newshane

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think a 9.8 copy should be around $300 at best.

I've held off on this book forever because I think it's so overvalued.

Anyone else agree..or not?

Thanks to Sean and the crew at NYComics for always treating my books with care. I was nervous about cracking out the comic after Frank Miller signed it, but the book retained its grade and looks spectacular with McFarlane's signature alongside!

 

I've said it before but I'm happy to say it again - thanks to Dscott for hooking me up with the Miller signature back in the day.

 

Everyone involved with this book has been a true professional.

 

 

Great book, Todd had his personal copies of this book at Dallas. He had Frank sign them for him there!

Ahhhh....the only thing better than my book would be TODD's book double-signed.

Anyone?

Thanks to Sean and the crew at NYComics for always treating my books with care. I was nervous about cracking out the comic after Frank Miller signed it, but the book retained its grade and looks spectacular with McFarlane's signature alongside!

I've said it before but I'm happy to say it again - thanks to Dscott for hooking me up with the Miller signature back in the day.

Everyone involved with this book has been a true professional.

If my understanding is correct from the context in this thread, that $4K FMV was just pulled out of proverbial hat for the sake of CGC/picking a stated value on the form. I do believe the real value of this piece/slab (what it would fetch in the open market) is significantly >$4K. And the total out of pocket cost for the OP is in fact > $4K.

 

I bought the page from a fellow collector for $4,300 -- a good deal IMO, as it was more than $100 less than a similar example, page 3, sold for at CC auction recently.

did anyone ask if you have your collection insured with CIA or the likes?...

 

I don't have collector's insurance, no.

might be a good time for those that don't, to do

Absolutely. With collect/insure there is really no reason not to do so...the rates are cheap. I don't like buying insurance, but it's a necessary evil. If I lost all of my comics tomorrow, I would be heartbroken, but at least the value would be covered and I'd get my money back.

I wouldn't go 24 hours without having my collection insured.

I had a ups driver live down the street from me for years . I saw her go in her house at lunch with boxes than 45 min later come out with them. It did not take me long to put it togeteher. I think with all the news on Action 1 its fair to say WOW when you read the label. I do think you will get this back since you are on top of it so hard.

Why on earth was this information posted where anyone could read it??

I feel sorry for the OP, but I can't imagine shipping high-dollar items without being absolutely positive the items were insured. Yes, a literal page of history is now missing, but the money from the claim would help salve the burn.

But...this is what happens when you make assumptions about coverage or insurance. I suppose most of us have endured a pretty painful learning curve at some point, however.

Collectinsure and USPS registered mail are good places to start.

Please keep us informed.

 

I'd be curious to hear everyone's single favorite episode. No wishy-washy "Top 5": Favorite. Single. Episode.

Best episode: Genesis of the Daleks

Best doctor: Tom Baker

I will attempt to rank them:

Original Series:

1. Tom Baker

2. Peter Davison

4. Patrick Troughton

5. William Hartnell

6. Colin Baker

7. Sylvester McCoy

8. Paul McGann

Modern Series:

1. David Tennant

2. Christopher Ecclestone

3. Matt Smith

4. John Hurt

70% voted for him to be added to the list.

 

I guess someone with credibility should do so

Actually, 88% of participants voted for him to be added to the list.

70 was the number of people who voted for that.

It's going to take forever.

Modern fast track received June 20th and have yet to be verified.

They are probably doing more re-holdering these days than grading.

Got this bad boy back today! Thanks to dscott!

This was the 4th best copy from Klaus Janson's personal collection! Signed by Janson and Frank Miller. Sorry about the ugly scan, but the Mylar on the new slab is really krinkled. None of my other ones are that bad.

It's important to note that munkalunk has been informed about the nomination via PM and has read the PM. He's offered no further defense or follow-up besides what was captured in the original thread.

I'm in full support of following the rules and the discussion period.

In my original post, I apologized in advance for flubbing any protocols regarding HoS nomination.

I am sorry for being foolish enough to glaze over the rules for induction before posting. I hate to be "that guy" but in this instance I am.

I was mainly in a hurry to let people know about the scam so they wouldn't fall victim to it.

Forgive me.

I just want the other customers to find out and pursue options with the seller. They deserve a refund just as much as I did.

I'm all in favor of the rules, waiting, whatever. I don't think it will really impact the guy if he is placed on the HoS because he never really did business here under that account, but at least there will be some discussion about the situation and enough information for board members to decide whether or not to do business with him.

One other thing to brace yourself for is the debate as to whether the offender is bad enough to deserve the HoS. Some have a very high threshold for what is HoS worthy.

 

I am fine with whatever the board decides to do as a community. It is my hope they would choose to protect themselves and those around them from falling prey to the fraudulent scheme.

 

You are correct about the technicality involved since I did get a complete refund.

 

My nomination is designed to allow people to make their own informed decision.

 

In the end, it is my hope that his other customers are made whole again.

 

 

Do you know if any other Boardies did business with him?

Unfortunately, there is no way for me to determine how to contact his other eBay victims. I can see which items were sold and for how much, but everyone's ID is partially blocked/scrambled for privacy.

I wish I knew how to contact them. They deserve their refunds as much as I did.

His ID is about 2 years old, and his post count is only 7. Doesn't look like a shill account because it's so similar to his eBay ID. I don't know if anyone has done business with him or not.

One other thing to brace yourself for is the debate as to whether the offender is bad enough to deserve the HoS. Some have a very high threshold for what is HoS worthy.

I am fine with whatever the board decides to do as a community. It is my hope they would choose to protect themselves and those around them from falling prey to the fraudulent scheme.

You are correct about the technicality involved since I did get a complete refund.

My nomination is designed to allow people to make their own informed decision.

In the end, it is my hope that his other customers are made whole again.

So is the poll even valid at this point? Didn't we have another situation where we had to do the poll a number of times?

 

I think so too, but I cannot remember exactly. It is customary also isn't it to post a notice of the poll with a link in CG?

 

The poll has been linked from within a thread in CG.

 

That could get lost in the thread no? And newcomers to the topic might miss it.

Okay. I just posted a new thread in CG.

So is the poll even valid at this point? Didn't we have another situation where we had to do the poll a number of times?

 

I think so too, but I cannot remember exactly. It is customary also isn't it to post a notice of the poll with a link in CG?

The poll has been linked from within a thread in CG.

The HoS is not the same as a ban, I believe a ban is the sole prerogative of management.

Sorry. I should have been more precise with my language. You are correct. Thanks for helping us keep this straight.

I do want to state for clarity that I received a full refund.

But this problem transcends our transaction.

Other people have been damaged. All I want is for them to be made whole again. And I want people to protect themselves against falling for the same scam.

This is also explicitly criminal. I just don't see how we couldn't move to ban this guy.

Can people be put on this for off board transactions?

That's what the rules say. He is a board member, even though the transaction was over eBay. He ripped off me, and I am a boardie.

I suggest blocking eBay user munkalunk228.

The board caught him selling fake double-cover comics on eBay. Then the board caught him lying about it. I was one of his victims.

It's a relatively long read, but the details are contained in the spoiler tags below.

If you wish to proceed with this you will need to send him a separate PM notifying him that you are nominating him for the HoS. Given the narrative it seems unlikely he will care to show up and answer to it, but it is a necessary procedure.

Okay. I just sent him a PM notifying him of this thread and my decision.

Not sure if the boardie who purchased one of these fakes will bring this matter up here, but I wanted anyone not reading CG to be aware of it.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9413098#Post9413098

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9414257#Post9414257

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9414340#Post9414340

I feel that it is my responsibility as a concerned member of this community to nominate munkalunk directly to the Hall of Shame for a number of egregious transgressions against the CGC community, eBay, and the hobby itself.

Summary: munkalunk, known as munkalunk228 on eBay, was recently caught selling fake double-cover comics on eBay. You can see how the drama unfolded by reading the links posted by awakeintheashes. At first, munkalunk played the victim by telling the board he purchased all of the double-cover comics from his local comic shop and was unaware that they were fakes. He is pressured by the board to identify the crooked comic shop. He refused to do. After further questioning, he finally breaks down and ADMITS that his "friend" was manufacturing the fake double-cover comics.

Here is a quick history:

1. On June 7th, I won an auction for what was listed as: SPAWN #259 DOUBLE COVER ERROR MISPRINT TODD MCFARLANE SATAN ANGELA. The winning bid was $16.27 and the shipping amount was $4.99. I immediately paid $21.26. The comic was delivered by munkalunk on June 14th.

2. I sent the comic for grading and it was received by CGC June 17th.

3. The next day, June 18th, JollyComic posted a thread about munkalunk in Comics General. You can read the discussions in the links quoted above by awakeintheashes. This is when I learned I was the victim of fraud.

4. I challenged munkalunk to make things right on the boards, but he refused to acknowledge me in the thread and I never received a PM.

5. I then contacted munkalunk228 on eBay and asked for a complete refund. At first, the seller offered a $10 refund. I won the comic for $16.27 and paid $4.99 shipping. That's a total investment of $21.26. Obviously, getting less than 50% back was not acceptable. He proceeds to blame the problem on his local comic shop.

6. I immediately respond that this isn't acceptable. I also threaten to go the authorities to report his fraudulent activity. This seems to get his attention. At this point, he very reluctantly offers to refund me, less shipping cost. According to him, this was the "right" thing.

7. Fortunately, he ends up refunding me for the $16.27 AND the $4.99 shipping charge. While this gets him off the hook for our deal, I'm still upset at the following:

A. There are other victims out there who may never learn they have purchased a fake. Something tells me that this seller will not be actively seeking out his customers to inform them of the situation. Some of his double-cover books have sold for well over $100.

B. I've already sent the book to get graded. So I'm still out on the $40 or so it takes to grade a comic. Hopefully I can call CGC first thing in the morning to cancel that order. I take ownership of that decision.

C. This guy is blaming it on his local comic shop but will not identify said shop. Deep down he knows that he has been involved in CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. We all know he won't name the shop because the shop doesn't exist. That tells me that this scumbag is manufacturing fakes and ripping people off!

D. His claims put all the comic shops within 50 miles of his address in a pretty rotten situation.

E. His eBay feedback will remain pristine because you cannot revise positive feedback. He will probably change his ID and continue to rip people off.

I guess it was only a matter of time before I got ripped off. I'm usually much more vigilant and careful about my purchases on eBay, but this was a time when I got over-excited about a relatively cheap item. I didn't even bother to look at his feedback. LESSON LEARNED.

Did I get a full refund?

Yes.

Did I email the user with news that I was nominating him?

No. It's important to note that he was very flippant when told by other members that he would probably get nominated. I'm sure he knows that his days here on the boards are over.

I believe that knowingly selling (and probably manufacturing) fake comics to unsuspecting customers is a serious breach of ethics in this hobby. I can't imagine someone being able to recover from such a thing. It is for that reason that I'm bringing this before the boards. I know nothing to do except put him directly on the HoS list. I've never had to nominate someone before, so excuse me if this is a breach of protocol, but I am here to open an official discussion and seek advice on how to protect others from this scheme.

So what shall we do?

If I need to officially nominate munkalunk to the HoS, then please consider it done.

See below for a comprehensive image of all his postings in the threads. Of course he went back and deleted some of them, but not before they were captured.

I am the seller of the books in question...and I'm here to say that I don't make or create fakes. I buy them from a local shop and list them on ebay to try and flip them....the same reason anyone sells on ebay. But due to all the slandering of me...I took all the books down from ebay cause it's not right that I get the 3rd degree for something even I am unaware of when buying these type of books. I'm sorry for any confusion regarding my listings and me as a seller. It was never my intent of starting a wave of judgment in my character.

 

Well I am no con artist by any means. I love error / misprint, double or more covered books...it just lets me know that I have been scammed and I wish to not do that to anyone else unbeknownst to me. I just don't want to be slandering for things that are out of my control. I respect CGC and the other companies for what they do in detecting fakes and labeling them as "MARRIED" on the labels. But it was never my intent to cause an uproar on ebay or the CGC chat boards.

 

I buy them from the shop (usually sold for between 50 to 150) and they are error books and I try sell them in hopes of making either my money back or more. But the guy usual cuts me a deal on the books cause that's what I buy from him the most. But now that I realize that these are possible fakes it's not in my consciousness to continue selling these type of books much less buy them anymore.

 

The dealer is a friend of mine (or he was now). But the shop is a local hot spot around here I can't put him or the shop on blast like that. Just know that I'm not going to be shopping there anymore and your minds should be put at ease.

 

I told you I'm not going to put the shop on blast.

 

I see everybody is still talking about this mess.

 

You want the truth well here it is...my friend makes the books. I didn't know he makes them until I asked him earlier. But I figured I could make a little off them by selling them on ebay not knowing they were fakes.

 

But after getting questioned about them over and over and taking them down...canceling bids and every other thing to do...but it still looks like I get the 3rd degree mess ( you adonis by the way)

 

I don't want to have anything further to do with this mess. But ALL of you are still riding my about it and I guess that makes yall feel good about it.

 

I can give 2 if I get banned....

 

CGC has given me nothing but problems for the last 2 years. And if you know how this plays out then yall have no life cause apparently yall stalk these chat rooms for tidbit wildly_fanciful_statement ohhh wait "kindergarten" wildly_fanciful_statement.

 

And I dont know why yall think im new here...been here 2 years....i just dont ever remember my password for this cause i actual have a life outside of the cyberworld.

 

Thanks to dscott for nabbing this for me back at ECCC. First one I've seen of its kind. Really nice! He always handles my books with the greatest care.

That is AMAZING Rich! Wow!

Thanks so much for the write-up on the chaos over at the Spawn desks! Very informative and answered a lot of questions I had. Excellent read, as usual!

I think the problem is that Todd is afraid to let go. If I recall correctly, I remember reading in a letter's section that he was more or less shocked at what David Hine and Brian Holguin were doing with the series. He DID let go at that point for a few years, but he couldn't stay away. I think he kind of regretted walking away, and by that time the canon was so convoluted that it was difficult for him to get it back.

It also seems like he has a hard time keeping his fingers out of the plotlines, even when other writers are steering the ship.

Let's not forget, he was so tepid about his own writing abilities that he used a pseudonym (Will Carlton) when writing some of the early Kudranksi run!

Spawn has so much potential. Just needs the right, hard-hitting talent in the writing department. Talent. Consistency. Long-term strategy. Coherence.

And let's have a war to decide if Spawn will be a superhero character aimed at pre-teens and teens, or is it going to be the dark and depressing horror/drama that it's long tried to be?

I like McFarlane's general approach with the movie -script, keeping it dark and mysterious and r-rated, but who knows what the ultimate quality will be?

Just imagine what the right movie team/budget could do.