The Merry Marvel Mutant Welcoming Committee!

[SW3D]

AKA: Don't Come Knockin' 'Round Here No More!

 

Conflicted, confused, and terrified of her own siphoning powers, Rogue finds herself at a crossroads in her life, realizing her uncontrolled mutant abilities and villainy have had catastrophic consequences. Rogue makes the toughest decision in her life, turning to help from her mortal enemies: the X-Men.

 

But Charles Xavier's gang of mutie hoodlums and bullies ain't gonna have none of that! How dare they chase down such a luscious piece of ! Am I allowed to write that?

 

But seriously, after what Rogue did to Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel... stealing her powers and memories, Rogue needed a good butt-kicking courtesy of the X-Men.

 

And who better to tell this sappy, soap-operaesque tale of Guilt, Remorse, and Redemption than the dream pairing of Chris Claremont and Walter Simonson?

 

This particular copy is pretty special to me. It's my original owner copy I bought 30 years ago, back in 1983, from the local newsstand racks. I honestly thought it would grade higher (9.4), but 9.2 is pretty respectable considering it was abused from the get-go by the Newsstand Distribution System. It also has remained in my care for three decades and has survived a few readings and nine address changes. And that grade also comes sans pressing, with the additional bonus of white pages.

 

Although the -NM grade deflates both the book value and CGC registry points significantly from what I had forecasted, the comic is given a positive push up with a yellow label featuring three distinct signatures.

 

The first came by way of writer extraordinaire Chris Claremont, most remembered for his iconic run on Uncanny X-Men.

 

While at NYComicCon, I was told by CGC staff, Chris Claremont would charge for signatures if he found out we were slabbing books. In fact, I confessed to the writer why the CGC witness was there, and I was forced to shell out ten dollars for Claremont's signature.

 

I was kinda miffed at that, and should have had the good piece of mind to decry, "Sir, with all do respect, I am trying to exploit your name and this worthless comic by selling it to a greater fool at an inflated price. How dare you insult me and the good name of exploitation by charging me ten bucks!?!"

 

But seriously, I don't mind paying a nominal fee to any artist or writer. Ten dollars is not going to bust my bank, and I honestly have every intention of selling this comic to the highest bidder. It is not a keepsake. If it were, then I may balk at the fee or do my best to inform the artist/writer how important this piece is to me and plea bargain to their fanboy senses. But in the case of most comic book artists and writers attending the con, they need to make money too! They're trying to make a living. So, if the fee is affordable, then I can deal. For the moment, I avoid those artists who charge $20 or more.

 

Claremont has a very distinguished signature. It's very stately... like a politico on an historical document. It's spread long, taking lots of real estate, and quite legible.

 

The second signature was acquired from inker Bob Wiacek, sans fees. I can't remember much of the interaction I had with the inker... it was a quick signing with little to no fanfare. Sorry Bob! But I am grateful for the signing and your work!

 

And the third comes from the very popular Walter Simonson... one of my favorite illustrators whose heyday was in the 80's. Last year I tried to get his autograph for my copy of Thor 344 (1st Appearance of Malekith), but due to logistical challenges, and only a 1-day window, I missed my opportunity. This year, I planned it better, purchasing a 3-days ticket... so I knew there was no way I would miss him. And thankfully on the 12th of October, I got my chance. Look how awesome his inscription is! Pretty cool, huh?

 

At the con, there were a bevy of cos-players dressed as Rogue. I have to admit, her popularity is undeniable. But aren't all Southern Belle's popular?

 

Thanks for reading... and as always, Happy Collecting!

 

SW3D

 

See more journals by screenwriter3d

[Griff]

That was the very first X-Men I ever purchased ! I've been hooked on them ever since

[SW3D]

My first X-Men comic I ever purchased was 129... Kitty Pride's 1st appearance. I still own it and it is in decent shape but I doubt it would even get 8.0. But that comic got me hooked on X-Men and the brilliant artwork of John Byrne. Thanks for reading.

 

SW3D

[wardevil0]

I always enjoyed how tightly woven some of the late Bronze-early Copper Marvel storylines were. It seems like there was almost a "Claremont-verse" going on that he populated with his own characters, or characters he took over when the previous writers lost interest. So many of his books tied in to X-Men; Rogue, Carol Danvers, Mystique, and Siryn, to name a few, were all introduced by him outside X-Books but went on to have fairly significant influence on the X-stories, even to this day.

[surfer99]

I would love to get the chance at meeting Claremont and having him sign some of my X-books. Please share the results from your other submissions when you get a chance.

 

[SW3D]

You're absolutely right. Claremont seemed to take ownership over the entire X-Universe, that he became the equivalent of a modern-day Jack Kirby. The only other one to pull such a feat like Claremont's was Kirby in books like Fantastic Four and Journey Into Mystery/Thor.

 

SW3D

[SW3D]

"Please share the results from your other submissions when you get a chance."

 

Will do... albeit one-by-one.

 

I actually posted several journals about my Witchblade and Darkness sigs. And I also posted a quickie journal on Aria Angela which you read. And a few minutes ago, I posted a journal about my Superman Special OAK.

 

I got a few more to write... so its going to be fun to talk about some comics rarely seen on the journals.

 

Keep a lookout.

 

All the best,

 

SW3D