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So I talked with the guys from CGG on Sunday...

Started by lighthouse,

39 posts in this topic

lighthouse

lighthouse

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I was planning to do a full-fledged (that means it has all its feathers for those of you keeping track at home) report on the Portland show this past Sunday...

 

But given that I had spent most of the week laid up with the flu and didn't see my fever break until Saturday morning, I wasn't entirely coherent for the show. Thankfully, my buxom lackey (not to be confused with the Halloween Goth Princess™ or the Girl Scout™) was there to assist me, as she had been last month at the Seattle show. She once again did a fantastic job of gathering phone numbers from horny customers and dealers alike, and even managed to sell some trade paperbacks for me... thumbsup2.gif

 

Attendance was good, although the travelling dealer count was a little light. This is the first Portland show I haven't seen Harley Yee. But most of the significant travelling dealers from Cali were there, as well as the usual band of renegade locals. As I mentioned in another thread, Giordano was unable to attend, and a 100ft roll of butcher paper was set up as a Get Well card for him. I signed four names to it, and my buxom lackey added some nice artwork of some Furry she draws...

 

In addition to the scheduled guests, Kurt Busiek stopped by and hung out at Mark Waid's table for a while, along with the new talent on Birds of Prey (though I can't remember her name at the moment).

 

Roughly 160 dealer tables total, with the typical Portland mix. About a third selling toys I care nothing about, a sixth selling DVD's, and the remaining half split between guys dumping back issues cheap and guys selling primo stuff. Crazy Charlie was there again, and once again I asked him about his Batman 4. Once again he forgot I had ever asked about it previously and tried to convince me there was another dealer very interested.

 

I came perilously close to spending far more money than I intended. There was a VG copy of Wow Comics 2 that caught my eye. Same dealer had a Shield Wizard 7 that had gorgeous eye appeal but a completely split spine. He also had Speed Comics 6 and 7, but I couldn't for the life of me remember whether my customer needed 6 or 8. I guess I should know such things, but I rarely see ANY issues of that title... Same guy also had a slabbed 5.5 Weird Fantasy 15 with the eye appeal of a 7.5. At $75 I still can't believe I passed it up...

 

On the entire floor there were four copies of DC Special Series 1. I bought three of them. Two readers for $1 a piece, and a 8.5 or so for $4. If nothing else I now have extra copies to drag around so people know what the heck book I am talking about... Picked up a VF/NM copy of Hulk 197 for $1 as well.

 

At the very end of the show, I finally walked across the aisle and looked through the books that guy was selling. The show was pretty weak for him, so he gave me some 100 Bullets issues at half what he had them marked. Issues 2, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 22 set me back a whopping $7...

 

Lots of pre-Unity Valiants at the show, although most of them were priced at market. Not many bargains. No late-run Valiants. I think I saw maybe two books total with the "V" logo...

 

At my own table, I sold the hell out of my overstock (but I always do). Folks can't pass up recent new books at $1 a piece. My ordering mistakes only stick around until the next show rather than cluttering up my store. I went through almost three long boxes again this show. Low-grade DC Silver has been flying for me the last two shows. Especially the Superman Family titles. Lois, Jimmy and World's Finest were all selling briskly at guide in VG.

 

I sold about 50 copies of 1602 #1 at $5 a piece. Only sold about 10 Supreme Power #1 at the same price. JLA/Avengers I sold through the 15 copies I brought at cover.

 

Had yet another offer on the Hulk 1, and yet again I turned it down... This guy wants to get it restored... Yeah... Okay... I'd love to see what they plan to charge him to reconstruct the bottom half inch of the entire book...

 

Oh yeah... the topic of this thread...

 

The guys from CGG were walking the floor, peddling their wares. Handing out little half-page pieces of paper with their contact info printed on them using their inkjet printer. Real classy there guys. They were showing off their holder and talking about how great their service was because it was so much cheaper than CGC... The less weasely of the two (the one wearing glasses) was explaining how they are in the process of redesigning their holder, and that they plan to give refunds/credits to people who want to upgrade to the new holder. Said it would be ready in a couple months. The guy at the booth diagonally behind me laughed out loud as they wandered down the aisle and I heard him tell the dealer next to him that he's seen kids with lemonade stands who knew more about business... True story!... I didn't hear what the CGG guys had told him, but whatever it was, he didn't seem impressed.

 

I have made the Bank vs Garage Band comparison before when discussing third party grading. And after talking with the boys for a few minutes, I expect to see their covers of ELO and Three Dog Night to be released any day now... Everything I could have possibly imagined about the guys running the company was there right in front of me...

 

The show wasn't a total loss though... I unloaded some junk, found a Sweet Sweet DC for greggy, picked up two Teenage Hotrodders I needed for my run, and sold Mark Waid some Silver Age... Plus there were warm chocolate chip cookies in the oven when I got home. thumbsup2.gif

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ninanina

ninanina

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It's always great reading getting the low-down on what's happening. Thanks for the info although I kinda feel bad about CGG's problems. Don't think it's too smart already advertising a new holder. Certainly would have been smarter start up with a better holder.

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lighthouse

lighthouse

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Great post Lighthouse. What were the crowds like?

 

Attendance for the October show is always right around 1500. It's about 100 more for the February show...

 

That puts it at 10 attendees per table per day, which is a reasonable bogey for comic cons to shoot for... That's the same attendance volume as San Diego (actually a little higher, since we're talking 8' tables instead of 10' booths)...

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lighthouse

lighthouse

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Any news on the local orig. comic art market? Free sketches? I may be out of town when u visit greggy. sumo.gif

 

How am I supposed to make off with the Sweet Sweet DC's if you're not going to be there to do your Lord Of The Dance routine??? confused-smiley-013.gif

 

No local dealers that bring any art... Steve Wyatt always does the show, but he does most every show, including the last Baltimore show (which he said was his worst in years because he was stuck in a corner with guys dumping 50c books)... There were a few other nice pieces, but no stacks of pages to go through.

 

Sketches are easy to obtain, especially if you are willing to let the artist draw whatever they want. They get so tired of always drawing the same character over and over that the chance to doodle is always welcome. My buxom lackey got a sketch of a homicidal monkey from Karl Kesel... tongue.gif Last show she got a sketch of "Conan the Paratrooper dropping in on a poker game" from one of the DC superhero artists...

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sckao

sckao

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Steve Wyatt always does the show, but he does most every show, including the last Baltimore show (which he said was his worst in years because he was stuck in a corner with guys dumping 50c books)...

 

 

I talked to Steve recently actually and he said he did pretty well at the Portland Con. He's also talking about have some Wombats made which he'll make available for purchase. (I've been trying to buy a couple of Wombats since my Home Depot rack job is pretty heavy and takes a couple of people to set up.)

 

He's involved with the Super-Con being held this Sunday in Hayward, CA.

 

I'll actually be there too with a couple of tables although I don't have the time to really prepare for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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lighthouse

lighthouse

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Steve Wyatt always does the show, but he does most every show, including the last Baltimore show (which he said was his worst in years because he was stuck in a corner with guys dumping 50c books)...

 

 

I talked to Steve recently actually and he said he did pretty well at the Portland Con. He's also talking about have some Wombats made which he'll make available for purchase. (I've been trying to buy a couple of Wombats since my Home Depot rack job is pretty heavy and takes a couple of people to set up.)

 

He's involved with the Super-Con being held this Sunday in Hayward, CA.

 

I'll actually be there too with a couple of tables although I don't have the time to really prepare for it.

 

It wouldn't surprise me that he did well... He brought some really nice stuff this time, and he always has one of the best locations on the floor (back right corner facing the entrance, in a room that really encourages people to turn right as they walk in). I usually pick up a book or two from him each show, but I can't stay at his table too long or my eyes get bigger than my wallet... smile.gif

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duncan36

duncan36

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If CGG cant create a coherent and professional website, I dont particularily want to send my valuables to them. Anal? Perhaps but like lighthouse noted if people entrusted with thousands of $$ of valuables hand out chintzy inkjet business cards it doesnt inspire confidence.

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Mushroom

Mushroom

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Steve Wyatt always does the show, but he does most every show, including the last Baltimore show (which he said was his worst in years because he was stuck in a corner with guys dumping 50c books)...

 

 

I talked to Steve recently actually and he said he did pretty well at the Portland Con. He's also talking about have some Wombats made which he'll make available for purchase. (I've been trying to buy a couple of Wombats since my Home Depot rack job is pretty heavy and takes a couple of people to set up.)

 

 

He's involved with the Super-Con being held this Sunday in Hayward, CA.

 

I'll actually be there too with a couple of tables although I don't have the time to really prepare for it.

 

 

Pardon my ignorance but what is a Wombat?

 

In OZ a wombat is something that eats, roots, shoots and leaves. 27_laughing.gif

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lighthouse

lighthouse

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There are so many bad jokes I could go with here... but since Khaos isn't around to laugh at them I'll let this one slide...

 

A wombat is a free-standing display, usually an A-frame made from wood beams or pipe, with adjustable horizontal shelves running across to display comics. Most can be broken down to about the size of bag of golf clubs (albeit a bit longer)... Most often found with additional pieces of string running across to keep books from committing suicide...

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chromium

chromium

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Wow...now I can finally make sense of that Police lyric that has been puzzling me since 1982..... foreheadslap.gif

 

There's a car by the door

I'll go for a drive in it

And when the wombat comes

He will find me gone

He'll look for a place to sit

 

My wife has burned the scrambled eggs

The dog just bit my leg

My teenage daughter ran away

My fine young son has turned out gay

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chromium

chromium

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Are you saying that the guy who invented the demountable was wacked out on speed at the time....because sting definitely was when he wrote those lyrics. 27_laughing.gif

 

 

Actually it was Stewart Copeland who wrote them, and I do believe it was his only Police song that made it to vinyl.....Such a talent gone to waste confused-smiley-013.gif

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