F For Fake

I'm not much of a gamer, but the Fallout games are my weakness. I probably put 200 hours into Fallout 4, very slowly, over a few years. It was during the pandemic, when I was work-from-home for a year, that I put serious elbow grease into finishing all of the DLC and tracking down all of the random stuff. Really loved it, but I loved all of the Fallout console games.

Looks cool! I'm curious about a couple of volumes in this format, I may take the plunge, eventually.

Absolutely, and lately I am getting more and more deadbeat bidders who are requesting to cancel their bids as soon as the auction ends. Very frustrating. In these cases, lately I've just taken to relisting and starting over, because through no fault of my own, my item now has the taint of looking kinda shilly. It really sucks.

Absolutely! This is, essentially, what made me an X-men fan. I bought my first X-men comic off of the stands at the convenience store (#227), and they also had Classic X-men, (I think 6, or maybe 9?) At any rate, reading those two books, I was obsessed with figuring out who everyone was, why the teams had changed, why their costumes had changed, etc. Classic X-Men ignited all of that curiosity, and made it much easier to satisfy it.

Love it. The Wolf is one of my favorite vehicles, such great play value with the skis, ski-pedos, double canopy, turret gun, etc. Just a badass fun toy. I'm hoping I'll run across the mailaway in the wild, one day.

I love the Kirby and Lee FF, but really have no interest in the title beyond that. (I know, I know, a lot of folks love the John Byrne run. I'm not a Byrne guy.) I'm excited to read these. If it's anything like his Avengers and X-Men material, it should be great. Hickman seems to really excel at world building, creating these huge, intricate stories, and this is apparently the title that kicked it all off, so I'm eager to see how it reads. Unfortunately, it'll be a while before I get to it.

Classic X-men had some great back-up stories, at least early on, by Claremont and John Bolton, etc. Really fleshed out the original stories. Also it's hard to argue with that cover artist run. Art Adams, Steve Lightle, Mike Mignola, Adam Hughes...some really good stuff in there, well worth picking up for $1.

I do have to think that there were some un-rolled stock out there SOMEWHERE. It just makes sense, right? The same way movie poster one sheets were folded for so long, and yet many rolled, non-folded vintage posters managed to make it out into collections, somehow. Unfortunately, my childhood copy is long gone, but even my childhood attempts at pressing (i.e. putting it in a bag and board, and then placing a bunch of heavy books on top of it) never managed to take the curl out. But I'd think a good presser would have a shot at correcting it. I bought a nice flat copy off of eBay several years ago, but I'm not sure if it was pressed, or if it simply managed to avoid being folded. Would love to hear if anyone else has any info on the book!

This release confused me, as I have no frame of reference for the character. I am a "Gee Wunner" for sure, although I do really love the IDW Phase 2 comics. So that's what I collect. The stretch of toy lines in between G2 and, say, Thrilling 30, are largely a mystery to me. I have never delved into the Energon, Armada, or any of the non-G1 cartoons (aside from Beast Wars). So, this is an easy pass. Hopefully someone out there wants it, and it sells well enough that we keep getting Titans. I want that Nemesis ship that they keep teasing on the box art!

Thanks for sharing. I'd read a couple of articles about this and watched some Youtube ranters as well. I haven't made any decisions yet, as far as how it will impact my spending. Of the affected lines, I only collect GI Joe and Transformers. With Classified, I have become a completist (though I'm still catching up on a few pieces from early in the line, as I was a late adopter), and with Transformers I pick and choose, focusing on 86 movie figures, and members of the Lost Light crew, So, we've seen the prices of Classified figures and deluxe Transformers go from $19.99, to $23, and now it'll be $30. That does sting, I'll admit. But it's still a relative bargain compared to many other toy lines, given the quality of the sculpts, paint work, etc. For mass market toys, Hasbro has been doing a pretty nice job with these lines. So, I'll likely continue along my path, picking and choosing with Transformers, and keeping Classified complete, until such time as I find that untenable.

Stupid sexy Flanders!

Although I greatly enjoyed The Avengers by Jonathan Hickman omnis, and have enjoyed the recent X-men stuff as well, I've never read his celebrated FF run. The omnis had been OOP and pricey for a while now, so I had their rerelease circled on the calendar. I hadn't planned on getting to them immediately, but volume one ended up selling out at the usual suspects pretty fast, so I thought I'd better grab these while I could. Looking forward to getting into them...at some point. Also, as you likely know, IST has been running some "Spring Deals" the last few weeks. However, in addition to those, they also quietly cut the prices on several volumes, bringing them to 50% off. If you also have the 2% off repeat customer discount, that brings these books down to $60, which is easily the cheapest anyone has had them. Some really nice prices on some fairly recent releases. New Mutants Omni Vol 2 - Art Adams cover https://www.instocktrades.com/products/jun210770/new-mutants-omnibus-hc-vol-02-art-adams-dm-var Excalbur Omni Vol 2 - Alan Davis Cover (I believe the other variant cover is also on sale) https://www.instocktrades.com/products/may210692/excalibur-omnibus-hc-vol-02-davis-cvr What If Omni Vol 2 https://www.instocktrades.com/products/jun210754/what-if-orig-marvel-series-omnibus-hc-vol-02-romita-jr-dm-va Aliens original years Vol 2 Omni https://www.instocktrades.com/products/feb210658/aliens-original-years-omnibus-hc-vol-02-asrar-cvr Wolverine and the X_men by Aaron Omni https://www.instocktrades.com/products/jun210767/wolverine-x-men-by-aaron-omnibus-hc-dm-var-new-ptg ASM Vol 3 Omni - Kane Cover https://www.instocktrades.com/products/mar210683/amazing-spider-man-omnibus-hc-vol-03-kane-dm-var-new-ptg I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones the stood out to me, as they'd all been $72-$77 recently. Hopefully the stock and prices hold up until I can get everything I want!

Madness in Murderworld brings back a lot of nostalgia. I had all of those Paragon software big box games for the Commodore 64, and they were great! The problem with Madness in Murderworld is going to be condition, because it literally came rolled up with a rubber band. I remember opening my copy on Christmas morning, and even at that age being appalled that a comic book had been rolled up into a tube! They did this because the book wouldn't fit into the box otherwise, it had to sit diagonally in the box. I remember being very taken with the artwork at the time, I liked how Bagley drew Wolvie's claws. It was his first professional work, IIRC.

+1000

Spring has sprung, it was a gorgeous weekend, and garage sales have started up in earnest. Didn't find much for myself, but there's a father/son team that does a sort of pop-up comic shop in their garage, and this was their "opening day" for the season. Didn't find much in comics that I needed (did grab those Pepoy Archie variants for $4, and Gen 13 newsstands were a buck, which they threw in for free) but they did have some cool toys. I really liked this Big Blast line from Graphitti when it came out. Wish it hadn't fizzled after two waves (three if you count the Kevin Smith stuff, I guess.) The scale was odd, didn't really fit with any other lines, so I guess that didn't help things, but for 1998 the sculpts, accessories, and artwork were top notch. They also had several Toy Biz box sets, which were a nostalgic kick. I picked up this X-men set for $25, I may go back for some more in the coming weeks if they haven't already sold. It was nice to get up to a sunny, 70's-80's day and go hunting. The best time of the year!

For years, when I was hardcore collecting AH, I'd buy every X-Men Classic cover that I could find for a buck. I had several full sets. ( I also bought the Mignola covers). I always liked the covers, but I also didn't have much luck moving them, when I sold my collection off. Even really nice ones would scarcely sell for more than $3-$5. I was also picking up McFarlane Marvel Tales at the time, and they were harder to come by. Not impossible, but definitely less common. I'd say I had maybe three complete sets, total. As with most things, I should have held onto them longer. Oh well.

Ok, this book is apparently cursed. I auctioned off several books over the last few weeks. The first time https://www.ebay.com/itm/334395963822 Winning bidder tyler_comic simply never paid, never contacted me, never responded. Just won it, and disappeared. Book had sold for $76, which I thought was high for a low/mid copy, but whatever. So, I relisted it, and the book ended earlier this afternoon, this time finishing up at $53. https://www.ebay.com/itm/334407586658 A couple of hours later, I get a message from the buyer matrixunpluged who apologizes and tells me his "son" bid on the book, and now he's explained to his son that this is the wrong thing to do. Ha. HAHAHAHA. I'm so sure. Anyway, this book is cursed, apparently. I'm going to relist it as a BIN and god have mercy on me and whoever eventually buys it.

Oh hey, it's a small world indeed! I've been here my entire life, so I'm sure we would have crossed paths at some point. I absolutely lived for those comic shows at Bashford Manor and Jefferson Malls! It's almost a definite that I picked something up from you! The Great Escape is still going strong, and is my preferred shop. I have my holds there, and I spend most of my money there. However, many other shops have opened up in the meantime. I can think of at least four or five that I'd consider to be "real" shops, which is a pretty nice number for a city this size. Good luck with everything!

Welcome back! I mainly stick to eBay, but it is a fairly lawless and risky place these days. Can't compete with the number of eyeballs, though. However, due to your reputation, and your curated collection of no-doubt lovely books, I'd think you'd do very well here on the boards. Though Boardies may be a little cheap () they certainly know good stuff when they see it, and NO other selling venue does a better job of policing its users than the boardies do here. I think you'd do great. Can't wait to see the books!

Also, Hasbro Pulse has Buzzworthy Cliffy back in stock, only about 25 left, so go if you want him! https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-buzzworthy-bumblebee-studio-series-deluxe-class-86-13bb-cliffjumper?refSrc=6632792227942&nosto=cartpage-nosto-1-bh

Deep Discount has some crazy good deals on MotU stuff right now. A lot of toys are on clearance, PLUS you can use code "Lucky" for an additional 15% off. Lots of good stuff, the first wave of Masterverse figures are about $7 a pop, Wind Raider and Stridor from origins for about $10, and Castle Grayskull for $41. https://www.deepdiscount.com/mattel-collectible-masters-of-the-universe-origins-5-5-castle-grayskull-playset-he-man-motu/887961960242 So, great prices, plus the extra 15% is very helpful. Shipping is also very low, usually only about $2 for smaller order, I paid $7 for the Castle Grayskull. I ran across the sale thanks to the TFW2005 forums. Apparently there were several Transformers on sale, including Commander Rodimus for about $25! I missed that, only scored a Tigatron for $10. There are also a handful of Marvel Legends for about $7, and a bunch of the 3.75 retro Marvel figures for $3.99. Definitely worth a look! Happy hunting! PS: It's worth noting that sometimes things will sell out faster than the inventory tracker can keep up with, so there are occasionally cancelation notices. So I'd say nothing is guaranteed until you are charged and shipped. But I've almost always had success, so it's well worth taking the gamble. UPDATE: Most of my order was canceled. Ah well, such is life.

I haven't checked the staples on mine in a couple of years, I'll need to dig them out and give them a look. I had a complete set of all things Los Bros back in the day (minus the b&w #1, which I've never owned), and it was all lost in the great sell off about 20 years or so ago. Since then, I've been slowly piecing the run back together, kicked off when I bought a friend's collection about five years ago, and he had a large chunk of their work. Pretty much all of the post Volume 1 minis and follow ups, plus V2, etc. I think right now I'm only missing a 3rd print of #1, and then 10 or so random issues between 2 and 24. But you're absolutely right on pricing, it's very difficult. I've never bought L&R in slabs, but raw, the prices are all over the place. $5. $50. Depending on condition and how often they come up, asking prices are everywhere.

Awesome! I've always thought it was a very underrated vehicle from that era.

Right there with you. In my mind these are still books I was paying $1-$5 and selling for $20. I've got a lot of sold-too-soon regrets, but I think about the stacks of UF4 I used to have, and I get a little woozy...

For sure. I've got no problem with "sexy" books. But that stuff is not sexy, in the slightest.