Jesse-Lee

A nearby LCS had a "back issue sale" to celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Got these for a buck each: Got these for 6-for$10: Got these for $2.50 each: And I also bought a lot run of Spectacular Spiderman from #101-#123 on eBay - paid an average of $3.04 an issue:

Yeah - if I had my way about it I'd be spending a lot more - and in the past month as I started collecting again, I've definitely spent a lot more. But I also like buying a variety of books, and I do have to be cognizant of other expenses. My wife is very patient but she knows I have a lot of "hobbies," and if I start dropping a grand a month on books it's going to be an issue unfortunately.

Thanks all for helping my perspective on this - I kid you not, literally this morning I found this exact issue - Wolverine 17 - in really nice condition at a nearby LCS's "back issue sale" celebrating Free Comic Book Day. Paid $2.50 for it. Also, because I never learn and I'm too impulsive, I already bought the graded 9.2 before I made this post... But the thing is, I really do like the issue, and I like how it looks slabbed. I guess maybe my use of the word "investment" wasn't right - for books like this for me, I don't plan to sell, so I feel like if I find one in a decent enough grade and it's already slabbed, maybe it's worth it? I guess I meant "investment" in the sense that I wouldn't necessarily lose money if I bought a slabbed book for less than FMV. I'm probably just trying to justify it to myself. One thing I've learned for certain is I could never own a comic book store, because I'd never want to sell anything!

I can't see Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Superboy Prime maybe... He seems too whiny to me for some reason. I could imagine Chris Pratt, or Bradley Cooper. Someone along those lines. That said, I'll see this when it comes out. As a DC comics fanboy, I have to give props to Marvel on how great their movies and overall movie strategies have been. DC just plain dropped the ball when it comes to movies.

Sorry, double post for some reason

So, I'm not new to comics in general, but definitely new to slabbed books and more "serious" collecting overall. One of the pieces of advice I've heard a time or two was to not buy moderns under a 9.8 if possible. But it got me thinking - there are a number of books I want that fall in the copper or modern category that either I can't necessarily afford in a 9.8, or if I try to buy raw, it's a crapshoot. Here's an actual, tangible example: I really love the Wolverine #17 cover. Classic Byrne cover, Wolvie ready to strike on a simple red background. It sells lately between $125-$180 on eBay in a 9.8 (goCollect lists it at $180 FMV). In my budget situation right now, I could buy that single book and then nothing else for 2-3 months. Or I could buy a lower grade or raw copy and continue to buy other, lower priced stuff like new books and lower-priced back issues every couple of weeks. Raw copies of that book typically sell between $8-$20 depending on grade, but you're relying on a seller's grading and some online photos, so you can't be assured of a high grade. I recently found a copy of Wolverine #17 in a CGC 9.2 for $45 shipped. So based on raw books, you're paying a $20 premium over a presumptive NM (using the $20 sales price for raw as a ceiling), but you're guaranteed a minimum 9.2 grade and your investment shouldn't really diminish over time if it's a solid performing book (vs. buying what you hope/think is a NM+ raw copy and having it come back an 8.5 for example). Am I thinking about this wrong? Should I pass on 9.2, 9.4, etc and save for 9.8 only because of future investment? Or should you just buy what you like at good prices you find and rest assured in the fact that solid books should appreciate regardless of grade? Or am I just overthinking the whole thing? Either way, I freaking love that cover and have a sweet CGC NM- coming my way, and it looks great.

My kid just got the new "battle pass" and was showing me all the available skins - Thor, Wolverine, Mystique, She-Hulk, Storm. I'll admit it does look pretty cool. Just based off my anecdotal evidence, I've tried to get him into comics for years (he's 12), and he thinks they're ok, but doesn't really care. He likes the movies and he loves the game - they had a Deadpool skin a while back and he thought that was really cool, even though I won't let him watch the movie yet - but as for actual comics, he could take them or leave them. Honestly, I feel like if it gives a bump to anything it might be to digital issues. My kids love their devices to the point where I've seen them watching tv and movies on their phone in the living room, where we have a 70" TV. They'll sit there, TV off, eyes glued to their phone video...

Eyyy!

Don't drink and bid... Eh, it's not that bad, got it for $30 and it is a cool cover, but probably should have passed and found a 9.8 on the 'bay if I really wanted it instead of impulse clicking - shipping cost is half the book cost! Ah well, I'm sure I can break even if I don't want it; price is peanuts compared to the heavy hitters in this thread!

Added a couple new books from an old shop I last visited in college more than 20 years ago - cool to go back. Not pictured is Batman 97 (cardstock cover) and The Three Jokers (standard cover). The Shadow of the Bat was a $1 bin find, and I think it's kind of cool.

I visited a comic shop today I haven't been to since probably 1997. When I was in college, I'd go to this shop and it was like a hoarder's paradise/nightmare - magazines and comics piled everywhere. Back then you couldn't get into the overflowing long boxes because you'd have to pick up giant stacks of stuff. New books were stacked in piles on the floor, wherever they fit. Today, the shop is super clean and super organized - back issues all nicely boxed, a proper "new this week" rack on the wall, shelves of wall books behind the counter. The old owner passed away years ago, but the new guys seem to be doing a great job. It looked like an entirely different place! Anyway, I picked up a couple more new bat-books, and then I found this neat Shadow of the Bat #1 set in a $1 bin, still polybagged. Comes with some cool inserts - I looked at pics online, I want to keep this one bagged for now just because it's kind of cool. I also found Spiderman Unlimited #1 - not in a dollar bin - but at a really fair price for its condition, which is outstanding.

Thanks - I was hoping it'd grade it that range, that's what I actually thought when I saw it.

I feel like that looks better than a 5.5 - it's really bright!

That's awesome, I just picked up a copy of that same book!

Ha, it's the very first thing I thought when I saw it!

I remember liking Cosmic Odyssey - probably been 25 years since I read it though...

A mix of old and new

Just got this one...

Sorry for the bad pic - some more bat-books and a few random covers I liked.

This book is my favorite in my collection - I wrote about why here in another thread. Long story short, it was the book that started my love of comics, and I still have my original copy from my dad. I just got a nice deal on a cleaner copy, and I'd love opinions on a grade. I included a pic of my original copy too just for fun. I think it would actually be really cool to get both copies slabbed, just because of the meaning it holds to me - we'll see...

Batman #209 - I wrote about why this book is so important to me in another thread. Here's my new copy and a side-by-side with my dad's original copy:

When I was a kid, probably no more than 7 or 8, I was visiting my grandparents when my grandma told me she found a box of my dad's comic books. She said I could look through them if I wanted to. They were kind of musty and falling apart from reading for the most part, but to me they were amazing. And right on top was this weird and crazy cover of Batman as a tiger, stalking Robin - it just seemed like such a cool image to me at that age, and it made my imagination run wild. I opened that one first and read it, then spent the day reading about Teen Titans, Superboy, Lois Lane turning into a centaur, the X-men battling Juggernaut. So many cool books - I was hooked. But Batman #209 is what really started it all for me. Do you remember your first book? I still have my dad's copy of Batman #209, and I was recently able to get a much, much cleaner copy for a really good price. Here's a few pics:

The indicia is the printing information, usually in the bottom front or back of the book (first or last page) that tells info like the name of the comic, the company who prints/distributes it, when it was printed/distributed, etc. OPG is the Overstreet Price Guide, a comic pricing and grading guide.