Wall-Crawler

Last CGC sub of 2017 made it back to me on Friday morning . All books are from 1948. The Adventure Comics is the highest graded Canadian Edition on the census. The Marvel Family and Junior Miss are the sole Canadian copies on the census. Poor Superman is at the bottom, 4th and lowest graded Canadian Edition but I still like it. I purchased these raw along with several other books from a "walk in" at a local show I was set up at.

A little light this year for "personal books" stuck strictly to my focus and staying on course. Honourable mention:

PSA: The New STAR WARS Trilogy Is Being Made Up As They Go, There's No "Marvel Master Plan" https://www.comicbookmovie.com/sci-fi/star_wars/psa-the-new-star-wars-trilogy-is-being-made-up-as-they-go-theres-no-marvel-master-plan-a156493

CGC was in overdrive before Christmas...These arrived this morning. The Adventure Comics is the highest graded Canadian Edition on the census and the Marvel Family and the Junior Miss are currently the sole Canadian copies on the census. Poor Superman is at the bottom, 4th and lowest graded Canadian Edition, but I still dig it.

I just didn't want "people" to think I am "trolling" on the movie in general By "plenty to dislike", I meant about the film as a whole, not just about Ezra. I imagine it would be "interesting reading" if there were ever a "Justice League Paper" to find out about who what and why certain decisions were made that led us to the film that actually appeared on screen. Does WB have a "comic book division"? I know that Snyder "was" their guy (or was Johns too?) but never in the same way Feige was with Marvel. I am not saying Feige is perfect but I think one reason Marvel has been so successful is that Disney "allowed" Feige to continue to chart the course of the MCU. There has been a cohesive vision from nearly the beginning. People may not "like" the "Marvel Movie Way" in its "formula" but it is hard to argue against its success. I am not saying WB/DC needs to "copy" Marvel but I do think they need to develop a long-term strategy with their super hero properties, with a steady team in place and let them go to and do their work.

Yes there were enjoyable parts (hence my 6 out of 10), and I am not "trolling" here but there was plenty to dislike too. If we give reviews based on "what could have been", all movies would be awesome. The "finished product", what we all saw, was a big let down. As I said earlier, hopefully WB wakes up, learns from this and they can figure out a way to "right the ship". I did see flashes (no pun intended) of what could have been. The moment between Supes and Flash. The first end credit scene. That scene showed "heart" and something I think that as a whole, JL was missing.

I am aware of said scenes but I can only comment on the finished product WB chose to actually "show" the movie going public. Most will never know or bother to seek out those scenes. Would they have made the film better for sure? We will never know. With all of that said, as I stated earlier maybe they should have opted then for a two-parter to get a more fulsome experience. I gave it an "ok" rating too but this movie was a big let down there is no way around it. I am also no "Marvel Zombie" as I particularly didn't like a lot of Thor:Ragnarok either.

At the end of the day, for all the great material they could have drawn from, for whatever reason, they failed to make a good movie. Whether you are going by $275 M or $300 M budget, the film is going to be seen and is, a failure at the box office. I'm annoyed that WB could have dropped that ball this bad with a franchise like Justice League. If they can't succeed with the JL, what hope do lesser tier characters have? This should have been a "slam dunk" and at least been on par with the first Avengers. I hate to see a big DC film like this fail. I want Marvel and DC, hell, if they re-make a Spawn movie, I hope that is good and does well too. Hopefully, somehow, WB can "right the ship"? This may be extreme but maybe take a page from Sony's Amazing Spider-Man experience...Take a few years off...And start over?

Woo Hoo! Mine arrived today and an awesome wrap job to boot!

A friend of mine had two free movie passes so decided to go see Justice League. Probably not going to say anything profound at this point that has not been said already, but here goes. I wish, after Batman vs Superman, that the other heroes had their own solo flicks to introduce them properly. Like Wonder Woman. I think it would have made for a better Justice League, to "care" for the characters a bit more. Speaking of characters: Aquaman: I am kind of "meh" on the "bad/cool surfer dude"version of Aquaman. I think they are trying too hard to make him "bad ". Batman: Affleck does "ok" for this version of an older Batman but something still feels "off" to me with this version of the character. I can't quite put my finger on it. Cyborg: All Cyborg was really there for was to explain plot points/mother boxes to move story along. Which is a shame too, out of all the new characters, I would have liked to have seen more of Cyborg. Flash. I know I may be in the minority here...But I did not find his one liners funny. I found him annoying most of the time. I don't know, the actor just never clicked as the Flash for me. Superman: Biggest complaint, his return was rushed and lacked any kind of emotional gravitas. No complaints given his actual screen time and what he actually had to work with. Wonder Woman. Again, Gal Gadot did a very good job with what she had to work with. No complaints. The plot: Overall, it just felt very rushed. It also felt disjointed in parts. This was like Avengers II but not done as well...Some big baddie, instead of hunting for vibranium is globe trotting for mother boxes and at the end has a horde of minions laying waste to some fictional Eastern European country. I think this movie should have been fleshed out more in solo flicks leading up to it or made into an epic two-parter. The villain was weak...Steppenwolf? I still can't get my head around that decision in the first place. Also, what could have been a cool set up for Darkseid and the New Gods, never materialized and now may never materialize. The slow motion action shots...Dear god...I thought I was on SLO MO. Enough already. It was cool in "300", now, not so much. The CGI seemed rushed in parts. There were "hints" of great potential though. There were some nice moments and again, there could have been a more substantive movie here. Would what was left on the cutting room floor made the movie better? If there was a single voice on the film would that have helped? Did the "suits" get involved too much? Or would have been disappointing regardless? I just don't know. I can only judge what I actually saw on the screen. Not as horrible as the critics say, but not very good either. I rate it a 6 out of 10.

He wants YOU to initiate the cancellation so it does not register as a "defect" on him.

Grades are in! Books have shipped! Should have them on Friday.

Fun to see gifts start to roll in

This guy sounds like fun... avoidlikeplague Made on offer on a friend's auction. My buddy accepted. Guy immediately messages back saying he didn't think he (seller) would accept and asked to have transaction cancelled. What is the point of this behaviour? Sellers be warned, time waster.

http://www.geminicomicsupply.com/product/comic-flash-mailers/

2017 YEAR IN REVIEW I know it may be a bit early, but I had some time, so here goes. This year was probably my personal best year for buying and selling. I set up at several shows and made some decent buys and some very nice sales. I won’t get into any detailed "monetary” discussions but for those who care, here is an overview of the year or a “year in the life of a rookie seller”. Maybe it is time to upgrade to “novice” seller? I’ll let you dear reader, be the judge of that. Shows I participated in 5 shows, the most to date. The largest one I have done, Sudbury Graphic Con went great. This show exceeded my expectations and I had a great time doing it. I also really appreciated my family helping me out for this one. My uncle and aunt, who live in Sudbury, also stopped by the check it out and stayed for quite awhile to see what it was all about, including the cosplay masquerade. they didn't "get it". I told them, I didn't either This show, while you can always ‘nitpick’ a few things, was very well organized and the staff were all very friendly and helpful. After a “community discussion”, it seems they are keeping the show a one day event, which I think is perfect. If they will have me, I will be back. The second largest show I did, the Northern Game Expo, I was a bit concerned with it being a primarily video game show but I was pretty steady. The table costs are also very favourable. This show is also very well-organized and the people involved know what they are doing. I received great feedback and I was invited back and I am a “lock” for April 2018. These two shows “taught me” that I can “compete” in a bigger venue and be successful, especially with a few helping hands. Unfortunately (or fortunately), larger shows say in Toronto are not very time friendly (Sunday) and the other closer show has gone to two days, which make me very apprehensive. The smaller local shows continue to be “worthwhile” thanks to my loyal customer base. They account for at least 70 -75% of my sales at these shows in my home town. Some of them ONLY buy from me when I am set up at the local shows (not sure why, maybe I should ask) but regardless, without them if I had to rely on “casuals” the local shows would not be worth doing. One of the local shows, the original show that got me started, has recently folded due to several factors and it was not a show I wanted to “take on” solo, so we shall see how or even if I want to fill that gap. Overall, I am “happy” with my profit “multipliers” and feel I am getting a good “handle” and system of setting up, but I still want to try a few different things and do continue to welcome advice/feedback and tips from anyone who reads the journal as I have gained some great insights and enjoy hearing about shared experiences from “the front lines”. Buying In early February 2017, started year off right with my first collection purchase. The seller was a repeat customer of mine looking to downsize his collection, which mainly consisted of Defenders, Doctor Strange, a few Fantastic Four, New Mutants, Sub-Mariner, Thor and several other books from the silver to modern age. This was a pretty large lot. I have not sold all of it as of this writing as some of it I have been “holding” onto but parcels of it have been sold. There were some nice keys in it too, nothing ultra high grade, but definitely collectible. At the local show in April 2017, I had my first real "show buy", where I was approached with some books that I never would have expected to come across. Two old Western pulps (still have them) from 1948, several coverless and roached golden age books (that I am still figuring out what I should do with) a coverless Batman #44 (now sold), some Canadian Editions of Captain Marvel Jr. #58, Marvel Family #21, New Funnies, Kerry Drake Detective Cases #7, Adventure Comics #126, Superman #52 and Junior Miss #30. All from around 1948. I finally opted to send the best of those books to CGC. They are there now and I should have them back early in the new year. I will post here when I get them back. I might not recoup my costs I have no idea, but figured I would have a better shot with graded books. One tiny buy in July…Had potential but wasn’t much. Walked away with a handful of books. In August I bought a bankers box of MAD Magazines. I have only sold two, MAD #476 (Trump and Rosie) and an Obama spoof cover. Still have them. I have to process those. In August I also purchased about 4 large ‘bins’ of comics from a part-time antique dealer. This was a pretty good lot…I have more than recouped my costs and then some with the sets I was able to build and were great for shows and still more to move (like the Batman and Outsiders set, it will sell in 2018 I swear). There were also some minor gems, like Defenders #28 (first Star Hawk), decent grade Green Lantern #59 (first Guy Gardner), Incredible Hulk #92 - #95 (Planet Hulk set, sold), Wolverine (complete Old Man set, sold), Wonder Woman #184 (Adam Hughes cover). In early October, picked up my last ‘big’ collection of the year. About 5 or 6 long boxes. Consisted of mostly Zenescope exclusives as the guy buys in bulk to get the “ultra exclusives” but also nice runs of Batman, Deadpool and a real nice mix of other cool books and variant covers. There was also a low grade incomplete Superman #123 (Supergirl prototype, fortunately the Supergirl story is complete). This collection purchase has been paid off and is in pure profit generating mode. Seller says he has more for me in the new year. Looking forward to that. Never expected the Zenescope to pay these kind of dividends. Finally, in late October, I picked up a few books while out antique hunting with my wife. I picked up some oddities and another copy of one of my favourite comics, a high grade Superman vs Amazing Spider-Man Treasury. All in all, not a bad year for buying but I still long for a "mega score" or ideally, a small but very high quality collection, but then again, doesn't everybody? I'm not sure how much more "common modern" books I will keep buying...Going to have to evaluate on case-by-case basis in the coming year. Auctions & Selling One thing I have realized, is that I don’t talk a lot about is selling outside of shows very much. I consigned one book to Comic Link this year. It was my Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #320 CGC 9.6, CDN Edition. Sidebar: Initially, I knew nothing about this book. It was in one of the many, many banker boxes along with several other Archie’s I acquired years ago as part of the hoard. The only reason I picked this book out of the hoard was because I ran across Doug Sulipas' article in that years Overstreet and there was a picture of the book. I remembered coming across it in one of the boxes and went hunting for it. Had it not been for my “nerd memory”, that book could still be sitting waiting to be processed with other Archie books. Unfortunately, the book under-performed a little bit in my opinion and this is not a knock against Clink as a previous consignment the year prior far, far exceeded expectations and the “advice” and offers I was getting on the boards. So, overall I am happy with Clink and will continue to use them in the future for books where there is not a lot of data, should I decide to consign any other books. I still do the bulk of my sales on eBay. I opened a store and it continues to work out pretty well. I plan on doing a major restock early in the new year. I also recently streamlined my templates. I want to have a mix of a nice selection of BIN or Best Offer options and get back to running at one auction a month or every other month. One thing I have “invested” in, are flash mailers…I freaking love those things. No more hunting for cardboard. I find them great for packaging books that are not of high value and the amount of time they save in packing is great. One thing I have not spoken about is that I am SLOWLY starting to let go of some keys I had planned on keeping, but I am trying to finish off a personal collection so I am letting a few go. Some higher end sales for this year include: Amazing Spider-Man #129 CGC 5.0 (first Punisher) - I still have an 8.0 as part of personal collection Amazing Spider-Man #194 CGC 9.4 (first Black Cat) - I still have an 9.6 as part of personal collection Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica #320 CGC 9.6 Canadian Edition (first Cheryl Blossom) Daredevil #131 CGC 9.2 (first Bullseye) - I still have a 9.4 Daredevil #168 CGC 9.6 (first Elektra) - I still have a 9.6 DC Comics Presents #47 CGC 9.8 (first He-Man) Harley Quinn Invades San-Diego Comic Con Original Art (Voldy) Iron Fist #14 CGC 9.6 (first Sabretooth) Marvel Graphic Novel #4 CGC 9.4 (Canadian Edition) New Teen Titans #2 CGC 9.4 (first Deathstroke) Preacher #1 CGC 9.8 (first Preacher) Keys like this are incredibly difficult for me to find in my area, which further contributes to a reluctance to sell them, but it is also my collector mentality. However, I didn't "hyper ventilate" when I sold books I did not have doubles for, so hopefully the seller mentality is getting a slight edge with non-ASM books when it comes to selling or keeping. Goals for 2018 Overall, I considered 2017 to be a very successful year for buying and selling and the boards continue to be a great resource and have made some good friends along the way. My goals for 2018 are as follows: Finalize organizing and pricing all of my stock. This must happen. Part of my challenge is that I have my stock “off-site” and so finding time to organize is challenging as I enjoy lots of outdoor activities, even in winter. I just have to “buckle down” and do it...I feel this one will carry over until 2019 though... Keep the eBay machine churning and, if possible, ramp up sales and make more effective use of my store…To truly make this happen, see bullet one. Maybe try on the boards a bit more. Look for some new opportunities to sell locally. Increase and continue to promote my shows on social media. While my first foray did not yield “direct” results, I did notice my page got more likes, and I think it may help advertise that I buy books in my local community. Finally, thanks to everyone who continues to glance at my journal, chime in with their experiences and stories, offer advice and/or simply engage in friendly discussion. I really appreciate all of it.

Could work...Could have Winter Soldier assume mantle of Cap if Steve dies in Part One and Evans becomes Torch for new Marvel franchise

An idea on How to incorporate the FF into the MCU...Just being nerdy here...And possibly have them show up in Avengers: Infinity War Part II... As all hope seems lost, suddenly, you hear "It's Clobbering Time" and a rocky man mountain falls from the sky and clobbers Thanos or one of his kids/minions. Right behind him, the Human Torch streaks into view as do Reed and Sue in a Fantasticar and the battle is joined. Incorporating (generally) into MCU: Reed Richards was a recipient of the inaugural September Foundation Grant that Tony created and introduced at MIT at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War to "reshape the future". Using that grant, Reed, creates a space ship and/or a device for dimensional travel (to go the Ultimate route). Reed and Victor have some sort of "falling out". Perhaps Victor tries to outdo Reed and ends up disfiguring himself. Reed brings in his buddy Ben and Sue her brother Johnny "for the ride". Stuff blows up. They gain their powers. Doom uses and improves upon Iron Man tech to create his infamous suit - But we never actually see Doom. Just a hint as to his origin. Save him for later. The first FF solo movie could take place "off world" after Civil War and before Avengers: Infinity War (which is why we never saw them before). Perhaps an inter-dimensional threat or other alien threat? Annihilus? The Skrulls? Terrax? Intro the Negative Zone? Incorporating the X-Men might be a little more "difficult" as in "where have they been all this time", etc but I suspect no one really cares all that much about this stuff... End of nerdiness, for now.

I am VERY HAPPY for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, the FF. I feel that that franchise has the most to gain. However, I am not so happy about the broader implications of Disney gaining yet even more control of various properties and all the implications that come with it.

Nice high grade find...REALLY hoping to get through my stock...Spectacular Spider-Man #83, expanded Punisher origin.

Any ideas for casting?

The best part was after I cancelled the order he asks "will you be listing any other books"? I did not reply and onto my block list he went. It was strange as guy has over 500 feedback. If I made an error like that, I would just "eat" the cost (is $8 worth your rep?) and take it as a lesson learned to actually READ what I am bidding on. comicsforlife73 The thing that I think some buyers don't recognize is this kind of happens a lot and it takes work and time to relist books and/or if you refuse to cancel, then you, as a seller, leave yourself open to negative feedback games. Just not worth it. You bid, you win, you pay. Should be simple.

How do you guys feel about a bidder who after he wins the item says he doesn't want it, even though the TITLE of the listing, the item description and photos are EXTREMELY clear? Basically guy bid and won an exclusive Zenescope POST CARD but messages saying he thought it was a comic (contrary to listing TITLE , item description and all pics,etc). The back scan clearly shows it is a post card with place for stamp. I cancelled the order for him. Added him to my blocked bidder list but not sure if he qualifies to be cited here...

The #33 is a new addition. The #136 is a copy I bought a long time ago (teenager) and decided to sub as I always liked the cover (and story). Just 25 of the Lee/Ditko issues to go...And AF#15...

So, a turn of events regarding the local show... The show is "dead". Not long after my post about being approached to handle advertising, signing on, etc., the "main" organizer called me. Long story short, he thought about it more and decided he didn't want the hassle. Simple as that. Some may ask why I didn't take it on myself. Bottom line, I don't want to be the "organizer" of a "antique, collectible and nostalgia" show. Honestly, I would rather let the dust settle from this one and maybe make something "my own" later on. So, out of that, will come opportunity (hopefully). What exactly, little too early but for 2018, for shows, it is looking like the following: Northern Game Expo - April 2018 (already paid up) East Ferris Flea Market - May 2018 * This is a one-day flea market that takes place in an arena on a community just outside my home town that I am thinking of trying. I went last year with my wife, solid turn out, you had to park on the road as the parking lot was full, far more than the local antique show. Tables are DIRT, DIRT cheap (like $10 for an 8 foot table). I might try to unload nothing but cheap books here. I also thought it might be a good place to hand out business cards. Never know what kind of newsprint gold could come your way. Will require a bit more investigation... Sudbury Graphic Con - June 2018 (waiting for applications to come up). This is the largest show I do. Looking forward to it. Will try for a "premium booth" again, but I think you pretty much have to be a "store" to get one. Northeastern Antique, Collectible and Nostalgia Show - October 2018 Gateway Fan Ex - Late fall 2018 (TBD) So, other than eBay (just finished last auction for 2017), that is pretty much a close on the year. I might do a "roll up" of sorts. As always, thanks for reading!