Drummy

Was that the one right in Harvard Square? If so, I've been there many times. Bummer. Dan

So sweet, congrats! That's exactly the kind of copy I want to land in 2023. Dan

Agree on your list 99% or so...I've seen three TTA #27's with 'white pages' on the label, including an 8.0 WP copy from CBCS that I bought a few years back. When I had CGC re-grade it thinking it was an 8.5 candidate, it came back 8.0 off-white instead. Boo hoo. I had a 5.0 TTA #27 with white pages as well, but sold it here on the boards. Super tough to find in general. Dan

My first 2023 goal is to frame batman_fan's Marmadukes. Once that's done, I'd love to do the following: 1. A Marvel Two-In-One Cover from the mid-to-late 1970's 2. Champions #12 page 1 splash (Byrne/Layton) 3. Perez FF or Avengers splash (any type) from the mid-to-late 1970's Nostalgia is a beeyatch! Dan

If we combined the two posters, I'd say I'm glad that Black Widow and Valkyrie made it into the Dungeons & Dragons movie!

Great -script. Practical sets on location. CGI to make beautiful things (the Eye), not just explosions. Fine acting. Artistic cinematography. PATIENCE in storytelling (which is how I translate 'Star Wars for grown-ups'). In order to pay things off with your characters, you have to give some time into setting them up. I give the show an A. Very much looking forward to Season 2. Dan

Forgive the stolen pic, but this Perez drawing of the Scarlet Witch from Avengers #161 has stayed with me since my youth -- my favorite image of Wanda in comics! Dan

I love reading a comic and opening up to a great splash page. Always gives me joy. Dan

I have enjoyed reading the past few pages or so of this thread -- a lot of thoughtful commentary on what's working and what's not in the MCU post-Endgame. I don't have too much to add except that I do think Marvel will have an almost impossible time recreating the narrative structure of the first few Phases leading to Endgame. Not every movie was spectacular, but the vast majority were well-cast, well-directed, well-written superhero films that worked in unison to bring a huge story forward to a satisfying conclusion. (I loved the patience they showed..."Avengers Assemble!" in the 22nd film, etc.) I remember SO many commentators saying how crazy and implausible that 10-year arc was to pull off, yet they did it. But you can only do it for the first time once, if that makes sense. Enjoy it for what it was, because we'll never see its like again. Phase 4 has had some fine entries and some bad ones, but the overall difficulty the films have is that they're so many of them (TV and movies combined), and they're so disparate in tone and plot, that we're not building toward anything except perhaps Kang. They're asking too much of their audience at this point to remember 'all the stuff from all the shows and films' as they move toward the next unified narrative, a requirement which turns most people off. That said, I remain a fan and hope they'll pare it down a bit and focus again on a unified narrative that fans can get their heads around and follow without watching 20 shows and 15 films. Too much is too much. I generally really enjoyed Wandavision, Hawkeye, Shang-Chi, No Way Home, Loki, and BP 2. FAWS was quite intriguing until the preachy finale. Was indifferent to Eternals, Dr. Strange 2, and She-Hulk (mostly). Didn't care for the rest and never saw What If?. In fact, I can't even remember the whole slate. Very much looking forward to Doom, Galactus, the FF, and X-Men (or whatever they do with mutants). Don't think the 'woke' criticism holds any validity save that poor writing or cheap special effects will kill any project, white male lead or not. People keep talking about the 'agenda', but I can only see two agendas: try to tell stories that people will like and make money doing it. That's been true from Iron Man to Wakanda Forever. Finally, I agree that the MCU needs to focus itself narratively. Without that storytelling focus, it's just a bunch of random comic books stacked together in a monthly pull. Thanks! Dan

Wow, congrats on that copy -- it's superb. I was watching that one and the X-Men #1 in 8.0 wp in this auction...I knew I couldn't afford either, but both were mesmerizing to behold. I love me some bright color on a 1961 book! Congrats again, Dan

Whoa! Amazing piece by an artist who (to me) doesn't always get the credit he deserves. Congrats! Dan

Yeah, great page and really eye-catching style on display there. If I were a Jack of Hearts fan, I'd want this one!

I too liked the BA material and was tempted by the Ms. Marvel #4 page -- except that it had very little action. Love the artists, though.

I've only read a few of the reviews, but it sounds like the emotion hits hard and the actors do superb work. A bit overstuffed and with some pacing problems as well. Sounds like a lot to like but also a near miss in some categories. Metacritic 72 seems about right. Very much looking forward to it -- Coogler's a talented dude, no question. Dan

Thanks for the notification -- on average, I might spend roughly 10% more the books I buy, but white pages are only part of that equation...I also focus on wrap, centering, color, brightness, and writing/date stamps. If the book has it all, I will bid higher than GPA says I might. So if a book runs $10k or so, I might bid $11-12k. Dan

That's usually the case with the early reviews, so we'll see how it goes when everything comes in. I thought the trailers were very well done, and I'm interested in where they're going with all of this. I liked 'BP' (3/4 stars, or an A-), so I will check this movie out in the theater and report later on on its strengths and weaknesses from my perspective. Dan

Saw it and would give it a modest 5/10 (or a grade of 'C')...there's enough in the story and the action to make it okay, but in the end it felt like a mashed-up, cartoony 'meh'. (I will admit, however, that I was not a Black Adam follower in the comics, so I'm relying on the film for everything.) I did like Dr. Fate's presence and some of the 'is good truly evil?' storyline ideas. Would not see a sequel based on my experience, however. Dan

Not sure if I posted this one here... I sold an 8.0 wp copy of this book and bought this one for $950 instead. The colors on it are superb:

I definitely see that point -- too much overlap from the big-picture big picture (movies) perspective, potentially drawing unhappy comparisons. Whomever they cast, they have to be a strong enough actor to do BOTH 'over the top' and intimate as Doom. That's hard to pull off. D

I'm always on board with a good actor, regardless of his/her/their previous films. Driver was definitely a highlight of the latest SW trilogy in the sense that he made terrible material palatable and showed real emotion for what he was given to portray. (Which, I will say, wasn't very good, especially in the latter two films.) Not sure I would ever have cast him as Doom, but maybe that's a good thing? As always, I'm open to being impressed by talented people. Dan

Wow, you don't see THAT lineup in nice mid-grade very often...and not in one sale! Love it. Good luck! Dan

And I had never seen such writers dare such drama!

Very cool! Congrats!

I'll play. Phase 4 was all over the map for me, but it did have its moments. Most of the movies fell in the B to C range for me grade-wise, but I really liked 'No Way Home' and 'Shang-Chi' in particular. Thor 4 was too much Waititi for my tastes, and DS 2 was more about neat effects than character, which left me cold despite strong acting by Lizzie Olsen in particular. On the TV side, I thought WandaVision was extremely cool in its concept, but the ending was less than satisfying. Loki and Hawkeye definitely entertained me for entirely different reasons, and Falcon & Winter Soldier tackled some really important themes until the final episode, when the soapbox (and terrible costume) took center stage. Haven't seen She-Hulk yet; liked What If? just fine. None of Phase 4 holds much more than a Bic lighter to Phases 1-3, though, when the interconnected storytelling and more focused narrative vision (all leading to Thanos), aided by strong director/writer choices across the board, made the MCU a dominant force. I'd say they earned everything they got from 2008-2018 or so, but it's been decidedly hit and miss since then. BP2 in November, though, looks great from the trailers...here's hoping they end the Phase on a high note and get away from Multiverse storylines sooner rather than later so we can increase the stakes again and focus on character and consequences. Overall, I'd give Phase 4 a 'decent' B- -- mostly enjoyable, but lots of missed opportunities. Dan

Yeah, this is probably too nice a copy to pass up at this price. Thanks! Dan