VintageComics

I wonder why 2018 sold so many copies? The Venom movie came out in 2018 and the Carnage movie came out in 2021. These movies have REAL effects on sales volume. I wouldn't be surprised if movie houses and creators got into side gigs of flipping books and manipulating the market with movies to control prices. Just buy up a billion dollars in ASM #300's, announce a new venom movie and then sell off as the movie is being produced. All of a sudden your $1Billion revenue movie nets you $2BIL. Why not? Anything goes these days.

You don't think you'd spot those socks back in the 80s?

I wonder what that editor is doing for work today? Those rubber socks are particularly bad. They couldn't make them extend up the pant leg to complete the illusion? I'm a total perfectionist when it comes to details and if I was a film maker this shizzle would haunt me for the rest of my days.

Agreed. A lot better than I imagined. I can't speak to the story but the cinematography was really good. Is the story any good? What I don't like is that it's just another shizzly cash grab from Disney, who is really struggling financially. They get to re-introduce the same movie by just re-showing it in color? It's brilliant business because you double your profits with little effort, but I hate this sort of ideology and have no patience for a lack of integrity so I would refuse to watch the movie just out of principle. BTW, I refuse to go see Motley Crue too, because they said they wouldn't tour again and then reneged. They deserve every bit of heat they get now from Mick Mars.

I continue to think about this, and while I'm out and about and running errands, I tend to keep my ears open and I continue to hear people talking about AI in every space. And while we always have many great minds working on problems, in much the same way that 100 years ago after the creation of the automobile, nobody could foresee things like drunk driving, the climate change debate, leaving fossil fuels behind or all the other negatives associated with the car I really don't think we can comprehend what's coming yet. AI works by exhaustively looking for information from the real world. As new information comes to light through human discovery, AI's ability to solve problems will continue increase faster than human ability to increase problem solving. AI is basically like a "go, no go" puzzle operating at light speed. It continually pushes for information or answers, or NEW information and NEW answers. The thing is, in much the same we that we can't prepare for every eventuality, we can't possibly understand the implication of how it's going to function months or years from now. For example, I'll bet nobody could foresee that scientists would be using AI to understand bats. Well, they did just that and with such accuracy, that they can actually distinguish between the SPECIES of bat as well as the DIALECT FAMILY the bat comes from. Yeah, you heard that right. They can now differentiate between BAT DIALECTS within a species. When you start to think of the endless possibilities, and how quickly information now moves, it's almost impossible to know where we'll be in a year or 5 years from now with AI. But I am pretty sure we'll be in a place nobody envisioned. ----------------------------- On a side note and directly related to how and why AI is able to be utilized, this violinist's video illustrates what I was speaking about a few weeks ago when I stated that MOST people can't tell the difference between something mediocre and something great. Joshua Bell is a world famous violinist (and apparently one of the world's best). He stood in a NYC subway playing an (apparently) extremely difficult violin piece. He made about $30 in tips and got some applause.

I personally don't see the problem with someone hosting a benefit thread. It's a sales forum and we don't police what people do with their sales proceeds (yet, anyway) as long as the money goes where it's supposed to. People start threads based on general interests. It's no different than a sales thread and the person running the thread would (or in my opinion should) be responsible to make sure all transactions are successfully completed. In fact, I would expect that. Your thread, your responsibility. In fact, I like Matt's idea of running the thread himself. It's clean, efficient and makes life easier. I have no problem if someone wants to be a 2nd set of eyes or offers to help. Totally open to a transparent collaboration if someone wants to get involved. If not, I'll make sure to post all the details of the donation when the sale is over.

Thanks, this is great advice and exactly what I was looking for.

I don't mind rising prices either. What I hate is terrible customer service.

Come on you critical thinkers! I know you can do better!

Ah, great catch! For DECADES I've wondered how they made that jump, knowing that if they landed there is no way they'd land exactly the same way and I had visions of one of them pulling an arm out of the socket, so that makes perfect sense. There's no way they could do that jump with real handcuffs without getting hurt bad.

The term "vintage" is has varied meanings based on context. For example, 2000s books are now technically vintage (it's been nearly 25 years) but it wasn't vintage when CGC was formed in 1999.

This is the new standard for ALL businesses now, moving forward. And it's never going to go back to the way it was. For example, shipping services have reduced efficiency, pushed delivery times LATER but raised prices. Where there used to be some sort of say....unspoken, unwritten etiquette, that has gone completely out the window. Price gouging is now the norm and the world is now one big Ghetto. Businesses that are almost monopolies, or businesses that have a product that everyone needs have started arbitrarily raising prices on all goods and services, sometimes multiples times a year. I know some cities that have double drink prices this year. Shipping companies. CGC has raised prices twice in the last year IIRC. It's happening across the board in all industries as markets realize they can just get away with anything they want until they meet real resistance. It's just capitalism so as long as market forces dictate demand there will always be a supply.

TODs modified.

No you're not. Yo' momma.

Oh, I'm well aware of that. I was one of the first people 20 years ago who pointed out that it was the WHITENESS of the microchamber paper reflecting the inside of SA Marvel covers back out through the cover. White reflects light and the white behind the cover was causing the interior cover images to bounce back out through the cover stock when it has some oils in the cover from the interior paper inks. But the problem you have now is that the interior page is resting right against the cover again and you will continue to get that yellowing increase over time as inks break down on the interior pages and oils move outward toward the cover and soak into it. The only other compromise would be to consistently put the paper behind the 1st page. That way the microchamber paper acts as a barrier for ALL the interior pages except the 1st splash page...but I'm not sure if that would prevent much.

A few years ago CGC started reducing the number of graders that look at a book as well as the terminology on their disclaimer on the back of slabs. The reduced it stating that at least 2 graders look at a book (used to be 3). Additionally, around the same time period (and possibly earlier) they started reducing how much microchamber paper they use. I've personally noticed that Moderns often don't get ANY microchamber paper while Vintage books now get one OR two sheets. Also, the papers used to be place next to the covers in the early days. I'm assuming they're doing this as cost cutting measures to increase productivity and efficiency but it does have an effect on the quality of the product. Now, if your book gets even gets one, it usually goes somewhere in the middle of the book (not the centerfold, because I assume the microchamber paper may have an easier time slipping out of the CF position than one of the interior pages or the covers). Personally, I preferred the pages behind the covers to stop the transfer of oils from the interior pages to the covers as often happens on GA/SA and BA books (most prevalent on Marvels) because over time and in warmer climates the oils seep out of the interior page inks as they break down and they start to yellow the covers. This is really where the microchamber paper should be.

Maybe, but some people don't care as much about the money as the person they're dealing with. I've heard that numerous times over the years and seen it first hand. I bought one of my homes this way, where the seller of the home refused to entertain anyone else until they were done with us, even if it meant more money. It's particularly true for people who don't really need the money. They just want a fair shake and don't mind leaving a little on the bone. I've actually seen dealers sell books for less just because they want to deal with someone. Not uncommon.

Well, there's a reason they never show you the entire building in the video and only snippets of the structure. They want to give you the illusion that it's a very tall building, when in fact it's a short, funny looking building that is 7 stories tall. In the pic it doesn't look that odd but in person the building is actually quite stout, short and funny looking. So by choosing not to show you the entire picture they make you believe the building is tall.

Here's another one. Hollywood magic created through camera angles. I've been a huge fan of the Lethal Weapon franchise since I was a teenager. My ex and I used to go to the theaters to see them all. This famous jump scene is emblazoned in my mind, except that I came across the building where this scene was filmed and had a stark realization.

I think they both the same. You gave people a ton of money that they may not have needed to survive. They used said funds to drive up collectibles and other items in the hopes of generating more cash or just because they always wanted it. Prices crash so they lose all the free cash and the older people who originally owned the collectibles are the ones who benefited. You're getting mixed up. We were talking about INFLATION POST 2019 hurting the middle class, caused by the printing and giving away of excess money. Specifically, it was about how much more expensive everything got over the last 2 years. That's a macro discussion on global economics about what's been going on for 2 years.. You're talking about boomers selling their comic collections and affecting the market. That's a micro discussion on hobby economics and it's been going on for 20 years. The two are completely different things.

Pretty sure Disney is trying to stall while old contracts expire post purchase of FF and X-men franchises, and so they're just shovelling out garbage while waiting. Unfortunately, they're doing a lot of harm to the industry. I think they thought people wouldn't notice, but people are noticing.

The conversation wasn't about where the old money went. It was about where the new money went that was printed over the last 3 years and caused the inflation we're experiencing.

The consensus in this discussion seems to be that AI will make all forms of art worse rather than better, mainly because it can't create anything new or unique (yet ) and only the upper echelon of creators will be able to outdo it, making the majority of art that'll be created and released to the public...mediocre at best, if it's created using AI. But the main reason comics (or movies) are so poorly accepted is because they're not creating 'new art'. They're either rehashing old ideas or trying to conform to an ideal rather than just tell an original story. Every once in a while, some new, original story comes around and I swear, it's like a breath of fresh air. You all know the feeling. It's like the first time you see a previously unused cover for a Marvel SA comic that appears on the cover of the mid 60s Marvel Tales issues or when I saw the alternate cover for ASM #194 (1st Black Cat). I don't get that feeling anymore with most of the new stuff anymore.

Everyone is an idea thief. There's nothing new under the sun.

All great suggestions. I hadn't yet thought about how I was going to do #2 so that's perfect.