SeniorSurfer

We've read this in lots of different sources - amazing that now it's so normal to say that a movie with a BO take of "only" 500 or 600M is seen as a failure (Ant Man seems to have tapped out at 475M) - but I wonder if it can't be due to other things rather than superhero movie fatigue. Sure Disney oversaturation or the mishandling of the material (bad writing, bad casting, excessive CGI to substitute for story, etc.) can be blamed, but what about something simpler? Like an audience disinterest/unfamiliarity in the character? Though I haven't bought a new book in ages, I've been collecting since the 60s and have a pretty good idea of the major (and most minor) Marvel/DC superhero characters since that time. In the movies I'd say that sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle, resonating with audiences by introducing such 2nd-tier characters as GotG or Deadpool or even TMNT. But I'd also say that more often than not, when you start dipping too deeply into the well (trying to avoid saying "scraping the bottom of the barrel"), there's an audience disconnect because of unfamiliarity and they'll just shrug their shoulders. I posit that the average movie-goer might just be attracted to and spend (an ever-increasing ticket price for) the films where hero name recognition plays a part. I know this might seem like a bold statement to the powers-that-be but... not every superhero character makes for a good read or is interesting. I know as a collector that you just can't buy every single book or have an interest to do so. I religiously collected about 8-12 titles at a time and spot issues of other books that had interesting covers or formats (like the B&W magazines or GN). So I wonder if there would be this BO slowdown if they would now stick to staggering recognizable audience favorites across time. Less films but more character awareness, like the Bond franchise which has survived for more than 60 years. Would there be a slowdown if ASM is released every two years, with intervening years taken up by the (now) more familiar Cap or Iron Man or Hulk or FF or X-Men solo film? In the context of this thread, core character book prices would probably stabilize, maybe even show a steady increase and periodically spike as the movie approaches a release date. Successful core books for Marvel and DC should make for successful general movie interest - when limited and higher standards are exercised in their production. That's probably not what corporate wants to hear though. Marvel is attempting to weave another multi-film story to culminate in an Endgame-like blaze of glory but I just don't think they're going to hold that interest with the likes of Shang Chi or The Thunderbolts as story elements. For that matter, I don't see a DC hero movie renaissance by trotting out Booster Gold or Blue Beetle or The Authority either. Maybe when that seemingly endless money supply starts to dwindle they'll be more judicious in future projects.

Those are great! Getting to meet all of those guys and handing them a (slowly decreasing) blank page to do their thing. I do wish Martin Nodell had a little more time though as it took me a minute to figure out what he had drawn. Almost looked like a... well, it seemed.... kind of like a...

Though I'm pretty shy, I would have loved to meet Stan, Jack, Frazetta and Eisner but living in South Florida and not having any major conventions for the time they were more active attendees, I never got the chance. I would have been dependent on parents for travel to cons that were further away and that wasn't exactly their idea of a great vacation. I did get to meet two of my favorites: I met and spoke with Neal Adams several times and each time he was extremely friendly, relaxed and conversing with everyone at length. The first time I met him was many years ago while he was at his booth with only 2-3 fans around, holding court on his future projects, space theory, etc. I circled around several times until I got the nerve to slink closer, at which time he included me in his conversational eye contact and I became more relaxed. This was before slabs or witnesses, and I eventually screwed up enough courage to ask him to sign my copy of GL/GA #82, which he did on the bottom margin of the first interior page. Many years later when I was selling my collection I forgot it had been signed and sold it along with all the other books. If any of you guys have a copy, probably around a 6.0-7.0 with that sig location in black ink, this could be its provenance. I met Steranko more recently (couple of years pre-COVID). He was nattily attired in a grey suit and turtleneck - just as I pictured he would be, so I had upped my own con attire for the occasion. There was a formal line of about 7-9 people to see him, which quickly changed into a half-circle around his table as he started an impromptu 15-20 minute class on his thought process in the composition of one of his prints: The B&W Noir where Chandler discovers the body of a nude woman murder victim. I say class and not speech or dissertation because he went through every portion of that print and engaged his fans by asking questions about each object, each angle, to see if they were understanding how it all tied together, giving them insight on its conception and his thought process as it was composed. It was really fascinating and I wouldn't have missed it for anything. You even got an additional observation on his sense of how he wanted his fans to remember their encounter: At the end (and even during his comments) some people tried to take photographs, but he stopped them, noting by way of patient explanation (paraphrasing) that they should just listen, immerse themselves in the here-and-now, enjoy the moment without being concerned about keeping any physical record and keep the memory instead. Reminded me a bit of the sense that people on vacation just continually snap pictures, all-the-while missing the surroundings that extend beyond the camera/cell phone boundaries (the "big picture," if you will). At any rate, it resonated with me and I do vividly remember the encounter, as well as having a greater appreciation whenever I see that painting.

I liken them to eBay, another juggernaut that has basically cornered the market in collectible online sales due to its longevity (outlasting all other competitors), world-wide reach and extensive customer base (though Amazon has made hay with retail, I refer here only to the collectibles market). As here, everyone similarly protests when prices are raised only to continue using them. Something additional that would do the trick, and is likely tied to your original list of three: If collectors and dealers could see consistently bettered or at least equal sales prices of books graded by said competitor.

As impressive and probably unbreakable as McLain's modern single season win total is, even he (or anyone else trying) would have to pitch on 2-3 days rest to come close to the numbers racked up by some of those turn-of-the-century wild men and HOF players. This list stops at those that had won 32 in a season, with 32+ being repetitive and numbers ranging past 40, 50 and all the way up to the single season leader, Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn with 60(!). ("I just pitched the first game of the doubleheader." "Yeah well, we need the second game too... just rub some dirt on your arm and get out there." Probably). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_single-season_wins_leaders

I don't usually post books there with prices as I just put them out on the MCS Prime Auctions. I might only come up half-way against the one year deadline if I have to skip one or two quarters due to a similar book already scheduled and it has to sit until there's an opening available. But hey... for that extraordinarily astute, insightful piece of advice,

A question: Would this be applied immediately to books that are in stock or would they continue under the older policy when they were accepted (currently I believe the guidelines were that a book could remain in consignment for 2 years if over 1K and up to one year if less than 1K) ?

ASM #50 and GSXM1 per PM.

I wouldn't brag about it for all the very good reasons mentioned here, not the least of which is that the deal isn't completed yet. I also note that the books pictured all fall into the time when bags, boards and speculation were in abundance - they weren't hard to get, and in quantity too - but no SA pictured. Might have a case where the seller wanted to unload crates of books he got for cover price and less, while that "amazing" SA portion may just become a bit more elusive to track down and "get the remaining boxes." ("Gee, I thought they were in this storage unit. Oh well... I'll check the other ones when I have some time").

I must admit that I would certainly be interested in taking that picture (you know... for science) but it would just escalate into a race between those beefy testosterone-imbued lads surrounding her or my wife to beat me to a pulp.

Shonen Jump? (And before anyone starts writing letters, yes... I looked it up. But...)

I always thought of them as Marvel’s First Family and it was with that dynamic that carried me through some of their lesser stories. They actually had two related members, with Reed later officially joining as a husband/in-law and Ben really being as close as you can get to an uncle/brother. It was almost as if they would be just content hanging around the house or garage or lab were it not for the incessant array of baddies that would have to be dealt with since, you know… who wants to plunk down 12¢ to read about family life. I was on edge wondering if the brother would be hurt or if a husband would be lost in a tragedy (albeit sometimes of his own making). They were essentially a household that really cared for each other and with an unchanging roster (at least until much later). It wasn’t like The Avengers with their revolving door roll call of adults with their own private lives, or the X-Men with unrelated young people from all over the country trying to find some normalcy. As an aside and to be explored by others that would have better professional insight than myself: It’s interesting to note in many comments here that writing and stories determine whether a book is popular – not an unreasonable thought, since who wants to waste time and money slogging through substandard junk. Yet many other books have, as the title suggest, retained their popularity while the FF may have fallen aside. I posit that it might not just be attributable to writing/stories as those other “popular” books have all gone through some cringe-worthy writing as well and come out no worse for wear, even before the movies escalated their fame. Could it be that the ASM and X-Title books, concentrating more on rugged, individualistic characters (kind of re-imagining Hayek’s “freedom and spontaneous order” individual) resonated more with the changing times as society became more independent? Many have written about an erosion of previously defined nuclear family values as the institution itself transforms and adapts to newer values reflecting independent societal structures and norms. Is the FF seen as too archaic and out-of-touch to be relevant? Shouldn't Johnny have scrammed and made his own way by now? After surviving Dr. Doom and Galactus, will it instead be society's changing mores that do them in instead?

Sell some higher-end books though difficult to get good prices in the current environment, and get the last two higher-end SA grails (JIM 83 and ASM 1) that have eluded me so far, though also difficult to get good prices in the current environment. Paradox?

I’m still overseas on vacation but have been following along when I’m able to get the hotel’s spotty WiFi to work on a puny smartphone screen . Thank you to Sledder for running a really smooth (and funny) operation and thank you to KirbyJack for selecting my offering before it got to the “Mr. Irrelevant“ spot!

Not my secret but I'll out my cousin (who introduced me to comics and later passed on his collection to me) as he used to cut apart and re-staple old Marvel Tales to insert a copy of the reprinted issue he missed in the corresponding numbered slot of the actual title. The back-issue market was in its infancy then and unknown to us kids; if you missed it on the stand, you missed it. But I remember he had a "coverless" ASM 6, 7 and some others that kept the continuity.

Too true. Though the dress appears to be a bit form fitting...

I usually get the opposite on their site: When the book sells for a higher-than-average price, I hold my breath and hope for the best because I've gotten quite a few non-payments (not sure why, though I guess testing the market, buyer's remorse or someone just getting caught-up in a bidding duel might account for it). On the other hand, when something goes for peanuts, they don't believe their luck and are just falling all over themselves to pay up fast, as if the selling price might somehow magically be rescinded.

Masterprint poster (17" x 11") from the "Batman" movie (1966). Framed in black aluminum with glass, shipping to U.S. addresses only please.

I really love the sheer volume of characters, stories and art - so much so in fact that even though I have been reading them for over fifty years, I recognize that the amount of material still untapped, as well as the amount of material I want to re-read, would take me beyond my lifetime. (I get the same feeling from old movies). I love the way these books transport you to other worlds or different eras, that they can be wordy or almost silent, that they can educate or just provide escape, and that they can have all or any part of these characteristics in every story. I love that feeling where they transport not just your mind but your being as they conjure up happy memories of childhood and more carefree times. If I describe this, most everyone here can picture their own recollections which would not be too disparate from others: Imagine somehow finding a spare moment in this internet age that just gets faster and faster, but you're able to slow down for a minute and dedicate some time for yourself. Imagine finding a spot where you won't be interrupted; you're carrying a stack of books, maybe small (the ASM 31-33 "Master Planner" story or the FF Galactus trilogy), maybe large because you'll think - as we always do - that we'll have the time to finish them (the "Tales from the Crypt" run - reprints would be safer... or "Nexus" 1-50 as most of the arcs came to an ending). You sit down, remove the tape from the bag, slide out the book, then get a whiff of that old pulp with which we're all so familiar. In the very best "Twilight Zone" fashion, all of a sudden in this small part of an afternoon or evening, you're young again.

As with other threads, this one has also evolved and I've learned a lot on how my favorite comic company works and GPA reporting. There's also an interesting ongoing discussion (which we'll be hearing the outcome per Conan) on when/how time payment sales should be reported. I can see the merit in both dates and I'm interested in seeing how this will play out, not just for MCS but for - I assume - forging a standardized way for all shops to report future dates of sale. Getting back to the original topic, which was "Detective Dave," this community once again took the high road and did not over-react to his rants, choosing instead to, oh... find out some facts before reporting - something these influencers (and many media outlets to be sure) used to do before putting pen to paper, or in this case words in the ether. Many like "Detective" Dave are quick to spew out their theories, but they're just that: He had some data, took the time to set-up and post a video, and vomited out a position that he could fit around his incomplete information. If you give him the benefit, you could say he had good intentions and wanted to point out an issue, but to throw around some inflammatory rhetoric for the sake of clicks and to be first in reporting is really disingenuous and harmful to some solidly established reputations. Then to offer a weak apology? I wholeheartedly agree with Vintage Comics' comment and I think if Detective "Dave" ever found himself on the receiving end of the same allegations he might learn a bit more about casting aspersions, reporting and himself as well. Otherwise...

X-Men #12 per PM.