F For Fake

You asked if the thread's title had been changed to book review, indicating that the thread has strayed from its intended purpose. So, if you don't like it, get us back on track. Be a man of action! (But don't be Action Man. He's kinda lame.)

I'd take you up on that, except I already HAVE four or five of these, because DAKOTA NORTH IS AWESOME!

Was waiting for this to show up!

Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if anyone here has the ability to liaison between Bill and THI? Lots of folks in this community, maybe someone can hook it up?

You have a book heating up, by all means, post it!

From a value/investment perspective, I'd rather have the pencils, or inks over pencils, obviously. From a DISPLAY perspective, the inked page always looks better to me. So, blueline inks may not have a fraction of the value of the original pencils, but can make for a very attractive display piece that is still a valid piece of "original art", as long as you don't mind the fact that it's Scott Hanna's art, or Jay Leisten's art, etc. It looks cool in a frame, and it's still "real", and often much cheaper than the pencils alone. So while blueline inks may not be the preference of collectors, I think there are still good reasons to buy them (at the right price.) If I had both the pencils and the inks, I'd probably store the pencils in a portfolio and frame the inks, just because it looks better on the wall.

Yeah, the shipper is cool, wouldn't mind having one of those, and having it full of the actual book, it'd actually make a nice display piece. Wouldn't touch the books on their own, but I could see myself actually paying for the whole package like that. Edit to add: Looking at it further, that's actually a REALLY cool display, nice tall Batman image, if they're in nice shape, I'd pay about that much just for the display. But I like retail stuff like that.

Far and away the best thing that ever happened to the title. Great run. And I loved Allred's art (and still do.)

It may not have been explicitly stated, but you also have to "read the room", and note the folks participating in the conversation, especially the person who started the conversation.

Same, just paid for two auctions this morning, grr.

1998 was my first and only SDCC, and I had a good time. I was only 21, so at the time that was a pretty expensive trip to be making, and not one I could handle every year. But you can't beat the novelty of being able to just walk right up to Chris Ware, or Los Bros, or Seth, or any number of other pros, and talk to them or get a sketch, with hardly any lines. I was also able to shop freely without bumping into people, and I remember I bought enough imported Japanese toys that I had to ship them back via USPS. A terrific time. But I know it's much different now. A good friend of mine moved to LA a couple of years later, lived there for 11 years, and as a toy collector he was really into SDCC at first. But eventually he got burned out by the crowds and the prices. Seems like it's a much different event these days, and my taste are for small comic-only shows whenever possible. I don't live anywhere near the area and would likely not make it to Torpedo Con, but I love the idea!

I'd agree 100% that CGC didn't screw up and is therefore not liable, nor do they bear any responsibility to publicly respond. That being said, I'd think that they'd have some concern that the dubious actions of a submitter could be affecting their bottom line, specifically meaning it's increasingly looking like a dealer is running a ponzi scheme and then letting CGC bear the blame for not turning the books around quick enough. Even if they don't have to say anything, I think they'd at least be PO'd enough to take some sort of action.

I always enjoy Greggy's pickups (so much sweet copper goodness) but kicking it off with the Cerebus 1 was a real "wow" moment. Nice!

Every commission I've gotten, I got with the intention of keeping it as a memento of meeting the artist, and having something special that was just for me. On a couple of occasions, whether financial need, or just a change in my collecting habits, I've sold my commissions. The results were so random as to be completely inconclusive. Some of them made multiples of what I paid, and others absolutely ate it, and neither case really seemed to depend on the quality of the commission itself. Anyway, it's not something I do much anymore because I'd generally rather have published pages instead, but if an opportunity arises that I can't turn down, I'd again consider it a souvenir, and not an investment.

PS: And Beto is no slouch! But I've always loved Xaime's silky inks.

Xaime is one of the all time greats. Would love to have a page one day.

Yeah, just reading about it is more work than I want to actually put into it. Measuring...pencils...I'm exhausted! I'd rather just pay the nice lady at the shop to do it, on the rare occasion that I get something framed. But it sounds like you have a system in place that is working for you, so more power to ya! I'm at a point in my life where I'm generally looking to consolidate or clear out a chunk of stuff in my collection, so I definitely don't need any excuses for making collecting and displaying prints easier ha Best to not tempt me!

Same here. I started reading comics in the 80's, so I was all about Art Adams and all of the flashy guys who followed in his wake. Kirby comics just seemed so WEIRD to me. Fast forward to the 90's, I started working in a comic shop, and suddenly everything just clicked into place for me, and I GOT IT. Now Kirby is far and away my all time favorite comic artist, and I can't understand how I didn't get it before.

Gah, was that on Albert's site? I didn't see that anywhere.

Hell, it's $30 just to get a picture with him! Not that I'd want one, but I had to shake my head when I saw his booth last month. It's just nuts.

Damn it, really wanted to go to Gem City this year but couldn't make it happen. Jealous over here, this is exactly the sorta box diving gold I'd have been digging for!

Same here. To be clear, for single book sales I'd always rebag and board them, and for "nicer" runs I'll rebag and board, but I sell a lot of bulk cheap stuff, so you're generally getting them exactly as shown. I still package them well and I've never once had a complaint about the condition of these lots, or some books not being bagged and boarded. But it's just not worth it for me to bag and board a run of Elflord or Deadly Duo that I sold for $10 with free shipping. I still package them very safely and guarantee them to arrive in the stated condition. 20+ years, 5000+ 100% positive feedback, zero complaints.

It took me a long time to figure out that Bud the Chud was also Beef in Phantom of the Paradise.

Same. I'm 100% fine with "Welcome, let us know if you need anything" so something along those lines. Otherwise when ever I go into a shop, I pray that the employees aren't going to talk to me. I'm there to browse comics, I'm not looking to make new friends. I feel the same way about staff at restaurants. Pleasant and professional is what I'm looking for, otherwise, leave me alone. Then again, I'm an antisocial creep, so what do I know?

Well, not trying to turn this thread into 24/7 Parrillo, but had to post these! Wasn't able to make it to Gem City this weekend, so I had to make do with a trip to HPB today. Scored all of these Vampis for $2 each! (plus I had a 10% off coupon and a gift card leftover from Xmas, so it was win-win.)