Aman619

Disappeared? Or came to their senses!  They dodged a bullet and became a bit more aware of the dangers of chasing highest graded copies. 

who owns the 9.0s?  Metropolis?  wow!

I dunno.  first question:  why are the dimensions of the book taller than the comics they reprint?  there's 2-3" of dead WHITE SPACE ON EACH PAGE.  Is this part of a series of books that started with the taller dimension Modern comics reprints, so these are forced to live on pages that are too tall for the squarer dimensions 50-60s pages?  lame

Also, not much in the way of greatness in these stories.  A collector would be better off getting reading copies of these issues. Yeah it would cost a lot more, but it's not as if these PCs will increase in value.  They go down in time.  Like all the HC we have all bought al these years cause they are so cool when new..  just IMO.

OK I looked at a different set and yes, the HC page size was designed for newer taller comics which fit well on the pages.  SO they preferred that each book line up on shelves better than how the stories themselves read on page.  clever.

6.5 is a pretty high grade for it, but just shy of a must have for million dollar buyers. So price wouldn't necessarily march upward on every opportunity if a few eligible buyers arent willing to go all out on a copy in a particular auction.  I guess.  I mean 1.8 is probably record price, or equal to prior sales (cant recall)  and 6 times what 6's sold for a decade ago.

On 3/16/2024 at 1:40 PM, Marty Mann said:

First appearance of Groot!  If this were a Timely I’d bet some would argue this seriously!

yeah  like the Pharaohs, hire contractors to build you a hidden storage space...  but dont forget to kill them all when they are done.  Its not pretty, but it works.

yeah and if youve ridden up Nvidia all the way, and just sold cause its finally dropping, youve got a lot of new cash to play with.  good point.

so has Clayface been chosen for the next Batman movie?  This is a 9.0 already over 3K.

clearly, with a 6.0 selling for 3M (even if the result of a bit too much enthusiasm for that rocket stamp) and the Superman 1 for 5.4M last year, IMO anything less than 6M will be disappointing. (remember there's still 3 copies better out there that we know about).   As bullish as I am for these keys, kinda make me wish I ponied up for one of these million dollar books cause as high as they sold for then, there sure was a lot more bread in them long-term!  as we are seeing.  But these are going to a new breed of collector, who unfortunately just came along a few decades late to our party to get them cheap..

quickest ever bidding to a million bucks??

as to Snyder, every time I catch WATCHMEN on, I watch a little bit, and stay until the end.  A great movie.

where in the world will all that stuff go?  it needs a warehouse, and is already IN one!?

I watched the film last night.  I should say, I finished it last night after 2 nights of watching a third and a third.  I had to stop the first 2 nights cause I felt I had better things to do with the time. Overall, though, I was impressed with most of the FX -- some creatures looked too cartoony, sure, but the entire film was FX with faces added under CGS generated flowing hair.   I grimaced at too many of the jokes and dialogue.  And so many plot points were similar to Thor (brothers fighting, then pairing up) etc.  Enough with Blank Manta!!  typo but I like t!   That helmet is red and cool, but so stupid!  And the ending --- "I Am Aquaman!"   seriouslyl? We arent expected to recall dialogue from a decade ago??  Also, do we know exactly what Aquamans powers are?  How strong is he?  Like too many super-hero fights (even human fights like Wick)  he takes a beating, gets knocked out, or weakened.  But then pops right back up!  Same even with Superman!  Either they are superhuman. or they arent!  Or have limited strength and is consistently handled.  AND --- way too many times a last second rescue appears when a hero is down and about to be killed or whatever.  There's exactly zero surprises. Yup -- defeat Mants, only to take on the REAL bad guy underneath the plot.   It was not a very original or compelling movie. Just played by itself until the badguys were finally put down (though Black Manta fell down a hole so he will be back --- which is a mistake..  I know Aquaman never had a roster of villains to tap into.  But it's like Spider always fighting Green Goblin, or Superman with Luthor!  enough!  However, somehow, I dont regret watching it.. and cant say I hated it.  Compared to an original excitingly visual treat like the animated Miles Spidey films? filled with action, graphic creativity, human interest and warmth, etc etc...  no contest

but great for a collection of a dozen slabs!

funny they call them "vaults"...  I dont know of real vaults that are light enough to walk away with AND come with sturdy handles!

I think I hear a door closing somewhere... someone leaving these all behind...  great books.  They should probably be unique enough to attract healthy bids in the current climate,

great guy. Solid friend.  Will miss him... sucks.

as far as you know!  He was not a very popular guy with other creators...

"One hopes Kirby will be given total free rein, that he will be allowed to ride his dreams wherever they take him, for the journey is a special one, and we get visionaries like Kirby only once in a generation, if we’re terribly lucky."

was this part of a eulogy? or a jacket blurb?  Doesn't sound like how people talk in private.

Harlan Ellison??  jeez. is he the icon of something you espouse?  good writer, I guess, horrible person.

On 2/23/2024 at 7:02 PM, Prince Namor said:

Or face the facts that in reality, that Stan Lee stole CREDIT and PAY from those artists.

which perhaps Jack would have also have done in that alternate universe where he is the boss.  To coin a famous Boards saying: I (often) think your moral compass is wound too tightly!  : )

you know, walk a mile in another mans shoes and see things from the other side!

here's one:  Martin Goodman chooses Kirby, his top guy, to replace Stan.  Kirby runs the show, and soon has little time to draw anymore, bogged down on day to day editing and publishing stuff. But, the money is good for the family so he stays!  Eventually, as happen, he has to make business decision, fire artists, delegate everything and as the company man, takes a hard line of their freelance rates and all the other stuff Greedy Stan was trashed for.  And takes credit not only for the early stuff he created and plotted and drew, but everything from then on that he had a hand in.  Ends up the face of Marvel, and while a big success, sometimes he wishes Stan had stayed and he remained a full time creator and artist that everyone liked, and not the focal point for all criticism of the plantation system he runs for new owners every few years.  That would be a great What If issue!

On 2/23/2024 at 5:05 PM, shadroch said:

So it's 1961, and Stan has left Marvel.  Goodman grabs another of his seemingly inter-changeable relations to man a zombie comic division where long-time journeymen like Kirby and Ditko keep putting out six-page schlock.

An all-male Challengers homage attempts to reach the moon and gains powers but the story is quickly forgotten.  As is a cute story about a kid getting bit by a Spider.                          Stan heads to Hollywood, hoping to make it big in movies.  Months later, a young writer named Mel Brooks introduces Stan to his friend Walt, who is looking for new talent. 

Kirby doesn't get along with his new boss and leaves to do covers for Treasure Chest for a decade before failing eyesight makes full-time work hard. 

Ditko keeps doing what he does ,and few notices when he cuts back on his work. 

Jim Shooter sends a script to DC, ending in the circular file.  He ends up playing for the Washington Generals for a few years before opening a coffee shop.

Sterenko ends up a professional magician, Chris Claremont takes a job teaching literature at a women's college, and John Bryne ends up a goalie for a semi-pro team in Kitchener.  Roy Thomas, Berni Wrightson, and Mike Kaluta open a head shop in Brooklyn where a young Phil Seuling discovers an underground comix.  Steve Borock, like most of his generation, outgrows comics at puberty and formed an all-kazoo Dead cover band before settling down in Marin County.

Many fans try to organize early shows but nothing comes of them.  A few years later, a teenager in Denver joins the Air Force and is in Omaha when the world's greatest collection is set out to the curb by the Church family.

so many possibilities in this alternate universe!

I’m with CIA and I recall them saying they don’t cover it.  Maybe that was many years ago and now they do?

On 2/23/2024 at 11:37 AM, buttock said:

"The buck stops here" doesn't mean "I'm the guy on whom all blame falls".  If you think that's how Truman operated, then why did he fire MacArthur?  

It means I believe that all responsibility for my actions and all those reporting to me — is all mine.  I don’t recall my history re MacArthur so I can’t comment.  But wasn’t he a primadonna? Who had gone past his usefulness?