Holmes

Film Critics, in general know nothing about Science Fiction, Fantasy or comic book related materials. Many of them know less than nothing about film in general. Today, many film critics do not even venture to the theater and, instead watch the films on a DVD screener. If you look at negative film reviews, you will also find that movies over two hours fare less well because critics tend to have short attention spans. I will trust my own Mark I eyeballs that told me that Batman V Superman was a very entertaining movie.

I just discovered FH in the last couple of years. I love Planet Comics in particular. Just submitted three for grading (# 35, 59 and 68). All in the fine to fine plus range! Hoping for straight 6's.

G Just the opposite, I love these books There are so many funny things going on in these covers. Take this one for example, ahem...do I really need to say anything: Kinda creepy . Seriously though, this is one of the great covers of the time and SO Mort Weisenger!

Another flawless transaction with Wes! Not only does he sell great books, he really gets what this hobby is all about!

And here's another!

Here are a couple from my Superman collection

I just got ANOTHER two slabbed TODs from Wes! The usual great service and great price. I know it sounds redundant by this time but Wes is a great seller and one you cann trust to be honest, give you great prices and to ship instantly and with great care. Thanks Wes! Mitch

I just picked this one up! An old classic! I just got my TOD #10 back from CGC and I'm thinking of sending this one out eventhough it won't grade higher than an 8.0-8.5. I'm putting a slabbed run together and this book in the 9.6 range IS a bit pricey!

A grand on slabbed books since Christmas may have me sleeping outside!! I am sure that many of my fellow collectors have been in the same spot at various dollar amounts! While I am VERY happy with all of my recent slabbed purchases I DO have to slow down a little if ONLY to bank some extra cash! I have one kid in college and lately with this hobby it's like having TWO To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I got another three slabbed TODs from Wes. As usual he gave me a GREAT price and the books arrived quickly and PERFECTLY packed. I would buy from Wes ANYTIME. You can feel confident that you are getting a great deal from him! Mitch

I got a TOD #50 from this seller and it was a true pleasure. he boxed the item perfectly and had it to me in just a couple of days! It was in great condition, I hope to buy from Wes again soon! Mitch

John purchased an FF#14 and #24. He paid instantly and was perfect on communication! Outstanding transaction!!! Holmes

I have been following this thread and I have to say that you have all done a wonderful job of shining a light on this thief. I call him a thief because he has stolen all of your time and caused you to go through a big time song and dance in order for (most) of you to get paid. The way I see it a large part of online purchasing revolves around the honor system. Emphasis on HONOR. I expect that when I sell a book that I will be paid promptly and in return I ship the item carefully, quickly and in the condition that I have stated in the ad. If there is any problem I immediately contact the seller BEFORE it becomes a problem. That is my responsibility as a seller Conversely it is an equal matter of honor with me that when I buy I pay within no more than12 hours. ( A guy has to sleep sometime ). I also NEVER spend what i don't have. If I can't pay immediately I pass it up. Sometimes I have to go weeks or even months between purchases (That pesky mortgage and all that optional food really eat away at the old comic budget! ) But then no one ever has to chase me for the money for something they sold to me in good faith. That is my responsibility as a buyer What you all did was really the very best weapon to use with a thief. You exposed him, embarrased him and warned the rest of the community of collectors to watch out for him. I worked for many years in retail Loss Prevention and I have to tell you that this type of thief is more afraid of public embarrasment than any other kind of punishment! I am sorry your time was stolen this way. Mitch

The show is off and running! As you all know Friday is the "slow" day at NYCC. Which means it only took me an HOUR to walk the sales floor. This year NYCC is combining with the Amime Festival so things will be EXTRA hectic tomorrow. My guess is that there will be 75,000 + people at the Javits Center on Saturday. I dropped by the CGC booth to drop off a copy of Superman #109 andd #110, TOD #10, Adventure #275 and my pride and joy, a copy of Motion Picture Comics #110 (When Worlds Collide). Business was brisk but all the CGC people were very nice and a good time was had by all. Yes the people at CGC are actual PEOPLE!!! Slow going on tracking down Golden Age Archie Comics between #40 and #50 though. I DID see some VERY nice copies of Batman #232 that I am kind of lusting for . One of those bad boys is going to be MINE in the next day or so. This evening the DC Animated folks put on a great show! They are releasing a series of shorts, anchored by a 24 minute mini feature. The Origin OF Captain Marvel, which will feature not only Billy Batson but Superman and BLACK ADAM! And coming this spring from DC Animated...ALL STAR SUPERMAN! I have to tell you that, even by the DC Animated standard the footage from both of these coming releases looks FANTASTIC! Off to bed now! Early hunt for those Archies in the morning! That's 30! Mitch To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Be sure to visit the Hero initiative Booth at NYCC this weekend! The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit over 40 creators and their families with over $400,000 worth of much-needed aid, fueled by your contributions! It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.Hey all! I will be helping out in the Hero Initiative Booth this weekend at NYCC. If you are there be sure to swing by. This is a great bunch of people who have worked very hard to help out comio creators who are in need of a hand up. That's right folks. Not a hand OUT. That's what you give to strangers. A hand UP is what you give to friends, and comic creators have been great friends to all of us who love this hobby! I won't be spending ALL my time there and plan to post some pictures and Journal Entries of my "hunting expedition" this weekend! Archie #50 and Action #252 here I come!!Be sure to check out the H.I. websitehttp://www.heroinitiative.org/http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=227That's 30!MitchTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The #24 is just plain SWEET! Great group of books! Thanks fpr posting the images.

Bob Kane often credited the 1920 Silent Classic "Mark OF Zorro" as his inspiration for The Batman As all Batman fans know, young Bruce Wayne was on his way home from the movies with his parents Thomas and Martha when they were set upon by a mugger named Joe Chill. Chill would murder Bruce?s parents, setting in motion the events that would result in the emergence of The Batman. One might say that Chill created Batman?and perhaps there is some truth in this. But Batman had another ?father?. Zorro. The film that young Bruce saw that night was the classic ?Mark Of Zorro?. It was that same film that greatly influenced Batman?s creator Bob Kane. As a young man Kane saw the 1920 version of ?The Mark Of Zorro? that starred one of the greatest stars of the silent screen. Douglas Fairbanks. Fairbanks who also produced the film established virtually all of the devices that Kane would use when he created Batman some eighteen years later. Don Diego, Zorro?s secret identity, is a lay about , somewhat foppish man of wealth. In his alter ego he is a masked avenger striking fear into the hearts of evil doers. Zorro is described as a ?ghost? and ?not human? by his foes. Indeed Fairbanks? Zorro DOES seem to appear out of nowhere. Dressed in black and seemingly everywhere at once, Zorro uses the superstition and ignorance of his enemies just they way Batman does. Like Batman, Zorro has a secret hideout from which he emerges through a false Grandfather clock. Bruce Wayne had that same entrance to the Batcave throughout the 40?s and 50?s! Kane would often credit Faribanks and Zorro for being his greatest inspiration. Last week I had the opportunity to see this film at the Lowes in Jersey City. This was an old 1920?s silent movie palace that has been fully restored right down to the great pipe organ. The film was screened as if it were 1920 with live organ music setting the mood throughout. Along with some 1000 other silent film buffs I found myself transported some ninety years into the past, the flickering black and white images of the great Fairbanks swept me up and the film was as fresh and new as it was four generations ago! After seeing this film as it was meant to be seen, I can well understand how Bob Kane would be so inspired by ?The Mark Of Zorro? that he would use the film as the basis for a character whose legend would equal that of ?The Fox? himself. For me it was a great opportunity to rediscover an iconic silent film in it?s natural setting and not just on a DVD. That?s 30! Mitch

That's a beautiful Marvel Mystery! It also brings a question to my mind. Is it my imagination or is there less tolerance for defects in modern books for CGC grading? It seems to me that Silver and particularly Golden age books get a bit more wiggle room. Maybe it's just me but I really can't tell you the difference between a 9.6 or a 9.8 in a modern book.

I said it before and I'll say it again...gotta love those Curt Swan Covers! This was is a copy I just got back from CGC today. My dad gave it to me 47 years ago!

My first experience having books slabbed was a pure 10! Today the the first three books I sent to CGC fir grading were delivered. I have to say that the experience was a smooth one and that I am very happy with the service. Out of curiosity I called customer service to get the graders notes and the representitive not only took me through the list of items used in grading my books but also took the time to discuss grading in general! As a collector I was interested in seeing what CGC stresses in their grading process and as a consumer I wanted to be able to make good choices about what I consider worth sending in the future. The books I had graded were Adventure Comics # 277, FF #1 GRR and Superman Annual #1. The first two graded 6.0 and the Annual at 5.0. I was pleased to see that they were all within a half grade of my own assessment. Lastly I had heard some horror stories about turn around times but CGC hit the deadline to the day! I am looking forward to submitting a bigger batch of books at NYCC next week!

Gotta love those Curt Swan covers!

My sense is that CGC takes a much longer look at a book than the average collector or dealer. This can only HELP me become a better grader as I will become more critical in my own views of a book before I send it in. I have been collecting for over 40 years and it is actually nice to find out that I can still learn a few things

Thanks Green. I do that for a lot of my newer books and you are correct about how well they protect the books. Also have a smaller footprint than the slabs. The only problem I have with top loaders is that it is very easy to damage even a bagged and boarded book putting it in. I did see some hard clam shells out there for a while but they seemed to have dried up and all I ever see now are morern age shells.

I just had my first batch of books graded and those grades have been posted. Superman Annual #1 came in at a 5 which I expected but the other two graded a bit lower than I would have thought. Not drastically lower so I am willing to think the higher grade was wishful thinking on my part (I got 6.0 on Adventure #277 and FF #1 GRR expecting a 7.0 on both). I was more concerned about protecting these books than the grades and in any event mid grade books are open to a WIDE range of grading opinions. My motivation is less about reselling than it is to preserve my Silver and Golden Age books. It is worth the money to me to have those books in the hard shell. Of course as i have more books graded I will play the game of seeing how close I come! I have already picked up a UV light and also a halogen mini light along with some nice magnifying glasses and will see if I can get as detailed as the folks at CGC are. What the heck? It's a hobby right? Mitch

An old favorite came in the mail and I scored some high grade raw Tomb Of Dracula to send in for grading! For as long as I have been collecting comics one of my favorite titles has always been Adventure Comics. Especially those great Legion of Superheroes issues with the covers by the iconic Curt Swan! Today the 7.0 copy of Adventure #349 came in the mail and it looks GREAT! I just got word that the #277 I sent in to CGC got a 6.0 grade. A little lower than i had hoped for but I am still learning my way around here! And THEN I scored a raw copy of Tomb of Dracula #1 and #10 at a very sweet price. They are nice high grade copies which I plan to submit at NYCC in a couple of weeks. My long term plan is to get the full 70 issue run ALL in CGC slabs! In the mean time check out my Adventure! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.