Gonzimodo

One of our local Half-Price Books had one of these years ago going for $100 (I think), but I hemmed and hawed and by the time I decided I wanted to buy it, it was gone. Considering I live in Columbus, I figured I would have seen more of them by now, but that's the only copy I've ever seen in person.

Shouldn't be too hard for his enemies to figure out his secret identity...

What is it with AI and its inability to draw hands?! One hand = five fingers. Seems pretty simple...

My biggest regret as a toy collector is not buying those last Power of the Force figures back when Kay-Bee Toys had a huge bin of them for $1 each. I stopped buying Star Wars figures about halfway through the Return of the Jedi line because I had lost interest in them and was more focused on GI Joe and Robotech. Of course, I also did not spring for the Imperial shuttles on clearance for $15 or the Robotech Veritech fighter and officer's battle pod because they were also $15, which was more than I could afford at the time, and I figured they'd be around forever, anyway...

They did - "msf" graded it once, and "vof" graded it twice!

I think you're right, but I'm guessing he'll be on the sidelines a lot longer this time - at least until the current editorial and creative "talent" at Marvel are gone. It may be awhile...

They've already made the sail barge and Unicron, so it wouldn't be their first Buick-sized chunk of plastic.

I think my general idea of what things were worth mostly came from the sales ads in the comics, themselves (Mile High, New England Comics, Lone Star, etc.). I had a couple Overstreet guides at some point, but they were mostly just fun to look through and dream about things I could never have. ($50 for a Hulk 181?! $100 for Giant-Size X-Men 1?! Preposterous!) Say what you will about it, but Wizard was an absolute godsend when it appeared.

I backed the Dragonfly, even though I currently have no place to display it, but it was one of my favorites as a kid. A VAMP would be absolutely stellar, although they would probably put out a more modern (Pursuit of Cobra) version rather than the original. The Killer WHALE would be huge and probably cost $500 at a minimum, but I'd find a way... It's still my all-time favorite Joe vehicle, and having a monster-sized one would be so much fun!

Well said. If I were a dealer, I'd absolutely continue to submit, because the risk is worth the reward, and the comics are just being slabbed for (hopefully) quick resale. There is generally little to no personal connection to the comics, themselves - they're just inventory to be sold, and slabbing them can significantly increase what you can get for them. Minor blemishes to the slabs may cut into your profits a little here and there, and true ME issues are an annoying inconvenience, but not enough to be a true disincentive to stop submitting. As a private collector, I have a more personal connection to the comics. They're not just any old comics, they're my comics, and I don't want to deal with all these potential pitfalls, especially for certain books I would never be able to replace. Sure, if something bad were to happen to them, CGC or insurance could make me whole monetarily, but my comics would be gone or damaged or stuck in plastic holders that looks like oil-slicked, rainbow garbage and may be mislabeled. Then I have to take the risk of sending them in again and just hoping CGC provides the product they claim they do in the first place, which is seeming less and less likely. No, thanks! If they can right the ship, I would LOVE to submit some of my comics for grading and slabbing, and I would probably also become a big cheerleader. But right now? No way!

LMAO! The board auto-edits are amazing!

I like pie.

There should be a guide to all the different warring factions here on the boards for us relative newbies.

The two that come to mind immediately are GI Joe and the Oktober Guard in GI Joe #6 & 7 (pretty obvious from my profile pic, but not really a superhero book) and Spider-Man and the X-Men in Marvel Team-Up #150. These probably would not be on anyone else's top ten lists, but I read them multiple times very early in my collecting days, and they really left an impression. I still love both stories.

Updates in this thread used to be the highlight of my day. I can't believe it's been dormant so long.

But when are the prominent members of the community going to weigh in...?

I won't consider being a customer of CGC until they solve the Newton ring issue. It now sounds as though that will probably never happen, because CGC apparently doesn't even see it as an issue. (I guess I'm just an OCD nerd or whatever. ) If I were to trust, sorry, "intrust" CGC with some of the comics in my collection, I would think of them being graded and slabbed as their final form, so to speak, so I don't want dinged-up cases and ugly Newton rings. I want "crystal-clear" plastic with "superior optics" that "unleash a comic's true color and vibrancy," "making it ideal for visual display and preservation." That's what they market to us, so that's what they should provide, especially considering what they charge. CGC is simply not consistently providing what they say they do, so I've decided I won't do business with them until that changes. Regardless of that, I love the boards because they're an excellent source of information and entertainment, and they showcase a true love of comics from so many people with a lot of comics history and experience. It's simply the best comics-centric place I've found online that isn't overrun by a bunch of hyperactive psychos who think they know everything about comics because they've seen a few MCU movies and downloaded the Key Collector app. So I'm sticking around until CGC starts charging for it or throws me out.

That is impressive, to say the very least!

Sure, just keep telling yourself that...

I loved that game and spent way too many hours playing it. These days, it's comedic watching me try to use an xBox or Playstation controller. Give me more than a joystick and one button and I'm basically useless.

To get back on topic, though, yes, I have a full run of GI Joe: A Real American Hero 1-300 from Marvel through IDW, plus all the peripheral series from Dark Horse, Image, and IDW.

Nice! Even though I have since bought a NM copy for my regular collection, I will never part with my original GI Joe #7, which is the comic that started off my comics collecting journey.

This is very true! It's hard to explain, but I have a lot more appreciation for the comics I bought fresh off the stands than for the ones I later bought to fill in the gaps in my collection. Those later purchases somehow feel cheapened by the fact that I'm not necessarily the original owner. It really doesn't make any sense, but I can be kind of a weirdo sometimes...

I've been really getting into the Marvel Retro 3.75" line recently. I don't like most of the similar lines out right now, but for some reason, this one just feels right to me. (I should absolutely be the target consumer for the GI Joe ReAction figures, but they mostly just irritate me.) I got this guy in the mail today, and I love it!

I thought of doing, that actually!