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SW3D

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Journal Entries posted by SW3D

  1. SW3D
    I'm new to the selling game. And I've elected to use Ebay as my first distribution channel to sell my graded childhood collection.
     
    So far, it has been a painful process (not because of eBay)... to actually accept letting go of things I so truly cherish.But I've taken a deep breath and reminded myself, "Remember the goal: to downsize your collection and make room for only comics you so truly desire, and the proceeds from the sales of these comics will go towards buying those holy grail comics you always dreamed about."I just hope they find the right homes. Well, in my research and comparitive analysis of the market (factoring in replacement costs, intrinsic value, recent transactions, relative valuations, etc.), and figuring out how to price my comics according to these factors, I've reached a minor dilema. After reviewing the CGC Census population of Batman 530, I've come to understand I own the only graded copy of a Direct Edition Variant. There's really nothing special about the comic per se, except it is the only CGC graded one of its kind... for the moment. I bought this one back in the day, from a local LCS. Never bothered to read it. I think what piqued my interest was the guest appearance of Deadman, and the phantasmagorical cover art which reminded me of those gloomy German Impressionists paintings I once saw at the MOMA. It has a bizarre and occult tone that I like. There is also the newwstand edition, which features the very same artwork and no difference that I can ascertain. And then there's the a Glow-In-The-Dark version, which seems to be the more popular one.Overall, there is a grand total graded population of 14 Batman 530's (all three editions combined), of which 11 are 9.8's, and of which, the one I own, is the only one of its kind (I must reiterate... so far). It's sitting there, all by its lonesome. So my dilema is: Because of its potential rarity, shall I sell it or hold on to it for a few years somehow hoping it will remain the only one of its kind? If the answer is to sell... at what price? At the moment, no CGC versions of Batman 530 (Newsstand Edition or Glow-In-The-Dark Direct Edition's are on auction). Some raw ungraded ones are up for sale, but none of which are the green covered direct edition which I own. Of course, there could be another problem. This could simply be a mistake of the CGC in which they may have accidentally mislabeled my version a "Variant Cover" when in fact, it's not. Anyway... I would appreciate your thoughts, opinions, and feedback.Happy Memorial Day! Happy Collecting!SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  2. SW3D
    Signature Madness Part II
    My goal today was very simple: close the open invoice from yesterday and begin a new one and see it through.
    This morning, the sea of humanity swelled to an ocean. More people turned up today than yesterday. There must have been over a quarter million people if not more. Wow!
    Anyway, I arrived at the con just as the doors were opening. I immediately went into action and headed straight for the Image Booth and procured my ticket for Marc Silvestri at 3:30 PM. With childlike glee I placed that ticket in my wallet and went briskly to Artist Alley.
    At Artist Alley I scoped the floors to make sure the artists and writers I wanted to get signatures from were present. And luckily they were at their booths (save Pichelli and Simonson who were on their way). So I went to Hot Flips and got Tori to aid me as a witness.
    The following is a list of books I got signed (which took about 90 minutes tops), in chronological order:
    1. Cavewoman The Mature Version: signed by cover artist Frank Choi.
    2. Guardians of the Galaxy 5 (Midtown Comics Variant): signed by cover artist Mark Brooks.
    3. Uncanny X-Men 171: signed by writer Chris Claremont.
    4. Uncanny X-Men 171 (2nd Signature): signed by inker Bob Wiacek.
    5. Superman Special by Walter Simonson: Signed by pin-up artist Michael Golden.
    6. Guardians of the Galaxy 5 (Midtown Comics Variant); (2nd Signature): Signed by artist Sara Pichelli.
    7. Superman Special by Walter Simonson (2nd Signature): signed by pin-up artist Geoff Darrow.
    8. Uncanny X-Men 171 (3rd Signature): signed by artist Walter Simonson.
    9. Superman Special by Walter Simonson (3rd Signature): signed by Walter Simonson.
     
    Whew! I closed out that invoice, turned it in, and lo and behold there was a couple of hours to spare before the 3:30 PM Marc Silvestri signings.
    To kill time, I walked the floors and met with dealers and exchanged contact info. I may have gotten lucky and hope to get the first jump on a couple of HTF comics yet to be graded and two pedigrees that will be up for auction soon. Keeping my fingers crossed.
    Before long it was almost 3PM, and I raced back to the CGC booth where my open invoice from last night was waiting.
    Molly joined me as a witness. This is the second time this lovely lady has witnessed signings for me (1st time back in June at Wizard World NYC for JG Jones). This time around I took a stack of 11 comics to be signed by Silvestri.
    And I was unusually jittery and nervous. But Molly put me at ease when she told me he's the nicest guy and boy was she right! Marc Silvestri is humble and totally absent of an ego. He really appreciates the fans and makes them feel loved (much like Billy Tucci). Marc signed each comic I placed in front of him and did not ask for any fees in return. In the midst of signings we spoke about the Darkness movie which he informed me Len Wiseman (Director of Underworld) is not only attached to direct, but is a true fan of the comic. In addition, Marc revealed Sara Pezzini/Witchblade will play a significant role in the movie. So expect big things when it comes out. Can't hardly wait!
    With the Marc Silvestri signatures achieved, I closed the open invoice: Mission Accomplished. Thank God for that!
    I must say, I am completely exhausted from 2 days of running around. My knees and joints ache! I had a 3-days pass which I arbitrarily gave to a complete stranger dressed as the Joker who only had a Saturday pass and was bummed about not being able to go on Sunday. I said, "Here you go dude... I'm staying home Sunday and watching Football! Go have fun!" The kid was thrilled.
    Yeah... I gave up on getting Greg Capullo signatures. His signings are scheduled for tomorrow in a narrow 1 1/2 hour window with a 2 book limit. I had designs for him to sign 15 books, but obviously that isn't going to happen. But as I told Tnerb, there'll be a next time. I'm patient. No rush. Next year.
    Even though I have cut my visit to NYComicCon short by one day, I absolutely feel I got my money's worth and then some. In two days I managed to get 32 comics signed by 14 comic book pros, for a combined total of 60 signatures. That is a huge leap from last year where at the very first NYComicCon I ever attended, I managed only 4 total signatures on 3 different comic books (that was pathetic).
    I also finally got to meet Tnerb, as well as fellow members Dboy and Studio25. It was a thrill meeting you guys! Keep the love and passion going forever!
    And lastly, the CGC staff have once again proven to me why I love their service so! A big shout out to MSchmidt, Mike, Paul, Molly, Gemma, Mark, and witnesses Tori, Tom, and Paul... Thanks for your hard work and support! You Guys Rock! I hope to see you all at NYComicCon 2014!
    Thanks for reading and as always, Happy Collecting.
    SW3D

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  3. SW3D
    CosPlay and Signature Madness!
     
    Damn! The action and activities are intense! Last year I remember lots of CosPlay... but this year it seems like 70 percent of the attendees are role playing and I so desperately want to join them!After getting through the "Homeland" security check-point, I made a beeline towards the bathroom, and bumped into Oliver Queen. No, not literally, but a guy named Ty, whose a fan of the show and was fitting into his costume replete with bow, quiver, and arrows (see badass pic below).From there I ran into my friend John, who works at Midtown Comics Grand Central and his cute girlfriend. The pair were dressed as the Man of Steel and Wonder Woman. After fighting my way through the sea of humanity it was finally time to get to business as I made it to the CGC booth. Today's main mission was to get the autographs of the following artists and inkers:Jay Anacleto (Aria 1, and Aria/Angela 1 & 2)Peter David (Spider-Man 2099 1 & 2)Matt Batt Banning (Darkness 1,2,3)Billy Tucci (Cyblade/Shi The Battle of the Independents 1)Mike Choi (Witchblade 100)Marc Silvestri (Darkness 1,2,3, Cyblade/Shi The Battle of the Independents, Witchblade 100)As it turns out, I managed to obtain everyone's inscriptions (which literally took the entire day with some breaks in-between) save that of the Darkness and Witchblade Co-Creator Marc Silvestri, whose schedule was changed last minute and who had an appearance at a VIP Only section which I attempted to crash but was summarily thrown out of. Oh well... can't blame a guy for trying!I'll make that attempt on my 2nd day where I hope to get an earlier start to obtain a ticket for Silvestri's appearance at the Image booth. Unfortunately, because of these logistical hiccups, I must make some sacrifices and switches to my already hectic agenda, which means I will forgo attempting to get signatures from Greg Capullo in favor of Silvestri. Capullo will have a 1 1/2 hour window today for fan signings on or about the same time I need to be at the Image booth to get my ticket for the Silvestri signing. Sometimes I wish I was the Multiple Man so I can split myself in two or three to be at several places all at once... but alas it ain't going to happen. But, fortunately, Capullo will be at the show on Sunday with the exact same schedule... so there is still some hope. Wish me luck.The second mission was accomplished with flying colors, where I finally met the Journal King and New Mutants Collector Extraordinaire: The Mighty Tnerb, who allowed me to tag along on his various crusades as both a collector and Press Writer/Photographer. I was rather impressed by both the man's knowledge of the hobby and the amount of people he knows. It was pretty cool seeing the man in action! And we also met follow Collectors Society Member Dboy, whose a local with a fine collection on the boards.After a long and exhausting day, we all went to a local Mexican place for Tacos and Burritos and the comic book discussions kept on going. I don't believe in my collective memories I ever met two more passionate comic book enthusiasts like Tnerb and Dboy. They really put me to shame. But I was happy to tag along and listen and it was the icing on the cake of a very sweet day. Final comments... ...A big shout out to Gemma, Molly, Mike, witnesses Paul and Tom for their extreme patience following me around at the signings, and all the fine people at the CGC booth 2522 and those at Hot Flips.I hope to see some of you at the show!SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  4. SW3D
    Here's a nifty comic seldom seen or discussed on the Journals.
     
    The story of Aria Angela Heavenly Creatures heralds us back in time to the heart of the Victorian Era and The Empire, in the afterglow of its most golden jewel, London, in the dark catacombs and complex web which is the English Aristocracy.It is a time ironically known as "The Age of Wonders". An Age where young and noble impressionable minds are dream-filled with endless possibilities contrasted by the suffering and oppressed minds of the lower classes, whom toil and die in the filth and pestilence which is the stark reality of poverty and class separatism... as their Elite Masters practice absolute decadence at the expense of human lives. This fantastic tale to be told is one which is virtually unknown and seldom spoken yet equally wondrous and horrific... where the Elysian Fields' greatest Bounty Hunter and Avenging Angel, Angela, has found herself trapped in the clutches of an equally sinister being... a Living Nightmare, and only one could save her: the immortal Lady Kildare, Princess of the Faeries, known to few as Aria. Okay... What the hell am I talking about?!I'll tell you (If you could believe this fantastic scenario)... but somehow our lovely red-headed fury, Angela, has been captured and held prisoner of a mysterious Theatre Company run by Dr. Peter Traum (think of Mr. Dark from Ray Bradbury's classic novel: Something Wicked This Way Comes!). In the back alleys and auspices of London's seediest underbelly, this Theatre Company puts on a phantasmagorical performance of sideshow freaks and other curiosities, to titillate and excite the most jaded audience member. Our beloved Angela, shackled in chains, is dragged out on stage as the freakshow's main attraction. And one day, Lady Kildare/Aria happens to attend a matinee, and cannot believe her eyes... to see one of God's creatures humiliated and defiled in such fashion. Here's an excerpt: Dr. Peter Traum (to the audience): "And now for my latest and greatest acquisition. A being whose kind is fabled through every land across the globe... cast down from brightest heaven, for trespasses we cannot imagine. She is possessed of unspeakable beauty, and unimagined power! Please direct your attention to the center stage. I guarantee you, you've never witnessed the likes of this before!"Aria, sitting a few rows up in the Orchestra Section with her two companions, is bored and turns her eyes momentarily away from the spectacle on stage. Aria (sighs): "Not likely. Are you two ready to go..."Aria turns her gaze back to center stage and is startled to discover...Aria: "Bloody Hell!"...Angela, shackled in chains, and dressed in rags, has been dragged to the stage for all to see. Angela (to Dr. Traum): "Mark my words... I will destroy you for this!"Dr. Peter Traum (to the audience): "Behold! Heaven's exile, the celestial siren... I give you the Fallen Angel! As her true name is unpronounceable to the mortal tongue, I simply call her Angela!"Later, back stage, Dr. Traum, assisted by two burly stage hands, confronts Angela.Dr. Peter Traum: "Well, that was a rather lackluster performance. Let's see if we can't do a bit better for the evening show."Angela: "Though my race is sworn to protect yours, make no mistake: release me now or I will kill you. Slowly, and very painfully."Angela (con't): "I will bite off your ballsack, spit it out in your mouth... I'll deliver you to Hell myself."Dr. Peter Traum: "Tsk, tsk. Such talk from one so exhaulted. It really has grown tiresome."Angela: "Slowly... And very, very painfully..."Dragging Angela to a bricked cellar, the stage hands open a bolted steel door revealing a cell cast in absolute obsidian. Dr. Peter Traum: "Throw her in."Angela: "Don't think I'll forget about you two. I'll blister the flesh from your bones."Stage Hand 1: "Shut yer Gob, Miss."Stage Hand 2: "Just doin' our jobs Miss."A helpless Angela gets shoved head first into the awaiting darkness.Angela: "I'll..."Dr. Peter Traum (Off-Camera): "And don't bother to feed her. She doesn't need it."The vault-like door closes and the darkness consumes the fallen angel.Narrator (Voice Over): "I cannot imagine what she must have felt, that poor creature, locked away in some dank, dreary cell."Narrator (VO): "A once proud Warrior of Heaven, humbled by mortal mischief. God's crowning achievement, laid low by God's greatest blunder."Narrator (VO): "I can picture her there, anger seething in the darkness, dreaming of escape... their pride, you see, is quite beyond our imagining. So too, is their vengeance."End of excerpt.And that is just a small sampling of this brilliant comic. Brian Holguin's lush and highly detailed -script is the perfect avenue to tell this ambitious dark fantasy, rendered to visual life by Jay Anacleto's skilled hand, whose equally detailed illustrations gloriously capture the essence of this magical fable. As the tale unfolds, it is revealed, many battles and war campaigns fighting for Heaven, has left Angela sorely depleted. Virtually powerless, she crash lands on Earth like a meteorite falling from the cosmos. Found unconscious by the sinister forces of Dr. Traum, Angela's war paint, winged helm, bejeweled lance, dagger, ribbons, belt, and golden breast plate are removed and confiscated. As a prisoner, Angela is cast in a very different light. For the first time, her eyes (a pair of deep coral-blue pupils), betray an innocence and beauty I've never seen in her before. Anacleto renders her strikingly beautiful; in my collective memories, no other artist has yet to capture Angela in a most vulnerable moment.And, as you can imagine, her savior comes in the form of Aria, who, having recognized Angela for what she truly is (Lady Kildare is endowed with the vision to see beyond our world into the supersensible world, where magical beings recognize one another), comes to her rescue. In typical fashion, the two team-up against a common enemy. I highly recommend this 2-part mini series for fans of Angela, Aria, and Dark Fantasy alike. And this mini-series is readily available and very inexpensive. You should be able to procure copies through eBay or your local LCS. The adjoining image is my copy of issue 1, variant cover, which has recently returned from the CGC. I'm happy it got a 9.8. You'll note it was signed by cover artist, J G Jones.As always, thanks for reading and happy collecting.SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  5. SW3D
    ...On a little known comic book title called Dark Dominion.
    Back on June 29, 2013, I attended Wizard World NYC. As I mentioned in a previous journal about my experience (which was mostly very positive), I found the show to be much smaller in scale and scope than New York Comic Con (coincidentally coming up this Thursday).
    In fact, Wizard World's list of comic creators, writers and artists appearing for signings was rather sparse. And of those attending the show, there was only one who stood out to me (my apologies to all the others): J G Jones.
    Now many of you may know the name, and many of you may not.
    I first came to know of the artist for his brilliant cover works for DC. He provided the cover art for the entire 52 issues (published weekly) of the series 52. You may have seen the iconic cover to the first issue in which J G Jones rendered an unforgettable image: We bear witness to the foreground... Superman's strewn cape has been pierced through the back in the middle of the "S" by Wonder Woman's sword, while her Lasso and Batman's Cowl and Cape hang lifelessly on the golden hilt. In the background, under the cover of heavy black-grey clouds, Renee Montoya, Animal Man, The Question, Will Magnus and Steel stand gravely, as a sliver of sunlight cuts through those thick clouds unlike a beacon of hope, onto the iconic costumed articles of our missing heroes; an ominous image and very symbolic of the great mystery which is the heart of this series.
    You may also know J G Jones for the explosive covers and interiors he illustrated for Mark Millar's Wanted. How can you not?
    Or, if you're a fan of the classic Vertigo series: Y: The Last Man, J G Jones painted a number of iconic covers including the classic cover to the first issue where Yorick Brown is on his knees fitted in a straight jacket as his faithful monkey Ampersand hangs on his back. I happen to believe, Yorick Brown on that cover looks suspiciously like the artist himself. Yorick is depicted with alabaster skin, boyish looks, and crowned with a crew cut styled from the 50's and 60's, which peaks in triangular fashion over the forehead reminiscent of a short brim on a kiddie baseball cap. If you don't believe me Google images J G Jones and Y The Last Man issue 1 and see for yourself.
    While you are at it, do a search for the skeletal corpse of the Astronaut he rendered for the series in issue 15 which I think is fantastic.
    For those still clueless on the guy, check out his amazing art on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JGJonesArt
    Anyway... enough of my jabbering and let's get to the business at hand.
    So what I have for you are the very first graded and signed pro works of the man. J G Jones first worked for an indie label called Defiant back in 1994. His work debuted on a little known horror-occult-supernatural title called Dark Dominion, written by Len Wein (creator of Wolverine, new X-Men, Swamp Thing), and co-conceived by fellow comic's genius Steve Ditko (creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Question, The Creeper).
    We are first introduced to J G Jones artistic brilliance in issue 7, and sequentially in issues 8 and 9 before he moved on to another comic called Rant by Boneyard Press (which I will discuss in another Journal).
    So these three beauties (see pic) are the first ever graded by CGC for Dark Dominion 7, 8, and 9, and are also the first Signature Series grades of their kind.
    But lamentably, once again (see Curse of the Spawn 9), CGC failed to note in Dark Dominion 7 its key significance: that it is J G Jones first pro comic book work. And that's really sad since I had a CGC witness overhear my conversation with J G Jones regarding this comic and his acknowledgement that it was indeed his first pro comic book work.
    Anyway... What's a fella to do?
    But nonetheless, I'm happy to bring a first to the CGC and to my fellow collectors.
    Thank for reading.
    Happy Collecting!
    SW3D

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  6. SW3D
    Once again, I'm thrilled to introduce and debut a new comic to the CGC Census and to the Collectors Society. For all you Captain America and Marvel fans, this one-shot comic was a promotional giveaway that was included as a free insert in the Thursday Edition of the Wall Street Journal on June 6, 2013.
    My brother, who's into the stock market, reads the Wall Street Journal daily. And he knows I'm a big comic book geek, so he calls me late in the evening (about 9ish) on June 6th, to let me know that there's a free comic book of Captain America with today's edition of the WSJ. I immediately rush down to the local CVS Pharmacy to see if they have any Wall Street Journals left.
    I remember it was pouring rain and I got soaked. But I didn't care... I was determined to find these comics. Luckily CVS had two WSJ's still available. So I snatched them up and went to the cashier to pay for them. And to my detriment and horror, the cashier, not knowing there was comics in these papers, folds each newspaper to cram them into a plastic shopping bag!
    I was mortified and couldn't believe my own stupidity and absent mindedness. I should have forewarned her. It was my fault. And I walked out into the rain in disbelief feeling these once mint limited edition comics had a catastrophic crease directly down the middle of each book. What bad luck! Bummer!
    Downtrodden, I skulked back to my apartment and pulled them out to see their condition, and thankfully they weren't half that bad. I believe I got very lucky and somehow the comics may have slid to once side and avoided getting folded down the middle. But, being an anal-condition-sensitive-freak that I am, my paranoid ego couldn't rest until I found unblemished and unadulterated copies.
    So I went back out into the rain and walked a few blocks until I found a newsstand that was still open. And voila, this store had six unsold Wall Street Journals... I guess nobody in my neighborhood cares to read about the financial markets.
    I immediately searched through each one to see if they had the comic, and sure enough they did. And, learning my lesson with the CVS cashier, I asked the bemused cashier if I could personally place each WSJ into a plastic shopping bag. And, after a second of looking at me like I was a complete nut, he shrugged his shoulders and said yes. And why not? I mean, it wasn't like he was going to sell these newspapers so late in the night to other customers.
    The rain was still pouring. And knowing my comics could get wet, I placed the shopping bag underneath my shirt. So I skipped back home like a little boy, dripping wet but gleeful that I had six potential mint comics. And the rain did absolutely no harm to them since they were tucked away under my shirt and inside the multi-layered protection of each newspaper.
    As soon as I reached my humble abode, I laid each newspaper flat on my dining table. I changed from my wet clothes to dry ones and thoroughly dried my hands... making sure I wouldn't accidentally wet any comic. I fetched eight acid-free bags and inserted backboards in each and proceeded to the dining table. Like a surgeon, I delicately pulled out each comic from the center of each Wall Street Journal, separating each comic book from the advertisements and coupons they were grouped with. I inspected each one, taking mental note of the edges, the surface condition of the front and back covers, as well as the interior paper quality and staples, and then carefully placed each inside an acid-free bag with backboard. Afterward, I was satisfied knowing that at least 4 of the 8 comics were in Near Mint Plus state. And 22 days later, I those 4 to Wizard World NYC for grading.
    Yesterday, they came back: 2 9.8's and 2 9.6's. Wow! I rarely get 9.8's... mostly 9.2's, 9.4's and 9.6's. And the CGC did a beautiful job with the encapsulations. The holders just look gorgeous. I'm happy!
    About the comic book itself, I've taken selected excerpts (without permission) from an online article which appears in Ad Age Media News: "Kiehl's, the skincare and haircare retailer, sent a custom Captain America comic book to Wall Street Journal subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on Thursday as part of a content-marketing effort meant to help the company better connect with men.
    The Kiehl's comic book, which was created by Marvel Custom Solutions, takes place in the original Kiehl's store at 3rd Avenue and 13th Street in Manhattan and features characters and displays from the company's past and present. Marvel Custom Solutions is an internal agency within Marvel's promotions group that works with marketers to create print and digital comic books, as well as a variety of other products, such as book covers and posters. The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel in 2009 for $4 billion.
    Kiehl's President Chris Salgardo, himself a comic book fan, reached out to Marvel earlier this year. "Of all of Marvel's iconic characters, Captain America was a natural fit," Mr. Salgardo said in an email interview. "He is an American icon and the story-line fits well."
    In the 12-page story, created specifically for Kiehl's by writer William Harms and artists Angel Unzueta and Ty Templeton, Captain America must protect some "rare extracts and botanicals" -- hidden in the Kiehl's basement -- that could be used to create another super-soldier like himself.
    The story doesn't mention any Kiehl's product by name, but the action is bookended by ad pages from Kiehl's including six pages touting its Facial Fuel for men and Ultimate Man body scrub soap.
    The comic book is available at Kiehl's stores with the purchase of any product and a digital version is on the company's website, but Kiehl's worked with The Wall Street Journal because the company wanted more people, predominantly men, to see the comic. "We feel it is so true to our DNA," Mr. Salgardo said. "Instead of advertising, this allows potential new customers to understand Kiehl's -- our quirkiness, but also our expertise in serious skincare."
    A comic book insert for a skin-care company appearing in The Wall Street Journal might seem like an odd fit, but beauty advertising is a growing priority for the paper. "This is a great example of our ever-increasing strength in the beauty category," said Nina Lawrence, VP-global marketing for ad sales at the paper. "We've invested in developing our beauty reach over the past few years and it continues to be a huge area of growth for us."
    Currently the Kiehl's website lists the "Limited Edition Captain America Comic Book" as out of stock: http://www.kiehls.com/Limited-Edition-Captain-America-Comic-Book/899,default,pd.html.
    Here's more promo on the comic book as seen on Marvel's website which includes a video: http://marvel.com/news/story/20784/ring_the_nyse_opening_bell_with_captain_america_kiehls.
    Now I wonder: How many of these comics were printed and distributed? And how many were bought? And how many were destroyed that were not sold? And how many survived and are collected? I imagine the numbers are low since most promotional giveaways usually are discarded by the general public.
    If you're looking to buy one, there are a number of raw/ungraded available on eBay. And I have to say, for a free promo comic, I was impressed by both the artwork and story which I believe takes place in the Marvel Movie Universe, with a guest appearance by Nick Fury, drawn and portrayed as Samuel L. Jackson.
    S

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  7. SW3D
    Also Known As: The Other Number 9!
     
    Curse of the Spawn 9: The Origin of Angela!I love keys. And I love rare books. And I love OAKs. But I especially love when I am the first to introduce a comic book to the CGC Census, and one that combines all three of these virtues.And I did this once before with the very same character that I have since fallen in love with: Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane's angelic co-creation: Angela. That book in question is the Newsstand Variant Edition of Spawn 9: Angela's first appearance. I had the pleasure to debut this rare key variant to the CGC Collectors Society back on March 4, 2013, a few weeks before the announcement of her return to the four-color page, in a journal titled "The Irony of Spawn #9". Since then, a mere 7 of its kind have turned up in population (4 9.8's, 2 9.6's, and 1 9.4), while the Direct Edition has ballooned to a total of 580. So if you compare, the Spawn 9 Newsstand Edition population is currently only 1% of the Spawn 9 Direct Edition, which makes it very rare indeed! And I just added another Newsstand Edition to my collection, bringing my total to 4 (2 9.8's and 2 9.6's)... which means I own 4 of 7 Spawn 9 Newsstand Editions... or 57% overall. We are all familiar with the current story: Angela has been sold by one of her Father's, author and fantasist extraordinaire Neil Gaiman, to Marvel/Disney. They have exhumed Angela's remains from her quiet resting place in the Image Universe, and forcibly reincarnated her in the Marvel U. The redhead beauty made her ho-hum debut in Age of Ultron 10, with a subsequent appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy 5. Angela, in my opinion, is no longer the sexy kick- rogue bounty hunter of the Elysium Fields. No! She's been converted to an obsequious indentured servant of the House of the Mouse and will probably end up guest starring until her popularity and novelty runs dry. And there is irony to all of this since what I love about Angela is her obvious distaste for authority and flippant nature at anyone who pisses her off. Angela is one of the very few characters that I know (other than Satan/Lucifer) to buck the authority of the highest authority... but now she must bow her pretty little head, and clean up her act, and kneel before her new corporate masters, who have sanitized her with a Quesada-conservative-girl-scout-makeover which just makes me want to puke! WTF!The funny thing is... because of all the legal bruhaha once caused over the battle of Angela's ownership rights between McFarlane and Gaiman, McFarlane unceremoniously had her killed off in Spawn 100: lanced through the chest with her own weapon by Spawn's arch-nemesis... the demonic overlord Malebolgia. Angela bled to death with an open chest cavity in the arms of Spawn. So how did she do the impossible? How did Angela come back from the dead? That's a great mystery to explore. But comics being comics... rarely does a character truly stay dead.Rise o' Angelic one... rise like the undead and bow to your new Corporate Masters! Join the mindless zombie hordes, corporate "yes" men, denizens of the Marvel U, and the thousands of indentured peasant factory workers tilling for pennies in lands unknown, who work day and night to provide an endless sea of Disney product for the world to consume! Join them in the creative malaise of Imperial Corporate America! Join them in the staggering great gulf of cosmic oblivion! Join them onto your doom!But if there truly be Marvel Cosmic Gods... a Mighty Marvel All-Father (not Odin but somebody far more omnipotent), then I fall to my hands and knees and pray and beg to him/her to show Angela mercy and give her a chance... a shot at her very own title (not just a mini-series). I think she deserves it!But anyway... getting on to the New Kingdom: The Other Number 9... This is the other Angela key, the other rare one and OAK, which I have the pleasure to debut to you all: Curse of the Spawn 9: The Origin of Angela. Yep! That's right! In these very pages we get a first hand look at the creation of the heavenly creature Angela. Now truth be told, Curse of the Spawn 9 is not a very rare book. No, not at all. There are plenty of raw copies floating in eBay just waiting for someone to pick 'em up, or discover them in the back issue bins of your local LCS. That's how I got these 6, going from LCS to LCS, amassing a total of 20, but cherry picking these 6 as the best of the best from those 20 and getting them graded. But finding a 9.8 or 9.6 wasn't easy... but I am sure there are plenty of mint copies out there. However, for some odd reason, no collector ever got one graded... that is until yours truly came along. So what you see here are the first batch of Curse of the Spawn 9's ever graded: five 9.8's and one 9.6... only six total... which, I predict, for the briefest of moments, makes them rare indeed. But I am certain the word will get out, and by next week 1,000 more will follow.And although the graders of CGC have erroneously omitted this key detail from the Key Notes, Curse of the Spawn 9 is where Angela's origin is first explained. Here's a synopsis I borrowed without permission from ComiXology on Curse of the Spawn 9: "Angela has been commissioned by the survivors of the planet Pentagus-Fraser to destroy the evil ravaging their planet. Amidst the melee, Angela battles the arachnid beast, Argus. She becomes distracted by the face of the mysterious Deurges long enough to become entangled in Argus' Web. After her capture the legend of Angela's origin is revealed in flashbacks of the lives of the sacrificing souls that were blended to become the Heavenly warrior. In each case the last thing they see is the dispassionate face of Deurges". Visit the page at: http://www.comixology.com/Curse-of-the-Spawn-9/digital-comic/42566And so I lord over my new Kingdom and expel all Disney product for my cherished land, and outlaw all goods which exploit the unfortunate. So Sayeth the Monarch of the CGC Kingdom of the Curse of the Spawn 9!Now I must leave you since I must attend a summit with the other Kingdom (Spawn 9 Newsstand Edition)... and just between us... I am planning a consolidation of power! If you know what I mean. Kill the other King! Mu Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  8. SW3D

    How Rare is a Threesome?

    By SW3D,

    The Magical Kingdom of the Spawn 9 Newsstand Edition Redux!
    Sorry... but if you were expecting another kind of "threesome", I knew this would be the perfect set-up to get you titillated and excited. But this isn't that kind of "threesome".Instead, I am going to tell you I am at it again... buying more graded copies of the same comic for God knows what purpose: probably to satiate my pathological and tyrannical nature. I really don't need to do this, but some uncontrollable impulse from deep within my dark nature takes over and makes me do what I must do... buying comics I don't need. Can anyone relate? What the hell am I talking' about? Well, I bought another copy of Spawn 9, featuring the 1st Appearance of Angela, in the hard to find Newsstand Edition. Why? I really don't know. I guess you can call it a selfish desire to corner a small niche market and call it all my own. Maybe when I was a child, someone stole all my toys and this is my adult psyche trying to compensate for it. Maybe? But probably not. Meanwhile... Angela is kicking in the Marvel Universe. Her debut in Age of Ultron 10 and Guardians of the Galaxy 5 is a positive omen of things to come. If Angela's popularity continues to soar, I predict she'll get a title of her own and more than likely will make a screen debut within the next three years. And why not? With Ultron announced as the main villain in the Avengers 2, and the GOTG film coming out sometime next year, it will be just a matter of time before the time-lost bounty hunter is written into a Marvel film. And I could see the heavenly redhead in some dynamic clashes with Marvel's greatest heroes and villains... but what better adversary than the Odinson himself: the Mighty Thor. Angel vs. Godson! Now that would be some kinda throwdown. And I speculate Angela would be called in to take on a really big threat, like Thanos or something, which could eventually lead to Adam Warlock making his screen debut. But I am really getting ahead of myself. So this is my third copy of Spawn #9 Newsstand Edition. Currently, there are 6 graded Newsstand Editions in the CGC Census Population, of which I own half. On the other side, there are 496 Direct Editions, which makes my Kingdom of Newsstand Editions a minority population represented in just 0.01% of the overall total population. That is a very, very small percentage, which obviously makes a graded Newsstand Edition a very rare comic to come by. And, hopefully in the near future, CGC will grade a fourth Newsstand Edition I submitted back in late June. Anway... take a look at my angelic triplets. Aren't they beautiful? Thanks for reading and as always... happy collecting!SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  9. SW3D
    AKA... John Byrne's Ultra Rare First Published Comic Book!
    Last December, on the 27th to be exact, I shared my little story of how I walked into Midtown Comics Grand Central and walked out with this ultra rare Holy Grail... for only $3. That's right... only three dollars! And the original sticker price on the comic was $5, however, MCGC was running a 40% sale on all back issues. So when all was said and done, I walked away with this piece of comic book history for just three bucks! Incredible!
    And what exactly is ACA Comix No. 1?
    ACA Comix No. 1 is an Alberta College of Art (ACA) publication (May, 1971); a "brochure" featuring the very first published comic book written and illustrated by the man himself, John Byrne, when he was an art student. Fast forward 42 years, and the color-blind, English born but Canadian bred writer/artist, has achieved legendary status for his work on Avengers, Uncanny X-Men, Alpha Flight, Fantastic Four, Superman, and his creations Rog-2000, Doomsday Plus 1, Danger Unlimited, and Next Men.
    From an interview conducted by Jon B. Cooke, which appeared in Comic Book Artist #12, John Byrne states, "Not sure I would actually have called it my "first full-length comic story." Death's-Head Knight was a project done for the Alberta College of Art, which I was attending at the time. The curator of the gallery had brought in a comic art show, and needed a "brochure" to be given away at the door. He asked me if I could prepare something on relatively short notice, and I did, some 20 pages, each double-width. It was a sword-&-sorcery story."
    I honestly have no idea how many "brochures" were printed, but I am going to take a guess and say anywhere between 500 to 1,500 copies. The big question: How many have survived for over four decades? I am confident the vast majority have sadly, ended up in the trash. And according to the CGC Census, what I have in my possession is only the second graded copy... and I am exuberant to know it is the highest graded of the two, having been graded an 8.5.
    If you visit John Byrne's website, Byrne Robotics, you can click and view his scanned panels of the comic book brochure: http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/gallery/earlydays/collegedays/.
    Anyway... for all you rabid JB fans... here it is... a picture of the ACA Comix No. 1 encapsulated and graded.
    Thanks for reading... and as always Happy Collecting!
    SW3D

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  10. SW3D
    I have to say, yesterday, the experience I had at Wizard World as compared to NY ComicCon was like comparing day to night. Both are very different.
    Wizard World is way smaller in size and magnitude than NY ComicCon. But that can be viewed as both a positive and a negative. On the negative side, the amount of attractions, celebrity and industry guests, exhibitors, and attendance is so bare bones that it literally took me just over two hours to contemplate going home. Why? Because in that scope of time I had done everything I needed to do and see all I really needed to see.
    And yet... paradoxically, that was also a very good thing. Allow me to explain...
    One of the most plaguing things I experienced at NY ComicCon was the exhausting amount of time it took me to get my comics submitted, get my comics signed, and walk the floors to see what was happening. The long and time consuming lines were the biggest disappointment I experienced at NY ComicCon. It is one of the things I do so loathe... spending time on slow moving queues and contending with an endless sea of humanity. And that's how most of the day went for me at NY ComicCon 2012.
    Not so at Wizard World... on the contrary... one could move around without bumping into elbows or being sucked into a riptide of moving people... in fact things were so incredibly brisk and easy going that it was so relaxing and refreshing... I could breath. The show started at 10AM, yet because, like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, in all my zeal and kiddy-like enthusiasm, I ran out of the house without my ticket. I was halfway to the con when I realized my titanic blunder, which forced me to take a detour to my office. Luckily at work, I had downloaded the ticket when I purchased it and kept a copy. So I printed my ticket and was on my way. I got there closer to 11AM, about an hour later than expected.
    Yet when I finally arrived to the show, in my estimation, fan attendance at WW was around only a paltry 20% of NYCC. There was virtually nobody on line at the CGC booth when I went to submit. And that was a blessing because the pressure and anxiety to speed things up was lifted. I could actually relax and take my time not worrying about an impatient group of collectors behind me. It was a blessing.
    And this is my favorite part: I had 8 comics for artist JG Jones to sign. I was expecting a long line for him. I spoke to CGC about witnessing the signature, and like last year, they told me to locate his booth and come back to get a witness... which I did. And that was very, very painless. I discovered JG Jones, sketching quietly, all by his lonesome, drawing a commission piece (an image of Batman and Superman), for a fan. His table-top set-up was very nondescript. Unlike other artists in attendance who were selling prints and illustrations and putting a greater effort into marketing themselves, JG Jones was sitting at a long table with nothing more than a choice selection of art supplies, a sketch book, and what may have been a commission journal or registry book. I actually walked around twice thinking I missed the guy because I was in search for his tell-tale covers on prints or his name in bold on a mini-banner like some of the other artists had displayed. Refreshingly, JG Jones didn't have any of that stuff (see pic).
    And boy was he a joy to speak with. I spoke to him at length as Molly (a CGC rep) witnessed him signing my comics. He indulged my request to sign and date some of the comics. And after I explained why Molly was present and my intention to have these comics third party graded, he was very careful in the way he handled my comics knowing condition and grade are important to me (and I remain grateful for his understanding).
    One conversation we had was on the subject of his very first pro job illustrating Dark Dominion #7, a comic published by Defiant. This little known comic was an early 90's indie comic that was co-conceived by Steve Ditko and Len Wein, with Jim Shooter as Editor. If you are unfamiliar with it, the story and concept has Steve Ditko's stamp all over it, and concerns an occult character endowed with the ability to see and battle the monstrous entities which inhabit the Astral Plane. Another comic JGJ signed, Rant #1, published by Boneyard Press, a B&W comic he co-wrote and illustrated, is only his fourth published work (after Dark Dominion #'s 7, 8, and 9). JGJ mentioned he actually worked on Rant prior to Dark Dominion, but it wasn't completed and published until after Dark Dominion. The artist also mentioned he was thinking of reviving the immortal character from Rant... which would be sweet. All in all, I discovered JG Jones to be a very humble and a down-to-earth kind of guy... a true joy to meet and talk with. And he took my fan boy giddiness in stride.
    So that signing was painless, quite an awesome experience in fact, unlike the logistical challenges I faced at NYCC due to the different scheduling appearances of artists coupled with the long queues.
    So having completed my main mission with CGC in record time, I went on to see what was happening. I perused the floor visiting a variety of comic dealers, some of whom had the most amazing displays of Golden and Silver Age keys I had ever seen. They were like museum pieces and I was in arms distance of a 9.0 Avengers #4, a 9.8 of Fantastic Four #48, a 9.8 of GSX #1, and a 9.4 Daredevil #1. And my god the prices on these book. I can only say it is doubtful I could ever afford such grails.
    From there I casually strolled passed the only long lines of the convention... the queues to meet the celebs of The Walking Dead (Norman Redus, Michael Rooker, Danai Gurira, Laurie Holden and Chandler Riggs), and on to the Q&A session with Stan Lee. Stan was about 15 minutes late before he took the stage. But it was only a minor delay to see the Living Legend. I stuck around for only one question because Q&A took place outdoors in the adjoining backlot in a large tent, and it was steaming hot due to the summer heat which forced me to run back into the convention floor to the comfort and safety of air conditioning.
    So this was the question... a pretty good question... the very first question asked by a fan regarding the success of the Star Wars comic: "Did you talk to George Lucas about the Stars Wars comic Marvel did back in the 70's?" Stan's response was his typical tongue n' cheek, whimsical, anecdotal, and self-deprecating delivery: "No... George Lucas... he had such faith in me... he said, Stan go ahead and do whatever you want. Actually, I hadn't met George Lucas at that point. I met him later on. I'm mad at him... you know... he never gave me credit for... What was it called?... Star something? But he's a great guy and now he's part of the Disney/Marvel family." Stan's still the consummate showman and knows how to work the crowd. And at his age, 90, he's incredibly spry and has such a vibrant spirit... he is truly amazing. I wonder if he's imbued with super powers.
    Well from there I did a few more walks around, chatted with fans and exhibitors, and did my best to stretch out the day and get my money's worth, leaving the expo about 4ish, completely satisfied.
    And since I got home at a decent hour, and still feeling the great comic book vibe, I did a quick change and went to see the 7:20 PM showing of Man of Steel. I finally got to see what everyone was talkin' about... and I must say... I am ambivalent about it all. But that's another topic of conversation.


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  11. SW3D
    WIZARD WORLD EXPERIENCE NYC 2013 June 29, 2013
    I'll be visiting the CGC to deliver a total of 30 comics.
    One of them is my most prized possession: John Byrne's 1st published comic book, ACA Comix No. 1. This is an extremely rare comic book that was published as a giveaway to those who attended a gallery exhibition of comic book art at the Alberta School of Art (Canada) sometime in May 1971. I believe 1500 were printed. At the moment, there has only been one of its kind graded by the CGC.
    I also am taking four copies of a giveaway promo comic which was included for free with a recent edition of the Wall Street Journal (I believe on June 4th if memory serves me correctly). It is Captain America: Transformation & Triumph. This is a free 12 page comic promoting Kiehl's skin care products. I visited their website and you may recieve the comic with purchase of their products. Marvel posted a video on their website about the comic when they rang the bell along with Kiehl's at the New York Stock Exchange.
    I also have 8 comics which i hope to have superstar artist JG Jones to sign. This is the most i have ever asked of any artist.
    I plan to take some photos of the event and will share with you guys later this evening.
    I hope everyones doing well and as always...
    Happy Collecting!
    SW3D
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  12. SW3D
    Other Hobbies and Interests: Just two days ago, Brandon Shepherd brought up an interesting subject about "Other Hobbies and Interests". We all have interests outside of the domain of comic books. And I think it is safe to say that many of us share similar likes and dislikes for Popular Culture and such.
    Like me, Meshuggah and Gaming ETC collect Baseball Cards. PlainMad has a CGC collection of MAD Magazines that are truly monumental. Tnerb collects Shot Glasses and Star Wars Toys. Studio25 has an interest in illustrating and shared with us a near facsimile of a Frank Frazetta piece. I used to draw and illustrate as a child, and even just before I graduated High School, considered becoming a cartoonist and enrolling into the Joe Kubert School of Art... but I came to the realistic understanding that I didn't have the talent necessary for such an endeavor. To this day, I search aimlessly for my true "Soul Mission"... like Adam Warlock always asks that existential question to the Cosmos: "Why Am I Here?" I say to myself... "To Write and to Share my Visions and Concepts with the World"... but I don't do enough of it as I should and it seems what I write about isn't really igniting with audiences... but that's another subject of conversation entirely.
    But looking back to 1987, my comic book collecting habits took a sharp nose dive. I literally stopped buying comics in favor of other things. Why? Probably it was my senior year of High School and girls and friends... in other words a Social Life... took front and center stage. And you know how that goes. Suddenly comics are not so important and become trivial, and the money I used to spend on them was being used for hanging out at the local Video Arcade, the Pool Hall, the Pizza Store, the Cineplex, buying records and tapes (yep they were still around), and as David Bowie would say "Teenage Wildlife". In those days, music took me by storm.
    It was in 1985 when I bought my very first cassette tape. It was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon... an album destined to be my absolute favorite composed by a group of four musicians (Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason sans Syd Barrett), that to this day are still my favorite.
    Soon after I was hanging out with friends I met in High School with interests in Movies, Sports and Music, and that's all we would talk about. Frequent trips to the record stores that no longer exist, was a very cool way to spend a Saturday if you had nothing else to do.
    One of my closest friends at the time, Larry Latoe, bought a pair of tickets to see Robert Plant (former front man Led Zeppelin) play at Madison Square Garden. The event had Cheap Trick open up, who played forty-five minute set and played their best of the 70's and 80's, and even played new tracks from their soon to be released album "Lap of Luxury". Cheap Trick was experiencing popularity with the hit ballad "The Flame". Because they opened for the top bill, Robert Plant, Cheap Trick became the very first act I ever see perform live and on stage. However, the real buzz and excitement that night was over Robert Plant and the rumors that Jimmy Page may somehow make a guest appearance, and therefore, the audience would get treated to a Led Zeppelin reunion of sorts, but alas, that never happened.
    My very next show was a gift from my oldest brother Carlos, who had introduced me to the world of Rock n' Roll. In the 70's and 80's he collected lots of vinyl from all the main stream Rock Gods and of bands seldom heard today. He was generous to treat me (the youngest) and my other brother, Jose (the middle brother), to see Roy Orbison play a show at the Beacon Theatre. It was 1988 (can't remember the exact date or month), and truth be told, Roy Orbison was the last guy I wanted to see and hear. But when he took the stage and played a tight set that absolutely did not rely on pyrotechnics or any razzle-dazzle, like Old School Rock n Roll, I think I probably heard the greatest living voice ever! His harmonics and vocal range was unbelievable. Now I understand why Carlos was so adamant to see him. Sadly, at just the young age of 52, he died of a heart attack that same year on December 8th.
    Anyway, I would love to talk about all the fun things that occurred at each and every show I attended (from '87 to today: somewhere near 60 concerts or more), but I don't want to bore you to death. I will however share with you a picture of the tickets I thankfully kept. Lamentably, the tickets to those first two shows I did not keep (smack myself in the head for not having hindsight), and there are a dozen other shows (Faith No More at Roseland, Ozzfest featuring Black Sabbath and Judas Priest at Jones Beach, Rush 35th Anniversary Tour at Radio City, Gloria Estefan and Celine Dion (don't laugh... but I had to treat my girlfriend), Eric Clapton at MSG, Soundgarden at Jones Beach, guitarist Richard Thompson, and Robbie Krieger at the Iridium) where the tickets have either been lost or have been misplaced and floating in the Neverland.
    And there are still a number of musicians and artists I have yet to see that are on my bucket list: David Bowie, King Crimson, Be Bop Deluxe, Men at Work, Jane's Addiction, Radiohead, Metallica, Electric Light Orchestra, the Beach Boys, AC/DC, Green Day, and, lamentably, a list of other musical geniuses that have long since left us: John Lennon, George Harrison, Syd Barrett, Elvis Presley, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Joe Strummer, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Davey Jones, etc., that I never got to see and will never.
    Thankfully, comic books are back in my life: bigger and better than ever! And you guys are a part of it!
    And if for any reason, comic collecting takes another hiatus out of my life, I will always have Rock n' Roll to fill the void.
     
    Thanks for reading and Happy Collecting!
    SW3D

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  13. SW3D
    It finally arrived! A key that has been on my "must have" wish list for a couple of years now: Strange Adventures 190: the third appearance of Buddy Baker, but more significantly... the 1st Appearance of Baker as Animal Man in Costume... thus officially a Superhero!
    I grew up buying comics in the late Bronze Age into the Copper Age: from 1979 - 1987. The very first time I came to know of Buddy Baker aka Animal Man, was in Action Comics 552 and 553 (February and March 1985 respectively). He, along with a ragtag group of DC's Golden Age and Silver Age adventure heroes (including the likes of the Immortal Man), collectively came to be known as "The Forgotten Heroes". In said Action Comics' guest appearances, the Forgotten Heroes played a supporting role to Superman and his fight against immortal villain Vandal Savage. Flash forward a couple of years, sometime between graduating high school and on or about my first semester in college, and my comic book collecting obsessions took a sharp nose dive. There were many factors involved in my temporary abandonment of the hobby I so dearly loved (some of which I mentioned in past journals or feedbacks), and this long hiatus took place a year or so before Scottish author Grant Morrison's critically lauded re-invention of Animal Man: a 26 issues run beginning with the first issue, September 1988; a run which has since become publishing legend. However, once Morrison bowed out to pursue other projects, several writers assumed the plotting and storytelling reins doing their best to keep Animal Man's mythology significant until its final issue, #89 (November 1995); cancelled due to poor sales.
    Jump ahead 14 years or so, sometime in late 2011, DC re-launched all their hallmark characters and some B-Listers, redefining their universe... perhaps making it more contemporarily relevant and appropriate for a new generation of fans, yet familiar enough not to alienate the legion of readers that have stuck around for decades. And, thankfully, they brought back Animal Man for the ride. This is where I finally get the bug to read the solo exploits and strange adventures of one of comicdom's truly bizarre and quirky characters.
    So before I jumped into the modern day exploits of A-Man, I decided to acquaint myself with the character's rich back history, and what better way to do this than by purchasing and reading the TPB's of the fabled Morrison run... technically Animal Man's first volume. And wow... did it live up to its reputation! I hate to be a spoiler for anyone who hasn't read them but I have to enthusiastically and vehemently say, "If you haven't read them, you are missing out on one of the most entertaining, thought-provoking, philosophical, existential, and socially relevant comic books ever written. And having never read any of Grant Morrison's work before, I can honestly say he's a creative genius! Here's why: Buddy Baker is a 30 something Part-Time Superhero and Full-Time Family man living a quiet life in the suburbs of San Diego. He's husband to Ellen and father to pre-teen son Cliff and 5 years old daughter Maxie. The main breadwinner in the family is Ellen, a sexy red-head and strong independent female who is a stay-home mom illustrating storyboards, but is also a budding children's book author. Buddy gets the itch to become a full-time superhero when the Justice League International is featured on the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Suddenly fame and fortune are cha-chinging his immature and clouded mind. Buddy is, for all intent and purposes, best expressed by this cliché: "way in over his head". But this is just the set-up as Morrison lays the necessary foundation to ground the reader and prepare them for the strange and quirky odyssey of self-discovery that is to be the legacy of everyman Buddy Baker. The ride is profoundly emotional and sentimental, philosophical, and socially relevant where Morrison tackles issues of Animal Cruelty/Testing, Eco-Terrorism, Apartheid, Aging, and Death. But Morrison also raises questions about Identity, the Self, our Mental Health and Psychic Health, and our existence, relationship and awareness of the world... or shall I say the multi-faceted dimension we live in. And Morrison sprinkles many sub-plots and shadowy elements that touch upon a multitude of conspiracy of sorts involving the government, corporations, aliens, and even the universe and creation itself. It is one big and dynamite f*cking head-trip!!! I really want to be specific and give you plot details for those who are not familiar with it but that would spoil things... just trust me and pick up a TPB copy or download it digitally (I eventually did for Animal Man Volume 1, Books 3 and 4).
    And after reading Morrison, I downloaded the first two books of Animal Man Volume 2: the re-launched exploits of Buddy Baker as written by Canadian scribe Jeff Lemire. Wow! This is another watershed moment! Not as good as Morrison... but still damn good! Touching upon and expanding on ideas first explored and instituted by British writer Jamie Delano (Volume 1, issues 51 - 79), Buddy Baker discovers that his daughter, Maxine, is the chosen Avatar for the Red (the spiritual life force of all animal life). He also quickly learns his mission is to protect Maxine from the forces of the Rot (the elemental forces of Death and Decay), who have been sent their Avatar: Anton Arcane. With his family on the run, Buddy seeks out the one being that could turn the tide on the Great Elemental War which threatens to wipe out humanity: Alec Holland... the Swamp Thing... the Avatar of the Green.
    So after reading Morrison and Lemire's wonderful interpretation of the "Life and Times of Buddy Baker", I got the insatiable collecting urge to seek out and buy his original five Silver Age appearances from Strange Adventures: 180, 184, 190, 195, and 201. Now, much like Jack Kirby's Demon #1, these are a challenge to find in high grade and the CGC census population numbers prove it. But luckily I got a message from auction house Comiclink that a copy of Strange Adventures 190 had become available... and like a Superhero, I went into action. It goes without saying, but I paid FMV... but it was worth it.
    So this 46 year old beauty arrives on my doorstep yesterday afternoon, and I felt compelled to share it with my Collectors Society Brothers and Sisters.
    Created by writer David Wood and artist Carmine Infantino, Buddy Baker first appeared in Strange Adventures 180. On the cover, Buddy Baker thus declared "I was the Man with Animal Powers!" In his third appearance in Strange Adventures 190, Buddy Baker dons an orange and black costume with a sky-blue "A" splashed on his torso and stomach, and officially becomes A-Man, superhero. Coincidentally, the Immortal Man (you remember him from the Forgotten Heroes team) shares equal bill on this issue.
    In a nutshell, Buddy Baker responds to a theft at an electronics firm and uses his powers to track the thieves to a secret location on an island. It is actually a silly and convoluted little story, and it's probably best explained by Buddy Baker's actual thought balloons: "More electronic machines! That's why Grabo's been stealing all that equipment! That crackpot must have stumbled on a sound frequency to give telepathic commands to animals, and he's planning on harnessing their powers to commit crimes on the mainland... an Animal Gang!"
    Although mired and steeped in Silver Age kookiness and absurdity, Strange Adventures 190 is not a memorable or classic story, but is arguably an historic key since it delivers an

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  14. SW3D
    The very topic of Pressing is a much heated debate with a clear division for those who see it as a non-restorative technique and those who do and are seeking pro-disclosure. This journal entry is not intended as a rebuttal or definitive response to the "Pressing Debate", but intended to give unbiased insights on why the issue remains relevant to many collectors and to offer collectors a broader scope of understanding, education, knowledge, and awareness of our hobby.
    The following text is quoted verbatim from the Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide Third Edition (2006) by Robert M. Overstreet and Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg on the topic of Pressing where arguments are made from both camps:
    "As alluded to in the beginning of this article, pressing is one of the most lively areas of debate in the comic book collecting community. Pressing can be a complicated procedure that includes fully disassembling a comic book, performing work on one or more of its constituents parts, and then reassembling it. Pressing can also be something that is done to a comic book as a whole. In each case, there are a variety of measures which can be taken and they produce a variety of results, some positive and some negative. Even stacking or storing comic books a certain way can produce some of the effects of pressing.
    It can be a volatile issue.
     
    In one camp, it is clearly accepted that pressing falls under the banner of restoration. In the other camp, advocates maintain that restoration requires the addition of something to the product being restored. Pressing, they say doesn't add anything.
     
    Mark Zaid, a comic book dealer and attorney, was one of those pleading the case for pressing as restoration:
    'Those who support the notion that pressing is not restoration typically argue that the technique fails to 'add' anything to the book. It is also typically argued that the process has been around for decades, and that its subtle, if not covert use, was widely known to the 'leaders' and 'experts' of the community.'
     
    Another contributor, Brian Ketterer pointed out that many of those speaking out on the issue are not uniformly anti-pressing. They are, he suggests, pro-disclosure:
     
    'For those against pressing, it is mostly about their right and ability to get information about the history of a book as they feel entitled to use that information about whether they want to purchase a given book.'
    For others, though, it was very much about the definitions.
    One respondent, John Foss, wrote, 'Restoration would include the restorative techniques mentioned in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (staple replacement, pieces added, tear seals, color touch, etc.). In addition, I would expand upon the old definition of restoration to include pressing. Though not as invasive as the other forms of restoration, it is restoration nonetheless...'
     
    CGC, since the company started grading comics, has never considered pressing (along with other factors addressed under 'Restoration' below) to be restoration and correspondingly does not list it aas such on the blue CGC 'Universal' label.
     
    Retailer Todd McDevitt, sad, he would consider 'Any deliberate attempt to alter the condition of a comic' and would therefore include pressing as restoration.
     
    Writing on the broader topic of restoration, archivist Tracey Heft of Eclipse Paper Conservation noted, 'No less an authority as the International Institute of Conservation (IIC) has defined restoration as 'any attempt to return an object to its original form and purpose, in the attempt to recreate an earlier known state or condition.'
     
    Comic book dealer Doug Schmell, though, makes a strong statement the logic of the other side:
    'Pressing is a non-violative means of 'removing' non color-breaking creases, surface impressions, dings, impacts, bends and folds; it does not 'add' anything to the structural integrity of the comic book as do the examples listed above for restoration. Pressing is not restoration in my opinion and should be strongly differentiated in nomenclature and status from the restoration means listed above. Pressing is a safe and non-evasive means of conserving the aesthetic appearance of a comic book without adding to its physical form.'
     
    Terry O'Neill, a dealer, ventured his thoughts on the inclusion of pressing in restoration in a straightforward manner: 'I would not include pressing, but would include any kind of additions of ink, glue or paper,' he wrote.
     
    Collector Howard Gerber summed it up simply enough: 'I have been collecting since 1963. This pressing debate seems kind of silly to me. If an expert can't tell a book has been pressed professionally how can one call it restoration?'
     
    A number of those responding to our questions were adamant that since nothing was added during some forms of pressing then it should not be considered restoration.
     
    It may be important to note that pressing is not a new issue, but its rise in significance can be linked to the higher prices being paid for comics today. Mark Wilson of PGC Mint, who has in the past restored a significant number of comics, did a good job of identifying the genesis of some of the concerns:
     
    'Where it becomes obvious to the novice when the following scenario occurs: A book was professionally graded, scanned and logged in a file for all to view. It now has an identifiable history. A dealer or collector purchases this book and believes that the grade is way too strict because it was just stacked wrong prior to grading. The book is then removed from its holder and 'pressed' because it has a slight warble or spine roll. It is then resubmitted to a professional grading service to be graded once again. It is now assigned a slightly higher grade and then put back on the market for sale. The book is once again scanned and logged. Because of our incredible network through the CGC message Boards, other Boards, dealer websites, auction Houses, ebay, and (most importantly) better computers and quicker download time, we now have instant access to scans of books in a way that was impossible just five years ago. Now someone notices that the book had a slight grade change and wonders why. This will then create a 'stir' on the message boards and the controversy begins. Opinions fly like bats in the night.'
     
    Wilson also offered another observation: 'Can proper pressing improve the grade of a book? Yes. Can it lower the grade of a book? Yes.' He also said that complaints are rarely heard when a book is pressed, resubmitted and then comes back with the exact same grade or a lower grade assigned.
     
    Staking out something of a middle ground, longtime dealer Gary Colabuono offered the following:
     
    'If it can be determined that a book has been pressed -- then it deserves a 'restored' label because the obvious, detected work can be considered no different than detected color touch or tear sealing.
     
    If it can't be determined that a book has been pressed -- then the book must get a 'universal' non-restored grade since every means of detecting restoration will have been utilized and none found.'
     
    Collector-historian-dealer Richard Olson also moves in that direction:
     
    "Grading is looking for defects -- a perfect press might remove a defect but if it is truly undetectable, I don't see a problem. At the same time, if the pressing leaves any signs, then it is no difference than any other type of restoration.'
     
    This new definition was added to this year's Guide:
    Pressing -- A term used to describe a variety of processes or procedures, professional and amateur, under which an issue is pressed to eliminate wrinkles, bends, dimples and/or other perceived defects and thus improve its appearance. Some types of pressing involve disassembling the book and per

  15. SW3D
    "Change! Change, O' form of Man!
    Release the Might from fleshy mire!
    Boil the Blood in Heart of Fire!
    Gone! Gone!... the form of Man!
    Rise, The Demon Etrigan!!"I was first introduced to this yellow-skinned netherworld denizen with twin ruby pupil-less orbs, through Alan Moore's revisionist and ground breaking work on Saga of the Swamp Thing. The Demon Etrigan, came to assist Swamp Thing on several occasions, most notably as a guide in Hell to free the elemental's soul mate, Abigail Arcane, and was even present in the battle against The Darkness (an entity akin to the summation of all which is devoid of light and goodness, but, shall not be mistaken as a representation of evil, brought forth to our world by a coven of witches from South America). Under Moore's authorship, the Demon was given high rank among the forces of Hell, and became a rhyming demon conversing in dialogue more akin to riddles filled with great mystery. Etrigan also acquired the ability to spew venomous hellfire from his maw, often to the detriment of his adversaries. From this albeit brief and startling introduction, I was intrigued by this occult personage and always wanted to know more. In my limited knowledge and understanding of the character, I knew he was a Jack Kirby creation, but little else. Sometime last year, I set my sights on acquiring his first appearance, and I searched several months through various auction houses for a decent graded copy. In December, on eBay, I actually placed what I thought at a time, to be a very high bid for a Demon #1 in 9.6. Sadly, if I recall correctly, I lost to the winning bidder who walked away with it at a price between: $550 - $600. The Demon, like the echoes and screams which quickly fade away when one awakens from a ghastly nightmare, eluded me. Eventually, I journeyed to Midtown Comics Grand Central and bought DC's hardcover edition, Jack Kirby's The Demon (2008), reprinting the entire first volume: 1 -- 16. But I never opened it, vowing to keep it in its plastic foil encasement (like Merlin in hibernation), until the faithful day when an original copy would be mine. Since then, very few Demon's have made themselves readily available, and when they have, they have appeared when the opportunity wasn't economically viable for me... that is until about two weeks ago, when MyComicsShop/Lone Star Comics sent me a message in which one had become available for purchase at fair market value... at a respectable representation... graded 9.2 (Near Mint-). So, finally... after waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, I have one to call my very own. And with it, I ripped opened the foil to the hardcover edition reprints, and finally read a Jack Kirby DC work. The introduction to the book is written by Mark Evanier, a one-time assistant to Kirby, and a notable writer in his own right. Mark penned a tribute to the King, a 2008 book entitled: Kirby: King of Comics (that one is on my must have list). In the intro, Mark informs the reader the genesis and humble beginnings of The Demon. Can you believe Jack "the King" Kirby, in an episode which can only be described as a true "flash of genius", conjured him up over an impromptu dinner at a Howard Johnson's restaurant? Here's an excerpt: "Sunday, Steve and I were out there working with him. He finished that Forever People late in the day, about the time his wife Roz came in and announced we were all going to the nearby Howard Johnson's restaurant for supper. 'We' meant the two of them, daughters Lisa and Barbara, and Steve and me, all sardined into the family station wagon. After we'd all ordered, Jack got strangely quiet. He just sat there as we talked, saying nothing, retreating (or more accurately, advancing) into some other world. It may even have occurred to me to think, 'Hey, Jack's writing something'. Ten or fifteen minutes later, the server brought us our dinners. For some reason, I recall that I had a hot turkey sandwich. As we all stopped conversing to eat, Jack softly and without preamble began to tell a story about someone named Jason Blood. It was the complete plot of the first story of The Demon, including the basic premise and characters and setup, and it was pretty much what he later drew and what was published in the first issue. It, along with all the others, is reprinted in this volume. Between the time he'd ordered a burger and the arrival of the burger, Jack Kirby had created a new comic book. Right there in the Howard Johnson's. Had it been anyone else describing a new project in such detail, you would have assumed he'd been working on it for weeks."Can you imagine that? That just blows my mind! Incredible! It just goes to show you Jack Kirby was a genius... a true creative genius unlike many this world has produced. But there's more this so very interesting and insightful story that I am compelled to share this with you all (if you're at all interested... if not, go about your Sunday and enjoy!). So Mark Evanier continues: "We all said things like, 'That sounds great, Jack. Could you pass the butter?' He passed the butter, then hurried through that burger of his because he had to get home and to the board. Less than an hour later in his studio, Jack pulled out a pile of books that reprinted Prince Valiant, the classic strip by Hal Foster. He paged through them until he found a sequence he recalled, wherein Valiant disguised himself by stretching a goose skin over his head, thereby creating a grotesque mask... a memorable visual that Jack (and many readers of the strip) had recalled for decades. Jack thought it would serve as an inside joke for readers who recognized the source if he patterned the look of his new character after that mask. He moved immediately to his drawing table and sketched out the first image of The Demon. The final version was almost identical to that drawing."Simply incredible! To be privy to an artistic genius processes... the birth, genesis, and creation of something so grandiose... must be like transforming into a man with wings who flies over the ocean and catches a fleeting glimpse of the setting sun and the majestic brilliance of a thousand scintillating colors as they reflect off the waters... divine inspiration!Well... moving forward into the first journey of the yarn (from The Demon Volume 1, Number 1), and this is a major spoiler, so for those of you who don't want to know the origin of the Demon, please read no further. The set-up is quite simple, thousands of years ago (probably sometime in the 6th century), during the reign of King Arthur, the powerful wizard Merlin (a half-demon himself), does battle with Camelot's deadliest nemesis, Morgaine Le Fey (Arthur's evil half-sister and a powerful sorceress to rival Merlin). Morgaine Le Fey's, in her quest for immortality, seeks to wrest control of Merlin's tome: "the Eternity Book"... the key to immortality. Merlin summons the demon known as Etrigan, as his personal champion and guardian. When the armies of King Arthur and Morgaine Le Fey clash, it ultimately destroys Camelot, and forces Merlin to retreat into a state of supernatural slumber (I posit it to be a forced coma to regain the expended energies necessary to cast such powerful spells),... only to re-emerge millennia later when the moment is right. But before Merlin retreats, he grafts/mystically binds The Demon Etrigan to one of King Arthur's Knights... Jason Blood... thus makes the humanTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  16. SW3D
    O' Heavenly Creatures!
     
    Have I witnessed a divine vision and gleaned a possible future?Or are these the bold portents of a madman... the rants and ravings of a lunatic and a fool?For I've seen in the stars a Holy Trinity... a Cosmic Alliance not seen in a millennia......Of Eternal Hope... the Son of Man... the Gold Skinned Immortal who has returned to his Cocoon and will ultimately return a God... the one they call Adam... the Warlock.And of Heaven's Champion... the Huntress... the Bounty Hunter... the renegade angel... Angela.Could they be Star-Crossed Lovers? Divine Mates? And what of the offspring they would sire? A most powerful agent! A being of remarkable power!But the forces of Evil and Corruption will align on one side... to deny this heavenly birthright.And Man, Cosmic Heroes and Gods on the other...And a Great War will ensue to protect the Mother and Fetus in Womb......the very Marvel Universe will shake asunder......perhaps the end of all we have known......or the birth of a new age?SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  17. SW3D
    Okay... so I've developed an obsession of sorts. And I realize this obsession will ultimately see me the loser and not the victor. What exactly is that obsession? I have this insane desire to corner the market on a CGC comic book. Why? I don't know.
    Maybe I am the descendant of some wayward despot... and all these long years... I've been suppressing the urges of my tyrannical ancestry. My heart and soul constantly beckon me to "RULE THE WORLD!" But, conversly, the genetic sh*t that is also fused and coupled into my DNA won't have any of it! My mind hypocritically decries... "That goal is way too lofty and tiring, and I'm just too f*cking lazy to see it through!" So, thankfully, for the sake of the free world... there is no way in hell it's ever going to happen.
    However, I've reasoned, if I could rule and lord over something... maybe it should be something attainable... a bit more down to earth. So I reckon the Comic Book Market may just be the place I could satiate and placate these sociopathic urges.
    And I don't know if you recall... but I've attempted this a few times. Firstly, with Swamp Thing's Volume 1, Number 1, and secondly with San Diego Comics Con #2 (first Full Appearance of Hellboy). But there's just way too many of them out there to corner the market.
    But I've found another. Yes! So here it is... another comic book I've been diabolically targeting for WORLD CGC DOMINATION! MUH HA! HA! HA! HA!
    Back in March, I twice wrote about Spawn 9: that controversial key issue where the first appearance of Angela has made waves since it was announced Gaiman was taking Angela (his litigious co-creation with McFarlane), over to the Marvel Universe, where the lovely servant of God will debut in the Age of Ultron in June, and eventually transition to the Guardians of the Galaxy (and God willing... make a real appearance in a movie: Angela had an all too brief cameo in 1997's Spawn flick).
    In one of the two blogs, I also wrote (and actually gloated) about my CGC 9.6 copy of Spawn 9, the Newsstand Variant. At the time I informed the world at large it was one-of-a-kind... in fact the very first of its kind. And for a very brief and shiny moment, it was the only Newsstand Variant graded in the CGC. But prophetically, I also predicted that it would not remain as such for very long. And sadly, my day of reign ended when another debuted: a CGC 9.8.
    I remember checking obsessively almost every single day to see if my little 9.6 was the one and only. Then one day my eyes lit up with flames of jealousy and fury... for I had been dethroned! My evil reign over... extinguished like a puff of smoke. A 9.8 had dared to overthrow me!
    Bah!
    I pushed away the computer and cried foul vengeance to the world.
     
    "There shall be a day of reckoning! I shall return to the throne!"
    And sure enough... in a very short time I must say... I have returned to the throne.
    So as I write this... your "humble" narrator... yours truly... once again rules the "Magical Kingdom of the Spawn 9 Newsstand Variant in CGC Land".
    How? I got very lucky and purchased that 9.8. So, now I own the both of them... the only two Spawn 9 Newsstand Variants to be certified. I own the first and the second.
    I don't know why but it feels so freaking good... almost monumental.
    As I look to the "other side" there are 329 Direct Editions in the census.
    And on my side... just these two beauties. Check out the pics.
    Damn the Throne feels good!
    SW3D

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  18. SW3D
    I may not be the biggest Man of Steel fan or collector (I give that nod to Brandon Shepherd and others), and I definitely haven't read every adventure of the Caped Wonder, but I am a big fan nonetheless.
    When I was a child, Superman was the one superhero I wanted to be.
    What Superman stands for: purity, morality, strength, and order, which symbolically stands defiant in our often troubled, turbulent, and chaotic world.
    Superman never bends to the will of evil, nor does he sacrifice his morals or convictions.
    Superman is self-sacrificing and gives everything freely to serve man.
    He is also very compassionate and merciful.
    If we study Superman's origins and make-up further, we can devine they are deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian beliefs, and one could arguably see parallels of what he represents and the Christ-figure.
    Even if Superman were somehow stripped of his powers, his devine, pious and rightous nature, makes him a God among Men!
    Superman is undoubtedly DC's Messiah.
    Some may condemn him and caustically call him a Big Blue Boyscout, but in my eyes, he will always remain Superman!
    I've recently got back one of my favorite adventures of Superman, first appearing in Action Comics 552, and recently reprinted in the hardcover book: Adventures of Superman Gil Kane. I bought this newsstand copy, back in early 1984 (publication date February 1984). I can't believe it's been 29 years since I first read that issue. The cover is what really grabbed me. Gil Kane's rendition of Superman is one of my favorite's, up there with Neal Adam's take. Why? Probably because Gil makes him look like he's sculpted in the style of the ancient Greeks. He gives the Man of Steel a chiseled and natural look, not like some disproportioned bodybuilder on steroids, but reminiscent of Michelangelo's famous masterpiece, a 17 foot sculpture of the bibilical hero David (the guy who slew Goliath).
    The story, written by Marv Wolfman, is most intriguing, and involves a mysterious pryamid-shaped temple harkening back to the beginning of time, Vandal Savage (the immortal villain), and several guest appearances of DC's Golden and Silver Age heroes. It actually spans over two issues: Action Comics 552 and 553, and a slight connection to 554.
    Well, without furter ado... I give you my transciption of the entire issue of Action Comics 552:
    Action Comics 552: Another Time! Another Death!
    Written by Marv Wolfman
    Faithfully transcribed by SW3D (not for commercial use; please do not reprint).
    Immediately we discover the Man of Steel, like the ancient Greek Titan Atlas, with his mighty arms and shoulders, lifts several tons of concrete and steel, debris from a collapsed building in the inner city neighborhood known as Suicide Slum. Several survivors, the poor and unfortunate souls who called this derelict and abandoned building home, stagger forth and hobble for safety.
    Superman (Thought Balloons): "I've flown by this building a dozen times and never considered people might be living in such squalid surroundings... while less than three blocks away stand some of the city's most exclusive luxury apartments. Inequities are so unfair. Those who have, keep on acquiring more... while those who never have only continue to suffer. Well, they won't have to suffer in this rat-trap any longer... though what may have been hell to these poor souls... may prove a heaven-sent boon to a Philippine village about to be deluged by an overflowing river... simply by turning a decomposing junk-pile into a very useful dam!"
    Like a pitcher tossing a baseball into the air, Superman hurls the collected debris into the sky at impossible speeds.
    Remarkably, with a blast of his heat vision, he turns the debris into a ball of slag, where, thousands of miles away, it lands between an overflowing river and a small village in the Philippine's, saving the village and its people from certain destruction!
    Superman soon discovers the source of the building's collapse... several gigantic roots.
    Superman (Thought Balloons): "These roots are what hastened the building's collapse... by cutting through the foundation. Trouble is, this is a complete anomaly... these roots are definitely prehistoric. There's no way the seeds which germinated them could possibly be surviving today. Well, I don't mind admitting I'm stumped. Maybe I can figure it out at the Fortress of Solitude."
    As the Caped Wonder takes to the skies, he is unaware an ancient villain has been secretly watching with baited interest.
    Vandal Savage: "He doesn't suspect. But then how could he? I've provided nothing he can possibly connect with Vandal Savage!"
    Dr. Cruise: "Sir, I've completed the tests."
    Vandal Savage: "And the results?"
    Dr. Cruise: "Everything is in position. Superman is almost a full carrier. The disease we've infected him with will soon take him over completely."
    Vandal Savage: "And once it does, Dr. Cruise... he will be mine! He and his world will belong to me!"
    Meanwhile, in a secret facility resting on the apex of a rocky plateau somewhere on the West Coast, a vintage collection of DC's Golden and Silver Age heroes have gathered together under mysterious circumstances. They will soon discover they are facing a crisis eons in the making:
    Congo Bill: "I certainly don't mind a free vacation, but I'd like to know why I've been invited."
    Rip Hunter: "I agree. And I'd say it's about time we all learned the truth."
    Dolphin: "Feel so... strange here. So... far from the... water. Will... Dolphin... be here.... long?"
    Cave Carson: "Afraid so, lady. Y'see, the fate of the world rests in our hands! A world I wanted to forsake!"
    Rip Hunter: "We've all accepted our tragedies in different ways, Cave. But I agree. It's about time to level with our newfound friends."
    Animal Man: "What I wanna know is... How'd you know about me bein' Animal Man? I thought nobody knew. I mean, I recognize a couple of you... Cave Carson, America's Numero Uno Geologist. Even Rip Hunter, the famous Time-Master... although I thought you were younger. But some of you... sorry if I offend ya... but you mean nothin' to me."
    Rip Hunter: "You're right about me being younger Animal Man. I am! Which is part of the reason you're all here. But, frankly, I don't know all of you either. Only one man does... the one who brought us all here. But he's asked that you meet him later for reasons which shall then become clear. When Cave's done you'll see a connection."
    Cave Carson: "You done Hunter? Let me get on with it. Animal Man's right... I'm a Geologist. And to make my work easier, I created a little machine I called The Mighty Mole."
    Flashback: The Mighty Mole: a midnight-blue, cylindrical shaped vehicle, with two turbine-like engines on either side, and a giant drill on its nose, digs through several miles of earth and rock... piloted by Cave Carson dressed in miner's gear:
    Cave Carson: "It eats through rock like a fat man through pizza."
    An ancient golden pyramid-like temple with ascending stairs majestically stands before C

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  19. SW3D
    If you could trade your entire Comic Book Collection for just one CGC Graded Holy Grail Comic... Would You Do It? And if so... What would that comic be?
    Okay, you're probably thinking... "What are you mad?" Trade thousands upon thousands of comic books for just one stinking comic? I don't care if it is just one Holy Grail comic... I just won't do it! Years upon years of collecting all coming down to just one comic! No way!
    But let's say... hypothetically... if somebody were to ask you that question, would you do it? And if the answer were yes... What graded Holy Grail Comic would you choose?
    Now before you jump the gun and answer it... let's put down some parameters...
    The parameters of the trade would be based on:
    1. An Even Trade: One CGC Graded Holy Grail Comic Book for Your Entire Comic Book Collection: Strictly comic books, comic magazines, from all ages, graded and ungraded, nothing else (no original comic art, no graphic novels, no books, no posters, no toys, no figurines, etc.).
    2. The Fair Market Value of Your Entire Comic Book Collection versus the Fair Market Value of One Graded Holy Grail Comic Book.
    3. The Holy Grail Comic: One CGC Graded Comic Universal Label with White Pages (no Signature, Qualified or Restored Labels), any grade levels from any Age.
    4. No Refunds or Returns Policy: In other words: It's a Final Deal! You can't change your mind.
    Okay... now that we got that out of the way...
    First Question: Would I exactly do it? Would I trade everything for just one thing?
    The answer is... YES! Why? Probably to finally own a piece of history... real serious history... a coveted Holy Grail! But I would only settle on a high grade: 9.2 and up.
    Second Question: What is my entire comic book collection really worth?
    That's a tough one. And it's everything I own both graded and ungraded. And based on this assumption, I need to be practical and conservative and not inflate values and numbers (even though I would like to), because honestly, one really couldn't liquidate an entire collection (unless you had a collection of high grade Golden Age goodies) and expect a buyer to fork over every penny you think it's worth... that's just not going to happen. So I'm thinking in terms of a reasonable, current, fair market value for the entire collection as if a professional would appraise the collection and make an offer on the spot to buy it.
    So now I have a number/value in my head, and I am going to use that "number/value" and consider a trade for a graded holy grail comic... and this is going to be the tough one. Realistically, my entire collection is not worth a high grade Action Comics #1 or Detective #27. And sadly, it's not worth 9.8 grades of Silver Age goodies like Showcase #4, Amazing Fantasy #15, X-Men #1, Avengers #1, or my favorite: Fantastic Four #1. Lamentably, I have to come down to earth and be very reasonable.
    But alas, all is not lost. For I reasoned, there is a holy grail comic I could potentially get a trade for, and there winner is ... drumroll please:
    CGC Graded, Daredevil #1 (1st Appearance of Daredevil/Matt Murdock), at 9.8 with White Pages
    My alternative would be:
    Another drum roll please...
    CGC Graded, Tales of Suspense #39 (1st Appearance of Iron Man/Tony Stark), at 9.4 with White Pages
    So I ask you dear reader:
    "Would you trade your entire collection for just one CGC Graded Holy Grail Comic?"
    And if so...
    "What would it be?" Include a 1st Choice and a 2nd Choice.
     
    I look forward to your thoughts and musings.
    SW3D

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  20. SW3D
    Created by writer and magician Walter B. Gibson, The Shadow made his debut on the radio program Detective Story Hour, on July 31, 1930, and later in print, in the pages of Street and Smith's pulp The Shadow Magazine, on April 1, 1931. The Shadow is depicted as a no-nonsense, costumed vigilante, not prone to upholding a self-righteous ideology or moral code, like most masked superheroes who refuse to kill. Instead, The Shadow becomes the consummate symbol of a Vigilante Philosophy... a sometimes gray philosophy... born, bred, and nurtured in Oriental mysticsm but practiced in the gritty streets of Depression-Era America. The Shadow can regularly be seen, meting out back-alley justice in a manner best understood by those criminal underworld deviants who are his sworn enemies. The Shadow, who graces the noir pages of the pulp magazines, and in Street and Smith's latter comic book incarnations (March 1940 -- September 1949), is a Force of Nature, who strikes a balance in a very frightening and unforgiving world... a being of both Order and Chaos... a being of the Light and the Dark... an amalgam of Terror and Hope... of Life and Death... a Ying and Yang... a Shadow.
    Arguably the literary world's first costumed anti-hero, much can be said of The Shadow's influence. As Dennis O'Neil observed in his forward from DC's 1988 hardcover collection: The Private Files of the Shadow: "(The Shadow) has his own descendants: in the pulps, there were The Spider, The Bat and The Black Bat; on radio, The Green Hornet; and in comics, a small army of masked vigilantes - The Black Terror, The Crimson Avenger, The Hangman, Dr. Mid-Nite, The Sandman, and a dozen more, including of course, The Batman. All probably owe some debt of inspiration to The Shadow."
    And, many decades later, O'Neil's observations still ring true, as The Shadow's influence can be seen in the comic pages of both old and new costumed vigilantes such as Charlton's The Question, Marvel's Daredevil, The Punisher, Moon Knight, Marvel UK's Nightraven, DC's Vigilante, and Alan Moore's V for Vendetta. The Shadow is the forerunner to such costumed vigilantes, and undeniably has played a critical role in the influence, creation, and core philosophy of a mulititude of fictional vigilantes as portrayed in various medias, and will likely continue to shape a new era of costumed and masked vigilantes as new Shadow adventures appear in the pages of Dynamite Entertainment's latest incarnation.
    As for DC's first foray into the world of The Shadow...
    ...published from November 1973 to September 1975, writer Dennis O'Neil brought back to The Shadow faithful, a much needed homage to his pulp origins. As it so happened, less than a decade prior, Archie Comics dreadfully re-imagined The Shadow as a campy superhero donning a green and blue costume. This forgettable 8-issue run (published from August 1964 to September 1965), ludicrously had The Shadow depicted with blond hair (for a laugh, Google Image issue #2).
    Yet thankfully, DC brought The Shadow back from the brink...
    ...Credit O'Neil for employing an assortment of devices familiar to The Shadow canon, which include but are not exclusive to: signature costume (black slouch hat, crimson scarf, crimson lined cloak, and black suit), his beak-like nose, the ruby ring or girasol, communication in code, the Autogyro (a helicopter-plane hybrid), twin .45mm automatics, hypnosis, invisibility-like stealth, bone-chilling laughter, and signature catch-phrases we have all come to know and love: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
    Fully restored to his former glory, The Shadow operates under a veil of secrecy, relying on a loyal roster of agents who are in various ways indebted to him, often with their lives. These agents include: taxi driver Moses "Moe" Shrevnitz, nicknamed "Shrevvy", who acts as The Shadow's chauffeur; the golden coiffed Burbank, a radio-operator and researcher who helps The Shadow to communicate to all agents; the beautiful Margo Lane, who often escorts The Shadow's alter ego Lamont Cranston, as an eye-candy socialite; and hardboiled gumshoe Harry Vincent.
    Noir-ish, pulpy, exciting, and stylishly illustrated by artists Michael Kaluta, Frank Robbins, and E.R. Cruz, DC's The Shadow is a faithful run that was cut way too short, but nonetheless will be remembered as a classic.
    DC's Shadow: 1-12
    Writer: Dennis O'Neil
    Artists:
    Mike Kaluta: 1-4, 6
    Frank Robbins: 5, 7-9
    E.R. Cruz: 10-12
    Shadow #1: "The Doom Puzzle"
    Issue Synopsis (Spoiler Alert!):
    From the deserted boardwalk planks of a Brooklyn waterfront, our attention is diverted to a trio of silhouettes, which inkblot a backlit multi-pane window, situated on the top floor of a non-descript warehouse.
    Inside, we discover two hard-nosed types in the middle of an illegal exchange: information for money.
    Their criminal transaction is suddenly interrupted by icy-cold laughter.
    From the camouflage of darkness emerges The Shadow.
    Holding out a heavy hand, The Shadow demands a scrap of paper.
    Gunfire! Bullets fly in the Shadow's direction, who seemingly
    dissolves back into the fabric of darkness only to reappear in another corner of the room.
    The Shadow returns fire with twin automatics, finding his mark.
    The lead gunmen drops.
    In mortal terror, the surviving gunmen, tosses his gun, and cuts and runs.
    The Shadow grabs him by the scruff of his collar, and mercilessly throws him over the landing.
    The scrap of paper is pried from his dead fingers.
    The beautiful Margo Lane and gruff Shrevvy, await in a yellow taxi. The Shadow slides into the back seat and reveals to the agents the first part of a puzzle... the scrap of paper contains a hand-written coded message: "To all concerned, flag and gun alike should arrive on land, water, air. Remember, ten have died building freedom's hope across the mighty avenues of Americas."
    Escorted by sultry brunette Margo Lane, The Shadow's alter-ego, Lamont Cranston, makes an appearance at the Cobalt Club. While in the club, Cranston places a call to Agent Burbank. He gives orders to have Harry Vincent report to the corner of Water and Tenth Streets, at midnight.
    Sometime later, gumshoe Harry Vincent leans against a streetlamp at Water and Tenth, patiently waiting for something to happen.
    Suddenly a speeding police van breaks through the still of the night.
    Several masked gun-toting men spring from their hiding places and blow out the van's tires.
    The vehicle crashes to a halt.
    Harry Vincent soon joins the gun fight but is felled from a blow to the back of the head by a masked thug. The van doors are blown open and several crooks are freed and make their escape.
    At the Cobalt Club, a desperate Shrevvy informs Lamont Cranston what he secretly witnessed while sitting in his taxi at Water and Tenth.
    Somewhere in Long Island, Harry Vincent is tied to a tree by rope. Harry is worked over for information by a pair of motley gangster-types, until the demonic laughter of The Shadow interrupts. In lightning fashion, The Shadow makes quick work of the thugs, and frees Harry Vincent.
    One of the kidnappers is taken to a secret facility. Under hypnosis, the hood reveals two additional pieces of the puzzle: "Six months ago... steal plans for new kind of ship from Navy Headquarters... tonight, release prisoners... instructions and payment by mail... in code... another job tomorrow night... at eleven."
    Burbank informs The Shadow "I've learned a Sea Captain was among the prisoners who escaped from the van!" To which The Shadow replies: "An army of criminals... stolen ship plans... and a seaman! Yes... the pattern beings to reveal itself!"
    The next day, Lamont Cranston pays a visit to Wall Street and meets with handle-bar mustasched financier, Osgood Bamber. Osgood soon divulges that a shipment of worn-out currency will be transferred from NYC to Washington DC, in armored cars, and escorted by armed soldiers. Indeed, on that very same evening, Osgood Bamber oversees the loading of a million dollars worth of shabby bills into a caravan of armored vehicles.
    Meanwhile, three hoods set up explosives on the bridge which is on the planned route of transfer. Their attention is soon captured by a low-f

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  21. SW3D
    Listing my favorite comics and such.
     
    If I could be a superhero, who would I be?: SupermanMy favorite Comic Book Character: Swamp ThingMy favorite Cosmic Superhero: Tie: Adam Warlock and Silver Surfer.My favorite Classic Superhero: SupermanMy favorite Non-powered Superhero: Batman My favorite Supernatural Character: Phantom StrangerMy favorite Confidence Man: John ConstantineMy favorite Pulp Hero: The ShadowMy favorite hometown Superhero: Spider-Man (from Forest Hills, NY)My favorite Indie Superhero: NexusMy favorite Superheroine (based on looks): Tie: Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) and Marvel Girl/Phoenix (Jean Grey).My favorite Superheroine (based on heroics/leadership): Tie: Storm and Wonder WomanMy favorite Super Team: Tie: Fantastic Four and X-MenMy favorite Cosmic Villain: Tie: Galactus and ThanosMy favorite Despot Villain: Doctor DoomMy favorite Supernatural Villain: MephistoMy favorite Rogues Gallery: X-MenMy favorite fight between heroes: Daredevil vs. Hulk: Daredevil 163My favorite Golden Age publisher: EC ComicsMy favorite Silver Age Publisher: Marvel ComicsMy favorite Bronze Age Publisher: DC My favorite Copper Age Publisher: Marvel ComicsMy favorite Modern Age Publisher: DC ComicsMy favorite defunct Indie Publisher: Tie: Eclipse and FirstMy favorite Modern Indie Publisher: Tie Dark Horse and ImageMy favorite Silver Age run: Fantastic Four Volume 1: 1 - 100, and Silver Surfer Volume 1: 1 - 16.My favorite Bronze Age run: Tie: Swamp Thing Volume 1: 1 - 10; Warlock Volume 1: 9 - 16; DC's Shadow Volume 1: 1 - 12My favorite Copper Age run: Tie: Uncanny X-Men 129 - 143; Daredevil: 168 - 200My favorite Toy Tie-In: Tie: Micronauts and ROM SpaceknightMy favorite Event Maxi-Series: Tie: DC's Watchmen and Marvel's Civil War. My favorite Mini-Series: Kingdom ComeMy favorite Cross-Over: DC/Marvel Presents: Uncanny X-Men and Teen TitansMy favorite B&W Magazine: Tie: Savage Sword of Conan and Tales of the ZombieMy favorite Foreign Comic Book Magazine: WarriorMy favorite Adult Magazine: EpicMy favorite Anthology Magazine: CreepyMy favorite Graphic Novel: Watchmen My favorite Foreign Superhero: Tie: Marvelman and Judge DreddMy favorite comic book writer (living or dead): Tie: Stan Lee and Alan MooreMy favorite comic book artist (living or dead): Tie: Bernie Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Neal Adams, John Bryne, Jim Starlin and Brian Bolland.My favorite comic book cover artist (illustrator): Tie: Jack Kirby and Gil KaneMy favorite comic book cover artist (oil on canvas): Tie: Boris Vallejo and Earl NoremWho I believe is the greatest comic book artist ever? (living or dead): Jack Kirby without a doubt!My holy grails (list will grow without a doubt):Fantastic Four 48Fantastic Four 1Fantastic Four 5House of Secrets 92Swamp Thing 1Fantastic Four 66/67Action Comics 1Detective Comics 27Tales of Suspense 39X-Men 1Showcase 22Showcase 4Journey Into Mystery 83Daredevil 1Giant Size X-Men 1Incredible Hulk 181Warrior Magazine 12000 AD Prog 2Nexus Volume 1 (B&W Magazine)Creepy 1Anything ECTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  22. SW3D
    This isn't much of a Journal Entry with such a banal topic of discussion: Superman's facial hair... but I am curious nonetheless at the potential laughs and gaffs this might cause.
    Zack Snyder's The Man of Steel is due out this Summer. The trailer looks awesome... really can't wait for it! But I have to say, and correct me if I am wrong, but is this the first time in Cinema or TV, Superman sports a full grown beard?
    The only other instance I can remember is in the forgetable 1983 Superman III, where Christopher Reeve sported a shadow for which he managed to avoid shaving ala a mystical evil Superman purge: Clark Kent literally splits from the evil Superman and they battle to the death... and Clark wins.
    But in the aforementioned Man of Steel, there are scenes in the trailer where Clark Kent sports a full grown beard. So my question is: "How does he manage to shave his beard?"
    How did he do it in the comics?
    Does this version use a Kryptonian electric shaver?
    Perhaps Heat vision?
    Kryptonite razor blades borrowed from Lex Luthor?
    I'm just curious what anyone thinks.
    SW3D

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  23. SW3D
    Actually, in this case I don't mind being by myself.
     
    So, it is official... Spawn #9 is a very hot! hot! hot! little comic. Word of Neil Gaiman's move to Marvel Comics, and his decision to take the Angela property with him has sparked a massive interest in Spawn #9, the 1st appearance of the red haired angelic beauty (I love redheads!).Well, it seems there were about half a million copies of this comic printed back in the day. How many have survived I have no clue, but there are a lot of them available. I've visited eBay and there is a long list of available Spawn #9's... one in CGC 9.8 with Neil Gaiman's signature. Asking price $400 - $600. So landing one for your collection is not difficult to obtain.In fact, I received a newsletter from Mile High Comics, who state they are giving away 1 copy of Spawn #9 with every purchase of $50 or more. Check it out: "Marvel revealed yesterday that Neil Gaiman is moving his sexy heroine, ANGELA, into Marvel's new GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY title, effective with issue #5. This has caused not only our pre-sales of GUARDIANS to explode, but also initiated a mad scramble for all the past appearances of ANGELA in the Image Universe. See the complete Image list at the end of today's newsletter... ANGELA'S first appearance was in SPAWN #9, for which demand has absolutely skyrocketed overnight. Blessedly, we have been stashing back issues of SPAWN #9 for many years, so we still have enough copies in stock to offer you one copy completely for free as a reward for placing any $50 order with us over this next weekend. Just place your order, and then ask for your free copy in the "notes" section of our order form. Limit one copy per client, please..."http://www.milehighcomics.com/newsletter/032213email.html However, there is a variant of Spawn #9 which appears to be rare: the Newsstand Edition... which has the Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode box appearing on the cover, and is printed on newsprint paper, and is missing the Jim Lee poster, and is only 36 pages long versus 40 pages for the direct edition. As I understand it, this makes it variant. I double-checked on all my favorite comic book buying sites looking high and low for a variant/newsstand edition of Spawn #9 and could not find one. I also reviewed all the current Spawn collections on the Collectors Society to see who may own a copy and no one seems to have one. Then I went to CGC.com and checked the census... and to my shock, there is only 1 Newsstand Edition... one and only one! Yes... you have guessed it. I am the lucky winner! I have the sole graded Newsstand Edition of Spawn #9. Check it out: http://www.cgccomics.com/census/grades_standard.asp?ComicID=116184I know my celebration will be short lived... for it is only a matter of time before they start popping out of the woodworks, but it is nice to know, that I hold in my possession the very first of its kind. The very first CGC graded variant of Spawn #9. I copy I bought last year in a back issue bin at my local LCS.I have no idea what it is worth. Mile High Comics is selling a copy... a Very Fine copy for $265.60. They had a Near Mint copy listed for $320.00 but it appears to be out of stock. Here's the link if anyone's interested. http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=enlarge&issue=77934967760%209%20NEWSSTAND What's funny is Mile High is also selling a direct edition near mint copy of only $72.50. Check it out: http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=enlarge&issue=77934967760%209On Bleedingcool.com's forum, the Bulletin, I found a thread about the very subject: Speculator Corner: Spawn #9 By Neil Gaiman And Todd McFarlane, The First Appearance Of Angela. The dialogue exchange about Spawn #9 is quite funny. One poster did state: "The newsstand is the only one worth owning, flipping or grading." FYI: This little lady made her "debut" back in my journal I posted on March 4th called "The Irony of Spawn #9": http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=13176 Check her out once again. Thanks for reading and Happy Collecting!SW3DTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  24. SW3D
    I love writing. And one of my favorite exercises to keep my skills honed is writing a detailed plot summary of some of my favorite comics. In some odd way, I almost feel like the actual author of the original -script, retracing their thought processes and plotting to achieve a truncated version of their orginal -script.
     
    This morning I went to the post office to pick up my copy of Fantastic Four 66, which I bought a few years ago from Midtown Comics Grand Central. I bought it at fair market value and I am happy that the grade has come back a respectable 8.0 with white pages. This magnificent issue features the Origin of Him: he who would later be named Adam Warlock. Him does not actually appear in this issue and doesn't make his first appearance until issue 67.
     
    I can't say enough about the Silver Age Fantastic Four run. It is in my estimation the greatest run of any Marvel title, and quite arguably, the greatest run of any Silver Age comic book period! What the combined genius of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrought with the Fantastic Four has changed the very face of the comic book universe forever. Anyway... without further ado... I give you "What Lurks Behind the Beehive?"...At the Manhattan apartment of Alicia Masters (the blind beauty, sculptress, and love of Ben Grimm's life), we discover three fourths members of the Fantastic Four (Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Ben Grimm), pondering her whereabouts. Ben Grimm, in a state of self-pity and self-loathing, rushes to conclusions over her sudden disappearance... foolishly believing Alicia may be betraying his love with another gentleman suitor. Reed, ever the good friend and rational leader of the group, makes an attempt to reason with Ben, but is knocked unconscious when the unthinking brute swats him like a gnat with a mere backward slap of his mighty hand. Meanwhile, in what is described as: "An incredibly complex structure which looms high above a rocky plateau in what is possibly the remotest spot on Earth!"... We witness Alicia Masters and her escort, Dr. Hamilton, phasing through a teleportation portal into the great and secret technological fortress known as The Citadel of Science (COS). Alicia is welcomed and greeted by COS members: Morlak, Master of Nuclear Physics; Mr. Zota, Expert in the Field of Electronics; and Professor Shinski, The Dean of Biology and Genetics Research. Hamilton: "We are all scientists... scientists who have retreated from the world outside to engage in an awesome Earth-shaking experiment!" Alicia: "I... I've heard of all of you! You're World Famous! But, each of you was supposed to have died... in plane crashes, lab accidents... the world doesn't know you're still alive!"Before the mystery behind the agenda of the COS is revealed, Morlak submits the sightless Alicia through a test of her talents, challenging her to sculpt a bust of his own head... an exact replica from a large block of granite. Alicia lays her hands on Morlak's face, feeling the contours of his countenance, where, coupled with her unique abilities, develops a mental picture and begins to sculpt a bust with the use of an "Electronic Blade": a high-tech cutting tool developed by the COS... as a caption reads, "For long, tense, seemingly endless minutes, the fragile fingers of Alicia Masters move as though possessing a will of their own, until... at last." The finished sculpture is remarkable: a life like bust of Morlak's face... much to the awe and delight of the COS. Back in New York City, in what may be Central Park, a brooding Ben Grimm ponders his love life and his "unfortunate situation as The Thing", only to be reminded by a uniformed Police Officer and several admiring New Yorkers, how lucky he truly is. And needing that message of encouragement and outpouring of love, the "Orange Rockpile's" dour mood does a sudden 180. At the Baxter Building, home and headquarters to the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards tinkers on one of his ingenious inventions: a Heat-Image Tracer. He explains to Sue, Johnny, and Crystal (Johnny's current girlfriend and member of the Inhumans): "...It can project a picture of something which happened in the recent past... by means of tracing the heat images which may still be remaining in the area!"In the Citadel of Science, we find Morlak and his fellow scientist leading Alicia through a walking tour of the massive complex: Morlak: "Though you do not see them, there are dedicated men all about you... each participating in the most amazing experiment of all time!!!" Alicia: "But what is that experiment? ...And why do you need me... a blind sculptress to assist you?" Before that question can be answered, the small group is leveled by an unexpected blast of raw energy! Momentarily stunned, Morlak calls upon his security force to secure Lock 41, the site of where the blast originated... the containment zone of the mysterious being simply known as "Him". Unharmed and given a "Vitra-Broth" to help aid Alicia's recovery from the stunning effects of the blast, Morlak reveals the origin of "Him".Morlak: "But, where shall I begin? I will start with our prime purpose... to abolish war, crime, and illness... by creating a perfect race of human beings! Alicia: "Create human beings?? How??" As told in flashback:Morlak: "That was what we had to learn! We came to this remote land and pledged ourselves to this project! We would never leave... never give up... until we had created one perfect human... who would then be the forerunner of a supreme new race! After years of unceasing experimentation, we finally created one embryonic creature... who lives within a Life-Cell Tank... each day he had been nourished... as we watched him thrive and grow... as we added more and more conditioning chemicals."Shinski: "Our instrumentation shows that he in now reaching the stage of adulthood!"Zota: "At last, Shinksi!! At last!!Morlak: "Do you know what that means, Zota?? He's nearly ready!! In a few more days... we'll be able to remove him!! He'll finally emerge... from the tank!"Zota: "It will be a great day, Morlak... for us all!"Caption: "But then... that night... disaster struck!"At the very sight of the Chamber which houses the Life-Cell Tank, four armed guards are summoned by an alarm:Guard 1: "The alarm!! Something's wrong within the tank."Guard 2: "We've got to break in!! Those are Morlak's orders!"A massive vault-like door is opened and the four guards rush into the Chamber to discover...Guard 1: "Look!! Over there!! It... it's Him!!"Guard 2: "It's impossible!! He... did it... by himself!! He's free!! He got out of the tank!"Guard 3: "Don't shoot!! He mustn't be harmed!! Send for the others!"Guard 4: "The alarm is sounding!! They'll be here in minutes!!"Rushing to the scene, Morlak, Zota and Shinski race through a long corridor leading to the Chamber...Morlak: "Quickly! Quickly!! Nothing must happen... to Him!!"Zota: "Morlak!! What if we've tampered with something.... which is too powerful for us to control?"Morlak: "Don't be a fool, Zota! It can't... wait!! Look at Chamber!! It's been wrecked... and the tank... it's empty!"Shinski: "That means he's broken free!"Zota: "It's the one thing I feared!"Guard 1: "You're too late!! Not even you can stop him now! He's free... free!!"Morlak: "Stand aside you quivering cowards! I'll approach Him... myself!! He's out of the tank... but he's still within the Chamber!! There's his shadow... moving within!Zota: "We were wrong! He wasn't ready to emerge yet! He's still too dangerous!"The scientists encounter a wall composed of sheer energy created by "Him"... Morlak: "He's preparing to attack!! Only one thing will stop Him now...!! The Electro-Shock Tube! Let me have it... quick!!Zota: "Here! But hurry... Hurry!!Aiming the weaponTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  25. SW3D
    Would I be a Gem Mint 10.0, flawless and captivating... standing proud for the collecting world to see? Having never been touched... never been read... a heavenly vision of perfection?
    Or would I be a 6.5, a fine copy having been well read, but handled with moderate care... loved and appreciated like a good comic should?
    And would I also be like a genie in a bottle... If rubbed three times what Tales of Suspense would I tell?
    Would I tell you of a heroic Angel with wings: a "Child of the Atom", a student from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, whose accidental exposure to radiation causes him to go temporarily mad?
    Or would I tell you of the origin of Hawkeye: the incredible archer with the skills and talent to make both William Tell and Robin Hood decry with envy!
    Or would I tell you of the very first battle between the Golden Avenger: the Iron Man and the Star Spangled Avenger: Captain America... the bravest and most noble hero of them all!
    And would I not tell you of my creators and the genesis of my creation? The writer: the great Stan Lee, creator of the Marvel Method... and of the legendary artists: Steve Ditko, Don Heck and Gil Kane... of how they envisioned me... molded me from ideas to story... from a rough draft and a handful of conceptual sketches to a plotted -script and illustrated story boards... to a printed four color comic straight out of the presses?
    And would I also tell you of the people who read me: of the little boy who plucked me fresh off a newsstand rack, and ran his soft tiny fingers along my cover as if in a wide-eyed trance, who quickly ran home to read every newsprint page from cover to cover, and gleaned the virtues and wisdoms and morals of my tales like an Aesop fable?
    And would I tell you of this same child who proudly carried me off to school on the very next day, to tout me like a gleaming golden jewel, who shared my stories with other fascinated children, who passed me around and devoured me like an object in show and tell... to spread my tales far and wide?
    Would I also tell you that child grew up to be a man... and of that sad and tearful day when I was sold off to a Local Comic Shop to raise money for his education?
    Would I tell you of the lonely years wallowing in the back issue bins... in an acid free Mylar bag waiting for someone else to choose me? And of the magical day when one such person did and took me into his home to be read again, and to take my rightful place and stand proud with my peers... other vintage comics in a storied collection?
    And would I tell you of my last days: after nearly 38 years of storytelling life... that I was put under the microscope like a lab rat, and encapsulated in a protective plastic well... a cage with golden bars... fossilized like a dinosaur?
    Such is my tale.
    And what is yours?
    SW3D

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