F For Fake

I think it's definitely worth the buck I spent, whereas I wouldn't have even spent $1 on the direct book.

I'm used to CLink taking a while to ship, but it seems like an unusually long time this go round. I paid for my wins about three weeks ago, and they're still sitting there. Seems like it's usually closer to a two weeks for me.

I totally agree! I dig Amethyst, I dig LoSH, and I also love that cover, so it's a book I'm always looking for on the cheap.

Thanks! I was flipping through a box and did a double take, literally flipped past them and then went back as I thought I spied that UPC. I don't think I've ever had a newsstand of this title before, so I think it's at least uncommon. Had to pick them up!

Anne Francis

Wasn't aware he was still there, haven't heard his name in some time, though I don't really keep up with moderns. So...congrats, i guess??

Oh yeah, that Plat/Silver ashcan is TOUGH. I can't recall last time I saw one.

Not sure how I missed this one! I'm not a huge Predator guy (at least relative to Aliens) but I have always LOVED that cover and that book, and wow, second printing! That is super duper cool. Haven't added much to the Aliens collection lately outside of amassing more dollar copies of books I already own. I did pick these up last week. I'm not big on signed books, but I thought it was kinda neat to be able to get three consecutively numbered copies like this. Would have rather they'd been signed by Claremont than Guice, but oh well, it's fine. I do wonder about those sigs though, as markers don't last forever. I wonder how many books are sitting in slabs that were signed by markers, which will one day barely have a remnant of the original signature? None of this stuff was made to last, unfortunately.

We did some travelling this weekend, and the missus dropped me off at a Peddlers Mall to dig around while she did her own shopping, thus saving me from another trip to Kohls. Anyway, nothing explosive, but I found lots of the kinds of books I enjoy finding in dollar bins: more Aliens books for the hoard, and some of the random cheap things I "spec".hoard for a dollar: JLI 12 (1st appearance of Ice II), JLI 31 (1st Adam Hughes DC work), DC Presents 46 (1st Global Guardians...kinda), LoSH 298 (1st Amethyst), etc. No one else is really looking for these, or cares at all, but when I find them for a buck, I buy them. Everything was a dollar except for the DCP 46's, and even those (and many of the dollar books) were on sale at 25% off. I should be able to squeeze a few bucks out of the Gore Shriek and the FF newsstands, and the rest go into my coffers. It was a fun way to kill 90 minutes, and certainly beats sitting outside of the fitting rooms while the wife tries on skirts.

I really got a kick out of this one, but outer space horror is definitely my bag, especially when you throw in a little Lovecraft flavoring. We did a little Memorial Day weekend getaway, so I was able to sneak in a little reading. I got through... Love and Rockets 11 - this never lets me down. I've been enjoying Xaime's focus on Tonta lately, and I am looking forward to what comes out of the recent Vivian/Frogmouth reveal. Also, I feel like Gilbert's recent story is finally, at long last, snapping into focus. I have to admit, it hadn't really grabbed me in this volume, and I felt like he was doing his best recent work in the extra-curricular titles (Blubber, Psychodrama Illustrated, etc.) I feel like I'm finding the rhythm on these new Fritz stories, at last. Vampiress Carmilla 8.9. and annual 2023 - You know what you're getting here. The quality of the stories varies wildly, but I get that nostalgic Warren-style charge out of these books. God Hates Astronauts Omni-Mega-Bus - It's been a few years since I read all of this stuff, so it's nice to have every single bit under one roof. This is a beautifully made book full of bells and whistles. Ryan Browne's willfully odd, explosively violent, and gleefully profane exploration of dadaist superheroism is still a real blast. Enjoyed the revisit. Still woefully far behind for 2022, this should put me a 236 on the year. Yikes!

In my experience, this is correct. Now again, this is anecdotal, based on my experience collecting the book for 30 years around here. I can only speak for myself. I generally pick up any $1 (or relatively cheap) copy I find, and have done so for many years. So, with that big caveat, the non-priced 1st print is still the hardest to find (though to be fair, NONE of these are rare. Print runs were very healthy,) and the $3.50 cover is the next in line. I have stacks of dozens of copies of the $3.25 1st print, and I have a healthy stack of $4.50 3rd prints. But I only have, like, two or three copies of the $3.50 cover, and the same for the no-price 1st print. So, in my limited personal experience of buying this book, the $3.50 cover is uncommon. I would stress that I don't think any of them are "rare", but I definitely don't see the $3.50 cover much at all.

More competition for sure, and some very specific competition in my case. I used to sell to a local guy who caught on to HPB, but the thing is he works right around the corner from the store. So, he is over there on his lunch every single day. By the time I’d get there after working half a world away, he would have scooped up anything remotely worth buying. When it first opened up nearly 20 years ago, man, what a honey hole!

Way belated for a birthday wish, but this seemed to be the best place to post this. Got a real kick out of Harley’s cameo in the latest Love and Rockets!

You know, I’ve never found much on the website, most of the stuff on there has been overpriced in my estimation. My local HPB has pretty much dried up. Word finally got out a couple of years ago and there’s a lot more competition. It was a really good time 10-15 years ago!

Mine should arrive this week, and I agree, IST seems to have righted the ship since the big warehouse move. All of my orders over the last month or so have shipped and arrived within around a week.

Wish I could make it. As expected, we’re at the lake this weekend, and the wife isn’t looking to make any road trips. Bah! Anyway, all boardies who can should meet up with Az, he’s an A+ dude and will take care of you!

Same. I've seen it on the wall at a few shows, but I am bound and determined to find this one in a dollar bin one day. It's gotta be out there.

The two best covers in the run, for sure. It's an unusual book, in that it ran for 50 issues, but I pretty much never, ever see them. In fact, the few copies I run across are usually the Dave covers, because Dave fans kept 'em! Also, they're somewhat difficult in grade, as those squarebound covers tend to get wavy, for some reason. I wouldn't mind having a complete run, if I could find them on the cheap. Moebius, Kaluta, Giger, Vess, Mignola, Bolton, etc. There's a ton of great art on that series.

Yes, the feedback would be an absolute STOP sign for me, much less a red light. That would surely give anyone spending serious money pause.

It's a shame the video got pulled, the comments were pretty hilarious. It's pretty amazing how this innocuous little youtube video, which was meant to highlight the "work" of these guys, pretty effectively ruined their reputation in no time flat. Like, within hours, the word was out. I'm sure no one involved saw that coming, which is part of the problem. It's the wild west out there right now, as far as pressing is going. Makes my skin crawl. The pressers I feel like I can trust can be counted on one hand. Between the bad pressers and the actual grading companies working together to mangle books, it's a pretty wacky world right now.

Wow, 1 step forward, 10 steps back. I commented in the QC thread about how it's a good thing they're hiring someone to oversee QC. Now I'm back on my BS with this announcement. I'm not a "prominent" dealer, but I'd like to think that even I know that a detached cover is pretty significant, regardless of the grade. What a crock of .

Yup, that's it in a nutshell. They aren't as easy to read as a Deluxe Oversized HC with a normal trim size, or as well constructed as a Library Edition or a Marvel Masterwork. But if you want THE WHOLE DAMN THING in one place, Omnis are the way to go, and those big bricks look pretty cool on a bookshelf for sure!

That's a terrific deal on the Rocketeer Artist Edition. And I agree completely, IST "damaged" is oftentimes nicer than "new" copies you get from the big boy online retailers. Maybe a lightly dinged corner or something, but often they are in very nice shape, and worth the risk. I still have my first printing of the Rocketeer AE, which I think was the first Artist Edition IDW did? I wish I'd held onto the box. I used it to ship some original art, and regretted it once I realized how great they are for storing th ebooks. I learned my lesson and have held onto all of my other AE boxes.

I am ecstatic, one of my favorite runs. I can't believe this omni is finally happening, the trades have been out of print for years. An essential 80's DC run, from an era when DC was really knocking it out of the park all over. It may help if you are inclined towards the darker side of the DCU, but I'd say it's an essential title for the time.

Well, this is a step in the right direction. However it goes, Mike, I appreciate your taking ownership of the issue, even though it shouldn't fall on your shoulders at all. Thanks for being persistent. I let my membership expire a month or so ago, more due to QC issues than TAT's. I have a small stack I'd like to have graded. If we see improvements in the coming months, I'd like to be able to rejoin and send them in maybe next year. Here's hoping for the best. CGC's decisions under the new regime have been baffling at best. This is the first announcement in some time that actually gave me some hope.