• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Rusty staples and sunken treasure! by Hibou

360 posts in this topic

This latest book isn't really a new one as it's now the third copy that I've owned.

 

Another regret that I seem to have was when I parted with that Tales from the Crypt 40. At that time, I just figured I was going to start to go in a different direction and I could do without that one. But in time, I found myself doing something which told me that I knew that I had made yet another mistake...

 

I found myself looking online, now and then, to see if there were any low grade copies for sale.

 

I guess I sort of feel that TFTC 40 is a keystone to what I find fascinating about that time in comics with Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent arguement and with what followed. I suppose it's essential to have some representation of that period in comics and for me, what better book to have than a classic Jack Davis underwater cover.

 

And yes, this is my way of justifying adding yet another copy of this book to my collection! lol

 

 

 

I've talked about this one before over on this page:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=6900799&fpart=5

 

 

 

 

Looking back, what I find humorous is that when I purchased that raw copy (which turned out to be graded by CGC as a 2.5), I was hoping that is would grade as a 4.0 (VG).

 

I was really disappointed to see how that one turned out.

 

That propelled me to seek out a really nice copy and that 6.5 was stunning to me but sadly, it's gone now. Well just recently, I found that VG copy which I was originally hoping to have, via the boards here.

 

It wasn't perfect but it had a couple of characteristics that I thought were appropriate for this book.

 

 

 

 

Some rusty staples and a nice date stamp....

 

 

1953_zpsig3xi9nz.jpg

 

Dec. 9 1953

 

 

 

 

When I compare this copy to that former CGC 2.5 (G-) copy, I do feel like that one was undergraded a little.

 

Anyways, this was too nice of a price to pass up and just fills that spot that I felt had been missing.

 

Besides, I really needed to have a Jack Davis book in my collection just as I felt I needed to have a Matt Baker book in my collection!

 

So here is the newest copy of this book... a bit rough but good enough for me right now.

 

 

 

 

tftc40b_zpsv5vvrlb1.jpg

 

 

 

 

Here is the CGC 2.5 copy for comparison:

 

 

 

 

TFC40-lrg_zpscd5e0711.jpg

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not comic related but something that I thought was beyond cool and had to share...

 

I'm re-posting this from the WC.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

My family and I went out tonight to see the fireworks here in Syracuse, NY... I think it was around 9:15-9:30 PM EST.

 

We weren't there 3 minutes when my wife pointed something out to me and then I saw them over and over and over again.

 

 

Orange orbs.

 

 

 

 

20150704_213911_zps6khuqyma.jpg

 

 

 

As everyone else was fixated on the massive fireworks display that seemed to engulf the entire city, I was looking out for these mysterious orange lights. I kept seeing them and pointing them out to my daughter.

 

They were moving southeast but they seemed to be moving up as well, as they would disappear from sight.

 

But they kept coming...

 

It was getting a little creepy.

 

One of the orange orbs we were watching sped across the sky at a much faster rate than the others!

 

As the fireworks died down, we were trying to determine if we would go home or try to seek out more of these strange lights. Well we didn't have to think too long about that as we kept seeing them all around and so we drove throughout the city trying to get close to them.

 

We saw two that looked like they would pass right over us and so we pulled over and that's where I got this one picture with my daughters phone as my battery was about to run out.

 

 

 

orange%20orb_zpsxmmdnepq.jpg

 

 

We kept driving around the city and kept seeing them... one off in the distance here... one there... two over here...

 

... and then we all saw a beautiful cluster of four!

 

I jumped out of the car to try and get a picture of the grouping but the phone wouldn't focus on them and I didn't get that picture. :(

 

I have no idea what these were or if I'll see them again.

 

Looking on YouTube though, there have been many sightings of these orange orbs over the past couple of years.

 

Military?

 

Aliens?

 

Swamp Gas?

 

For a moment, as I was trying to come to some rational explanation, I thought of space debris burning up in the atmosphere as it crossed. These never 'fizzled' out though and they seemed to have a distinct pulsation to them.

 

In all... on this 4th of July, I believe we counted at least 30 of these things.

 

It was weird but very cool!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

great story and pictures of your Action 26! Congratulations on you new centerpiece! I have a few Actions myself, but from a latter time.

 

Thanks Brandon! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is another re-post from the WC.

 

After this, I can get back to my comics! :cloud9:

 

 

 

...

 

 

It took me a while, but I just wanted to add this quick update...

 

During the past week I concluded that these orange orbs were nothing more than Chinese Lanterns, as was suggested. I thought a lot about what I saw and looked up enough online to satisfy my curiosities about them. I wrote in to the local paper here and the editor agreed that these were most likely Chinese Lanterns.

 

They wanted to print my letter but I declined.

 

So after a little bit of searching, I found a retailer locally that was selling these lanterns and so I bought a couple in order to conduct my experiment and to lay this mystery to rest.

 

I purchased these lanterns this afternoon and for the rest of the day, I knew that I would set these up this evening and then the great mystery would be over. I was actually sort of relieved that after tonight, I wouldn't have to think about this any longer!

 

I have to admit, as Mulder's poster states... I want to believe, but I also want to maintain a certain level of skepticism as well, despite my obvious enthusiasm.

 

And so tonight, I went up with my family to the same water reservoir as we were at on the 4th and we set off two of these lanterns.

 

But you know, I was a little disappointed.

 

For about 8 seconds, these lanterns looked like they could be the same ligths as we saw on the 4th but I soon realized that they weren't . They just didn't behave the same and once they rose up (and this was key to me... they kept rising) they just either extinguished or the light became too dim to see. I couldn't get a good distance picture of them for that reason. This was very different from the lights on the 4th... as I mentioned, they were as bright as a star or planet in the sky... or even local aircraft.

 

Again, here is my 1st picture as reference.

 

 

 

20150704_213911_zps6khuqyma.jpg

 

 

And here is a series of pictures from this evening...

 

 

 

The Sky Lantern:

 

lantern_zpsgf93os22.jpg

 

 

 

The wax element used to heat and inflate the balloon:

 

lantern1_zpsv7wftjem.jpg

 

 

 

Inflating:

 

lantern2_zpsmtvlc44n.jpg

 

 

 

Almost fully inflated:

 

lantern3_zpsndvgn6se.jpg

 

 

 

And ready:

 

lantern4_zpszqfchrm0.jpg

 

 

Up, up and away:

 

 

lantern5_zpsq7szjnuz.jpg

 

 

It's possible that those lights were lanterns, but the characteristics were quite different from these that I set off this evening. For one, those lights crossed the sky from various directions. From the West to East, East to West, North to South and South to North.

 

I don't think air currents can do that.

 

It could be that a good percentage of these orange orb sightings are indeed these lanterns but in my opinion, there are still those that might not be able to be easily explained away.

 

And I'll leave it right there for now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm jumping ahead a little here as I first intended to write about the small con that I went to last weekend with my friend, Rob... we had a great time shuffling through the comic bins but I thought I would add in this small update first.

 

And that begins with...

 

 

 

AquamanLogo_zpsswam9bjc.gif

 

 

 

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Aquaman just might be finally getting some respect.

 

I guess I always had a liking to this character and it might go back to the appeal of his power of being able to communicate with sea life... perhaps that was a precursor to my attraction to Animal Man.

 

My first memory of being attracted to the character of Aquaman comes from riding in the back seat of my parent's car... and as my Father drove me to my Grandmother's house this one summer morning, we passed a small body of water. Complete with my Mego Aquaman figure in hand, I asked my Father if he thought Aquaman was "down there".

 

My dad responded (always willing to fuel my imagination), "He might be".

 

Why that one particular memory still remains with me, some 40 years later... I have no idea.

 

Anyways, this is Mego's Aquaman figure and the website from where the image was taken from.

 

And yes, I do have a Mego Aquaman figure but mine doesn't have the original gloves. lol

 

 

 

 

 

aquamanlarge_zpsv756qvok.jpg

 

http://www.megomuseum.com/wgsh/accessory/aquaman.html

 

 

 

 

 

And it was just two weeks ago that I found the 1976 Aquuaman Pepsi Moon Glass at our local flea market for $10.00... I thought that was a nice find!

 

 

 

 

pepsiposter_zpsudj3u2kg.gif

 

 

 

 

 

aqmglass2_zpsqd4dhfxh.jpg

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Now I know this is old news, but not too long ago, it was reported that Jason Momoa would be playing Aquaman in his upcoming solo film as well as in the Superman vs Batman : Dawn of Justice movie.

 

When the leaked image came out, I was pretty happy with what they put together.

 

This was far from Nick Cardy and Ramona Fradon's Aquaman... this was something fierce!

 

Here is that image that was released earlier this year.

 

 

 

 

 

Aquaman-Jason-Mamoa-Full-Color_zpsf2a410cf.jpg

 

 

 

 

As a big Game of Thrones fan, I was thrilled when I saw this!

 

But was this really Aquaman? I mean he is so identified by the green and orange costume, so what's up with this look? Well, I think it's DC's intent to make Aquaman a big part of their on screen presence and especially with this new look they're giving him.

 

And what of the comic book version of Aquaman? Well, it appears that DC is starting to move on that as this was the cover to last month's Aquaman #41.

 

I think I see where this is going...

 

 

 

 

AQM41_zpsz0bfwtrg.jpg

 

 

 

 

But back to the original Aquaman.

 

Just recently I told the story of my find of the Aquaman 35 and the first appearance of Black Manta. I'm sure that book will continue to do well and if you haven't seen this DC animated feature called Justice League- Throne of Atlantis, I would recommend it. I'm not one to watch a lot of animated features, but this one held my attention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But despite the popularity of Black Manta and of Aquaman 35, there's another Aquaman book out there that I think is quickly going to eclipse issue 35 as 'the key issue' and that's going to be issue #11 from 1963... the first appearance of Mera.

 

Why?

 

Well, if you've been looking for this book, then you know how hard it is to find a nicely presenting copy. The black cover certainly doesn't help (issue 35 also features a somewhat dark cover as well) but I don't think it was one that was held on to. I feel that way about a lot of the early Aquaman books but I don't know if that's true or not. It also seems that super-heroines are getting a lot of attention now and that's a good thing!

 

And to tie in to my themes as of late, Mera is from another dimension!

 

:ohnoez:

 

 

Now what more could you ask?

 

Anyways, I believe that I bought this issue back in December of last year. It was from the same sale as with the Big Apple Aquaman 14 that I briefly talked about in mid January. This copy was raw and I thought I might be taking a chance on the book but it looked pretty strong to me.

 

Well I recently sent this one in to CGC and was very pleased at the grade it came back as!

 

This book is the last of the 4 that I sent in with my coupons... the other books were Aquaman 35, Wonder Woman 83 and Plastic Man 48.

 

It seems like this is a book that is steadily gaining in interest and demand and so I'm very happy to have found a copy all those months back.

 

 

2016 Update : SOLD

 

Aquaman 11 and the 1st appearance of Mera!

 

 

 

 

a11_zpsupb4ptri.jpg

 

 

 

Doom from Dimension Aqua!

 

A simple but fun cover by Nick Cardy. :)

 

 

 

 

2016 Update : SOLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice Aquaman write up Hibou. You'd think James Cameron would have attempted an Aquaman film at one point. :D

 

I really like those Nick Cardy covers, I'm glade you found some nice ones.

 

I like the new image of Aquaman, both in comics and in the upcoming films.

 

Here's the Aquaman I remember. DC seemed really into hero torture in the '90s...

 

hook.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Brandon... yeah, I wasn't too fond of the Harpoon-Hand Aquaman but it was something relatively shocking at the time.

 

I have to admit, it was enough for me to buy the issues though. :blush:

 

And yes, James Cameron certainly has a passion for the world under the seas. It sounds like you've seen his Deep Sea Challenge expedition to the Mariana Trench.

 

That was an awesome documentary from a few years ago... I think he could've created a fantastic Aquaman movie!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taking advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and a long overdue update...

 

So needless to say, it's been a very busy but productive summer as the sun starts to fade away and my favorite season here in Upstate New York begins to set in. My days have been filled with the usual work as well as attending to things around the house... painting, repairs and such.

 

My time around comics has been reduced a little and that in itself, has given me an opportunity to step back for a moment and re-evaluate my collecting habits and focus yet again. I may be on the verge of making yet another change and perhaps going back a little.

 

I'm still mulling that over, but most likely I will be going in that direction as it seems I already started... even though my actions at the time were for other reasons.

 

I'll get into that more a little later...

 

It all started with a relatively new acquisition of a favorite Golden Age book and I think that's the area where I feel the most connection with, for whatever reason.

 

So like I stated, I'll get into that soon enough but for now, I thought I would add this quick update.

 

I'll start back towards the beginning of summer as my friend Rob and I attended a local convention here in Syracuse, NY. It was small but it was good enough for me. I didn't spend a lot of money but I got a few interesting books at a cheap price.

 

I think I only spent around $50.00 which wasn't bad at all. I didn't get any fabulous deals- just reading material mostly. I did pick up a nice copy of Black Panther 1 but I already turned that around and sold it here on the boards.

 

This is the rest of that days haul:

 

 

 

 

haul3_zpsi6q0pn4j.jpg

 

 

 

haul2_zpsx77foxvx.jpg

 

 

 

haul1_zpsjfwsxg8a.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

As Rob and I dug through long boxes, my wife went around and took a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

comcon2_zps7gxia8rj.jpg

 

 

 

 

Now I do have to mention that before this small convention started, Rob met us as we stood in line and he promptly presented me with a very cool, brand new T-shirt.

 

This is the graphic...

 

 

 

 

fc800x800black_zpsjzmorz2k.jpg

 

 

 

And that T-Shirt is available here:

 

 

 

http://www.redbubble.com/people/kal5000/works/9289576-the-amazing-cyber-man?p=t-shirt

 

 

 

How awesome is that?!

 

A very clever homage to ASM 3 featuring the Amazing Cyber-Man! :D

 

 

 

This was really the only comic book event that I attended all summer. There was a show down in Elmira, NY that we almost went to but decided not to.

 

That was probably just as well because I was feeling like I needed to take a step back.

 

I was starting to feel like I was getting caught up in the speculation frenzy and I really want to avoid that. If these books continue to command outrageous prices, so be it. When and if the time comes to chase those books, I'll do just that but it's really not advantageous for me to try and chase them right now.

 

This feeling of getting carried away again seems to be my cue to pull back which is what I'm thinking to do.

The Golden Age.

 

That's where I think I want to be...

 

Anyways, what's fueling this comic craze and is it dwindling?

 

I'm not sure, but I don't think it is.

 

I do have to say that Marvel is doing a fantastic job of marketing their product on a massive level which DC seems to have a hard time doing, sadly. Of course I may be far off on this evaluation but I base my opinion on what Marvel has done cinematically as well as on the social level. Just recently, my stepson introduced me to this mobile game called Marvel: Contest of Champions.

 

From what I can tell, it's an obvious nod to the 80's.

 

It's a pretty simple fighting game in which you compete against other players but from what I can tell, you're playing against AI (artificial intelligence) which incorporates some sort of individual player's algorithm. Some members that you play against are very hard to beat and some are just too easy. I'm not sure how it works but it is a pretty addictive game if you have some time to waste.

 

What I have noticed from this game is that it has made me a little more interested in some of the other, newer characters from Marvel that I neglected to pay attention to. Characters like Superior Iron Man, and then even some older ones like War Machine and even older yet, like the Black Panther and Black Bolt.

 

Here is some more information of the Kabam game which was released last winter- Marvel: Contest of Champions.

 

 

http://www.playcontestofchampions.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

marvelcontestofchampions_zpsneklyxps.jpg

 

 

 

Well that pretty much catches me up to this month, September. My daughter is reluctantly getting ready to go back to school and last weekend, we just enjoyed a day at the New York State Fair. The day before that, I had to attend to some very important matters which is commonly known as the annual Fantasy Football Draft Day. A day of cigars and all sorts of different brews!

 

The day at the fair was a great but tiring one... my daughter and one of her friends spent the day on the rides as my wife and I spent the day melting in the sun.

 

And now, to end this entry on another comic book note, I recently sold a favorite book of mine in order to buy this other book that was listed on eBay. I figured I had an excellent shot at getting it.

 

I figured I just had to keep my eye on the auction as it was ending late on Sunday afternoon.

 

Well, what was I doing late Sunday afternoon?

 

Enjoying the day with my family and I missed the end of the auction by 3 minutes.

 

That was okay though... it put things into perspective.

 

Here is a picture of my daughter and I trying our hands at a sponsored Onondaga Native American archery set-up. If you popped a balloon, you would get an extra arrow and if you hit a small round sticker on the hay stacks, you would win $20. I just missed the $20 spot by a half inch!

 

And the picture after, shows my failure again at the football toss... the pass bounced out of the hoop which thwarted my best efforts at landing a St. Louis Rams prize!

 

 

:( :( :(

 

 

 

But you know... it was an awesome day!

 

 

 

archery_zpsdiizensh.jpg

 

 

 

fairfootball_zpsmb2kuorv.jpg

 

 

 

Looking at all of these pictures together (from the comic convention to the fair). I've realized something...

 

Apparently, I have a favorite blue shirt just like Neal Adams! lol

 

Oh well. It's in good company!

 

And so, that ends this evenings post. I'm sure in the next one, I'll talk a lot more on where I think I'm going next with my collection but it'll be something very familiar.

 

Until then...

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[font:Book Antiqua]W[/font]elcome to the end of October and the beginning of November...

 

Where the weather starts to dip, the skies grow darker and the wheel turns once again.

 

And what an October this has been.

 

Where to begin...

 

Well, at my last post, I left off around Labor Day and the end of summer- thinking about what was to come and where I was going next. Some of you may have noticed that I sold off a portion of my collection once again. This time to no fanfare or no broad declaration... just selling a few books here and there between eBay and the boards.

 

I sold a lot of books that I recently bought over the past year or so, such as the House Of Mystery 92, Daredevil 7, Batman 227 and more. Some of the ones that I sold, were ones that I know I'll get an upgrade soon enough... such as HoM92. That book is too big of a book for me as I stated on here before but I really want a copy with nice PQ. The story I began to tell in the last journal entry of mine was about a book that I was certain to acquire but simply lost track of time.

 

That book was a signed copy of HoM92... I believe it was a 7.0 with nice pages signed by both Wrightson and Wein. I really wanted that book and was prepared to go at it full steam. In preparation, I decided to sell my copy in order to secure the finances needed. Well, ultimately I lost out on the book like I stated before but it was these events that sort of lead me down this road of yet another look at mt collecting habits and focus.

 

When I started this journal, I did so in the hope of finding what it was that attracted me so to certain books and where I would go with those thoughts. Along the way, my life took a temporary detour... one in which I felt the need to codify.

 

And it was there that I branched off into this other dimension where I felt that I would simply 'collect that which spoke to me and told a story'. Well, those stories have been told and in the process, I've learned a lot about what is truly important and how those thoughts manifest into that which I truly enjoy and find to be a part of my being.

 

There are books that I will always like and look at that are outside of this main timeline that I love so much when it comes to comics (the Golden Age), but I now know that I find the most enjoyment seeking and finding those true GA gems!

 

This year especially has been very good to me in that regard.

 

Books like All-American 61, Batman 4, Action 26, All Star 33 are wonderful examples of that search... finding that copy of Nyoka 21 once again- that was a very fortunate time.

 

And with that, I am truly grateful!

 

But I know myself well enough to realize that my personality can quickly and easily devolve into wanting more and more... and finding more and more ways to justify those actions and desires.

 

And this is when I know that it's time to stop.

 

When I know that it's time to gain a new perspective.

 

You see, I'm the mouse... and I was given one cookie too many.

 

For those of you not familiar with the story, here it is:

 

 

 

 

Okay, so that's the demented version of the story... lol

 

 

The original, basically tells the tale of how one simple action develops into a whole series of events... ultimately coming full circle.

 

And this is what this entry is about.

 

Full Circle.

 

Throughout these past weeks and months, as I stated, I sold about a dozen books or so. I sold my 2 key Aquaman books soon after missing out on the HoM92. I was looking at GPA on those two and something just seemed odd on one in particular.

 

Aquaman 11. Sure, I love the book and all but were those figures accurate in terms of what I was seeing on GPA?

 

I had a CGC 7.5 copy and you can check the data for yourself.

 

Was this real?

 

Are these comics truly commanding such sky high prices?!

 

I thought I would take a shot and see what would happen... and I feel that it's here where I fell into the speculative trap. I listed the book on eBay based on GPA figures. The book sat and I didn't see much interest until I received a low offer. I countered the low offer and that was accepted but ultimately that deal fell through and so I relisted the book with a much lower BIN, and it sold relatively fast. It was listed around 30% less of GPA.

 

Is there GPA manipulation going on out there to artificially inflate some prices on some books?

 

Based on what valuable information I've pulled from these boards... yes, it has been done in the past and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if it still continues in some fashion.

 

And that's when my world (that focused around comics) started to unravel.

 

What is this that I've immersed myself in and where does it lead to?

 

I couldn't come up with an answer. I didn't want to become a 'speculator' when it came to comics and I was quickly feeling like I had unknowingly entered that realm.

 

And it was time to get out...

 

...FAST!

 

And so basically, that's what I did.

 

I've sold many books, bought a couple and here is where I step off the tracks for a bit.

 

Looking at my current assortment of books... I'm pleased.

 

I'm at a good place and this song comes to mind. I may not ever have a great big Cadillac, gangster white walls- TV antenna in the back... but I have some books that tell a personal story to me.

 

 

 

 

And with that, I start to close this out by talking about a couple of new acquisitions.

 

My most recent was a yet another copy of Batman 4 albeit missing a couple of wraps and with a really nice quality repro cover.

 

I mainly bought that so I could flip through, smell and feel the 40's at a whim. :cloud9:

 

And the other book?

 

That was purchased a little while back now and it's another reminder of where it is that I want this collection to continue to grow.

 

And that's in the Golden Age.

 

Did I ever tell the story of Detective Comics?

 

Well then, here...

 

 

[font:Book Antiqua]My little obsession with... [/font]

 

 

 

70b_zpsxdht7ht8.jpg

 

 

 

And as much as I would love to be talking about the dream of owning this original piece of art, instead I'll be talking about correcting a mistake.

 

For those interested in seeing a very large scan of this amazing piece... that can be seen here:

 

Large Detective Comics 70 OA scan.

 

 

(Smaller version)

 

2014-02-15_094640_detective-comics-70-original-cover-art-web_zpsyxocn1kw.jpg

 

 

So.

 

I've talked about this book enough on this journal but I think that this might be the last time.

 

I started out with a restored (4.0) copy, upgraded to a really nice (7.0) copy... sold that one to acquire a couple of books in hope of getting another nice looking copy but settled for a solid filler (2.0) copy.

 

tec70trio_zpsxxppyvwc.jpg

 

 

And through all of these, I never saw the interior of this issue and the curious centerfold that seemed to be missing or loose from many copies.

 

That is, until now! :)

 

 

...

 

 

Waitaminute.

 

I did tell this story.

 

So what's this?

 

Well, there is one thing that my collection was truly missing and when I saw this book listed on the boards... yeah, it was going to happen- some way, some how!

 

A couple of sale threads and an arrangement on a payment time frame from Mike22 (Mike) made this possible!

 

I can't tell you how long it's been since I wanted a book authentically signed by Jerry Robinson.

 

I've mentioned this before, but who is Jerry Robinson?

 

Here:

 

http://www.jerryrobinsonart.com/comics/comics.html

 

 

Within that blurb you've obviously seen this text...

 

"As a member of the original Batman team, Robinson created the comics’ first supervillian, the Joker."

 

Fabrication? Truth?

 

Regardless, if you're a comic collector, then you know the significance of Jerry Robinson and then you would understand why I absolutely had to have this book...

 

Only 3 copies on the census... one higher, one lower.

 

I love this book.

 

Detective Comics 70: Signature Series / signed by Jerry Robinson on June 20th, 2011.

 

 

 

 

tec70ss_zps1ji8b5c2.jpg

 

 

 

So with nice centering and nice PQ, this copy joins my CGC 7.0 Tec' 70. : :whee:

 

 

 

Yeah.

 

Centering,

 

Page Quality.

 

Full Circles...

 

I've talked a lot about that through these pages, haven't I?

 

And here we are... closing out October.

 

The end of September brought a spectacular Blood Moon to this area in Upstate New York.

 

I captured this from my phone... and yes, I know it pales to the alternate dimension city that appeared above China recently but it's the best I could do! :D

 

 

 

bloodmoon_zpsfp6yobd0.jpg

 

 

 

And if you were wondering about that extra dimensional city...

 

 

Here:

 

 

 

 

 

Hoax? Fata Morgana?

 

Perhaps.

 

But in closing, going back to this full circle thing...

 

A full circle is one in which there is no breaking point.

 

No beginning and no end.

 

A full circle.

 

So... was there an alternative motive for selling some of the comics that I did?

 

Of course.

 

And here it is.

 

Just a couple of weeks ago, Loreena McKennitt appeared in Burlington, Vermont for her 'Trio' tour... just her, a guitarist and cellist... playing her songs, stories and poems.

 

I had to see this and I had to bring my family along.

 

This would be the closing of a circle and so it was... a very personal pilgrimage of sorts.

 

 

20151015_135713_zpsmu3jxwch.jpg

 

 

stage2_zps1c14akqo.jpg

 

 

stage1_zpsqhgxgv9l.jpg

 

 

 

Loreena started this performance with Samhain Night and All Souls Night.

 

She ended with The Old Ways and The Never Ending Road... perfect bookends for a perfect night!

 

If any of you have any sort of interest in this fantastic Canadian musician... please, look here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

After watching that video, I immediately thought that I would absolutely love to work for her in some capacity some day!

 

Hey, I drive a truck and I could drive a bus... : (shrug)

 

Anyways.

 

So here is the closing.... the centering... the PQ and the wrap.

 

I love centering.

 

I love full circles and I love nice page quality.

 

I love the Golden Age and those oh-so-familiar timestreams!

 

But it's time for me to take a pause and step back for a moment.

 

I'll still be around scouring the boards from time to time but as far as actively looking for books and such... that's what I'll take a break from for now.

 

I feel like I'm at a good place now and it just seems to be the right time... at least for a few months.

 

"In your heart, in your soul... did you find peace there?"

 

 

 

 

For the record... this is not a FDQ exit.

 

Just the closing of a circle and the beginning of another.

 

And with that, I'll close this chapter but for those of you that have an interest, I'll leave the last words for Loreena. This amateur video was taken just the day after we saw her and at a nearby venue just down the thruway in Albany, NY.

 

We had to see her in Vermont though... it's where this story sort of began.

 

That being said, here's to the never ending road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"These are my dreams, so simple and few

Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands..."

 

 

 

Goodnight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well of course I couldn't leave it there now could I?!

 

After all this talk of time and timestreams and the Multiverse...

 

I ran across this bit a couple of days ago and yes, it made me smile.

 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mystery-bright-spots-could-be-first-glimpse-of-another-universe/

 

Things are getting pretty weird these days, aren't they?

 

Cheers!

 

:)

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Jon and Brandon!

 

Just one of the many fortunate outcomes of being a part of this awesome community here on the boards! :cloud9:

 

 

... and yes Jon, 'Tec 69, 70 and 71 are some of my favorite Bat covers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a quick update... I've sold off a rather large portion of this collection and I'm currently at a crossroads of sorts. The next chapter is just getting started but I'm slowly figuring out just what road I want to go down.

 

For now, I want to say that assembling the collection that I did, WHEN I did, was a very personal journey of mine and important to the story that I was telling.

 

Now it's time to turn the page...

 

Thanks for reading! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites