Does anyone here buy speculative comics off the shelf?

[LarrysComics]

Know this: there ARE "Larry's Comics" variants in the junk boxes at Larry's Comics.

 

NOBODY always wins speculating. NOBODY.

 

With print runs as small as they are right now, publishers/ creators sure do appreciate the few retailers that are putting extra money into print. my dance card is pretty full.

 

http://conta.cc/napHvp

 

 

 

Chump.

 

Larry Doherty

Larry's Wonderful, Wonderful World of Comics n such.

978-459-5323

larryscomicsinc@aol.com

 

http://larryscomics.net

http://facebook.com/larryscomics

http://twitter.com/larryscomics

 

 

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

I know you can't help yourself Larry, and it's part of your personality.

 

And I know you don't understand the dynamics at play here, even though you, like many of us, went through the crash firsthand.

 

But isn't there SOMETHING you could do to offset your "gotta make money any way I can, no matter who it may hurt in the long run" mentality?

 

And I don't mean at your store, or locally. You're obviously a competent businessman who has ridden out some very tough times.

 

I mean here, on the boards, and in the larger comics community.

 

Anything at all...? :shrug:

[LarrysComics]

>>But isn't there SOMETHING you could do to offset your "gotta make money any way I can, no matter who it may hurt in the long run" mentality?<<

 

Are YOU insanne?

You are posting on the CGC boards.

CGC, stick your comic in plastic and make money CGC.

Imagine trying to strike up a conversation about speculating on the CGC boards.

Crazy.

 

My shop has catered to readers, fans, community & collectors fairly for over two decades. Spin your "poor packing", hate anyway you like.

 

Don't worry Chump, the gotta make money any way they can, no matter who it may hurt in the long run" mentality shops are closing by the handful.

 

My shop is a breeding ground for the current comic market. When the smoke clears this year after the digital onslaught, I just may be the last man standing.

 

http://larryscomics.net/images/shop/bionicman1_larrys.jpg>

 

 

http://larryscomics.net/shop.html'>http://larryscomics.net/shop.html

 

 

Larry Doherty

Larry's Wonderful, Wonderful World of Comics n such.

978-459-5323

larryscomicsinc@aol.com

 

http://larryscomics.net

http://facebook.com/larryscomics

http://twitter.com/larryscomics

 

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Guess that answers my question.

 

[Transplant]

Was the answer "No" to your question? Cause I stopped reading as soon as I saw who the poster was.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Was the answer "No" to your question? Cause I stopped reading as soon as I saw who the poster was.

 

Bingo.

[JediTrix]

 

Seriously... I enjoy comments/insight from both Larry and RMA. Quit arguing...... and start speculating for fun

[bababooey]

There are only a few times I can recall buying more than 3 copies of a book and most of that was buying #1 issues back in the 80's.

 

The only winner would likely be ASM 36 - WTC issue - I had planned to buy a couple but my LCS only had one, so after leaving I took the wife to a local mall & I found a small stack of newstand editions in a cigar store. I still cringe thinking about the store clerks paws smudging up that top copy as he fanned them out & looked at me, wide eyed, telling me that they were all the same copy.

 

 

[whetteon]

 

Here is the thing. I love comic speculation. I love chewing over facts and dissecting the comic market looking for deals. It's part of the fun I enjoy in this hobby. And while I rarely deal with moderns because of the many points posted in this thread I find it appalling that some of you can't let other people enjoy the hobby in different ways.

 

Seriously people, speculating on moderns can sometimes be fun. And who the hell are you to tell others how to spend their damn money huh? Because you don't like what they do you feel the need to come over to these type of threads and just all over them. And why? Because you have some hang up about how things went down 20 years ago in an entirely different market? I just don't get it.

 

Bottom line, if people enjoy this type of thing then let them enjoy it. Why rain on their parade? No one asked you to join the parade in the first place.

 

Jerks.

 

No back to your regularly derailed modern speculation thread.

[seanfingh]

 

Doggone it. I was under the impression that people were actually supposed to give their opinions in chatboards. What a numbskull I am.

[whetteon]

Well now you know seanfingh.

[ripclaw923]

Well now you know seanfingh.

 

and knowing is half the battle.

 

[fastballspecial]

Its funny this time Larry is doing the attacking. Most of the time he plays defense after a couple posters attack him for being a retailer. I do like is point about arguing about speculation on a board that incases comics in plastic. Kinda hard to read one in a case.

 

Alot of comic retailers are hurting right now. I think online sales are keeping some going now. I have 3 shops locally one doesnt deal in comics exclusively and is still doing okay. Another comic shop that has been here for 20 years is on the verge of going out.

 

My 3rd shop is hilarious. He does $1 books and cleans up. He pays $.03 per book or so for 90s and sells them for $.25 or $1 books. Occasionally he gets a nice book in there and puts it on his wall. He keeps his overhead low and turns over alot of books. He even got to speak to Perlmutter and Bill Jemas a few years back after writing them about their policies toward retailers.

 

We can all go on and on about the 90s bust. For me I still blame the baseball guys that entered our hobby after they destroyed theirs. Cant anyone else remember all those baseball card dealers that came into our hobby in the 90s?

 

 

[ninanina]

I used to.

 

Currently I have a couple hundred copies of Dazzler 1, about 30 copies of FF 232 - 234, 20 copies of Judge Dredd 2, 100 copies of Marvel's Star Trek 1 and maybe 30 - 40 copies of Marvel's Star Trek 2 and 3, about 40 copies of Thor 384 and 50 copies of Kazar 12...with the missing panel. I don't know, for some reason it's never worked out for me all that great.

 

On a more positive note though, I did pretty good on the 50 copies of X-Men 137 I bought and the 10 copies of Marvel's Graphic Novel Death of Captain Marvel.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Its funny this time Larry is doing the attacking. Most of the time he plays defense after a couple posters attack him for being a retailer. I do like is point about arguing about speculation on a board that incases comics in plastic. Kinda hard to read one in a case.

 

Alot of comic retailers are hurting right now. I think online sales are keeping some going now. I have 3 shops locally one doesnt deal in comics exclusively and is still doing okay. Another comic shop that has been here for 20 years is on the verge of going out.

 

My 3rd shop is hilarious. He does $1 books and cleans up. He pays $.03 per book or so for 90s and sells them for $.25 or $1 books. Occasionally he gets a nice book in there and puts it on his wall. He keeps his overhead low and turns over alot of books. He even got to speak to Perlmutter and Bill Jemas a few years back after writing them about their policies toward retailers.

 

We can all go on and on about the 90s bust. For me I still blame the baseball guys that entered our hobby after they destroyed theirs. Cant anyone else remember all those baseball card dealers that came into our hobby in the 90s?

Yep and also some coin dealers as well.

I went to a comic shop the other day with my son. He bought two comic books and the price came to about $6.He read them and said they were cool, but way too short for the price. Next time he said just take him to a GameStop where he can buy a used videogame instead. I think it`s the price of monthly floppies that killed sales more than the speculators did. The early 1990`s speculation did happen between 18 and 20 years ago. Those speculators have come and gone, so what’s the excuse now for the all-time low sales?

My answer is the monthly floppies are too expensive compared to other kinds of entertainment.

Somehow they got to get back to the $1 to $1.99 price range before they kill their golden goose.

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

I used to.

 

Currently I have a couple hundred copies of Dazzler 1, about 30 copies of FF 232 - 234, 20 copies of Judge Dredd 2, 100 copies of Marvel's Star Trek 1 and maybe 30 - 40 copies of Marvel's Star Trek 2 and 3, about 40 copies of Thor 384 and 50 copies of Kazar 12...with the missing panel. I don't know, for some reason it's never worked out for me all that great.

 

On a more positive note though, I did pretty good on the 50 copies of X-Men 137 I bought and the 10 copies of Marvel's Graphic Novel Death of Captain Marvel.

Dazzler 1 had a print run of 400,000 copies according to Jim Shooter. Everybody talks about how baseball card dealers ruined the comic hobby in the 90`s, but the damage had already had begun about a decade earlier with comic book speculators, as Dazzler 1 is a prime example of this. Anybody remember Alpha Flight 1? How about all those mid-80`s black and whites? Comic books were hoarded way before the baseball card dealers even noticed comic books.

[Detroit MIke]

nope, they're too expensive and go into multiple printings too quickly. save your money.

[Marvelfangirl]

No

 

Next question please.

[NewEnglandGothic]

You have to basically read the "Moderns that are heating up thread" and move fast. Once, the second print is announced, you are most of the time ruined(not always though... Chew #1). Sometimes you get a Morning Glories #1, most of the times you get a Choker #1, Stumptown #1, Scarlet #1...

 

holding on to a Modern most of the time has a high frequency to not pay-off. Sometimes, TWD #1 for one, does. But, it's mostly not worth it.

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

Here is the thing. I love comic speculation. I love chewing over facts and dissecting the comic market looking for deals. It's part of the fun I enjoy in this hobby. And while I rarely deal with moderns because of the many points posted in this thread I find it appalling that some of you can't let other people enjoy the hobby in different ways.

 

Seriously people, speculating on moderns can sometimes be fun. And who the hell are you to tell others how to spend their damn money huh? Because you don't like what they do you feel the need to come over to these type of threads and just all over them. And why? Because you have some hang up about how things went down 20 years ago in an entirely different market? I just don't get it.

 

Bottom line, if people enjoy this type of thing then let them enjoy it. Why rain on their parade? No one asked you to join the parade in the first place.

 

Jerks.

 

No back to your regularly derailed modern speculation thread.

 

Take a chill pill, whett, and TRY to develop some discernment.

 

Fact: no one has told anyone else how they can and cannot spend their money. It's called "making a persuasive argument", and there are some damn valid reasons why speculating in this market is DETRIMENTAL to its health.

 

I know you can understand that, and will, someday, if only by default.

 

Fact: No one is stopping you from pre-ordering 100,000 copies of anything. In fact, you should do just that. It might just help somebody be able to publish some more.

 

Fact: This discusion has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH PERSONAL PREFERENCE, OR WHAT SOMEONE "LIKES", so let's drop that silly argument, huh? Whether or not someone "enjoys" something is not a valid argument for its practice.

 

Fact: The comics market is in the condition it is now PRECISELY because of "what happened 20 years ago." Do you think everything exists in a vacuum? That there's no cause and effect? That what happened in the past has no bearing on what happens now? You'd be wrong on all three counts.

 

Finally: I don't give one flat DAMN if people speculate. *I* speculate all the time! By all means, PLEASE speculate! It's speculating on brand new comics that is the problem. The market is too fragile to treat it like your own personal ATM. And if you and others keep doing it, it will inevitably disappear altogether. We're down 99%+ from where it used to be. Determined to do away with that 1% are ya?