The AOD mini was super hot for a few years, easy $50 or maybe more for the set. Not sure what happened, but eventually they dropped a lot. I don’t think I could even get $10 for the #1 last time I had some to sell. Maybe the horror buyers finally got theirs. Who can say? Classic series with amazing Bolton art, so I’d still pick them up if I found them cheap enough.

Was surprised when this arrived this weekend, as I’d forgotten that I’d already ordered it! I’d used a gift card that I had for WalMart, thought I’d take a chance. It arrived in a giant box with zero packing material (aka The Amazon Treatment) but was in ok shape, luckily. This is right in the heart of my favorite era of Batman. Can’t wait to revisit it. I’d been a kid who started reading Batman around 402, and was there for Year One, Ten Knights of the Beast, Death in the Family, etc. I drifted away when I hit high school. Knightfall brought me back, and I never left. The Moench/Jones era is my favorite run on the book, but the entire Contagion/Cataclysm/No Man’s Land cycle is my favorite set of stories. After that it got pretty bland, until Hush, and then Morrison. Looking forward to reading these again, and I’m assuming a proper NML Omni must be coming soon.

Well, I've ended up regretting nearly ever book I let go at one point or another, so I think you're probably better off!

I do love the book, but I sold all of mine a while back when they unexpectedly starting moving. I used to love grabbing these for a $1-$3, but when they started selling again, I let 'em go. But yeah, absolutely, that hits me right in the Mail Ordering from American Entertainment in the 90's nostalgia zone!

RIP to the legend. Corben's stuff was genuinely other wordly. Like, looking at it, it was hard to believe that human hands created it. It seemed like it had beamed in from some bizarre parallel world. A singular artist.

Very solid list. I'm not a Neal Adams guy, so I'd say Barks Kirby Eisner and if we're allowing strip artists, Charles Schulz. My PERSONAL list would be Kirby, Barks, Walt Kelly, and Los Bros (I'm sneaking in two for one!)

Those are awesome!

Yeah, it's pretty terrible. I had a nice 2.5, and seeing what it would cost me to replace it...whooo boy. There was an absolute beater on FB marketplace a month or so ago. $1700. Cover was completely detached and split, spots all over the back, and I thought "No way, can't do it." Now I look at what .5's are selling for and I think I missed out. INSANITY.

Groth can be a crank, but I think he's done a world of good for comics, as a whole. He took chances, and in doing so, introduced the world to some of the greatest cartoonists who have ever lived. That's gotta count for something!

Per usual, I have no goals. My collection has no focus. I just like to take things as they come. Buying stuff online kinda took the thrill of the hunt away from me, so a couple of years ago I just dedicated myself to finding what I could locally, at shops, shows, etc. And its been a lot of fun. So, I guess I'll continue down that road. I just pick up cool stuff I like as I find it. The one book I may make an exception for is a low grade X-Men 1, if I can find one at a not-stupid price. I sold my 2.5 two or three years ago, which was a bonehead move. Would like to replace it, but will likely have to pay 2 or 3x what I did for the last one. I'm probably going to have to resort to the internets to make that happen. Otherwise, we'll see what happens!

Vinyl is hot for sure. As most physical media has died/is dying, true music collectors have turned almost exclusively to vinyl. Sure, there's tons of stuff from the 50's-80's that isn't worth anything at all, due to the high numbers available, but really sharp (i.e. playable) copies of stuff will always sell, and stuff released during the times when vinyl was "dead" (the rise of CD's) can command a very hefty sum, as they weren't printed in high numbers during those years. Add to that so much stuff being re-released on 180 vinyl, tons of boutique labels, etc it's a lot like the comic market. There are a couple of local shops that carry vinyl, and when they get a new collection in, the feeding frenzy is very much like when the comic shop gets a new collection of books. But it's like anything else, you have to know what you're looking for. Rarity and condition, just like comics, is what makes the world go round.

Man, America Splendor is great. I used to love Harvey's appearances on the old Letterman show. RIP.

Huge Orson Welles fan, and F For Fake is (obviously) a personal favorite. I remember the first time I saw it, my mind was BLOWN at the big reveal. Honest to god didn't see it coming. Tremendous movie, and the Criterion is lovely (of course)!

I totally get it. Like you, I loved the book up until around that same point, about 200. I stuck the whole run out, up through 300, and then into the after-Cerebus series, but my enjoyment dropped a great deal after that initial point. Don't want to get into the political weeds, but suffice to say that Dave made the book less easy to enjoy, for me personally. Still an amazing cartoonist though. Congrats on your book, it's very, very cool!

Hey, if you want it and love it, that's all the justification you need! I'd like to have one, I just can't pull the trigger at the current prices. I nearly pulled the trigger on a copy at a Cinci con about four years ago or so. Had it in my hand. Very sharp copy. $2k. Couldn't do it. Probably should have!

I had that poster, and I got Dave to sign it the one time I was fortunate enough to meet him, and I have NO idea what happened to it. I've still got the two prints I bought from him, signed to me, and I've got a signed/numbered Bettie Page print, but can't find this one at all. There was a short period of time where I was between places, and I had a bunch of stuff stored in my folks' basement, and they got some water and, well, lots of stuff got damaged. I assume this one got thrown out in that mess. A shame, it's a beautiful piece, and it was a great memory.

Gotta love that early Troma stuff. It was a reliable source of boobs in the pre-internet days. I wasn't old enough to rent the adult movies, but you could grab Toxie, or Class of Nuke 'Em High, etc at any local Kroger video store. A golden age of trash!

I agree as well. And I LOVE Cerebus, or, I did, up to a point. TMNT is a decades long media juggernaut, that continues to produce toys, films, etc. Usagi Yojimbo, while certainly not on that level, still has some current visibility, which will only increase when the Netflix show hits. But Cerebus? Cerebus hasn't been popular for 20 years, or more. Definitely seems like a book that is propped up by the relatively low print run and feeling that it is valuable because...it is valuable. And, again, former huge Cerebus fan here. But I could never justify spending what the book commands these days. Whereas TMNT and Usagi seem like a valid investment.

ST110, I definitely think the major knock is that Dr. Strange isn't on the cover. As Kirby covers go, it's not his most inspired, but I wouldn't say it's outright bad. Of course, Paste Pot Pete never helps anything. ha Huh, wouldn't have figured on NM98. I'm not a Liefeld guy, but Deadpool is front and center on that cover, and as Liefeld's go, it's certainly not his worst. Plus it's very much of the time period.