BladeTX

We're good man. We're good. Sounds like an industry-wide issue and I have not been subject to speculators as of yet but I do understand it is a rampant problem. Though I sure hope comics don't go away. People were saying that when I was coin collecting 2002 to 2009. But it didn't and now values are in the tens of millions of $ for multiple highly rare coins. Hoping they reboot Walking Dead into something and I can continue to support the franchise beyond TV. It's been a fun ride while it lasted.

Just drop it dude. Nothing more to say. You are not buying though shops. You are not reading digital. You want hard copies. Somehow I would have expected you would have found a reliable way to get the books you want.

Um direct quote from you: "This wasn't a problem when print runs were in the hundreds of thousands and millions..."

Well if you don't have an LCS and you read the hard copies, you must have a trusted shop you work with over the many years you have been collecting to pull a favor now and then???

Sure, respect your opinion. I still consider myself a newbie and yes, when Issue 192 came out (I knew Rick was done for so pre-ordered 6 regular and 3 blanks before distributor cutoff), my LCS sold through their 20 shelf copies in 30 minutes after opening. So I'm sure that is some speculation. You can find it on here if you look but I have done extensive research on circulation back to Issue 100. It's not as bad as you make it out to be. Let's ignore Issue 100 and 115, with it's tons of variants, etc, that each sold over 300,000 copies. #100 and was the highest single book sales in the prior 10 years. The next highest TWD book was 150 at 156,000 but obviously a benchmark book with also a lot of variants. So Issue 109 is next at 90,362. Most issues from 2012 to 2018 are in the range of 65,000 to 85,000. The drop in 2019 saw the lowest point Issue 190 at 42,177. Issue 191 (Rick shot) ticked up a bit at 48,743. So in conclusion, the drop was not from "millions" to tens of thousands. The average drop was from about 75,000 to 45,000. Yes, a big dropoff but still consistently a Top 20 monthly.

Well, I'm definitely in the "this sucks" camp. I'm not like you long timers. I read Compendium 1 after the TV show started. Eventually read Compendiums 2 and 3 then decided to start buying single issues about 166. The only surprise deaths for me were Dwight, Rick and the whole damn series. I'll be glad to pick up any CGC 9.8 2xSS (Kirkman + 1 artist Moore or Adlard. Best yet all three) that I currently do not have in Issues 1 to 50. Only been buying the certified books the past 1.5 years but have no need to sell so I'm sure there will be a dip but I can ride it out in hopes of a rebook. I can see someone buying these single issues eventually - I back collected the single issues to Issue 20. Hoping there is a reboot, my LCS will miss me. TWD was and remains the only comic of interest to me.

Hmmmm… I guess read the digital version until you can track one down?

It's a whole lot easier when you have LCS pull books so you don't miss an issue. I still did not know what was going on but heard something big was brewing. Asked my LCS (they know me as their TWD guy) to drop 2 shelf pulls with my hold book. Next time try calling them in advance and seeing if they will hold one back for you.

80 pages actually including the final fale covers and the letter.

Hi Stephen, I've enjoyed our interactions together so please know I am showing an incredible amount of restraint here in my reply. Your logic is flawed on so many levels. I'll break it down into chunks like Ryan did. 1. Mollie works for CGC. CGC's business model is to get as many people to submit comics for grading as possible. The Registry ONLY exists to further promote the CGC model, to their benefit as we all compete by getting books graded, even some books we don't particularly want to get graded but need them for to complete a set. It also keeps the secondary market for high grade 9.8, 9.9 and 10.0 graded book white hot for competitive collectors. So don't worry if Mollie is spending extra time building sets - that's exactly what CGC wants her to do. 2. I am going to strongly disagree with the logic there should only be 1 Master TWD set that includes the variants. First of all, that set is like 600 books now so can be a 6-figure deal to build the entire thing. Second, even if I wanted to complete this one set, it is virtually impossible for me. Why? Because I was not on the "special list" of people who received all 151 store variants directly from Skybound (152 I think if you include the one that was never released). Do you know how impossible it would be to hunt down all those as raw books and then pray they are 9.8 worthy? Honestly, except for you guys on the inside track, the full set is unattainable on the open market. 3. I love TWD, and I wanted to build a set I could be proud of. So I decided 1-48 would be perfect for me. It allows me to do something no one else has done, at least in the Registry, which is to have all 50 books in that set Signature Series and eventually 2xSS. I'm having fun with it. I will tell you if that shorter set did not exist, I would have stopped buying TWD graded books except the keys and a few extra ones I liked. The Registry set established a goal, and I've been enjoying the 2 years of effort to build it. 4. I have all 60 of the 15ht Ann regular issues, except the 5 1:100 books. All are high grade. I think it would be cool to create that set. Why would you be against that? I don't criticize what people collect. To each their own. By the same logic, don't criticize what others want in the Registry. It is petty and not your place.

I sure as hell hope not. My #19 is 2xSS with a Moore sketch. Great looking book and I did not pay a crazy price given Moore charges $200 for a sketch. Unless of course no one cares anymore. I also had a 9.8 U that I traded for other signed books, even had it reholdered to the new fen version. Still wish I had that to display in my office and if they ever go below $400, I’m buying.

Hey Ryan, Yeah thanks for the heads-up on these, I feel the same. There is even one out now with Stan as Michonne leading “pets”’of Venom Spiderman and Daredevil. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F132867236192 The worst of all is Stan zombie-fied with a Signature on a blank then art done around it https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F283479663610

Thanks! My final goal will be 2xSS or more on every book 1-50 with Kirkman and at least 1 artists - cover or interior. Yeah I love that sketch on #2 because Tony used a fine artist’s pen so it is more detailed than most. It is the icon I use here on the chat boards.

I had something cool happen on this book. An online dealer was selling #27 on eBay with Kirkman and Adlard signatures. He stuck pretty firm to $400 which was a bit more than I wanted to pay and we ended up I think at $375. Book arrives and it is 3 signatures - Kirkman, Adlard AND Rathburn. Entire creative team since Adlard was doing covers and inks then. Rathburn gray tones. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Can you imagine the budget for that many talented actors. Lauren Cohen left over money. Denai became a Marvel Universe superstar. I just wonder if they could have kept the storyline going better if they recast characters who were leaving. And I agree Season 8 was painfully slow. Luckily Season 9 had better pace. Still not as raw as seasons 1-5.

Upgraded my favorite TWD book with a new gen holder and custom TWD label.

Thanks. Yeah, all my moderns are 9.8, most Signature Series so I would like that grade in my collection. I looked at some prices and given it was a big first appearance of 3 characters, looks like I could get most of my $$$ selling through ComicConnect. I personally don't want a 9.6 in a long term collection. Personal preference.

Thanks Ryan. The only defect at all is the minor indentation to the left of Abraham's boot that I zoomed in on and tried to catch in the light. Nothing going on the left side of the book. Let me see if I can get some better pics of it. The rest of the book has no flaws that I can find.

I actually likely won't lose anything $$$ wise. I got the book in a run of 10 for $120, so only $12 in it. I'm sure I could break even if it went to 9.6. This is for my permanent collection, not resale. Maybe I will take a bunch of pics of the small cover indent so people will have more to see.

Ah, ok. So it's more than TWD that has threads dying.

Very apropos description for this thread

I'll bet this thread was really going crazy about Issue 100 with Negan and the TV show starting up. Not much going on here anymore.

Hi, appreciate your opinions. I have never submitted to CGC before but want to get this booked signed by Robert Kirkman and send as Signature Series. But I don’t want less than a 9.8. To me the book is in great shape but I want to call out a minor 1/4” cover indent to the left of the boot. You don’t see it straight on but you can catch it in the light at an angle. I did my best to capture it. Key question is will this DQ it from a 9.8? Signature fees plus grading is about $100, and I will be under water if 9.6. Thanks!!!

Do not believe anything online about Negan coming back. They are basing that on RK’s exit comment in Letter Hacks. He is always throwing people off. I would like to see Negan back, he is a great character with more story to tell but it’s anyone’s guess what the future holds.