CKinTO

I've bought twice from Adam - first a slabbed high-grade BA12 and second a set or raw Redneck books (advertised as NM). The BA12 slab was shipped extremely securely (when he says bulletproof, he means it!) with slab wrapped in lots of bubble wrap and secured in a box. The Redneck books were as described, and Adam was very responsive to be able to meet up in person at a con so we could both avoid shipping costs/risks. Would buy from again any time!

That's a good insight re: the anti-hero, and agree Deadpool and Harley Quinn are probably the two most popular modern "anti-heroes" currently. Between BA12 and NM98, BA12 is likely the more rare book. NM98 was well into Liefield's NM run, and there's over 13,000 in the census, with 2800/3700/2300 in 9.8/9.6/9.4. BA12 being an atypical "comic book" and more a book about the animated series outside DC continuity, far less was likely printed and kept high-grade bagged/boarded for later (comparatively, just 3500 on the census, and 600/900/600 in 9.8/9.6/9.4). I think both characters probably have potential staying power, although if I had to guess just one, I'd probably go with Harley Quinn given Jim Lee's recent comments that she's become a "4th" pillar of DC. Of course these books are way above $70-80 raw today...that barometer is a tough one given how quickly books appreciate (just look at Totally Awesome Hulk 22 going for $50+ raw already speculating that Weapon H may have staying power).

I only collect what I read / am nostalgic of from my childhood, which is copper/modern from 80s/90s. As such, I aim for 9.6 or 9.8. When I buy books raw, I look for 9.8 candidates (and are okay paying around slabbed 9.6 prices less grading fees, give or take, with the idea that if it comes back 9.6 I'll break even). I only do this with keys. I have around 7 regular titles that I read and pickup weekly on Wednesdays from my LCS. For those, I do try to get the mintiest copies available, read 'em once, and then leave 'em in bags/boards, but 99% chance they'll be worthless drek, so I'm not as anal about whether they're 9.8's or not.

That's crazy, I don't understand why people bid it up that much, when there are plenty of BIN's available in the $50's...? It didn't even mention anything particularly "high-grade" in the description? " New unread NM. Comes bagged and boarded in cardboard mailer designed for comics. Auction is for book shown. Private collector of 35 years."

As others have said, I think vast majority of the value will be the BA12... As you mentioned, you don't see a lot of buyers/interest in full runs these days... If your BA12 is super high grade, this is a book where the difference between 9.6 ($725) and 9.8 ($1,600) is a big dollar amount... So could be a lot of variance if your book is in between. If you think it's a 9.6/9.8, I would get it slabbed - it's a book where the value likely justifies the cost and will make selling much easier. This book has slowed down a bit since Suicide Squad movie, but HQ's been solidified as one of the 4 pillars of the DC franchise (Jim Lee recently said she's now up there with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman), and lots of potential upside in coming years (including Gotham City Sirens movie).

It's crazy that they're going for $40-50 now... this is one of the few books I've spec'd on, and bought 3 raws... I was planning on just keeping them long-term to see if years down the road, Weapon H / Batch H actually becomes a long-term character... but at these prices, maybe I should sell 2 and keep 1 long-term? A Hulk/Wolverine mash-up just doesn't feel like a character that would have staying power...

Will definitely be stopping by on Sat - hope all the good stuff isn't already gone by then!

Haha, I literally just got an e-mail 1 minuter ago from FXC with more details about the signing. For everyone's reference, Jim Lee's Sat 10am (and I assume 11am also) private signing event will be in 716B South Building (the same room as where his creator spotlight will be at 5:45pm). Although there might still be some lines to get into the convention centre, I assume getting to the room won't be too bad, as I don't think there many things planned in the South Building's 700 Level in the morning... I bet most of the early crowds will be at the Show Floor.

Good to know that it's ok to get there a bit later than 10am for the signing. Am going Saturday only, but going to pick up my wristband (and Jim Lee special event ticket) on Thurs / Fri to minimize the wait on Saturday morning, so will definitely head over first thing. Do you know yet where the Jim Lee private signing will take place? (You mentioned earlier that once we pickup the JL special event ticket, it should mention where it'll be, so no worries if you don't know already).

Kevin - quick question on the CGC signing (Jim Lee Ultimate Experience), which is at 10am on Sat. A bit concerned that it's right when FXC opens on Sat and if there's a line to get in, might take some time to actually get into the building and then to wherever the private signing is taking place... Do you know where it's taking place, and is there any suggestion on which entrance we should go in to make sure we're at the signing on time? Thx

33, with a wife and a 1yr old. Child of the 80's, collected comics during the 80s/90s (X-Men, and the "flavor of the times" Gen 13, etc.), then was completely off it until about a year ago, when the usual "rule of 25" kicked in and I got nostalgic. I collect copper / modern keys (mostly for my personal collection, with a tiny bit of spec / investment thrown in), but found a good LCS and read a handful of titles weekly (currently X-Men Blue, Gold, Astonishing X-Men, Venom, Redneck, Babyteeth, Batman). I only collect keys of books / characters I was interested in growing up, and my regular "reading" titles I don't think at all as investments, purely for reading pleasure. Wife's okay with it - it's the only thing I really spend money on (other than music and audio equipment), and she thinks at least with comics, I could potentially sell down the road, whereas high-end DACs / Amps / Headphones / Speakers are pretty much dead-money

Both the B&W and the Color virgins are really sweet, I'm not sure which one I like better... I'm leaning towards the full color virgin - the art is fantastic, but so is the colors! Wow, those are sweet books.

Question for those who have submitted books at cons before like at FXC (not on-site grading). Any personal experience on how the CGC staff at cons have handled your books? Have any books come back at a significantly lower grade than you thought? I've read some stories about some less-than-careful handling of books at some cons... I mean I can imagine, especially at busy cons like FXC, where many of the CGC staff are volunteers, it being a long, hectic day (with a lot of "entitled" customers and not a lot of "thank yous"), where it would be easy to get annoyed / complacent and just be trying to make it to closing... I'm thinking of subbing some books that are 9.8 candidates, and especially in this grade-range, the tiniest finger press / tic from an apathetic handler can be the difference between a 9.6 & 9.8 (and difference in multiples of value). If this is often the case, the "savings on shipping" to me isn't worth it, and I'd rather pack and ship myself... This is for regular blue-label books (obviously with sig series, there isn't really a choice). Any thoughts based on personal experience?

Definitely agree - I think anyone asking near 9.8 price for a raw is being unreasonable. As a buyer, you might as well just buy an already slabbed 9.8 then - why take on the risk, cost and time of slabbing? When ASM300 9.8's hit $2500 (and 9.6's were around $750), I remember seeing some raw "NM+ 9.8 candidates" on ebay go for $1000. In terms of the spectrum of "how much over 9.6 prices I'd be willing to pay for a 9.8 candidate", I think that's about right for me (a little over, but definitely much closer to the 9.6 price than 9.8), although I personally would never have done that over ebay, only if I could see the book in person and take home myself.

It's an interesting corollary whether as a buyer, you should ever be willing to pay a price "above" the value of the comic in its existing condition, if you think it's a good pressing candidate (and thus, are willing to give up some of that upside to get a sale done). On the flip side, whether as a seller, you should ever reasonably expect to get more than the as-is price for a good pressing candidate. I personally think no, but some people may think differently. Something similar I see more frequently, and I find more tricky, is the pricing of raw books in the grey area between 9.6 and 9.8. Given the slabbed price of these 2 grades can be multiples of each other (ie. a 9.8 selling for 2-3x the price of a 9.6 for some books), and the difference between them so small, I see many sellers trying to sell raws above the market price of a slabbed 9.6. My general view is that for a legitimate 9.8 candidate, I'm willing to pay up to graded 9.6 prices (exc. grading costs) so that if it does come out 9.6, I break even... of course, for the right book, I may be willing to pay a bit more, but it has to really be a stone-cold 9.8 candidate (and I generally will only do these in person, not through mail given shipping/handling risk) and the upside if it gets 9.8 has to really be worth it...

Agreed, I'm enjoying it as well. A fan of Charles Soule's work, and I like that this is going to be a limited series run. I'm still reading X-Men Gold and X-Men Blue at the moment, though am enjoying this Astonishing X-Men much more so far than those 2 books.

This BleedingCool article has animated gifs of all the covers in alpha order. You can see the Cable (NM87) and Deadpool (ASM129) in the top 2 rows. https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/08/20/comic-store-marvel-lenticular-covers/

Great discussion so far here! I'm in the camp that thinks variants / manufactured-rarities on random non-key books will not last. I'm pretty surprised when I see big bucks get spent on modern books with no relevance other than a cool cover by an artist with a limited print run (perceived or real). I don't want to put down any purchases other boardies may have made (and this is just my opinion), but I just don't see an ASM667 Dell'Otto (or Jean Grey #1 JSC RoadShow Exclusive, or Black Cat JSC cover) keeping that kind of price in 5-10 years. These books don't have the content that comics have typically derived value from (usually first appearances or some other historical significance). All they have is rarity / low-supply, where demand outstrips that supply, but that demand being fed (in varying degrees) by speculators. We've seen an incredible run over the last 8-9 years in comics, which has coincided with a great run in the economy / stock market since the Great Financial Crisis. Once the next mini-recession comes and this low-interest-rate-fueled "good times" comes to an end, I can't see people paying thousands of dollars for these kinds of books. It might continue to go up now and in the near future as the good times keep on rollin', but I do think eventually the party will stop, and that's when I think the bottom can fall out here for books that don't have the usual "fundamentals" of value. Agree with this - the cards that have gone up are "keys" (rookie cards), not limited print runs / variants of random scrub players (which I think is a closer analogy to these non-key variants) Just my 2 cents.

Wow that is a really nice piece... and keeping it 9.8 with that much work done to the cover is really sweet (even though, the book itself is a distant second to the cover...)

Wow that is a sweet frame (and book!) Did you do that custom DIY?

I'm finally in the club! Bought for a reasonable price from a boardie - obviously a bit late to the game now that the book has had its price jump for many months, but happy to be in! 9.8 was definitely too rich for my blood at current prices, even though they've come down a bit from the $2500 peak. This is likely for the PC, so I'm fine with a 9.6, and as a child of the 80's, loved the Venom Lethal Protector and Funeral Pyre books!

Cates is going to be working on both Thanos and Dr. Strange at Marvel. Re: Marvel Legacy lenticulars, my plan is to get the one for the regular titles I'm currently reading (X-Men Gold, X-Men Blue, Venom, Spectacular Spider-Man), and then I'll probably pick up one or two other cool covers. Right now thinking 1) Cable - NM87 homage, 2) Deadpool - ASM129 homage.

I see what you mean - I think that's a lock of hair that goes across her neck, and because her face color is white while her neck is skin-tone, it does make it look a bit strange. I still like it though.

If the question is purely whats "looks" better, I think mylar. The crystal clear clarity of mylar (I use Mylites2) really makes a book's colors pop. While the new CGC cases are clearer than the older ones, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I think they look super clean and crisp in mylar. Now of course, there's a whole host of reasons why we slab books other than "attractiveness", but my vote for aesthetics goes to mylar.