PhilipB2k17

1 hour ago, SOLAR BOY said:

Thank you. I got it for less than a grand and my top on it was a grand. So I was happy. 

They were asking more than $1k for it. And I knew you would bargain them down once you got there. They were rather foolish. Should have sold it to you for what you offered online. They assumed you would pay $1000 for it so they priced it above that. I saw some mid grade graded Flame 5's and 7's sold at auction just a few months prior for half that. I knew the 6 was not common, but I figured those were reasonable comps absent any recent auction sales of the 6. It's not a 1st app or special book otherwise. 

1 hour ago, SOLAR BOY said:

It was me.....I really wanted it but the trip wasn't just for the book. My gf lives in Michigan and I came To see her. We collect together now and that book is one I wanted badly. I'm not sure what markup they told you but the price I paid was very fair. I make trips like that all the time. 

More power to you. It was more than I was willing to pay for it, that's for sure. Glad it found a good home. 

19 minutes ago, skypinkblu said:

It was one of our own boarders. I'll send him this and see if he wants to be outed;)

I assumed that whoever it was, was not buying it for themselves, but was a dealer who found it for some well off person who needed it to fill out his collection. I mean, they paid a ton for it if you factor in all the travel costs. Way, way more than even recent auction prices for that or similar books. Is that specific book particularly rare? 

49 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

If you have books like that you need to get home ASAP and list them anymore.

I'd think Grimjack would be a better bet than Scout, anyway. 

Here's an even better close-up of the ASM #21 cover. It's even more obvious. That ASM 19 cover isn't the same, IMHO.

1 hour ago, JadeGiant said:

Well there it is ... Golden's spaghetti webbing inspired McFarlane and likely Adams. Great find!

Not so fast my friends! Check out the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #21, by Steve Ditko.

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_21

19 minutes ago, the blob said:

I think he was talking about going 50 cent box diving and buying a bunch of the excellent starlin comic issues as a potential investment and i have my doubts as a fun story, neat characters, and fine art don't seem to matter

Except, the Starlin Captain Marvels and Starlin Warlocks have become valuable. I just picked up a cheap run of nice conditioned Dreadstar's from Starlin's Epic run in case there's ever a TV show or film made. Seems more likely given the success Marvel has had with its cosmic stuff, which is mostly derived from Starlin. Not to mention Star Wars being in vogue again. 

I traveled a couple of hours to an estate sale in a Midwestern state on the Great Lakes that had a very nice raw copy of Flame #6 (Fox) for sale. Worst case scenario, I thought they would overgrade it and list it at Overstreet. Whe I got there, they had it marked up an insane amount, and I asked why? They said a collector from California had offered just under that insane amount for it. But, for some reason, the people running the auction told him that he had to buy it in person, or something. He said that he would, so they put a number on it just above his offer, and told him that if someone walked in the door of the auction before he got there and was willing to pay that amount, they would sell it to that person.

Needless to say, that I didn't pay that insane markup.

I e-mail the person who ran the auction the next day and asked whether the collector from California showed up? She said he did! He flew 2000 ,iles, and paid for a plane ticket, rental car, maybe a hotel room, and other expenses, only to pay the insane markup that was not even reflected in any auction sites.

To this day I wonder who that person was. Maybe one of you guys knows? 

Plus, how rare is Flame #6? 

32 minutes ago, the blob said:

People only seem to care about 1st apps now, and the first Dreadstar app isn't cheap.  #1 can be cheap, true, and I guess that might do ok, but the rest of the run, regardless of how good they were? (I read dreadstar as a kid because they went into the 4/$1 box at my old lcs, loved them).  Seriously, the only titles that seem to have interest throughout the bulk of the run are WD and Deadpool (98).  Am I missing some other 80s - current title? teen titans 42 and 43, important books in the middle of the incredibly classic perez titans run, are practically worthless unless in a 9.8 slab and so many of those other great perez books are seemingly dollar bin fodder. makes no sense to me. I guess McFarlane ASM SPideys and Hulks have general interest too and Miller DD, but that is going back pretty far.

Unless it's Wolverine's 1st Appearance. The only one people seem to care about is his second. (Don't get me started). And Dreadstar's Epic illustrated 1st App is not that expensive, really. Some people don't even count it. Or the graphic novel, as they were not comics.

Also, let's discuss Thor 132 and 133.

The excuse I've seen for why FF 48 is regarded as Galactus' first appearance (vs FF 49) is that the story is called the "Coming of Galactus" and its about SS warning about him. So when he shows up at the end, it's a big reveal. But, that's very similar to how Ego the Living Planet was debuted in a huge double page spread at the end of Thor 132. He was talked about and warned about the entire book, and then there was a big reveal at the end.

Is 132 Ego's 1st appearance? Or is it 133? 

Again, some people say the former...some the latter (because that's the first full story appearance). 

None of these distinctions were ever made (or rarely made) until Hulk 181 became a super key, and people had to give all kinds of explanations for why that book took off. Now, suddenly, Wolverine's true first appearance (180) was not somehow more valuable than his second appearance. 

16 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

I didn't say that. I said "Collectors have decided that full appearances matter more than brief appearances." As I said in the post after that: "Value isn't (necessarily) that simple, as shown by the prices of Darkseid's early appearances."

A first appearance may be a major factor on the demand side, but it is not the only factor and it doesn't affect the supply side... unless that first appearance was immediately recognized, instantly hot, and unusually high-selling (like ASM 361).

There is no hard and fast rule. Hulk 181 got bid up by speculators and investors, so that became the Wolverine appearance that mattered the most to future collectors. It is not based upon objective reality. I think, however, that eventually the bubble on that book will burst. And, I think 180 is undervalued relative to 181, but quite a bit. 

The fact that people have to explain why some cameo first appearances are regarded as true first appearances, but hulk 180 isn't, kind of makes my point. They are making a special exception for Wolverine, because a lot of people have spent a lot of money on 181's and want to prevent that value bubble from bursting.

21 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

No, when you're doing that, you're understanding why it's more significant to collectors. Value isn't (necessarily) that simple, as shown by the prices of Darkseid's early appearances.

It isn't "more significant to collectors." Its more significant to "speculators and investors." 

On 6/28/2017 at 7:53 AM, bronze johnny said:

Selective interpretation when it benefits your position. However, the correct interpretation requires that we define a first appearance by looking at the totality of circumstances in which that appearance is made- how the character makes the appearance and the role that character has in the story. One panel does not stand on its own without defining the context it's in. You can prove the great consensus of comic book collectors and historians wrong a few decades from now. 

 

The Wolverine appearance in Hulk 180 meets every single criteria of a first appearance.

1. It's full body, and full view. He's not in shadows, or off "screen."

2. He's in his full costume.

3. He identifies himself as "Wolverine."

4. He's in an action pose, and actually has his claws out!

5. He's appearing as part of a new story line in the comic, and not as a throw away appearance.

6. He's actually in the same "physical" space as the main character - Hulk. He's not on a video monitor, or a flashback.

So, the "totality of the circumstances" in this case screams "Wolverine's first published comic book appearance." 

I totally get that collectors (actually, INVESTORS and SPECULATORS) are willing to pay more for Hulk 181. I'm just pointing out that I think it's a bubble, and that 180 is undervalued.

Addendum: I do not regard Wolvie's appearance in Hulk 180 to be a "cameo." A Cameo means a brief appearance that is tangential to the story. It's just a cute throwaway appearance. Wolverine, the character, is debuted in a big story reveal at the end of Hulk 180. Or, it is the cliffhanger big reveal to the beginning of the next story arc. It is not a "cameo." He's not just passing by in the background of the Hulk vs Wendigo fight, never to be heard from again until Giant Sized X-Men #1.

6 hours ago, The Shoveler said:

The golden rule of original comic art collecting (at least for me).  Amen.

The art must stand on its own.  As interpreted by the buyer.  Period.  Exclamation point.

First appearances, "they're going to be in the next super-hero movie!!!", non-appealing work by famous (or any) artist, claims of historical value, artist before or after their prime (artist's assistant/spouse), unproven attributions that Frank Miller maybe might have possibly scratched a pencil mark somewhere on the backgrounds on that page, and "special" moments are completely meaningless if I'm not totally in love with the art.

If any inherent flaws (as perceived by the buyer) in anatomy, technique, condition of the page, potential claims to the art by an artist's progeny, selling price, etc. are so prominent as to distract from me fully enjoying the art, then I'm self-disqualified from the market for that page.  If it doesn't have characters that I care about or can relate to in some way, or if I don't like how the characters are portrayed, then I don't want the page.  As a practical matter, that means I'm out of the market for a lot of stuff that may be within my price range.  So be it.

 

In the case of McFarlane’s Spidey, I’ve always considered “his” Spidey to be directly derived from Arthur Adams work on the cover of Longshot #4 (red & blue costume)(series published from Sep 85 thru Feb 86) and Web of Spider-Man Annual #2 (black costume) (Sep 86).  Here, Arthur Adams seems to be the pioneer of “spaghetti” webbing (distinctly visible on the Longshot cover, Web Annual #2 page 17 and elsewhere in that book), expanded the range of exaggerated poses, utilized big eyes on the mask which change to indicate emotion, drew human characters in a cartoonish fashion in contrast to the usual house style, added more webs to the pattern of the old red-and-blue costume, and made the black costume seem more menacing (at least in my eyes).

Web Annual #2 and Longshot #4 have always seemed (to me) to be the Bible that McFarlane started quoting from in ASM #298 (March 1988).  To McFarlane’s (considerable) credit, he picked great source material and then dialed it all the way to 11 while making it his own.  And he had the (considerable) guts to do it at a time when Marvel’s art was terribly static & boring at best and, at worst, consistently reached all-new low points each month (I had quit buying the new issues almost a year before ASM #298).

Pretty convincing argument. And you can see that Adams. himself, was emulating Sienkiewicz a bit in those pages.

1 hour ago, Panelfan1 said:

I have zero nostalgia for sekowski, but he's on my want list. I think his JLA art is charming and fun.

I think it depends, a lot, on who is inking Sekowsky. 

10 hours ago, GeeksAreMyPeeps said:

"Optioned" and "developing" aren't particularly encouraging. An option is basically a right to try to develop a property. But there are many, many steps involved in that actually going anywhere, including securing potential funding and attracting names to a project that might make a studio interested in hearing more.

The cost of investing in Dreadtsar or American Flagg at this point is nominal. Buy them cheap! That's my point. I also have heard some interesting recent info about American Flagg as well. Hasn't been publicized, but my source is pretty impeccable.

Go out and buy up Dreadstar. Especially the Starlin art run. Same with American Flagg and Chaykin's art run, although there are some later Alan Moore penned issues that might be worth picking up. CRIMINALLY undervalued right now. And both are ripe to be ported to a TV or film at some point. Starlin has optioned Dreadstar and is developing it as a TV show, currently. 

On 6/24/2017 at 1:50 PM, Philflound said:

I think it's better to ride on many mid-grade older books than 1 book that goes up and then comes down. My BA 12 is 9.8 though it's not graded. I've watched graded 9.8 copies go from $1800+ to $1500 now in the past year.

It ain't a 9.8 unless it's been graded. And, frankly, sometimes it ain't a 9.8 even if it's been graded. 

On 6/24/2017 at 1:02 PM, valiantman said:

$900 doesn't get you much in Silver and Gold.  So, you're really saying "I'd rather spend $900 on middle-to-lower importance older books than top-condition important more recent books."

...and you think it's weird that so many others disagree that these posts keep coming up all the time. 

I'd take that $900 and buy some original art with it. Maybe a modern cover.

2 hours ago, artistlost said:

Agreed that Walsh isn't all that well known yet... He is doing some amazing art on Hawkeye (Kate Bishop - which if you aren't reading is a good book so give it a shot) and did the covers for We Can Never Go Home (and when and if it returns will keep doing them). So, he isn't known yet but is getting more and more work bit by bit.

What he said. 

28 minutes ago, Mr. Machismo said:

He does not. I've talked to him and he primarily has filler, non-main character pages left. He sold it years ago but still had the scan for the print. Thanks, though!

Do you know about this?

http://www.conventionscene.com/2017/06/13/lee-bermejo-jock-appear-splash-page-comic-art-booth-sdcc-2017/

"Jock will be offering a FREE sketch (limit 1 per person) when you buy a minimum of $500 worth his original art.  (Via his broker page: http://www.splashpageart.com/ArtistGalleryTitles.asp?ArtistId=107&Ti=_Jock) This includes covers, splashes, individual and multiple page purchases as long as it meets or exceeds the $500 amount.

The art may be purchased prior to the show or at the San Diego Comic Con. The sketch MUST be asked for and waited for at his SDCC signing at the Splash Page Art Booth 4400. You may have a representative pickup your art & sketch, but they must wait the entire time of the signing and pickup the art. We will not accept sketch ideas ahead of time.

A date and time will be posted in the near future. Jock will only be able to take on 5-10 sketches total so we’ll take five guaranteed sketches ahead of time on a first come, first serve basis. If you are not one of the first five to purchase pages, we’ll take the next five first come, first serve purchases at SDCC.

Please go through the checkout process to purchase Jock’s art and mention that you are wanting to qualify for your free SDCC sketch."

Not sure if this is still going on or not, but it only posted a couple weeks ago.

I travelled a couple of hours to an estate sale in a Midwestern state on the Great Lakes that had a very nice raw copy of Flame #6 for sale. Worst case scenario, I thought they would overgrade it and list it at Overstreet. Whe I got there, they had it marked up an insane amount, and I asked why? They said a collector from California had offered just under that insane amount for it. But, for some reason, the people running the auction told him that he had to buy it in person, or something. He said that he would, so they put a number on it just above his offer, and told him that if someone walked in the door of the auction before he got there and was willing to pay that amount, they would sell it to that person.

Needless to say, that I didn't pay that insane markup.

I e-mail the person who ran the auction the next day and asked whether the collector from California showed up? She said he did! He flew 2000 ,iles, and paid for a plane ticket, rental car, maybe a hotel room, and other expenses, only to pay the insane markup that was not even reflected in any auction sites.

To this day I wonder who that person was. maybe one of you guys knows?

One of my pet peeves is a dealer keeping SOLD pieces up on their website. Now, it's one thing to use certain marquee pieces you've sold as advertising. But, run of the mill stuff should be pulled from your web inventory when sold. It's only fair to the person who bought it, and it doesn't mislead people.

On 6/26/2017 at 10:05 AM, JadeGiant said:

Yeah, any art that I was in a time payments situation should not be listed as “for sale” IMO. It makes people think the art is available and you get the feeling that the dealer might be willing to bump you if a better deal came along. As long as the buyer is meeting the terms set forth by the dealer the art should be listed as “on hold” IMHO. I bought a piece this way and the showed as on hold the entire time I was making payments.

If you agreed on terms, a final price and installments....and you are adhering to those terms, you have a sales contract. If they break the contract, you can sue them for damages. You may want to put into your agreement to pay for the piece a stipulation that it must be listed as "on Hold" or pulled entirely from their website unless you do not make your payments on time. 

28 minutes ago, comix4fun said:

Maybe it's me being an old man at this point, but I've never heard of this cover artist. That's always been a driver of what I'd bid on a piece. 

Fair enough.