SeniorSurfer

When you think back investment-wise, many that have been buying comics for years probably got them from spinner racks or LCS and paid cover price or less, so any money made is really "found." Owing to the general way of things, most do not have an unlimited supply of money so books were obtained to read and give pleasure. Owing to those same limited funds there might have been several pitfalls that were avoided by limiting the collectible books (speaking for myself, I might have missed out on a TMNT #1 but I also missed out on spending money on the avalanche of worthless paper that was also generated at that time). Selling books for what seemed to be a good price, only to find there was a higher ceiling further on down the road? What about other books that collectors hang on to for a little bit too long, only to find that the ship has sailed and they're best used to line birdcages? You can never really know how long to keep a collectible if you want to obtain the ever-elusive, just-out-of-reach max value. Sometimes these things just balance out. It would annoy anyone but, as in any collection, there have been bargains found and goals reached that made you happy also. You cope by looking over the books you still have that are worth a lot to you - both in money and pleasure in collecting or reading. And if all else fails, you tell yourself that these are only material things that we're all just (basically) renting out for a while and upon reflection there are things in life that are way more valuable.

Take

Yep, I just got that email a few moments ago. From what I understood, they'll still have the program but only when they say so in periodic emails. The earnings will also not expire for 12 months.

Link to "The New Yorker" book review of Abraham Riesman's new "True Believer" Stan Lee biography. It looks like a good read though some might find it rehashes subject matter that has probably been examined in more depth, in other publications, and by those in the business (it did get a good "review quote" from Neil Gaiman). And any publicity about comics is, as the saying goes, better than no publicity at all As an aside: I found it an extremely rough-looking picture of Stan used on the cover of Reisman's book. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/15/who-really-created-the-marvel-universe?utm_source=pocket-newtab

375 on SS 7

350 for SS 7

Natch. As one writer (don't remember which) noted, kryptonite had to be invented because it became increasingly difficult to write Stuporman plots as they involved a character that could basically save the earth just by listening hard.

Might as well keep going: As all life came from the sea, then Aqueousman has dominion over all living beings. By that logic, he's gone from a DC laughing stock to probably the most powerful/dangerous man on earth.

Congratulations to both! Though I might add: There are many, many, many more houses than there are AF 15s so... just sayin'.

In a word, "P" and "U" but then again I'm one of those guys that doesn't buy/read moderns so they're not trying to lure my dollars. I stopped buying right about when Marvel rebooted all their big titles to #1 (the first time, when it lasted about a year of plodding plotting), then rebooted them all again with new #1s. At that point it seemed obvious the money grab writing was on the wall (certainly not in the front offices). It's a depressing "What If?" that should comics survive in spite of themselves and lousy designs like this somehow find a following, there could exist an upcoming generation (and more) who might never know what the original design looks like and just come to associate the look of the Amazing Spider-Man, the look that has lasted my entire lifetime, with the "hit" out of all the misses. (Actually thought this was misplaced from the "Most Ridiculous Comic Panel" thread)

I will take Prize #31 ($50 Gift via PayPal) and Thank You, speedcake!

I'm here for a live pick. (It's the suspense that gets me)

Right? It's like Christmas in December! (Hey...wait a minute...)

And how does that marriage proposal conversation start? "Lois, I saw a whale the other day and it reminded me of you!"

If it had been cracked out, submitted to, say, the Putrid Grading hoaXers who would have missed everything as usual ("Does this book seem smaller to you?") and been given a universal-type grade, they might have made a bigger bundle.

I'm sorry to hear about your friends. What you say is true and people will get more out of life the sooner they realize these things rather than wait for old age to apply them. "We must all think about tomorrow, but without forgetting to live today. ("La Dolce Vida") Or, from a more comic-oriented movie: No amount of money ever bought a second of time. ("Avengers: Endgame")

"... waiting like cheetahs in a tree." I'm gonna steal that line.

I'll go with $1,347.62, but I could be off by a few nickels.

I'm in! I was looking for this posting but didn't remember what it was called (Raffle? Waffle? Gift Exchange? Secret Santa? Exhibitionist Santa?). Anyway, I'll put up Batman Volume I and II of the DC Archive Editions. Shipping to the US only please.

I'll also go with Kirby for a definitive Doom. I never forgot this splash (or the one he did with a similar Red Skull side-view in an early Cap in his own SA title). It seemed each Doom drawing would have taken a lot of time (yeah, but this was Kirby so he could have knocked it off on a lunch break), never seeming rushed since Doom's armor took some doing to look like a moving yet formidable machine. And when Kirby started in on machinery...