F For Fake

9.8's on coppers/moderns may be pricey specifically because they are 9.8's, not because the book is itself hard to find. Below that grade, they are largely common. If you love this book, you can get these routinely in $1-$5 bins in decent shape, and on ebay for under $20. I've personally bought and sold several of these in the $1-$10 range over the last few years that I dug out of the $1 bins. Maybe not 9.8, but certainly in NM condition. It's certainly not a hard book to find. Unless it's a book that you feel you just have to have in 9.8, I'd recommend getting a nice raw NM copy, put it in a mylar and half/full back, and enjoy it. Not worth paying that much for a book that is common in decent grade unless you just absolutely have to have it.

What a gut punch. Terribly sad. You know, I'm 43, not in great shape, and definitely don't have the resources he would have had. Very sobering to realize just how quickly a strong, healthy, secure person can be taken down by cancer at such a relatively young age. Really knocked the wind out me. He was really terrific as T'Challa, but I think my favorite performance was in Get On Up, the James Brown biopic. It's an ok movie, but he is phenomenal in it, and elevates the film through his talent and sheer willpower. 42 is another that fits the basic biopic mold, but is made better by his presence. He was a very versatile actor. Even in spite of his success, it really felt like his career was just beginning. He meant so much to so many. I was expecting many great things from him. What a terrible, terrible loss in a year filled with them. R.I.P.

This was a nice surprise. Ordered it from the Target sale two days ago, and it’s already here!

Careful, you'll summon CAL!

I thought Porter was solid but not spectacular, but really, in 1997, who in the DC stable would have been preferable? This was before the arrival of Wildstorm and Jim Lee, so it's not like they had a huge roster of superstar talent. Porter's art served the story fine, I never found it distracting, and at the end of the day it's about storytelling. Looking forward to re-reading this run when the omnibus comes.

Yes, I've sold many of my omnis and hc's over the years after they go OOP, but I never let that one go!

I'd be willing to go as far as to say it is a worthy peer to his Thor run, but I can't quite put it over the top, as I do love those Thor books so very much. DC did a great Omnibus of Uncle Walt's Orion run, I was hoping that would turn more folks onto it.

Ha, so basically he said "Just wanted to see if you were a sucker! No offense!" I'd tell him to take a flying f at a rolling donut, rather than invite him on the boards, but that's just me. You must have a kinder heart!

Simonson's Orion really is great, I wish more people knew about it.

Yeah, honestly, ASM 1 and UXM 1 are really the only ones they seem to keep constantly in print. I guess they still move a sufficient number of copies on a regular basis. But surely a reprint of Iron Man, Thor etc would sell in numbers that would justify the printing. I know for years the rumor was that we weren’t getting X-Men reprints because Fox owned the movies and Marvel didn’t want to promote the brand. Not sure if that’s 100% true, but the evidence suggests it’s at least partially accurate, especially considering that as soon as the Marvel/Fox merger went through, we got a slew of reprints announced. So why not Iron Man and Thor and Hulk?

Wow, that is a classy looking shop! It's always nice when a store owner takes pride in their place.

Yes and no. The more popular volumes tend to return over time, but sometimes that time is 10 years or more. And some still haven't been reprinted at all. Captain Britain Omni, Iron Fist, several others, no reprint in sight. The Hickman FF/Avengers volumes continue to go up, but with Hickman being a Marvel star, one would assume we'll see them again at some point. It's just a matter of HOW patient one can be,and if they really don't mind if they never own the material. There's not much that I feel I absolutely have to have. I was bummed that I let my X-Men Inferno and Fall of the Mutants omni's go too soon,and feared one day I'd have to fork over the $300 for a copy. But they just announced a reprint of Inferno, so hopefully FotM is on the way at some point as well. Inferno was released in 2009. That's a pretty long wait, 11 years. Fall of the Mutants was 2011, so it'll be at least 10 before we see it again, if we do. Here's to hoping!

I am doubtful that Weasel will take off in a similar fashion. Rocket was part of a hugely successful PG-13 mega-franchise, and has appeared in many Marvel movies since. The Suicide Squad looks to be a hard R rated film that won't have the same crossover appeal. To be sure I'm looking forward to Suicide Squad, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to pick the books up if you find them cheap enough, but I can't see it being comparable in the long term.

I finally grabbed all of these a couple of months ago when I realized 1 & 2 were finally starting to dry up online. Prices haven't jumped much yet, but it's a matter of time. Then again I'd think it would be a perennial seller for DC, so it's likely they might go back to print on it, like with New Teen Titans. Those keep selling out and then coming back. I think Vols 1 and 2, maybe even 3 are sold out right now, but considering there are more volumes on the way, I'd think they'll bring them back again. Sorta like Marvel with UXM Vol 1 and ASM Vol 1. They can just keep going back to press on those because they will always sell. Anyway, the Perez WW volumes are super nice, so pick them up if you get a chance at a decent price!

Hours, and sometimes even minutes! Shipping was so sporadic this year that they must have only gotten a handful of some titles on release day, as they sold out instantly. Some we've seen return a few times (Uncanny X-Force, Surfer, Astonishing X-Men, etc) but some seem to be gone forever. I can only blame myself on missing Jonah Hex. It was at IST for at least a couple of weeks, I just never got around to it. I won't make the same mistake with Spectre, like you I can't imagine that is being printed in any large number. Also, I can't imagine that Marvel won't eventually reprint the Conan stuff. It sells out so quickly, surely they will go back to print. But these days who knows when that might be?

Like @piper said, it's still in stock at Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble and other places, but it's close to full retail price, most places selling it at $115-$120. IST's price was $75. I should have jumped when I had the chance. I think DC is generally better about keeping their stuff in print than Marvel, but I'm not sure if this one is truly out of print already, or if maybe the supply chain is moving slow. With COVID, USPS, and all of the other stuff going on, shipping has been sporadic on a lot of books these last few months. Hopefully there are more in the pipeline.

Oh, I must have missed the No Man's Land announcement, I'll absolutely need that! I will likely pick up the Dini book at some point, but I have the hc's and trades so am not in a huge hurry. I liked the run but it wasn't a top favorite. Definitely getting all of the Lee and Claremont stuff, but mercifully I think they're not coming until 2021. The wallet can't catch a break!

I'm really looking forward to it! I've read several random issues, but never the complete run. Should be a great volume.

Quick heads up, Target is having a Buy 1 Get 1 50% off sale right now, only lasts until 2pm EST. That's only 25% off per item, which isn't great if you're going by MSRP, but for stuff that is already discounted, it's not a bad deal. For instance, they have Batman Morrison Omnibus 3 for $67.99, which isn't as good as it will be at IST next week, but with 25% off if you buy another item, it's not a bad deal. Plus free shipping and an additional 5% off if you're a red card member. Pickings are a bit slim, but there are some decent deals to be had. I prefer the B2G1 sale, but we haven't had one of those in a while. Happy hunting!

Right, removing ripples won't remove any potential staining that went along with it, and CGC HATES STAINS, apparently. They're really harsh on them. It all really depends on the amount and nature of the water damage, I'd think.

Those are my priorities, but if I can scratch together the money, I'm getting the others as well. I've spent too much of my "fun money" on back issues, haven't had much left for collections! If I can get over the hump next week, the rest of the year is fairly light for me. Just need the Legion Five Years Later Omni, Justice League International V2, UXM 2 reprint, Excalibur Omni...and I think that's it! Oh, crud, the Absolute Swamp Thing volumes. I missed the first one the first time, not going to miss it again.

If IST's schedule is correct, next week is going to be PRICEY. Batman by Morrison Omni 3, Wrath of the Spectre Omni, Wolverine Omni reprint, Green Arrow Longbow Hunters Omni, and Booster Gold Future Lost HC. Geez louise. And I'm running behind as it is. Never picked up House of Mystery 2, which is now sold out at IST, and still need to get the Hellblazer by Ennis and Preacher Omnis as well. It's a golden age of collected editions, but I'm drowning! Halp!

Wow, jackpot! Some money books in there, if you're not keeping them for yourself.

My wife came home a couple of years ago and told me that she'd been cut off in a parking lot and the other woman had called her a "honky". She'd never heard the term before, which was pretty hilarious. I told her she must have lived a pretty sheltered life. Had she really never seen The Jeffersons???

"Optimistic grading" is nothing new, it has always been around. What pressing introduced was a never ending deluge of sellers pricing books at what they MIGHT be once they are pressed. If you're so sure it'll press up to a 9.4 or whatever, then why don't you have it pressed yourself? Otherwise, price it as an 8.5 or whatever it is at that time. I'm not going to pay for what a book MIGHT press up to. That being said, I have bought many books that were priced correctly for their grade, with the idea in my mind that they could improve with a press. That makes sense, and has usually worked out for me, as I have a good idea of what will or will not "press out". But I'm not paying NM prices for VF books, and I'm also not expecting that a 1.5 is ever going to be anything other than a 1.5. I believe it was @joeypost who said, it's a press, not a time machine.