vaillant

That’s what I was thinking –

There is not much collecting of original US editions in Italy nowadays, but yes, you are right. I found my Daredevil #111 this way, and I am sure some Copper keys are buried in "collections" here which probably will be thrown away. People used to collect original editions (not in italian) up to the mid-1990s but then the italian editions went full-swing again and so the thing stopped…

, it would take much effort for me to come to the USA once again – first and only time I made it with the perspective of meeting Jack Kirby (which I did! ). I have the X-Men #266 and the ASM #300, bought when they came out, but while I care about the #300, I wouldn’t mind having a reader of the #266 and sell my NM or so copy, that’s why I asked. I consider "Fine" a reader grade for books in these years range as they are a lot less scarcer than Silver or Bronze books. Thanks everyone for the advice!

But how does "POS" relates to the rest of the statement?

You are going to either find a cheap BIN on ebay or mannup and pay. POS ASM 300's and NM 98's sell for $50+ on ebay all day long. Thanks, but what is "POS"? "Mannup" is not so clear as well…

Well, according to the Overstreet 2012, an X-Men #266 in FN should be $12, but an ASM #300 is $27. Often these books go for more even in those grades, but surely not for $3 like someone said. So, where can reader copies of sought after Copper Marvel books can be found if you can’t browse dollar bin boxes (since you are overseas )? I ask because there are some I’d like to have (like New Mutants #98, to complete my New Mutants collection) but not willing to pay much for them.

Hmm… Wisdom is not necessarily depending upon high intellectual skills.

So escalating that I stopped buying it, very likely with issue #94. Seriously, New Mutants in the #50s and #60s were, both artistically and storytelling wise, a lot better than the last ten issues of the series. X-Force… no please.

Re: X-Men #266. Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably right that the book was often bagged and boarded at the time it came out by collectors, but there are also readers out there. I myself have just had it bagged (no board) for about 20 years and it’s probably a NM+. What I meant is: if I want a reader copy, say, in the $10 range, I can’t seem to find but VF copies or so for $40+

This is right, but some early issues (before Gene Colan) were weak. Also, I still hold the opinion that Frank Miller took too many liberties with the character. I think I have never liked his Daredevil in full. I love the Steve Gerber run, which sooner or later I will complete. My opinion about Bendis is that he is not a Marvel comics writer. He happens to write Marvel comics, because he’s OK to the current management, but they feel like being written by someone which does not care at all about the character. Same goes for Hickman and Fraction. Brubaker, may be, I have read some Captain America recently but really watered down, while I have heard great praises for Mark Waid on Daredevil. I disliked the brief Waid run on the FF (my favorite series) but it seems he brought back into Daredevil essential elements neglected in all the post-Miller period. I don’t even want to talk about Dan Slott, and thankfully I am not affected to Spidey to the point of feeling bad as I have been for the FF with all the recent writers.

Out of curiosity, why X-Men #266 seems difficult to find in low grade? I understand the demand, and that higher grade copies are more desired, but why corresponding low grades aren’t much showing up around (at the appropriate prices)?

FYI, the italian edition (early 1970s):

It appears they used the same artwork for the cover of this one, the italian and the 1980s mexican edition – the Panther’s face is just half covered by the mask while in the original cover it is full covered. Wondering why…

BTW, I am not planning to sell my italian Defenders for now, but I can help you to look for issues if you need.

Browse this page (and the following) for a full list of Albi dei Super-Eroi (A.S.E.), the antology title which published the Defenders in Italy: http://atomik67.altervista.org/COMICS-EDITORI/CORNO/ASE-DOCUMENTI/ASE_Crono_1.htm Poster included with issue #1: #1 is quite common and pretty cheap, but if one wants it with the original stickers and poster which came with it it can be costly (sticker is especially rare). Here’s an ongoing auction on eBay.it: http://www.ebay.it/itm/ASE-N-1-CORNO-I-DIFENSORI-PRIMA-EDIZIONE-OTTIMO-CON-POSTER-E-IL-RARO-ADESIVO-/321246006654?pt=Fumetti_Occidentali&hash=item4acbc10d7e Last issue published in A.S.E. is Defenders #11, then Hulk and the Defenders got their own, not so long lasting (44 issues), title, "Hulk e i Difensori": Here’s a full run on sale on eBay.it: http://www.ebay.it/itm/HULK-E-I-DIFENSORI-SERIE-COMPLETA-1-44-ED-CORNO-ANNO-1975-76-OTTIMO-/380449232843 After that, a short lived Defenders series was published. I picked a number of those at the newsstand when I was a kid, and have a strong affection to the last issues (15 in total, up to Defenders #59), especially the last one: After this issue, the publisher was doing badly, and cancelled the title. I remained in a suspended state of anguish, as I truly believed Dr. Strange was dead. Great stuff.

To what, specifically?

Thanks Leon, Robert already got the books and I’ll be glad to reciprocate for the great transaction. In fact, it varies from country to country: before I started selling I thought shipping from Italy would have been a nightmare, but then I bought a scale and saw it’s very easy, also because forms have to be compiled only if shipping in certain ways, and Priority does not require them.

These are pure gold, pumpkin! I understand the worry about getting bronze which could get expensive, especially if you mean to read runs and cover various titles, like I do, but the first hundred FFs should become a priority. I overpaid a bit on the CGC 9.0, but I am glad about it, as it’s my favorite issue and I wish to keep two copies. Only thing, I hate the idea that slabbed comics lose a bit in value if deslabbed: honestly, I don’t know what to do with slabs, I need to break the books out!

Also, just picked this one (signed by Joe Sinnott) from Dr. Balls. Would have loved to find a high grade copy of this one, but loved the Sinnott signature: hey, Joe actually touched this comic!

You did right, as it is an awesome issue – my favorite one so far! (thumbs u My copy is this one in VF range, but I also have a slabbed 9.0 whose cover paper is a bit whiter but which I like less because colors on the VF are great (picture is a bit overexposed – was the seller's photo):

This also goes for inside pages – it is always worth to look for whiter pages, as the artwork really stands out as it should. (thumbs u

Awesome! Found one on Amazon! Thank you for the heads up! In the story there is the young Mordo as well… I’m always surprised when you find italian books on Amazon.com – if they are from US sellers they are often overpriced but I see there is a used copy from Deastore. Anyway, if you need something from Italy let me know (we never had a Dr. Strange title, as it was published as a backup feature, but there is a short run of Defenders).

@cmixer: Love these Hulks, among my early Marvel readings (in italian) and great stories! Where the Marvel Bronze Age (more or less) begins: I just received this, thanks to Wayne (marvelcollector), who gave me a great deal (has some staining but nothing at all, I’m just happy to have it!).

@wdb23: Do you have the one below? It’s a hardcover "What If" type single story produced by two italian authors (one is a Disney comics author as well). I have not read it (and don’t like it) although I am a big Dr. Strange fan, but since you are a completist I thought it may interest you (it‘s unpublished in USA).