wardevil0

Nevermind, answered my own question.

I've been to Baltimore five of the last six years, and also went to Heroes last year. The things I care about are: buying back issues, buying in artists' alley, and meeting creators (in that order). If you want to do those things too, then you would be very happy at either show. I found the local area around the Charlotte convention center to be much more pleasant. Baltimore's Inner Harbor area is very nice and has touristy activities for family memebrs who don't want to go to the show (National Aquarium, USS Constellation, also Orioles and Ravens stadiums are nearby) but just outside that it gets pretty sketchy. Some of the businesses I walk past on the way to the convention center have not reopened from being looted during the Freddie Gray riots a few years ago... If you've been to Baltimore twice, then I would suggest trying Heroes next year (all other things being equal).

Notes on my 9.8s: Book A: light scratches cover, light wear cover Book B: very small bend left top of back cover, very small bend right bottom of front cover Book A has a transparent acetate cover overlay, which shows scratches a little differently than paper.

From my own anecdotal experience, it seems there has been great improvement in the quantity and quality of notes over the last few years. I have books in 7.5 (graded 12 Mar 2016), 9.0 (graded 19 Sep 2013), 7.5 (graded 01 Feb 2016), 6.0 (graded 24 Jan 2014) and others which have no notes whatsoever, but my most recent return (graded 10 Sep 2018) had notes for every single comic, including 2x 9.8s. So, thumbs up for improvement!

It sure beats short boxes Previously, I had maintained my collection in short boxes on shelves. This became pretty cumbersome as my collection rose over 10,000 issues. Some LCS's in my area used drawers to store their comics like filing cabinets. I found a source that would custom-make such comics cabinets, but they were approximately $1000 each. I evolved from that to regular steel vertical file cabinets, which can cost more than $600 each. I transitioned from that to used office supplies, which were a winner at $50-60 per drawer. Choosing a cabinet is a geometry problem. You have to make sure that the internal dimensions are good for comics. Most drawers are deep enough for comics to stand upright, and most drawers are long enough to hold about as many as a short box. The real considerations are in width. Assume that a comic is 8 inches wide, which will allow for a Golden Age book with a little space between rows. Measure the width of the inside of the drawer, which will be a few inches narrower than the overall width of the cabinet itself. For example, a 36" cabinet has 34" of room inside, which lets you make four rows, while a 42" cabinet has 40" of room inside, which lets you make five rows. Once you have your cabinet, you need to consider its placement. A fully loaded 36" cabinet will weigh about 950 lbs, so don't put it in your attic. Also, don't plan on moving it to reach the leaky pipe in the wall behind it unless you add mobility. Turn your empty cabinet over by tipping it backwards so the drawers don't fly out. Get it all the way upside-down and look at the bottom. Every cabinet has removable feet for leveling. Unscrew those all the way out. Take one with you to the hardware store to make sure you get the right bolts to go back in. At the store, you will need to buy the following parts: 1. Wood furniture dolly 2. 3 inch swivel casters (need 4) 3. Hex head bolts ¼ inch, size 20 x 1½ (sold in packs of 4, need 4 packs) 4. Flat washers 5/16 inch (2 for each bolt, so 32. Sold in packs of 50) 5. Hex nuts ¼ inch, size 20 (1 for each bolt, so 16. Sold in pack of 100) 6. Solid wood panel as large as your cabinet and at least ¾ inch thick 7. Wood screws approximately 1½ inch long (need 8) 8. Wood screws approximately 2-2 ½ inches long (need 8) 9. Hex head bolts of the same size as the levelers you removed from the bottom, 3 inches long (need 4) 10. Flat washers to fit the hex bolts for the bottom of the cabinet (need 4) I was able to buy all these things at Lowes. You will need the following tools, at least: A. Flat head screwdriver B. Pliers C. Power drill with ¼ inch bit, Philips driver, and drill bit slightly larger than the bolts you got for Part #9 D. Pencil E. Two adjustable crescent wrenches F. Ruler or T-square Build your cabinets! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

All things come to he who sits and waits... Welcome back to my first journal since Feb 11. Just got too busy with life, a business trip to England (I loaded up on pence Marvels), and family stuff. Fortunately, all along a submission was being run through the mill... I've been on the lookout for certain books that certain boardies need. Sometimes, I find one but rarely is it in good enough condition. I took a chance on one in particular because the price was right, even though it was an online purchase so I couldn't verify the condition with my own eyes. When it arrived, I thought it had an outside chance, so I included it in a submission via CCS for a Quickpress. I unpacked it last night. Even though it wasn't the rarest, or most valuable, or even for my own collection, seeing this one made my day. I sent it in with two people in mind, but now which one will get it? I decided not to decide; I'll let them work it out among themselves. Thus, I officially offer to Tnerb and bagofleas the following - - the first and only thus far graded by CGC - - not yet listed in the Census - - CGC 9.8 with White pages - New Mutants 58. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The Brave and the Bold Presents... Several years ago, Geoff Johns reinvigorated the Teen Titans into one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of the 2000s, and certainly the highest quality Teen Titans stories since Wolfman/Perez, if not ever. During this time, I learned about the Teen Titans' first appearances in Brave and the Bold and Showcase in the mid 60s. The early-mid 60s are often seen by comics fans as the dawn of the Marvel Age, I think partially due to the widening gap between the quality of Marvel comics vs DC comics at the time. Marvel's books tapped into the psyche of the generation by easily fitting into archetypes of the picked-on social outcast who could achieve so much, the slightly dysfunctional family who could overcome anything together, the band of misfits fighting to protect the society that feared and hated them, and on and on. Meanwhile, DC was plugging along with business as usual, or leaning toward trying to duplicate what Marvel was doing. Unfortunately, DC's efforts were usually so heavy-handed and forced that no one would ever mistake them for actually being "hip." The cover blurb for Showcase 59, the third Teen Titans try-out story, announces "DIG THIS CRAZY TEEN SCENE! Two guys and a gal--a trio of trouble for the fabulous foursome!" We can tell these teens are rebelling against the establishment with their surf board, motorcycle, and guitar. As a kid, I would've rolled my eyes at this cover and just reread my copy of Uncanny X-Men 197 with the awesome Colossus vs Dr Doom cover. It took a little more maturity to recognize the 60s DCs as tangible evidence of the generational conflict America felt in the 60s. In essence, DC's long-lived characters did represent the establishment, as opposed to the revolutionary concepts flowing from the House of Ideas. While I still consider the stories to be quaint at best, I also recognize them as essential rungs on the ladder between the Golden Age and today. Here we have a copy of Brave and the Bold 54 featuring the first team-up of the kid sidekicks vs Mister Twister, who can apparently make a tornado that rains fire. Brave and the Bold 60 introduced the Donna Troy Wonder Girl as Wonder Woman's little sister (previous appearances of Wonder Girl were actually young Wonder Woman, similar to early Superboy). This is also the first time the group is referred to as the "Teen Titans" on a cover. B&B 54 was bought in its slab, and B&B 60 was part of a recent submission. I do also have Showcase 59, but I think it'll get a press on the way to its slab. Hope you enjoyed this look at a few minor DC Silver Age keys. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

there shall come a crisis... It's been a while since I posted a pair, so I thought I'd reach back for some real classics. Justice League of America 21 has the first crossover with the Justice Society of America in "Crisis on Earth-2!" This event went on to become an annual occurrance and eventually expanded to include crises on New Genesis, Earth-X, Earth-S, and many others. Although Earth-2 was introduced in Flash 123, it was through the JLA-JSA team-ups that the idea of the multiverse was truly brought to fruition. Green Lantern 40 depicts the origin of the multiverse and has become a cornerstone of such events as Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, and several Green Lantern events. Krona, a Guardian of the Universe, pursues forbidden knowledge with disastrous results. Also, the first crossover between Hal Jordan and Alan Scott, despite the fact that their rings are totally different. Both of these were bought raw on eBay in the 2004-6 range, and were part of my first coupon submission after joining the Collector's Society. I had expected they would be in the 8.0 range, but won't complain about being that close with such landmark books. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore by Lance Parkin Recently, I have felt the desire to increase my knowledge of creators and the circumstances that have led them to be where they are in the industry and their personal lives. Few comics personalities are as divisive and intriguing as Alan Moore, so that seemed like a good place to start. Coincidentally, this decision came within a week or so of Lance Parkin publishing his second book on Mr Moore, the 423-page Magic Words. The book seems thoroughly researched, including interviews and anecdotes from some of Moore's greatest promoters and detractors, including Dez Skinn, Eddie Campbell, Alan Davis, and many more. The hot topics of contention are addressed, such as his notorious perspective on movie adaptations, his criticism of modern comics, and the poisoned chalice: Marvelman/Miracleman. A significant amount of time is spent on Moore's formative years as a comics fan and reader, with a few reproductions of some of his earliest work for local newspapers and magazines. I have never seen so many of Moore's illustrations in one collection. I have been a long-time Moore fan, and was though I do not always agree with his politics, I was fully satisfied with his explanation and reasoning behind his positions. His essential crusade seems to be for creative and artistic integrity. He does not complain about movies because he hates the industry; he complains about adaptations because of the inevitable changes they make. For example, in one of the early pitches for a V for Vendetta movie the setting was changed to the US, Guy Fawkes was changed to Paul Revere, and the right-wing fascist government was changed to communism. In another early treatment, the secret police "Fingermen" were changed to sci-fi half-goat/half-man hybrids who worked in a building shaped like a finger. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with either story, just don't call it "V for Vendetta" because it clearly indicated that you missed the point of that story. It certainly doesn't help when uninformed executives publicly assert that Moore fully supports their product. Moore didn't refuse to endorse "Before Watchmen" because he's a vicious old malcontent hermit, he just wanted those writers and artists to feel like they should create their own stories instead of try to squeeze more juice from his story. The book itself is visually striking, with black edges and an unusual title band in lieu of a dustjacket. I found Mr Parkin's writing style and composition to be enjoyable and interesting, as well as his organizational breakdown of Mr Moore's life and career thus far. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to know more about Mr Moore's work and personality than is typically tossed out by the crowd. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Moderns submitted at Wizard World Nashville I submitted these books at Wizard World Nashville in October, and they were invoiced at CGC on Oct 23rd, Modern non-Fast Track. Allowing for Thanksgiving and Veterans Day that made just about 31 business days turnaround, which is A-OK. I'm not sure why these went through so quickly. This time, I made sure to write down what my estimated grades were and had that the reference during the unboxing, just to add to the torment. Again, i do not check my invoices once they're marked "Shipped/Safe" The roster of books submitted: 100 Bullets #1: I've had this one for at least 12 years. I didn't buy it right off the racks, but almost. I estimated it as a 9.6, and CGC agreed. So far so good. Fables #5: I bought this one fairly recently, because it was a low-number of this great series, was the right price, and looked absolutely perfect. I could see no defects whatsoever on this book. I estimated it a 9.8, but wouldn't have been surprised if it was a 9.9. CGC says: 9.6. Sigh, not too bad I guess. Sandman #50 Platinum (DC/Vertigo): This is the second 50 Platinum I've submitted. I knew it was not as good as the other, which came back 9.8, so I was thinking 9.4. Now it's a 9.0, and things seem to be trailing off. Still, a very sellable extra. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 Another Universe Exclusive: I expected this one to be a 9.8, but it's a 9.6. Of course, they also mislabelled it a Second Print instead of an Another Universe exclusive. The giant "Another Universe" logo should've been a clue. I have not yet called to arrange its re-labelling. Gold Digger #1 Regular Series: I just really enjoy this comic. Very hard to find, thoroughly enjoyable. I saw it as a 9.4, they saw it as an 8.5. This one was the biggest grading discrepancy. Mangazine #11: The first appearance of the Gold Digger characters in print. Mangazine was kind of like Dark Horse Presents; an anthology title with mostly unestablished characters and creators. Gold Digger ran through four issues. I graded it an 8.5, they said 9.0. Yay! Mangazine #13: Third Gold Digger; I said 9.0, they said 9.2. Yay! Mangazine #14: Fourth Gold Digger; I said 9.0, they agreed. I now have all four Gold Digger Mangazine appearances, three of the four original miniseries, and #1 and #2 of the ongoing series graded. I guess it's time to request a registry set to put them in... Ninja High School #2: Another Antarctic Press issue, the white cover makes it tough in high grade. I hoped for 9.6 and got 9.4. Peter Panzerfaust #8: One that I submitted to hopefully flip. First cameo appearance of Hook, although they didn't feel like putting that in the notes. I expected a 9.6 and got a 9.8, yay! Starslayer #2: First full Rocketeer by Dave Stevens. I got this from a $1 bin in Las Vegas, expected a 9.6 and got a 9.6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7: First color in TMNT. Picked this one up just to slab, I thought it looked like a 9.6 but it got 9.2. Batman: Harley Quinn: Definitely the star of this submission, the first appearance of Harley Quinn in regular DC Universe continuity. I bought this one around the same time as 100 Bullets, I think in the same store in Lexington, KY. This one has been among my candidates for CGC all along, but I held off because I didn't think it would do that well. As Harley's kept getting more and more popular, I thought even a 9.2-9.4 would be sellable, but now it's a 9.6 keeper. The last three are proof that apparently I can't grade early 80s X-Men at all. All three were bought from discount bins, cherry picked because they looked so good. I could see no flaws whatsoever on #148, and expected 9.8. Instead, 9.2. I though 9.6 on #157 and #158 but got 9.2 and 9.0, respectively. I wonder what's up with that? Overall, I submitted 16 books and had 3 come back as I expected, 4 come back higher than expected, and 9 come back lower than expected. Totalling up the ranges, and my grades are off by an average of 0.1625. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Two Gaiman premiums... I came late to Sandman; I didn't become a regular reader until 47, I believe. I was introduced to it by the Science Fiction Book Club, who had Book Club Hardcovers of A Game of You, Season of Mists, V for Vendetta, and Watchmen. They also had periodic promotions to get several books free when you joined or renewed, so I got everything comic-related. Sandman was the first long-running title that I got fully complete. Currently I'm missing only the #8 editorial variant and the #18 blue panels error. A few years ago I got these two retailer incentives on eBay, and they were among my first personal submission to CGC. The dark covers make them harder to photograph; the reflections appear much more clearly. For the same reason, they're pretty hard to find in high grades. The silver spine on Death: The High Cost of Living #1 and the black spine on Sandman #50 make even the smallest crimp look like a major crease. These Vertigo books also had a tendency to show a lot of spine waviness anyway; I wonder if the metallic inks casues the coverstock to ripple like that? Higher moisture content than other inks? I also have three other Vertigo platinums that I have not yet submitted: Black Orchid #1 just recently bought off eBay, Extremist #1 pulled from a discount bin many years ago, and two copies of Books of Magic #1 pulled from a discount bin in about 2010 ($1 each). That particular discount bin was especially generous, as I also pulled a Fables 6 RRP for $1 that came back 9.4. Good times... Vertigo was a pretty big deal to me when it launched. I was happy that so many of the comics I was enjoying were all grouped together under one umbrella that sounded better than saying "the DC mature readers books." For so long "adult material" has been a euphamism for porn; I'm sure everyone thought I was talking about skin mags. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

with all apologies to Hammershipdown... So after being impressed by Hammer's trend of Three 4 Thursday journals, I picked up a CGC frame from Gweedo's Showcase too. I chose a two-slot this time, since I could come up with so many more duos I had that I would like to display. Plus, I wanted to try them out before dropping too much money. In short, I'm completely satisfied with the end result, and would recommend Gweedo's Showcase to anyone looking to display their books. I did pay extra for UV-resistant glass, which was an option I did not find on several competitor's sites. It seems that Gweedo makes his frames to-order, so it takes a little while, but I was satisfied with the level of communication. I got emails saying order received, then frames finished, then shipped, etc. The parcel was securely wrapped and packed, too. I often choose solid black or solid white frames for comics items because it reminds me of the panel borders. Now to these particular issues... On the right is Mangazine Vol 1 #1 from 1985. If I recall correctly, this is the second issue published by Antarctic Press (after Extremely Silly Comics Vol 1 #1), and was an anthology featuring several long-standing Antarctic contributors, most notably Ben Dunn and Herb Mallette. As a book that was nearly home-made, it is a bit smaller than standard comics. This was the first appearance of Tiger-X, a story about resistance fighters in a Soviet-occupied United States. Picture the original Red Dawn but with robo battlesuits. According to the CGC Census, there are three copies of this book slabbed, all 9.8s. I submitted this one myself, after picking it out from an extremely generous $1 box. That shop was apparently flushing their small-press books; I also got a full run of Megaton (including the first Savage Dragon in #3 that came back as a 9.6), Eradicators 1 (first Ron Lim), and Macross 1 (by Comico) for $1 each. A very lucky day. THe book on the left is another early Antarctic Press, Ninja High School #1 from 1986. This series has a fairly storied past. It began as a three-issue miniseries, as shown on the cover. Its success led to a regular series, which gave us an Antarctic #4, then the series transitioned to Eternity Comics for wider distribution. The run included a 0 issue and a 3 1/2, as well as numerous spin-offs and crossovers. As to the plot... a regular high school guy is betrothed to the daughter of a ninja clan leader to unite the two families. Simultaneously, an alien empire plans to wed their princess to an Earthling to prevent a rival empire from claiming Earth. Thier computers predict the optimum human to be... the same boy as must marry the ninja princess. Hilarity ensues as the girls compete for his affection. I've described it as a kind of manga Archie. Betty, Veronica, Reggie, and Archie but as ninjas, space princesses, demons, etc. A wonderful combination of humor, adventure, action, and genuine emotion. Despite its relatively low profile, the series ran for 175 issues, phenominal for a black-and-white indy. There are 6 of these in the Census, but only 2 are 9.8s. Someday, I hope to convert both of these to yellow labels with Ben Dunn signatures. Maybe by then CGC will have come up with a few notes to put on the labels... First appearances of characters who starred in a series than ran for 13 years, no big deal I guess. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I really am cutting back... So despite all my intentions of cutting back, I had a chance for two books I couldn't pass up. One I've hunted for a long time, and one I didn't know I wanted until I saw it. I got both from mycomicshop.com auctions. The first is A1 #5, 9.6 SS signed by William Stout. I've already written about how much I enjoyed A1 #1, and the feeling has expanded across the title. This one includes work by the following, lifted from the A1 wikipedia page: Cover Story, Neil Gaiman and Kelley Jones Bricktop: "Sunglasses", Chris Smith and Glenn Fabry In the Penal Colony, Peter Milligan and Brett Ewins (adapted from Franz Kafka) The Contact, Brett Ewins and Shaky Kane Tor: "Food Chain", Joe Kubert Jeff Hawke: "The Devil at Rennes-le-Chateau", Sydney Jordan, Trevor Goring and Thayed Rich Knuckles the Malevolent Nun, Cornelius Stone and Roger Langridge Bic: "Party Piece", Ed Hillyer Reasons, Jeff Jones The Boy Who Defied Gravity, Nick Abadzis Take One Capsule Every Million Years, Bruce Jones, Jim Sullivan, and William Stout Elvistein: "Yin and Yankee", Bambos Georgiu The Proxy, Ramsey Campbell and David Lloyd Trypto the Acid-Dog: "Pet Sounds", Miguel Ferrer, Bill Mumy, Steve Leialoha Kathleen's House, Steve Dillon I still need to find a reader copy, because that is an amazing roster of creators. I like A1 for Sig Series because of all the good opportunities there. This one of course came to me already signed, so I got to learn about William Stout. The name was not familiar to me, but a quick Google told me I had several pieces of his art already in my home. Most notably, the cover art to Ralph Bakshi's "Wizards." Check him out... http://www.williamstout.com/ The other is Cherry Deluxe, 9.6, and this one has been on my list since it came out 15 years ago. I just hadn't found a copy in any of my usual venues. I hadn't searched exhaustively online though. Being an "adult" comic it wasn't as commonly available as most. The reason I wanted it was the Neil Gaiman story, but looking into it has brought to light several aspects of the Cherry series that are pretty interesting to an amateur panelologist. There may be more to post on that front in a few weeks/months. I've been collecting Neil Gaiman stories even more fervently than Alan Moore stories, although I'd be hard-pressed to say which author I preferred. I guess it would come down to what I call their benchmark works, Sandman and Saga of the Swamp Thing. In total, I slightly prefer the storyline of Sandman. I'm happy to add two books to my Neil Gaiman collection, and may get around to identifying a Neil Gaiman set (minus Sandman) similar to the Alan Moore DC Universe set I requested a few weeks ago... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Thanksgiving weekend hullaballoo Hello all, I hope everyone had a Thanksgiving weekend that was happy and enjoyable in their own way. One of very few drawbacks to mine was that my CGC submission was attempted to be delivered the day we left to visit family, so all I had was the little orange slip to pick them up later. Sigh. Over the weekend I did a little shopping, and was surprised to find some Defiant Comics binders in an antique mall. I picked up two Plasm 0 Premiere Editions with card sets, and passed on a Dark Dominion binder with no cards. I think these may be the only two Premiere Edition Plasm 0 binders I've ever actually seen. If I remember correctly there were brutal allocations and although I had pre-ordered I only had an option for the Second Edition. Two decades later, I got them cheap. We returned home to find several parcels awaiting rescue, including two slabbed books from mycomicshop.com auctions, one eBay win, a few raw books from mycomicshop.com, and my order of CGC frames from Gweedo's Showcase. I haven't opened those up yet, pics to follow. But, the main event was the CGC shipment which I picked up on the way home from work yesterday afternoon. I had submitted five books for Signature Series at Baltimore (unknowingly intermingled with several journal mainstays). The books I took were as follows: Justice League #1, to be signed by 3 of the 4 main creators-Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. I bought this copy just as Max Lord was having a bad day in Wonder Woman #219. I thought the book looked pretty solid, and estimated a 9.6. I was surprised to find it a 9.2, but I can see previously unnoticed creases on the back cover near the spine at the bottom. I don't know if these were there all along and I missed them or if they happened during the signing. No big deal; I'd rather have a book with three sigs that presents so well on the front regardless of condition. Maybe if I can find Terry Austin at a signing I'll send it through CCS with all four main names. Strangers in Paradise (Abstract) #1 Strangers in Paradise (Abstract) #3 to be signed by creator Terry Moore. I bought both of these new off the rack back in 1994 after hearing good things about the series and the previous 3 issue Antarctic Press miniseries. I liked them okay, but didn't pick up the book to follow and left comics altogether a few years later. It was tough to be a comics fan in the late 90s. Anyway, since I'd had them for nearly 20 years I expected them to be a little rough and estimated 9.4 for each. I got a 9.6 on #1 and a 9.4 on #2: excellent. Uncle Scrooge #219 Uncle Scrooge #285 to be signed by creator Don Rosa. These two are significant keys for a Don Rosa Uncle Scrooge collection. US #219 is the first major comics work by Don Rosa (other than newspaper strips). I'm impressed by the fact that on his first job for Gladstone he was able to write and draw the whole story and the cover; no try-out run for him! US #285 is Part One of his opus "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck," which is a truly impressive saga that attempted to gather all the previously disparate stories done by The Good Duck Artist, Carl Barks, and tell a cohesive narrative. They had never originally intended these stories to be in-continuity per se, so there were always inconsistencies. Was Scrooge in the Alaska Gold Rush or the Spanish American War in 1898? Both? Don Rosa threaded together the references to Scrooge's family and history to take him from the little shoe-shine boy who earned Number One Dime to the grizzled miser he was in his first appearance in Christmas on Bear Mountain. No mere "funny animal" book, this is solid storytelling. The #219 I bought as a slabbed 9.8 and could only hope that it maintained grade; the #285 I bought off the shelf at the same place as the Strangers in Paradise back in the day. I estimated a 9.8 and 9.4 respectively, and nailed it. A photo array for your amusement... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

n/d, no publisher listed My submission of 16 Moderns hand-delivered at Wizard World Nashville has been Verified, and four of them display as no date, no publisher. As briefly discussed in a journal by Lee K, http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=315130&Number=7061587#Post7061587, this likely indicates that these are the first issues of their kind ever graded, so the CGC database has no information to pull. The good news is that these are guaranteed to be OAKs (one of a kind) and highest graded. The bad news is that there is likely no set slot for them, and the notes will be sparse at best. Any exciting first appearances in these? Yes, but it won't be annotated! Oh well. I've always felt that it's up to each person to know what their comics are without the notes, but it's nice to have that third party input. I've decided that I really enjoy seeing this lack of information on some of my submissions. Sure, I could have submitted the 7973rd copy of Amazing Spider-man 300. Instead, I submitted the first copies ever of Mangazine 11, 13, and 14. I've already achieved "n/d, no publisher listed" on a copy of 12. When I get them back (don't hold your breath!), I'll post a detailed journal on this run, what it is and why it matters. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

one I'm pleased with, one I'm not It's been a long time since my last journal, several weeks in fact. I've just been too busy to write much, but things have still been going on. This week I gained two Signature Series books. The first, Atomeka's A1 #1, signed by Glenn Fabry and Brian Bolland. I was initially drawn to this comic for the cool Warpsmith cover. I recognized the characters from Miracleman, and the table of contents on the back cover read like a who's-who of influential creators: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Simon Bisley, Brian Bolland, a dozen more. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed several of the stories by unknowns more than some of the headliners. One in particular, "Bad Bread," really stood out to me. It is a short story that may have a "grain" of truth to it (pun to be revealed). It is the story of a Medieval peasant who has consumed his usual meal of hard, dark rye bread, but this time the rye is infested with the fungus Ergot. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot) One of the natural chemicals produced by the Ergot life cycle is lysergic acid, a precursor element to LSD. As such, ingesting Ergot typically results in dramatic hallucinations which were generally ascribed to spiritual hysteria in Ye Olden Days, considered visions or demonic torments. Some years later, I cited this story as a reference in a paper I wrote on Dante's Inferno, postulating that some of his descriptions of the underworld were influenced by hallucinations he had heard about or perhaps even experienced himself. I still have this copy, but it is in "reader" condition by now. My new SS copy, however, came via eBay. The list price was a bit more than I was willing to go for, so I made an offer expecting a counter-offer, but my initial offer was immediately accepted. Hooray! The other Sig Series I got this week is one that I had been expecting for a while. I've seen several people make some good-natured (and some not-so-good-natured) comments on how many Stan Lee signatures there are out there, but I didn't have any. TIme to remedy that. I checked the Desert Wind Comics website to see what was coming up, and decided on trying for Wizard World Chicago. Chris Claremont and Alan Davis would also be there, and I saw a chance to get a great X-Book triple signed. I considered an Excalibur 1, but I thought the dark cover would be tough to get good results. I settled for an Uncanny X-Men 213, with an iconic Wolverine-Sabretooth battle cover. This is an issue that I'd never owned, so it would be extra special. I bought a Blue Label 9.6, thinking that would be sufficient with triple sigs to be a real highlight of my collection. I sent it to DWC in July for the August show. I was immediately struck by the lack of communication from DWC, who never acknowledged receipt of the comic as they said they would on their website. After two weeks and confirming delivery through USPS, I emailed and they replied that they had received it. Earlier this week I decided that it had been gone for a long time, so I emailed to check on it. They replied that it was on Delivery Exception from Fed Ex. I found the FedEx second notice in the bushes of the townhouse next door, but no first notice or final notice. The Door Tag number was also not to be found in the Fed Ex tracking system. After an hour on the phone with Fed Ex, and an hour drive to the Fed Ex ground HQ, I had my box direct from CGC. I know CGC sends me an email when they ship to my account, but I guess DWC was too busy to relay that to me so I could look out for it. If I hadn't emailed DWC myself I would still not have it. Less than stellar customer service. Even worse, I open it to find that the book has dropped a grade to 9.4 (unfortunate but understandable). The corners are pretty serevely dinged; in fact I'd say 9.4 was generous. Still, acceptable so far. Hey, wait a minute... signed by Stan Lee and Chris Claremont. Not signed by Alan Davis. What? Why not? I paid for multiple sigs, and can understand that time constraints with Stan Lee may have prevented all three, but at least give me the courtesy of letting me know that at some point in the two months between the show and getting the book back. Not a satisfied customer. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I felt guilty for even showing up. So this past weekend, I arranged to have a comic-buying weekend tour. I flew into Nashville to be met by my best friend and longtime comic cohort. We hit up several stores in Nashville, Kentucky, and even Indiana before making an appearance at Wizard World on Sunday. Why only one day? We had reviewed the website and saw how few comic creators would be there, and none of the panels looked all that interesting. Our only true objective was the CGC table. He would be submitting his first batch of books, an invoice with his Collector's Society membership coupon and a batch of 15 Moderns. I also had two invoices to drop off. We both prefer to physically hand over the books to CGC rather than ship to Florida; this way we save on shipping costs and don't have to worry about the USPS damaging the raw books. The CGC crew looked thoroughly bored. I did not see them with more than one person at the table after my friend and I had dropped of our orders with all paperwork already filled out. Once again the CGC staff were thrilled to see that we had filled out the online forms fully and even handed the books over in the same order as they were listed on the form. If you want to make a good impression with the folks behind the table, do whatever you can to make their jobs easier. The only other major convention I've been to was this year's Baltimore Comic Con. The price of admission for one day to Wizard World was the same as the whole weekend in Baltimore. The facility seemed to be a bit larger and nicer, and the aisles were pleasingly wide and uncluttered. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a tiny fraction of the number of attendees. I got the hard-sell desperation vibe from so many people in Artist's Alley that I gave up on looking for prints. Even Neal Adams and Mike Grell had no lines! I might've brought something for Mike Grell to sign for Sig Series if I had ever suspected I would be able to walk right up to him. Artists of his caliber were swarmed late into Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. In all, we only really made purchases at one booth, where we found high grade Walking Dead in the 20s-30s for $6-8 each. Hopefully, Friday and Saturday were huge days for everybody, and it was a raging success. Sunday was clearly not going well, and I can't shake the feeling that a lot of small businesses took a hit paying Wizard's exhorbitant prices for table space. You've got to sell a lot of Doctor Who buttons to cover a $1000 for a booth. No pictures with this post, just think pensive thoughts. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Turnaround time for Modern non-Fast Track: ~50 business days Last July I sent in two invoices for slabbing, one with my four Collector's Society coupon books and one with fifteen Moderns. My four Collector's Society have already been revealed in my first journal: http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=14286 Now I see my Moderns are on the way. I checked the tracking number, and they have already left Florida to be delivered tomorrow by UPS. I'm more nervous than usual about this order, because it contains some that I suspect did not grade especially well. Among others, I submitted several small-press books from Antarctic Press. There are four issues of Gold Digger and two issues of Mangazine, all of which I believe to be the first of their kinds graded. Unfortunately, not all of them were pristine copies, but with print runs around 1500 copies how can you be picky? I hope they are all at least 8.0s. There is also an Eclipse Extra 16 featuring Alan Moore's Miracleman, and a Whitman copy of Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom 31. The rest are fairly mundane Marvel and DC books. I have not checked the grades online to maximize the anticipation. I'd hate to be disappointed by a grade before I even had the book back in hand. I will record the unboxing event on my cellphone and post it to my Dropbox account, keep watching this space for updates! Until then, enjoy this photo-collage of some of my all-time favorite issues and covers, completely unrelated to this journal entry! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Or maybe I just have too many interests As mentioned in my last journal, my wife and I are now homeowners for the first time. We've been filling our evenings with painting and cleaning before we really get things moving. Additionally we're both employed full-time, and are taking a few classes to keep up our professional development, and are trying to maintain our physical fitness (I completed my first half-marathon this month), and I've been doing some extracurricular activities related to the Army (German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge in Silver achieved yesterday). Oh, and I have a little comic-collecting addiction going on. Fortunately, some goals are being met and obstacles are being overcome. But enough about all that, and on to the important things. There have been several discussions about reigning in our collections or deciding to sell off some pieces. For me, the problem has always been in limiting myself to only buying the things I truly want for myself. It's so easy to expand beyond the range of your collecting focus, usually enticed by a good price. But a few months or years later, you're holding on to a book for which you have no strong feelings and don't even remember why you bought (Marvel Two-in-One 54 in CGC 9.0, I'm looking at you). In my 25 years or so of actively collecting, I've found that there are a few themes that come and go, and a few that always come back around. I've picked up and dropped Amazing Spider-man and Uncanny X-Men three times so far, so I feel like those issues are something I should hold on to. Alternatively, I completely lost interest in the cosmic Marvels and have a pile of Warlock and the Infinity Watch I'd love to be rid of. Who can say what will strike a resonant chord within us? My favorite items all have a nostalgia value that makes me remember the way I originally felt when I first owned them, and it's hard to say what will evoke fond memories in the future. One thing I know several of us feel a bond with... original art from the Dani Moonstar backup story in New Mutants Annual 4, "If Wishes Were Horses:" To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

So much for my CGC budget... The days of throwing money away on rent are over; welcome to the days of throwing money away on a mortgage! Tomorrow my wife and I are expecting to sign the documents buying our first house. We've tried to keep the monthly payments as close as possible to our current rent payment, but of course there will be additional new expenses. For example, I haven't had to mow a lawn since I was in high school, now I have grass of my very own. But more importantly, now I will have sufficient floor and wall space to organize and display my comics, toys, original art, and art prints! Before that, though, I get to pack and move everything. More than 11,000 individual issues, plus TPBs, HCs, statues, etc. No fun is expected for several weeks, but due to some fortunate timing I was able to attend the National Book Festival on Saturday and hear Brad Meltzer speak, then sign my Justice League of America 0 and a copy of his newest book, Fifth Assassin. Between this and my four submissions in various stages of slabbing I should be able to get through this period of heavy lifting. I'm always apprehensive during moves; wish me luck in transporting without disaster. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I finally buy some comics, day two at the con. With all my CGC business accomplished, I was able to look forward to rummaging around for great deals on the second day of the Baltimore Comic Con. I had my want list in hand, and was ready to go. In general, high grade keys and what's "hot right now" were the headliners at nearly every booth, but I had a great time plucking some flawless Alan Moore Swamp Things and a hodgepodge lot of Uncanny X-Men ranging from 153-207. Some of those were pretty beat-up, but some were actually very nice. Even focusing on the $1-$5 books I went through my cash pretty quickly, and got tired of the crowds. I headed over to Artist's Alley to see if how the lines were for creators. I had brought with me a copy of HERO Initiative's Justice League of America 100 Project that was given to me by a fellow collector at my workplace. It was bought with several signatures, including George Perez and Cully Hamner and I was curious how many more signatures I could add. I wound up getting several more; Joseph Michael Linsner, Art Baltazar, Joe Prado, and Chrissie Zullo among others. The big surprise of the day came when I stopped by Richard Case's table. Best known (to me at least) for his work with Grant Morrison on "Doom Patrol," I was surprised to find the pictured print when flipping through the artwork he had for sale. We talked a little about his choice for her costume, coming from fairly early in her timeline with only a few pieces of armor, and he indicated that this is the costume of the era he remembered best as a fan. In all, a great experience for which I'm glad I made the time. I may not become a regular fixture at cons this large, but I've already added Wizard World Nashville to my agenda. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The CGC experience (live!), day one at the con The first batch of comics I sent off for slabbing was done via Wizard World Anaheim in 2011, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect. The details were different this time, as I sent four books to be pressed by CCS prior to grading and had five to try to get signed. The outcome, however, was nearly the same. In each case I had pre-filled my submission form using the PDF invoice, which saved vast amounts of time and frustration. I thought that at worst I might have to line out an item if a creator didn't show. My friend and I arrived at the Convention Center at about 10:05, expecting to have about a 20 minute wait in line. At 10:48 we finally crossed the threshold and headed straight to the CGC table. My CCS dropoff was almost instantaneous. A quick scan of my forms, a quick scan of my books, and we're moving on. Signature Series, however, was a different story. My forms were filled out, my books were all window-bagged for convenience, but the furor surrounding such big names as George Perez, Neal Adams, and Mark Bagley coupled with Sal Buscema's rare signing opportunity made the CGC table quite busy indeed. At one point I saw three people trying to hurriedly fill out forms for their Peter Parker: the Spectacular Spider-Man #1s at the same time. Mental note to check eBay for PPtSSM sig series in a few weeks. As stated, I only had five books I wanted signed and slabbed: Strangers in Paradise #1 and #3 from the Abstract Studios run for Terry Moore, Uncle Scrooge #219 and #285 for the great Don Rosa, and a Justice League America #1 to be hopefully triple-signed by Kevin Maguire, Keith Giffen, and J.M. DeMatteis. Because my creators were relatively low-wait, I got bumped a few times by mobs headed to one of the bigger creators with mountains of books. When I finally did get a witness, I sped through the process in part because I had a map of the convention floor with my creators' tables marked. Another guy was with us, who had no idea where his creator was located. My map and program got us there right away. Important lesson for signings: Failure to plan is planning to fail, or for those who prefer alliteration, proper prior planning prevents poor performance. The only real holdup was in Don Rosa's line, because he was happily providing sketches for any and all who came by. I enjoyed being there and watching him at work, but I know there were people at the CGC table waiting for my witness to get back there. I regret the inconvenience to all who were delayed, but I must admire Mr Rosa's appreciation of his fan base. I was finished with all my CGC work at 12:52 according to my text message log, almost exactly two hours. It was time for lunch and a break after three hours on my feet, counting the walk from the hotel. The first day at the con ended for me with the Fables panel from 3-5 pm. The Fables panel was enlightening and entertaining; I wholeheartedly recommend sitting in on this one if you have even a passing interest in the current Vertigo flagship. All essential tasks were complete, and we still had all day Sunday to mill around. I'll conclude with a photo of Don Rosa sketching. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Secret origin and part one of my Baltimore Comic-con reflections I guess I should start with a brief introduction. I've been a comics reader all my life, and assert that I learned to read by associating the actions in the panels and words in the balloons with what my parents read and explained to me as a small child. Most of what I had back then were old Whitman reprints of Disney and Warner Bros characters. Even then, I could recognize the difference between average comics and those by the anonymous "good duck artist," later found to be the great Carl Barks, of course. I progressed into Marvel's GI Joe due to the toy tie-in, I still have my ragged first GI Joe comic: the famous #21, "Silent Interlude." I progressed into the Marvel Universe at about the time of Secret Wars, and gravitated heavily toward the X-Books. Bear in mind, this only meant Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants at the time, but X-Factor and Excalibur were soon to follow. I kept this up for about ten years, but by 1995 had quit comics completely. In mid-2001, the revitalization of Marvel with JMS on Amazing Spider-man, Grant Morrison on New X-Men, and Joe Casey on Uncanny X-Men brought me back. Since then, I've transitioned fully to DC for new books. I just don't feel that Marvel is putting out comics that reach me. Ever since Civil War the Marvel characters have been strangers. My favorite part of collecting back issues is the pursuit. I love going through bins of dollar comics and pulling out gems, and pulling low to mid-grade copies of keys. I'd rather have a low-grade copy than no copy. After all, that Fair copy of Batman #155 with the first Silver Age Penguin appearance may be the only one I can actually find in affordable condition. Last weekend I bought a Conan the Barbarian #62 30-cent price variant for $1 that I would call a VF/VF-. Very satisfying. I also went to Baltimore Comic-con last weekend, more to say about that later. A friend of mine flew in for the con, and I brought my most recent arrivals from CGC for an unboxing. I had refrained from checking my grades online so I would learn the grade as soon as I actually saw the book. I had assessed the books to be in the 7.5-8.5 range based on some previous submissions, and was thrilled with what I got back. I admit that I hadn't checked this copy of Daredevil 131 and was surprised to see it tagged as a Mark Jewelers insert. I grew up near Ft Campbell, KY and didn't realize that all comics didn't have these inserts until just a few years ago. I'll wrap up this introductory journal with a photo of the results of that unboxing last week. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.