Randall Ries

On 12/28/2021 at 3:52 PM, Ken Aldred said:

 

You’d be surprised at how adept research scientists become after years of training and experience.

I don't think "surprised" would be the correct word. LOL! I'd pay huge dollars to see someone perform that feat. Make a marathon out of it. Kinda like a "Battle Of The Network Stars" kind of affair.

On 12/28/2021 at 10:37 AM, comicginger1789 said:

I can’t say I ever analyzed this cover that hard. It’s kinda boring is all that turns me off.

But I get there being a goal and yet within the goal there exists books or covers you dislike. I try to avoid such completionist goals for this reason.

This. The cover is as boring as sex with a wife we have been married to for 35 years. (Yeah. It isn't misogyny. She's bored as F as well.) More of a muscle memory now. Unfortunately, Adams covers w/o interior art are becoming sought after and there isn't really any reason to collect those books otherwise, IMO. This book - along with a couple Adams 'Tec covers w/o interior art seem like Adams may have wanted to go golfing and so banged them out in a couple hours, then hit the links.

It's just a goal I have as I can't afford the books I REALLY want and so content myself with runs and themes.

On 12/28/2021 at 11:45 AM, MattTheDuck said:

Regarding 01 - My view is that Batman has just leaped down from the raised catwalk (no pun intended) to land next to the table on which the late, lamented Professor now lies supine.  His cape is caught as it just begins to float down to its normal gravity-fed position.

The rest of it requires only that the Professor remove his own brain and then, relying on the remaining electrical impulses before his body dies, he places his own brain in the display case, lies down on the table and covers himself with prepared sheet.  Easy, peasy.

I'm sorry, but you brought this on yourself:

Let's see. Batman has a grip on the sheet with both hands. Pulling upward. So, it doesn't seem like he could be in post downward motion and simultaneously pulling UP on an object. Maybe he lept downward WITH the sheet in his hands and in one motion covered the prone professor buuuuut.....

Usually when I "fluff" a sheet to make a bed, it's with a "palms down" stance and here, Batman is palms up.I'll try making a bed with the palms up position and let you know how it goes. I suspect not so well.

I can't even function well in the morning without putting my glasses on. I have my doubts a professor could surgically remove his brain, get it to function under a dome of Vera Wang lead crystal, run a few stability tests on it, correct any oversights he may not have anticipated, get over to the gurney, cover himself up, lay back and pull the DOA sheet (which - AFAIK - are non-existent) up over his body, then got comfy while gurgling his last.

At the very LEAST, he would begin by scalping himself to get to his own skull cap and would be met with a barrier of puking pain. Ever try pulling your own broken tooth to save yourself $300? I have. It frickin' hurts. And it's bloody. It takes more than one run at it, too.

I have dealt with fresh corpses in the past and while I HAVE seen them jerk or even half sit up (S yer Pants time. Believe me. The corpse does too. If anyone thinks they will have a dignified death, I am here to say....You AIN'T), I have NEVER seen one get up and walk over to the sink to drink a final glass of water before dirt nap time, then return to said gurney.

Your theory is wacky - and I APPRECIATE that, but it's a stretch.

I read a case once about a guy who had died a few minutes before but nevertheless had gotten up, came downstairs in his pajamas, opened the front door, grabbed his newspaper like he had for decades before, came into the foyer and collapsed. He had been certified dead and yet he completed that task. So, the theory was his primitive brain still had some electricity left and it "remembered a well trod path it took for decades and was only doing what it was trained to do until the electricity or the oxygen finally was expended.

Even at that point, to remove his own brain and put it in a punchbowl functioning only on the primitive hemisphere would be a feat of frankly Herculean effort. Heck. I can't even remove a splinter or hangnail without cutting a major artery. Say nothing about my brain.

I have a goal of getting all the Neal Adams Bat covers from the 1970's. It can be done, buuuuut.

There are some Adams covers covers that frankly either suck or are just plain nonsense. Thankfully, most are not. This cover sticks out like a sore brain. I have to imagine this one and a couple of the later Adams Detective Comics run will be one of the last ones I collect.

I know a lot of covers were - well - ARE bait for kids at the time and collectors now. That what we see on the covers are only a sometimes long shot representation of what was going on in the pages. But I find myself staring at this one more and more as I browse and the feeling of contempt grows. At some point, I will have to purchase it. NOT going to look for a 9.6. A nice looking 7.0-9.0 will do. NOT looking forward to buying it. For ANY amount.

Anyone else ever get stumped by this phenomenon? Knowing a cover must be bought and also knowing you dislike the cover intensely? Will you list your reasons WHY the cover sucks and you'd like to bring it to a skeet shooting range?

My reasons here are:

01. Judging from Batman's cape, there is a stiff breeze in the room. Is the corpse off-gassing? Is there an industrial fan in the room we can't see? Is the loading dock door open? Frankly - in MOST Bat covers - his cape is unruly and out of control. I have worn bed sheets as capes. NONE of them behaved like they were their own entity. In fact, my bed sheet capes were quite uncooperative.

02. Professor is dead. Covered by a DOA sheet in presumably his own lab. DOA is "Dead On Arrival" at the hospital. Not ones own laboratory. Not on the way to the morgue at a Burger King drive up. Do people who arrive at the hospital have their own specially stamped "DOA" sheets? I have worked at hospitals and morgues. As far as I know, they don't. They DO get a toe tag, though.

03. Someone discovered the professor and covered him in the wrong death shroud but didn't notice a telepathic brain arranged on a tasteful little podium under a lead crystal cover. Batman apparently hasn't noticed, either.

Here's my nomination. There are others:

 

On 12/28/2021 at 9:07 AM, Randall Ries said:

*

On 12/28/2021 at 7:56 AM, jharvey said:

 

I really can't see anything wrong with this book or its staple. It does pose an interesting dilemma, though. What if my theory is correct about "If we can get wrong labels, why can't we get grader notes that belong to another book"? I have read in the forums where people are convinced they have gotten the wrong book back. Certainly the images indicated the possibility.

So, what is a po' boy to do? If jharvey wants to sell this book and the grader notes are accessible to all, I assume all a potential buyer has to do is use the ID number on the label and look them up. Providing the potential buyer has an account. Even if nothing is wrong with the book, it will still get passed over by someone who thinks there is damage to the book. Is jharvey supposed to list the book with its grader notes now?

The other theory I have is this book has a top staple that never made it through to the back cover. Where the staple is positioned in the front, wouldn't it make sense that we would see some vacated staple holes on the back cover? Perhaps the grade is correct. It's a manufacturing error and therefore gets the blue 9.0.

Ohhhhhh.

On 12/27/2021 at 9:58 PM, The Lions Den said:

Yes, pressing can increase the possibility of popping a staple. I think you were wise to keep your Supe 22 in its original state. 

And my suspicion with this book is that it was pressed, but what actually occurred to the staple is still a question mark in my mind. If it really does have a "popped staple", it should have been Qualified (or downgraded) but I see no evidence of that. For instance, if it was meant to be Qualified, there should be a note on the label in capitals that reads "COVER DETACHED FROM TOP STAPLE" or something to that effect.

But the fact that it still remains a Universal 9.0 makes me think that someone made a mistake here, and that usually falls on the pre-grader. If the cover is really detached, either the label or the grade should reflect that... 

That's initially what I thought. I saw no evidence of a popped staple. Maybe someone goofed in the grading notes but the staple hasn't popped from the cover. Maybe they meant popped in the colloquial sense. Like all the kids say: "Wow Ma-a-a-a-an! Those colors really POP! Those Honey Bunches of O's really POP! Last night, those fireworks really POPPED!" Maybe the grader was stunned by the aesthetic of that particular staple.

I just see zero evidence of any damage or paper damage. So maybe it's exactly what it should be. A 9.0. Books get the wrong labels sometimes. Maybe this one got nother books grader notes attached by accident.

On 12/27/2021 at 9:44 PM, kav said:

Your insults have climb a bit!   

On 12/27/2021 at 9:42 PM, shadroch said:

Are you really that clueless? I advocated for the creation of the off topic forum to keep the other threads from degenerating into nonsense.  I suggested they be sent to the cornfield and they were. Kav wanted his own place and he got it.  The problem seems to be a lifetime of losing seems to have left him incapable of recognizing a win when he got one.  I hope that forum is a great success and is hugely popular.  

Sorry, man. I was the one who brought it up, outlined it and left it at that. I said that many music sites have lounge forums. May you missed mine or I missed yours. Nevertheless. Had zero to do with kav or anyone else.

I read your comments and they mainly are bombing on other people or their ideas. Same with the lounge thing. Giving enough rope and all that. I encourage you to get involved with it and you ignore everything else I wrote and call me clueless. How would you know about a lifetime of losing, BTW? You know kav personally or something. Losing? Compared to what? Or who? You? The eternal winner? kav seems to be enjoying himself enough in that forum.

You seem like a really sour person. Creating drama out of thin air. Wishing success while creating defeat. Who left YOU at the altar?

On 12/27/2021 at 9:01 PM, The Lions Den said:

Of course you're right, but there are some disturbing variations...  

For me, a true "popped staple" is a staple that's pulled completely through the cover. Sadly, this can often happen from simply opening the cover. I've seen it on a variety of different comics (you may want to check out the Heritage site for numerous high grade examples of this phenomenon) but for some reason (likely cheap paper stock) it seems to be more common on Silver and Bronze Age Marvels and DCs.

I think the term may have originated from the somewhat unnerving sound that's associated with "popping" a staple---yes, you can actually hear it "pop." So while graders and other folks may use the term a bit more loosely (similar to calling a full length vertical crease on the cover a "subscription" crease regardless of how it actually occurred) a true popped staple isn't partially detached---it's pulled completely through the cover and often a few wraps as well. And it can't be reattached through normal means, either---emergency surgery may be your only hope.

The book that started this conversation may have a minor slice or tear that runs vertically next to the staple, but at this point it still appears to be completely attached (not popped). And you may also see a book like the one I've shown, where the slice exposes several layers of the interior but still remains intact. And of course there can be various examples of wear and tear at the top and bottom of the staples, such as what you often see on Warren mags, where the staple is tight but the surrounding paper is torn, thus causing the staple to sink inward. 

For me, being the one that truly "pops" a staple on a high grade vintage book is one of the most unforgettable experiences you can have. And I still have the nightmares...  

 

That's pretty much what I thought. I was confused because I saw this photo and went all Pontius Pilate: "I find no fault with this staple." Seems solid. Seems attached. Which is why I asked for a back cover photo. Well, then the pop must be on the back cover. Could it be the pressing pushed the staple through the back cover?

In fact - to address your comment concerning the pop through of vintage staples - I have a raw Superman 22 which is probably a 6.5 maybe 7.0. When I bought it about ten years ago, I considered getting it slabbed but thought a pressing would be a good idea first.  When I researched pressing, I read about the dangers of staple popping in old comics. Didn't want to risk it, so I never did it. There it sits in its raw glory. I would not want to hear that sound. Or see a popped staple on that book.

On 12/27/2021 at 5:49 PM, shadroch said:

I believe he is practicing the old- give a fool enough rope strategy. 

I believe that the "Off Topic" forum is harmless and sooner or later will find its focus. Right now, it's infantile and unfocused. If members who enjoy it think it through, they can create all sorts of topics and sub forums and it can mature. Actually find interesting things to talk about instead of unfocused doody and pee-pee jokes or juvenile anatomy insight.

I also think you are one of those that you - when someone else has something given to them that you don't approve of or find beneath you and the thing is causing you no problems whatsoever - need to create a problem or issue by sniping or planting suggestions into other peoples heads to try to underhandedly scuttle the thing you don't like.

So - you know - what's it to you? What the Hell do you care? Takes the focus off serious topics and makes some people you don't like happy. Go over there and have some fun. Bring up an off topic topic. Give it a chance and a spin. You have nothing to lose.

On 12/27/2021 at 8:12 PM, kav said:

She said it was on topic!

She said "double bag the double meat Whopper!"

On 12/27/2021 at 6:38 PM, The Lions Den said:

Absolutely...

So then, what the Hell is a popped staple? I always assumed it was a staple unstuck from the cover or even the entirety of the pages.

On 12/27/2021 at 3:13 PM, lou_fine said:

Not sure about the 9.8's, but a CGC 9.9 copy did sell for something ridiculous like $44K which from my POV seems pretty much like crazy town to me. 

Perhaps it was a 9.9. I forget. Believe me I have tried to forget. If I had stupid money to throw around, it certainly wouldn't be ona transformers book in any grade. At the time, it felt like money laundering to me. Again. What do I know about what motivates people?

On 12/27/2021 at 2:14 PM, shadroch said:

Wow. It's almost like you are trying to make money off your customers.  For shame. 

I was obviously presumptuous. I always default to the strange belief that online dealers own all the books they advertise. I am incorrect.

On 12/26/2021 at 4:59 PM, gregreece said:

Greg Reece upped his ask price as well for his 9.4 overnight. And Metro is trying to sell a signed 9.6 for $6k. And there they sit.

 

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season. I'm not saying we've never changed a price before but the majority of the time you see an increase it's because it's a consignors book, as is the case with this particular BM #227, and the consignor has changed the price.

 

Best to all,

 

Greg

Thanks, Greg. My observation was not a criticism. Just an observation. Probably the same with the Metro book as well. I found it odd (still do) that the Metro book sat and is still sitting for a long time with the same bid that no-one has raised. Only thing that was raised is the ask price. Like x3 of the previous ask that no-one was reaching for anyway. Perhaps the 9.8 book isn't worth even $9k to the prudent collector. IS worth $7k to someone, though.

A one time sale for a Bat 227 for $40k or so might be a record but perhaps it shouldn't be a high water mark for all other books that are close to that grade. I think at this point, I'd rather have close to 100% of $7k than 100% of nothing.

But. What do I know? I have a Bat 227 in 8.0. LOL!

On 12/27/2021 at 5:22 AM, The Lions Den said:

Maybe the pre-grader thought it was detached but the finalizer determined it wasn't. And while you can easily add extra grader notes, it didn't used to be possible to delete notes from another grader, which would explain why the notes read the way they do. 

And RR, if the book had been Qualified for a popped staple, it would've still received a 9.0.

It does appear the cover may be starting to detach at the top staple, so my advice would be to keep this one in the holder and not subject it to any extra shipping and handling if possible...

Ah. There's my mistake. I am associating a popped staple with cover detached at given staple.

On 12/26/2021 at 10:35 PM, kav said:

will ya take these ponies instead?

I'll 'low you little Blackie.

On 12/26/2021 at 10:26 PM, kav said:

This thread and watchin True Grit has got me hankerin for some corn dodgers!

That's copyright infringement. I'll sic Lawyer Daggett on you.

On 12/26/2021 at 10:21 PM, kav said:

thats what she stated.

That's what she expressed, voiced, uttered, declared, affirmed, asserted, announced, made known, communicated, revealed, disclosed, divulged, gave out, gave voice to, pronounced, articulated, enunciated, proclaimed, presented, expounded, preached, promulgated, published, broadcasted, set out, set down, framed, formulated, spelled out. was specific about, came out with, asseverated, determined, approved, authorized, accredited, ruled, ordained, designated, laid down supposed, professed, alleged and claimed.

On 12/26/2021 at 9:52 PM, sevans1979 said:

I'd hit that.

On 12/26/2021 at 9:31 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

So it has been living rent free in your head?

Well? Not exactly. It pays for itself. For example, I can send it to people that displease me on Facebook. They think it will be merry and it turns out to be a withering critique of whatever characteristic they have that is unbearable to me. I can lay my pillow upon my head at night with a satisfied smile upon my lips. Knowing that whenever they hear that song on the radio henceforth, they will only hear those 3 words and nothing more. Or 4 words if you count "You're" as two words and not a contraction. Also, it makes a great "Thank You For Your Consideration" gift as I get an email saying "So sorry. We have decided not to publish your thoughtful, yet highly abrasive manuscript. YOU may call it funny and satirical, but WE consider it brutish and borderline Satanic. Good Day."

On 12/26/2021 at 9:26 PM, Lightning55 said:

The link originally provided led you to the grading notes.  Looks like the suspect staple is more visible from the front of the comic than it would be from the back, judging by the placement.

The link originally provided led me to a disclaimer that said I needed to belong to a particular tier to be able to access them. Which I am not. The photo looks like a well placed staple to me. I have completely lost interest in this. Send it back with a note saying "I want this changed to a 7.0 green label."

On 12/26/2021 at 9:22 PM, sevans1979 said:

I’m going to have that stuck in my head all night now

Yes. I'm going on months of it stuck in my head. It makes a great stocking stuffer.