Tnerb

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson #148 Part 2 How can I not write about a book twice, especially this book. Of course I don't know if this is still considered 30 in 30. Of course I could double up later, but seriously look at this book. I purchased this in Philadelphia during Wizard World. I can not express how happy I am. I love the Philadelphia convention for one reason only: CGC is on site. This one however took the slow boat to China. I even wrote on the invoice that I thought I would get it back between 9-25 and 10-7. I signed for this on Friday as I was leaving for work. That's over an extra month. I wonder if I cracked my Phantom Stranger and pressed it, would the grade improve? Next year I'll be cutting down the conventions I attend. The idea of a new car is looking good. So I hope to attain ten books from April of 72 and send them in to CGC through the mail. I'm just surprised that the books I've been buying are mostly from DC not Marvel. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

X-Men #42 In my younger days of collecting I was scared to pay too much. I didn't have the knowledge I have now, and slightly before I discovered price guides all I had to go by was instinct. Did the book look good and was it worth giving up new issues? After scrounging around the back issue boxes I found some nice looking books for what I thought was a decent price. After buying a few DD issues by Frank Miller for $3 apiece I started to feel comfortable with this price point. But as I began delving back as far as I could, prices began to soar. $5, $20, and ultimately higher before they made their way onto the wall. It was to my surprise when I found out Professor Xavier died and it wasn't a hoax. The problem was that the book was $5. That was a lot of money for me back then, my whole weekly allowance. The cover was reeling me in and before I knew it the single book purchase was on the counter and I was on the way home with a book older than me, possibly the first one I bought that met this criteria. I'm happy this is still part of my collection, but do I dare dream of better? Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

X-Men #10 There are a few covers I like. Ok, there are lots of covers I like, but a few of them I can't explain why other than they are simply awesome. A few of these I want high graded copies but, I can't seem to get anything higher than mid grade. Regardless of the grade, having the first appearance of Ka-Zar in the silver age is a comic to have. The older the book is, the less experience I had grading them. I purchased this comic book from a small dealer. He was willing to take a chunk off the price seeing how I really wanted it. My translation is he didn't want to take it back home. I have spent money on books I have wanted but, for some reason I felt like I was hindering the dealer by asking. If I haggled to a price I wanted I felt obligated to purchase the book. X-Men #10 was priced right. Some of the defects however I was unfamiliar with hence the grade. This book is part of my learning experience in grading silver age books. I'm guessing I learned a few things because I purchased two very nice Daredevil issues after I sent this one away to get signed and graded. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Amazing Spider-Man #181 Is Ben alive? No seriously, is he alive? We all know the mythos behind Spider-Man. "With great power comes great responsibility". This was taught to Peter by his iconic Uncle Ben. Many of us read those words, but chances are, we didn't read them when they originally saw print. I love the Marvel Tales series. I was able to read many of Spider-Man's earliest adventures, but it was Amazing Spider-Man #181 that taught me who Spider-Man was. In one issue I learned who he was, notice this was not a first issue. Bill Mantlo gave me all I needed to know about Spider-Man in one issue. The art by Sal Buscema is possibly what I noticed years later in The New Mutants #15. This book was part of my pre-collecting days and issue #183, another one I owned, with the Rocket Racer were from my earliest adventures of the Amazing Spider-Man. And it was on the last page of #181 where Peter left his prize possession on top of his beloved Ben's grave. It's the last panel when you see a graveyard caretaker that looks amazingly like Ben Parker. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson #148 There are 45 book published for April of 72' between Marvel and DC. There are considerably more if I move outside the boundaries the big two provide. My primary goal is to purchase the highest grade I can afford before sending them into CGC for grading. Of course there will be some exceptions, for instance Action Comics #411. At two different comic book conventions I found some really nice copies worthy of grading. Some I still have, while others I turned over for onsite grading in Philadelphia. One of the books I found there I didn't have the time to turn over, then again I didn't have the book until the convention was almost over. I purchased the last issue of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson that Jack Kirby worked on, which is just as cool as four issues earlier with Darkseid's first appearance, or maybe it's cooler. I would have held off getting the book graded but I had the chance to have Neal Adams add his scrawl to it. It was the only signature I got for myself at the convention, and even though I do have his signature on other items, it's this one, provided the grade was acceptable, that I would keep. So, after turning this book over in June, it is now on its way back to me. One more accomplishment on my birthday book list and surprisingly enough I've been choosing DC over Marvel. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Marvel Milestone Edition: Fantastic Four #1 In 91' a year before my son was born I read Fantastic Four #1. This also happens to be thirty years after it was released. Marvel began producing a reprint series of some of their biggest key issues. They released around 23 of the comics they thought their fans would want. The price tag was a bit lofty compared to their new material and although I picked up a few, I didn't pick up all of them. The books has a silver boarder making the covers feel a bit heavier. Looking through each one at my LCS netted me a very fine + at best. I don't know if it was a bad shipment or that's the way they all were. At nineteen I assumed it was every single one. My original copies were part of my purge and now with the digital age its a lot easier to find what I'm looking for without ever having to leave the house. Chances are I will not own any of these original key issues so it was nice to get the ones I wanted in this format. The one thing I find really cool though is the Marvel Milestone Edition for Amazing Spider-Man #129 was released in 11-92, one of my son's birthday books. I might have to look for a 9.8 of that issue. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Daredevil #5 If issue seven was the first Daredevil issue I craved after issue one, then issue five was third in that list. I still hope to attain a higher grade for both issues one and seven but, issue five is the latest book I hope to upgrade...again. My first copy was somewhere between a fair and a good. The copy I currently own is very good, but I would love to match my second and third issues of this series. I hope to find a near mint copy, somewhere along the lines of a 9.4 or even a 9.2. This might very well be the last book I try to get Stan Lee to sign. If luck will have it I will also find issues six, nine, and ten but, there is something amazing about this particular Wally Wood cover, so amazing that marvel decided to even advertise his involvement in a starburst right on the cover. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Or My First Journal times 643 It has been five years since I started writing journals on the registry. Over that time I have submitted my own books for grading, I have cracked "9.8's" for signatures, and I have purchased junk simply because they were the worst. I have learned so much these past five years not only because of CGC but because of the friends I met here. To try listing those that I have formed a bond with would be next to impossible, because when I think of one, I think of another, and if I miss one, I would be upset that I did. I have accomplished a lot in these five years, including going to sixteen major conventions throughout the states. If you have ever tried living off of a server's wage of $2.83 an hour then you might understand. To give you an idea of what that means, in 2012 I had to work 911 hours to pay for the invoices I sent to CGC at the NYCC, and only the NYCC. By the way, all but one of those came back a 9.8. Of course it was the only one I desperately wanted in a 9.8 that came back other than a 9.8. For anyone and everyone reading this, I thank you. Thank you for putting up with the ramblings I have had. I hope as many times as you have read absolute drivel that you also read some informative entries as well. I also would like to thank those that write journals. I get to see things I normally don't see and I get to see reminders of things I've loved. And I would like to thank CGC as well, even when your late, or you do something wrong, or when you add frivolous charges. Thank you for making me interested in comic books again. Not necessarily the reading part, but the nostalgic part. You have also helped me pick up comics I never would have, so once again, thank you. Thank you for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

On a Pale Horse #1 I hated reading. Comic books were different, I never considered them actual reading. I did read the occasional novel but I didn't thoroughly enjoy them like I do now. Books like "The Stand", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and "The Invisible Man" we're some very enjoyable books, but it was "On a Pale Horse" by Piers Anthony that I read over and over again. Innovation was a small publisher that fought for their market share against Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. They purchased the rights for certain novels including "Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire" and one of my favorite books, if not my favorite book "On a Pale Horse" by Piers Anthony. This series was fully painted. The covers were sensational, and even though the comic book could never compare to the novel I looked forward to each issue, as late as they were. At times it was months between issues. I waited patiently until the next beautiful rendition of my favorite novel was released, until Innovation closed up shop. I had the first of five issues all graded by CGC, however six never was published. I always hoped six would one day be published, but so far, it never did. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Marvel Graphic Novel #4 At one point this book was extremely difficult to get ones hands on. When there were only six 9.8 copies available I started my search. I wrote about being "Wallaced" on two different occasions. I went to work on a day no one should have braved the elements when I purchased my first copy, a signed copy. I never thought it was possible, I now owned a beautiful specimen of the first appearance of my favorite team. The second copy I purchased was a raw universal 9.8 copy of my lil' bro. I bought this in the hope of getting a double signature with a nice little sketch. I panicked about the process the whole time. From the moment I cracked it to the moment I checked the grade only seconds after it was made available. I was as happy as I was when I found out about my ASM #129. My first copy went on to a better home while the second joins my third., that being my original copy signed and graded a 4.5, maybe I should have had a sketch on that one as well. Only time will tell, I still might. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Avengers #98 After seeing RonnyLama's post I wanted to show off the best Avengers comic book I own. I purchased this raw from Greg Reece at the New York Special Edition. The price was too good to pass up, and the condition looked like the best 9.4 I ever saw. That's the grade I thought it would get. At Philadelphia Wizard World I had the book pressed by CCS, graded by CGC, and returned to me before the weekend was over. I was shocked when it was returned. This book helped me realize it is totally possible to achieve a 9.8 grade on books from 1972. I know it won't be easy but, it is possible to continue my quest for my birthday books. I do have a few more to get graded by CGC, surprisingly they are all DC and it might be a few months before I get to turn them over, but at the very least I have one book that just switched over to "grading/quality control" and I hope that if I have it back in seventeen days I can show it off here. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Amazing Spider-Man #90 There are a few books in my collection that I thought were near mint when I bought them. This was one of them. I learned over time it wasn't as pristine as I originally thought. The book was magical. Along with X-Men #42 and Daredevil #48, these were the first of many silver age classics I would purchase over the years. The cover is iconic. Captain Stacey was unknown to me. My first experience with the character also happened to be his last. His dying breath also revealed that the good police officer knew he was Peter. Stan Lee continued to deliver story after story solidifying the character that is Peter Parker. I dare say I learned a lot over the years and this was one of the books I sharpened my teeth on. I hope the next one I can learn on is from the same series, just forty issues earlier. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

UFO Encounters This was the other comic I read over and over again, slightly before I turned eight. Each page opened me up to what I thought was factual. And maybe this helped me, when the summer of 1980 had me go to camp for the first time, I looked up into the sky and saw light in a circular fashion dart across the sky. Was I seeing my own encounter or was I imagining what I could write about for a similar comic book? I can still remember what I saw and occasionally look back on the memory, not as some insane thought, but as the possibility of seeing something unusual through my once innocent eyes. One day I might find the original books these issues were created from, but unlike Fear #8, there are not footnotes or records I can find on the subject matter. Either way I love having the comics from my youth travel with me through the decades. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

UFO Mysteries Here is a comic book I had for the longest time. On the inside cover is a date stamp. The date is April 3 1979, and most likely I can tell you I was celebrating my fathers 42nd birthday, the same age I am now. I had read this over and over while searching the skies for my own unidentified flying object. The stories were short, some lasting only a page. I'm sure it is all reprinted material. I can't seem to find any artist signatures on it. Are there some greats involved? Could Kirby or Ditko be involved? Or maybe Cardy? Is it new enough for Adams? I have no idea. I've been toying with the thoughts of sending it into CGC for grading, but have passed since I love to open it up, smell the paper, and relive the childhood thoughts of something flying overhead. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Star Wars #11 & #14 Why two books? Especially since the picture shows three. Star Wars was my first love. I was the only five year old to see it 13 weeks in a row. It wasn't that I was spoiled, it was because it was the only thing my father knew to take me to see that would shut me up. I would watch the movie, my sister would watch me, and my father would take a two hour nap. Even when my father married my stepmother in January of 76' I was running up and down the hallway defending myself from StormTroopers. It's safe to say, if my father was ever going to kill me, it would have been on his wedding day as everyone was watching him get married, they were listening to me, sound effects and all (pew...pew) The first issues after the treasury edition I had were #11 and #14. I have no idea how I got them, but these ragged copies are my original ones. I had many issues through out the years, collecting them when I found them in the 7-11, but I was never able to collect them like I did with the New Mutants from #15 on. I'm looking forward to Marvel taking back the mantle and plan on getting copies for submission to CGC, but first I may very well read #1-#107 just to go down memory lane. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Iron Man #55 After Thanos Quest was released I wanted his first appearance. I never got it, that is until last year. And it wasn't the 9.2 copy I have, it was my .5. The book is the worse grade CGC could bestow. It's not my first .5 nor will it be my last. I bid and won this on eBay. I was surprised that someone else wanted it as well. When it was all over I was happy that I won. Once it was in my hands I wanted a better one. Eventually I purchased a raw copy from a friend and had CGC grade it, but will I cherish the 9.2 more than the .5. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

X-Men #109 In eighth grade I had a friend by the name if Gregory Horn. He collected comic books. I remember him getting excited about issue 12. It wasn't until issue #17 that I was able to find the title. I picked it up and was given more information about Wolverine. I didn't realize then that it was a cover swipe. At my first Baltimore Comic Con in 2012 I was searching for certain comic books. I found one dealer that had some beautiful looking books. This was the year I also sat down with Matt Nelson to discuss pressing. He helped me learn more about the candidates for the service. He even helped me decide to purchase two separate books, the first one being the Incredible Hulk #109 and the second was the reason I'm writing this entry. I was going to have them pressed and sent to CGC, but before I did I wanted to take them home to read. It was a month later at the NYCC I decided to get them signed, after all I could always get the pressed later. I was shocked at the grades when they were revealed on the registry. The 9.4 was sweet considering Matt thought it would reach a 9.6 with a press, the X-Men however was uncanny, it attained a 9.8 with no help at all. Knowing that there were books from the seventies in such a high calibre helped me decide to try going after my birthday books. And speaking if birthdays, my son turned 22 today. So if you're reading this kid, I love you and I'm proud of you. Thanks for Reading Tnerb. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

SuperMan presents the Krypton Chronicles #3 In 1980 I was eight. I had my first real experience away from home. I stayed away for three weeks. In 1981 I stayed away for two different encampments. The first one in late June into early July, the second one I left to go to Camp again on August third until close to the beginning of the school year. It was in 1982 I went to camp for the entire summer, I was ten and given a gift from a fellow camper. During the encampment there were some of us that got care packages while others brought contraband. The contraband in question were comic books. I never brought mine to camp, the few that I had, but I discovered so much in reading my friends books, including all about Krypton. I never read the first two, even to this day. I read issue three over and over again. Scene after scene was captivating, including when Krypton flooded. I never realized it, but the first two limited series I ever collected were apparently not my first, that distinction belongs to this DC classic. It looks like at my next convention I might have to look for these books all over again. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Ms. Marvel #1 Do the books have to be mine to write about? I like variants, I just don't like the price gouging associated with them. Some newer variants have the artist I grew up with gracing the cover with their skill. Ten Grand #1 had a cool cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Ross did a phenomenal Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Art Adams drew a beautiful rendition of the new Ms. Marvel on the premiere issue. I have been enjoying the story, but I never believed this book would be a sought after issue. I bought this issue for two reasons, the first being my girl friend expressed an interest with G. Willow Wilson and the second was I loved Art Adams artwork. I thought; I hoped that maybe I could get this book signed by both at ECCC to start her collection. Every month I have been picking up the latest issue for her, but I kept quiet about the variant. I knew if it reached a 9.6 I would be disappointed, but if it reached a 9.8, she would have a nice beginning to a signature series collection. How many people, after all, can say their entire collection of CGC graded collection are signed, not many I'm sure. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Tales of Suspense #97 In 1968 this book was published, four years before I was born. Whiplash's whip had a yellow aura around it which I always thought was a defect. I remember placing the book on a windowsill and thought it was my fault that it happened. It was a long time later when I found another copy I realized it was made that way. I had a few other books from this era including issue 99. This was the closest I ever had to back to back issues. I felt like I had two comic books with two stories. I was reading about Iron Man and Captain America. I had toyed with the idea of getting a near mint copy. How many books can you remember reading before you started collecting? Which ones do you still have? Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Wonder Woman #199 I showed two Marvel titles in two days, both happen to be X-Men issues. There are so many more Marvel titles I would like to add, but this one seems worthy to write about. This was one of the books that helped me decide to go after any and all issues by Marvel and DC that were published in April of 72. Wonder Woman #199 is an amazing cover that had me search multiple places for. I scoured the boxes at not only my local comic book shops (7), but I looked through boxes at the Philly ComiCon, Megacon Comic Con, Philadelphia Wizard World, NYCC, and the Baltimore Comic Con. I couldn't find any for the price I wanted to pay in the conditions the book appeared to be in. The cheapest I found one for was $225. I guessed even the best one that I saw couldn't be graded over an 8.0. After a year of searching I couldn't find one that was worth it. Then at the New York Special Edition 2014, a week before another Philadelphia Wizard World I found a copy worthy to pick up. It was only $55 and at least an 8 or an 8.5. I purchased the book, pressed it, and had CGC grade it on site in Philadelphia. I have to say, I am happy with the results. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

X-Men #98, the pre Uncanny Years I first saw this book in 1985. It was a book my cousin owned. He was a bit younger than me and I didn't understand how he could afford such a book. I was thirteen and he was eleven. I was happy to collect the comic books I could but could not fathom how he could afford a book of that calibre. It took decades for me to pick up a copy, and I'm sure it will be a bit longer before I pick up a 9.8 copy. The cover itself is amazing. The colors are vibrant against each other. Wolverine is slashing against a Sentinel's head while Colossus is swatted away like an insect. I didn't have to open the book to get the story. At the time I didn't know who Dave Cockrum was. Today I appreciate many a cover he created, but none any better than this one. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

X-Men Annual #9 If the sixties were cool to read comic books then the eighties were awesome. Art Adams instantly became my favorite artist with the New Mutants Special Edition. It continued in the X-Men Annual. I followed the story line and read each one over and over again. The special edition I have is in much better condition than the annual. I found an annual #9 in a 9.8 and have placed it in my collection. I'm not sure if I'll ever crack it for a signature, but I'm sure I'll re-read my copy and send that one in one day. But why does this book make the list? I guess the better question is why didn't it make the list before? The artwork is superb, the story is sensational, and Storm is a Thundergoddes. It might not be a book I'd recommend to collect in a 9.8, but it is a comic book I recommend for everyone to read. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Or, Did I need Two? A few years ago I was bidding on a Susha News copy of Sub-Mariner #38. It was a 9.6/9.8 CGC double cover. I lost but bid up to the final dollar in my bank account, after my bills were paid. Another was listed on Comic Link a few weeks ago. I placed a bid of $100. This was not a double cover, but it was 9.8 and from the Susha News Pedigree. In the final hour it jumped a bit to high for my taste. If I didn't already have a 9.8 copy I would have placed a higher bid, and most likely would have lost again anyway. It sold for $427. I paid considerably less for my copy, so I have to ask, are pedigrees still so much more desirable than a simple 9.8? My copy is beautiful. I'm happy to have it. It's a book that has memories to it. I couldn't even tell you how many times I read it, or even when or where my original copy found it's way into my home. Suffice it to say, it was one of my favorites. It wasn't a number one, but with the origin story being retold in it, I was hooked. I had no way to get issue #39, so I had to use my imagination on what happened next. To whoever won the book, if you are reading this, congratulations. Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Or, Nope, not back yet. Back in June I decided to have Neal Adams sign a comic book. For the best grade I had it go through CCS. The book is from April of 1972. I wrote on the CGC invoice, October. I thought the book would be marked shipped/safe by now and be on it's way back to me. It's only marked graded. I figured five months would be enough between the two companies to get it back to me. If I'm not mistaken that's 97 business days (61 days at CGC). And even though it falls within their 40-75 days estimated to current turnaround times, it is a bit overwhelming. As I've said before, I'm patient. I can wait, the book is for my personal collection after all, but isn't the turn around times supposed to be getting shorter with various alternative competition? On eBay, I see CGC graded comic books in record time. Sometimes I think they got them fast tracked, but are they? Do dealers get books quicker? Are the fans relegated to the nose-bleeder seats? Are we a second thought? Or is it because the book is from 1972 that it's taking longer than a book that came out three months ago? Thanks for Reading Tnerb To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.