BeholdersEye

The difference between a 9.6 and a 9.8 is the mood of the grader. The difference between a 9.8 and a 9.9 or 10.0 is the relationship of the submitter to the company.

I was a bit of the guy who rode the line of persistent and pest, communicating via FB messages with them and the delays were frustrating as I did a "pre-order" and I speculate they didn't get their allocation or sold more than they had in supply and was scrambling to get more inventory. At the end of it all, they shipped me what they had, refunded me on what they didn't have, and everything was evened out. The lesson of this for those who pre-order and are attracted to lower sales prices is that you may not get what you wanted and could be better of paying more elsewhere because what good is paying $10 for a comic that sells for $15 elsewhere, when your pre-order gets refunded after the book is now at $25 in the open market after its release. Although I don't have anything bad to say about them per se, I'd never ever order from 'em again, only to avoid having to be my own customer service agent, continually contacting them for status updates on my own initiative. I sort of felt or was worried, if I didn't inquire as often as I did as a squeaky wheel, I could have been ignored, swept under the rug and possibly left holding the bag with actual damages of no merchandise, no refund and in limbo.

Unless it's like a trading card pack where the contents are different, random and there's a valuable chase insert potentially inside, I feel that Polybagged books might not command top dollar if unopened because you can't see the condition, especially of the spine, so most collectors would assume a modern poly bagged book to be 9.2, and would opt for buying an opened edition at a higher grade if the prices were the same. I'd open up the poly bag, keep the original poly bag, and then see the condition if it's worth grading or if you're not into grading, just keep the book in the open bag and put that in a standard comic bag and board to archive.

I agree 500% on that from various perspectives, including rendering quality, scarcity and comparative quality (DD vs Batman)..., but from the perspective of a fan wanting what they want, not for resale or anything, then I agree 1,000% with the exchange. Miller's remarks don't resemble anything close to his published artwork or his artistry at it's pinnacle and are no more than a nice autograph accompanied by a doodle, a nice souvenir but far from being aesthetic by any means, and something that could be forged or done by a child, so to me it's more about the nostalgia and experience getting the autograph in-person along with something he draws for you personally in front of you for you. From a resale standpoint, removing that emotional connection, I'd find myself hardpressed to ever buy something in the secondary market from a reseller hustling these mediocre renderings.

This is why buyers should try to do research via google searches and msg board inquiry posts. A golden rule is simply "don't pay cash in advance" to artists you know nothing about nor their reputation or if there's even a bit of negative press. If an artist wants the money up front, and you hear they're behind on their work and unreliable, consider yourself buying a lottery ticket that either may pay off or you may be a loser with nothing to show for it. There are lots of artists who handle CIA, cash in advance payments well and deliver on the goods, and there's the artist's perspective of customers flaking on payments necessitating CIA payments. If t's a "starving artist" always looking to make rent or hustle, that's the red flag for a desperate unorganized non-professional who probably is doing a money grab and you're standing in the back of a line all while this creative genius is sitting at home with a list of commissions that are overdue while posting photos of cats playing ping-pong on social media or smoking up weed playing video games all day. The artists who are professional who don't "need" the money are usually the ones who deliver because they are professional and respectful. There's a few out there of course who are just slow too. The majority of honorable slow artists are the ones who tell fans, put your name on the list and when I get to you or get it done we can discuss payment, otherwise, you're on the list, I owe you nothing and you've paid nothing. The problem with CIA is once you've paid in full, you've given the artist no motivation to complete your piece. You need a carrot to dangle in front of 'em to ensure they're focused. Partial payments, not payments in full are one way to start. The other is COD, cash on delivery of course. No art is worth chasing or groveling over.

It is too big in dimensions to get graded and slabbed I'd speculate

Question: How should collectors treat the Batman #50 Blank Sketch Cover Variant with the thin paper wrap that's held bound under the staple, apparently to help protect the actual sketch cover itself from surface wear? As it relates to CGC Grading, does removing this paper make it now "incomplete"? As it relates to getting a CGC SS Sketch and slabbing, if you leave it on, then the artwork is obscured when it's entombed. Or do you simply get a sketch on the thin white paper and leave the actual blank sketch cover alone (which seems odd since the paper is thin and you get no logos, so it would look odd if not weird). I'd imagine it's almost like a poly-bagged book in that the removal from it's original packaging as published isn't necessarily compromised if it's considered a "throw-away" wrapper, 'tho purists probably would keep intact as well as not get a sketch on the blank.

I think the difference now seems that from the buyers side, and publishers know it, back in the days, new characters was to inspire new readers and engage existing readers, where they loved to see single issue sales continue or rise, where today, it's all about a smaller population of buyers (dare I not say "readers" because the majority of books are not even read by the purchasers of multiple copies who then entomb the books into CGC plastic never to be enjoyed for the literature and more treasured as a collectible asset). It also feels like the imagination involved in the new creations is uninspired and biting off existing characters and there's little innovation towards really creative unique characters with substance, and substance is something like personality and charisma that needs to develop over time, much like a baby to toddler to child to teen to adult, the evolution (varied creative teams handling the character) takes time. Look at Deadpool, as a previously cited example as well as Lobo, and other characters who had mediocre periods to pinnacle years later with the right writer (and artist). My biggest observation is simply there's too many coming out and too many speculators hording 'em and buyers, buying into the hype causing seemingly unsustainable stock market like surges based on assets with volatile foundations like Bitcoin Crypto Currencies, Tech stocks etc. - - making assumptions that the current prospect is the next legendary hall of famer and pricing it based on that future being realized.

I think you're right on the money about Wolverine and Deadpool, same goes for DC's Lobo. It feels similar to the Sports Card hobby where there's way too much speculation driving prices up on "prospects" as if they were established "hall of famers" - - so, to see comics like Ms. Marvel, Silk, Spider Gwen, Cosmic Ghost Rider, etc. come out of the gate strong without a meaningful story arc nor years to establish the character, have books priced at $200+ seems too premature. Look at X-23, from NYX #3, it did take a while before that book went up. Same for The New Ant-Man (Scott Lang), as I remember Marvel Premiere #48 being in dollar bins despite the Byrne/Layton artwork for the longest time.

Is it my imagination or does it feel that Marvel and DC are pushing out mediocre new characters, often remix/reimagined (not so creative at times) variations of existing characters, and with greater frequency now, with the possible agenda of this marketing tactic to replace the "Variant Covers" they've been flooding the market with, to increase orders and sales by speculators? I envision seeing every issue with an introduction to some new character in a cameo, then as a civilian, and then the origin in costume, heroes, villains and supporting characters alike. I think everyone is looking for "the next" fill in the blank hot character of today, or grail key of yesteryear, so this seems like what's happening in modern comics today. The problem I see in the market is people are hording books, flipping them and driving prices up what seems to be prematurely without the character having time to evolve, earn a fan base and capture (and captivate) and audience as was done in the past with time for people to search for back-issues instead of picking 'em up hot off the press, going to the LCS, bagging/boarding then submitting to CGC in one fell swoop.

I'd remove the tape since it's a problem that will only continue to cause further problems and increasing defects. Restoration won't impact the value nor removal of any aftermarket production elements like tape. What I would NOT do is any color touch ups if any parts or pieces are inherently damaged as it's handled and the tape is removed, relegating it to the proverbial "it is what it is" status, which with Original Art and "one of a kind" pieces like this, has minimal impact on value since it is a one of a kind item and not like someone can pass on it and wait for a better one to come up for sale later on.

A lot of times simply inquiring with the artist, or fans on boards like there will give you answers to what the known process is, since it's usually artist specific whether they do digital, blueline, etc. Many of the overseas artists are the ones who trade digital files back and forth between penciler and inker rather than mailing them risking loss, damage or deadline delays. So, if you see a lot of artists who reside in South America, Asia or Europe who are part of a penciler/inker tandem today, the odds are there might not be the traditional process of original pencils with original inks on top. Personally, I like to see pencils and inks separate like how The Walking Dead original art is made (and sold), seeing each artist's contributions and the creative process with the final end result that's published.

A totally agree with you on that scenario. The odds are that published artwork will outperform commissioned artwork, but the x-factor is always going to be "artist" trumps everything then "character" comes next, and then oddly enough "rendering quality" - - so, in other words you can have an elaborate jungle girl painting that looks epic by an unknown street artist VS a quick doodle of a jungle girl by Frank Cho, Frank Frazetta, Adam Hughes, etc and we all know which one would sell for more now and tomorrow. For comic art, we've all seen published super-hero pages, aged over 20 years since publication of mainstream characters (Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, etc.) do surprisingly well at auctions. It's not that "nobody cares about commissions" it's just less people do, and even less would spend an ungodly amount on 'em later on, unless it's by a top name artist with detailed rendering. The problem today is that most artists charge an amount for commissions where there's little room to "flip" 'em for worthwhile profit, so commissions are truly for fans more so than investors. The one thing that I think has moved most collectors away from commissions isn't only the price, but more so "the waiting game" and unreliability of artists and seemingly awkward situation where, as a paying customer, we feel we have to beg and grovel to get what we paid for when there's delays as if these artists were made of glass and sensitive geniuses fearing offending them by simply asking for the respect of getting what was paid for in a timely manner as promised. In what other industry can someone take your money, and not deliver the goods within a promised or reasonable deadline?

Does anyone know if CGC will be attending this show? I think it would be a smart move by CGC to participate given it's a higher end show in terms of comic book dealers, so customers can submit books onsite as well as other books to avoid the mad crush and inconvenience of hauling submissions to SDCC and dropping 'em on here in LA. I'd speculate CGC would do a ton of business at this show.

If you are displaying artwork, the key is to know your wall space is valued and limited, so PATIENCE is going to be your virtue. If you see something you like or know what you want and it's over your $400 price range, wait, stop and save up if it's a reasonable goal. If you see something that looks okay, okay isn't good enough, something better will come up. Research varied artists, with less focus on what others like or who's popular and see who creates images you like. If you want published art, a lot of people like covers, splashes, double page spreads, etc. - - but others, and you may be one as well, focus on dialogue (back when it was featured in comic art in the Pre-Y2K era), sequential storytelling (when a paneled page can stand alone as a single page and doesn't feel like an incomplete scene that continues) or something that you like personally. Commissions are great at times because you get to be an art director at times and create what you want, as well as it being a personal experience, but there's a lot of OA Commission naysayers who hate dealing with some of the uncertainties of commissions, including lackluster renderings, delayed delivery, etc. as well as the investment downside of commissions not being as good as published art most of the time. So, just be patient and wait 'til you see what you want or can afford what you want. Go online to the varied comic art auctions as well as dealer and rep websites to window shop.

I agree with you on the GL page 100%, it was a good piece, not a great piece, especially not a remarkable one within the body of work of Jim Aparo. I am pretty sure I know why it went up as high as it did because it's the same reason why I was eyeing it but the prices had me drop out to not vie for it, and that's because it had The Green Lantern reciting his oath in the dialogue, which is similar to folks buying FF pages with The Thing saying "It's Clobberin' TIme" or The Human Torch saying "Flame On" or Donald Blake striking his cane into Mjolnir and turning into Thor. So, there were a handful of interested bidders that drove it up, and all it takes is two for a bidding war.

Where with Marvel, it used to be Kirby and Ditko, then Romita and Buscema were the next tier to go up in value, followed by Kane, then now you're seeing Pollard and other solid run artists go up, I feel with Aparo, he's in that Pollard realm of an underappreciated artist who has an excellent resume of his body of work for DC that is now being recognized. Art from the 1980's and prior continues to shoot up. It's only a matter of time when some of the mediocre 90's art surges and becomes not-so-average. The only things that don't seem to go up or has less investment potential, yet many today still spend good money on are commissions and CGC certified sketch covers in the original art realm where published mainstream (Marvel and DC) super-heros seem to be the safest bet.

i think that the Stan Lee autographs will have the Mickey Mantle phenomenon, where Mantle was a very prolific signer, appearing at nearly every sports card show signing autographs to the point the value was only a tad higher than what he charged for the signature on most items like balls, aside from a slight minimal convenience fee people didn't mind paying, but often selling for less than what it cost for his signature when he was alive as well. When Mantle passed, the market was flooded with autographed material, many forgeries, some with home made COA's also fake autographs, but others were certified by reputable 3rd party dealers. Most of his material sold for a lot more than the day before he died, but because of the rush to market and confusion with so many fakes, the prices were still not crazy. After the dust settled and the money grabbers sold their wares, the market dried up a little bit to the point where the autographs slowly increased and continued to as people realized he's a Hall of Famer and Icon in the sport, with a name that was second to Babe Ruth in GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Baseball Heroes. Today, there is a benchmark value depending on the item signed, and if a collector has the money, signed material isn't hard to find. I think the same will be true with Stan Lee autographs, but only the CGC Signature Series that's authenticated I think even the Stan Lee Collectibles COA because of the recent news the past year of his relationship with so many of his reps and handlers going south, collectors need the CGC stamp of approval. If you figure he charges over $100 for the autograph and to get a comic CGC SS Graded is about $40 or so, and the comic has some value, the baseline value of a Stan Lee autographed comic should currently be $150-200. I think when he passes, you'll see a lot of people selling 'em for $200 as the minimum and average stuff going for $300. I, personally think it may be foolish, if you're a long term investor, to sell them while the body's still warm after he passes, so to speak. Stan Lee is an icon much as Walt Disney is, if not even more legendary and impactful to pop culture. I would speculate a decade after Stan Lee passes, the minimum value of his autograph will be around $500 and go up from there depending on what is signed. I think there will be a premium on material Stan Lee was involved in as a writer, more so than him signing stuff he created or worst yet, autographing books he had nothing to do with (such as Wolverine or Deadpool). If you took a hockey puck and got Mickey Mantle to sign it, I'd say, sure, he's unique and not many if any were ever autographed, but it's irrelevant and most collectors won't want it, or at least won't pay a premium for such an oddity. I'm not sure what Stan Lee is doing these days with his autographs, if he charges or there's a formal CGC process, or if he's retired from that rat race and might just sign randomly in public but not monetize it as he's done in the past because it wears him out (as seen at the Silicon Valley show), when he clearly does not need any more retirement money.

FYI - I know it's been discussed by many of my peers who opted to frame their artwork, and doing so professionally with archival quality and aesthetic materials. When it came time to sell the pieces, most auction houses prefer the artwork without the frames (since there's added cost by weight and dimensions to ship and added risk for damage to the artwork due to the nature of being framed and exposed to hazardous handling). Then, many collectors see less or no value in framing, so would rather acquire artwork unframed. It takes a special person to see value in framing that would be willing to pay a premium for that perceived benefit. So, for a personal collection to display, kudos to you, and enjoy. But, if you plan on selling the piece, know the frame is more of a detriment than a value added benefit.

Although sometimes, a $3 raw book, if at 9.8 graded can command $50 or more. I've had dollar bin books that I couldn't give away, get graded, come back a 9.8 and turn around and sell what I wasn't able to sell, and for more than FMV raw. So, a lot of times a slabbed book is an attractive buy, and some collectors look at it as a nice $20 picture frame for their comics.

I thought I heard due to an incident at last year's Comic Con Revolution in Ontario, CA, that Jim Starlin was no longer willing to sign comics for CGC Signature Series. I heard it had to do with an attendee not paying for his autographs and basically being a deadbeat, which made Jim Starlin cease all CGC signature series submissions and he'd only do autographs without witnessed status. But, things might have changed from last year and cooler heads may have prevailed.

Respect, probably not since they're still looked at as "funny pages" albeit often worth more than their weight in gold. The problem with many collectible investments is that they're not so easy to liquidate at top market dollar and you have to seek out buyers, more so than with traditional investments like precious metals, stocks or commodities you can pull your entire portfolio off the market and transform into cash with the click of a button. If you have 1,000+ comics or comic art, outside of selling to a dealer at a fraction of the value, it would be time consuming to list all items for sale waiting for a buyer or putting them up for auction hoping that they hit FMV or better. Plus, knowing most collectors have more losers than winners, to liquidate dollar bin type junk you paid more for, cuts into the overall profitability of the collection. I think Comics are good for collectors to then see as a fun way to enjoy life knowing their assets will be worth something. It's those pesky speculators from the 1990's and now today who just buy variants, don't read 'em, slab 'em and try to hold or flip 'em that potentially turns comic books and the hobby into a Beanie Baby environment with people looking to come in and hope to exploit the fans by hording and reselling at higher prices not knowing or caring about the commodity itself. So, the true investment community might see a few key books in high grade as blue chip investments, much like how some dedicate money towards a diversified portfolio that may include fine art, but in general, buying comics under $1,000 is amature hour and picking up pennies vs real dollars to savvy investors.

I read that SDCC is FREE for Children under 12 with a paying adult. It says Children don't need to register for an ID, but then says you "May" register your child when you arrive onsite. MY QUESTION IS... Does "MAY" mean it's OPTIONAL to register your child? What I want to avoid is coming to SDCC with a child and my badge, then finding out that I have to stand in a line to process the child in and register him, as opposed to just walking in with him as if he were luggage (so to speak) without incident. I imagine at times the answer depends on the age of the child since a 12 yr old can walk and wander and inevitably get lost, so might need some sort of ID. My situation is that I would bring a toddler aged 2 in a stroller, never leaving my site or possession, accompanying me at all times. SO... I figured many on these boards have attended SDCC in the past with a child and I wanted to know what the protocol is. Also, does it matter if you have an Exhibitor Badge or an Attendee Badge as far as the rules goes, since I'm coming to SDCC to help an exhibitor, so have the exhibitor access. Thanks to all in advance! INFO Extracted from the SDCC Website: CHILDREN Comic-Con is proud to offer one of the most generous free child badge policies in the comic convention industry! Children age 12 and under may attend Comic-Con 2018 for free with a paying adult. Children do not need to register for a Comic-Con Member ID. You may register your child when you arrive onsite. **Children 12 and under are free with a paying adult. Juniors (age 13 -17) pay junior prices. Seniors (age 60 years and older) pay the Military/Senior reduced price. Active-duty military with ID pay the Military/Senior price. This deal does not extend to military dependents. BASIC BADGE INFORMATION Everyone, age 13 and older, that wants to attend Comic-Con International, must have a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID. Child Badge Policy Children (age 12 and under) are free with a paying adult! Children do not need to register for a Comic-Con Member ID to receive a complimentary badge. You may register two children per paid adult attendee. Adults will be required to provide emergency contact information for any child registrant. Please visit the Attendee Registration Area when you arrive onsite for more information. To accommodate the transition from child to junior (age 13-17), we have set a static date to determine who is considered a child for Comic-Con 2018. If you are age 12 or under on September 30, 2017, you do not need to buy a badge for Comic-Con 2018. You may attend as a child, with a paying adult. If you are age 13 or older on September 30, 2017, you must create a Comic-Con Member ID and purchase a badge for Comic-Con 2018. Comic-Con 2018 Child-to-Junior Badge Validation The child-to-junior validation period is now closed. The deadline to validate your Comic-Con 2017 child badge for Returning Registration eligibility was October 6, 2017. If you missed the validation deadline, you may still be eligible to participate in Comic-Con 2018 Open Registration.

Is he adamant about it, or if let's say you get a CGC witness to stand off to the side discreetly to watch him autograph a book, can than then qualify for a yellow signature series label, or does that open up a disgruntled can of worms that Byrne will balk at and put up a major tantrum over?

Slabbing doesn't add anything to books per se if you're selling to buyers who buy the book not the number (grade), but slabbing makes it easier to sell now or in the future since it's a recognized 3rd party opinion and evaluation on the condition but most importantly if there's any restoration which is hard to detect for many. It's more easily less contested as an over-zealous inflated grade by a seller that missed flaws when it's slabbed, and you'll get far less complaints or returns because of the encasement. I think there's a strong population of buyers who buy graded only because of over-graders. So, in that way, it does add value to the books on the resale market, as it's in more demand, garnering more attention than raw books, and inherently, especially in an auction environment, more willing buyers vying for it.