MadGenius

I have one of these coming back from CGC - just shipped today. Haven't checked the grade yet, but I expect it to be at least 9.6 - possibly 9.8. I'll likely put it up for sale once I receive it, so let me know if you're interested.

I didn't win that auction, but I bought one of those on eBay a couple days later. I missed the presale, so that was the only way for me to get a G-Rod signed key. Worth every penny IMHO.

Eventually, I did... After I questioned it they sent me the "correct" item which ended up being the Negative Variant. After a lot of back-and-forth they gave me a full refund and let me keep the books. It took about 2 weeks to resolve though.

You may also notice that Dynamic Forces offers a special edition of Locke & Key #1 with black and white interior that is limited to 1,000 copies. I originally thought this was another variant until I ordered a couple. It's really the Locke & Key Dynamic Forces variant that everyone has with the color interior. DF has the wrong info on the website. They confirmed this when I asked about it and it hasn't been changed.

Those keys are pretty awesome. March is almost over...Shadow Key time soon? I hope so.

After I quit my CGC focus of Grimm Fairy Tales at #26, it was either gonna be The Walking Dead or Locke & Key. Mouse Guard and Kick- were contenders. Walking Dead was at #33 and L&K just got started, so I went for broke on Locke & Key to build a kind of Registry Set focus no one has seen before. As the series, wraps up possibly next June. I often wonder what my next set focus will be that will define me. So, I ask others too. I would hate to do a mainstream title too, with all the reboots, newsstand variants, etc. You are definitely the king of L&K registry sets. As long as you keep it up, your set is probably untouchable. I'm happy with my #3 position on the L&K registry, but I'm gunning for #1 on Umbrella Academy. I think I can get there soon.

Locke & Key and Umbrella are it for me. Putting these graded sets together has become somewhat of an obsession and I don't want to commit to another title anytime soon. Never say never though. If I do put together another set it will be something similar: independent comic with a short, finite run. As much as I love mainstream Marvel and DC books, putting together a graded run of a series that goes on forever would be a nightmare for me.

Nope. CGC will not acknowledge "previews" as first appearances and I agree with them. These were just advertisements anyway and shouldn't be bought for a premium. I only like them because of the hoopla Capes #1 and Agents #6 is bringing to The Walking Dead title and felt my shortbox needed a couple previews too. Add on the spelling error that was corrected and it feels like they belong more as a rareity. Doc Who #2 came out Jan. 4, 2008(before the internet preview)and Cory #4 came out a week later. It ties with Dominatrix #6 with a L&K preview, but they didn't yield any 9.8 copies due to severe cover scuffing on back. I personally don't think previews should count as 1st appearances either, but I know there are precedents. DC Comics Presents #26 comes to mind which contained a preview of New Teen Titans #1 and is widely considered to be the 1st appearance of Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, etc. It'll be interesting to see how the market treats these books in the future. I agree, there becomes a question of how important the book is... Walking Dead #61(1st Chew?) and lines get blurred. Alot of collectors will probably ignore any imformation I give here and pick the standard #1 books sellers provide(Speed Racer- the 11th preview of L&K or Doctor Who #1-which came a week later after L&K #1 2/20/08) figuring #1's are what people want. I should add I hunted for 9.8 versions of Doctor Who Classics #2 for almost three years. These books were mistreated from get go, and most weren't bagged & boarded. I have bought well over 15-20 over the years, looking for one or two. People really gave up after Doctor Who Classics #1, I guess. Cory Doctorow's #4 appealed to me because it came in second, had "doctor" in it's name like the previous grail Doctor Who Classics, had the spelling issue and had the lowest print run of any IDW book. This is a lot of closure for the beginning of my set as I don't have to worry about hunting for them or paying through the nose too. At one point, I would have paid $200 for both Doc Who books(I'm an old school Doc Who fan-raised on Tom Baker). It was a sign to collect these books as I used to collect Doc Who stuff when I was a kid. Cheryl will tell you. Circa: 1986 Always nice to get closure on a run. I can see the finish line for my L&K and UA sets, but I still have a ways to go. Seems like certain issues are more predisposed to flaws than others.

Nope. CGC will not acknowledge "previews" as first appearances and I agree with them. These were just advertisements anyway and shouldn't be bought for a premium. I only like them because of the hoopla Capes #1 and Agents #6 is bringing to The Walking Dead title and felt my shortbox needed a couple previews too. Add on the spelling error that was corrected and it feels like they belong more as a rareity. Doc Who #2 came out Jan. 4, 2008(before the internet preview)and Cory #4 came out a week later. It ties with Dominatrix #6 with a L&K preview, but they didn't yield any 9.8 copies due to severe cover scuffing on back. I personally don't think previews should count as 1st appearances either, but I know there are precedents. DC Comics Presents #26 comes to mind which contained a preview of New Teen Titans #1 and is widely considered to be the 1st appearance of Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, etc. It'll be interesting to see how the market treats these books in the future.

Nice! Does CGC acknowledge these as the official 1st appearance of Locke & Key? If so, is the Doctor Who Classics or the Futuristic Tales considered the true 1st appearance, or did both books ship the same week?

That comic was included with the IDW First 10 Years Hardcover. There's only 1 of those comics listed on eBay right now and it's listed at $90. You're better off just purchasing the Hardcover which you can get for $50-60. Ding-Ding. Yes, they come in an inner cardboard pouch with the hardcovers. Out of the seven sets, I bought most were damaged. I only got two as 9.6 worthy and CGC grade one as a 9.6 . My friend Cher got one 9.8 with hers. They come scratched, spinal stressed up, dinged, and finger dented. Their condition is highly unusual for IDW books. I gave away all my IDW sets to friends afterwards to get them interested in the title, so it wasn't a toal loss. Yep, that's how i just bought mine ... right off of Amazon, $52 brand new. I'll be curious to see the book and it's condition in the inner sleeve... besides, the seller of that $90 seems a bit dubious since his other items are all very hard to find books and his feedback score is very old. I would be skeptical of that seller as well. No feedback since 2007. Really? And the most recent one is negative for not delivering the item.

That comic was included with the IDW First 10 Years Hardcover. There's only 1 of those comics listed on eBay right now and it's listed at $90. You're better off just purchasing the Hardcover which you can get for $50-60. Ding-Ding. Yes, they come in an inner cardboard pouch with the hardcovers. Out of the seven sets, I bought most were damaged. I only got two as 9.6 worthy and CGC grade one as a 9.6 . My friend Cher got one 9.8 with hers. They come scratched, spinal stressed up, dinged, and finger dented. Their condition is highly unusual for IDW books. I gave away all my IDW sets to friends afterwards to get them interested in the title, so it wasn't a toal loss. Yep, that's how i just bought mine ... right off of Amazon, $52 brand new. I'll be curious to see the book and it's condition in the inner sleeve... besides, the seller of that $90 seems a bit dubious since his other items are all very hard to find books and his feedback score is very old. I got my copy of the book about a month ago with the IDW HC. It's at CGC as we speak. I considered it a borderline 9.6/9.8, so it'll be interesting to see what the final verdict is.

That comic was included with the IDW First 10 Years Hardcover. There's only 1 of those comics listed on eBay right now and it's listed at $90. You're better off just purchasing the Hardcover which you can get for $50-60.

I do my preorders through DCBS, so I wonder if they'll have it available. They're usually pretty good about offering variants.

Based on the solicitation info, it looks like IDW is releasing signed variants of Clockworks #1 (just like Welcome to Lovecraft #1, Head Games #1, and Keys to the Kingdom #1). Does anyone preorder these? I'd much rather preorder a copy than have to find one post release.

I would hope that everyone here reads the story... The last issue was great. I would assume the final issue will be shipping around the first week of April. Can't wait.

Well, so far so good. I'm a lot higher than i wanted to be and have hit a mark where i prolly won't go any further ... but, you only live once - right? Totally worth the price if it ends up being a 9.8. I've won a few IDW auctions and the condition is hit or miss. Could be anywhere from a 9.2 to a 9.8/9.9.

I snagged a copy online for $20 about 2 months ago. That seems like a really good deal right about now.

I'm eagerly anticipating ordering a Shadow Key along with a few others I've missed. Crossing my fingers the store opens up soon.