Westy Steve

Doesn't it work the other way too? Back in the day, I remember looking for Direct Editions because most books were news stand versions and there were few Direct Editions available.

Did you see the movie War Games? It's kind of like that.

I think buying moderns as an "investment" is VERY similar to buying lottery tickets as an "investment". On average, they are worth less than you pay (neglecting the entertainment value), but once in a while, just like a lottery ticket, you get a winner that won't quite win you enough to justify your ticket-scratching habit. So from an investment standpoint, buying new books isn't a great idea, but then again, there is no profit in eating a fine meal, or going to the movies or generally doing something that makes your life worth living. Buy new books, but buy them because you like them. The reality is that the best new books will give you a better than average return anyway. All that being said, you can split the difference. There are comics that came out years ago, dropped in value to practically nothing, bottomed out, and are now on the way up. Yet you can still buy runs, or near complete runs for less than the cost of modern books. I can't see the point of reading the new Iron Fist comics when I haven't read the old ones yet, and the few I did read were really good. I'd rather have those old ones...they can only go up from here and I can find nice ones cheap enough. Oh, and with the money I save buying those cheap classics, I can buy a real investment book here and there.

You can get a fairly nice ASM #39 for that. Such an iconic cover.

I try to bring one of my kids. And make them wear a backpack. Works pretty well, but then I have to feed them. FWIW, a rigid, wooden, cigar box works great for my unslabbed stuff.

Scrooge, Can't thank you enough! You're the kind of person that makes this site great. Gotta say, that second issue is pretty cool. I've never even seen one. I was thinking the other day that Marvel #1 used to be right up there with Action #1, and now you hardly hear about it anymore. Then I was thinking with so many Marvel movies, it's surprising that I (a lowly collector in the trenches) never hear about that book. I don't have one, and will never afford one, but I was thinking it was surprising. Then I started thinking...."hey...maybe I could afford a low grade copy of one of the other early ones...comparable to an Action #2 or Action #3). Then I realized I had no idea what those were. Thanks again! Steve

I realized I don't know the answer to this. What was the second Marvel Comic? And the third? How did it all progress?

I'm very interested. But how can I know you really have that book? Can you take a picture of the book next to a newspaper so I know you really own it?

Perhaps. In the Days of Future past movie, a character emitting bright light beams helped charge up Bishop. They have a similar character on The Gifted. Haven't caught his name yet.

Tonight I was watching Days of Future Past on the DVR, and in the opening scene, when they are in the future and being decimated by Sentinels, they showed Blink, Warpath, and Sunspot in a very rapid succession. That can't be just a coincidence. Yet in the Gifted show, we know that the story is taking place after the X-Men disappeared, but clearly before the Sentinel robots were so evolved. So I have to assume that this show isn't so far in the future that it is after Days of Future Past's Dystopian future where the X-Men were killed. I think it's between. This implies that the X-men are in hiding. And Blink, Warpath and Sunspot will eventually meet up with them at some point....assuming that some master planner at Fox is keeping these time lines tidy. I believe they have to be tidy timelines...Blink, Sunspot and Warpath hanging out together in both Days of Future Past and The Gifted (at least I think these are the same characters) is just too coincidental. Of course, Days of Future Past re-wrote the future, so anything is possible now.

I had a 4.5 Giant Size X-Men 1 (my grade) go to a 7.5. The book was a perfect candidate with square corners, but a wrinkled cover and non-color breaking creases.

Thanks for the info. I had some olive oil on-hand so I tried that. It worked amazingly well.

When you wonder if you should spend your money buying something else that you want instead of the item you're buying.

Any recommendations on what to use to remove sticker residue from a slab? Don't want to melt the plastic or make it foggy. What chemicals should definitely be avoided?

Thanks. I guess I missed them, I couldn't see them prior to admission. I guess I'll be putting it up for sale...need something in the 8.0 range to fit in with the rest of my books.

Another picture

Geez, I just got the results back. I had this sent to CCS, and then graded. They gave it a 6.5. The graders notes said there were color breaking creases on the front and back. I found a couple of old pictures of the book, and I just don't see them, nor did I see them when I sent in the book. I'm stunned!

This is oddly coincidental. A few minutes ago, I got a private message from my Niece on Facebook saying she's looking for a change and wanted to know what was involved in comic book artistry. What's strange about that is that I haven't broached that topic with her for at least a couple years. Give me a hint what kind of characters you're thinking of and maybe I can get her to sketch some samples.

PM me. I have a friend who self-published a comic book. Most importantly, I have a niece who is a super talented artist. When she was 13 she did a perfect copy of Ditko's Spiderman which I keep in my Con sketch book along with greats like Infantino, Stout, Perez, etc. These days she's between gigs painting sets for plays. I've told her a million times she should try comic books.

If you're going to do that, having him sign a poster would be cool. I always thought it would be cool to get as many signatures on a Marvel Universe Poster as possible.

Depends on the type of cats they are designed for. Are these midwestern cats?

Hi, I read through your blog and you've got some nice books! I'm sort of collecting along the same lines as you, but I read all the way back to the very first blog entry here and I can't quite nail down what you're doing? What registry are you earning points in? Is the theme Adams books? How does the X-men 96 give you registry points for that? Can you straighten me out on what you're doing? Thanks!

A few years ago my daughter found a pen light that emits black light. It's a kid's toy used to read invisible ink made out of lemon juice. I find it indispensable and had her buy a couple more at her school book fair. You need a light, or lights, that will reflect light different than the normal white light spectrum. A paint or marker designed to fool the eye in normal white light might not blend well under another color light and can therefore be easily spotted. Of course you also need to try to look through the covers (sort of like using a light box) to see differences in paper thickness. And then there is the bleed through. The hardest thing to see, IMHO, are tear seals, and that's why a loupe is important.

Well, I won't be upgrading my slabbed copy of X-men 101 anytime soon. Prices have jumped and pickings are slim on the bay.

Thanks!