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 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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.

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 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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.

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.

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 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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

The Distinction between Non-Restorative Pressing and Pressing as Restorative Technique... Allow me to say, in the following journal entry, I am in no way accusing the CGC of any kind of misconduct or misrepresentation or any intentional or unintentional Pressing during the encapsulation process of comic book grading and encapsulation. And I will go further to say that in no way, am I qualified to make a statement in regards to the grading and encapsulation processes undertaken by the CGC, for I have no knowledge of the techniques and processes they utilize for such endeavors. I will further state, it is in my opinion, the CGC provides an invaluable service to all Panelologists and Comic Book Collectors looking to achieve, at this present time and juncture, the very best in Third Party Grading, Conservation, Preservation, and Archival services. And I will further declare: I support their efforts wholeheartedly, in every way, for doing their due diligence in achieving the very best results for unbiased Third Party Grading, Conservation, Preservation, and Archival services. Allow me to also apologize to fellow Collectors Society member Tnerb, if, for any reason, in the following journal entry I am posting, I accidentally misconstrue, misrepresent, or take out of context, his thoughts and comments as he has previously posted in his journal entry "Pressing the Virgin Snow", as already seen on the Collectors Society portal. In regards to "Pressing the Virgin Snow", Tnerb has postulated a very interesting point. Is pressing taking place during the encapsulation process? For background I will sample a snippet from the aforementioned journal entry "Pressing the Virgin Snow": "I don't know but I was curious so I asked around about how that could have been done and one person came up with a most interesting aspect, that when the book is slapped they get pressed. How could that be? But have you ever open a slab? Inside the well is another plastic that is sealed shut. How was it sealed shut without pressure and heat. IS every single slab we purchase being pressed during the encapsulation process?" Now that is very interesting point Tnerb has brought up, one that never dawned upon me. It is a valid question that I cannot answer and only the people behind the encapsulation process can shed light on. I will say this... if pressing is indeed involved in the encapsulation process, it is in my opinion, done not with the intention to restore or alter the condition, grade and or appearance of the comic book fitted into the well and slab, but done to fulfill the necessary steps to Conserve, Preserve, and Archive said comic book, and therefore should be termed as Pressing as Non-Restorative Technique. Many of us will agree, intentional Pressing, through Professional or Amateur means, is undertaken to achieve a desired modification in condition and/or grade for the purpose of enhancement or restoration. This shall be termed Pressing as Restorative Technique. So these distinctions shall be noted as: Non-Restorative Pressing (NRP): Pressing as a result of Conservation, Preservation, Archival, and Encapsulation. Pressing as Restorative Technique (PRT): Pressing through Professional or Amateur methods, undertaken to achieve a desired modification in condition and/or grade for the express purpose of enhancement or restoration. Once again I must state, I do not know if pressing is indeed taking place during the encapsulation process, but if it is, then it must be disclosed and noted in the labeling. As a result, if a minimal degree of pressing has occurred due to the encapsulation process, by default, modifications in the current labeling system are in order. So I thought this through and have come up with some suggestions on how this may be achieved: ALL color labels will carry a default denotation: NRP (short for Non-Restorative Pressing). This is across the board for all label colors. However, the Purple Color labels will have some variant distinctions: All comic books that have Restoration work done minus Pressing as Restorative Technique will carry the following denotation: RNRP (short for Restoration, Non-Restorative Pressing). All comic books that have Pressing as Restorative Technique done, but no other Restoration, will carry the following denotation: PRTNRP (short for Pressing as Restorative Technique, and Non-Restorative Pressing). All comic books that have Restoration work done along with Pressing as Restorative Technique will carry the following denotation: RPRTNRP (short for Restoration, Pressing as Restorative Technique, and Non-Restorative Pressing). I believe this is fair since it addresses all the Pressing concerns once and for all. Yes, many comics which have been intentionally pressed to enhance condition and/or grade, will be subject to a new Purple Label designation. And I know this will upset many collectors. I am sorry about that, but it is the correct thing to do. And I also understand this will change the entire industry and cause ripple effects, but I believe in the long run it is for the greater good. Final words: I believe everyone is entitled to opinions and suggestions, myself included, and with that I ask, if you are going to submit comments in response to this journal, do so with an open mind and with the intentions of contributing something useful, practical and thought provoking to further the discussion. I thank you for reading, your understanding, and support. SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

There's a saying, You can't see the forest for the trees. No... sometimes you can't... not until you take a step back that is... and wait... and close your eyes and clear your mind... then open them... and just look without thinking... then suddenly there it is! Viola! The answer! Sadly, I am a fool for not realizing this sooner... for the answer was in front of me all along... hidden in plain sight... but my eyes were blind to it all... caught up in the hoopla... caught up in the novelty of it all... caught up in comic lust. Well I can understand the fallacy of it all... where the confusion lies and the deception begins. Such things have shaped the modern world. I can see it in so many places, and the chaos that it brings. Shadows lingering in the open light... you can't see it but they are there... laughing in your face... invisible in sunlight... but laughing none the less. But even the best of charades and deceptions come undone. Here's another saying: "Who's born as a donkey can't die as a horse." Riddles? Perhaps... but everything happens for a reason. Sometimes a system is created with only the best of intentions. A system designed to be unbiased and hold itself to the highest of moral and ethical standards... standing for something... something great... something good... something we can all aspire to... an ideal... much like a superhero. But as time and history have consistently shown, even the highest of ideals which begin with the best of intentions are vulnerable, and often veer off course from their intended paths... misguided by a few ethically challenged individuals. Such a sad thing really. But it happens. Every day. Everywhere on God's Green Earth. Perhaps you have no idea what I am referring to? Perhaps you have no clue? Well there's a simple solution... stand back... close your eyes... clear your minds... now open your eyes and then you may see the forest for the trees. http://www.cgccomics.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=3226& To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Pressing: An anathema to the industry? What is it and why is it such a controversial issue? Before you start bombarding me with hate mail, allow me to spew forth my venomous opinions and distaste for pressing, for I harken pressing to a growing taint and malignancy in the comic book collecting community which needs to be pacified! Perhaps I'm going to the extremes and I don't want my tirade to be misconstrued as a "witch hunt", but I do think there should be greater transparency and disclosure in the comic book collecting community and an adherence to a code of conduct and protocol. I believe all owners of pressed comics should do the ethical thing and reveal to the collecting community at large the comics which have been pressed. What is pressing and why do it? The very goal of pressing is to improve the current condition of a comic book... to flatten and smooth out whatever spine rolls, bends, folds, creases, wrinkles, and other similar defects that affect the pages and covers of a comic book, in order to restore the appearance, condition, or grade of said comic book. The desired effect is a restoration to a Mint or Near Mint state. So any comic which, as a direct result of Pressing, achieves a superior or modified grade (in other words physically altered from its pre-pressed state), has been through a restoration process... pure and simple. Better yet... here's an explanation I pulled out from the Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide Third Edition (2006): "Pressing can be a complicated procedure that includes fully disassembling a comic book, performing work on one or more of its constituent 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 and storing comic books a certain way can produce some of the effects of pressing." That definition was later changed to a new one... "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 performing other work on it prior to its pressing and reassembly. Some methods are generally easily discerned by professionals and amateurs. Other types of pressing, however, can pose difficulty for even experienced professionals to detect. In all cases, readers are cautioned that unintended damage can occur in some instances. Related defects will diminish an issue's grade correspondingly rather than improve it." Ask any collector why they choose to press. What's the motivation? Is it for vanity's sake? Or is it something else entirely? The answer comes down to dollars and cents. Collectors who choose to press, do so in order to alter the appearance, condition, or grade of a comic, which in turn will directly influence its fair market value... in other words... the better the grade or the comic... the more its worth! It's a fairly simple principal... Who doesn't get it? Of course that's the answer. It would be absurd to think of any other reason. I mean why else would you spend time and money on it? We all know how many more dollars a vintage comic can fetch when it goes from an 8.5 to a 9.2 or even 9.6 or 9.8. Also cited from the Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide Third Edition (2006): "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.'" By that definition alone, pressing falls under the domain of Restoration. And for all you Pro-Pressers out there I ask you... If Pressing isn't Restoration... then what is it? Cosmetology? So what's the big deal if pressing is considered restoration? Why are pressing exponents so afraid of the Restoration Label? That too comes down to money. Why? Well, anything labeled "Restored" has a perceived "taint" on it which negatively affects its fair market value. Or as the OOCBGGTE puts it, "Restoration -- the word carries with it a lot of baggage, particularly in today's comic book market." So what? What's wrong with wanting a better grade through pressing means? What's the big deal? Here's a scenario: Imagine if two CGC copies of a particular vintage comic come up for sale at the same exact time, and both are of the same grade, lets say 9.6, and both are on sale for the same exact price, but you find out through CGC registration's grader notes that one of the comics went from a 9.0 to a 9.6... Would you ask why? Why the big jump? How did it go from 9.0 to 9.6? And if you investigate further and discover the original grader notes through the CGC database reveals a number of defects which when first graded suddenly mysteriously disappeared upon second grading. What conclusions would you draw? If restoration is not detected on the grader notes, than any Sherlock will come to the elementary conclusion pressing was involved (pressing is a challenge to detect and the logical conclusion would dictate as such). Then ask... "Now that I know this info will it effect my decision to purchase said comic? Will I choose one over the other because of this? And knowing a comic has been pressed will it have an impact on its retail value?" The answer would be yes! Mind you, pressing is not Conservation nor is it Preservation... it is Restoration. I myself am a "Condition Purist" and if I am on the market to purchase a vintage comic book of high grade I would want to know if pressing was involved in achieving its grade just as much as I would want to know if any other restorative techniques were involved. So is pressing fair? Is it fair to all those collectors and their comics who got a legitimate high grade... 9.2, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8... etc... and who didn't resort to pressing or any other restoration techniques? The answer is yes if there's disclosure, and no if there's not. I personally appreciate those collectors who are honest and reveal whether their comics have been pressed or not. I also appreciate the collectors and archivists who manage to preserve and conserve their collections and achieve high grade. Such legitimate high grades are a testament to their hard work and efforts, and allowing non-disclosed pressed comics into a pool of "clean" comics is not only diluting the purity of this comic pool but it is also a slap to the face of any collector and archivist who doesn't rely on restorative means. Here's another scenario: Imagine if you were to take a high grade pedigreed comic, let's say a 9.4 or 9.6 and decide to have it pressed just to get it up one or two or potentially three decimal points... can you imagine the ripple effects on the market if such pedigrees were altered? Is it ethical to even do such a thing? But let's face it... collecting vintage comics books is a business and many of the community members will not be open and honest about their pressed comics when it's time to sell. So with that in mind, the CGC must actively create a new label system that will account for changes in the gr To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Perhaps one of the best storylines ever written by Chris Claremont for Uncanny X-Men. Vintage newsstand purchased comics are not easy to obtain in high grade, and rarely do they receive Mint or Gem Mint designations. Unlike their comic speciality shop brethen, newsstand distributed comics are notoriously abused by the handlers at newsstands who are oblivious to the snot nosed kids (that is me) who treat comics like a precious ring (think LOTR). I remember back in the day, before I had the previlage of stepping into an LCS, I had to rely on newsstands, stationary stores, bookstores, and other outlets that had comics on spinning racks or wall-racks. I would make weekly trips and take hours deciding on which issues to buy based on the cover art, the condition of the comic, and how much money I had. For a kid, it was like trying to solve the riddle of the universe. And what made it even more challenging was the lack of sympathy and sensitivity of the cashiers at the point of purchase. My skin would crawl and my temper would boil when the cashier's would bend my comics and stuff them harshly into paper bags as if they were worthless. I don't know many times I would cringe at the sight of grubby hands violating my fragile babies. It really pissed me off!... But how can a child impart to an adult about transgressions suffered over comic books? Back in October of last year, I attended New York ComicCon with the intention of submitting several comics I purchased as a child growing up in Queens, NY. One such issue was Uncanny X-Men 142. Uncanny X-Men is a landmark issue, with a storyline that takes place on an alternative earth (Earth 811), in an alternative future, where the X-Men's worst fears have come to reality. Mutantkind has been outlawed due to the assassination of Sentor Robert Kelly, and the government has sanctioned the use of Sentinels to hunt, arrest, and kill mutants. It is a very bleak vision of the future and although I was only 12, I will never forget the horrorific images portraying the deaths of three of my favorite X-Men: Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus. I don't know which was most shocking: seeing Wolverine incinerated down to a mere adamantium skeleton, or Storm harpooned to death, or Colossus (my favorite X-Men next to Nightcrawler), sobbing as he holds her lifeless body in his arms until he lashes out in a beserker rage fit to rival Wolverine... only to meet his demise. Now that I reflect on it... even before Jim Starlin's The Death of Captain Marvel, before Alan Moore's Marvelman, before Frank Miller's Dark Knight, this is probably the first comic I ever read to deliver a truly mature and graphic portrayal of its fictional characters. For that Mr. Claremont, I thank you for giving comicdom one of the greatest stories ever conceived and written. I'm also happy to say, Days of Future Past is the basis for the new X-Men movie currently in pre-production. Read about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men:_Days_of_Future_Past So stealin' a line from The Replacement's single/Jennifer Love Hewett movie: Can't Hardly Wait! But back to the actual comic... earlier today, I received notification from CGC, that my newsstand purchased Uncanny X-Men 142 has received a 9.4 Grade (Near Mint). That's very respectable for a comic that I've held in my possession since 1981 (32 years and counting) and was abused from the get go by the newsstand distribution system. And I am also gushing with joy over Chris Claremont's signature as it appears on the cover. I love his signature... it's like a signature that belongs on the Declaration of Independance, and I love the fact that he obliged my request to date it as well. Two days ago I purchased tickets to Wizard World NYC (June 29th) and in two days, tickets for NY ComicCon are due to go on sale. If Mr. Claremont should be attending either show, I definitely will be on line, to not only thank him for his brillance, but also for adding his John Hancock on my treasured collection. FYI: Back in 1967, one of my favorite Progressive Rock Bands, the Moody Blues, released on Decca Records, a concept album that was way ahead of its time. Much like the Beatles Sgt. Peppers and the Beach Boys Pet Sounds, it was experimental where the Moodies combined symphonic orchestrations, poetry, and rock all in one album. That album was called Days of Future Passed. There's no apparent connection... save for a similar sounding title, but I wonder if that trippy music serve as some king of inspiration for Mr. Claremont's imagination... I wonder. Let me know of your favorite X-Men stories. I means the one's you actually bought as a child or first hand hot off the presses... not the holy grails you find out about later in life and spend a gazzilion on. Share!... share!... share! Happy Collecting! SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Back in the early 80's, John Byrne was my favorite artist. Anything that had his stamp on it... I bought it. During his Marvel days, he made his true impact in Uncanny X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and Alpha Flight. In 1980, John Byrne illustrated Captain America beginning with issue 247, but left by issue 255, after having penciled a measly 9 issues on said title. I was bummed. But flashforward three issue to 258, and Mike Zeck comes on the scene... and suddenly, I forgot about John Byrne. Huh? How did that happen? Well... it's simple. Mike Zeck is a brilliant artist. And back in 1983, he illustrated one of the best covers I have ever seen, depicting Captain America trading fisticuffs with the cybernatic Super Soldier of the Future: Deathlok. It is a beautiful cover... and I really can't describe why it's beautiful, except to say the art is so crisp and clean, and the colors are the perfect shades making it instant comic book eye-candy. I just love the blueness of Captain America's uniform juxtaposed against the vermillion of the firey background. And Cap looks tough... almost mean... holding back no punches. He's obviously got the edge on Deathlok who misses poorly with his weapon. This particular comic is from my childhood collection. It is the newsstand edition I bought back in 1983... 30 years ago! Can you believe it! And I'm so happy that it is in Near Mint condition, designated with white pages. What's your favorite Captain America cover? Share your opinions. Happy Collecting! SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The 1st Appearance of Angela, Medieval Spawn, and Cogliostro. This issue is unique in many ways. Not only does it mark the initial appearances of the above mentioned characters (who play key roles in the Spawn mythology), that it is also a Newsstand Variant, but it would eventually become the center of a heated legal battle between two modern icons of the comic book industry: Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane. Back in 1992, Todd McFarlane's Spawn made its debut under publisher Image Comics. Formed that same year by some of the biggest creators in the industry, Image Comics was unique for it was the champion of the hot issue of the 90's: creator-owned properties. Eight of the biggest names in the industry: Todd McFarlane, Rob Leifeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, Whilce Portacio, and Chris Claremont, left Marvel Comics in a dispute over ownership and creative control over their works. Sometime in 1993, in an effort to promote Spawn, Todd McFarlane's Productions, the studio owned and run by Todd McFarlane and produced Spawn (published under the aforementioned independent Image Comics label), hired Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Dave Sim, and Neil Gaiman, to write a single issue for the new title. Neil Gaiman's contribution was published in Spawn 9 and introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn, who were also illustrated and designed by series creator Todd McFarlane. These characters proved vital to the Spawn mythology, giving it a far richer texture and tapestry it initially lacked and grounded the Spawn character with much needed history. The trio would continually reappear throughout the course of the next decade, and were subsequently republished in various Spawn volumes and reprint formats, and also appeared in other Spawn-related media: the 1997 Spawn film, and the HBO animated series Todd McFarlane's Spawn. Flash-forward to 2002, and Neil Gaiman files suit against Todd McFarlane, claiming he co-owned these characters and was entitled to royalty payments and creative control. McFarlane's defense was based on "work-for-hire" and therefore Gaiman was not entitled to co-ownership. Eventually the courts ruled in favor of Gaiman, and granted joint ownership to Gaiman and McFarlane. To this day, all three characters are co-owned by both men. And this is why I bought the comic to begin with... because of the irony it represents. I have never even read it. I actually own three copies: all bought sometime last year, and have just recently returned graded from the CGC. But I never read one of them. Instead I own a reprint of it, which appears in Spawn Origins Collection Volume 2... but I have yet to read that as well. And I imagine the story is quite good, for Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers and Todd McFarlane is equally awesome. But McFarlane's failure to recognize Gaiman's co-creatorship and legal rights to the characters he co-created is the irony that draws me to this comic... for McFarlane was one of the principal forces behind the creation of Image Comics... and creator-owned properties the very reason he left Marvel Comics. Isn't that ironic? SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The 1st Appearance of the Green Lantern known as Mogo! This little beauty was delivered to my greedy little hands yesterday afternoon. It is a newsstand bought copy of Green Lantern, Volume 2, Issue number 188. I bought it for a measly 75 cents back in 1985 and read it once or twice, maybe three times. It was graded 9.4 (Near Mint); not bad for a 28 year old comic! Lamentably, I can't remember what the main story is about... I have just a vague recollection based on the cover: John Stewart decides to share his secret identity with Coast City and the rest of the DC Universe... and sadly that's all I can remember. However, it is the back-up story, the "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons that truly makes this issue special. Said story is a key 1st Appearance of the Green Lantern known as Mogo. Who? Mogo is a sentient planet... that's right... a living, breathing, planet! This is something I truly love about Alan Moore's wildly active imagination! Who the hell would think of such a thing? A sentient planet and a Green Lantern no less? But it makes sense... Why couldn't planets be living organisms? Now just imagine Galactus trying to cannibalize Mogo? I think he might be in for a rude awakening. Now that would make for a cool story! Anyway, Mogo is introduced in this whimsical little tale, as narrated by Corps favorite Tomar-Re to rookie Anisia. It is a very brief story, and also introduces a villain named Bolphunga the Unrelenting: a bad- alien mutha-f*cka along the lines of Lobo. So this pink-skinned alien comes looking to pick a fight with Mogo... based solely on Mogo's reputation for being the toughest Green Lantern in the universe. I don't want to give any more away, but it is a clever little piece and worthy to read and to collect, not only for the fact it is written by Alan Moore (stamped with his wicked and sardonic sense of humor), but also because of Mogo's eventual mention in The Prophecy: The Blackest Night: "The Planet-Form Green Lantern Mogo will be the last to fall, as Ranx explodes a Blink-Bomb within his core. And after that, there will only be the Demons dancing in the ruins of OA to the rhythm of drums bound with taut blue skin." Just for clarification, that last quote does not appear in GL188 but comes from Alan Moore's other TOTGLC classic story "Tygers", first appearing in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual 2, 1986. In "Tygers", Abin Sur (Hal Jordan's predecessor) journey's into the nightmarish planet known as Ysmault, in space sector 666, where a distressed ship has crash landed. While on the rescue mission, Abin Sur encounters Ysmault's demonic denizens and the ghastly being known as Quill of the Five Inversions, who bestowes upon Abin Sur the apocalyptic prophecy of the horrific end of the corps: The Blackest Night... thus this little story serves as the impetus and inspiration for Geoff Johns' Blackest Night. If anyone is interested in reading these stories, you can find them both reprinted in: DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore, in both soft and hard cover formats. I highly recommend this book for any fans of Alan Moore... heck for anyone in general!... for it also contains the classic Superman stories: "For the Man Who Has Everything" and "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow Parts I and II"; and the classic Batman story: "The Killing Joke". Back to GL 188... as you can see, the cover features two signatures: One from veteran artist Joe Stanton (co-creator of E-man), and the second from the legendary Dave Gibbons (of Watchmen fame). I was lucky to get these autographs at the New York Comic Con this past October. Both artists were true gentlemen; very gracious with the public and me. If you care to look, if you visit my gallery of images from my CGC collection, I took a photo of Joe Stanton autographing the comic pre-encapsulation (see link: http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/comics/ComicDetail.aspx?PeopleComicID=366984&PeopleSetID=67626 ). I also snapped a shot of Dave Gibbons, but sadly it came out too blurry (I must have been nervous), so it didn't make the cut. Oh well, perhaps next year. If you have any stories about your comics and what makes them special... please share. And if you're wondering why I'm back on the Journals... I am suffering from a bad case of writer's block and really need a "breath of fresh air". And with all honesty... I miss it here! Happy Collecting! SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

My Favorite Iron Man Cover: Iron Man 96 I don't know what it is about this particular cover, but it captured my imagination as a child. Back in the mid-70's, my oldest brother, Carlos, introduced me to the world of comics. He was mostly into Marvel, and he bought a ton of them: The Avengers, Fantastic Four, 2nd Generation X-Men, Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and Iron Man. One day I saw this issue, Iron Man 96, on top of a pile of comics. I remember being captivated by the image of Iron Man, looking defeated... beaten to a pulp... his armor is tattered... torn apart in places... looking the obvious worse for wear. But is he truly defeated? The gathered crowd behind him thinks so. But look at the conviction in his eyes... they say it all. And his hands... spread open with the Repulsor Rays brimming at the ready... ready for another round of battle... potentially to the death. And the colors... such amazing and vibrant comic book colors... gold and crimson against an indigo blue background... just a brilliant work of art! I can't remember exactly what the plot of the story was about. I just have shards of memories which come up to the murky surface... fragments of images that have long stayed with me: Ultimo, a blue giant humanoid of a creature, walking with nothing more than a loin cloth through the streets of Washington DC; A golden hovercraft which transported Tony Stark and a shield agent; Iron Man battling Ultimo in front of the very steps of the White House and the Capitol. Sadly, my brother's entire comic collection somehow vanished including that fabled issue. When and where did it go? What devilish agent played a diabolic hand in my brother's missing collection remains a mystery to this day. Decades later, he's gotten over it. In fact, he gave up the hobby long, long ago. But I believe his fleeting love affair for the hobby was not for naught... for it may have served a purpose... perhaps even being divine intervention: the heavenly spark that was the flame to my imagination! Many years later, sometime in the mid-2000's, I found this bronze beauty at a local comic shop called Rick's Comic Cave. RCC's was a long narrow slit of a shop in Forest Hills, Queens. It mostly catered to the baseball card, Magic the Gathering , and Toy Figurine collecting crowds. They had comics too, hence the name. But my all-too brief forays into their shop made me feel like I was the only one sifting through their back issues... the only one who truly cared about comics. It was in one such foray that I found this childhood gem, all for the low asking price of $5 bucks! I'm happy that I not only discovered my favorite childhood cover, but I also recognized the amazing condition it was in. So I snatched it up but never read it, hoping to preserve its condition. And last year, at the New York Comic Con on October 12th, I submitted it for grading, and it has returned from the CGC in 9.6 (Near Mint+). Not bad for a 37 year old comic! Now my next step will be to obtain a reading copy... to finally revel in the delights of this magical comic... and to take me back to the days of my youth. I hope comics do the same for you... and keep you forever young! Happy Collecting SW3D Side Note: I did a little research into Ultimo and he turns out to be a very interesting villain. He first appeared, albeit a cameo, in Tales of Suspense76 (April, 1966) and his first full appearance is the very next issue: TOS 77 (May, 1966). I am inserting a direct quote from a Wikipedia article about Ultimo's origins (which is fascinating): "Ultimo is a gigantic android that is thousands of years old, and he was constructed by an alien species that has since been destroyed by their own creation. They called the robot "The doomsday device", apparently a combat instrument and a weapon of mutual assured destruction. Ultimo confirmed that his "masters" have not contacted him in "thousands of years. The first time (chronologically speaking) Ultimo is depicted in print (in flashback in Iron Man vol.3, #24), he is already traveling through space, and has attacked the planet Rajak, ultimately killing all its people. The only survivors, a group of merchants who were off-planet at the time, attempted to destroy him, but had to flee before his might. In the end they managed to lure him into an asteroid belt, where both he and the ship were battered by space rocks until they were driven off-course and separately crash-landed on an unknown planet -- Earth. This happened around the 1840s." To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Well, it's not conducted on a big time radio station but a very small internet radio venture spawned from a Social Media concept kicked around by the good people at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City. As you may well have guessed, I work at the Roger Smith Hotel. That's me in the middle, sandwhiched between the interviewer, John Knowles (on my left), and Mr. James Knowles, President of the Roger Smith and Artist Extraordinaire. They're very aware of my comic book addiction, and support it 100%... which is awesome! To get support from family, friends, colleagues, and community, not to mention from the guy who signs my paycheck is pretty darn out of sight! I am truly grateful for it. The interview was conducted earlier this month. It is actually much longer and has been edited... probably because I'm boring the sh*t out of anyone listening. Well, I gave it my best shot, and I can honestly say, it's not easy. Listening to it, I don't know if it makes any sense, but in my defense it was impromptu, I had little prep time, and I had to mentally battle through stage fright, so all in all it's not totally bad with all things considered. And since it was my first such interview, I can only hope to get better... if they invite me back again. Maybe next time I will actually bring a comic or two to discuss. Here's the link on youtube: And now you can put a face to the nick. Hope everyone's doing well. Happy Collecting! SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Cornering the Market Redux... I own 2 1/2 percent! It's been awhile since I posted a Journal... since February 2nd... and that's by design. I took a very long break from creative writing... much too long! I will admit... I'm a lazy . But discovering CS Journals and the wonderful collectors behind them, gave me back my writing juices and for a brief and shinning moment I became a mainstay... almost to a point of an addiction... but now I'm parlaying that wonderful, passionate, positive energy, back into creative writing. For the last few weeks I've been writing the outline and treatment for what I hope to be either a very long short story or novella. But I do miss regularly contributing to the Journals. I miss sharing what I've been collecting and my love for all things comic books... and I so truly miss the supportive feedback I've come to cherish. If anyone is a writer out there... you'll understand my position when I say this... writing can be a very solitary experience... quite a lonely one. But the CS Journals make me feel I'm part of a community... and who doesn't like being a part of something?... to embrace an ideology and share it with other ideologists. Anyway, I'm getting off the beaten track as usual. So what's new with me? Besides creative writing, I've been trying to spend less and less money on comics in order to pay back the enormous debt I owe: money I borrowed from credit cards in order to build my current CGC collection. How else do you think I managed? Money don't grow on trees ya know! And in order to pay back the debt completely, it means making some serious sacrifices: I must avoid further CGC purchases until sometime in late summer or early fall when I estimate the debt will be fully paid. But I'm okay with this. My initial goal when I first joined CS was to have my childhood comics graded and potentially sell them to purchase the Holy Grail comics I so truly want. At the moment, I have about 44 comics on queue and nearly graded by the CGC. They'll serve as the perfect antidote for my comic buying abstinence. And the other positive side to all of this: I can concentrate on my creative writing, and get all those long awaited ideas that have been seemingly floating forever in the ethos of my brain, into fruition. So here's a contribution... albeit not a final one... but it will be some time before I post another as I sojourn off on my self-imposed hiatus... hopefully to return with a completed novella. So last week, my San Diego Comic Con #2 comes in the mail. It's actually the fifth one I own. Yeah... that's right, the fifth copy. I'm crazy... I know it... I like buying multiple copies of keys... that's my thing... that's my obsession... that's what I collect... and it's okay to call me nuts. This 9.8 beauty comes by way of MyComicsShop (aka Lone Star Comics). I can't say enough about MCS/LSC... every comic I have purchased through them going back to August 2012, has arrived on a timely basis and has met my every expectation. I can wholeheartedly say MCS/LSC is a part of a growing list of my favorite trolling haunts (this list includes: ComicConnect, ComicLink, Pedigree Comics, WWComics, and a selection of preferred sellers found on eBay). They have my glowing endorsement. MCS/LSC makes it very easy... just like the other aforementioned auction sites... they offer a Want List option for any comics you may be searching for. And sure enough, I received an e-mail message about two weeks ago informing me a SDCC #2 in 9.8 was available. I immediately snatched it up, and at a reasonable price! So what is so important about SDCC #2? I first became aware of it after reading the digital copy of Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction on my Nook. Just after the conclusion of the main story, there is a section dedicated to Hellboy's roots called "Where the Hell did He Come From? Personal reminiscences by Mike Mignola." In it, Mignola showcases his early published illustrations of Hellboy and you can see the evolution of the look and feel of the character. Hellboy actually starts off looking like a cross between DC's Etrigan the Demon (Jack Kirby's 70's Creation) and Marvel's lesser known character The Gargoyle (1st Appearing in Defenders #94). Mignola writes: "This is a drawing done for a convention program book. I added the name Hellboy at the last minute and it made me laugh. The name stuck and the character started to take shape in my head." That particular illustration is the very first conception of Hellboy, who not only has a pair of long pointy horns (ala a bull's) protruding from the sides of his head but also has a front pair filed-down in typical Hellboy fashion. This initial incarnation also wields a chain-linked mace-like weapon, and wears a very large belt around his waist, with a numbers of unusual items affixed to it including: a dead fish, a dead crab, a skull, a couple of daggers on each hip, and capped off with a gigantic belt-buckle with the name Hellboy inscribed. He also comes replete with a pair of wings, his long tail, and a pet Vulture sitting on his back. Said illustration is considered by many to be Hellboy's first published appearance, printed in 1991 in a pamphlet given away at the Great Salt Lake Comic-Con. I have searched high and low for a copy of that pamphlet... and so far nothing. This is one very rare piece of comic history! I have no idea how many copies were printed or how many survived. The pamphlet actually predates the 1993 Italian fanzine Dime Store Press No. 4, where another proto-type gray colored Hellboy minus coat, appears on the cover battling a bat-winged and pointy-tailed rendition of sci-fi detective Nathan Never. I often see this one listed on eBay with a very high asking price. CGC key notes on Dime Store Pres No. 4 states, "Hellboy cover predates first US appearance". This is an obvious mistake and should be corrected since the Great Salt Lake Comic-Con pamphlet was published in 1991... a couple of years before Dime Store Press No. 4. Many will argue that GSLCC Pamphlet is not the genuine published first appearance since the character was still in prototypical form... but the same argument can be said of the Dime Store Press cover appearance which is also a prototype. To kill the sticky argument entirely... in my book... I say forget either of the two one-piece illustrations which amount to almost nothing, not even a cameo (cameo's can only happen when there's an actual story), and stick with SDCC #2... and I will explain why in the next few paragraphs. Side note: the Dime Store Press No. 4 cover illustration is not mentioned in Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction... I wonder why. Anyway... There are three additional early illustrations included in Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction, where once can observe the evolution of the character as it gestates into the Hellboy we all come to know and love. Moving past the proto-illustrations, in what Mike Mignola describes: "The following stories are the first Hellboy stories ever produced, done to promote the miniseries and introduce the character. The first story ran in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, and given away at 1993 San Diego Comic Con. The second story was published in the Comics Buyer's Guide." That first original 4-page black and white story published in SDCC #2 by Dark Horse, is reprinted in color, in both the digital and trade paper back versions of Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction. It is here where one can plainly see the character comes into full fruit To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Tales of the Zombie #7, CGC 9.4: This one came in yesterday. I bought it on auction through eBay. I got it at a fair price and I'm so happy to add it to my TOTZ collection. A gruesome cover, keeping in line with the TOTZ theme... I just love the look and feel of its retroness... like a horror movie poster from the 50's or 60's. The thick scarlet running down the dagger's blade and the collected pool of blood on the tree stump draws me in first... then the Zombie's freaky pupil-less orbs... and then I soak in the whole image of each character and their expressions of horror and surprise. And then I realize the Zombie looks stiff... as he should be... like a slow moving creature fighting through rigor mortis. And then I notice the moon-lit back ground... and it magically takes me into the Louisiana bayou... or the sub-tropic jungles of Haiti... or some dark misbegotten place where Voodoo Magic reigns supreme! The cover is a supernatural classic! But ask yourself... who's the brilliant artist? His name is Earl Norem. Earl Norem... one of my all-time favorite cover artists who probably fits in with traditional "classical fantasy school of artists" heralded by the late great Kelly Freas, whose influences probably harkens even further back to the great American Master: Norman Rockwell. For any reader unfamiliar with Kelly Freas or Norman Rockwell... Google Image search and begin the journey of fascination and love for these long-forgotten masters. While you're at it... please do the same for Earl Norem! I first fell in love with Earl Norem's brilliant talents with the cover of Savage Sword of Conan #78. That 1982 issue was my first introduction to the world of Robert E. Howard and Conan, not to mention Marvel's sensational black & white magazine line. Earl Norem's photo-realistic painting depicted a thick bronze-skinned Conan, with sword in-hand, defending a beautiful lass at his feet, from a gigantic Yeti-like creature (that makes the Wendigo look like a p*ssy!), on a snow-swept mountain, while another, weaker warrior in the back-drop, looks-on in horror. I can't say enough about Earl Norem... he got me into Conan and Tales of the Zombie, but he's also a hero in his own right! He bravely served his country in World War II. Here's an excerpt appearing in an all too-brief article from wikipedia: "Norem saw military action in World War II with the 85th Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. He trained in Colorado and Texas, and fought the Germans in the Northern Apennine Mountains of Italy. By age 20, Norem was a squad leader and staff sergeant who in the Italian Campaign fought alongside famed skier Torger Tokle, whom he had seen ski jumping at Bear Mountain, New York when Norem was 12. Upon Torkle's battlefield death on March 3, 1945, Norem was one of the men assigned to retrieve his body from the mountain. Norem himself later was wounded going into the Po Valley, ending his military stint." After serving his country, Norem became an illustrator... a commerical artist with a ton of work for magazines, comics, and toys. Now retired due to the debilitating scorge of arthritis, it has been quoted in an interview from 2005: "All the contacts that I had in the commercial art field are either retired or dead, and the younger art buyers don't want anything to do with an 81-year-old artist." That's so f*cking sad... it chokes me up! The man had so much to do with my love of comics. Whenever I saw a Norem cover I relished and cherished it like it was gold! He's up there in my book with the greats: Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Kelly Freas, Joe Jusko, Bob Larkin, and a slew of others. If you're an art lover, you could literally spend hours studying the rich textures and details of his works. I hope I'm not coming across as preachy... but from one fan of fantasy art to another... look into his works... they're fantastic. The man is 88 now... I can imagine he's just sitting in a nursing home, wasting away and collecting dust, while no one pays no mind or gives a mess! Two years ago, when my 90-year old father did a stint in a nursing home due to a broken ankle needing rehab, I saw first-hand so many elderly people just cast-off and left for dead by their own relatives. I saw these people, shadows of their former selves... just sitting and waiting hopelessly for a merciful death that never comes. It f*cking sad and it s*cks! Life should be about so much more! Earl Norem... wherever you are... I will always remember you! Thanks for making my life so extra special! Thanks for making brilliant art... for making me escape from the dull and banal world... I will cherish those memories... forever! SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Robert Kirkman's latest... Invincible 100 Chromium Edition I've made this confession before, but I'll say it again... I'm a sucker for key issues... which include First Appearances, Death of Major and Minor Characters, Preview Issues, Return of, First Published work of Artist or Writer, First Issue, Last Issue, Historical Changes to the Character Mythology, and Anniversary issues included. So, at my last visit to my LCS, I see Robert Kirkman's Invincible on the new arrivals shelves. There are a total of 8 variant covers, including a rare Black & White cover and a Chromium Edition. That last one sells at a whopping $9.99 cover price and has to be, in my opinion, the most expensive cover price to date. Now please correct me if I am wrong on this. So I bought and read the issue, and it is a very quick read! I mean wow!... I read it in the space of five minutes or less. Either I'm so accustomed to reading classical works of literature that have more breadth and scale than modern comic books that I now have the ability to speed-read at a break-neck pace... or comics today have absolutely no meat and potatoes. Surfer99 said it best with his January 13th journal entry "Storytelling has Changed!" But for a "Special 100th Anniversary Issue" I expected heaping spoonfuls of page after page of story and action... like the good old days of anniversary issues. That's what I used to love about the old double-sized formats. You knew for the extra cover price you were in for a treat! In regards to the bare-bones story, and I will admit, I just jumped into Invincible with this issue... so I have no frame of reference for this particular story arch which is the obvious climax from a rather epic-scale arch spanning several issues. Truth be told... the only other time I've even read Invincible was its first issue as a free download through ComiXology on my iPhone. You also may remember my journal post where I went after Savage Dragon 102 which has his Mark Grayson's first published appearance in a 5-page preview that predates both Tech Jacket #1 and Invincible #1. But getting back to issue 100... I really hate to say this and to spoil the fun for anyone who's a fan or intending to read it... but quite frankly, it is a dissapointment. This one issue reads like a pedestrian or poor man's version of Alan Moore's classic Marvelman/Miracleman with shades of Watchmen... when you throw-in the mass casualties and conspiracy arch: "sacrifice millions in order to save the planet" wildly_fanciful_statement! Dear Lord! This nonesense has become so cliched that I'm starting to hate anything to do with End Times or The Apocalypse! However, in its defense, there is a slight twist that I have yet to see in those other tales... and I won't give that away... but honestly it comes across as so convulted and contrived as to be unbelievable. Perhaps that should be the more appropiate title: "Unbelievable #100!" So... at $9.99... I think I should have spent my hard earned cash on other things. Just an FYI... to save some bucks... you can buy the other variant covers at $3.99 cover price... so avoid the Chromium Edition unless you're a die-hard. Anyway... thanks for reading... feedback and opinions always welcome! SW3D To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Matt Fraction will be donating his royalties for this issue to Hurricane Sandy relief. That means the more copies that sell, the more money gets donated. "It occurred to me that if this is too successful that this could be the most painful check that I ever write... but c'mon, make it hurt!" Today on my lunch break, I headed over to Midtown Comics Grand Central. I asked one of the very friendly and knowledgeable staff what was new and interesting... and he informed me that the new issue of Hawkeye, #7 features Clint Barton caught in a storm in NYC... ala Hurricane Sandy. But that's not what's really makes me dig this comic (which I have yet to read)... it's the very fact that Matt Fraction is donating his royalties to Hurricane Sandy Relief. So I bought a couple of issues... will buy some more tomorrow. Little things like this goes a long way! Anyway... now I'm a bigger fan of Matt Fraction! Here's the full scope: http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/27/hawkeye-7-covers-hurricane-sandy To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Is Golden State a Legitimate Pedigree Collection? If so... Why isn't Golden State a Recognized Pedigree by CGC?Last week, I won my first legitimate comic book auction! This was actually purely accidental since I threw out a maximum bid but never really thinking it would win... but sure enough it did. Although I've won a number of auctions from eBay... I've never won an item on auction from an auction site soley dedicated to comic book auctions like: CommicConnect, Pedigree Comics, Metropolis Comics, Heritage, or Comiclink. This was my first, and quite frankly I'm bemused considering its taken me over 7 years finally win one! Anyway... the item I won was a CGC 9.6 of Swamp Thing Volume 1, Number 1. This is actually my third copy of the comic at 9.6 and my sixth overall (still trying to corner that market... one ST at a time). The real reason I even bothered to bid on the item was simply because I've fallen victim to "Pedigree Fever". After recently purchasing a Mass Copy of FF#66, and Suscha News copies of Showcase 80, Marvel Premiere's #1 and #2, and Swamp Thing #8... I've got a thing for pedigrees. Deep down inside, I honestly don't feel pedigrees are any better than any other comic that has been well preserved and cared for by your average fan boy or collector... and there are plenty of comics which achieve a high grade that are not associated with any pedigree. However, in the collecting world and in the outside world, a pedigree is accepted as a distinguishing stamp of quality and considerable achievement... a "cut above the rest"... akin to an "elitist" worldview. Now who wouldn't want to own "the best of the best"... I know I do. Well... according to the details of the auctioned item I won... it has a sticker on the outside label with a pedigree name "Golden State" and WWComics which stands for World Wide Comics. After doing a bit of research, I came up empty about any information about a Golden State pedigree (couldn't find it on WWComics website). And lamentably, I also have come to understand the CGC does not recognize this particular ST#1 as a pedigree. So my questions to anyone with expert knowledge of pedigrees: Is Golden State a Legitimate Pedigree?If so... Why isn't Golden State a recognized pedigree by CGC?And... Could you provide some details about the Golden State collection or point me in the right direction?I greatly appreciate anyone's feedback on this. Many thanks for reading and Happy Collecting.To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The Walking Dead, Marvel Zombies, Rise of the Black Lanterns, Night of the Living Dead, World War Z... Zombies are everywhere! They're an undeniable cultural phenomenon... almost on the verge of being a pandemic ...and quite frankly it's making me sick! Enough already! But for all you animated-corpse fans, let's tip our hats to one of the earliest zombie's ever to grace a four-color page... Stan Lee's and Bill Everett's creation: Simon Garth. Simon Garth... the long departed cyanotic former shell of a man we have all come to know and love as "The Zombie", made his first appearance in the Golden Age, in Lee's and Everett's standalone story "Zombie", in the July 1953 issue of Menace No. 5, published by Atlas Comics. Atlas Comics, the comic book division of publisher Martin Goodman, was the 50's successor to Timely Comics (once home to the Golden Age Captain America, the Sub Mariner, and the android Human Torch). By the early 60's, Atlas would become Marvel Comics... and the rest is history. I'm a horror fan and was weaned on all sorts of horror movies and literature, but when it came to comics, I was totally fixated on only one genre... Superheroes. That all changed with an article featured in the 80's periodical: Comic Collectors. Krause Publications, best known for the Comic Buyers Guide and a multitude of books covering every conceivable hobby and craft, published Comic Collector. This wonderful and informative magazine was edited by the husband and wife duo of Don and Maggie Simpson. Issues number 7 (Spring 1985) and 8 (Summer 1985), ran a two-part article that would have a lasting impact on me: "The Monsters Shall Rise". This nostalgic look-back, written by Lou Mougin, covered Marvel's greatest 70's monsters: Dracula, Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Morbius The Living Vampire, Frankenstein, Godzilla, The Living Mummy, Manphibian, The Scarecrow, The Golem... and the one who would eventually become my favorite: Simon Garth... the Zombie. I wish I could transcribe the entire segment of the article from Issue 8 devoted to Tales of the Zombie... to exemplify why it piqued my interests over all the other featured monsters... but instead I will take excerpts as a sample... and hopefully I won't get sued for not obtaining permission from the author or publisher. But here goes... "Tales of the Zombie rose from the black-and-white racks in 1973 and featured a character who was one of the "walking dead" who could never be portrayed in Code-approved color comics. The Zombie existed in his own universe, made a 10-issue stand, and ended his story in a totally satisfying manner. The guiding light behind this dark saga was Steve Gerber". Just a minor interruption... but I must add a few words about Steve Gerber... Gerber was the genius and co-creator of Howard the Duck and was notable for his works on Man-Thing and Omega the Unknown (a really cool concept and way ahead of its time). Anyway... back to the article... "The initial Zombie story was built around an old '50s horror story by Bill Everett, reprinted in the first issue. But Gerber, John Buscema, and Syd Shores added a framework that overwhelmed the cut-and-dried formula horror shortie and transformed the walking dead man into an intriguing character, almost rivaling The Man-Thing". Another interruption: I was already hooked by the second paragraph... but it went on and so let's get back to it... "In life he had been Simon Garth, king of a coffee empire, ruthless, selfish, and as uncaring as he was tyrannical. He had lorded it over his daughter, driven his wife away, and... most importantly for our purposes... abused his slovenly, shifty-eyed gardener. Thus our tale began. Gyps, the gardener, had a taste for revenge and sold his employer to a voodoo sect. (One happened to be in town at the time.) The opening scene showed Garth trussed up, gagged, and about to be done in by the crazed cultists, while he sweated and made 'prayers to a God he did not believe in.' Garth succeeded in breaking his bonds and bolting, but Gyps, ever helpful, tracked him down and stabbed him to death with a pair of shears." Interruption #3 (and counting): Now that's some heavy mess! Imagine you're a 16 year-old reading this for the first time... and all you've known for most of your comic book collecting life was the innocent Marvel and DC superhero fluff... reading that last line literally blew me away. But yet there's more... "The voodoo-men raised him from the dead as a zombie. It was as simple as that. The story jumped into the Everett reprint, in which Gyps got his, and then exited for the final chapter. Simon Garth had as little intelligence as the Man-Thing and was the slave of anyone who held the mate of the voodoo medallion he wore on his chest. Physically he looked like a decaying corpse-like being, as tall as Doc Savage and twice as strong. But, as a zombie, he had no soul... which wasn't much of a change from his businessman's life. The theme of the series was Garth's journey to find his spirit, to go from dehumanized man to humanized zombie to full humanity just before the end. It was a long trip, but step by mechanical step, the Zombie made it all the way." Interruption #4: Wow! I was intrigued! Aren't you? I was reading this a few years before I read any of Wein's and Wrightson's Swamp Thing which has a similar story pattern. The whole idea of a comic series devoted to such a concept was absolutely mind-blowing! It was unheard of in my opinion... amazingly unique and different and so distant and alien to all those banal superhero titles. I'm going to jump ahead and avoid any spoilers from the article and quote the very last paragraph concerning TOTZ... "Tales of the Zombie stands as one of the strongest Marvel monster series. The art often wasn't the greatest, and the stories may have been gore-spattered. But the storytelling of Gerber, Moench, and Isabella lifted this book from the run-of-the-mill black-and-white ghetto into the realm of such titles as Man-Thing and Dracula. Zombie remains as one of the most overlooked titles by collectors, but monster fans who give this one a look can expect some unanticipated delights." That was the final nail in the coffin. I had to not only know more about Simon Garth... the Zombie... but I had to get my filthy hands on a genuine Tales of the Zombie magazine! Sadly and ironically, Comic Collector also ceased publication after just ten issues... coming to unceremonious end in the winter of 1986. Thankfully, I still own the seven newsstand issues I bought back in the day, including the first and last issues. However, as fate would have it, sometime in 1985, fortune smiled upon me and my best friend, Leonard Mosley. One Saturday afternoon, probably in the summer, we took a carefree jaunt to a local comic shop in Kew Gardens, Queens, called Bishop Comics. It was a tiny little storefront that always seemed empty, and policed by a mustached blue-collar type, who I presumed was the proprietor... and I don't ever recall asking his name... but I'm not good with names. Anyway... on this particular visit, Leonard and I sifted through the Dollar Bins and to my delight and utter joy, found some decent reading copies of Tales of the Zombie. Somehow, instead of tearing each other apart... choking the dear life of one another over a comic book... we came to a diplomatic and amicable agreement and split the treasure trove of available TOTZ's. Leonard made away with the issues which featured covers painted by his favorite all-time artist: Peruvian master Boris Vallejo. I par To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.