oldmilwaukee6er

Carl - This is a good question you are asking tho it does seem odd that you are of two minds when you were the one asking. For myself, Carl, the short answer is yes it does bother. The longer answer is most all writing on comics bothers me except when allowable at lower grades.

I'm sitting on the sidelines- Completely content to just keep collecting my small amount of Moderns. As for back issues- I'm going to keep an open mind and see what 2021 brings. No feeBay, local cons only - I want to learn where the local markets are - Milwaukee is a cheap city and so there is still local opportunity.

The Kayfabe effect is real. But you're right that they generally aren't speccing. They're readers and makers and collectors.

Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube channel. 40k subscribers and counting. They even have a name for it - the Kayfabe effect

Harry Rinker, the antiques writer who's done 'Rinker on Collectibes' for 25 years, outlines the following 10 signs that a collectible is endangered 1. The average collector is over 60 years. Value for any collectible reaches its peak when the first generation is 45-60. 2. The number of collectors is less than 50. Vitality is in knowing the players. 3. Collector clubs disappear. 4. Objects are no longer available or no longer found. 5. eBay sell-through is less than 20%, supply equals demand, price exceeds buyers. 6. Nothing checks a steady decline in value at the high end. 7. Objects disappear or are sold in lots at auction. 8. No new price guide or reference on the topic. 5yrs = endangered; 15yrs = extinct. Information fuels interest. 9. Trade publications offer little or no coverage. 10. Category disappears, is grouped, or ignored. Information fuels interest; when information disappears, a category is endangered.

R Crumb back covers are great! He's talking about LSD here. Turning on.

@the blob - I think it has more to do with the failed / faltered launch of HBO Max more than anything. Mile High Chuck wrote about it a little in his email newsletter. After that they combined their steaming assets under one roof and took steps to save money, including restructuring DC Comics (two rounds), severing ties with Diamond, retooling their distribution agreements, and rebooting their product line. The price increase is the latest measure. Still... I bet DC is a rounding error for Time Warner so it does feel like 'flailing.'

This copy of Zap Comix #1 1st print was salvaged from the Mowry’s Opera House fire. Apex Novelties’ Don Donahue rented loft-space in the old opera house to rock bands (Zepplin, the Dead), nude dancers, Rip Off Press, etc. The precise date of the fire is still a point of contention, but Donahue recalls that it was during the printing of C*nt Comics (c. 1969) that the loft caught fire, a “spectacular blaze” that burned the roof off and consumed approximately 500 copies of Zap Comix #1 (1st) stored on-site. Firefighters and police took copies of many comics as well, particularly copies of Snatch. I emailed Don Donahue in 2006, asked him if he saved anything from the fire, and to my surprise he replied "yes." Of the 12 examples brought to market, 11 were sold to Carbonaro (Neatstuff Collectibles) with the remaining copy sold to me. Neatstuff sold most of them at San Diego Comic Con 2007, and they range from copies that are little more than charred remains, to this one that shows minor water damage & scorching along the edges.

Todd McFarlane, at the 25:42 mark of his Wondercon @ Home 2021 video, stated that in 2020 Image had... More titles debut over 100,000 copies than in the last 10yrs. Even mid tier Image books are selling 2-3 times their normal numbers and Spawn has seen increases of 200-600% the last 5-6 issues.

Went to my first con in 1.5yrs - Comicverse in New Berlin Ale House I mostly got skunked... one Usagi Yojimbo reader, a Grendel TPB for the lady, and the following for 3 for $5 I'm bullish on Ed Piskor- 40k+ Youtube subscribers, Vigel-esque horror comic coming out ... who knows what he'll do next?

Had a Darth Vader (2015) #4 4th print 2nd app of Aphra in my hand yesterday NM- for $6. I passed. Is this a get it before it's hot book? Will people care about 2nd appearance of Aphra?

When a staple ages and loses its shine it's called matted or matting. It's a sign of aging and a pre rust condition (though does not progress to rust in all cases)

I don't know. The new comics market is so very efficient at placing copies in the hands of collectors I am reluctant to just stop and give up that efficiency. It's FOMO that each issue I miss is $15+ on eBay. For one title I collect the print run is likely less than 10k copies. That's maybe an average of 5 per Diamond acct. My area may only get 15 copies. That book is not hitting dollar bins. IMO The moderns of today are not going to hit dollar bins like the moderns of 20yrs ago (sans books with 1:1000 incentives, etc.).

In my experience, Spawn has been slowly adding collectors / readers since 296 / Road to 300 and the last two issues justified a 1:50 incentive. Usagi has added a much smaller amount ... But enough to do 1:10 incentive variants for the last 3 issues. But on my Facebook groups I see newbies posting fairly regularly. Sometimes I see them post for a few months and then suddenly they are selling. Other times they seem to rush through the aquisiton phase of collecting and burn out.

Descendent is the official word in the Netflix announcement on Stan's website @Jesse-Lee nice pickup on the Critters #1. Only the third UY cover appearance and the first appearance of Gen the Bounty Hunter. @GoldenAgeAddict what a great UY space. Thanks for sharing it. It may be worth reaching out to Roku toys to see if they have any Series 2 left... I recall from the UY Facebook group that some collectors had some luck with direct communication.

Imported.

I like reading about this stuff. Living in Wisconsin where it is still illegal makes it really hard to know what companies have good products tho. But I've been watching several companies and trying to educate myself. I bought some stock in one - Bevcanna - BVNNF. I feel like there are opportunities ahead of banking reform. But I dunno ... I really don't ... It's just a little fun money and I'm BORED with the current comic collecting environment

I am much less so. Ready to return. Already, pre-Covid, I had fallen out of 1 local show due to overcrowding, this was the old Mighty Con. My strategy has always been show up later and pick at my discretion because I didn't have a lot of competition for the things that I buy. Now the competition is up and I'm just not sure I'm ready for the butts to nuts picking of old.

Agreed. I've already booked my next two (Montana and Miami). I got round trip from Milwaukee to Kalispell MT for $298; have not seen prices like that since I was in college in the mid-late 90s. I know for myself... it's been absolutely eye-opening how much discretionary money I spend on dining and drinking out. Shocking. I am addicted to saving that money now and the lady and I have an ongoing discussion about former ways of life to which we're reluctant to go back.

Only 3 installments of $33.32! Wait, what? Even comic hoodies be bubblin'

Frazetta Creepy #4 homage...

Thank you for sharing your perspective. There is much I could pull out of your posting to build on, for example the somewhat empty feeling of purchases, the grey area between wondering and knowing if one got a good deal. But I identify most with the quote above. Collectors are gonna collect. And when they get priced out of one hobby they move on to the next affordable collectible. At times I've been priced out or bored of the hobby and moved on - pottery, patches, world silver, poison bottles, and now stupid penny stocks and (someday) digital currency.

I'm reading through the thread now. Obviously I think we're ina bubble with some clear signs that the Modern era is coming to an end- Coronavirus and DCs split with Diamond being two big ones. Shops closing. Maybe Bad Idea contributes like Valiant / Acclaim of old. I'm completely content to just buy my new books off the rack. No back issues. No eBay. I've actually had more fun researching pink sheet cannabis stocks and Etherium / NFTs the last month than keeping up with comic prices.