DavidTheDavid

I have a feeling that those owners would say the same about many of their customers. Of course, that doesn't include anyone here.

It's certainly more than I should be spending!

So I run across things here and there that I think are interesting. So I'll start dumping those here. Maybe you're bored enough to enjoy them, too.

I’m tempted to pursue The Lone Ranger comics in their entirety. But I’m committed to finishing Weird War Tales before I start another run.

@Bowenfire might be looking for those team-ups.

A Great Escape just opened where I live, just outside Nashville. The original store was a wonderful place, and I can still recall my first visits to it as a child. The one that opened recently where I am has very few new comics, two boxes of overpriced vintage comics, and less than 20 "wall" comics that were poorly priced as well. The LCS where I've done business these last few years has both improved and declined in some ways. The owner's son has taken over the day to day running of the store, and he and a partner, who seems utterly disinterested in the people in the store, is working to increase the store's presence. They've increased their social presence, gotten in some decent collections, and even scored a nice DD 1 and a low grade AF 15. They're having a go at pressing though they're still amateur time from the results I've seen, now carry some slabbed books and will make CGC submissions, and are running some online auctions. They offer discounts on both new books and back issues for box holders. But...their grading is quite poor, their pricing is high (to accommodate the discount, is my guess), the aforementioned partner has all the social skills of a rock, another clerk can't even make conversation (I've seen customers leave because of his inability to interact with people when they pose questions, he also manhandles books). They lack any knowledge of the back issue market that doesn't involve Marvel superheroes. If there's not a recent sold item on ebay to reference, they don't think a market exists at all for a book. But their demeanor is this weird snobbishness that they can't admit what they don't know. That dismissive attitude is turning off people who would spend with them. I'm not a heavy hitter, but I spend at least a few hundred every month on back issues. And when I was playing part-time dealer, I bought and sold almost six figures of slabbed comics. I still play around in that market some, but when they want a 50% commission on consignments and look boggled when I explain that I can send slabs to ComicLink for 10%, they sure aren't getting my business. I'd like to connect with more local back issue collectors. I'd like to find the people who know that comics extend beyond Marvel Silver Age. I'd like to support the local hobby scene. But they make it hard to do that. I get that they have to truck in what will sell to their market. I get that they are working in a pennies business. And I get that I don't know how to run their business. But the poor customer service, the dismissiveness, the weird (to me at least) passion for the hobby to energize the store mixed with the indifference to a large swath of the market, the ignorance of that market marked with an incurious refusal to admit they don't know all there is to know: it's all become a turn off. The folks at the store across town will greet you by name, ask if you got anything in recently, talk about golden age books, price things to sell, and just display a real interest in the hobby as a whole. It's a notable difference. As for that Great Escape that opened, I have no interest in returning. I mean, if I'm looking to buy an old sofa, some antique China, some over priced VG copies of random back issues, and a vinyl record, I guess that's my place.

Spamming the boards with threads that repeatedly get locked, because each is just like its predecessor. Baiting, trolling. Easy enough to identify.

Yeah, don't understand why this troll user hasn't been banned yet.

Take

Show us the goods, Rick, show us the goods!

Yeah, it's an interesting genre. It's an important part of the American myth. We have a lot of cultural lore built around the west. We have important works of art and literature. But if you take cinema as an indicator, there's still interest and cool stuff done now and then, but not enough to merit wagon loads of theatrical releases. I don't think it will die, but I don't think we'll see a resurgence of it either. Speaking of which, anyone see (or read) The Sisters Brothers? There's a good one for you.

Auto-decline will solve that for you.

PKD is the bomb!

With that marker? No way. If by people you mean you, yeah, that makes sense.

Ah, the good ole days.

This guy understands the proper use of feedback.

I don't have a bone to pick here, but is this worth your energy?

Mind you, I only have a toe in the golden age, so I don't have the buying experience that a lot of you do. I probably get most of my GA here on the boards. In general, I like purchasing from the Ritters. Bunky brothers have some books on the "wanted" tab of my spreadsheet. So does dtacollectibles. I will buy from Bob Storms now and then. So I really don't have a single, best dealer. I know one or two that I will avoid, but in general, the people that we all know, and many that are new to me, are strong dealers with good reputations for good reason.

I don't care for covers that are unrelated to the interior. In particular and by means of example, I mean something like placing Deadpool on practically every Marvel title even though he's not in that story.

I gotta say, you are workin' hard for this thread.

Style and trend aren't the same thing. I'm unconvinced that this is a trend. Pinups, which is essentially what Artgerm is doing and @Turtle discussed, certainly aren't new. There are GGA collectors here who go nuts for busty 40s and 50s covers; what's wrong with modern readers liking the modern equivalent? Back to my main point, I don't think Artgerm represents a trend. Of all the covers I see each Wednesday at my LCS, the shelves aren't littered with these. I do see lots of throw-back and homage covers, which I really enjoy. His stuff is popular. It must sell well. It's not really my thing, but hey, to each his own. Seems like he's good for the hobby as far as I can tell.

Auto-declines are very appropriate for the right listings. Beware blanket statements about always or never using that feature.