Rick2you2

This may be sort of obvious, but did you contact the seller about it and ask about swapping? Odds are small it will help, and it would be embarrassing, but it might work, particularly if you paid for a cover but got a splash. You pay the postage, of course.

I just put them in a top loader.

Don't forget that if no one buys comics, there won't be future OA.

I buy some comics, and end up throwing most of them into a drawer without reading them. Old habits die hard. I will also buy books with the Phantom Stranger in them, but more as a shopping guide for OA. I will also buy the occasional independent at shows if the writer or artist is interesting. Mixed bag when reading them. Some were fun. Some were better as an idea than a storyline.

From the look on the soldier’s face, he wasn’t too thrilled with the effort.

I didn’t know you were that big of a fan of the Bat-Hound.

I think you need a date, or if unavailable, consider porn.

Let me add that the 5 digit numbers are color coded to the Pantone printing system, so the printer knew exactly what color was meant.

As we all pat ourselves on the back...

From what I have seen on eBay, most appear to have been sphincter-generated. I have seen some real ones, and they don’t look anything like the eBay rubbish.

At first, I thought they were color guides, too, but some of the handwritten notes threw me. They probably are color guides, but I am not positive. Color guides have varying worth, from a little to maybe $2-400. Usually, they are in the $25-75 range. As with most things, it depends on the colorist. I have 2, one by Neil Adams, for which I paid about $350. The colors he chose, by the way, are not, in some cases, the ones on the published cover. I liked his choices a bit better. I certainly agree with you that those acetate reprints should not be considered original art. They are purely decorative.

With some exceptions, I rarely see major complaints about more senior artists (although, I have seen them about Sienk).

With most entertainment shut down, my “free” spending money has increased (but the workload continues). Needless to say, my willingness to shop and buy has increased, too. I have also had more free time on my hands to finally get the collection in better order and enjoy some of my “old friends” more.

Do you ever use credit card mileage points? Those are typically 1 100ths of the purchase price.

Can you ask?

I can’t give you a legal opinion on this, but it sounds like it has to do with the difference between a “use tax” and a sales tax (which the states generally set at the same rate). Since the art involves the shipment of goods from one state to another, not the use of the product in the purchased state, sales tax technically doesn’t apply. But, with the art sent into a state for use after being bought elsewhere, you get hit with the use tax to where it is shipped.

My comment was addressed to the charity assistance for comic stores. States are beginning to allow stores to open up, and there is pressure to open more stores. In another month, at least outside some spots like the Northeast and California, I think you will see a lot of activity. More broadly, I do think we are over the Coronavirus hump. Our medical system was able to contain the worst of it without the medical system's collapse. That was the original fear. Yes, there will be more deaths and infections, but they will continue to decline unless people get really stupid.

I wouldn’t call that a Rubicon— if your income supports. In my view, the Rubicon is crossed if you venture into non disposable income territory. Just as Julius Caesar was forbidden from bring his troops into Rome proper’s territory under Roman law by crossing the Rubicon, when he did so, he risked trouble.

I once had something similar. Many years ago, I bought what I thought was a Jim Aparo sketch. After owing it for about 25 years or so, I found out that it was the cover of a fanzine.

I was under the impression that retail prices were roughly double the wholesale price. Later, timing may be too late.

Just out of curiosity, have any funds been distributed to comic stores? Based on the news, it sounds like we are over the Coronavirus hump, and stores may start opening at a growing rate. If they survive that long, the stores won’t need the money as much later.

It is so irritating to see some of that stuff, knowing the prices will be too high to buy, and also seeing something I bought from them about 5 years ago, still listed in their inventory for sale. Makes me wonder about some other things I like and whether they are gone or not.

I thought I was the only one using that feature that way.

I don't know what to do with them, either. I think I save them out of a sense of guilt that HA went to the trouble of making them and sending them to me. So I shouldn't just throw them out, right?

Jim Aparo and the squiggly hair he usually drew.