Lost in collecting- Om's Journal by oldmilwaukee6er 1 1

[oldmilwaukee6er]

The Last of the Wednesday Ones- 12/16/15?

 

This week the lady and I were at odds to start the week, the stresses of the end of the semester / quarter break getting to us (we’re cool BTW). After working late, I was not really feeling new comic day. I did not have the chance to really research what was coming out and so I was not sure what I was in for. However, I pushed through that and slid on down to the store. Light week, in the end. And really only one book for each of us- Tokyo Ghost #4 for me and Jem & the Holograms’ Holiday Special for the lady.

 

I thought I was done, and so dropped the books on the counter and continued chatting with my LCS guy. Another customer was finishing up and I overheard that the LCS has changed their policy on credit cards by adding a minimum purchase of $10. Previously, the LCS charged a 50c surcharge for purchases under $20, which while I did not like it was somewhat tolerable. You see, I rarely carry cash. If ever. In part, because I am generous to a fault and I will simply spend it (or give it away in tips). However, this new policy leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I have written previously that this is part of a chain of stores in Milwaukee and in my limited experience I have been unimpressed with the chain. When I first visited Milwaukee (from Louisiana), I emailed the owner asking after underground comix. I received word from a friend and fellow underground comix collector (BrotherJ) that I should try and hunt comix at the flagship store, as there is a basement full of comics. And so I emailed the owner multiple times asking if, during our first visit to the city (c. 2008), I could search for underground comix. They went unanswered. I then proceeded to call the store and ask after the owner. When I talked to him, he was pretty flippant, but led me to believe that the basement was accessible. When I arrived on our visit, and at the appointed time, I learned the truth. It is not accessible to collectors. I was to give him a few titles at a time and he would go down there and get them for me. So I did just that. When I found a few issues that I was interested in and asked for prices, he proceeded to pull out the underground comix price guide and place them at full valuation, regardless of condition. I recall sending him back down there twice more before I gave up and bought 3 books where the guide was a little undervalued, as now I was getting the impression that I was wasting his time (and I was trying to establish a relationship). I was wasting his time!? I flew in from Louisiana and had ONE DAY in the city. Sheesh. That always left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. However, when I relocated to Milwaukee, particularly the east side of town, I tried again. I recall asking for a Previews and wanting to set up a subscription service. Oh, you cannot do that here at the satellite? Oh, one must drive over to the flagship across town? Oh, and even if you do set up a pull list it has to be established for HOW LONG before I can simply order from Previews? Effff that. And so for a long time I did not buy new comics.

 

So, I feel I am at a crossroads with my LCS. I go there because of two reasons and two reasons only- 1) it is right around the corner from my apartment, as in less than a block away. So convenient. And 2) I genuinely like the manager that works there. He is knowledgeable, he is friendly, he talks your ear off, and we share similar interests (popular culture and music, in particular). I feel loyal to him. The main disadvantage of the chain is that they do not allow the fine LCS manager to actually manage. He is undermined at nearly every stage. Because he is so nice, knowledgeable, and talkative- he knows his customer base. If he talks up a book, people listen, and people buy it. However, the penny-pinching boss knows best and so will deliberately undersupply the small location with titles OR BETTER, not order them at all. Especially independent titles or anything that trends in a way that he does not inherently understand. Therefore, a title that my manager is requesting 5-8 copies of a particular issue, the owner may only supply 2. In my year of going there every week; I have observed it time and time again.

 

Plus, you have no doubt read that I speak very highly of the ‘other’ store in town- Lost World of Wonders. LWoW is always deep in issues, has real back issues (albeit largely copper and modern books), stocks a variety of other geek ephemera, and is staffed by nice folk. A few people have told me that this store EXISTS because so many people despise the chain. And so it seems to me. I mean, a chain of 4 stores worth half a mess ought be able to cover 'the MKE,' and yet we still have Lost World, Nostalgia World, Vortex & Turning Page. Now granted Vortex and Turning Page are relics that are barely hanging on. However, my point is that a chain worth half its salt ought OWN this town.

 

Therefore, and because I was carrying no cash, I picked up the following for the lady and I to share-

 

Super Zero #1 by Connor and Palmiotti. The lady loved Painkiller Jane back in the day, and I enjoyed ye ole married couple on Harley Quinn (more problematic for the lady), so I thought let’s make that $10 minimum! According to my LCS guy “apparently they are doing everything in this book that they cannot do in Harley.” When I shared that with the lady, she exclaims “What exactly can’t they do with Harley?”

 

 

PS> Off for a late night showing of Star Wars tonight at the iPic theater! The lady is a member, so we have 3D, big cushy seats, and free popcorn to look forward to. I will leave you with a few Star Wars themed questions from the final exam I proctored this afternoon:

 

 

11) Assume that the population of Tusken raiders, the nomadic warrior race that inhabits the desert planet Tatooine, consists of 2,000 individuals in the year 3012 and the growth rate of the population is 10%, the population will have grown to nearly 10,000 individuals by the year (1pts):

a) 3013

b) 3014

c) 3022

d) 3028

e) 3033

 

12) Banthas are a species of hairy herd mammals that lived in the deserts of the planet Tatooine, but were bred on many worlds throughout the galaxy. The herd of banthas on the small desert planet of Jakku was measured in the year 3028. At that time, there were 30 animals, and the herd was growing at a steady rate of 7% annually. Use the Rule of 70 to determine the doubling time (1pts).

a) Less than 2 years

b) About 5 years

c) Between 7-8 years

d) Roughly 10 years

e) Nearly 20 years

 

13) Using the information from question 12 regarding bantha populations, answer the following: An expedition was scheduled to return to Jakku in the year 3070. Assuming the dynamics of the herd have not changed, how many bantha should be present (1pts)?

a) About 41

b) Nearly 366

c) About 567

d) Almost 1,760

e) Well over 10,000

 

 

 

[Brother J]

I know you have your reasons for going to the store you do, but when I lived there I had gotten to the point where I would only go to one of their stores if I was desperate. The other locations other than the one on KK are basically not worth going to if you are a back issue collector. Lost Worlds of Wonder is the best in town and I would even rate Vortex ahead of the chain for back issues because you can actually look through them more than once a year. Speaking of that, I see the sale day for the KK store is January 10th and I see they actually now CHARGE ADMISSION to enter the store and look through the back issues in the basement on that day. Unbelievable....

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Not too much happening these past few days. Late THURS we saw Star Wars in 3D, not getting home until almost 2am. FRI was the Milwaukee Steampunk Society salon / Christmas party (we skipped), instead staying home and basically avoiding grading. SAT I was up early, tackling my avoidance, as well as doing 4 loads of laundry in the basement. You’ve never seen a cleaner closet than when 6 hours of grading is hanging over my head on a SAT. I scrambled to finish by 1pm and off we sprinted to the historic Oriental Theater to catch Star Wars for a second time (2D). It seemed almost better upon a second viewing.

 

After the second viewing there was enough time for a quick disco nap before the single greatest party of the year- our downstairs neighbor’s joint-Christmas gathering. Dueling parties. A blast- and this from a guy who throws a mean Halloween party. One of our friends from the corner spot was tending bar at one party and so we got a chance to talk Star Wars. Has there ever been a movie that was a bigger cultural phenomenon… that you could NOT talk about? I doubt it, as everyone seems insistent on not spoiling it for others. So, it was nice to be able to talk about it at length. I know the lady, a huge r2d2 fan, has whipped up something on bb8 that I will post soon.

 

Well, in short the holiday party was phenomenal. Very nice people, good conversation, open bar and plenty of party favors. We were up late and basically took the majority of SUN to watch English soccer and recover. And boy was it quiet downstairs too. Ye-haw.

 

So, what else is going on comic book related? Well, I am re-reading Usagi Yojimbos at night on my Kindle. I am past issue vol. 1 #21 and enjoying it- especially the Dragon Bellows Conspiracy. The researcher in me tells me I should be documenting some of the interesting printing information that is in the letters page (e.g. the two different printings of UY Color Special #1 to name one good example), but that project is for another day. Also, I am watching Jessica Jones- through 6 episodes as of this writing. And, I am ¼ of the way through the Freak Brothers Omnibus. I have had the book for some time, and also have plans for a homegrown hardcover. Finally, I put in some eBay bids on some modern mini comix recently and lost all of them, which is actually a good thing. You know, one of those deals where you need to win a few items on combined hipping for it to really be a deal and if I had just won one item the shipping would have killed ‘the deal.’

 

OK, so this week should prove to be a big one for me. I should hear about the possible job by Christmas, and so I am a little bundle of nerves. Also, I am finalizing grading (90% compete) and I start a new MON night course over in Madison (Madtown). Small enrollment, mileage, and my bread and butter online course. Normally, easy money. However, the course was completely revised (version 7) with a new textbook, several new assignments, and thus represents a new preparation. New prep, as we say (basically indicates extra work). However, it is still a good situation, as I would rather have a new prep for a small local class versus an online course with 27-30 students.

 

So in short, the extra work, as well as a nice little bonus check has me thinking Christmas gifts. The lady and I are not really participating in gift giving, outside of my rather large family’s gift exchange (which I still have to tend to). HOWEVER, I have it on good authority that she is getting some PS4 games from my sister in law, and so I have day-dreamed about bringing home a PS4 for her spur of the moment. Just going to Walmart or wherever and dropping the coin and being all… BOOM. There is still time, but I am holding out for good news to accompany the system. More to come.

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

The Lady Speaks. . . BB-8

(As always, text by the lady with emphasis & images added)

 

Warning: There may be spoilers, depending on how one views spoilers. As in, I won’t be giving away any major plot points of The Force Awakens but if you’re someone who insists on a virgin-pure mind going in to view the movie and you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to skip this entry.

 

So, BB-8. To start off, I didn’t hate BB-8. I am biased in the sense that I adore R2-D2 and own many, many, many items devoted to R2-D2- bathrobe, hoodie, knit skull cap, leggings, socks, many t-shirts & more jewelry. Initially I was concerned that BB-8 would be shoehorned into being far more awesome than R2, but I soon figured out that my worries were unfounded.

 

BB-8 is a pet and not an astromech (its official designation). That’s the long and short of it. As far as droids go, BB-8 is absolutely adorable and I can fully understand why people are scooping up remote controlled BB-8s and other such toys. It is a completely inoffensive and endearing little droid. The noises it makes, its head gestures, everything makes you want to own it. I can see why it’s become such a popular character of the many awesome characters in The Force Awakens. But as a functional droid, BB-8 is a fail. Its very design doesn’t make much sense. It can’t traverse most types of terrain due to it just being a giant ball. And since it is a ball and it rolls through the sand, obviously sand is getting into the interior of it which can’t be good for the long haul. BB-8 can’t climb, can’t fly, appears to lack any magnetic attachments to hold it in place when on the outside of a ship in space (you know, to perform repairs), and doesn’t use its tools to interface with a single technological entity. In order to get into an X-Wing fighter to do its job, it requires something to grab onto its head and hoist it into the ship. When following Rey down a flight of stairs, it loudly clunks behind her. More on how BB-8 works: http://www.howbb8works.com/

 

The sum total of BB-8’s abilities are the cables it shoots out of itself to hold itself in place, a shocking tool, a small butane torch , one claw tool, and a drawer that holds a flash drive. Oh, and it can project data. Mostly it lags behind running humans and makes cute noises ("hurry up, BB-8" is probably the most repeated line of the movie) . Again, it’s adorable. When BB-8 runs, it puts its head down and rolls with all its might.

 

I was spoiled growing up with R2D2. R2 is the Samwise Gamgee of the Star Wars universe. From the very beginning of A New Hope to the end of Revenge of the Sith- not to mention how utterly awesome he is in The Clone Wars animated series- R2 is a complete team member and often saves the day. Those are some big droid shoes to fill and sadly, BB-8 doesn’t even come close. Eventually R2 must step up and prove the deus ex machina of The Force Awakens.

 

BB-8: I'm the droid you're looking for. R2: Droid, please!

 

 

Maybe it wasn’t supposed to. Maybe BB-8 was introduced solely to generate interest in the toyline or to draw in kids. Maybe BB-8 is this generation’s Jar Jar Binks or my generation’s Ewok. You know, the one character to entice non-fans to sit through 2+ hours a film. I can’t say. What I can say is this: BB-8 is thoroughly enjoyable as a pet. It will be a great Christmas collectible and adorn a million garage sales in a decade.

 

However, BB-8 will have to improve if it is to rise above pet and be a hero in future installations.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Boxing Day footie

 

SAT afternoon and I am basking in English Premier League football. I so enjoy it, especially when Liverpool wins and Manchester United lose, as has happened this morning. Now I am sitting and watching Everton play, the Toffees being a team that I do not despise, which belies my Liverpool fandom. Liverpool fans are supposed to despise their most hated rivals Everton above all. However, I am a yank who for years followed Yanks Abroad and as such was not raised with the normal rivalries (also USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard has been an Everton stalwart for almost a decade now).

 

Speaking of the US Men’s National Team (USMNT), one of my Christmas exchange gifts was a USMNT stocking cap. Much appreciated and much needed, even if Milwaukee’s winter has started quite mild, this being a strong El Nino year. I also received a Montana Grizzlies mid-weight, zip up hoodie- so in a sense I received the two gifts that I asked for- a real stocking cap and a UM hoodie. Needless to say I have been wearing both ever since. The lady received Fallout 4 and Arkham Knight for PS4. Now we just have to spring for the PS4, which we plan on doing later today (likely trying Gamestop for a $320 system-only deal, with the backup plan being Amazon for $325 shipped). She is excited and desires the system over break (versus waiting), so she can set it up and game on it before her quarter resumes. It was a grand Christmas- my other gifts were $100 bill from the folks, a bottle of Maker’s Mark (Chicago Blackhawks version with black wax) from my brother in law, and argyle socks from my mother in law (a tradition she continues from my paternal Grandmother). It was simple and lovely and filled with family. My oldest sister hosts the immediate family, now five siblings and their immediate families, plus select extended families. We stayed down in Chicagoland for a night and so- Whooped. It. Up. Upon waking Christmas morning we went back over to my sister’s house and hung out for the morning while my mother made Oysters Rockefeller (outstanding). FYI the lady was accepted to a conference down in NOLA this summer and I vowed to dine at Antoine’s one more time and try the original recipe. This dish does epitomize a few things about the holidays that I have learned over time. Things you might not like as a child grow on you over time. Hence the argyles. My deceased Grandmother used to buy me socks for Christmas. It was her thing. But only for me. My sister would get toys. Same with my cousins. As a child I never understood it. However, as a work-a-day adult I now wear almost exclusively argyles. And my mother in law continues it. Same with Oysters Rockefeller. I never understood what ALL my adult siblings and aunts / uncles raved about. Eww oysters? Spinach? Shallots? Eww. Funny how time changes perspective.

 

OK, so comics. I read the Massive #1 (1 for 1 reprint) and really enjoyed it. How have I not found this title before!? Post-apocalyptic environmental disaster, Sea Shepherd style environmental activists. I’m in. Going to head down to the LCS and reconnoiter the trade paperbacks.

 

 

I continue to read back through the Usagi Yojimbos on my Kindle. The other night a windstorm blew a storm window clean off a 4th floor unit (frame and all) and it crashed onto two cars right below my bedroom window. Having woken with a start, I could not sleep for several hours after that mess and so have been consuming Usagi trades. I should probably go back and edit my entry on Usagi as most of it was written from memory and it may need a little fine-tuning. Yet the bromance continues.

 

Oh BTW… I finally made my move and got a subscription service through my LCS. Turns out my LCS manager was able to sign me up. No discount (of course), but after one month of service I will be able to order from Previews. This is important as ‘the book that finally broke the camel’s back’ is Zap Comix #16 (forthcoming from Fantagraphics). I want to obtain multiple copies and prefer not to order from Amazon presales. With a giant batch of slabbed comix due back from CGC / CCS within the next month or so, it is clear that a goal of mine is obtaining as many 9.6+ books as possible in 2016. And so I will need multiple copies of this 80-page giant, and given the cover price of nearly $20 this is PRECISELY the type of book that my cheapskate LCS would not order. And so push came to shove and my LCS manager has at least stepped up to offer a level of service that I can live with. All I keep thinking about is how 15 year old Om would be kicking 41 year old Om in the nut sack saying “You live a block away from a comic shop and you do not even go there? You drive 25+min to another comic shop!? What is wrong with you!? How are we not supporting this store!” More on Zap Comix #16 in another post.

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

The Lady Speaks. . . Recent Reads

 

This is really a catch-all column about the various comic books I’ve been reading as of late.

 

"We are the Misfits, and our comic's better"

 

 

 

Jem and the Holograms (IDW) I adore this comic! Yes, I was a Jem fan back in the 1980’s with the original cartoon. I never owned Barbie dolls, but I owned all the Holograms, two different Jems, a Jerrica, and the totality of the Misfits. The Misfits were cooler. The one fault of the dolls is that they were huge compared to Barbie so you couldn’t swap clothes with your Barbie friends. Oh, and the heads fell off. Fairly easily. Like, the first time you take it and whack your younger sibling with it easy. I used to superglue them back on and then stick them in the freezer for 24 hours or so. It drove my parents crazy to open the freezer and see these giant Barbie-esque dolls in the with the ice cubes.

 

Anyway, the comic is excellent. Sophie Campbell and Ross Campbell’s art is a breath of fresh air to what could have been a fairly stale retreading of an 80’s property. It’s colorful and cutesy, but not too cutesy. It’s definitely not as angular as the 80’s original, but that’s not a bad thing. Writer Kelly Thompson has updated Jem and the Holograms and the Misfits to fit in with the modern world. They use social media, extensively. That’s actually how Jem and the Holograms become popular. The Misfits have a new member, Jetta, and the Holograms haven’t met Raya yet. Synergy is still there as is Rio, still plugging away at his music journalism gig. Kimber and Stormer are openly gay. None of this feels forced, it really seems organic and not a huge stretch from the original cartoon.

 

The rivalry between the Holograms and the Misfits is intense, but now the Holograms will be opening for the Misfits on their world tour. I, for one, can’t wait.

 

 

Chick-on-Comics! -1 to all your die rolls

 

 

 

Munchkin (Boom!) This is my favorite comic going at the moment. I love the card game. If you haven’t played it, you should. It’s easy to learn and hilarious, like a snarky Dungeons & Dragons but with cards. I own the original Munchkin and a few expansion packs plus I recently bought the Steampunk version. I even bought the Nightmare Before Christmas version for my friend. It’s seriously the best time.

 

So along comes Munchkin the comic book. And it is truly my happy place. Each issue comes with a special Munchkin playing card (Justin collects those because. . .well, you never know when something might be valuable). There isn’t one story arc. Each issue is one to three stories set in the Munchkin universe. It’s full of wonderful game in-jokes and they often spoof popular culture, mostly movies. The holiday special was a re-telling of A Christmas Carol and yet it still managed to be fresh and fun. I seriously look forward to this comic each month.

 

Assassin’s Creed (Titan Comics)* I was so excited for this comic. As I’ve written in the past, I’m a huge Assassin’s Creed fan. While there is still a lot of potential in this comic, I find myself losing interest after three issues. There are two competing plotlines. The first is set in the real world and our protagonist, Charlotte de la Cruz, finding herself on the run from the Templars and in the fold of the Assassins. She’s in the Helix and connecting with her ancestor, Tom Stoddard, who is in Massachusetts at the time of the Witch Trials. The real world plot also has a subplot of one of the Assassins being a possible traitor and another Assassin doesn’t trust de la Cruz. In the Massachusetts storyline there’s Templars kidnapping women and children and some are “possessed” (which really means they’re in tune with the Apple). There’s a third potential plot that takes place in the western United States in 1852 involving a female Assassin. Still not sure how that’s going to work in.

 

Anyway, there’s simply too much going on for as short as the issues are. I can follow what’s going on mostly because I’ve played the majority of the games and I understand the underlying setup. If I wasn’t familiar with the games, I’d be super confused as to whom is who.

 

I’m going to give it a few more issues because the third one did seem to actually get the plots moving along (except for the 1852 story). I like the art and I really enjoy a female protagonist, but they need to figure out how to balance all the intrigue and subplots.

 

 

 

 

Art Ops (Vertigo)** Vertigo has been of my all-time favorite imprints going back to the late 80’s and Sandman. When I think back to the heyday with Transmetropolitan, Hellblazer, the Invisibles, Shade, the Changing Man, and of course all the Sandman books I find myself somewhat sad at how Vertigo doesn’t seem to be as edgy and interesting as it once was. But Art Ops is a real gem. It’s only three issues in so far but the concept is fascinating.

 

Art Ops follows Reggie whose mother was an operative for Art Ops which is essentially an organization charged with keeping art in its place (mostly in frames and in museums) while also tracking down criminals who want to ruin art or art that wants to be free. Reggie hates Art Ops and isn’t too fond of his mother, either. That story is slowly getting pieced together through flashbacks. Something happened to him which turned his arm into a piece of art (it may have had to do with him disappearing with the entire bathroom of CBGB’s, maybe not). He keeps it wrapped in bandages and needs a spray to keep it from breaking loose into a fountain of living moving covers.

 

The Art Ops, including his mother have disappeared and his mother has bequeathed the organization to him. The Body is the only surviving agent. He was once a comic book hero who was brought into the organization. Long story short, Reggie is charged with babysitting the Mona Lisa who is out and about in the real world. Another work of art (at this time unknown) is infecting beautiful pieces to make them ugly in order to force her message that art should be free.

 

As someone who teaches a visual arts class that covers traditional art, I find the tension between art and non-art fascinating. I love debating art’s function, its purpose, and what constitutes art. (In my class I argue video games are art. I also am a huge fan of graffiti art, as well). This is a comic that has a great premise and strong art.

 

X-Men Essentials (Marvel) I’ve been slowly buying these graphic novel collections at Mighty Con because there’s a guy who sells graphic novels for $5 a pop. I own five so far, but not in chronological order. I think I have 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8. But I’ve been enjoying reading them. As huge an X-Men fan as I am (I collected heavily in the late 80’s and through the 90’s) I realize I don’t know that much about them pre-1988. Currently I am reading 4 which collects Uncanny X-Men #162-179, X-Men Annual #7, and the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills (super depressing read given current political climates).

 

And that’s what I’ve been reading lately.

 

*She went all in on the PS4 today $348 base 500GB console w/ new AC Syndicate shipped from Amazon! No PS Plus (if that is possible) ~Om

**I am really enjoying this too. LCS guy keeps comparing to iZombie (just a little off) ~Om

Edited December 27, 2015 by oldmilwaukee6er

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Gotta Get Zap Comix #16

Soundtrack: http://songza.com/listen/left-brain-right-beat-songza/

 

OK… so I mentioned previously that Zap #16 was the impetus for me finally setting up a subscription list at my LCS. Prior to that, there was really no incentive for me to do so. Most books I can pick off the shelf provided I arrive on new comic WED. Those books I cannot get, I can usually find over at Lost World of Wonders (the single best store in the Greater Milwaukee area). But Zap #16? This book strikes me as the exact book that the franchise LCS would skimp on, given the price point ($15). Or most certainly under order. And I am looking for at least 4 copies to eventually try for a CGC 9.6+.

 

Funny, now that I have done some research I see it may well be a moot point (my new pull service), given that the book was solicited in the SEPT15 Previews. Oops! Looks like I might be ordering from Fantagraphics or Amazon after all. I will have to do a little more research. Oh well, on to my excitement.

 

 

According to the Facebook post I saw from S Clay Wilson-

“This is it. Goodbye. The world's most important and influential cartooning collective delivers one last issue of their uninhibited, id-stroking, mad genius in this farewell 80-page giant - the biggest issue ever! Zap Comix is the most historically and aesthetically important comics series ever published and Zap #16 is the only issue to feature all eight Zapsters under one cover. And, at long last, a woman joins the boys' club as Aline Kominsky-Crumb teams up with R. Crumb for a delightful and witty series of "Aline and Bob" strips reflecting on their life together- even taking a parting shot at the Zap boys' club. This final blowout issue not only showcases each artist individually but also includes three double-page jams by the group. Plus: Zap's first-and-only color section, featuring comics by R. Crumb and Gilbert Shelton (his final Zap Wonder Wart-hog episode, no less). In addition (collector's take note), Paul Mavrides provides an alternately embellished version of Gilbert Shelton's and his Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers episode, "Phineas Becomes a Suicide Bomber" (originally inked in the Complete Zap by Shelton).

 

Front cover by R. Crumb. Back cover by Moscoso. Adios. Au revoir.

96 pages

Colors: black & white some color

Format: Softcover

Dimensions: 7" x 10"

ISBN-13: 978-1-60699-900-4 — at Fantagraphics Books Inc.”

 

So, I am excited for Zap Comix #16. I honestly didn’t think it would happen and figured that it would only see print in the Complete Zap collection! It was an excellent sales draw for the collection, but I did not buy it because of the price point ($500) AND I already have first prints of #0-15.

 

Zap Comix #1 1st print.

 

This book was printed by beat poet Charles Plymell, alongside Apex Novelties Don Donahue. Easily identified by its 25c price, it also says Printed by Charles Plymell on the back cover. Some copies exhibit a bright blue (and more expensive) Van Son ink while most copies have the darker blue ink, as with all of the Mowry fire copies. This was the book that ‘mythically’ was distributed on Haight Street in a baby carriage. I honestly thought I would never own this book. However, via emails with the late Donahue that eventually ‘started the conversation’ about the fire-salvaged Mowry Opera House books AND after he sold the majority of the books to Carbonaro / Neat Stuff (previous posting #8849401)… he contacted me to let me know that he held back one of the nicer copies from the sale and it was mine for a mere $350. At the time, that was the most I had ever spent on a comic. But I was giddy. I later bought ($750) another copy from Carbonaro & flipped it (CGC 2.0 $1600), again around the time of closing. Which is right at guide for GD 2.0; even though the census reflects 96 total copies slabbed, two of which are qualified and none restored- this book is available via Heritage semi-regularly in the VF $3-5k range. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zap_Comix

 

It is no secret that I am actively working on my Zap Comix run and hope to put together the best run that I can afford. This has been a loose goal since I first discovered Zap around the millennium. I recall my friend from college, knowing that I was into comics sent me a magazine that detailed the best comics of the millennium (or something similar). I cannot seem to find it now and probably would not recognize it if I did, however the image of Crumb's Zap #0, with the guy getting zapped in the (almost) nuts I will recall always:

 

Zap Comix #0 1st print 59 copies on the census, 2 qualified, none restored.

 

I was blown away, as I had collected independent comics since the late 80s, was a 90s hippie / Dead Head (8 shows back in the day), and college stoner. And I had never seen this book or heard of “underground comix” or even comics with an X. I could not understand it! WTF was this? How was it that these books were not in Overstreet? I had frequented a dozen Midwestern head shops by the time I was in my early 20s… how did I not know? It was maddening.

 

The early oughts were the Wild West for eBay. I first gained regular access to the internet around 2000, after starting my graduate program on a research assistantship. For about 2 years I watched many a Zap Comix and Freak Brothers auction, trying to educate myself on the various printings and the prices realized. Yet, I did not buy. I remember holding out for a Freak Brothers #1 35c cover (does not exist)!

 

When we moved down to Louisiana in late summer 2002, I asked the lady to check me out every book on comic books that she could find. She returned with Estren’s the History of Underground Comix. Mind. Blown. It referenced Kennedy’s seminal reference guide to underground comix- what a watershed moment! She found me a used copy of Kennedy (1982) for $12 online and well, I have been buying them ever since. Note how the above copy is untrimmed. I purchased this one from ComicWiz off the boards and it is (now) my only copy. Zap #0 also represents my best find and flip- to this day. I once purchased a first print from Abebooks for $37 shipped and it graded CGC 9.4, one of the top two copies at the time. I sold it for $900 when I closed on our condo and the lady was getting nervous about closing costs.

 

So, I was hooked on Zap Comix. Zap and Freak Brothers immediately stood out to me as the cream of the underground comix movement. I always felt these books would outpace their peers and that eventually first printings would farFAR outweigh the abundant reprints. One of the first thing that appealed to me about Zap Comix was that it just OOZES counterculture cred. The other thing I loved about it was that it was an anthology. I am a bit of a sucker for an anthology, a chance to try out several artists at once. I love early Crumb, the poster artists Moscoso & Griffin. Freak Brothers, of course. And so, I set about buying the best copies I could afford, starting with the old Don Donahue eBay auctions and mail order catalog. Donahue had high grade first print copies of #5 up and the books were affordable, ranging from $14-22 c. 2004. Plus he had high grade reprints of all the books, #1 2nd prints (~$500), #1 3rd prints ($12), #2 2nd prints (who knows what they are now).

 

Zap Comix #2 1st print “Heads First” miscut is probably one of the toughest Zap books to acquire. I was curious what the census panned out and found only 26 copies garner the coveted Heads First miscut designation (I own three two 6.5s and a 4.5). The thing about the Heads First version, as first noted by CGC’s own ComicWiz http://www.comicwiz.com/ , is that it always indicates the heavier stock paper used for the first version. More information: http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix2-1st.html The Donahue 2nd is the more normal comic cover stock. But nice copies.

 

I bought Donahue’s last copy of #4 in VG for $80 and OREGON Voldemort graded it 8.0, which I always thought was high. It is at CGC right now. Typically, I bought two of the affordable Donahue copies #5 and up and the reprints described above, with a few exceptions. Some I have sold. Some I slabbed at PeeGex. Early on there was some confusion about Zap Comix #9 (myth of the 75c cover) and so I only have one copy. Some books Donahue did not have, e.g. Zap 10 1st or Zap 12 1st with no cover price. Those books were always going to be tough. Last Gasp rounded me out… I ordered two copies each of #14 and 15 when 15 came out c. 2006.

 

Here is the breakdown of the 20 Zap* books still at the mothership (I tried to consistently under grade -0.2pts before pressing & good Donahue copies are known to hit 9.6):

 

Grade* Title # Printing Source of book

9.0 Zap Comix 4 1st WWChicago’12 Copy

PgeeX 8.0 Zap Comix 4 1st OWW Donahue copy

PgeeX 9.4 Zap Comix 5 1st OWW Donahue copy

PgeeX 9.4 Zap Comix 6 1st W Donahue copy

PgeeX 9.6 Zap Comix 7 1st W Donahue copy

9.2 Zap Comix 7 1st Donahue copy

9.2 Zap Comix 8 1st Donahue copy

9.2 Zap Comix 9 1st Donahue copy

9.2 Zap Comix 10 1st does not say IFC

PgeeX 9.0 Zap Comix 10 1st W

9.2 Zap Comix 10 1st Does not say IFC

PgeeX 9.6 Zap Comix 11 1st W

9.4 Zap Comix 12 1st no cvr price

9.2 Zap Comix 12 1st no cvr price

PgeeX 9.8 Zap Comix 13 1st W

9.4 Zap Comix 13 1st

9.4 Zap Comix 14 1st 4.95 cvr Last Gasp

9.4 Zap Comix 14 1st 4.95 cvr Last Gasp

9.4 Zap Comix 15 1st 4.95 cvr Last Gasp

9.4 Zap Comix 15 1st 4.95 cvr Last Gasp

 

 

So, I got to get that head shop fresh Zap Comix #16!

 

[Vorpal]

Entertaining and educational (both your post and the lady's)! I'll have to pick up that Zap #16 for my father-in-law, who is a fan of Wonder Warthog.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

The depths of a man’s geek

 

OK. So with this week OFF for the bourgeois academy (incl my online class) and the immediate family all satisfied, I could turn to hobbies more. SAT night I hung out briefly with the chef and my LCS manager, both stopping by the apt for chilling, a drink, and a chat. I stayed up late writing and posting that night. Talking with the chef also inspired me to pick back up my custom action figure project again. He has always suggested assembling it the way I want it first, then prime it. I was reluctant, and so put it down, but with NO experience to the contrary (none) I took his advice SUN morning.

 

 

 

The base materials & ‘bits’ are

1 ’1989 TMNT Playmates Usagi Yojimbo torso, arms, head, katana, wakizashi, small dagger (tanto), 1 armor piece, 1 trimmed armor piece.

 

1 ’90 TMNT Playmates Sewer Samurai Leo severed head, legs, samurai style belt (trimmed), banner pole, and 4 armor pieces. I am also saving Leo’s smaller katana sword in scabbard (saya) because it works really well and just in case.

 

2 armor pieces from a ’90 TMNT Playmates Panda Khan

 

1 small plastic disc

 

 

Typically, the figures with armor and no weapons are $3 at most big flea markets or comic shows. Loose with all accessories for $9-12 online, and on the card for $30-35. Buying individual bits is a rip off on eBay (~$5ea with shipping), better to seek out a small lot of figures or buy the cheapest figures with partial bits over time. I recall picking the Panda Khan at a dirt comic show for $2, popping the four pieces of armor off and throwing the figure back into the bin to possibly sell again. I’ll pay $3 for a good original UY with all four armor bits and not too much paint loss. In the end I wasted a lot of UY armor bits and have a couple good leftover bits to sell. I wrote earlier that I am keeping Leo’s katana sword in scabbard (saya) because it is a neat accessory and I was thinking of painting it to resemble ‘Grasscutter.’

 

In reviewing the scene from UY #4, where Lord Mifune falls and Usagi performs his final duty / service (the inspiration), ideally, Usagi would have a kabuto (helmet). And so I toyed with another version where I clipped Usagi’s ears and hunted for a helmet (e.g. Marvel Silver Samurai or equivalent). All were too small. And so after the RokuToys statue (also an inspiration) and ease, I opted for kabutoless. The severed Leo head will provide the head of Lord Mifune when repainted. Ideally this would be kabutoless too, but again an easy decision.

 

 

The armor included with the original ’89 UY figure has the best design- lots of connections to the comic book. Playmates did a great job. However, it is undersized for this project. And what fun would it be to just reuse the undersized armor? Once I trimmed and attached the samurai belt, I used the Sewer Leo armor to form a simple skirt (as shown). I like the pebbled look for the shirt. Leo’s legs were selected for their built-in armor, but a slightly more bowlegged stance means the skirt armor shows less functional gaps at the back. One gap was filled with a regular UY armor piece and the other left blank to accommodate the banner pole in its normal position over his right shoulder. Ideally, the pole would be longer, higher, but hey… too easy. However, here is where that belt gets cool. It seats the pole, and still fits PERFECTLY UY’s wakizashi (to be drawn with his left hand, just as in the comics), and has a spot for his tanto at his back. Panda Khan armor rounds out the shoulders, basically the largest, flattest pieces of armor I had- with a small trimmed ode to his original as embellishment. The crest or mon is simply a plastic disc, oversized for the armor as a design choice to cover part of the old figure.

 

 

 

So, now I am set to prime. I have to go to the Board Game Barrister to get the good white miniature primer spray paint ($10) and 1-2 good brushes. I figure I will probably pop on some blue and black paint, but between two friends that paint miniatures I will be able to kibble the rest. I hope to be done with all the painting by mid-summer or so.

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

The Lady Speaks. . . Setting Up Consoles (Retro and New)

 

Way back in 2013 (September, I believe) I pre-ordered the Retron5 for Om. For those of you who don’t know the Retron console series offers the ability to play a variety of retro games using the original cartridges but without having to have to original console. It does this (or so it’s rumored) by the machine scanning the cartridge for a recognizable ROM file which is then run on an Android based OS . The Retron5 allows you to play NES, Famicom, SNES, Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Master System via Power Base Converter. It hooks up to your tv via HDMI and is able to upconvert and cleanup your games using Game Genie . This allows HD quality visuals from cartridges 30 years old. It comes with a wireless controller but the cool thing is you can hook up your original controllers if you have them, which is much more fun for playing. Sounds fantastic, yes?

 

 

 

Before I make my ultimate call on the Retron5 I want to give a bit of back story. We learned about the Retron5 one day at Record Head, a local music/game store. It was summer 2013. There was a Retron3 (plays NES, SNES, and Genesis games) on the shelf and we asked the guy behind the counter for the details. Long story short, as Ninetendo and other gaming companies’ hardware patents expire Hyperkin comes along and takes the newly freed patents to convert into their console system. I may be slightly off on that, it was over two years ago and I can’t find any confirmation through my usual tech sources. The guy advised us to wait for the Retron5 since it was rumored to be coming out in fall of 2013. (Wikipedia says there was a Retron4 debuted at the 2013 Midwest Gaming Classic, but I can’t find any evidence that it ever went to market). Armed with this knowledge we decided to keep a vigilant eye out for the Retron5 and passed on the Retron3.

 

Eventually in September of 2013 the Retron5 was available for pre-order. I decided to go through NewEgg and lock in the console at the $99 price point with free shipping. Originally it was supposed to ship in October of 2013. It didn’t. Then it was going to be released in time for Christmas 2013. It wasn’t. Then quarter one of 2014. Didn’t happen. As a matter of fact the Retron5 wasn’t actually available on the market until June of 2014. Instead of the $99 promised, most places were selling them for $159. They still sell for anywhere from $119-159 new. (I’d like to give a shout out to NewEgg for honoring the pre-order and the price despite a 9-month delay).

 

The reasons for the delays were numerous and disturbing. I followed Hyperkin on Facebook waiting for the release, but all I seemed to see were excuses and delays. They had to replace all the pins in the cartridge slots because the ones they initially put in were bad. They couldn’t keep up with orders. There were whiffs of lawsuits over the emulators they were using. So on and so forth. However, we were undaunted and super excited when the Retron5 finally arrived.

 

I officially set it up on December 27, 2015 (there was a trial setup in summer of 2014). The setup is actually pretty easy. Plug it in to a power source and attach the HDMI cable to the tv. Voila! You’re good to go. Oh, but not really. Next you have to get an SD card, trigger a firmware update to be written to the SD card, take the card out of the console and put it in your computer, go to the Retron file site and download the firmware update, then take the SD card back to the console, and it will trigger an install on the firmware. Again, not horribly complicated but a little annoying. After that, you’re ready to play.

I tried Super Mario 3 for NES as my first test. It wouldn’t read the cartridge. I then tried Metroid for NES. Again, it wouldn’t read it. Finally, I tried The Legend of Zelda. It worked! The reasons for the cartridges not being read range from a dirty cartridge (exterior and/or interior) to there being a list of some games that just won’t play (as in the machine can’t find the necessary ROM file). Om tried X-Men for Genesis. It loaded just fine.

 

Today we tried another 5 or so NES cartridges and only Teenage Mutant Turtles would play but the game didn’t let you use your weapon. We played Super Mario Bros with some success but there’s a weird lag between the game and the controller (even using the actual NES controllers) which makes for a very frustrating gaming experience. As our friend, The Chef, kept saying “There’s too much slide! It’s like every world is the ice world.” And he was right. All slide and no yaw control.

 

But here’s the rub: getting the cartridges in and out of the thing is nerve wracking. You have to jam the cartridges in for the pins to connect and then the pins are so tight that getting your cartridge out requires some brute strength. It’s actually such a recognized problem (dubbed "death grip") that Hyperkin has a video on how to get the cartridges out without damaging the cartridge or the console slot. This isn’t necessarily a good thing when we’re talking a $30 The Legend of Zelda cartridge. But the good news is that since we’re collectors, we have a ton of duplicate games so if our under copy of Super Mario Bros. ends up sporked, we’re okay with that.

 

Basically, the Retron5 is a great concept and it’s so much fun to play my favorite childhood games on our large tv with HD quality. The emulator obviously isn’t perfect, especially for games that require jumping and running in sync. I wish they’d put more thought into the cartridge slots. You know, maybe include an eject button or something that doesn’t make me feel like I’m about to destroy both the console and the game.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

NYE 2016 Resolutions! Got to have goals

 

Time to survey those great ‘Top 3 purchases of the year’ and ‘2016 collecting goals’ threads one more time and map out some New Year’s resolutions. Much digital ink exists on the importance of goal setting in the business environment and goals are widely accepted to be an important component to achieving success in any endeavor. I am a big believer in goals in general and the making of goals and measurable objectives.

 

Reflecting on 2015, I realize that I am still in an accumulation phase with Usagi and modern comics. I am NOT downsizing as I have hoped- I have bringing in more than have been going out. I did not pick as much Spawn as I would have liked… for example, I did not get the 10 books that I need to complete #1-170. I starting the year also buying books for my niece and nephew and while well received it got a little expensive once the full weight of my job being halved kicked in (SEPT15).

 

When I think back to my top purchases of 2015- I keep coming back to the following two books pretty easily:

 

1>> Cosmic Toast #1. A Jim Mahfood grail. Self-published out of Kansas City c 1996. The book that won him his first Marvel gig. As long as I’ve had a smart phone and an eBay app- there has been a search for this comic. It pinged in 2015 for the first time and there were two copies sitting on the Bay! I bought the $15 copy first, then doubled-down on the $40+ copy because well *spoon* it. I like Mahfood. I collect Mahfood.

 

I also added this honorable mention book to complete my set(!): 40oz #4 1st yellow-orange stock Mahfood mini comix

 

 

2>> Zap Comix #3 1st print, heavy stock Bought at WW Chicago and it is a beauty. This book will spend the majority of 2016 down at the mothership, as I will include it in the WW Madison on site submission.

 

One speaks to my GOALS (Zap #3) and the other more speaks to a longtime WANT LIST item (Cosmic Toast). Same goes with my third best purchase.

 

3>> Probably my 1991 Playmates Space Usagi action figure on the card (earlier journal post). It probably rates higher because of recentness- picked in late NOV; it really LIT A FIRE under me and now I am re-reading the whole run as well as working on a custom figure.

 

Based on my own personal observations and querying, I am surprised by how many friends and family DO NOT make resolutions. Resolutions & goals serve as a guide to keep me on track, and to (hopefully) prevent me from being distracted. I need goals because of that reason (distraction), and because as the reader can see I get a little lost and have a tendency to jump from one project or task to another.

I want 2016 to have MORE FOCUS and MORE RESULTS and LESS STRESS.

Therefore, I encourage everyone to get these things off one’s mind- write down your goals, put them into perspective, and then prioritize those goals into ACTIONS for 2016.

 

Mine are:

1. Buy Zap Comix #16- read this morning that Fantagraphics is shipping 2/22/16. The lady preordered me 4 Amazon Prime for $15 ea.

2. Advance my Zap Comix project in general (already happening so low hanging fruit, hey- we all need a few softballs)

3. Sell at least one thing per month (set aside at least 50% for Amazing Spider-Man #1 fund, currently at $2005; save another $1k for ASM1)

4. Submit my ‘homegrown hardcovers’ for Zap Comix and Freak Brothers to the bookbinder Gatchaman uses SHOUTOUT! (Herring & Robinson, CA; JAN-FEB16; basically a birthday gift to myself… I smell a future posting)

5. Submit a panel and attend WW Madison (APR16) and hopefully regional popular culture conference (OCT16)

6. On-site submit my high grade raw / PeeGeeX Freak Brothers at WW Madison (and maybe a few Zaps)

7. Run collect / Dollar box grind Usagi Yojimbos with less emphasis on condition

8. Run collect / Dollar box grind Spawn with more emphasis on condition (try to buy my LCS guy's run of later issues for $2 per book; finish #1-170)

9. Paint my Usagi Yojimbo custom action figure (by summer)

10. Downsize in general- books, clothing – and generally be WAY MORE SELECTIVE what I bring into the house (figure out some sort of measurable metric here)

11. Take my niece (9) and nephew (8) on two Lost World of Wonders shopping sprees ($50ea/trip; $200 total)

12. Good old-fashioned road trip (possibly Boston via Canada to see niece / gf OR to Colorado via I-90 and visit MN / ND / CO friends OR maybe Montana for in laws)

13. Do more sticker art; put up 200+

14. I am going to make a new friend and generally let go of 2 toxic relationships (one work and one personal)

15. And then some other pretty specific stuff related to clean living (e.g. 1 vegetarian meal per day), exercise, fixing stuff around the apt, & finding a new/fun/exciting job with less stress that allows me to do all of this

16. AND one thing off my bucket list- the most realistic being carve our names into a tree, or spend Christmas day volunteering, or the backup will be stay up for >24 hours straight (or perhaps adding 1-2 states to our ‘*spoon* in all 50 states’ goal)

 

 

Hey man, ya gotta have goals.

 

[Vorpal]

Nice re-cap and good goals you have there. I'm not sure if I'm setting any goals yet, . Also, I LOVE that Zap #3 cover... trippy, man!

[Brother J]

One goal for me would be to get out to Milwaukee for a week or so this summer, so hopefully you'll be around for whatever time that is that the wife and I can make it out there.

 

To meet that goal, I need to get back into the eBay selling and saving that money for the trip.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On the light (and dark) side of R. Crumb (An Om & The Lady joint)

 

The other night we should have been playing trivia at the local pub. The perfect night for it. All day MON brought in the first real snowstorm of the winter, with a solid 5 inches of drifting snow to 3-4 feet, followed by a half inch of sleet and rain. Heavy heavy snow! It was grand to be able to hunker-in-the-bunker during the MON snowstorm. TUES the trivia team started in, which truthfully I have been avoiding; we ended up inviting them over for jambalaya and LSU football, which led to an impromptu Star Wars: the Force Awakens viewing at the Oriental Theater. Watching it with the chef was classic. We slid down to the Landmark Lanes bars (underneath the theater) and de-briefed over a pint of lager. This now marks my fourth viewing and completed my goal of seeing it 4 times before school resumes in January.

 

While hanging out, the chef gave me this:

 

 

This is the first American edition (2010) that the chef found at a Half Price Books for a ‘really good price (x2)’ and ‘they had a few of them.’ Sometimes I have found TPBs for $2 or $3 each and tried to flip them, having the most success with a Harvey Pekar book a few years ago. The chef had flipped through it and enjoyed it, but was passing it on.

 

Notes the lady: “I’m not going to deny it. Some of the content of Underground Comix disturbs me as a woman. I understand the necessarily subversive move of embracing rape fantasies and violence against women as a challenge to the American Dream. However, it doesn’t make it any easier to read. I also understand those stories are not the sum total of UG Comix, but they tend to be the ones that stick out the most to me. R. Crumb is perhaps the most consistent perpetrator of misogynistic tales and illustrations. While I don’t always enjoy his content, however, I can’t help but admire his art work.”

 

Notes Om: “I had heard of the book but had not seen it before. I like the tactile feel of the book, the softcover floppie, heavy matte cover. It is inviting and clean white, yet soft. The book collects quite a few musical drawings, portraits, and landscapes from Crumb’s 1990s (to early oughts) period. Crumb is softer insomuch as he is more at peace with himself and his settings, having relocated to France and turned his artist eye to more personally meaningful topics.”

 

Most of this collection is Crumb re-creating photos and the drawings are dated from the early 90’s to the early 00’s. While one cannot say his style is photorealistic, it is amazing the amount of detail and accuracy he is able to capture with his trademarked crosshatch style of drawing. The book opens with very early drawings of family- Dana and Jesse. Fans of the dark side of Crumb will recall that this was the family he fled from to pursue his art and id in San Francisco. The next images are of an aspiring artist Pheobe (c. 77) and some ‘big fine legs’ on the train (c. 83), which Crumb notes almost derisively ‘while husband looks out the window- out of picture at left.’ Of course he’s out of the picture, recall the fans of the dark side of Crumb, remembering his big-leg-riding womanizing ways. He probably Phoebe.

 

Next, we get a few Sophie strips, inspired by his daughter, who I recall won a certain amount of acclaim as an artist in her own right (and published too by Wisconsin stalwart Kitchen Sink Press). Throughout the years, Crumb fans have been treated to a variety of family jams (Sophie, Robert & Aline) and these are nowhere near those in quality. More sketchbook fare. However, these sketches and the next few, remind us of the prolific nature of Crumb’s drawing. He does not always draw sweet things, though sweet things are depicted; one cannot always draw sweet things (just ask Scottie Young!). He draws as a compulsion (and to practice)- as we are reminded by the 30-minute sketch A Half Hour ‘til the Bus Comes (p 21).

 

And with that, the book transitions and we see some marvelous French cityscapes and landscapes- some 12 drawings by page 45. The lady notes “the real treat in this book would have to be his drawings of French streets and doorways as well as the countryside. Others will probably appreciate his renderings of famous American old tyme roots musicians more. Or perhaps his representations of women performers (musicians, singers, actresses) from the early 20th century.”

 

HERE Crumb is at peace. With the landscapes, I like to imagine him going door-to-door and asking after work in France. Maybe some locals have an original Crumb drawing of their house. Music is clearly a passion of Crumb’s, as we are treated to at least three images of his record collection and a lovely image of his collecting holy grail- The 1931 Okeh records #8877 featuring Macon Ed and Tampa Joe performing Warm Wipe Stomp (flip side is Tickle Britches). Finally, his marriage is open. We see at least one tryst- Carol Vinson depicted twice- a woman fans will recall permeates his sketchbook in the late 80s and early 90s. In this ‘at peace’ run, comes our favorite image from the book:

 

Singing in the Bathtub Slightly NSFW

 

 

 

 

 

I love this drawing for the same reason I enjoy the cover of Arcade #6 where the bearsie wearsies are bumping butts, she sipping wine, he toking bud (link: http://comixjoint.com/arcade6.html ). A normal FRI night. The lady wrote “too sweet.” This drawing has an amount of relationship fun and intimacy that I connect personally with- being a schmoopy romantic and with the same woman for 19 years.

 

The book continues some 100+ images in total. Lots of music images, as said and lots of images of the (nearly all) clothed female bodies. For me, the tenderness is its most heartfelt with the image A Young Amazon (p. 55). Crumb aches a little in this drawing and captures the young girl’s (perhaps Aline’s?) ‘acute self-consciousness’ while also reminding us that she hated this picture! As a fellow purveyor of ‘big fine legs’ and normal sized women, I too ache a little. A tender moment.

 

 

I think the lady captures the sum total of the work best “The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb is one of those collections that highlights his immense talent and still manages to capture the artist’s internal struggle (with family or hypersexual tendencies), albeit in an understated way. This book DOES showcase a different side of Crumb, one that is less aggressive and more contemplative, but no less fun to look at.”

 

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

One goal for me would be to get out to Milwaukee for a week or so this summer, so hopefully you'll be around for whatever time that is that the wife and I can make it out there.

 

To meet that goal, I need to get back into the eBay selling and saving that money for the trip.

 

Sounds great, J! Late June we will be down in NOLA for a conference. Maybe you can inspire me to sell more and follow your model that we talked about last year? Let us stay in touch for 2016 and sorry for the loss of two dogs in 2015.

 

Maybe we'll crash Wizard World Philly FRI June 3, 2016!

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Nice re-cap and good goals you have there. I'm not sure if I'm setting any goals yet, . Also, I LOVE that Zap #3 cover... trippy, man!

 

Thanks for the kind words, Vorpal. Enjoying your journal too. Nice focus and depth.

Bedrock Comics in HOU usually has underground comix and gets a minor amount of turnover over time (you might find a Zap #3). I made two trips to their stores when I lived in Baton Rouge. Best, Om

[oldmilwaukee6er]

January 4, 2016. Time to get cracking!

 

136 calendar days and counting since my on-site submission at WW Chicago (FRI 8/21; CCS then CGC)

I still have not called or checked online (which I cannot really do because I have just the free membership). Should I upgrade to an associate or premium membership for 2016? I probably have another $700-800 in submissions (and I think I just answered my own question).

 

SUN 1/3/16 just chilling and watching English soccer. The lady and I ran errands and did other in real life (IRL) stuff SAT. I have some prep to do for class tomorrow, but am otherwise only teaching one night class in Madtown for the next 5 weeks or so. This week is back to work and plugging away at my goals. I did find out about the job on 12/26 Boxing day, #2 again. Funny to think about how I could have been an inst designer (#2) or a campaign mgr (#2) in 2015. I wonder what 2016 will bring?

 

I do have some work to do on my selling semi-regularly goal. I need to be more adept at navigating the US Postal Service and perhaps acquire a postal scale. I need to trim shipping costs if possible.

 

And I have a problem scanning slabs. My HP Envy 5530 scanner does well with raw comic books, but is blurry with slabs (or anything slightly off the glass). Bummer. The scanner at work is slightly better but puts lights alongside the slab. And it is awkward to personal scan at my work. I want to try the lady’s work scanner, but her offices were closed over the holiday. First world problems- yet it hampers the process.

 

I think I may get a subscription to GPAnalysis for the next month or so and educate myself on the market for some undergrounds and few key books. Re-read the Overstreet Mkt reports again because I feel 2016 has the potential to be another good year like 2015. Comic book and geek movies will continue to dominate in 2016- with Deadpool having success, followed by underperforming Batman v Superman & steady Capt America: Civil War. None of those will touch Star Wars. I have been arguing for the peak of the bubble to hit around Feb 2016- but with the success of Star Wars and the 100k fans reading those books it could be a GOOD market for another year. Star Wars the Force Awakens is an external factor that will work on the market in 2016, with Star Wars fatigue setting in for comic & toy fans first.

 

Tales from the Tube promo comic "Raves from the Caves of Waves." This image has been floating in my head- a theme for 2016 is 'ride the wave' of the bull market.

 

 

A theme of the last two Overstreet market reports 2014-2015 has been one of strong ‘key book’ performance in relation to ‘run books,’ with some dealers predicting widening collector gaps to 100 to 1. I see this trend continuing as the casual market influx views graded comics as a real goods hedge against inflation. Advantage key book owners, who should see 10% market appreciation as the demand for keys outpace supply and con prices compete with top GPA prices. Advantage run collectors and ardent fans who grind 50c and $1-2 boxes. Also advantage fans who can pick key books in the wild and bring them into the graded / slabbed comic collector fold. Never have collectors had more of an information advantage. Another good theme this year will be OVERPAY for the best and UNDERPAY for all the rest.

 

A good, competitive price point is $600-1000 for a blue chip key book across all grades- GVG for Silver Age, VFNM for Bronze, NM+ for Modern. Lots of collectors can now imagine spending a grand on a key book, even if it takes the average collector many years to save for this goal. These collectors will continue to preference graded books.

 

Use the strong market to make your lateral and value moves (this is a reminder to myself)! By many indications collectors are looking at another bull market year for comic books- strong Hollywood presence, solid con schedule (smart tweaks from 2015), expanding foreign markets, transmedia leader- Star Wars. Yet we are reminded of the second law of thermodynamics- when energy changes forms, some of it is lost to entropy or chaos inherent in the system and cannot do work. Entropy in the universe is always increasing (or staying the same).

 

So, now is the time to put a little energy into the collection.

[Brother J]

One goal for me would be to get out to Milwaukee for a week or so this summer, so hopefully you'll be around for whatever time that is that the wife and I can make it out there.

 

To meet that goal, I need to get back into the eBay selling and saving that money for the trip.

 

Sounds great, J! Late June we will be down in NOLA for a conference. Maybe you can inspire me to sell more and follow your model that we talked about last year? Let us stay in touch for 2016 and sorry for the loss of two dogs in 2015.

 

Maybe we'll crash Wizard World Philly FRI June 3, 2016!

 

We'll probably be shooting for a Milwaukee trip in mid-August, as I normally work a summer run, but have a few weeks in August off before the main run starts again in September.

 

I've never been to the Philly Wizard World, so I'm not sure if it's a good show. Might have to give it a shot.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Downsizing tips

 

Did a little reading on ‘collector struggles with downsizing’ to try and cultivate some good tips to carry me through 2016. I wanted to understand a little better why I hold on to things, so I could look to make meaningful progress this year.

 

Mentally framing the downsize

The two-bedroom condo (also known as –AKA- the retirement home). There are plenty of people who live like this. I live like this. But if you have a larger horde of comic books >15 long boxes or 20k books or more- it will stretch the limit of what a condo can curate as rooms share function, e.g. guest bedroom or home office or baby room. Therefore, if you have a large collection in a house in the suburbs (burbs), you can imagine THIS type of downsizing. For many in North America this is also a reality for retirement, selling one’s house for additional retirement income, and renting or buying a condo or townhouse. I saw my parent’s do this. The majority of my father’s baseball collection went to my oldest brother, and has IN PART helped him to a T206 tobacco card set with a monster number in the high 480s out of 524 cards. Truthfully, I can appreciate those cards, but I was not interested in that stuff; I separated myself early by collecting comic books instead.

 

The fire conundrum. If your house / apartment / condo was on fire, what would you take with you as you ran out the door? For some collectors, thinking about their possessions this way gives them quick focus and prioritization. Some of one’s books may symbolize whole portions of a collection. As one collector (19braves77) notes “[the fire conundrum] made the decision on what to list on eBay very easy.” A caveat to the fire scenario is that collectors should probably think about this conundrum anyway, with particular attention to where you place collectibles relative to fire risk and possibly practicing an evacuation.

 

What if your collection could consist of only one short box? Or five? What makes the cut?

 

The zombie apocalypse tin. Do you remember NBC’s TV show Revolution the post-apocalyptic sci fi series (c. 2012-2014)? Around 2012 society was becoming re-acquainted with doomsday prepping. The show is set 15 years after some worldwide blackout, no power anything. The show pilot has this shot of the main female character Charlie looking through Return of the Jedi lunchbox of keepsakes that she has stashed in the foundation of an adjacent abandoned house (she collects post cards). A zombie apocalypse tin probably has only 1-2 raw comics, folded, or a beat graphic novel, along with a few other ‘smalls’ AKA small keepsakes of personal value. A modern apocalypse tin might be a fun project.

 

 

What if you only had one tin for all your collectibles?

 

 

Downsizing tips (synthesized from a variety of online sources):

Downsizing can be a cleansing process if you view it in a positive way.

 

Do not wait until it is too late to make decisions. Start planning your downsizing early and set goals.

 

Do not throw it away. Recycle, reuse, sell and donate instead.

 

Think in terms of months and not days. Avoid tackling the whole collection in one go. Use small actions to make progress on a daily basis. Target one portion of the collection and 1.5-2.0 hour work chunks.

Frame decisions as yes-no questions. Avoid open-ended choices.

 

Kill the ‘maybes’. Relocation experts call it the OHIO rule- only handle it once. “The less decisive you are about what to do with an item, the more attached you risk becoming to it.” Make a decision and move on.

 

Continually ask "what is your favorite piece?" Write a list of all the items you love and cannot live without. As you curate your collection, these have a more prominent location in the home.

 

Think quality. Go for quality over quantity. Choose a great piece that makes a statement, instead of too many pieces. Beware of excessive multiples. As humans age and downsize, one only has real need for one example of each item.

 

Continually ask “what is the story behind this item?” or “what does this really mean to me?” If you cannot think of a good answer, it is time to move it along. Thinking through the story of an item helps the collector gain perspective.

 

Heavily edit portions of your collection that do not have as much sentimental value. It may help to get an objective opinion- if you have a collector buddy.

 

Leverage technology. Consider which of your physical comics may be available digitally. I love collecting Usagi and have an affinity in general for the ‘source material,’ but when push comes to shove, I read the digital TPBs on my Kindle.

 

Take some good photos of the rest of a collection and preserve them in a special book; or create a combination Con Sketch book and memorabilia scrapbook.

 

Gift now. If an item is meant as a possible gift or legacy, give it at the next birthday or milestone. Enjoy the feeling of giving the gift now.

 

Give things an expiration date. For example, I bought 150-200 underground / alternative newspapers thinking that someday I might write a book. If I still haven’t started that project 5 years then it has passed its expiration date and must go.

 

If relocating, use your new space as a guide. Measure how much closet or cabinet space the new place has and fill an equivalent amount of space as you sort. This is an especially useful tip for the ‘condo in the city’ scenario.

 

Know that you will not miss it much. It seems really hard in the moment, but when the passionate need to possess has passed – it is only stuff. And the moment passes far quicker than we realize.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

The Lady Speaks. . . PS4 Revisited

 

I finally did buckle and bought a PS4 on December 27th. It arrived December 30th. I had to go back to work on the 5th so I didn’t have much time to break it in with NYE parties and various adult errands to shore up before returning to the grind.

 

For Christmas, I received Arkham Knight and Fallout 4. This sort of forced my hand, so on December 27th Om and I ventured out to find a PS4 to bring home. He called ahead to see if they had unbundled consoles in stock. I had no interest in any of the bundled games. I don’t play Call of Duty, I refuse to do co-op/online gaming so that ruled out Battlefront, and while I enjoyed Uncharted I just didn’t want that bundle. We stopped at two different Gamestops. They were both insanely packed due to a buy 2 get 1 free sale on all used games. The first location told me that “They don’t make unbundled PS4’s” and that I couldn’t possibly find one unless I was willing to buy used. The difference in cost between a used PS4 and a bundled one was about $30.

 

While enroute to the second Gamestop location I looked it up on Amazon. Sure enough, there were unbundled PS4’s available. Still, I wanted to give Gamestop another shot. As we stood in the long line, OM was online trying to locate a physical store that might have an unbundled PS4. His research indicated that there weren’t any available at Wal-Mart, Gamestop, or Best Buy. So I made the call to get out of line and just order it on Amazon. Then I could also pick up Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, which Gamestop was selling, used for $57.99. Amazon had it new for $39.99. By buying the console through Amazon, I was able to get the console and a game I really wanted for the price of a bundled console. I call that a win.

 

 

Setting up the PS4 was pretty simple. Plug in the power cord to the back of the console, plug the HDMI cable (which comes with it) to the back of the console, plug the other end of the HDMI into your television, and plug in the power cord to a power source. There was some downloading and installing of updates which I’m used to thanks to the PS3. From box to putting in the first disc was probably 20 minutes (and admittedly part of that was because I couldn’t remember my Playstation Network login so I had to create a new one). Part of the setup feels a little like Facebook because they’re trying to push you into online play and social networking your gaming. It’s easy enough to turn all of that off, however. Be sure to charge your controller as it comes with some juice, but not much.

 

I’m pleased that Sony dropped the initial mandatory PS+ membership. I’m not a co-op player and I don’t want to play online so to have been forced to have a membership would have been a giant waste of money. I’m not that into downloadable content (DLC; the only game I’ve bought DLC for was Alice: Madness Returns. It was $1.99 to get all the weapons and dresses. I did the DLC for Skyrim that turned me into a vampire but at the point, you’re a Dragonborne Vampire Lord, the game gets a little dull).

 

The first game I loaded was AC: Syndicate. There was another installation that took about 5 minutes and then I was ready to play. The controller is nice. It’s a little wider than a PS3 controller and it’s quite a bit lighter which surprised me since it comes with some bells and whistles I’ll probably never use (such as the touch screen area between the left and right handles). Overall, however, it’s possibly more comfortable to use than the PS3. Certainly, I haven’t experienced the hand fatigue I have in the past with the PS3 controller. It feels very natural. (I assume XBone/Xbox 360 users would say the same about their controllers, but since I haven’t played those I don’t really know).

 

AC: Syndicate is exactly what I hoped it would be. It’s gorgeous and you’re thrown into the action pretty much from the get-go. The HUD display and controls haven’t changed much from Black Flag (the last installment I played). I’m a Steampunker so I love the Victorian setting. I also love the opportunity to play a woman assassin. It’s a little weird how Jacob and Evie talk to you as you’re going about your missions, though. I don’t remember Ezio talking so much. The music, however, is amazing and makes up for the chatty assassins.

 

AC: Syndicate’s main story is only 15.5 hours according to howlongtobeat.com and that’s totally manageable for me even during a quarter. The main story + extras is 32.5 hours (still very doable) and a completionist will spend 54 hours. I don’t mind putting this one aside for a bit because I can eke out gameplay pretty easily. I also like that it’s familiar AC territory. The Templars have strongholds in London and it’s my job to defeat the games and gang leaders in each territory thereby releasing the territory from the Templars and back to the Assassins. This is very similar to the setup of Brotherhood and Revelation.

 

 

Satisfied with AC, I loaded Fallout 4. It took close to 20 minutes for the game to install itself on the system. As with other Fallouts, the graphics are a bit buggy and the game isn’t as beautifully immersive as say Skyrim (Bethesda is the company behind both Fallout and Skyrim so that’s the reason for the comparisons). The intro seems long-winded and a little dull. Things don’t get going for another 15 minutes when you’re unfrozen and have to escape Vault 111. It’s been 200 years since you went into the vault but unfortunately, the game doesn’t really tell you anymore than the other installments about what happened. There was some sort of nuclear war. The world is a near apocalyptic wasteland and littered with kitschy 1950’s relics. But that’s about the extent of what we learn. I was sort of hoping that this game would fill in the gaps a bit more.

 

They’ve changed some controls between Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4. In New Vegas VATS is triggered with R2. Now it’s triggered by L1 but you still use R2 to pick your target zone. R1 is now melee combat, even when you have a weapon and firing is R2 (when not in VATS). You can also load grenades and mines and use them with R1 even when you have a firing weapon equipped, which is nice but I’ve also wasted a few grenades thus far. To use your guns’ scopes you use L2. The Pip Boy interface is clunkier than in New Vegas but eventually you get used to it. I find it annoying that sometimes when in battle I can’t use my Pip Boy to get a Stimpack or switch weapons. I also find it annoying that VATS doesn’t stop time anymore, but just slows it down. And finally, I’m not sure how I feel about having companions. I know you can ditch them but the first one is a dog and being the animal lover I am, I’m not sure I can just abandon Dogmeat. Maybe I can leave him in Sanctuary.

 

I’ve only put in about 7.5 hours at this time which I realize is just a drop in the bucket. According to howlongtobeat.com Fallout 4’s main storyline is 22 hours with main + extras clocking in at 62 hours (completionists can expect to spend 142.5 hours). I’ll probably fall somewhere in the 40 hour range. I enjoy sandbox play but eventually get bored with grinding side missions and the rush to the end.

 

As with many people I’ve talked to, I’ve found myself mired in building my stupid settlement more than following the plot. Of the nearly 8 hours, I bet I’ve spent half of that scrapping decrepit buildings, abandoned cars, fallen trees, and whatever else I’ve been able to find. I’m frustrated with myself for not moving past building Sanctuary. It’s kind of like first person SIMS. I know there’s a point to it, I just don’t fully get it yet.

 

I haven’t even unwrapped Arkham Knight yet. I will but I have to admit that these other two games are of more interest at the moment. Perhaps if I need a button masher, I’ll load it. Anyway, according to howlongtobeat.com Arkham Knight’s main storyline will log 15 hours, main + extras 27 hours, and completionists will spend 43 hours on it. So it’s another very manageable game in terms of time.

 

Overall I’m very pleased with my PS4. I wish I had more time to play but that’s the lament of every gamer everywhere.