JiveTurkeyMoFo

Okay, so we are a little over two months out from EliteCon.

We are updating our Facebook page page daily with new items, promotions, and a taste for the high quality comics, Pops!, toys, and other assorted items that will be at the show. The emphasis has been on toys and Pops recently on the FB page, but don't worry, there won't be any shortage of high quality comics. We will be updating our vendor list shortly with new additions and looking forward to making this a great show for serious collectors.

We've also added two additional Admission's tiers. A Gold Level gives you everything the Platinum level does, but without the early access and without the $50 voucher. And a Silver Level that is essentially just a Buyer's Pass, without the ability to bring your own material to vend and without the exclusive Con T-shirt.

Please remember, we aren't planning on doing sales at the door....if you want to attend, reserve now and take advantage of the 20% Discount on Silver and Gold tier admission currently still in place on our site.

Well, anyone who watched last night's 2-episode mid-season premiere of Rebels finally knows why Saw is considered an extremist. Nice to hear Forrest Whitaker give voice to the character, who was actually much better developed then in Rogue One. The "Skywalker" reference was hilarious.

 

I really think Rogue One requires the viewer to have seen the animated Star Wars films/ shows, or read some graphic novel/ book especially ones that featured Saw. Otherwise you have no real idea who he is.

For the casual fan, you are correct...luckily, there is some help coming...

Second half of season 3 looks pretty awesome, and the show itself has a been on a steady trajectory toward attracting a more adult audience since it began. New episodes kick off tonight.

when a little girl rips the film up like this, how can you think this was a end all to be all movie???

 

Right, because passive-aggressive millenials are the new go-to movie experts.

so is it a good movie?

 

It's a very good movie. By all means see it in the theater.

If ever they packaged Rogue One on Blueray back to back with the original cut of Star Wars, it would become such a ridiculous money maker for Disney. Would love to see a Directors Cut of RO as well.

The Vader scene at the end . . .

 

Yea, BIG time. Movie was entertaining, but that scene was just awesome. Not as exciting as when Yoda opened up his can of whoop- in Episode II, but pretty close. I wasn't expecting it.

 

I just don't get it, and another issue I have with the movie.

 

Vader should move like he did fighting Obi Wan in Star Wars. When I see the end of R1, I wanna poke my eyes out. That's not in continuity with the story at all and I take it as a big FU to me personally as the studio is saying "look what we can do now with computers, to hell with everything else you ever known"

 

Jim

Honestly, I hated the Yoda vs. Dooku battle because of the over-indulgent use of CGI, but, as someone who saw the original Star Wars as a 3-year-old and has been immersed in Star Wars ever since, I don't understand this criticism toward the Vader scene at all -- why in the world would they handcuff him by sticking to that awkward, clunky, limited fighting style? Just to stay in continuity?! The Vader in R1 was so much more fluid and mowed through the troopers with superhuman power and dexterity (the way he should)! With as complex and sophisticated as fight choreography has gotten since 1977 (as we saw with Ray Park -- one of the genuine bright spots of the prequels), why would they try to portray one of the most powerful entities in the galaxy in such a stilted, unconvincing style?

 

This scene genuinely *floored* me in a way that most Star Wars movies have so disappointingly failed to do since ROTJ. I can't even comment on most of the rest of R1 because I can't get past how visceral the impression of actually seeing Vader unleashed was: Vader as an relentless, unfeeling, brutal instrument of terror. For me, this was the saga finally living up to its potential and, for once, this jaded fan actually left the theater feeling "satisfied". There have been so many blown opportunities with villains like Maul and Fett (or even the off-camera Anakin/Vader carnage in E2 and E3) where I just felt there was so much unrealized potential. I'm really not the biggest Vader fan nor am I even much of a CGI fan, but this was pure SW porn to me and I was absolutely giddy as the scene unfolded: His blitzing attack, the horror and panic from the rebel soldiers, the desperation to get rid of the plans, it was just masterful.

 

I'm truly sorry that you couldn't enjoy it, because, again, as a fan of the saga for nearly 40 years now, this was one of its highest points.

 

I respect your opinion and point of view. I just see it as rewriting history. If Vader was capable of all that carnage, then why bother sending in the Stormtroopers at all on the Blockade Runner in A New Hope....Vader could have intercepted the plans much quicker himself and the entire movie could have been over in five minutes.

 

I'm not interested in seeing what should have been, I want to see what was.

 

Jim

Yeah, but its not "rewriting history" Jim, it's improving on what was a huge limitation of the original film. Both Alec Guinness (mid 60s) and Ian McDiarmid (mid 50s) were asked to perform the role of master Jedi/Sith lightsabre wielders on film, neither with much training and both at an age were mobility and flexibility were leaving them. In both cases, Kenobi's fight against Vader and Palpatine's duel against four Master Jedi were weak points in the saga, as neither was all that convincing. Palpatine's victory over his four opponents was even less believable, as the film version expected us to suspend our disbelief that this aged man was really the most fearsome force wielder in the universe. I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas decided this fight needed to be "fixed" at one point if the technology allows for it to be, heck he had to add in a few CGI flips and tumbles to try and make the final product more palatable, not to mention all the heavy lifting was done by a stunt double.

Compare his dispatching of the four Master Jedi with his animated series counterpart fighting Maul and his brother. Which clip better depicts Palpatine as the genuinely dangerous Sith he was described to be in canon? And which one looks ridiculous with his telegraphed slow-as-molasses lunges and melodramatic snarls?

Technology allows for a correction. There is nothing wrong with that. Except when Han doesn't shoot first, of course.

To be fair, Saw had nearly more lines in the trailers than he did in the final movie. Chalk it up to the reworking of the movie to make it less dire/grim as Saw is a pretty grim personality.

Good news is, Forrest Whitaker voiced him in the new Rebels episodes, so be sure to catch those if you want to get more background on the character.

I'm glad they figured out how to CGI Tarkin and Leia, because if they continue making movies like this, they'll be needing to CGI an audience for them.

$155 Million Domestic....$290 Million Worldwide....not bad for a movie where the most prominent actor was doing voice-overs.

That bothers me like Darth Maul only being in one film.

This bothered me for the longest time too....one of the coolest looking villains in the franchise was given a couple of brief lines then sliced in half to (apparently) fall to his demise. It wasn't until someone turned me onto the Clone Wars that I discovered he didn't die, and that his backstory (like the fact he had a brother),relationship with Palpatine, and ongoing ambitions were treated with great thought in both that series and forward into Rebels. As I mentioned before, he had a long and interesting life after Phantom Menace and his role in Star Wars canon isn't done yet. He won't return in the films, but he has proven to be a much more complex villain in the two animated series then he ever was in Episode 1.

I wonder how much of this weekend's box-office will be affected because of the winter storm in the Northeast. Because of the extreme cold, the Department of Transportation couldn't treat the roads in my next of the woods as most likely others too, for yesterday's snow event and now we have an ice storm today.

 

I remember reading* in 2003, a blizzard hit when Daredevil opened and it was considered a factor for it's underwhelming (for the studio) weekend cume (could have been the movie too.)

 

*Entertainment Weekly

We went to see it last night at a 9:30 showing. We thought the theater would be close to capacity, but in reality, there was less then 15 people. I did find the 3-D to be a waste, and distracting at times. Would prefer to see it on an IMAX screen next time.

I had very high expectations heading into the film, and was pleasantly surprised that most of them were met. Very grim film, which was a little surprising since the reshoots were supposed to lighten it a little, can't imagine what the original cut was like.

It delivered the one thing I've been wanting in a Star Wars movie since before the Prequels....a SW movie made for an adult audience.

As for criticisms of the characters being under developed, desperate times make desperate people....I didn't need to see the charred husks of their aunt and uncle to know why each character joined the rebellion or why they were fighting the Empire...that's already well established. The movie itself seemed to follow a chronology that spanned a few days to a week at most...not a lot of "real" time for all the characters to be fleshed out and get to know one another even if there was more screen time to devote to it. Should also mention that Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker's character) is going to be featured in the 2nd half of Star Wars Rebels Season 3 (which takes place roughly five years before a New Hope), and its not inconceivable that Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, or even Bodhi Rook (the imperial pilot who was from Jedha) might also appear. Anyone who watched the Clone Wars will attest to the fact that Anakin Skywalker's character was fleshed out SO much better than in the prequels....a luxury to be sure when you have 5-6 seasons of episodes to work with. In fact, if you are a SW fan, and you haven't watched the Clone Wars or Rebels, you are selling yourself short...all the events are canon, and they do wonders for the development of major characters, not the least of which is Darth Maul, who did not die after being unceremoniously cut in half by Obiwan in the Phantom Menace, but in fact has led a pretty full and active life in the SW universe.

Anyway, the attention to detail was fantastic...lots of connective tissue to a New Hope, from the instrument panels to the vehicles. The fact the the Death Star plans were stored on "tape" back-up was hilarious (and not in a bad way)...the whole movie felt very "analog" and I think it captured the spirt of the original trilogy better than any movie since ROTJ. I found nothing to be distracting or off-putting, even Tarkin's CGI was pretty good....it all worked as intended. The final Act was also memorable, and I'd go back to see it just for that.

As for where it ranks among the other SW movies....somewhere after the the original trilogy (because I'm old and they hold a special place in my heart), but ahead of the Prequels and slightly ahead of the Force Awakens. Love the nod to the Rebel series in the one pre-space battle shot.

What`s the buzz on this movie? So far I am not getting the same feeling as last year.

People are not coming up to me and saying are you going to see Star Wars like they did last year. I am sure it`s going to do huge box office, but for some reason the excitement isn`t there as last year.

 

Disclaimer I saw Star Wars The Force Awakens three times with three different groups of people last year.

The consensus with Rogue One is they will catch it on Netflix or blu-ray it. These were people who stood in long lines with me, and drove around with me to find places to see it when it was sold out everywhere.

 

I know I will be there over the December 16th weekend to see it. Rain or snow.

 

Are people a bit weary because Ep 7 may not have lived up to expectations, you think?

I'm actually the opposite. I wasn't that pumped for EP 7, but I'm really looking forward to Rogue One. Going back to that period, with the same vehicles and outfits and stuff, gets me really excited. That's the Star Wars I know and love.

I'm with you. I enjoyed Force Awakens, but it felt more like a reboot or reimagining of the originals and it left me a little let down. Great action sequences, but too much reliance on age-old characters and familiar quips. It's okay.

Now, Rogue One is a different story. I became intrigued when it was first announced. I was modestly enthusiastic when the reshoots were happening because the first cut of the movie was "too" gritty and dour....an actual war movie for the franchise? Wow! And the second trailer I thought was near perfect. Everything about it looks great, and I'm certainly looking forward to it.

Haven't been around in Gold much (or elsewhere on the Boards for that matter), but I figured this was the best way to say "hi" to all my ole buddies in the GA Forum.

There was one gem in this month's C-Link auction that I just had to have. Since I am never going to own a high grade Cap # 1, this seemed like a suitable alternative, and it's still a grail book for me, being a Classic Schomburg cover as well as a first issue Timely key. The recent sale of the Penn copy in the Heritage Auction for a whopping $45k made me realize it was now or never if I ever wanted this book.

The old label goodness and below OS Guide sale price were the cherry and nuts on top of my awesome Sundae.

I've been watching this show since the beginning. In my opinion, the 2nd half of the first season was it's highlight, while the first half was its low point. Seasons 2 and 3 had some convoluted storylines that seemed either rushed or incredibly slow to develop...I always got the feeling that the story was supposed to head in a different direction, but that Marvel's decision to cancel the Inhumans movie forced AOS to switch up their plans mid-stream. Regardless, I didn't really care for the last two seasons....Season 2 with it's quasi Inhumans storyline and last year with Hive, just didn't sit well....and with Bobbi and Hunter leaving, I was pretty close to knocking the show from my DVR list. The whole thing started to feel like a DC series in it's pointlessness.

This year's premiere definitely has my interest back though. It seems problems are less "global" again, and more mundane. The team has a focus other then saving the world. The wit and banter between the main characters seems as strong as ever (Coulson's is best in a supporting role, with his sly humor, rather than as a Nick Fury successor). The idea to involve Ghost Rider may be the big draw, but its clear that between the substantive changes to the lineup, the darker feel for the show in general, and the move to the later timeslot, the show producers are wanting to align themselves more with the Netflix crowd watching Daredevil and Jessica Jones then the general admission crowd watching at 8pm.

Ultimately, it may just work.

As of today, we are exactly six months away from EliteCon. We've updated our Facebook page as well as our website.

We are especially happy to announce Dave Kapelka of North Coast Nostalgia out of Ohio will be one of our vendors. Dave specializes in high grade material and always has a great booth at the major national conventions, but he generally doesn't do a lot of southern shows. We're glad to be bringing quality dealers like Dave to our show to the benefit of our attendees.

Comics sent Modern Slow Track rec'd 6/7 still "Scheduled for Grading". I was told they were graded sometime in July, but there is quite a back-up for encapsulation. Still looking at 3 1/2 months for Modern non-FT, 4 1/2 months for Value ST. Hopefully soon.

 

My 21 values received 7/5, have been scheduled for grading for 2 weeks - meaning waiting to be encapsulated. Customer svc estimated November before shipped.

 

They need to speed up the encapsulation process - I mean, my books are just sitting there graded...waiting! But why do it if they aren't losing business? I've only used your grading service CGC, but more competition would help this.

 

If they are still "scheduled to be graded", then they haven't been graded yet.

For the record, we are in the same boat. I have a (non FT) modern and Value invoice in since 7/13, and I don't expect them back for a while yet.

I hear the sound of a major stampede towards New Teen Titans #2.

 

Sell now or hold for a bit?

 

It will be great to have a villain who is able to go "toe to toe" with Batman...I know we had Bane but I don't think he was used to his full potential?

 

The book should pop more closer to the movie, but if you have multiple copies now is not a bad time to sell some either.

 

FWIW, 9.6s "popped" to $300 with the news, but they have been steady sellers in the $250 - $275 range for the past year and a bit. The best gains will be with the 9.8s.

I had a $325 price on a 9.6/White on eBay, and that went bye-bye. Luckily, I still have a 9.6 and 9.8 to list next week, and about a half dozen more in the pipeline. Seven 9.6s sold yesterday alone, per GPA. Once the bottom is established, it's only going north from there.

 

Hollywood has a history of casting white actors, even in nonwhite character roles.

Of course that's been changing, and what we're now seeing is skin color becoming less of a factor in casting.

 

Anyone remember all the flak Ridley Scott's Exodus got a few years ago for casting Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, and Sigourney Weaver in the lead roles? Frankly, I think it was partially deserved, and I'm not normally one who cares what race/ethnicity the actor is. Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan was another one. Of course, the flip side of that is if you cast an ethnically appropriate actor, but the character is a villain, then you run the risk of getting slammed for portraying that ethnicity in a poor light. Damned if you do.....

It looks like they changed the dates to a week later, and I'm pissed. These dates fall at the end of the first week of the semester, and totally shoot my usual week long trip to Chicago. Bitter doesn't begin to describe my mood. I hope this is a typo.

The later August date actually works better for me though and my job though. Employed or not, I'm going to be there next year...always a fantastic show.

 

I'd certainly be open to hearing more about it. I'm definitely far from a BSD as a buyer, but I do bring money to spend on higher end stuff and enjoy saving a chunk of my collecting budget to buy some bigger books in Chicago. If a similar shopping experience could be created outside of the Wizard model I'd be open to hearing more. Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at the show. I'm only there Thur-Fri but will be joining the sushi dinner.

I'm at the Saturday dinner, but we'll probably be hovering around the same dealer's tables this weekend, so drop me a PM and I'm sure we can track each other down.

As for being a BSD, while I hope to secure a few of those, they really aren't our focus either. Basically, anyone who has ever taken $500-$1,000 to a show looking for quality items and reluctantly brought most if not all of that money home with them is our primary target group for Elitecon. Will we have key items for the $5k, $10k+ and up crowd? Absolutely. But we think our bread and butter customer is most comfortable around the $500-$1k price point, and wants a varied selection of items to choose from before they commit to a purchase. We'll be successful if the feedback from our attendees is that there was too much quality merchandise available.

Thanks everyone for the feedback too. Every time the idea gets a positive reception, it reaffirms in my mind that it's something that needs to be explored.

With Florida not having a major show in the winter anymore, we figured if we centrally locate it, and keep it nearby to other major attractions, an attendee from up north can fly in for a fun weekend, play some cards at the Hard Rock or take their kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday, join us on Sunday, and fly out that night.

 

Since we are a "targeted" show, with a specific demographic of a collector, we don't need more then one good day to pull this off. Gives our attendees plenty of time to do other things.

 

 

With the trends being what they are in the major shows (SDCC, NYCC, Wizard, Fan Expo) I can definitely see shows like this as being the future of the serious comic collectors' marketplace. I'm gearing up to head to WW Chicago to spend the major money of my collecting year, and it intrigues me to think about a concentration of dealers catering to my sort of interests without all the collateral chaff that a Wizard show would bring.

I'll be in Chicago too. Love the show. Will be planting the seeds with dealers and fellow collectors for our show as the week progresses. When I explain the concept in its entirety, most people react very favorably.

I had an interaction with a toy dealer friend of mine at TBCC. I've spent good money with him in the past for boxed G1 Transformers stuff. When I asked him if he had any new quality items, he said he did, but didnt bring them to the show because "no one here wants to spend that kind of money". Personally, I believe he was wrong, but I understand as a dealer with hundreds of dollars invested into a booth, he needs to focus and maximize that space to cater to his average toy buyer at the show, not the rare guy who can spend $500-$1,000 on a single piece. There are also, of course, the concerns of security, with a rash of thefts at major shows this year, why even risk bringing expensive pieces that could get damaged or stolen if you aren't even sure you can find a buyer for them.

It is what it is, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

We are a 20 minute or so ride from the airport.

..a hair over 15 minutes from the Hard Rock cafe

and about five minutes from Busch Gardens.

With Florida not having a major show in the winter anymore, we figured if we centrally locate it, and keep it nearby to other major attractions, an attendee from up north can fly in for a fun weekend, play some cards at the Hard Rock or take their kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday, join us on Sunday, and fly out that night.

Since we are a "targeted" show, with a specific demographic of a collector, we don't need more then one good day to pull this off. Gives our attendees plenty of time to do other things.

So, after 23 years of the convention circuit (attended my first SDCC in 1993), and after witnessing the changing landscape in Florida conventions since 2002 (the year of my first MegaCon), my business partner and I have decided that Florida is ready for a different kind of show.

Before I get into what EliteCon is, I wanted to point out I am a big fan of the three big Florida shows. MegaCon, Supercon, and TBCC are all fantastic, and have grown so much in the decade and a half that I've lived in the sunshine state. It's awesome to see how the convention scene in Florida has evolved. It has, I believe, also opened up an opportunity for a smaller, one-day show geared more specifically toward advanced collectors who don't always enjoy the larger venues and crowds of the Mega-Shows.

For one, EliteCon isn't a media or guest-driven show. In our first outing, we won't have any guests at all. And even if the opportunity comes down the line for a local artist (like a George Perez) to do a signing, it still won't be our focus either. We're also not a cosplay show, an anime show, or anything of the sort.

What we are, is a Marketplace, where buyers and sellers of high quality items, generally speaking of $50+ retail value and above, can get together and freely buy, sell, and trade with one another. We are also not limited to comics, though comics are a large part of our focus. We'll have high quality toys, retired Lego sets, vintage carded and boxed action figures, AFA-graded toys, rare and Exclusive Pops!, collectible die-cast items, original art, and yes, lots of comics.

We won't have tubs of $3 toys, rows of dollar comic longboxes, and tables of common material that you can find everywhere. You can go to any store and any show to find that. Remember, collectible and scarce items of $50 and above is what you can expect.

Also, while we are working hard on bringing in quality local Florida dealers who can fill a booth with the pre-requisite $50+ items, we are also focusing on recruiting quality dealers from out of state who normally wouldn't do a one day hotel show in Florida, in addition to signing up local collectors who don't normally sell at a show, period. Hopefully, that should give our attendees a shot at acquiring some fresh, new-to-market gems and seeing inventory they normally wouldn't.

We are also trying some experimental concepts, like our Buyer's Survey (sent out to our buyers to better gauge their collecting interests). We'll aggregate the responses and send them along to our vendors a few weeks before the show so they know what our Attendees are looking for. Our attendees will be better served because our vendors will be better able to cater to their interests and price points. Another thing that makes us different is we're giving our attendees half of their admission cost in the form of a voucher that they can spend with any dealer at the show. We'll then reimburse our vendors at show's end with a check for as many vouchers as they collected...in effect, splitting half of the gate with our vendors, who are the real stars of this show.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the fact that we are a Marketplace that will allow it's attendees to bring in up to two short boxes of comics or two file boxes worth of toys to vend at our Trading corner. Yes, we will have tables set up specifically for attendees to bring in their own material if they so chose. Who doesn't have a short box or two of good stuff that's fallen out of their collecting focus or duplicates/triplicates that they just haven't bother to sell or trade off? You can bring it with you and find a way to sell or trade it, either with our vendors, or other attendees. Most enterprising attendees should be able to pay for their admission as well as come out ahead, all by getting rid of some stuff they didn't want anymore anyway. How does that sound?

Anyway, I'll have lots more information soon on how the show is shaping up, but you can find out more about it on our Website website or follow us on Facebook where we tend to announce things first.

We hope to convince you guys in the next six months that this is a convention worth attending, and more importantly, to support going forward. I'm not doing it for money, I'm not doing it because I'm bored (I have two full time jobs and a family that demands all my spare time already), I'm basically doing it because I want to finally attend a convention that caters to finicky collectors like me, and to meet other people who share my high grade manias, obsessions, and pricey interests, all without the cosplayers and crowds of your normal convention.

If you have any questions, about being either a dealer or an attendee, feel free to send me a PM. Thanks and we'll hope to see you there!

C'mon guys, let it go....all of us should want quality comic movies, and years and years of them, whether they are of DC or Marvel characters. And it seems, all three studios are now fully "all in" to giving us exactly that. Let's enjoy it.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Wonder Woman, and will write off Suicide Squad without it souring me on trying the rest of what DC has to offer.

I think the term "popcorn movie" needs redefining...

Actually, I think the term "teaser trailer" needs redefining.