RockMyAmadeus

WHERE. IS. WARLOCK?? GRRRRR.

Just keep in mind: unless Marvel or a retailer who orders a store variant tells you upfront, nobody knows the actual print run of anything. "1:100, 1:500, 1:1000"...those numbers have no bearing on how many Marvel actually prints. They're just numbers that retailers need to meet to qualify to order the incentive. Anyone telling you different 1. doesn't know what they're talking about, and 2. is probably trying to sell you something. See recent: "limited to 600!!" recent fiasco.

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Why are you two absolutely hellbent on provoking a fight...? What do you hope to accomplish? Petty vengeance? What is your end goal, here? Do you want @Architecht to ban me? Will that make the two of you happy...? Do you think you two will be able to endlessly provoke conflict and get away with it forever...?

I wonder what would happen if other people behaved the way "Alex Forrest/Eric Cartman Stu" behaved...you know, eff you, eff your rules, I do what I want, try and stop me...I wonder what the ramifications would be in such a world...

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Of course, it goes without saying...as EVERYTHING "Alex Forrest/Eric Cartman Lyin' Stu" says...that that's not even remotely the same situation. Distinction? Eff distinction. But he wouldn't understand that, because he's lawless, and eff your rules. Whatever. He does what he wants. I wonder what would happen if other people behaved the same way...? You know, did whatever they wanted, and dared people to stop them... Those were special fan projects, done for fans, by fans. They were made available AT COST, some of which had substantially higher value (Magnus #0, Solar #10, Harbinger #1, etc.) They were never intended to be resold, and it's sad and pathetic that people got involved with the sole intent to flip them...and to whom? Why, the fans who missed out in the first place! Of course it "reeked" of profiteering...those projects were done by fans, FOR fans...not flippers. Their express reason for being was to recognize and celebrate a shared, common passion. And mine...? To date, nearly 15 years after the first project, I still haven't sold a single one. Gave a few away, though. Because profit, right...? That's like the guy who lies to the creator and says "I'm your #1 fan!!!!" and the creator foolishly does something special for them, only to find that gesture up for sale on eBay....at which point, the creator takes it out on everyone else. That's not at all the situation being discussed here, but, naturally, "Alex Forrest/Eric Cartman Lyin' Stu" can't be bothered with such petty (to him) distinctions. I do love how people from the "it's not FAIR!!!" crowd make things up like "telling people what they can/can't do"...it's a frequent argument you hear by those who are offended that anyone suggests people behave a certain way. Saying what someone shouldn't do always, always translates to "telling" people what they can/can't do. No, you can do whatever you want...the only people who can actually tell you what you can/cannot do, and have the power to enforce it, are people in authority, and I am certainly not one of those. You can almost hear them stomping their footie pajamas on the floor, yelling "you can't tell ME what to do!!!" at the top of their lungs. You're right, I can't. That doesn't mean I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do.

Too bad that's not really true. You'd tolerate it for about a day, day and a half, then reality would hit you, and you'd quickly change course. Reality's got a funny way of doing that to people...

Oh, yeah, totally. I was set to clear at least $3 billion in fat profits this year, but since the CGC punishment tax, it's only going to be $1.5 billion. Shucks.

It's a false argument, but let's entertain it for a second, just to demonstrate its folly... See this book? A copy of this book, in this grade, signed by Liefeld, sold for $26 on eBay in January. That was before Liefeld's current CGC ban went into effect. To replace that book...which is the only valid economic method of determining the value of just about anything...it would cost $30 to slab ($24 if you're a dealer), about $8 to ship, on average, $60 for Liefeld to sign, and another $20 on top of that for Liefeld's CGC punishment tax (someone feel free to correct me on the amount Liefeld charged, but it's ballpark.) So....you know, since everyone is so concerned with the BOTTOM LINE and everything...what is the BOTTOM LINE here..? It would cost a MINIMUM of $112-$120 just to get the book signed and slabbed. And that's IF the cost of the book is set at $0 AND all the other costs...time, labor, etc...of obtaining that signature at $0 also. It sold for $26, plus shipping, which means Pete Dixon made about $20 on it...putting his "net profit" (considering replacement cost) at NEGATIVE $92-$100. Is it any big loss, then, that Liefeld won't do CGC anymore...? Not really. He priced himself right out of the market anyways. Only the highest graded, ultra keys...like New Mutants #87 and #98...are "worth slabbing" at his costs. So if you want a New Mutants Annual #5, because it's his first New Mutants work...? You'll pay far more than it's worth, AND you may not get the grade you want. I'm glad I got the books I have, and I'm sad I didn't pursue them more aggressively. My Liefeld New Mutants 9.8 run is incomplete, and likely to stay that way for mannnnny years to come. And you know what...? It's nobody else's business. What someone may PROFIT is no one else's business, and what someone may LOSE is no one else's business. That's the point. Don't count my money, and I won't count yours.

X-Men/New Teen Titans

And on this point, which has also been addressed 1,001 times: yes, everyone who sells a Sig Series book is trying to "profit off their signatures." And...? Did you know publishers try to profit off of far more effort than just signatures...? Did you know printers try to profit off of far more effort than just signatures...? Did you know distributors try to profit off of far more effort than just signatures...? Did you know retailers try to profit off of far more effort than just signatures...? Yes...in whatever degree a person sells SS slabs, they are trying to "profit" off a creator's signature. Again...AND...? If the creator doesn't want people profiting off his work, the choice is simple: charge so much that not a single person, on the sweetest book, could ever profit...or don't sign. What someone does with their property is THEIR BUSINESS and THEIR BUSINESS ALONE. All the fancy arguments and justifications don't have any bearing on that. The creator can sign...or not sign...charge whatever he/she wants...but what someone does with their legally obtained property is none of their business. And, if creators want to be so greedy and selfish as to raise their prices to remove any potential for profit for anyone, guess what...? People won't support them anymore. No sigs...no new books being bought...and then what? What you preach is just another facet of socialism: "it's not FAIR!!!" If creators are smart...and many of them are....they'll figure out a balance, a way to make it work for everyone involved, that doesn't involve discriminatory practices against one segment of their fan base...and yes, SS people ARE fans, for the most part, despite the claims of the socialist crowd...and recognizes the ACTUAL VALUE of their signature in the market. And that's all anyone is asking for.

Your understanding is false, and demonstrates that you have no interest in an honest discussion, but rather want to continue in the dishonest vein of provocateurs like "Stu" and "Logan510." I have already explained this...multiple times...and I will do it again here: I do not care what a creator charges. They are free to charge whatever they want. If they want to charge $10,000,000,000 for their signature, that is THEIR RIGHT. I will decide if it makes economic sense to me at that time. If it does, great. If it does not, then I will move on. The issue was, is, and has always been the DIFFERENT CHARGE between "raw" signatures and "slabbed" signatures, as has been explained so many times, and in so many ways, only the immensely thick, or the persistently dishonest, would claim otherwise. If you and a handful of others want to continue to attempt to muddy the argument by false accusations, then you will be answered.

Where are you getting print run info for this book...? Do you mean North American sales numbers....?

That's always been the classic grade hammer, even long before CGC...and rightly so...the color breaking crease. Even an otherwise 9.8 book with a single 2" CBC is now, at best, an 8.5...usually an 8.0. Very rarely a 9.0, but that book had better be gorgeous. I saw that edge creasing, plus that diagonal crease in the LRC, and I figured that was the nail in its coffin. I wavered at 6.5 for a while, but went with 6.0.

We should get bonus points. Isn't catching the small details what this game is all about...?

I take out of towners up to the Griffith Park Observatory any chance I get. It's beautiful up there, with the whole city laid out before you. Parking's tough, but not too bad if you go on an off day. Only better view is at the Getty, in my opinion.

That's much better. Should have gone with my gut, though. The Doc Strange I had at 7, and changed to 6.5...while the Doc Savage I had at a 6.5, and changed to 6.0. Changed the Cap from 7.5 to 7.0, so yay. Only whiffed on the B&B. Like others said, it got hammered.

The outer cover of the Doc Savage is 6.5, not 7.5. Does that change any scores?

Don't need to beat everybody...just need to beat your opponent. That said...ick.

bighairjer against nohairjoe. Oh, and grades in.

I can't wait. Lotsa smug "dealers" who know nothing of the history of the market, and think everything, from Fantasy #15 to She-Hulk #38, is worth $$$$ and you have to ask 5 times FMV for it. They should enjoy the ride while it lasts. I amassed the vast bulk of my collection between 1997-2003, when you couldn't give comics away.

Yes, as I mentioned before, there is an "ignore" function...tepid as it may be...if one needs help. Or, one can simply choose to conduct oneself in a rational, reasonable manner. Obnoxious and annoying as that statement may be to some, it's still true.

See, now, that's a personal shot that just creates the very hostility you're complaining about. You can't have it both ways, "kevhtx."