troydivision1

Minimum wage is the lowest places are allowed to pay you legally. If they could pay you less they would. It has not kept up with inflation thus the schism that exists. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/full-time-minimum-wage-workers-cant-afford-rent-anywhere-in-the-us.html

Good point. I want to provide another context to this discussion. Those newly entering the job field kids most likely saw first-hand family or friends loose their home in 2009. Or saw their parents loose their life savings to the financial crisis. Or lost someone to a pandemic. Don't forget about the climate crisis that they will have to live through as a result of decades (before they were born) from corporate and personal pollution. If you've seen that 'even if you play it safe or by the rules' and everything can still be taken away at the end...why not choose to 'enjoy life to the fullest whilst your young'. Isn't that what every older person in life has said to someone young whenever they complained about things having to do with growing up.

AND since everything is driven on a corporate level by QoQ and YoY performance the labor 'shortage' (aka underpay / overwork) will continue until everyone is replaced by automation. Everything begins and ends with the stock price...

Not really books, but there are two comic companions to both Parker HCs. Volume 1 and Volume 2. I was fortunate enough to get my copy of Volume 2 signed by Darwyn. (it is the sole signed copy in the census)

Full support 'quiet quitting' / 'doing the bare minimum' at any job. When (if) any wage increase is capped at 3%-5% per year there is no reason to go above and beyond. If anything 2008 and COVID (and the current inflation / upcoming economic reset) has shown young adults that work is no worth it. Your job / company will not be at your funeral. Your role will be posted online before you are cremated / buried.

Good point re: Sandman #1 Essential Vertigo In checking eBay for the values of certain books I own (as the reprints mix in with originals in search results) I have noticed the potential for a strong ROI in purchasing certain reprints / or new facsimiles (NM #98, Hulk #181, BA #12) from DCBS or LCS and getting them graded versus trying to spec on optioned books. I know this isn't Moderns Heating on eBay, but there is a market for graded reprints as the originals are priced out for a lot of fans.

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War Prelude #3 signed by Chris Evans, Anthony Russo, and Joe Russo Purchased via eBay in 2019 (immediately after seeing Avengers: Endgame). Not much of a story. After seeing Avengers: Endgame in the theater I realized I wanted to finally own a celebrity signature on a book so I bought one via eBay. This one has the added bonus of having director signatures...

C) CGC knowingly went into an agreement with Clayton Crain (an annual Signature Series artist with his own 'menu' AND co-owner of the company credited for the 'variant') who augmented a book without Marvel's permission. C part 2) Crain then dropped out of each convention the books were to make their debut at. One could say this entire fiasco came down to 'you scratch my back, I'll give you a better percentage of my $255 signing fee'...

Below is my quote regarding this idea shortly after the 'announcement' from CGC Mike. I came to this conclusion based on a book that I own that is now labeled differently (qualified Signature Series) than when I had mine done (all yellow Signature Series). Asking prices for the book on eBay are insane even with the green / yellow. Can't imagine what a solid yellow would sell for. Thus my personal observation / argument that the Universal (blue label) acetate variants will carry a premium over the new qualified labels.

My order of two was canceled. Now only digital available on site.

This is good 'comic-adjacent' news, but if CGC could go ahead and add treasury-sized holders that would be great...

Very true points. What CGC could / should do is remove the original Black Flag submitted acetate books from the census. (all three series x 10 copies each...30 total books) Make it so they can't be added to a registry. IF searched it can bring up a special message about resubmitting for the 'corrected' (Qualified) label or Signature Series Qualified label.

Unless the blue labels are recalled (and removed from the census / registry) they will now demand a higher premium with this news. Marvel controversy + CGC controversy + scarcity = $$$ My question is - When will CGC learn from their mistakes and hire a PR / Marketing director that handles these very specific vendor related issues (Bad Idea & Black Flag)?

Saw this posted online today. https://bleedingcool.com/tv/the-sandman-gaiman-on-season-2-not-being-a-given-midsummer-promise/

This. I have to rely on critic (hopefully non-spoiler) reviews to see if it is appropriate / family friendly. Think Disney / Marvel should think about how children between 5-10 love superheroes but feel they are missing out on some piece of the MCU story / puzzle.

Just finished episode 7. The visual production value is there, but it's shot like a typical British TV show. Either close-ups or medium shots. Honestly, the show should have presented full screen then transition to widescreen for 'set pieces' scenes. The reason I am jumping on now is because in Episode 7 there is a quick blunder many will miss. Cars in Florida do not utilize / require front license plates. It's only one scene but shows that the production team was not 'on point'.

Marvel's The Avengers #1 signed by Robert Downey Jr - Top 10 Book Purchased via eBay in 2022. So...after Avengers: Endgame, I felt it was important to get a Robert Downey Jr Signature Series book. I began searching eBay every morning and night. Scouring sites. Sending messages to people that had posted their copies online. No luck. Then in 2021 CGC announced a RDJ signing event. Well...I was caught off guard...I didn't expect that. Otherwise I would have stocked up on 9.8 graded photo covers in anticipation. Unfortunately, I was late to receive the email and those 9.8s that had previously languished in my search results for 'CGC downey' were scooped up. With the total cost of the signing being what it was I did not want to take the chance sending a raw copy and receiving anything less than a 9.6 So, I waited for those that did submit books to get them back and post them on eBay. It was a daily search again once the deadline passed. More than once I reached out to CGC about the status of the signing so I could determine a rough timeline for the books to be available. Then one night two books popped up. I made an offer on one and didn't hear back until the morning. The entire night I refreshed the listing hoping no one hit Buy It Now. In the morning the seller sent a counteroffer that I agreed with. That's it.

now...if they could put some attention over to magazines that would great...

Purchased earlier this year...just realized I've never posted it...

Added one too. Congrats.

I've submitted over 500 books over the past 10 years. Only one has ever come back a 9.9 This was in 2012/13 or so. It was a wall book purchased from a LCS. I would swear that in the years since I have submitted comics that 'look' / 'feel' / 'lay' the same as that book and should have graded as a 9.9

As the board member that researched each label ID to provide the grades 'issued' aka 'given' to Black Flag it disturbs me that CGC has retroactively changed the verbiage on those books. Especially as the initial 30 books (10 / 10 / 10) were no longer in their possession. https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/511154-c2e2-variant-drama/?do=findComment&comment=12458838

So, I've never used Whatnot but I am looking forward to asking Jim Lee (as *current* publisher and CCO of DC Comics) his opinion on how he would have addressed the acetate issue. Specifically, whether he agrees with Marvel or not.

I've got two books tied for lowest grade in my personal collection... Amazing Spider-Man #1 Chamber of Chills #19 The story about my ASM #1 here: https://boards.cgccomics.com/blogs/entry/5287-2022-top-50-aka-my-current-personal-collection/?do=findComment&comment=6120

Exactly. These aren't investments so any price gain is wonderful. That being said, majority of the books in my personal collection were purchased pre 2020 / 21 run up. True. Just thought the upward trend would hold longer. Especially with the positive reviews so far. It's not like mine is leaving my collection nor will it ever fall below my purchase price.