oldmilwaukee6er

"Thank you variant" a Pantload, Collector's Edge Milwaukee So it was in the lovely nexus of Mahfood / Spawn / Rock Candy Mountain that I decided to treat myself to a little something nice. I read online about the Spawn "Thank You" 1-per-store retailer incentive and decided to inquire about it at my LCS. Since they are a chain of 3 stores, with the flagship Collector’s Edge store located in the trendy Bay View neighborhood to the south (a 4th closed in 2016). My LCS is the smallest of the three stores and has no back issues, only a small selection of new comics and a rather extensive collection of graphic novels. So, I was operating under the assumption that my chain received more than one copy. So I read about the book and thought… “What the heck? It’s Friday, I just got a new job, I subscribe to Spawn … maybe I can treat myself?” And so I showed a picture of the book to my LCS manager and stated my interest. Later that night he texted me that indeed they did receive a copy, that he mentioned my interest in the book FRI night at the all-staff meeting, and that it was discussed / agreed I could have a copy of the book for $75. Not bad, I thought, as the book had been fetching a little more than that online. At least it seemed comparable to the prices that I was seeing. And so I gathered my mad money and went down to my LCS on SAT morning. I spoke briefly about the book with my LCS manager and he recommended that I email the main store to make it official and work the normal process (and so I did), and noted that it may take until MON to respond. I sent the following message: Hello Edge Team- My name is Justin [] and I am a package customer at the East store. I wanted to express my interest in the Spawn retailer thank you book that recently was sent to stores last week. I've had some communication with store manager [] and wanted to see if the book was available to review today at either the East or South stores. Thanks for the consideration, Justin [cell] Within 2.5 hours I received the following response: “Collector's Edge Comics Package System <package@collectorsedgecomics.com> These items are a flat cost at no discount. We currently have one on ebay currently about to go above $80. Did you want bid on that one and skip the shipping costs? We have more than one, I would let you have one now for $125 flat as you are a package customer, or take chances on ebay. These are selling for $150-$500 (although $500 was extreme). You would have to purchase it within a week. Please reply soon we have had many other inquiries.” I replied simply (fuming the whole time): “I’ll pass.” What a d*ck move and completely in keeping with Collector's Edge modus operandi. I’m probably one of only a handful of people that actually pull Spawn from the store for the past 2+ years (my wee LCS gets two copies, that’s it) and you’re gonna play the GREED move and (nearly) double the asking price overnight? Passsssssss. Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed! And… in the 10 days or so since the above message was sent, I have watched eBay auctions for this book and have yet to see one sale of the Spawn foil “thank you” incentive from anywhere within 105 miles of Milwaukee. So, double liars, Collector’s Edge Milwaukee. PS. This all went down the SAT before SUN Burnham Bowl and so I had the chance to share my story with a few acquaintances in the area. Ha! They were not surprised and indeed shared other horror stories of Collector’s Edge’s business practices. It made for quite a funny icebreaker at times! That said, it was stated a few times that the foil “thank you” incentive was a 1-per-store and that there are in excess of 2300 stores nationwide, as well as 3700 total Diamond accounts. With overages, it is safe to assume that this book will not be too scarce at approximately 4000 copies. So, now I play the waiting game to watch prices and gauge my interest over time.

An Open Letter to Kyle Starks, Creator "Rock Candy Mountain" Kyle- Just wanted to send out a quick message to let the Rock Candy Mountain crew that I am really enjoying the comic. I was miserable in my job (since left), a country mouse in the largest city of my life & feeling that wanderlust rise when I picked up Rock Candy Mountain #1 last month. The art recalls Scott Morse and Schweizer's subdued color palette was perfect for the Depression Era tale. However, it was the academic essay at the back that (initially) had me coughing up my vittles monies for issue #1. That hint of haute. I popped a coldie and read the book, while promptly falling down the rabbit hole of the tune. Earworm style; over and over. That perfect combination of substance, style and song not experienced since spliff-laden explorations of Jim Mahfood's socially conscious, hip hop infused underground comix (serendipitous too that his new book was previewed in your #1). And then I handed off the 'mic to my lady to see if I was going mad. Man oh man, did she respond as well. And since... well, your dialog is part of our permanent vernacular. "Hobos ain't got no bosses, stiff!" I yell from the shower when she tells me to git movin. "Damn, that was my vittles money," grumbled under her breath when I shake her down for her last. Or even her laughing out loud at "Save your yaps for your momma, I'll be doing the quippin here!" Issue #2 no doubt adds "frisco up," [cough up money or food for communal purposes] and "gump" [chicken] into the mix. Anyways, I love the book. Keep doing what you're doing and live by the code. Oh, and hobo fights. Best, Justin from Milwaukee PS. I read "bo" as bwoy / boi from my time in Louisiana. Is that correct? (Emailed 5/10/17; He has since replied too. "Bo" as in the second syllable of hobo. BTW the chef loves the comic too, I gave mine to him during his recovery from a broken arm.) Up Next- Why I effin hate my LCS chain. ALSO- There are 2 new Walmart exclusive Usagi Yojimbo action figures??

PS. R. Crumb's cover for Fritz the Cat just set the new OA record ($717,000) for American comic artist. PPS. Hy-grade underground comix are not dead! Check out the strong results for Harvey Pekar's seminal American Splendor 3, 4, & 8. The R Crumb cover (#4) is my favorite and tough to find in grade.

A rough patch & a “golden moment” OK… it’s been quite some time since writing, probably almost two months it seems. That was the LAST Burnham Bowl comic book show- first Sunday in April- before the most recent Burnham Bowl comic show. In short, I… Threw out my back for a solid week+ Taught two 5-week online courses back-to-back (grading 10 Saturdays in a row) Did so because I thought I would be leaving my job (very unhappy at work) And then promptly stayed at the job while pursuing two certifications While interviewing with the city for two positions. Whew! So I’ve been a stressball; eventually I left my job at the nonprofit (5/9), took a new position (5/30), and have been working it since. It has affected all parts of my life- sleep, health, quality time with the lady, time with my sister & her kids, time with my parents, time with friends (time posting)… and so I have worked to reset something very important to my work-life- balance. So it is nice to be back. I hope to write a little more. I can honestly say that I have leaned on comics during this period, whether it be lurking / reading on the message boards late at night when the world is not quite right or laughing with the latest Rock Candy Mountain comic or Jim Mahfood joint. It has been a “golden moment” in collecting of sorts, as my collection has come back around full circle to c 1998-2002 with the release of Jim Mahfood’s Grrl Scouts during Spawn appreciation month. This brings full circle my love of Mahfood and Spawn, solidified by the mid-1990s. I have collected Jim Mahfood solidly since the mid-1990s, becoming officially hooked with his art work on Kevin Smith’s Clerks the Comic Book (1998). Shown below is my first graded comic book I ever bought. It’s always been a softish NM+ 9.6 for me and so I prompted Mahfood draw on it at San Diego Comic Con c. 2005. Red label, pre-Signature Series goodness. This is how we hy-grade pleebians rolled in the mid-Oughts I have one example of most of Mahfood’s books, with a focus on the more indy, alternative stuff and less his more mainstream work (e.g. Spidey or the more recent variant covers). For as long as I have had an eBay app, I've been looking for the original two mini comics titled "Girl Scouts" and this book... So, yeah… Open thank you, Jim Mahfood. It has been a hard run these past few weeks, but seeing your preview for Grrl Scouts in the back of my new fave read (Rock Candy Mountain) and then getting to chase a Spawn month variant of your new book- you have provided me a welcome distraction from the daily grind. And inspired me to create again. Up next - An open letter to the creator of Rock Candy Mountain. And then – The latest LCS straw that will break this camel’s back!?

Another SW pick I have to look into socking a few away is Poe Dameron #13 1st Mr Bones in comics http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mister_Bones Snap Wexley's childhood companion from the new (canon) novel Aftermath In a post-Singularity world the droids seem to be a good bet. K2SO was one of the most popular characters out of Rogue One (of course BB8 too). Risky that Mr Bones appears first in the novel, but the character is just too cool to keep out of future movies and his personality was grounded in a popular video game droid HK-47 Here are my picks, call this betting the false bottom of diversity in comics... with the best blend of eBay sold/parked prices I could find (probably a longer timeframe too, say 10+ years): CGC 9.8 Saga 1 $400-450 or (3) raw NM+ copies for 120ea CGC 9.4 Ultimate Fallout 4 1st Miles Morales Djurdjevic variant or CGC 9.8 Ultimate Fallout 4 Reg ~250; $220-300 CGC 9.8 Edge of Spiderverse 2 (Spider Gwen) ~$180 CGC 9.8 Darth Vader 3 1st Aphra, 000, BT1 ~$80-90 (and gobbling up NM+ #4 2nd appearance) CGC 9.8 Spawn #9 ~$90 1st Medieval Spawn, 1st Angela (can also gobble up NM+ copies on the cheap) 420, 250, 180, 90, 90 = $1030

First off, I am enjoying this thread and all the debate it is stirring. So I must ask... The OP asked for long-term investment suggestions. So who is going to pay $2k in 10+ years for a $1k incentive variant of a popular cover artist? What am I missing here? <-- honest question. Because it seems to me that such a thing has not happened and to predict it falls outside the scope of investment.

+1 to each of these!

Nannybooboo

My main point is that these books, Boundless & Zenoscope, are sold in Previews. Right there in Previews! Not Previews Adult (currently up to issue #344). But apparently I am a fanboy, nay drooling fanboy and I need to grow up. Classic what you collect sucks what I collect rulz with a lil ad hominem logical fallacy thrown in for good measure.

A few photos... I'll write more soon, but I just finished a 7 hour grading jag and I am going to enjoy a long walk and a slow pint. Our second stop of the day, Lost World of Wonders. Shout-out to Demetrius for taking the picture and chatting away to pass the time. At the LCS' flagship location posing with some cosplayers... the Owner Man gave me six comics he got a kick out my shirt mask combo Me and Wolvie clowning... The Tusken Raider did the voice perfectly.

I suppose this is true for all, but isn't it possible you'd be buying at the top of the market for these variants?

I keep thinking about the new Star Wars characters... Dr Aphra, Triple Zero, Bee-Tee (Darth Vader #3) ~$12-15/ea Sana Starros (Star Wars #4) ~$4/ea Poe & BB8 (Poe Dameron #1) ~$6-8/ea These books are affordable, so I am trying to sock away about 5 of each in NM+. Whatever happens to the comic bubble going forward, Star Wars will stay at the forefront.

Damn I thought this was gonna be another Adam Hughes or Frank Cho thread. **Trigger Warning** Zenescope & Boundless are sold in Previews... And not even Previews Adult

. Man, you can't make this stuff up!!

$300M counting the whole of the secondary market? And I do recall reading that Heritage does about $30M per year.

That's a good reminder... FCBD is not free. Be kind and thank your local stores for participating!

My list includes the Rick and Morty, Red 5- Keyser Soze / Rift flipbook, Attack on Titan, Legend of Zelda, DC Superhero Girls, I Hate Image & the Archie Riverdale.

Based on BrotherJ's response, and that Bucky & Tinella are brother/sister it must be the story "Incest" by Grass Green. This story was first published in 1971's Bizarre Sex #1. http://comixjoint.com/bizarresex1-1st.html Otherwise, it could be either Good Jive #1-2. BTW it is possible the Grass Green story disappeared from latter printings of Bizarre Sex #1 (after ComixJoint).

Hobos ain't got no bosses Soundtrack: I have been working too much lately, doubling down with training, side jobs, bar trivia, volunteering that has stretched my days from 530am to 1000pm with precious downtime with the lady. Therefore, as spring blossoms and my wanderlust and perpetual dissatisfaction with work life sets in, ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN jumped out at me. I enjoyed the read; the dialog is snappy with the right amount of Southern indulgence (a few fave’s were “that was my vittles money” or “hobos ain’t got no bosses, stiff, that’s half the damn point”), the Scott-Morse-like pencils / inks coupled with the grungy colors work well for a RATED M / MATURE book that tracks two hobos- mysterious Jackson and greenhorn Paloma- to Kentucky by way of Hell for unfinished business. Veteran hobo Jackson carries a small “Captain Jack Sparrow-like” compass that points the way to the mythical Rock Candy Mountain, the nirvana that is more than just a song. Along the way, Jackson and Pomona tangle with the hobo mafia while the “Literal Devil” pursues them from behind. Oh and hobo fights. Lots of hobo fights. The book includes this short essay on the history of the song. It immediately caught my eye. Each issue takes a portion of the song and exposes on it. #2 is “The bulldogs all have rubber teeth” and #3 “Beside the crystal fountain.” Finally, it had a preview of Jim Mahfood’s latest modern comix series (Grrl Scouts)!

The new store close by had copies SUN & my wee LCS (closed SUN-MON) still had a few copies this this evening. I picked up one and read it. Objectively, his art was quite good. I also picked up the ResurreXion Preview that had this quick interview (whoops)...

RE: Burnham Bowl I slipped a disc in my low back on load-in. OUCH. Needless to say that kinda hampered my picking and I was content to work the booth and stretch out my back. The cheeseburger was bowling alley fresh! The show was fun (grossed $160+, netted me $95 after the lady's cut)- it gave us motivation to get all our grading done on SAT, so we could enjoy each other's company all day SUN. We had a lovely dinner together afterwards. Another dealer brought me a WHOLE long box of underground comix to organize, price and grade within 2 weeks; All the underground comix that came out of the old Turning Page basement. Because I have had work, professional development and fun (read: bar trivia) commitments all this week, I have not been able to start the project, but I am looking forward to it this weekend. I get to keep track of my time, get paid a little, and possibly even a nice book or two. What fun!

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. It happens like that from time to time. Spring quarter is in full swing and the lady is locked up in teaching, scholarship and service. I am perpetually dissatisfied with my work life and actively on the job market. I have had a few nibbles, took two extra online courses to give me an outlet (and a safety line) and generally redraft my resignation letter on a weekly basis. So, we did like normal, rational humans and ran off to Europe during the lady’s Spring Break! Three nights in Paris, followed by 3 nights in Venice and a final nightcap in Paris before flying back into Chicago and into the thick of it. Finally, last week took me away from the house every single night through SAT, whether for immediate family (twice), my LEED study group, bar trivia with the boys, rock show (Galactic w/ Hip Abduction), or a roller-skating birthday party. Toward the change that was and is, we also started in on some good old-fashioned “financial panthering” (aka planning; after The Simpson’s). Basically, finishing taxes, putting the finances back into control, and setting new budgetary goals. But not before running to the glorious Lost World of Wonders on a SUN to see if I can grab any Star Wars comics off my want list! As well as two new short boxes (1 for each) and some more Silver Age bags and boards. Poe Dameron #1 ($5.50; 1st Poe & BB-8 in comics) Star Wars #4 – 6 (1st Sana Starros) Sana appears masked and with dialog in #4, masked in #5, and named at the end of #6. Let the fanboys duke this one out, ‘cause I got ‘em all ($4.00-4.50 each). Dr. Aphra #3 variant ($7) While it does not have the fair lady on the cover, I like the characters and the cool Triple-Zero and Bee-tee cover. This variant never hit my LCS. Dr. Aphra #5 ($4) While I no longer subscribe to Aphra, I have decided to grab the title off the shelf from time to time.

I have been itching for a good comic purchase and having recently completed a Dr. Aphra want list, I pulled the trigger and bought the following 8 issues from eBay, along with Dr. Aphra #1 (not pictured) for $25 shipped. 2nd print. Normally I would not buy the reprints, but I was happy to add NM copies of the 2nd and 3rd print to my short box 3rd print Halloween give-away. My LCS did not have this. Again, not one I would have sought out, but happy to add a NM copy to my collection. #8 Not a fan of this Larocca cover (Aphra’s expression, namely), but I want to collect Dr. Aphra covers before her solo series and I especially want covers that feature her alongside Triple-Zero and Bee-tee. #10 (hint of an origin story in this one). I was also able to pick up reader copies of #8 and #10 for $1 at the Comicverse show. #21 I like this cover… two droids walk into a bar. Aphra trying to stop Triple-Zero and Bee-tee from murdering people is sometimes a funny trope in the comics. #22 Not an Aphra cover; my eBay seller was mistaken, but no matter b/c while this one is not on my want list, it does have Aphra inside. Instead, this cover features Tulon Voidgazer a female human genius engineered and trained by Doctor Cylo to replace the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader as Darth Sidious' enforcer (from the Wookiepedia). #25 action figure In looking through all the covers at once, I am drawn to how differently Aphra is portrayed. Sometimes more good girl art (GGA), sometimes more ethnic, and here she looks totally different!

X-cutioner's Song https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Cutioner's_Song These books are in the 25-50c bins

Yes. Although I do not use it as a checklist. My LCS chain uses it to price backissues and thus I had to adapt. The mobile version of the normal site works well enough for me.