troydivision1

I get the semantics of disliking what we believed (belief systems being one of the hardest things to change / discuss with a person as everyone's beliefs are different) to be our favorite characters changing in the Disney era. Personally, what I think is worse than classic character portrayals is that in the sequel trilogy was the 'shrinking' of John Boyega on the Chinese poster and the quick scene of the couple embracing being removed in foreign markets. (both of which Disney could have said no to)

According to an article / interpretation by Bleeding Cool the Spartan Helmet group is meant to refer to a group / business called Molon Labe. https://bleedingcool.com/comics/marvel-vs-molon-labe-over-punisher-skull-trademark/

This is sarcasm but was an impetus to my topic. On Monday, whilst walking the dog, a new person was moving into my complex. They were unloading their pick-up truck and had a Punisher decal. Then a decal of two guns crossing each other underneath the Punisher decal. (yes, this is the South) Preface, I am a mess talker but only to friends and family. I turned to my partner and lamented quietly that I do not have the appearance or stature to ask a random person - "Whoa? You collect comics? I love the Punisher too. Which is your favorite cover?"

Yep. Disclaimer: the following is opinion / conjecture on my part They chose to 'Let It Go' (pun intended) UNTIL it got too hot to handle. Then they benched The Punisher until they figured out (by corporate committee) a way to have him come back... "I got it! Let's give him a dragon skull logo! People loved Game of Thrones!" SPOON...they may have done this new logo just to get a rise out of comic fans for the eventual All-New Punisher #1 where the skull comes back with a new design that is trademarked properly.

Saved you a google. /s https://tootsie.com/howmanylick-experiments

I will submit one counter argument to great keys dropping in value. The fact that high dollar assets can be used as collateral for loans / satisfy margin calls. Won't get into the entire discussion of money laundering in the fine arts or housing market. (But you can draw your own conclusions around the comic book OA market...)

This is a great point. My little guy (5YO) loves comic related stuff. BUT is limited to getting $1 (reprint) comics. Because it is in no way feasible for me to introduce him to a story / character at $3.99 per issue. There have been one-offs where I have relented because he loved the cover / interior art BUT 95% of the time it is reprints. Oh, let me take this opportunity to say F U Marvel and DC for your full price 'facsimile' books.

Honestly, I feel like in the end of this story he should just end up with no logo because the new one is ugly. I wonder how Disney / Marvel feels because they will lose out on a potential merchandising revenue stream. AND I am positive they did this because their plethora of attorneys / PR consultants have told them it isn't worth stoking the fires by filing suit against those creating unlicensed goods based on the original skull image...

This is SO funny. I now wonder if DC / James Gunn was trolling Marvel before the release of the new Punisher series. And yes, it is ironic. No spoilers for those that haven't seen Peacemaker.

Preface: As always, please do not introduce politics... After reading today's Punisher #1 (first series since November 2020) and seeing his new 'logo' I got to wondering why was it changed / retired. They did a 'good' job in-story to show why he has the new one, but is it more than that? Did Disney / Marvel dictate the change? Do you think he will eventually go back to the old one? Should he? Marvel has trademarked the new logo as follows: "The mark consists of a stylized design of a human skull with a horn design crossing the skull and extending upward from each side of the skull, with curved, pointed tusks extending from and away from each side of the jaw area." while the sign in the areas "Bones, human ; Human skeletons, parts of skeletons, bones, skulls ; Skulls, human" and "Devils ; Horns, persons having" and trademarking it for everything under the sun, including for this festive time of year, "paper party favors; paper party hats; Christmas stockings; Christmas tree ornaments and decorations; snow globes" Writer Jason Aaron says: "So many different groups have tried to appropriate the Punisher's symbol and write their own story of what that symbol means, to match whatever their agenda. But they don't get to define the story of this character. And it's the character of Frank Castle that I'm interested in. His story has always been a dark and twisted tragedy, about a man consumed by war, for better or worse, no matter what sort of shirt he wears. And that's exactly the kind of story we're telling here." source: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/the-punisher-gets-a-new-devil-skull-logo-for-2022/

If I submit the book myself I hope for a 9.8 but am happy with whatever grade it is. If I am buying the book (copper or modern) for myself I'll aim for a 9.6 as I don't believe the 2.5x-5x price increase is warranted. If the book is anything other than copper or modern I aim for best presenting in the $ amount I want to spend. Could be .5 or 1.8 or 5.0...whatever works in the amount I am comfortable with. The reason is - as dollar values for 9.8s increase so will the amounts for lower grades.

(my bad...should have read the entire post and used the expression "Good points"...) I don't believe CGC (or any facilitator) has ever expressly guaranteed a grade will remain the same for any signing / reholder. Perhaps CGC's official verbiage has been refined / updated throughout the years to expressly state that they DO NOT guarantee same grades? Which could leave some to believe that there was a likelihood that the grade will stay the same as it was never expressly stated... Perhaps new warnings were created ala "don't iron clothes while wearing" after much feedback from customers? I don't know.

All true points, but below is a direct quote from the literal first post opening this thread in 2007. Please review rules 1 and 2.

Noticed Batman #609 is moving briskly on eBay. Wonder what a 608 RRP (not foil) will pop for now... (btw...I hope to see finally the movie sometime this weekend...so...no spoilers please)

Yep...seems like the issue that happened a week or two ago is back...

Great looking books and signatures. But neither book meets the criteria for inclusion here as there are (209) UXM 9.8 SS #221s and (106) XF 9.8 SS #6s. Unsure of the self promotion aspect of it all...might be okay... But I feel that it best belongs in this thread... https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/19-comics-market-sales-advertising-ebay-dealers-etc/

Batman #404 signed by Frank Miller Purchased already signed / graded in 2021. I'd initially 'read' / 'discovered' this series whilst in high school when I was gifted The Complete Frank Miller leather bound hard cover (along with a copy of The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told) for my birthday. I am happy I did not 'rediscover' this story until I was an adult. The writing / artwork is top notch and was not appreciated by me fully when it was originally released whilst I was in high school. Now...if only Mazzucchelli would do a SS opportunity. (I am really tempted to eventually buy a gold and green label if it never happens though...)

That's a fantastic point that I never thought about. How do they determine FMV if an item is one-of-a-kind? Has anyone on these boards had to file a claim for a collectible like that before?

Those pages are...chef's kiss... Thank you for sharing your grail(s), their connection to you, and how you felt after getting them.

Two weeks ago, after some back and forth with CGC reps, I found out two books from my recent modern slow boat were going to be processed as magazines because they did not fit into the prefabricated modern inner wells. (there is a copy of these two books posted on these boards in a modern holder with in-house sealed inner well) This decision was made without any communication to me. The kick in the teeth is that this decision was made during encapsulation and since they had to shift over to magazines, according to the CS rep...the countdown clock is beginning again at 255 days. After already having been there 84 business days... AND I could not choose to expedite the process. (again, no communication was given to me before they made their decision) That's something that needs to be figured the flip out.

That is an amazing book! Thank you so much for sharing it and how it made you feel afterward.

Looks like it is 2011 all over again and...The Sixth Gun #1 is back on the menu... edit: I kept my dual SS 9.8 too long and missed the hypetrain (pun intended)...well just goes to show you...eventually things will come around 11 years later...

I know the term 'grail' is debatable and stirs up contention amongst collectors, so please bear with me. In collecting my thoughts about my personal collection (link near the bottom) I realized I was going to eventually write about a book that I consider a 'unicorn' grail. I decided on / used this term because the item in question is one I dreamed / wished about owning for more than 20 years before it happened. What do I consider a 'unicorn' grail? Something that you want / dream about / desire more than anything else BUT it may never actually happen. It doesn't come down to just having the money to buy it, but also 'the stars aligning'. The main point of the eventual post will be about how acquiring a long desired book affected my relationship with collecting comics / life afterward. (spoiler alert: it would lead me to become disenchanted with / uninterested in comics and not being able to feel 'joy' in life for quite some time) So, my question is: If you have ever acquired a 'unicorn' grail I was wondering if you would share what it is and how it affected your relationship with collecting? Thank you in advance. Disclaimers: This post is not meant to disparage anyone's 'grail' that some may consider 'common'. This post is not meant to admonish anyone that utilizes the term 'grail' liberally. Words and meanings, like gender, are fluid. 'Unicorn' grail in question:

I second Poekaymon's breakdown. I also track my books once a month and run into a similar issue (pun intended) in that I have a handful of books that don't pop up at all. (except for one listed on eBay BUT at a ridiculous asking price) For those, I plug in the prices I paid (some going back 5 years) and just keep going. This ignores the entire market's growth during those years though... It is actually difficult because replacing some of these 'whales' / 'ghosts' would be nearly impossible and I would love to know their FMV; just for my personal knowledge.