Mike's Rack

Mea Culpa - moved to proper forum: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=5965340#Post5965340

I agree with this, it is a problem for moderns across the board. Even $4 for more like 7 minutes is a bit steep as entertainment goes.

the 9.9 PGX for 55 dollars, was a mega deal. Whoever bought it yesterday is lucky they ALSO didnt ship to Canada, or all you would have saw was a sold sign. I don't know, $55 for a CGC 9.6 sounds like a bit much

Good story, solid art, released same week as WD 100 so some speculators missed out, several boardies went all in and are pimping, several others don't see the reason for any special attention and predict the apocalypse will be preceded by a run up in prices on Revival #1 followed by a sudden crash, some say the crash has already happened and we don't know it yet. Many have placed their faith in Revival as the new Chew or Walking Dead, many others see it as a 27 or Skull Kickers. Several pages of posts have been deleted and most agree that less is more. This epic battle has caused an unprecedented run up in post count and multiple flame outs that have proven to be evidence both for and against either position. This thread is exactly what this forum is all about. Pick up a copy, join a side and hang on!

WTTB - you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy...

thats what someone said about thief of thieves when the person sold the slab for 75 dollars before the big blow up.. I doubt the story line will start to take a dive for the crapper, we'll see how issue three goes.. Don't get me wrong, I like the book and I think it has potential. I think $75 in the short run is a good return. The surplus will get absorbed and if the story and popularity holds up, the prices should begin to rise steadily around issue #6. At that point prices will be more stable. Unless of course an announcement comes in the meantime, then all bets are off.

+1

+1 This.

First, thanks - my previous first post was wiped out when the thread was cut, but its probably better its gone. Though my CNBC analogy was epic and very true. Second, yes I mean to people backing up the truck. Third, kudos to that. I think it has a greater writer, and its a good story, and its on my pull list. But I am likely only going to hold one slabbed CBLDF long term. I dont like the fact that 1st prints raw have stalled, and 9.8s have fallen. variants and multiple prints cant hold a book long term, if interest in the first print isnt strong, imo. Friday used to be my favorite day of the week. Now...

"She watched on while the robot reached back and gently caressed his head as he held it in a gentle embrace and prepared to ..."

. If they are all 9.8, I would send the vast majority to be prescreened and graded. At least the semi keys - 1, 48, 53, 61, 63 image expo. Depending on what you have in them, you should be able to clear the slabbing fees easily and most of the early common issues command $75-$100 in 9.8.

How's their grading? As far as stupid, a lot of online shops use this type of system, they just show it to you. Sounds smart to me from a business perspective.

I prefer that they use plastic wrap to seal a piece of cardboard to each side of the book b/c some jerks (who are angry that I made a request about how the book is shipped) will use so much tape that I've had to cut comics out of their bag with an exacto knife and when they tape too much and use an already bent piece of cardboard the comic bends where the cardboard is bent which is just as bad as damage from shifting and sometimes worse. It's a shame that we can't get people who know how to pack books or even who care enough to follow directions to Yeah, I wouldn't do this either. Four small pieces of blue painters tape work best, it holds well and peals right off.

Yup, that sounds pretty grim for a future TWD funnybook audience in the Pirate household. I haven't went out of my way to pick up a #101 yet myself. I guess I'm just sick of being dragged through the mud with this series. Sick of the brutal violence, gory deaths and lack of hope myself. I read these things to see good triumph over evil at least arc to arc, not the way Kirkman writes. This whole book has become some kind of joyless mess that doesn't really know what to do with it's main characters anymore. It gets pretty bad when I root for a Negan to show up and get things going in the right direction, but that's like enjoying watching Jason hack into campers who cannot act and annoy you. Not being a Friday The 13th fan, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna take a break from this floppy too. Which is no big deal, it's only $3 anyway. But thats the appeal of the book. It isnt about the good guys always winning. Its about surviving. Living another day. Thats winning in this book. I get the survival thing, but... There really has been no "good guy" situations in this book since issue #48. But hey, that's just my opinion. I no longer want to purchase this product anymore. Over 50 issues later and nuthin' major to talk about other than "beloved" character's mishaps or deaths. I did enjoy the end of "The Hunters" arc. But I think the problem is that #48 was the climax of such a great story that if it were to have ended there, that would have been ok. Topping the "What the heck" moment from 48 is darn near impossible...maybe Carl turning into Nick Fury was close. It's like getting to have sex with Kate Upton. After that, sure, other sex is good, but nothing could compare to what you've already had. Makes you wonder if this thing wasn't creator owned would Bob Kirkman still be writing it. Yes, I didn't mind the winding down issues after #48, Michonne returning, meeting some more folks (Abraham, Eugene, Rosita etc), some action, but really the writing has felt that way all the way up to #100. This thread was started around issue #54 and the majority of it has been reliving the excitement of issues before it. That's the problem with killing off characters - you have to build new ones in order to create drama. As the core are killed off, I have not connected to the new characters, I think part of the problem is I can't always tell them apart. I liked Abraham a bit but his death was anti climactic. I'm still on-board but my patience is beginning to wane. Its almost as if Kirkman is trying so hard to avoid being predictable and derivative that all drama is lost and it becomes predictable. I think some origin one shots would be nice so we can get to know some of the characters so it actually means something when they die or when they prevail.

wow the figures are already out.. thanks speedmaster. thats a a pretty decent print run. Hope demand stays to where its at. hope this does not turn into a bust like kirkman's hardcore # 1. Hardcore #1 was a one-shot so that was always a long shot. Take a look at the thread where Larry posted his criteria when looking at moderns (I think it was the moderns heating up on Ebay). As "eccentric" (to put it diplomatically) as Larry is his criteria are good rules of thumb. There are a couple that I would tweak, remove or add to but overall not bad pointers. The truth is that there are books that will perform, the trick is finding them. I don't think anyone is 100% but knowing the signs can help avoid some bad purchases. Generally, like Branget alluded to, it's more important what you don't buy than what you buy. Revival has potential, but at this point it is just potential. I like the story, it's an ongoing, good creative team, moderate print run, internet buzz, it has more going for it than most books. In the long run, if it is a quality story, and releases on time, it will do well. I'm sure there will be a price dip when all the graded #1's hit the market, that is to be expected, however, once they are absorbed, if the book is still popular, it will pick up.

A lot of 9.9's comming back from SDCC on site grading...

I like the thrill of the hunt on the later prints of some over printed modern books, many of the first prints are so plentiful that they are not worth the space they take up. Walking dead excluded of course.

I don't think WD 100 2nd prints are flying under anyone's radar: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/25/walking-dead-101-and-avengers-vs-x-men-10-top-reorder-charts/

Nice copy of a tough book! Mine's a grade or two lower.

I agree I liked the story. I don't see it as a zombie book. I know the dead rise, but this is not the typical zombie storyline. I didn't predict the ending I thought it was a nice twist.

Good point. Too often people focus on margin but don't consider transaction costs. If you stock up on the regular covers do you plan to get them graded? It's easier and cheaper to get one book graded than 20 and any flat transaction fees will be multiplied by 20. It takes more time to list and sell 20 books and time is money. It may still be better in the long run to get the 20 but this must factor into the calculation. Full disclosure, I bought several cover A's and one CBLDF graded 9.8. It looks like at least 70% of my A covers will be 9.8's. Yes, time IS money, nobody can deny that. As with anything, there are two sides to it. Yes, moving the $500 item is "easier", but it's not "easier" to find those willing to spend $500 vs the number of people that have $25 to spare I think we are in agreement. (thumbs u

Great question. This evening I decided on the latter. I grabbed 20 copies of Cover A vs. 1 copy of the CBLDF variant. The reason is based on Saga #1s recent performance. A 9.8 Saga #1 RRP recently sold on eBay for $325. A 9.8 Saga #1 1st Print sold for around $77. I preferred to chose the 20 x possible $77 ($1540) vs. 1 x possible $325. Remember though that it will cost a lot more to grade the 20 copies. I figure about $30 per book if you go fast track for shipping and slabing. So that will be an extra $600. But the good news is that the last GPA sale for a #1 is $90. So $90 x 20 = $1800 - $600 = $1200. So the individual route is paying off, assuming that all copies grade out at 9.8.

Good point. Too often people focus on margin but don't consider transaction costs. If you stock up on the regular covers do you plan to get them graded? It's easier and cheaper to get one book graded than 20 and any flat transaction fees will be multiplied by 20. It takes more time to list and sell 20 books and time is money. It may still be better in the long run to get the 20 but this must factor into the calculation. Full disclosure, I bought several cover A's and one CBLDF graded 9.8. It looks like at least 70% of my A covers will be 9.8's.

I was just ribbing