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Lost in collecting- Om's Journal by oldmilwaukee6er
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403 posts in this topic

Friday thoughts

THURS interview went pretty well, one can never fully know until the offer comes in. Seven, count ‘em seven, individuals interviewing me. o.O

I gave it my best; remained humble, balanced, and observed some very positive feedback around the room, but one never knows. On the positive side, I broke the ice, revamped my resume to highlight instructional design work, and I can look outside my current institution. This. Will. Happen.

After the interview, I slipped down to the LCS and chatted with my comic guy. He says that the 5th week of any month is usually pretty slow in terms of new books, and that Marvel saves their annuals for the 5th week. We talked music too, as we share some common ground in classic rock and jam bands. The Chris Robinson Brotherhood is playing Turner Ballroom on Sunday night and he is going with some friends and invited me. I may go (haven’t bought the ticket yet), but honestly I need a working/grading weekend as the WED class gives me 9 credits and I have to stay on top of those. However, music may be a nice reward for a job well done.

Last night I took the lady out to see our favorite local band, the Magnificents (house band for Deadman’s Carnival), perform at the cigar bar. Four piece band, classic swing/bop Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, Sam Cooke, some Tom Waits. Good stuff and no cover. First Friday of the month is Deadman’s Carnival- a Milwaukee based music/variety show- side show acts, vaudeville, burlesque, etc. We attend every once in a while ($15/ea).

Still plugging away at Gotham. Very much enjoying it, but the Fish / Dollmaker plotline is fuuuuuuuugged up. I am a big one for positive psychology and generally do not put those images in my head. Oh well, it is still a good show and I cannot wait to keep watching. We killed our cable in 2013 and haven’t looked back- focusing on Roku, Netflix, & Amazon Prime as our main sources for content, and buying a digital antenna that gets about 40 HD stations ($40). The only things we miss are live sports. College and NFL football we can watch on network TV, and asked a friend log me into the Watch ESPN channel (some soccer) and most Liverpool matches can be streamed online, so there are workarounds. Cable TV is going the way of the land line telephone (we killed that in 2008).

I put down the future of comics post I was working on TUES. I want to pick it back up soon and keep plugging away- almost three pages, single spaced already. The next steps are to support some assertions and then apply some futurist theories to the general themes that bubble up. So far, the general themes are pretty intuitive (as many are already happening) and so I want to at least try and be predictive, if possible.

I asked the lady if she would consider writing some posts (“The lady speaks,” we have been calling it), and I am going to keep leaning on her, as she is on the fore of many things geek and teaching a visual arts course that focuses on video games.

Finally, I have enjoyed writing. As future months unfold, I may not be able to keep up the pace of the journal, but it has been a healthy exercise for me. 1) I do not have a lot of people that I can share my hobby with. The lady gets it, and I am blessed to be able to share so much with her. The chef gets it, and so I can share some information with him. And these boards get it. Those are my outlets, and I am thankful. 2) I get to talk about money a little, which is generally gauche, and so I do not get this outlet in real life. Maybe you know what I mean… that moment you tell your friends (or family) and they look at you like ‘you spent $300 on a comic?’ One only does that once.

Finish strong this week! Om

 

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Friday thoughts

I asked the lady if she would consider writing some posts (“The lady speaks,” we have been calling it), and I am going to keep leaning on her

 

She did it; she emailed me the following this afternoon. Supporting images added by me, otherwise her words.

 

The Lady Speaks(!). . . About Harley Quinn

 

Please bear with me here. I know many of you are completely entranced by the fair lady clown and her exploits, but I’ve been struggling with Harley Quinn for a while. I fall in and out of love with her at an astonishing rate and I’ve been trying to figure out why. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far. . .

 

I’m not excited about the Suicide Squad movie. I don’t want that to be Harley’s first big-screen appearance. She doesn’t look like a harlequin, she looks like a college woman making a perpetual walk of shame. She looks like she’d smell. Bad. That’s fine if you’re Lobo or even Wolverine, but Harley shouldn’t look she’d be covered in a miasma of cigarettes, stale bourbon, dirty feet, garlic armpit, and peppermint (as she tries to chew gum to cover it all up). But that’s what this Harley looks like.

 

Suicide Squad Harley

HQ4-ssquad_zpsadkxgovz.jpg

 

I watched Batman The Animated Series pretty religiously through high school and like many people I was intrigued by Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, MD. What wasn’t to love? She was an intelligent, advance degree-holding career woman who falls in love with the ultimate sociopathic bad boy. Half of Hollywood’s romantic comedies start this way. I loved her voice. I loved her self-referential harlequin costume and the giant smile painted on her face that hid her perpetually broken heart. For the Joker is incapable of love. He’s too invested in his sado-masochistic relationship with Batman. Harley knows this herself and her awareness and inability or unwillingness to leave gives her a vulnerability that makes her relatable. We’ve all been in situations (a bad job, bad relationship, bad friendship, bad fantasy football quarterback HAHA) that we knew were awful but we just couldn’t leave. I loved that she was allowed to outsmart the Joker and Batman on occasion. Here was a woman who could hold her own against the DC boys.

 

Animated-style Harley

HarleyQ1-animated_zpsh2cvlo7n.jpg

 

Except for the whole domestic violence thing. Upon a recent re-watch of some of her key episodes, I realized I was witnessing the Joker beating, strangling, shooting Harley- all played for laughs. It’s not so funny. The animated series puts Harley in a “Burning Bed” (1984 movie starring Farrah Fawcett) situation where you actually root for her to be as violent, if not more violent than the Joker.

Harley Joker moments:

 

This violent homicidal nature is played up in the current iterations of Harley, including Amanda Conner’s work. At times Harley is presented as a female Deadpool, all foul-mouthed and breaking the fourth wall. I also take umbrage with Harley’s latest stripper clown costumes. I know the Arkham games (sooooooo much fun to play) are a strong influence on how she’s currently drawn but the harlequin outfit was so much sexier than the crop top and hot pants with platforms that she’s currently running around in. I don’t like that Harley who will randomly attack a bus driver and act, well, like the Joker. The Joker’s motivations are purely for his own amusement. He’s a full-blown sociopath incapable of empathy. Originally, Harley’s violent tendencies were cultivated by the Joker and used for specific purposes. Now she seems aimless but she’s not as terrifying as the Joker.

 

HarleyQ3-arkham_zpspbhwoqjr.jpgHarleyQ2-connor_zpsulql6kar.png

Arkham Asylum game Harley & New52 Harley

 

Harley shines brightest when she’s with her female friends, especially Ivy. Then Harley is confident, funny, quirky, insane and intelligent at the same time. We see her seemingly endless love for animals. I realized this as I read her recent road trip issue. That’s the Harley I know and love! Not the Harley who goes to San Diego with some randos, beats up a few people, crashes a party on a balloon, and makes out with an entire roomful of Joker cosplayers. Not the bizarre Christmas Harley who pretends to be a little girl’s pet. No! When Harley is with Ivy and Selena, she’s amazing. She always has been her best when with her fellow women.

 

I’m surprised at how little I enjoy Conner/Palmiotti’s work with Harley. I enjoy both of them immensely on other works. Heck, Conner illustrated one of my all-time favorite characters from the 90’s (Painkiller Jane; created by Palmiotti/Quesada). But with Harley their work seems forced. Maybe they’re trying to cater to the slutty violent Harley that fans want. Maybe they don’t really understand her. I don’t know. But the road trip special gives me hope.

 

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Work weekend

 

This weekend was a working weekend, as we say, and one that was dominated by grading. Teaching can be easy, teaching can be fun, teaching can be quite enjoyable- but grading is a grind. Apologies to my lady, if she is reading this post, as she typically handles larger class sizes, teaches on the quarter system and thus teaches more credits on average than I do. However, grading whoops my .

 

We knew it would, and so celebrated my interview on THURS with our favorite local band and a nightcap at the corner spot. FRI was departmental meetings, teaching, the usual… a typical FRI night might be in bed by 8pm, just slagged from the week. SAT was a 10-hour grading jag, punctuated by walk along the Milwaukee River and a pint on Brady Street. “A long walk and a slow pint,” as we are fond of saying. We watched some college football (generally SEC; Geaux Tigers!), ordered take out, and then proceeded to finish Gotham Season 1 on Netflix (love love love).

 

I longed to get my grading done so that I could focus back on my writing, particularly the synthesis research on the future of comics. I have fallen down the rabbit hole (futurist theories, moonshot thinking) and I now see this as a larger project than a journal post- some 8+ pages of single-spaced notes and counting. In particular, I am looping the lady into the mix and we are targeting a panel at Wizard World Madison (possibly WW Chicago too) and a regional academic conference- all with the stretch-goal workshopping the ideas toward journal publication.

 

Therefore, that is where my focus has been. That is one of the beauties of journaling, I can write what I want when I want (squirrel!!). MON midnight my online class ends and my schedule will free up a little after that class is closed out.

 

However, my lady PICKED UP MY SLACK and wrote another post while she was procrastinating her own grading! And so I present the next installment of “The Lady Speaks.”

 

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The Lady Speaks… About Collecting

 

One of the questions I ask myself is: Am I a collector? It’s no secret my husband is and if I compare myself to him I don’t think I’m a collector; however, a cabinet of poison bottles, a bookshelf of Easton Press Masterpieces of Science Fiction, and an entire wardrobe made of R2D2 gear might lead one to a different conclusion. The most recent incident that is causing me to question my collecting reality is the birth of a new short box for the comics I supposedly don’t collect.

 

The poison bottle collection

bottles_zpsughzllrv.jpg

 

 

For the most part I don’t collect comics. What I mean is that I’m not interested in speculating on comics and I’m only marginally interested in chase variants. I started reading and hoarding comics in the late 80’s. As many tales of woe begin with, it started with the X-Men and spread to the X-Universe (X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Men Blue, X-Men Gold, X-Factor, X-Force, Excalibur, and all crossovers with other titles including Death’s Head and the West Coast Avengers). I also started collecting The Sandman at the same time. Eventually I added Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children. Not to mention the stupid X-Men collectible cards (I believe we finally sold those off at a garage sale in 2008). In 1994, before I graduated high school our house flooded and I lost almost everything (except the damn cards).

 

In college I stopped collecting comics in favor of more productive things such as getting drunk, skipping class, and occasionally protesting things because of reasons (it was the 90’s, after all). I only started up again when I met my future husband who was also a lapsed comic book collector. And it was right back to the X-Men plus the new additions of Strangers in Paradise, The Dreaming, Books of Magic, and some indies. I managed to grab random Harley books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Painkiller Jane, and we were diligent about our Wizard ½ issues (the Mars Attack is in my office at work). Our collection slowly grew over the years to a max of 15 long boxes and another half dozen or short boxes. Doesn’t sound impressive, but keep in mind we moved that mass from Missoula, MT to Billings, MT to Bozeman, MT to Baton Rouge, LA. In Baton Rouge we moved 3 times. By the time we were ready to leave Louisiana, we were ready to cull the comic book herd. And we did.

 

For the longest time I held on to two small boxes comprised of nearly complete runs of Death (The High Cost of Living, The Girl Who Would Be Death, and The Time of Your Life), The Sandman (completed in 2014), Strangers in Paradise (completed in 2015), the Dreaming (completed in 2001), the Books of Magic (series 1 completed in 2013ish, series 2 completed in 2000), and Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children (not completed, please don’t bring it up). There are some random books in there as well Bohos (1998) and Batman Beyond series 1 (1999). My new long box will hold my ever growing Jem and the Holograms and Munchkin runs plus my Sandman Overture and random Grendels. But I’m not a collector.

 

No, the retro gaming consoles, the aforementioned poison bottles, the voodoo dolls aren’t collections, I swear! You see I don’t have to be a collector because my husband is. I’m an enabler, perhaps (hence the Construct Bots, the industrial signs, the wooden explosives crates and boxes, the beer patches, and the pint glasses). I’m also flighty. I’ll chase a collecting vein for a year, two at the most, and then I lose interest. My husband often continues my collecting for me. He finished my Strangers in Paradise run and has continued the video game and poison bottle collecting. Some of the collections (the pint glasses, the Nemadji pottery) represent casual collecting we both can do.

 

A family photo of the Nemadji pottery collection (tourist pottery from Moose Lk, MN)

nemadji_zpssibdxofr.jpg

 

 

I don’t consider myself a collector because I don’t care about appreciation. I collect things because I like them and when I no longer like them I get rid of them. Also, I’m fairly cheap. For example once cool poison bottles reached $100, I stopped collecting. When it comes to comics I don’t care about condition so much. I pick the copy that looks the best to the initial eye. That’s good enough for me. One time my husband asked me to pick up a copy of Spawn at the LCS and it was nerve wracking! I had to look through each issue scouring for color break creases, mis-wrappings, soft corners, poorly placed staples, color smudges, and dings. Too much pressure!

 

In the past few years, in the name of decorating mind you, not collecting I’ve found copies of Wonder Woman 157-158 (the Egg Fu covers), the first appearance of Rogue as an X-Men, the first appearance of Dazzler, the first appearance of Psylocke, and I have a copy of X-Men #137 (Phoenix Must Die). They are all in my office along with Mars Attack ½ from Wizard, two Batman Beyond action figures, Death and Delirium action figures, a Rogue action figure, both pvc sets of The Endless and the Dreaming, many bobble heads (including Boba Fett, Atom Ant, and Rosie the Robot), and Funko Pop Vinyls (Sharknado, R2D2, Robot Devil, and Ezio from Assassin’s Creed). They are all out of their boxes and clearly on display.

 

See, I’m not a collector. I’m not. Really, I’m not. :shy:

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Spec’ing on the future of comics

Soundtrack:

 

In thinking and talking through the post about my Grandmother, and debating some of the futurist points with the lady, we inevitably turned the conversation toward the future of comics. I enjoyed this article by Baker (2014) where he notes that “now more than ever is an excellent time to be a comics reader” and that “the medium has never been so widely accepted as a legitimate form of literature and entertainment by the mainstream” (para. 1).

http://whatculture.com/comics/10-predictions-future-comics.php

 

As I started to take notes for this post, and was having fun doing so, I thought why not try and synthesize the latest theories on the future of comics? Therefore, I spent the last week or so building themes (first few):

 

The internet is a gift and not a curse

The internet is a gift and not a curse (Lucas, 2014), but this will be a double-edged sword. As the sales of print or hardcopy comic books (herein floppies) dwindle, digital comics will continue to emerge. Parker (2015) notes that current industry estimates put the size of the North American comic book market at around $900 million in 2015, compared to about $700 million in 2011. While floppies are doing well in terms of total dollars, indeed increasing, this is largely due to the increasing prices of individual comic books ($3-4/book) versus an increase in units sold (Lucas, 2014).

 

Screens are the new paper

While a core group of passionate collectors still crave the in person community that grows out of showing up at a brick and mortar store (Karpel, 2013), humanity is clearly demonstrating a preference for digital versus print media. Additionally, the death of the floppy will be aiding by declining disposable income of future generations, as more money is allocated toward the water-food-energy matrix. A hobby driven by disposable income and the hoarding physical products is likely doomed (Baker, 2014).

http://www.unwater.org/topics/water-food-and-energy-nexus/en/

 

As you can imagine, the ramifications of this shift are complex, often contrary, and not always positive. As the digital comic revolution continues to evolve, it will increase device delivery (Kozlowski, 2014), increase pressures for subscriptions (Kozlowski, 2014), lead to increased trade paperback sales, comic bundles, loot crates, etc. Additionally, the digital media revolution will likely make self-publication more expedient and profitable (Lucas, 2014).

 

And Amazon (or something like Amazon) will take over, i.e. Amazon buys Comixology, gains monopoly, starts publishing new content (Baker, 2014). However, early attempts seem fraught with technological limitations of, e.g. web-based flash players noted in Karpel (2013), or Abad-Santos’ (2014; as attribute in Lucas, 2014) illustration of how Amazon ruined ComiXology by gutting the apps’ one-touch buying to avoid Google/Apple fees and thus alienating readers and publishers alike. This reduced the app to more or less a fancy PDF reader for comics already purchased (Lucas, 2014).

 

ALL THAT SAID… While ‘screens are the new paper,’ they will not be fully animated, nor will they be like the standard floppy (Karpel, 2013). Instead, a new alchemy of digital media will emerge to include a combination of music and visuals or as Karpel (2013), writes the “magical moment when the music resonates with… the page.” This will advance to a more “adaptive audio experience,” the most cited example being Marvel’s Project Gamma. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=51353

 

FINALLY, the digital revolution is already influencing how audience commentary is packaged (e.g. CGC Message Boards or Subreddits), and this will become as much of a lifestyle for fans as actually reading the comics themselves (Lucas, 2014). We are effectively taking the simple act of going to the LCS with a few friends and turning into a global conversation.

 

Next up- Hollywood controls the future of comics

 

 

Latest purchase: Paper Girls #1 1st and only.

papergirls1_zps4zruoq9i.jpg

 

I drove over to Lost World of Wonders to score this and then we went to the Great Pumpkin at State Fair Park / Petit Center to pick out Halloween costumes. I am going mad scientist, and the lady is going as a female jedi (likely a tailhead Twi'lek). We are hitting Jo Anne Fabric and Hobby Lobby to finalize a few things this THURS AM.

 

___________________________________________

 

References

Baker, T. (2014). 10 predictions for the future of comics. Retrieved from http://whatculture.com/comics/10-predictions-future-comics.php

 

Blunt, T. (2015). The future of comics: A Q&A with author Geoff Klock. Retrieved from http://www.wordandfilm.com/2015/06/the-future-comics-the-future-men-an-interview-with-author-geoff-klock/

 

Karpel, A. (2013). We’ve seen the future of comic books and, oh, wait, it crashed the server. Retrieved from http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682563/weve-seen-the-future-of-comic-books-and-oh-wait-it-crashed-the-server

 

Kozlowski, L. (2014). The future of comic books: Who will create tomorrow's heroes? Forbes [online]. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorikozlowski/2014/07/09/the-future-of-comic-books-who-will-create-tomorrows-heroes/

 

Lucas, J. (2014). The future of the comic book in a digital world. Retrieved from http://www.nerve.com/culture/the-future-of-the-comic-book-in-a-digital-world

 

Parker, L.A. (2015. Why the “future of women in comics” thinks it helps to be terrifying. Vanity Fair [online]. Retrieved from http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/07/kelly-sue-deconnick-profile

 

 

Edited by oldmilwaukee6er
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Why Hollywood controls the future of comics

OK, so in my research on the future of comic books, another theme rose to the surface; “the legitimization of comics through Hollywood” (attributed to Mark Millar, in Parker, 2015). To me, this statement means that Hollywood controls the future of comics (Parker, 2015). I suppose it is already the industry norm that comics are beholden to films (after Baker, 2014) and ‘all in the name of corporate synergy,’ as I like to say.

 

Corporate synergy across transmedia properties means that everything is licensed. As such, comic plotlines are easily predictable, e.g. Spidey’s appearance in the black costume, the return of Logan/Wolverine ‘roundabout movie time, or even the marginalization of the X-Men / Fantastic Four (after Blunt, 2015). In addition, notice how this synergy flows both ways and comics are part of it, ala BOOM!, Dynamite, & IDW preference for licensing established properties versus developing creator-owned content. All this will make it more difficult for a new breed of comic book characters to break into canon (Lucas, 2014).

 

This synergy has led to short-term jolts of shock versus long-term story and character development, and has led to an environment where fans are cynical of reboots, relaunches and resurrections (Lucas, 2014). Yet, expect more events (Baker, 2014). Baker (2014) argues that the synergy of transmedia properties will put pressure on successful artists to change roles and may lead to the end of creator-owned properties and a move to mainstream behavior of retaining rights (Baker, 2014; or Layton’s (2013) move away from comic publishing for job security). This is in part because the money is in the movies and the merchandise and not in the storytelling, as the price point is sweeter (Blunt, 2015).

 

Additional concerns… this Hollywoodification could lead to a decline in ethical fandom or fans ‘looking out for the little guy’ (Blunt, 2015). The example being the somewhat famous quote from Len Wein in 2009, "Hugh Jackman is a lovely man, and at the premier he told the audience that he owed his career to me and had me take a bow. It was very gratifying and very nice. I would have preferred a check" (as quoted in Blunt, 2015).

 

Yet comic books will still be relevant (or why we LOVE lurv :luhv: The Mouse)

Collectors will always crave a tangible object to hold, pass on, and read. However, a big hurdle for comics publishing is CLEARLY cost effectiveness; the average comic is $4, the average iTunes movie download is $5, which means that comics are now in direct competition with Hollywood (Layton, 2013).

 

That said, there is a growing demand for new stories, franchises, transmedia properties, and intellectual property (IP), as well as a growing need for new voices and new creators (Kozlowski, 2014). Therefore, even if floppies lose money, they will serve as loss leaders as a way to develop and curate future IP. Not only will Hollywood need comic books, humanity has an increasing need for a distraction from reality and the real world (Lucas, 2014). With all the horrible things happening in the world, there is a basic need for superheroes (Lucas, 2014). Additionally, floppies are growing their fan base. In 2014, women 17-33 years old were the fastest growing demographic in the comics, and that female-led comic titles doubled in the last 5 years (Parker, 2015). However, the “legitimization of comics through Hollywood” has yet to be extended to female comics (Parker, 2015). As writer Gail Simone wrote in a noted Twitter storm, “complain about the diverse readership and readers coming in from film all you like, but you are enjoying the benefit of their dollars.” A diversifying fandom means the next generation of creators is inevitable and this should make us feel inspired!

 

Nevertheless, our hobby’s strong connection to Hollywood means we are only ‘one business decision’ away from the extinction of the medium, as outlined in this sobering journal entry excerpted from comic book artist and publisher Bob Layton (2013):

 

In 2013, the average print run of all 300 comics published monthly was approximately 15,000 copies. On average the art and editorial content run between $13-23k, while the average cost of printing and distribution is $6-7k. Diamond distribution typically takes 60% off the cover price to distribute the product nationally. This means that an average selling comic (15k copies), produced, printed and distributed on the low end of the estimate ($19k), nets the publisher/distributor $5,000 (4 x 0.4 = 1.6 x 15000 = 24000 – 19000 = $5000 average profit before advertising revenue).

 

“Eventually, some middle management guy within the Disney Corporation is going to figure out that comic publishing is not very profitable. At that point, he will probably lobby to shut the publishing arm down in order to save the company millions in expenditures per year. Hoping to get a big promotion for his innovative thinking, he will inadvertently cause over half of the volume of the comic industry to disappear overnight” (Layton, 2013, para. 18-19).

 

 

Let me just repeat that… if Disney (or TimeWarner for that matter) were to shutter comics publishing they would cause half the volume of the comics industry to disappear.

While this may never occur, a real possibility remains and this would have devastating impacts across the genre and do irreparable harm to the direct market.

 

Extinction is the ultimate problem for the future of comic books.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

References

Baker, T. (2014). 10 predictions for the future of comics. Retrieved from http://whatculture.com/comics/10-predictions-future-comics.php

 

Blunt, T. (2015). The future of comics: A Q&A with author Geoff Klock. Retrieved from http://www.wordandfilm.com/2015/06/the-future-comics-the-future-men-an-interview-with-author-geoff-klock/

 

Layton, B. (2013). What is the future of comics publishing? Retrieved from http://www.boblayton.com/what-is-the-future-of-comic-publishing/

 

Lucas, J. (2014). The future of the comic book in a digital world. Retrieved from http://www.nerve.com/culture/the-future-of-the-comic-book-in-a-digital-world

 

Parker, L.A. (2015. Why the “future of women in comics” thinks it helps to be terrifying. Vanity Fair [online]. Retrieved from http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/07/kelly-sue-deconnick-profile

 

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The Wednesday One- 10/14

 

Productive TUES at home. Graded 20+ papers and online discussion (about 6hrs of work), then wrote like mad and did some computer maintenance. I upgraded for free to Windows 10 on FRI night, a process that took about 2hrs. It was somewhat a mistake to do it, because it took so long I missed out on posting to one online discussion forum. And then the last 2 days have been sorting through what I’d done. Today I had to enlist the lady to reinstall my scanner so I could scan comics again- no small task having to also update drivers. Everything was working in time for The Muppets. This is pretty much the only TV show that I make a point of watching, and I do enjoy it. We killed cable back in late 2013 and have not looked back. I have to stream some live sports via TV Ole (with ad block), but otherwise do not miss cable. I do miss a DVR though. Live sports and a DVR, yup. However soon cable TV will go the way of the land line telephone (telegraph).

 

Today is my long teaching day, about 10hrs or so with office hrs. I hope to hear about the new job soon, this week I bet. It would be a really great opportunity to get a new title, steady pay, and perhaps the balance of not having to teach (no grading every weekend!). Hope hope! Sometimes I allow myself to daydream the purchase of a nice slabbed underground with the new $$.

 

Besides the new comics, and my trip to WW Chicago, I haven’t bought any more comics for a while. I guess that’s kinda insincere, but I haven’t bought a good back issue in 3+ months. New comic day has lost a little allure now that I cannot get there on WED. That means that spec’ing is harder, because timing is everything at my small little corner LCS. We get maybe 4 copies to compete over, if you ‘got no pull’ & picking of the shelves like me. Mostly it is not a problem, because I can time my arrival around 2pm WED (just after the nerdlingers that annoy the manager, but before the mundanes, and right about time the cute waitress from Ma Fisher’s stops in) and stay and chat until the norms come in. Perfect. **Wrote part of this last night, I since cancelled part of office hours to pick the LCS and had success except for the new Assassin's Creed book*

 

THIS WEEK:

Jem & the Holograms 8 for the lady

 

The new read (now that Sandman Overture is done):

Twilight Children #1 Vertigo- The Wednesday One

twilight1_zps3ikib2nf.jpg

 

 

Scottie Young's Fairyland #1- Spec book with an underground feel ($3.50):

th_ihatefairy1_zps7wwtav34.jpg

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No teaching THURS and the lady was essentially off too, having just to arrange a docent-guided tour of the school's art museum. We had the morning together to clean the apartment, and then shopping for Halloween supplies. Since I could not nab one of the two Assassin’s Creed books that trickled down to the East Side Collector’s Edge location, Lost World of Wonders (25min) was on the list too. The lady is a gamer and this is one of her favorite franchises by far. We also hit American Science & Surplus, which is right next to Lost World, for Halloween ideas and accessories. I am going as Beaker from the Muppets, having studied DIY ‘instructables’ online. At Science Surplus I picked up a white posterboard for 85c and 2 plastic golf tees for 10c each for pupils. I also picked up a pair of orange rubber gloves (possibly on the small size) for $1.50 that I may (not) use. Next we hit Lost World of Wonders for her AC book and I got a copy of Batman 44 (origin of Mr Bloom?; the shop still had 5 copies of 43 1st Mr Bloom on the shelf), Savior 7, another Paper Girls 1 (they still had 2-3 more copies) and was tempted by another Twilight Children 1 ($5), but 40 pages for Paper Girls, no variants, $3- that’s good value for a spec book.

 

Right before walking into Jo Ann Fabrics, I got the call on the job- NO GO- nothing but positive platitudes, but came out number 2 and number 1 said yes. Balls. The lady was a little crestfallen. We moped and shopped through Jo Anne Fabrics and I picked an orange feather boa for hair ($9), flesh pink felt fabric ($5 for close to 2m), 2 styrofoam balls($9), 1 styrofoam egg (nose $4), spray adhesive ($7), & white pipecleaners to help secure the eyes & nose ($1). We also picked up some packing ($7) for the lady’s female jedi costume (Twi’lek or tailhead). After buying supplies, we had some soup and salad out to ‘celebrate the loss’ and talk through it before heading to afternoon meetings. That night, I cut a 1-yard piece of fabric and spray glued it to the posterboard. I still have plenty of fabric to make another or to make oversized gloves. I have since advanced the head pretty quick, working on it in two 35min stints since THURS night using staples, packing tape and strategic hot glue to construct the head. Before rolling the posterboard, I hot glued (reinforced with paperclips) the feather boa along the inside top and then rolled and continued the boa around the outside. I used the pipecleaners / hot glue and made optic nerves of sorts to pull through the posterboard and secure on the other side. The same with the nose, which I spray painted orange (had this at home).

 

My Beaker Halloween costume:

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I was thinking that a good variant on this costume would be to use a black boa (or felt), black nose, and green felt to mimic a Beaker / Frankenstein’s monster. I think that could be done with an additional $20 / 1-hour, and I may try it ‘just for fun’ (add some neck bolts, etc.).

 

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Scottie Young's Fairyland #1- Spec book with an underground feel ($3.50):

th_ihatefairy1_zps7wwtav34.jpg

 

I noticed there was 4 copies of this book still on the shelf at the stellar Lost World of Wonders store, so probably not underprinted versus the regular copy. Or really a spec book. If anything, the regular copy was selling faster at the big store (only 1-2 copies left). I think the premise of this book is funny, as a principle from the underground comix movement is that one cannot always draw nice things. I do not collect Scottie Young variants, did not buy his variant for Spawn 250, and generally find the work too cutesy. However, you can't always draw nice things.

 

So that alone earns a spot in the modern collection.

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The death of the collector

Found an excellent article on FRI night, the lady passed it to me, and off I was down the rabbit hole. I marked and typed up the following, a summary of sorts. The growth of electronic sell-through (EST; I am not convinced this is an industry standard term) market for digital comics signals the end of collecting as the organizing logic of American comics culture (Steirer, 2014).

 

In his (2014) article he demonstrates how the translation to digital comics has disabled most collector interactions- namely through file-based digital rights management, terms of service restrictions, and in-app automated file management (Streier, 2014).

 

These are the three approaches media companies employ to prevent consumers from selling their digital purchase. Like nearly all other forms of digital media, digital comics cannot be resold. This is because digital comics depend on how the digital comic gets coded as an object. And right now, digital comics are coded to exclude almost every form of consumption save buying and reading. This is at the heart of Abad-Santos’ (2014; as attribute in Lucas, 2014) critique of how Amazon ruined ComiXology by gutting the apps’ one-touch buying to avoid Google/Apple fees and thus alienating readers and publishers alike. This reduced the app to more or less a fancy PDF reader for comics already purchased (Lucas, 2014).

 

And get this(!)- Presently, collectors are not purchasing objects at all; rather they are purchasing access rights. I will find this out the hard way in early 2016 when a bunch of my digital downloads begin to ‘archive’ to a subscription service and my access rights expire. Basically to date, digital comics represents a more deliberate effort on the part of publishers to remake the market, increase their power within it, through the use of in-app file management preventing the possibility of a secondary market. The death of the collector represents a gain for the publishers who via code will have increased control over how the books are used and distributed (Steirer, 2014).

 

Streirer (2014) does hedge his bet by stating that the shift to digital distribution does not necessarily preclude collecting as a mode of consumption. So long as the direct market and EST market can mutually coexist, digital comics impact on collecting culture is likely to remain minimal.

 

So what does the future hold?

The manner in which digital comics have been coded means more casual interactions with comics, ala carte sales, ever available issues, and impulse pricing. The new digital comics’ culture will be determined largely if not solely by the experience of reading comics AND NOT on collecting them. This stems from the longstanding tendency to view consumers and retailers in binary terms. To study consumer practices versus collector psychology.

 

So can digital comics be coded to perform array of consumption that underpins collecting?

Can digital collectors participate in a secondary market, either through selling or buying?

Can collectors participate in a long-running conversation about the value of whatever object is in question (Steirer, 2014)?

 

These remain interesting questions for the future of comics. At present, the answer is on limiting consumption, and points to the death of the collector (Steirer, 2014).

 

References

Steirer, G. (2014). No more bags and boards: collecting culture and the digital comics marketplace. Journal of Graphic novels and Comics, 5(4): 455-469. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2014.913646

 

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The Lady Speaks. . . Assassin’s Creed

 

This entry is all about my undying love for Assassin’s Creed (prior to Assassin’s Creed my favorite franchise was Tomb Raider). One disclaimer, I do not own a PS4 (that’s another entry right there) and so I have not played Unity, Rogue, or the whole suite of “other games” including Identity and Chronicles (which I just learned through Google even existed). My love of Assassin’s Creed spans the following games: Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed: Revelation, Assassin’s Creed III, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. I want Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate so badly because it combines two of my passions: Assassin’s Creed and Steampunk/Victorian England.

 

How I found Assassin’s Creed is an interesting (to me, at least) story. In 2012 or so, I was teaching my Visual Arts class which focuses on video games as an art form. I use McGonigal’s Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (2011) as one of my primary texts. One of the assignments was to write a reflection on a video game answering questions such as Why do you play it? How does it make you feel when you play it? Etc, etc. There was a student in the class, a little bit older than the rest (they are traditional college-aged kids) who kept to himself. He wore a pretty heavy duty back brace and sometimes had to use a cane. It was through his paper that I learned about Assassin’s Creed.

 

This particular student has been in a pretty severe car accident and had broken his back. It had taken several surgeries for him to even begin to function as a “normal” person. During his lengthy and painful convalescence, one of the games he entertained himself with was Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. The way he described the game was eloquent and passionate. He spoke of how when he played as Ezio, he could not only walk again but scale buildings and perform acrobatic feats that he had never been able to do. Through Ezio and Assassin’s Creed, this particular student was able to be free in a way his broken body wouldn’t allow. That sold me. I had to try this game out.

 

First, I needed a PS3. I saved up my extra monies (I have a book selling gig on the side and do community book discussions) and sent my husband out to find me a refurbed PS3 (I’m cheap, okay. I don’t buy consoles or games when they first come out and I never want to pay full price). He had a guy so I trusted him. The first batch of games that I purchased didn’t include Assassin’s Creed, however. If I remember correctly it was Batman: Arkham Asylum (who doesn’t want to be Batman?) and Unchartered: Drake’s Fortune (appealed to me in the same way Tomb Raider does) that were my first two purchases.

 

Eventually I picked up Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. From the moment I loaded the game, I was hooked. What do I love about the franchise? First off, I’d never played an open-world game on the scale of Assassin’s Creed. Granted, I dabbled in GTA on PS2, but I never really took to it. Second, the Assassin’s Creed games are beautiful. Yes, I’m a sucker for all that accurate architecture, art, clothing, ambiance. I spent the first hour or so just wandering around Rome. I may never get to see the Coliseum in real life, but as Ezio, I scaled that sucker. The first time I climbed to the tippy top of a tower and performed a Leap of Faith I felt my own heart jump a bit. It was that good.

 

AC Brotherhood

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Being an assassin is fun. I’m a middle aged woman. It simply kicks to be an assassin. That’s why Liberation remains one of my favorites in the series. While being a kick male assassin is fun, it’s even more fun to be an -kicking female assassin in the antebellum south (full disclosure, we lived in Louisiana for 6+ years so anything that has to do with the bayous and swamps and New Orleans is going to win me over). That’s why when Ubisoft declared at the time of the launch of Unity that they couldn’t make female assassins, I was pissed and almost swore off the franchise. They had already created a female assassin, Aveline. And she’s Creole to boot! I see that they’re rectifying the lack of female assassin’s with Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles (Chronicles: China has a female assassin) and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate will include Evie, a female assassin. Evie is the first female introduced to the main storyline as Aveline is not considered cannon even though she crosses over with Connor from Assassin’s Creed III.

 

Aveline (AC Liberation for PS Vita) Evie (AC Syndicate for PS4)

ac%20aveline_zpsa5m5pgyx.pngac%20evie_zps3sj8vtzo.jpg

 

The new comic book also centers around a female protagonist, Charlotte de la Cruz. Since the animus storyline takes place during the Salem Witch Trials, her ancestor is a white male which causes her to think “My ancestor is a white guy? Mom has some explaining to do.” There’s only been one issue at the time of this writing (it dropped October 14th) but I’m optimistic that it’s going to be a fun read.

 

Charlotte de la Cruz- AC comic book from Titan

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That’s not to say all the games are equal. The original Assassin’s Creed is clunky, limiting, and the voice acting is unintentionally hilarious. Altair’s voice doesn’t change from Desmond’s so you end up with a 12th century Jersey Shore assassin. Brotherhood is an improvement, for sure, and since it’s the first Ezio game, I’m fond of it. #ladiesloveEzio Assassin’s Creed III is a step back. Connor moves like a lummox. Black Flag is fun to play but suffers from side quest fatigue. With each iteration, the game adds more and more side quests to the point where they become repetitive and a total grind. Also, you sometimes lose the main storyline in all the quests and achievements.

 

There is going to be a movie starring Michael Fassbender (which is good, I guess?). They moved it out of the main story continuity, which is a smart move. It’s hard to explain the plot of Assassin’s Creed. In a nutshell it’s about memories being genetically encoded and passed down through generations. The Templars and the Assassins have been embroiled in a war since the Crusades. There’s alien/gods and Apples of Edens, the Animus which is the machine that helps you retrieve your ancestor’s memories, and a potentially evil corporation called Abstergo that wants to profit off the technology (okay, according the Assassin’s Creed Wiki, Abstergo is the main front for the Templars so it is indeed evil). In the real world you were Desmond for the first five games and Altair, Ezio, and Connor in the memories. In Black Flag you were a hired hand to go in and help develop a video game by retrieving Edward Kenway’s memories. I don’t pay a ton of attention to the overarching plot, clearly.

 

Still, this is currently my favorite franchise in video games.

 

Other franchises that I’m fond of include Bioshock (although Infinite was really disappointing), the Arkham games, Borderlands, and Devil May Cry. I also liked Dragon Age: Origin, Skyrim, and I am currently playing Darksiders (Joe Madureira art).

Edited by oldmilwaukee6er
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The Wednesday One- 10/21

Much like last week, I was looking at another new comics Wednesday where I might not be able to participate. I checked my favorite spec site (www.cbsi.com) for recommendations and thought about the following books:

Clean Room 1 (new Vertigo from Gail Simone)

Sunflower 1 of 6 (Mallouk; pre-movie spec)

 

Last week, I cancelled office hours because I wanted new comics and the time at home. This week I took a break and made a smash and grab, pulling two books Usagi Yojimbo 149 and

 

Tokyo Ghost 2 The Wednesday One

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Honorable mention to Karnak 1 (Eliis), which my LCS guy was pushing. There was one copy left on the LCS shelf at 3pm, but I left it because *spoon* Marvel and the Inhumans (beyond Star Wars), if I spec one of their books it will likely be Extraordinary X-Men by Lemiere and probably the 600th issue of X-Men. Let some other fanboy feast on inhuman Ellis goodness.

 

So my necessity to time the LCS has me thinking about the other things I have working against me in terms of speculating on new comic books- a) I buy “off the rack” of the LCS and thus pay cover price; b) my LCS is small- 8-10 copies for the bestselling titles, 2-3 for newish stuff (I nabbed the last Tokyo Ghost), no scarce/obscure stuff like Black Mask books; c) which means stuff sells out quick. Establishing a full pull account at Lost World, where I can access Previews and make educated moves. This would also add a discount too. I could also order online, especially useful if seeking a big stake in a particular book. However, I do like my LCS manager, I like the vibe of the store, that it is only 1 block away from my apartment, and I like the challenge of no subscriptions, picking ‘in the wild,’ being at the whims of local markets / tastes.

 

I thought about trying to add newsstands or magazine shops to my list to try for high-grade newsstand copies. If only I had a Game Stop closer, those variants I could get into. I think if it were a perfect world, I would burn some go-juice to Lost World of Wonders (25min) and pick a copy of Sunflower. . .

 

Up next- The ronin rabbit: A brief history of Usagi Yojimbo

 

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My Usagi Yojimbo bromance

Soundtrack:

 

The rabbit ronin. Miyamoto Usagi. I have liked this book for probably a decade or so. I have a cobbled together a working-run of books from all three volumes- Fantagraphics vol1 and Dark Horse vol3- with the fewest books from Mirage vol2. My original owner books were Dark Horse vol3 31-72 (with a few misses), which coincides with my collecting period during 1999 - 2004. I think the first book I ever saw / read was a used copy of Green Persimmon (Summer Special #1? I still do not have that book). Since 2013, I have again run collected Usagi with less emphasis on condition than Spawn; I maintain a want list and generally pick the books at less than $2 on average. Sometimes I will widow-shop issues at Mile High Comics, and sometimes (rarely) during a codeword sale, issues can pop down to the $3-4 mark.

 

Miyamoto Usagi, Stan Sakai’s creator-owner property, is approaching #150; #215 in a series; spanning 31 years of publishing. Current print runs are estimated to be about <4800 copies based on Aug2015.

usagi149_zpsr6ez0qee.jpg

 

 

First off, Usagi’s name is not Usagi Yojimbo, a mistake I sometimes make. His name, as noted above, is Miyamoto Usagi. Yojimbo is the Japanese word for "bodyguard" as Miyamoto Usagi was the personal bodyguard a lord and continues to perform this role for small villages. The name Miyamoto refers to the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, who is renowned for his unique double-bladed fighting technique and there are many parallels. ANYways, I will just let you, the reader, fall down that rabbit hole, if you so choose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi

 

When we got a Kindle Fire, the tech-savvy lady uploaded nearly the whole run of Usagi TPBs and that is when I had the chance to read nearly the whole tale. Why does Usagi appeal to me? He is a loner, a wanderer, a masterless Samurai on the path of bushido. He is an exceptionally skilled warrior that uses an atypical fighting style, having been trained by the hermit lion Katsuichi. His fighting style is often commented upon and it so unique as to make him very powerful enemies (as it did his master). Moreover, Usagi is such a skilled fighter, humble, patient, fit, adaptive that early in the series (Vol1 #2) he single-handedly takes out the Dogura fencing school. This sets up a major sub plot that leads to **SPOILERS** the formalization of a childhood rival in Kenichi, Usagi leaving his home town & love, the birth of his son, and subsequent raising by said rival (now the magistrate).

 

Usagi entered the service of Lord Mifune and became a full samurai, rising to the rank of personal bodyguard. He performed well, and his lord was pretty good. Lord Mifune was killed during the Battle of the Adachigahara Plains. Usagi, loyal to the end, beheads his own master to prevent his body / head from being disgraced / paraded around and then flees to the woods to bury the head. With that act, Usagi is a ronin, a masterless samurai. He returns to the battle, but realizing that his troops are routed and the enemy is picking off rogue samurai, Usagi flees for his life.

 

Usagi’s travels often put him in the way of trouble, the setting of the story being the upheaval that followed Feudal Japan right around the time of the first Shogun. Usagi next encounters a small panda named Lord Noriyuki, the heir to a province / clan. This eventually leads a friendship / informal arrangement with Geishu clan- Usagi often helps them and they have a standing offer of employment for Usagi. Yet still he wanders.

 

One thing you should know about Usagi is that he kills. A lot. I mean he MUST have killed thousands of creatures. As in >3500 confirmed kills . I thought about trying to count them once. Like have a Tumblr or something. Trust me; Usagi is the original ‘OG murder rabbit.’ He beheaded his own master for sake! For the most part, Usagi will not deliberately try and murder you. He uses the full spectrum of force, from talking to people, his body language, to tripping them or clubbing them with his hilt. However, make no mistake, if you draw-down on Usagi, with few exceptions, YOU GONNA DIE. He is one bad lagomorph.

 

The murder rabbit. Over a billion served.

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The way Stan Sakai draws death is classic too… a small dialog box with a skull of the creature drawn in. With Usagi, you know they are dead (and when Usagi dies at the end of Senso #6). Therefore, the characters that survive around Usagi are most interesting.

 

Usagi’s friends

Gennosuke- Bounty Hunter- Gen and Usagi’s paths cross a few times. Early their relationship Gen represents a critique of the path of bushido, arguing in favor of a mercenary attitude determined never to be poor again. It is clear he and Gen work well together, and bounty hunting in early Shogun rule seems lucrative. However, Usagi’s path more often leads him away from Gen. It is probably important to note that Gen greatly admires Kitsune the fox

 

Kitsune- Street performer / Thief- Usagi usually runs into Kistune the fox in larger cities- particularly in the Shogun’s capitol. He is tolerant of her moral ambiguity- she considers herself an ethical thief that only steals from those that can afford it (she often steals from Usagi). Her motto is "A girl has to do what she can to get by?" There is some romance between Usagi and Kitsune, but ultimately she ends up with Gen.

 

Usagi’s lovers ( :banana: like a rabbit, yo)

Mariko- Babymomma- they have a son Jotaro, raised by Mariko & Kenichi. For most of the story, it is presented that Kenichi knows and raises him dutifully, while Usagi does not know. Therefore, he is really more of an uncle that later connects with Jotaro (making certain he is trained by the hermit Katsuichi BTW).

 

Tomoe Ami- Good friend / Combat partner- This is clearly who Usagi should end up with, and it is seen that the two have deep feelings for each other that go beyond mere friendship, e.g. “Tomoe's Story.” Her marriage to another man is eventually arranged by her lord.

 

Chizu- Ninja- A powerful ninja who crosses paths with Usagi several times. Not a lover, but she rarely misses the opportunity to steal a kiss, even if she and Usagi are often at odds. Usagi often blushes and tolerates her in the same manner he tolerates Kitsune, even once nursing her back to health from near death (if I recall correctly).

 

Edited by oldmilwaukee6er
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The Lady Speaks. . .Married to a Collector

 

This is a hard entry to write. You see, collecting is a double edged sword. It embodies many of the things I love most about my husband while also encompassing some of his more annoying traits. I would never change his collecting tendencies, although I’m sure he feels as though I’ve definitely impeded his collecting freedom.

 

I knew when I met my husband that he was a collector. It’s in his blood. His dad and oldest brother are baseball collectors. He’d done many shows with them, learning to haggle and hawk and trade. On the other hand, he fancies himself a minimalist and often talks about getting all his possessions down to what would fit in one vehicle (or even one bag). As I look around our house, I don’t really see that happening.

The thrill of the hunt is more important to him than the actual object in most cases. He’d probably argue that I’m not accurate in that assessment, but I stand by my claim. It’s about scouring the obscure flea markets and antique stores of the Midwest looking for that great deal on something cool. What is cool? That depends entirely on what’s caught his interest. In the past this has included Nemadji pottery, Transformer Construct Bots, various industrial signs, action figures, video games, artwork, crates, strange military boxes for ammunition, circuit boards, weird ceramic figures from the 1950’s and 60’s (their name escapes me at the moment), poison bottles, R2D2 figures, little brown jugs (some specific maker) and so on.

 

To be completely fair, I have been responsible for many of these collections either as the impetus or as a fellow collector. But the list is really so you see the variety of objects that have caught his eye in the past. There is no real rhyme or reason which is thrilling on one hand and absolutely confusing on the other hand.

The exception to this is probably comic books. With comic books, it’s all about the object being in the best condition possible to be bagged and boarded for posterity, possibly with an eye to slabbing (slabbing will be another topic of discussion as I find it a violation of all that is good and holy in the world). He exercises incredible patience with his comic book collection, often waiting years for the right price or right condition. It’s been fascinating to watch him buy new comics that aren’t viewed as collectibles, but as reader copies. In the past he rarely would have spent money on reader copies. I find myself more worried about comic condition at the moment with my Jem and the Holograms, Munchkin, and Assassin’s Creed comics.

 

So all of this sounds pretty positive so far, yes? Well, now for the downside. Sometimes what comes home is kind of gross. Dirty, dusty, smelly, totally authentic. As far as an object being a part of history, cool. But ew. I blame American Pickers for their obsession with rusty gold. One, gold does not rust. Two, rust means tetanus. Please keep your gurvy sign with jagged edges away from a location that might find my half asleep leg getting carved open. Who knows what strange latent viruses and allergens you are bringing in? I understand “head shop fresh” is a preferred attribute with some comics but seriously, that first appearance of Iron Man that you bought at Burnham would have killed me if you brought it home. I’m pretty sure it was ink on top of mold and nothing more. Or what if the object is haunted? This is especially true poison and medicine bottles. Maybe I’m being girly, but I like my collectibles and antiques clean.

 

It’s sometimes very hard to support a random collectible because sometimes they just don’t make sense. Like the aforementioned ammunition boxes. They’re big, we don’t really have good spaces for them (they’re currently jammed under windows and are cat perches), and they’re not cheap. I can’t remember the exact prices but sometimes $50 on an old wooden box is a lot of money. Yes, it’s not as much as a night out but there are times when money is tight and it’s frustrating to see it spent on a collectible which may or may not actually accrue value in the future.

 

And that’s another irritation—speculation. How long do I have sit and have these freaky ceramic dudes stare at me before we can move them at a profit? How much profit is good profit? They are also not cheap running anywhere from $30-$80 bucks in the wild. I’d gladly ship them off for $5.00 more than we paid.

 

But he wouldn’t. That seemingly infinite patience is what makes him a good collector, a good person, a good husband and incredibly maddening.

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OK. So things have been a little bit busy, in short putting my time into job applications (2), our Halloween party, and starting a new online course. Last Wednesday was teaching all day until 930pm, but I picked up a few books… Tokyo Ghost 2, Spawn and a couple more (Munchkin & Sandman Overture). But Art Ops #1 really stole the show- this book actually spun me off on an iZombie kick on Netflix too.

 

Art Ops #1- this book beat Unfollow #1 by Vertigo for a spot on my pulls

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Thursday off (sans online) was getting the cleaners though in anticipation of the party. FRI was work and then to the corner spot to pick up beer for the party (3 cases of Rheinlander stubbies 7oz of 5% lager; local pale ale 7% 1/6 barrel for $75). SAT was grading during the day and then the party PM- until daylight savings time. SUN was recovery- I had to return the keg empty and so poured off two 32oz growlers, one liter pitcher and 0.5L. Returned the keg that night. MON was back to the usual work grind. No eBay auctions ending or packages to arrive. Just more work. Don’t get me wrong- glad to have the work and time to job hunt. I have one more good application in play. TUES recovery; clean windows, clean apartment; WED teach all day (one guest speaker); good potluck with my night class- kept them an extra 20min last class! Ha.

 

So, I never told the lady, but I did spread some $1400 around on these latest Heritage auctions… some good underground comix stuff coming up (and most I do not intend to win). Still good stuff. That led me to contact a new fellow UG collector who collects HG Freak Brothers. I started looking up census data. Tough books, fewer than 2-46 graded copies per issue… and there are the hurdles of finding first print copies. For example, Freak Brothers #1 was reprinting well over 20 times in 44 years.

 

My hoard of Freak Brothers #1 1st prints- I just cannot pass this book up at the $100-150 level

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This week was a big week for me. As an X-Men fan, this was the week I was waiting for to jump back in. Post Secret Wars. Extraordinary X-Men #1 and Uncanny X-Men #600. Plus Star Wars #11 which is my go-to reader, and then Fight Club 2 #5 (one week late?) and Paper Girls #2. I was really excited for Paper Girls- I cannot even tell you- it was the highlight of my sad little day to pull off the guest speaker to LCS run. My LCS was sold out, but the manager pull his reader out and threw it on my pile. At that moment I was on the brink of taking my business to Lost World for good and that magenta cover came out. Damn love the quiz at the back; I may be going for the prize (still awaiting my membership card; I will definitely scan my SASE).

 

Wednesday One- Paper Girls #2. If my LCS had sold out of this book in 2hrs I woulda been pizzed

paper2_zpspcteif8k.jpg

 

 

Honorary mention- Extraordinary X-Men #1. Calling old school X-Men fans! This is your book. Humberto Ramos’ whack doodle art on Storm’s 2-foot mohawk (yes Storm is rocking the team lead!), oh and this girl Magik is back in fashion (as the lady said “oh that’s Colossus sister from Essentials X-Men Vol 6 Uncanny X-Men #199-213). Old Man Logan. Anyways- it’s the X-Men you knew before Secret Wars. Kinda. But I have been reading it on my phone Marvel App… it’s pretty good so far. Definitely going to buy it, pull the digital download and then flip the back issues at a local con (or gift them). I did not read Uncanny #600 but Iceman was definitely outed.

 

Will future collectors desire non-popped digital downloads (even if they are expired) versus popped? Is it our era’s value stamps? I think so. But is it something I will check in a dollar bin? Probably not. Still, for the books I am holding I am not popping the download stickers.

 

Happy to make it to FRI! Cheers everyone, survived meetings and more classes and got a little more chat time at the LCS before meeting the lady and ordering a pizza. This weekend I wrap up my WED night course and watch some college football with the lady (LSU v Alabama). Geaux Tigers! Also soccer this weekend- I caught most of Liverpool v Rubin Kazan and look for the Liverpool v Crystal Palace match on SUN (and maybe a local D3 college match, the lady was talking about her college’s team).

Edited by oldmilwaukee6er
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Will future collectors desire non-popped digital downloads (even if they are expired) versus popped? Is it our era’s value stamps? I think so. But is it something I will check in a dollar bin? Probably not. Still, for the books I am holding I am not popping the download stickers.

 

Yep, I check moderns that have the digital download stickers to make sure they are in place, and if not, I will pass on the book. Just doesn't feel like it's 100% complete to me.

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The Wednesday #2s- 11/11/15 & TLDR why humans collect

So as my Wednesday night class ended last week, and before my online course gets into full swing, I had a little time to research and read about why humans collect.

 

It must be the changing season and the suddenly dark nights that have me nesting and turning inward. Post-Halloween party, I have been cleaning windows, and going through my closet and bookshelves trying to clean and organize my belongings. It has given me time to think about why I collect things.

 

True or false. Everyone collects something.

 

Over 70 animal species do some kind of collecting as a way to increase survival. Humans are unique in that we collect items purely for the satisfaction of seeking and owning them. The desire to collect only became possible about 12,000 years ago, once our ancestors gave up their nomadic lifestyles and settled down in one location (Jarrett, 2014).

 

One psychoanalytical explanation for why humans collect is that unloved children learn to seek comfort in accumulating belongings; another is that collecting is motivated by existential anxieties – the collection, an extension of our identity, lives on, even though we do not. More recently, evolutionary theorists suggested that a collection was a way for a man to attract potential mates by signaling his ability to accumulate resources (Jarrett, 2014). Collecting is a basic human instinct; a survival advantage amplified by eons of natural selection. Those of our ancient ancestors who managed to accumulate scarce objects may have been more prone to survive.

 

Now, there are MANY motivations to collect (after McKinley, 2007):

Nostalgia and/or a connection to history

Investment; accumulation and diversification of wealth (security and freedom)

Pure enjoyment (dopamine), relaxation and stress reduction; including appreciation of beauty, and pride of ownership

Expand one’s social lives; social interaction with fellow collectors and others (i.e. the sharing of pleasure and knowledge)

Preserve the past

The purpose of study, knowledge, and learning

The quest

Psychological security, filling a void in a sense of self; liberating psychic activity

Claim a means to distinction; a means to immortality or fame

Competitive challenge

Recognition by fellow collectors and perhaps even non-collectors

Altruism (since many great collections are ultimately donated to museums and learning institutions)

The desire to control, possess and bring order to a small part of the world

 

Many writers point out that the motives listed above are not mutually exclusive. The majority of collectors reap several benefits, though some may invest excessive amounts of time, energy and discretionary funds (McKinley, 2007). Many non-acquisition based pastimes provide similar levels of satisfaction, but serious collectors of rare objects will very often find that they have created some wealth at the end of the day (Halperin, 2015).

 

Perhaps Davis (2014) captures it best “so in one sense, collecting is a scholarly pursuit that can share information about the world we live in at the same time serving as a deeply private passion that feeds our individuality or our attempt to secure immortality” (Davis, 2014).

 

For me, I collect for nostalgia of my hippie days and a connection to the counterculture of the 1960s. I enjoy comic books as a real goods hedge against inflation and view my collection as diversification of wealth. Some items do give me pure enjoyment, but as the lady has pointed out it is sometimes the hunt for cool stuff that gives me the most pleasure. Moreover, I do get a small amount of stress reduction from hobbying. I like re-arranging and classifying parts of a-big-world-out-there, which can serve as a means of control to elicit a comfort zone in one’s life, e.g., calming fears, erasing insecurity. I largely spend money on my hobby and often I say that I am a better buyer than seller.

 

Sacrificing collecting over lifestyle

Benson (2011), in article titled “Collecting as pain and pleasure,” discusses the balance of collecting as walking the precipice of the temperate climes of hobby versus the tropics of unruly passion. There is time, energy, and money spent in acquiring, maintaining, displaying, updating, and upgrading. This drains resources from family, friends, community, work or self (Benson, 2011), which can have negative psychological implications.

 

Davis (2014) outlines the steps of a collector. The first stage is accumulating – or not throwing anything away. Stuff comes into your possession that looks good or interesting, or is amusing or historic, and you put it in a folder, or shove it in a drawer (Davis, 2014). The second stage is acquiring – when you go out deliberately to look for objects to add to your collection (Davis, 2014). The final stage is when you start buying the things you already have again, upgrading, because you want a better copy (Davis, 2014). If you collect, your first priority should be to develop an honest self-awareness of your personal ambitions. You might even try to predict how those ambitions are likely to evolve throughout the remainder of your life.

 

One of the more interesting theories on why a collector may start a new collection has to do with having two or more of something (after Stanford research I. Simonson). Owning two or more of the same items are difficult to justify psychologically. The redundancy of items is not easily justified by the mind. Therefore, individuals are likely to collect more of a thing. Funny, how this week is issue #2 on two recent titles- Twilight Children #2 and Assassin’s Creed #2. The lady is definitely IN on AC2, so assuming the little LCS has a copy, it is coming home with me (it didn’t, sold out in 1hr). It seems I am at the point of decision with Twilight Children. Do I buy a third, and then a fourth? It is only a 6 issue miniseries… Alternatively, do I stop at one from now on?

 

The Wednesday One- Twilight Children #2

Twilight2_zpsm9ipwfve.jpg

 

If I only had one book to buy, it would have been Assassin’s Creed #2. However, my little LCS only had two copies allotted and both were scooped up by 1pm. Apparently, this is a book that is tough for the small chain to reorder (Being a UK publisher). I know I can pull the other LCS- Lost World of Wonders tomorrow, but burning go-juice for one book… even if it IS the lady’s pull, that’s a little tough. Oh who am I kidding!?

AC2_zps7imc4rx2.jpg

 

Next up- RL (real life) need tires for the car before the snow flies :cry:

 

 

References

Davies, H. (2014, Nov. 7). Hunter Davies’ guide to becoming a collector. The Guardian [online]. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/07/hunter-davies-guide-becoming-collector

 

Jarrett, C. (2014, Nov. 9). Why do we collect things? Love, anxiety or desire. The Guardian [online]. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/09/why-do-we-collect-things-love-anxiety-or-desire

 

Halperin, J. (2015b). Why do we collect things? Intelligent Collector [online]. Retrieved from http://www.ha.com/intelligent-collector/why-do-we-collect-things.s?article=collect

 

McKinley, M.B. (2007). The psychology of collecting. The National Psychologist. Retrieved from http://nationalpsychologist.com/2007/01/the-psychology-of-collecting/10904.html

 

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The Lady Speaks. . . Sandman (text= The lady; images / emphasis me :) )

The other day my pre-ordered The Sandman: Overture arrived from Amazon. It’s the Deluxe Edition, but knowing Gaiman and Vertigo, this will not be the last or even the seventh to last edition published. I do already own the individual issues, some of the issues I have multiple copies as multiple covers came out. While I normally eschew the multi cover fad, I’m a sucker for Sandman (and the Endless, in general). So why did I need to buy the hardcover deluxe edition graphic novel? Because the Sandman needs to be read as a whole unit. It loses its magic when you read it one issue per month. Or, in the case of Overture, one issue every 6-8 months. I want to experience the story as a whole. I want to get lost in the art and have it melt into my dreams.

 

Sandman Overture HC November 2015

Sandman%20Overture%20TPB_zps0xfln0tv.jpg

 

 

 

Sandman began when I was 12 (November 1988 but dated January 1989). I was heavily into the X-Men at the time but something about that first cover caught my eye. It was eerie. Typical Dave McKean psychologically teasing art. A shadowy, primal figure framed by wooden shelves filled with various bric-a-brac including Buddha, animal bones, cats, and orchids. At the time, there was nothing else on the comic shelves that compared. I bought it on a whim after getting my mom’s permission because it was Vertigo and therefore adult, you know.

 

The story blew me away. Here was Morpheus, Dream, captured by some pasty effete dudes looking for world domination and/or immortality. Dream escapes and exacts his revenge on his captors. Dream is drawn like a younger gothic Robert Smith with dangerous cheekbones. His eyes are black voids with white dots. He is angry, haughty, and dismissive. His word balloons are black, his words are in scrawled white. Dream was the epitome of the gothic bad boy that every girl growing up in Nowhere, Montana dreams of. The colors and art were gorgeous. Even in just that first issue one is introduced to so much lore, history, and mythology. It was smart. It was grownup. At 12, I could see that. I wanted to live in that world.

 

As the story unfolds and we meet the other Endless (listed here from oldest to youngest): Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium (originally known as Delight but for some reason she went mad). They’re squabbling siblings, jockeying for universal power except for Destruction who has gone missing. The world of Dream is further fleshed out with Lucien the librarian, Cane and Abel the Biblical brothers, Nuala the fairy, Matthew the Raven, and a whole host of nightmares. Many of these secondary characters continued on in the series The Dreaming.

 

The Endless (by_crisvector)

ea8a0160-9d1e-45b3-a788-5f0ef855d991_zpsjfommi2e.jpg

 

After Dream, Death is the obvious star (although I am awfully fond of Delirium). Gaiman created a Death who is adorable, friendly, and kind of digs her job. I wanted her to be my best friend (and I kind of still do, to be honest). She’s also the only person who can knock Dream down a peg and get through his massive ego. A good of example if this is in Sandman #8 (also her first appearance) “You are utterly the stupidest, most self-centered, appallingest excuse for an anthropomorphic personification in this or any other plane!”

 

Sandman #8 (image): https://readrant.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/sandmanwings.jpg

 

The entirety of The Sandman is difficult to explain, which is why I hope the Joseph Gordon-Levitt produced movie attempt doesn’t try to do the entire 75 issue (plus the 6 Overture) run in one shot. It’ll be a disaster. There’s too much for one movie. And an origin story wouldn’t make sense because the Endless exist as long as life in the universe exists. As Death says in Façade (Sandman #20) “When the first living thing existed, I was there, waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job is finished. I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave.” If they’re smart, which I am skeptical of since this is Hollywood and DC, they’ll start with Preludes and Nocturnes and go from there. I hope they don’t start with Overture because that’s a trip. It might be too out there for movie audiences.

 

But the story is essentially this: Dream has to regain control of his world because while he was captured for 70 years there were a ton of power plays that took place (including one involving Lucifer). Several nightmares escaped into the waking world (The Corinthian for one, who is one freaky mother chucker). Then the story veers heavy into fantasy with Oberon and Titania not pleased with how their world is mixing so much with both Dream and reality. Finally, there is Daniel, Dream’s son (and not a very good endless name at all) who ascends as the new king of the dreaming.

 

There are some excellent one-shot stories along the way. Dream of a Thousand Cats stands out as does A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Men of Good Fortune. A Doll’s House is still one of my favorite story arcs. Dream visits Hell, Asgard, Faerie, plus all the realms of his siblings. He also appears in the real world (my favorite is when he seeks out Constantine to get back one of his magical items). Historical figures mix with mythological figures. Ancient times to modern times are woven into the storyline. Literary references abound. The Sandman runs the gamut from comedy horror to dark fantasy without ever being too moralizing or dumbing things down (both of these superhero comics tend to do).

 

Each issue of The Sandman was an intellectual exercise. I probably studied up more on various mythologies and religions reading The Sandman than I ever did for a school assignment. I started collecting Sandman from the get-go. Sometime my junior year of high school, our basement flooded. My room was in the basement. I think you know where this is going. I lost just about everything comic related. I lost part of my Executioner’s Song run, most of my Sandman, my Spider-Man comics, Shade, a bunch of Excalibur, X-Force, X-Factor, etc etc. You get the idea, devastating. Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly a bag and boarding type back then and what I lamented was the loss of the stories.

 

Over the years, I recollected what I wanted from what I lost. The Sandman was the one that took the longest and I finally finished it in 2013. I still need the #8 variant, but time is on my side. When Sandman ended, I diligently collected The Dreaming and The Books of Magic. I still have complete runs of those. I have both Death and Dream statues. I have Death and Delirium action figures. I have the complete PVC interlocking sets for both The Endless and The Dreaming.

 

I know I’ve gone on far too long. Here’s the synopsis. As a 12 year old literally living in the sticks, The Sandman afforded me an escape that I couldn’t find through traditional books or super heroes. It tickled my romantic fantasy and spun elaborate tales that I still think about to this day.

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Thanks for giving the board a well-written journal! I'm really enjoying the content! Keep up the good work!

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On all-season radials and forced sales

I have been in need of some new tires for the vehicle for some time. I was alerted to my tires last year during late summer, which they rated 2-3 out of 10, and it was going to be time. I pushed them through one final winter, even enjoying a few donuts in fresh, snow-skiffed parking lots. This summer I blew one out and limped into a gas station. I had to borrow a tire iron, but changed it in less than 9min, swapping out the spare tire and making it to teach my night class with 3min to spare. I shopped around until I found a local tire chain that sold me one replacement tire for $45 installed, and I remember on my last visit to get my car serviced the paperwork noted my tires at 2, but this time I had one 6 out of 10. I promised them that this was a stop-gap measure only, to save up for new tires.

 

With my new online class started, I got an extra paycheck and now was the time. Is it not funny that tires are always on sale when you do not need them? Or that you only need 1 or 2 and they always want to sell you 4? I started shopping around… first I did the online research to see which national chains had tires in my area, and then I shopped promotions and rebates online. It became apparent that only 4-5 companies make tires for my car and all the promotions ended in October. Probably lots of people think “I need new tires before winter” and that’s tire season. Initial price comparisons had my tires in the $130-178 range, so I was hoping to find a 50,000mi tire for about $110 installed (initially targeting Cooper’s $70 rebate). I went to a local Midas (crazy busy), I went online to Midas and requested an appointment (was never contacted), and called another Midas store to get an appointment for Saturday and when I followed-up, Cooper does not make my size tire. Balls. Back to the drawing board.

 

After teaching FRI, I called the Bay View shop that helped me out over the summer and found four brand new Yokahama all-season tires for less than $500 tax and all. They even got me in just after 4pm and the whole thing took 40min maximum. I got over 70,000mi out of that last set! Nice experience for all that money and the car has some new shoes. Coincidentally, the weather was just amazing out this weekend 50s+ and sunny. Everybody in Milwaukee going stir crazy knowing winter's coming. FRI night after the tires, we stopped by our fave dive bar in the Fifth Ward / Walker’s Point area of Milwaukee (Sabbatic) for a slow pint.

 

SAT was working from home- grading most of the day until 4pm and then hitting the corner spot for a nice meal and the weekly news / gossip. SUN the weather was mighty fine! We walked down to the CVS on Brady Street so the lady could buy some bright red hair dye. It is kind of a fall thing for her. We also made a precision run to the grocery store for our Thanksgiving turkey ($13). I played soccer all afternoon in Lake Park with a friend and his kids. It was the kind of November day that makes you feel guilty to stay in and hobby. The apartment is all clean, the windows all open & airy, and all I want to do is spread out my comics and hobby- read Fight Club 2, catch up on We Stand on Guard and watch some American football (boring international week for soccer).

 

A week from SUN is Mighty Con Milwaukee(!), which has quickly become my favorite local comic show. I have a table for this show ($20) and want to price a few things and organize some stuff for my wee booth. That will be my focus for selling this week.

 

One thing about ‘why we collect’ that still has me somewhat troubled- the notion of redundancy in collecting. If one accepts that NEARLY ALL humans collect because it increases survival, then redundancy in collecting does become problematic and is not easily justified. For example, why do I need 7 copies of Freak Brothers #1 1st print? Recently, when sorting through a box of graded books, I discovered 5 slabbed copies of Zap Comix #2 1st and 2nd prints. They are:

*CGC 6.5 Zap Comix #2 1st Heads first miscut

*CGC 6.5 Zap Comix #2 1st Heads first miscut

*CGC 4.5 Zap Comix #2 1st Heads first miscut

*CGC 9.6 Zap Comix #2 2nd

*PGX 9.4 Zap Comix #2 2nd

67593e1c-b9e8-4343-843e-934e375f9063_zpsu5bzxkt6.jpg

 

 

OK, to have one example, that makes sense- and it could satisfy any number of the reasons why people collect. Or even two examples, a high grade and a low grade reader or a first print and a second print. However, 3 of the same book? This pushes past nostalgia, history, beauty, pride of ownership, preserving the past, or other intellectual / psychological pursuit. This pushes into the less altruistic competition, investment (arguable), and control.

 

So I mention this 'existential angst' to the chef SAT night and he says “keep the best, and sell the rest.” Ahh yes, hy-grading. So, I have been thinking about that, why I am reluctant, how I struggle to sell, how a goal of putting together the best set of Zap Comix led to me being 3+ deep in many issues. Will I be satisfied with just one example? What is it I am really trying to preserve, here?

 

Heritage Auction’s magazine Intelligent Collector discussed why collectors should also sell (Halperin, 2015). Halperin (2015) writes that an occasional forced sale is the best reality check there is for collectors. Selling gives us more insight into our own judgment and a chance to evaluate / curate the collection. “Any attempt at selling gives you insights into the market that you don't get if you only buy” (Halperin, 2015).

 

So, I think a good collecting goal for 2016 will be to sell at least one item every 3 months.

 

 

References

Halperin, J. (2015a). Why collectors should also sell. Intelligent Collector [online]. Retrieved from http://www.ha.com/intelligent-collector/why-collectors-should-sell.s?article=sell

 

Edited by oldmilwaukee6er
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