oldmilwaukee6er

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.

I use a backing board cut down to the size of a credit card to make my want list. I carry it in my wallet, so that I have it when I need it.

I think if 3rd party certification for comics started this way, it may have alleviated some of the initial consumer fears- e.g. http://www.milehighcomics.com/tales/cbg02.html To go from nothing, to this service would have been better received IMHO. But to go backwards from the level of service we have now? I am not convinced. As a buyer (less frequently seller) of comics, essentially we argue about two things- the condition of the book and the price. With slabbed books, we can better focus energy to the discussion of price.

1st post on the new boards! Kudos to the lady for most of the text. And thanks for letting me have first stab in the new format. I'll add a little here and there Ahh yassssss. The new Mighty Con Milwaukee aka the Milwaukee Comic Con, now located at State Fair park with paid parking. Could this be the death of Mighty Con or the start or something bigger for the wee small Serb-Hall-Con-that-could? As much as our finances would have loved to see us skip this show, our curiosity got the better of us and we headed over at 1:30PM. The lady budgeted us $140, with $6 parking and $5 entry we had $62 to pick each. ~Om. The Lady Speaks. . .A Mostly Mighty Con? (A TLS & Om joint) As advertised, Mighty Con Milwaukee shook it up a bit by changing venues and attempting to establish some new protocols for its ever-growing comic con. The move from Serb Hall to the Fairgrounds was at the heart of it, a great choice. There was definitely more room on the floor for vendors and patrons. They were able to add what appeared to be a stage area for the cosplay contests and possibly even panels. We arrived later in the day, about 2pm, so much of that fanfare had moved on which did leave about a quarter of the room devoid of life save for the bank of video games on the far wall. The designated concessions area was small and yet there was always a spot to take a load off and they offered soda, food, and adult bevvies. Prices were high. $7.00 for two 20oz bottles of soda is a bit steep, even for a seasoned veteran of cons such as myself. I'm going to go into the negatives first and then wrap up with the positives, of which there were many. Check out the line at 1:45PM! We despaired a little at this, truthfully. I started asking where people had heard about the show (?) to pass the time. ~Om Now for some of the less-than-stellar observations. The Fairground is host to a number of simultaneous events and without adequate signage, it's not easy to figure out where you enter, where you pay, and then where you actually park. It worked out for us because we were late arrivals and parking was easy to be had close to the actual con's building. I can't say that would have been the case two hours earlier, though. And when you're paying $6 for parking, you kind of want to know that you have a designated lot area. This is especially true if you're cosplaying and need to stage stuff. So parking needs to be better worked out and I think more signs directing you to the con itself would go a long way. As I said, we arrived shortly before 2pm. We ended up waiting in line outside for about 15 minutes. Part of this move, as advertised time and time again by Mighty Con, was to alleviate this very issue. The bottleneck seemed to be the free comics they give away when you pay your entry fee. I suggest dropping that whole mess. $5 entry is perfectly fine, you don't need to sweeten the pot with free comics that cause people to stop and literally flip through every comic looking for that golden retirement fund. Also, only one guy was taking money, ticking off attendance, and stamping hands. That could be streamlined. The guy did say that there had been approximately 1500 people through the door so it seems attendance was brisk. That being said, standing in line offered us the chance to see what sorts of merchandise was leaving the con. In summation, not much. About 1 in 6 people had stuff when they were leaving and maybe 25% of those were people who had bought comics. It seemed like a lot of small exchanges--stickers, posters, toys. OM checked with the people waiting with us to see how they had heard about the con and the general consensus was that it was all sort of second hand information. No one was familiar with Mighty Con or even what a con was, they were just checking it out. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, it was just an observation that carried into the con itself. Most of the people I encountered had never been to a con before, had no idea what Mighty Con was about, and were just checking it out because they'd heard about it at another event or through word-of-mouth. Due to the general newness of the patrons and the event it made traversing the con irritating for the first half hour or so as people would walk three or four abreast down the aisles and all stop at the same time to look at the same thing without any awareness of what was going on around them. Eventually, however, that calmed down and it was easy to move about. I did comment how it felt like they were coming to stare at the freaks. ~Om I was bummed that some of the vendors I looked forward to at other Mighty Cons weren't set up at this one. I don't know if table price, time of year, location or what was the reason for that. It could have a lot to do with the fact that AnimeMKE is next weekend and that's a pretty popular event. So there wasn't a ton of variety present and there were more than a few vendors who looked like they dumped out their kids' closets hoping to sell some stuff. (As a matter of fact I heard one guy explaining that that was exactly what he did. His kid's in college and left behind a bunch of toys and the father was hoping to sell them off. To his son's credit, the toys were in excellent shape and he was doing brisk business). There was a bit of a garage sale vibe once you got away from the original artists and the comic book vendors, especially when it came to the toy vendors. When I was talking to vendors, most claimed they were having "okay" days. There were a ton of kids present and they seemed to only be interested in Pokemon. Nothing else was of much interest to them, not Harry Potter, not Transformers, not super heroes. It was all Pokemon. So for the vendors who didn't have a ton of Poke stock, they weren't doing as much business as they had hoped for. There were probably six or seven tables of Pop Funko! (I resisted this time) but they all had basically the same characters and the prices were all over the place. Some characters were $8 at one table and $15 at the next. There were only three jewelry vendors and they were having a tough go of it, too. The jewelry was very well made and the prices reflected this. On the whole, the comic vendors were doing great. I heard two 'best shows', a few 'good shows,' one 'not as good as projected; and another one that did not do well. Some of the more 'flea market vendors' had 1-2 boxes to look through and I even saw a young lady selling her original owner CGC SS 8.5 NM98 signed by Liefeld (1st Deadpool). The organizer was quite happy and was noted as saying that 'if you cannot do well with this many people, then you may need to re-evaluate your product.' The show drew some dealers from the Illinois show and so their boxes were fresh picking for me. I picked some good books and fell down the Star Wars Dr. Aphra rabbithole. Scans to follow. ~Om There wasn’t a ton of variety with the vendors. Only one vendor had t-shirts where a few others had a handful of random shirts for sale. There was one guy doing etched pint glasses and shot glasses that was kind of cool. One steampunk vendor (mass marketed stuff, not hand crafted). There was one mass market Asian/Anime vendor. Several PopFunko vendors; a lot of original artists; a few original author; three jewelry vendors; a booth of homemade bags/purses; a couple of places selling Poke related towels and blankets; four or five Star Wars booths; one decal/sticker vendor; a tarot card reader (she was awesome); a few gothic booths selling candles/mini coffins/taxidermy-esque stuff; and two Lego mini booths. NO TRADE PAPER BACK SELLERS! I think the comic book side of things was more diverse. One last negative which is in no way Mighty Con’s fault, but still very frustrating. There were a ton of families with small children. This means the usual stroller congestion and small ones running around with reckless abandon. But what I saw yesterday at Mighty Con went to a whole new level of bad behavior. There’s a guy, Plushzilla, whose plushise I love. I watched a kid pick one up and wipe his snotty nose down the front of it while the mother stood there. She laughed at her kids’ antics. The vendor chuckled and offered to give her a discount if she’d buy what was now a biohazard. The mother got affronted and said she wasn’t going to spend money on that. And she flounced. So the poor vendor had to pull the merchandise, probably to destroy it. Similar antics were repeated with kids walking off with jewelry, knocking over stuff, diving under tables, and just generally acting horrible. I’m going to chalk that up to the influx of con virgins who maybe don’t get what the etiquette is, but it was disappointing and annoying. <-------Doesn't like kids. ~Om, who already knows this. The positives. Ample room. There is room to grow and I hope they can drum up more new and exciting vendors to attract a wider array of patrons. The concession area was nice and well placed. Good bathrooms. Good wifi signal. Mighty Con is beginning to feel more and more like Wizard Lite, which isn’t bad. Let Wizard focus on celebrity and let Mighty Con continue to develop relationships with collectors, fans, and cosplayers. My haul (I went into this con determined to spend money without a shopping agenda). I bought a purse, a plushie, a stainless steel/anodized aluminum necklace, a handmade ceramic/bead butterfly necklace, an East Side Star Wars print, a new Assassin’s Creed shirt (Assassin’s Mead), and an M&M R2 plushie. Oh, and I had a session with the tarot reader. General Trends Not much cosplay in general, but again we were late arrivals. There was on awesome Barf from Spaceballs that arrived later in the day. <-- Easily THE BEST costume I saw all day ~Om Sexy Harley has totally become shorthand for cosplay. It takes no effort anymore and is pretty ubiquitous. Star Wars is popular, but it’s somewhat fading. According to one vendor “The oddness of Rogue One and the huge gap before Episode VIII is hurting things. And Fisher’s death is old news so even that’s not carrying much right now.” Kids want Pokemon and only Pokemon. Well... I wanted Spawn. I went with my Spawn list and I hoped for extra and new dealers (which I got) and a good selection of Spawn (which I did not get). I saw three books on my want list, and none met my condition requirement of NM+. Two were NM-... a #222 for $15 and a #150 Jim Lee for $40. One (another #150 Jim Lee) was double signed and $50. Too much for me. I cannot even imagine spending $40 for my last Spawn issue, whatever one that might be (likely #156). But anyways, I dressed up in my Spawn t-shirt. I wore my Spawn bracer. I was not coming home without a high grade Spawn book ($1) ~Om Stupid stupid Spawn. I need 8 issues from 150 - 222. "The dark years; oh those are good years; wow, tough years." Dealers know just as well as I do the Problem with Spawn just as well as I do. The efficiencies of the modern direct market means that Modern books with distribution < 20,000 copies become genuine collectibles on the secondary market. ~Om Finally, I fell down the rabbit hole that is Dr. Aphra. I just love this book, the 1st appearance of three very interesting characters, Aphra, BT1, and Triple-Zero. All appear on the cover. I was happy to pay $22 combined for the copies of Darth Vader #3 and cover (no tax) for everything else. 2nd appearance of Dr. Aphra (#4) Could not pass up these white covers with all 4 cool new characters- Aphra, the killer droids & Black Krrsantan. I am working on a Dr. Aphra checklist now. Finally, I picked two Space Usagi books ($5ea) and some early 1990s Venom books for 50-cent. All in all it was a great, hard-fought pick!

New Collecting Goals for 2017 As I look forward to my second year of journaling about collecting, it is clear to me that I have lost focus of (what I thought was) my primary goal- Amazing Spider-Man #1. In retrospect it is funny, as part of why my collecting eye had shifted was because of the prices that high-grade underground comix were starting to fetch. Essentially, I was priced-out of underground comix, so why did I think a rapidly inflating Silver Age book was the answer? When I first starting journaling, a GD2.0 ASM was about 2k. Now I find 1.8s priced at 3.2k. I overpaid for my X-Men #1 at 1.7k raw and with a 3.5 CGC blue label the book could fetch 2.2k+. As I have written before, I get a little fearful in bull markets, even though the potential returns are retrospectively obvious. Moderns were cheaper, and for a time, more fun. I now realize that ASM1 is more symbolic of my desire to return balance and diversity to my growing, somewhat genre-specific collection. Therefore, I will work toward the following: 1. Collect with the following two statements in mind: a) Overpay for the best and underpay for everything else. Neither let a cheap price tag influence, nor an expensive tag discourage. b) Worth is a momentary phenomenon; a change in circumstances alerts value. 2. Stop viewing Modern comics as investments. Read every Modern I bring home. If I am not reading it, cancel it. Diligently manage my pull-box to avoid duplicates or LCS add-ons. Continue to leverage digital comics- as a hygrader, I have learned that I enjoy reading digital comics as opposed to minty floppies. Leverage trade paperbacks for series I am curious about but not into collecting (TPBs also have more residual value if I need to dump books at Half Price). “As a general rule, the new comic that you buy from a dealer for $X (cover price) immediately drops in wholesale value to about 10 cents, the minute you leave the shop. That happens because most comics dealers don't handle broad lines of back issues, and simply don't want anything back from the past few years. To induce them to buy back your relatively new comics, you're going to have to accept a price that will allow them to put them in their 3/$1 bins. That price is usually about a dime. Clearly, if you are taking a 96% drop in value the minute you buy an item, it can't be classified as an investment.” ~Mile High Chuck Rosanzki 3. Re-read MH Chuck’s “Tales from the Database”. Personally, I find it a fascinating read and one I will be revisiting in early 2017. 4. Freak Brothers 12 13 1st prints in NM+ or better. It is becoming obvious to me and at least two other collectors that these books are really HTF in high grade. I can see why these books may have been overlooked in the boom/bust of the 1990s (#12 in 1992 & #13 in 1997). I rearranged my eBay searches to help. 5. Patiently Finish Spawn run- 156 168^ 169 183^ 216 218 221 222 223 230 and patiently plug away at Usagi Yojimbo. Another quote from MH Chuck “With fewer than a dozen comics titles currently having print runs over 100,000 copies, and approximately only another 30 titles with print runs over 50,000 copies, comics genuinely have become collector's items once again. Given that most retailers are ordering to sell out within 10-14 days, plus the dramatic reduction in the newsstand market, finding a recent back issue has become a near impossibility.” No doubt! I’m done chasing Spawn so that when I do find them, it will be all the sweeter. 6. X-Men in VGish 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 17 18 19. Of all the goals, this one has been the MOST fun. I am buying reader copies at prices I can afford and enjoying them. While I do not expect to complete this run in 2017, to the extent I can further it at my present pace I will be happy. 7. Fantastic Four 49 50 in CGC 6.5 or better. These, along with the X-Men, will likely be the books I target at larger comic cons. I look forward to the hunt and to having a complete Galactus Trilogy. 8. Seriously re-think the Registry. For my collection, the Registry is likely a mug's game. While it was fun to fantasize I could put together the best run of Zap Comix, the reality is that there are collectors already amassing comparable collections, and who have better copies of #1 or #0. And I set out to accomplish my original goal- which was to put together the best set I could afford. Also, with underground comix, the Registry places too many points on high grade REPRINTS, e.g. a CGC 6.5 #2 “Heads first miscut” 1st print with thick cover stock earns a mere 60pts whereas a #2 2nd print in CGC 9.6 is a whopping 500pts (this book is common). If the points are ‘at all’ supposed to equate to scarcity or value, then this is just one example among many of how upside down the Registry is for u-comix. This year I will look to transition from the Registry to MySlabbedComics and add my non-CGC books. 9. STOP stressing about selling. I have to let go of my guilt for not selling, or not selling well. I enjoy my hobby. Generally speaking it gives me great joy. And even though I put a fair amount of money into the hobby, from time to time, I have made to great sales. In 2016, I also set up at a small con for the first time in a while and sold two batches of stuff to Half Price Books. X-Men group shot

WOW great post and great collection.

Fixed it for ya

This weekend I celebrated a birthday, with nothing particularly special planned. I woke early SAT with thoughts of work and decided to indulge in a little road trip / travel. Just an urge to hop in the car and be in another place by sundown. A bit of the wanderlust, and no small part my father. I looked for spots within 4 hours and decided on Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Neither the lady nor I had been, and I suppose a very minor bucket list item to visit the Yooper. I could not wait to wake up the lady with my plan and see if the lil homebody was a gamer and sure enough she WAS after only minor cajoling. I having been up since 330am. I slept some then and we mobilized by 1030am, which is not bad for us. I booked a little 2-star no-tell-motel in Escanaba and we arrived without issue having taken the more scenic route 35. We had a beer at Hereford & Hop and then dinner at the fancy steakhouse before sleeping 8 hard, road weary hours. I intended to disconnect, to whisk myself away from media, and ground us for the time to come. Winter is an easy time to work, pick up extra tasks, assignments, and lectures / speaking engagements. It means less time spent in walking, which is also a more grounding activity. We have upcoming travel, a set academic schedule, work goals, and it is a time for fiscal responsibility in our household. So the freedom of the open road, a bit of adventure and some reflection. We stopped at a small town Walmart and feasted off cheap imported goods. Get em while they last. As symbolized by this Nirvana t-shirt design that has become a $5 clearance rack staple. I bought $3 worth of Avengers Assemble stickers some of which now cover a comic box lid. I saved one sheet that featured more obscure characters- Modok, Attuma & Super Adaptoid (from the Cabal). We planned our next few months, broad-brushed, and agreed to reconvene this week on the topic of more serious fiscal panthering. I bought a whole French silk pie from Perkins, a throwback to our time in Billings MT together. And still we drove, burning a tank and a half of “go juice” until there was only the windshield and silence.

Found these schweet Modok, Attuma & Super Adaptoid stickers today as part of a $3 Avengers set from Family Dollar. These are going in a bag and board.

Tis true sadly, but I often say that winter is a good time to be busy. We have been pouring ourselves into work. I have a new boss (2 weeks now), and that no doubt mixes things up. Last week when I hit the local comic store (LCS) I was pressed for time and after being ignored for 10min in the small store I left and met the lady for dinner. This new comic WED it was all titles for the lady and one for my niece. Nothing for me. No comic picking to speak of. Last week I also completed the night course I was teaching and closed out final grades. The past two weekends have been full of playoff football, as we are surrounded by Packers fans. The next few weeks we celebrate our birthdays, himself and then herself. The lady's birthday culminates with a short trip to Venice by way of Paris- a gift we have been building and saving toward for sometime. About two weeks ago we locked in some excursions, e.g. Catacombs tickets, Orsay Museum tour, opera tickets Teatro La Fenice, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons near St. Mark's Church.

Why setting goals is important to collecting Tis the time of the year to start formalizing my collecting goals. I started this sometime ago, but threw away my detailed notes before capturing them digitally. Cracknell (2016) starts his article on the topic with the following quote: “I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. Change can be made on any day at any moment. But when it comes to collecting, a new calendar year is a good time to set goals.” I like the sentiment above. And throughout my 1.5 years journaling, the term “goals” has been mentioned herein over 50 times. Each year I work to set specific and measurable goals for my collecting, and each year I feel more focused and happy. Cracknell (2016) writes “Goals give us focus. Focus gives purpose. To me, these are key to being a happy collector.” Therefore I need to do a better job of reflecting and focusing on what I like most about the hobby, as the key is to collect what you enjoy most (“Tips for,” n.d.). While some people like to take a casual approach to collecting, gathering whatever appeals to them, other collectors like to define their collections by certain categorical distinctions (“Tips for,” n.d.). Simply put, a lack of goal-oriented focus leads to frustration. Orlando (2016) offers the following 10 tips for building a collection: 1. Select a collecting theme and stick to it 2. Buy authenticated / graded collectibles 3. Ask questions and educate yourself 4. Find and buy from a reputable seller 5. Consider display or storage issues 6. Avoid becoming a bargain hunter 7. Buy the finest quality you can afford 8. Manage your emotions but don’t be afraid to pull the trigger 9. Value expertise over origin 10. Keep collecting fun Orlando (2016) notes that your theme or strategy takes precedence over everything else on this list and that it will help you stay focused. This year, I am breaking down my goals based on the following themes: **Underground comix **Silver Age comics **Modern speculation comics **Modern reader comics I have been guilty of many MANY impulses throughout the life of this journal and this is the year to stop the insanity and stay focused. In reflecting on my yearly progress, I still continue to buy comic books on impulse- either in $1 bins or off the LCS rack. Like Cracknell (2016), this results in a stack of stuff I am not attached to and do not know what to do with. It also leads to doubles or other mistakes in collecting and those costs add up. Orlando (2016) is correct in pointing out that “even if you have virtually endless financial resources at your disposal, you can't own everything. It is always better to start with reasonable collecting goals and then branch out from there.” Collectors are often tempted to buy things that do not fit the theme of their collection. As Orlando (2016) notes, when you appreciate great items, it's hard to resist the opportunity to buy something when the opportunity presents itself. However, fall prey to too many impulse purchases and one ends up with a collection that is shattershot. Applying impulse control to my collecting means that I may have to cut back in certain subgenres or limit purchases to save for more expensive comics. Taylor (2008) writes “Don't hesitate to buy a coin in a grade lower than you hope for or strive to acquire. One must consider that the average collectible coin is constantly appreciating; although not always at a steady or consistent rate. The Laws of Supply and Demand always have a hand in the value or worth of any coin. Having an investment in a coin is preferable to no investment. . . . Stepping up, or improving your coin's grade, in a graduated process, is far more pleasing because it adds more activity, allows completion of sets (albeit temporary for the actual grade desired), the cost is less or spread out, and makes for continuous progress. The fewer numbers of coins available in the next higher grade, the costs of each upgrade being higher, and putting a higher value on your time, makes the approach of buying only the "goal coin" undesirable. Doing so will degrade your progress, enjoyment and appreciation.” As I continue to write and think about my collecting goals… I keep writing the following phrase (after Rinker or Welch)- WORTH is momentary phenomenon. A sale at a particular point in time determines WORTH. Only a change in circumstances alters VALUE. Taylor (2008) notes that collectors should not be “overly concerned about either getting a bargain, or paying book value or more. The value and worth of your collection will not be greatly affected by either.” This is because the time spent getting a bargain price is the single most commonly wasted activity. Your time, not spent in spent in positive thoughts and endeavors is wasted (Taylor, 2008). Similarly, Orlando (2016) echoes that while there is nothing wrong with bargain hunting, HOWEVER “when a collector's entire focus revolves around finding a good deal, it can lead that collector right into a trap. That trap is usually filled with items of poor quality and suspect authenticity.” When you become hyper-focused on bargain hunting, it is easy to overlook the obvious and ignore the red flags that could help you steer clear of the item (Orlando, 2016). Taylor (2008), in discussing coin collecting strategies, argues that higher grades collectors often require longer term goals, a greater amount of money, more patience, and higher levels of frustration. Many hygraders, including myself, find the extra challenge of collecting more rewarding. “It is not our opinion of the grade that matters, it is what will bring us the greatest return on our investment of time and money” (Taylor, 2008). Another frustration with my currently collecting habits is that I am having storage issues. In the past 2+ years collecting Moderns and 1.5 years journaling, I have accumulated comics at the fastest pace in more than a decade. Simply put, I have learned the hard way that I am in an accumulation phase. This issues seems like it is easy to avoid, yet it affects many many collectors. Orlando (2016) writes “it all comes down to your intent as a collector, whether you want to display your collection proudly in your den or tuck most of your items away in a safe deposit box.” References Cracknell, R. (2016). Are you setting any collecting goals for 2016? You should. Retrieved from http://www.beckett.com/news/are-you-setting-any-collecting-goals-for-2016-you-should/. Orlando, J. (2016). Ten tips for building a collection. Retrieved from http://www.psacard.com/articles/articleview/6315/ten-tips-building-collection Taylor, R.L. (2008). Basic coin collecting strategy. Retrieved from http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/106355/hobbies/basic_coin_collecting_strategy.html Tips for defining you coin collecting goals. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/coin_collecting_tips-2/

Early Michael Jordan cards too

That's a nice Nard & Pat OA piece, felix. Thought I would bump your thread and see what's new? Here's a Yellow Dog #24. 3 copies on the census; 2 higher.

Yuuuup! Aced out to date but not paying a premium. Nintendo will make more.

Kicking off the year right- the Edge’s annual New Year sale! Last week was a cold and slightly shorter work week, owing to the New Year. I typically have not been able to get to the LCS on Wednesday, as I am teaching a night course, and this week was no exception. FRI nights has been my time to stop by the LCS, pick up my new comics, and chat with the manager. On FRI the lady and I both stopped to pick up the only pull- a copy of Jem and the Holograms #22. Waiting for me was the new deluxe Deadpool mask with speech bubbles (below), including my favorite “Check out the chump in the Deadpool tee.” This SUN was the local comic chain’s annual back issue sale extravaganza ( FLYER ). $2 admission includes a drawing for $1000 shopping trip, access to the basement back issues and vault (pre-1975 comics), and a grab-bag as you exit. The 25% off everything sale typically runs 2-6PM, but subscription customers can gain access at noon, as well as earn an extra 5% off by bringing in a coupon from our Christmas card (30% total). For every $100 you spend, you get one extra drawing for the $1000 shopping spree raffle. Last year was my first real attempt at the sale and in the past I wrote… “All told, the sale was bittersweet. I got shut out of underground comix. Again. I left another $40 of good Usagi Yojimbos lying and probably left other good books too (Spawn, Mahfoods). But that just makes me want to try again. It was a great spectacle to move a lot of backstock at near-retail prices, a smart bookkeeper's sale. The fans really ate it up. And I suppose if ALL I ever pick out that basement is 23 Usagis, well then I should just call myself lucky and walk away.” This year, I was skipping underground comix and planning for a budget of approximately $150. My working theory was that because the Green Bay Packers were playing at 3:30PM, then the sale would be front-end loaded and may die down at the start of the game. So I left the house at the start of the game and headed to the sale. Two disadvantages to arriving toward the end of the sale are that if it was still busy, it may limit my access and books may sell before my arrival (a chance I am usually willing to take, as the books I seek are usually pretty specialized). The lady opted to sit this one out entirely, she accompanied me last year and waited in the Arsenal bar nearby. This year, because of the football crowds, she wasn’t really into the whole scene. She enjoys football, but prefers to root AGAINST the Packers in the comfort of her own space. Well, the plan worked perfectly… I found a parking spot nearby that allowed me to leave my winter coat behind while I picked. I made a specific want list to pick from, one of my new resolutions, and I brought my favorite comic picking bag. I arrived just a smidge before 4pm and paid my $2 entrance fee. The store was moderately full, with approximately 12 people milling about on the main floor. My LCS manager was there greeting people as they walked in and handing out the raffle tickets. Upon arrival, I took a turn on the top floor to get the lay of the trade paperback (TPB) situation and see what was in stock. In particular, the lady is enjoying The Wicked + The Divine (Gillen) 2-4+ and I am looking at Lazarus (Rucka) 2+. She is also looking for three volumes of X-Men Essentials. After a quick turn (looking good for Wicked + Divine, bad for X-Men), I slipped down to the basement to get to work (all prices quoted include the discount). The first thing I noticed was that it was A LOT slower than I anticipated. I only bumped into two people, there was no line to check out (last year’s was 30+ minute), and I saw at least three staffers ready to help. So, I started digging through the independents section and began with 3+ long boxes of Spawn. Short version- I had no luck. Moreover, it is apparent to me that the average LCS with back issues will not have very much Spawn past 150 beyond 200 and 220. With several online comic retailers also out of the issues I am seeking, finishing my Spawn 1-current run may well take the whole of 2017. That said, I am content with that fact and beyond my Christmas Spawn back issue splurge, I will not panic-buy to complete Spawn. Good things come to those who wait will be my mantra for Spawn. And boy will I take joy in finding the last 8 NM issues I need in the wild. From Spawn, I moved through Usagi. I had great luck with Usagi in 2016 and I was able to picked a VF+ copy of Usagi Yojimbo #2 (Mirage; Vol2) and this lovely copy of Critters #1 ($10.50) this year. Critters #1 is the 4th appearance of the Ronin rabbit following his run in Albedo Comics and the 1st appearance of Gennosuke (aka Gen the Bounty Hunter). A CGC 9.0 sold for over $30 this month, while a CGC 9.8 is parked on the ‘Bay at $210 shipped with 4 watchers. I immediately added UY#2 back to want list as an upgrade, but Critters #1 now means I have ALL Usagi appearances in Critters in NM (#1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 38, & 50). I also picked up this NM copy of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City Vol1 #1 1st print ($8.40). Late in 2016 I picked NM copies of #2, 3 & 4 from Burnham Bowl for $2 each and so the set looks out of place without a nice copy of #1. Finally, I picked up the last 2 issues of Piranha Press’ Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children #29 and #30 ($10 for pair) in VFNM. The lady has been collecting this obscure title since the early 1990s. BSFUC developed a cult following in the comic book/graphic novel community, even though BSFUC were neither really comic books nor graphic novels. The series is not even one continuous, serialized story, which makes it tough to collect. She now needs only #27. After putting together my modern stack, I went into the Vault to ask after early X-Men. I waited a little for the traffic to die down and set to work looking through a long-box with periodic X-Men beginning with #8. Typically, the BIG BOSS uses a combination of Overstreet and Comic Realm to price books, rounding down slightly and arguing that the real discount is taken off upstairs at the register. I selected three books and waited while another customer had a large stack of Modern Harley Quinn books priced. The guy in front of me spent $590 on Batman Adventures, early appearances of Deadpool (X-Force 2), and more. Add that to his other $400+ stack. Another guy was waiting to price about 6 small stacks of mostly DC books. When it was my turn the BIG BOSS took my three X-books and priced them right at guide for VG. On the whole I was pleased to buy 3 books for close to the price of two. I paid $108.50 total and these are precisely the type of book I am targeting, a rock solid VG+ to VG- that presents well with decent color pop / eye appeal, not too much Marvel chipping, and clean or matted staples with no rust- the type of book that can be read and handled without fear of damage. After the X-Men, I waited to have my Moderns priced downstairs before plucking The Wicked + The Divine TPB #2 and #3 off the upstairs shelf, checking out, and pulling my grab-bag (misc. comics ). All in one hour! With a slightly larger budget and more focused want list I was able to check off several want list items, make small progress on my Usagi Yojimbo run, and add 3 more X-Men to my #1 – 19 run. I even scored two HTF comics and TPBs for the lady. While I feel I am still making mistakes and accumulating too much… This was a great way to kick off the collecting year! NEXT UP- Collecting goals for 2017.

What are the important Modern Star Wars books? This is by no means definitive. However, I have enjoyed many of the new Star Wars titles from Marvel, as well as Episode 7 and Rogue One in the theaters. While it was improbable for me to collect and/or read all of the titles, I tried to focus on the new characters insomuch as they might influence future theatrical releases. Therefore, I read (most of) Star Wars through issue #24 digitally, read SW: Shattered Empire 1-4, collected but did not read SW: Poe Dameron 1-9, and read/collected SW: Force Awakens 1. FEEL FREE TO ADD, COMMENT, OR CORRECT, as I did not collect or read- SW: Darth Vader (now regret, mainly due to Aphra), or ANY of the SW Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Kanan, or Lando books. So what are the first appearances some cool new characters? Poe Dameron #1 (4/6/16; JUN2016) 1st appearance of Poe Dameron and BB8 in comics Also the 1st appearance of Black Squadron members, including Karé Kun, L’ulo, and Temmin “Snap” Wexley Star Wars: Force Awakens #1 (6/22/16; AUG2016) 1st appearance of Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren in comics Star Wars: Darth Vader #3 1st appearance of Dr. Aphra in comics 1st appearance of Triple-Zero (000) and BT-1 in comics (appear on cover)? Comic Vine credits #13 as the first appearance and there is a variant cover that features both of them. They also feature in SW 13-14 during the Vader Down crossover event. Cool Aphra covers include Darth Vader 3 (Larocca variant; shown), 8, 10, and 25 (variant). Also, she now has her own series, e.g. Dr. Aphra 1 (action figure variant). Star Wars #4 1st appearance of Sana Starros (aka Sana “Solo”). Comic Vine credits #4 as her first appearance, and states that she appears in issues 4-6, but her first named and fully visible appearance is #6. Star Wars: Darth Vader #2 #1 1st appearance of Black Krrsantan Cool Black Krrsantan covers include SW 14, SW 20, and SW: Dr. Aphra 1 (action figure variant). Poe Dameron #2 1st Terex (aka Agent Terex; Stormtrooper TK-603) 1st identified as TK-603 in #8 One interesting observation that complicates this posting is that Comic Vine identifies Mad Magazine #538 (2/24/16; APR2016) as the first appearance of some characters, e.g. BB8, however it is unlikely that SW comic book fans will accept this as a true first appearance since it did not occur in the Marvel Comics canon.

Closing in on a NM run and you begin to notice things like the above sale from Dec. (And not too many rare issues in this bunch & condition was range-graded at VFNM with "some VF- and some 9.8s.")

Back in the saddle The lady and I have been off work the week between Christmas and New Year’s, hosting her parents who were in from Montana. It was a nice visit, Type 2 fun- not so much fun while you are doing it, but growing fonder with the passage of time. It was a blessing in disguise as it allowed us to skip my family’s usual customs and stay home! We were home on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning for the first time in decades. It was remarkable in retrospect. I received a small reimbursement check from work prior to the holidays and was able to shop on time and deliver presents to my niece and nephews on Christmas Eve morning. What a joy watching the kids open presents! I think because of these two things, I was in a good mood all week. We went to the public museum, the museum by the lady’s work, the public market (twice), Rogue One (twice), and Assassin’s Creed. We worked through our closets, donated clothing, and started projects now unfinished. We graded, though the lady has by far the bigger load (I have one small night class). We stayed home on NYE, ate magic pizza toppings, watched Fantasia and stayed up to watch 2017 explode on the horizon. I bought some Spawn and Usagi Yojimbo comic books as a Christmas treat. I priced a few online stores and ended up shopping at Gmart (Chicago) and Mile High (Denver) with one of their HOLIDAY! promotional codes. Now that I am getting to the end of my run collecting, I am getting impatient. Therefore, I treated myself to a little shopping spree online and bundled to get free shipping. A few books were upgrades, so I purchased multiple copies on some books to make certain I got the book in grade and was done. I was not able to complete both runs, however, and I even found two additional missing Spawn books while organizing this past weekend (ugh). As of this writing, I need… 3 Usagi books (Vol1 16 37; Vol2 2) 2 Space Usagi books (Mirage 1 2) A few one-shots 8 Spawn books (150 156 183^ 216 217 218 221 222) In the calm of the New Year I was able to open up with pages of notes on strategies, goals, and objectives for 2017. This is an important rhetorical part of the journal for me- the ability to log and reflect upon my collecting goals. Generally, I am using the framework discussed earlier in the journal- that STRATEGY informs GOALS / OBJECTIVES that determine PROJECTS that consist of ACTIVITIES. I will post about my goals in more detail in the coming days. In the meantime, I will end this journal entry with some additional Spawn visuals… This image illustrates estimated Spawn presales in North America from November 2014 to present. The graph on the right treats #250 (milestone issue) and the two one-shots, e.g. Spawn Resurrection #1 and Spawn Kills Everyone #1, as outliers in an attempt to establish a trend. Source: Comichron This image illustrates how Spawn has remained a bargain through the life of the series relative to industry standards. Source: Comichron & Comic Vine

New Richard Corben and R Crumb hit the stands this week. Good week!

Nice Freak Bros "w/ orange block." I do not have scans, but I have two low grade copies, incl. a CGC 4.5 w/ orange that I paid $100 for from a card dealer on eBay (the other is a PGexx 2.0). Armadillotoons (Armadillo Comics #1) 15 copies on the census; 9 grade higher Vulcan Gas Company connection Jim Franklin "the Michelangelo of armadillo art," who along with Jack Jackson gave Austin its most iconic visual identity in the counterculture (after Comixjoint).