I usually admired his artworks but....

[seanfingh]

 

Beaderstadt and Fricke did Trollords. What would Brian Augustyn have had to do with it?

[revat]

Sitting there, not looking the best, was Carmine Infantino. Literally no-one was going up to him at all.

---------------

 

This I don't understand. A fan could take a huge stack of reader copies of his various 60s and 70s stuff, stuff that isn't really worth anything beyond a buck or two, and make them "special" by having him sign them. maybe they aren't worth more in this era of SS, but they'd be pretty neat. was he charging? and even if you gave him a little something, big deal.

 

of course, for years i told myself i would do this at NYCC, but i never got around to putting together stacks, researching who would be there and when..and when i get there i am either being dragged in different directions by my kid(s) or need to use what time I have to hunt down comics.

 

I did a fat stack of Trimpe's and Wrightsons raw sigs at the same con 5 years ago? 4?. No lines (ironically Neal had a huge line for $10 sigs), no fees, no waiting (Got some Wrightsons CGC SS'd too!). Trimpe was giving an interview and was telling a story about bowling with Steranko and someone else, I want to say Jim Shooter. I just stood quietly and listened, then during a break in the conversation, thanked him for his time. With Wrightson, he seemed a little more quiet and reserved, unless you got him talking about technical aspects of art. I remember thinking he'd be a great mentor for a very specific type of artist. Got the same feeling from Alex Nino.

 

I'm not an artist, but I appreciate the 'inside baseball' access these legends (and non-legends) can provide.

[DJones]

Joe Giella is still around... i got a couple of Bat books signed by him for ss.

[shadroch]

Beaderstadt and Fricke did Trollords. What would Brian Augustyn have had to do with it?

 

 

I'm not sure what his exact title was. He was acting as a sort of direct market liaison when we met. He'd come to the monthly Retailers Association meeting our fledgling organization held and push several books, Troll Lords being one. Perhaps he worked as an agent for them, or helped in distribution? In those days, you had a number of people driving vans cross country stopping at comic shops to try and sell B& W comics to the shop. for example- the first two or three Comico products were horrible and my distributor dropped their line. Mark Hamlin drove up and down the East coast pushing their upcoming products, especially Mage and Evangeline. Crown wasn't distributing the book so I ended up buying Mage #1 direct from him.

Justice Machine was distributed the same way.

I think Brian briefly worked for Now, as well, before joining DC.

[SuperZar]

he sees his signature on a CGC book adding $100s to the value

 

This isn't true.

 

It's true alright. All his new cover variants that only came out this Feb/Mar and still for sale at your LCS (for $2.99-3.99) are already going for way over $100 as CGC SS.

 

This isn't the same thing.

 

Whether something IS selling for more is not the same thing as what he KNOWS or THINKS.

 

Which is also different than whether or not it really IS selling for that much more. How much does the CGC SS in grade vs the CGC blue label, Is the difference hundreds of $$$?

 

Which is ALSO different than how much they are LISTED for.

 

I'm quite aware of that. A quick GPA search tells me that Detective Comics (2011) #49, which I purchases a few weeks ago for $3.99 sold on two occasions for $300 (CGC SS) in March. A couple of Batman #49s for $250 and $300. This is just a quick check of two of the 25+ cover variants. Remember, this is for regular circulation comics that are just one month old! It's ALL about the signature.

[revat]

he sees his signature on a CGC book adding $100s to the value

 

This isn't true.

 

It's true alright. All his new cover variants that only came out this Feb/Mar and still for sale at your LCS (for $2.99-3.99) are already going for way over $100 as CGC SS.

 

This isn't the same thing.

 

Whether something IS selling for more is not the same thing as what he KNOWS or THINKS.

 

Which is also different than whether or not it really IS selling for that much more. How much does the CGC SS in grade vs the CGC blue label, Is the difference hundreds of $$$?

 

Which is ALSO different than how much they are LISTED for.

 

I'm quite aware of that. A quick GPA search tells me that Detective Comics (2011) #49, which I purchases a few weeks ago for $3.99 sold on two occasions for $300 (CGC SS) in March. A couple of Batman #49s for $250 and $300. This is just a quick check of two of the 25+ cover variants. Remember, this is for regular circulation comics that are just one month old! It's ALL about the signature.

 

I'm not saying you're wrong or right about the price, I'm questioning if Neal knows how to compare apples to apples when most creators very honestly do not.

[seanfingh]

he sees his signature on a CGC book adding $100s to the value

 

This isn't true.

 

It's true alright. All his new cover variants that only came out this Feb/Mar and still for sale at your LCS (for $2.99-3.99) are already going for way over $100 as CGC SS.

 

This isn't the same thing.

 

Whether something IS selling for more is not the same thing as what he KNOWS or THINKS.

 

Which is also different than whether or not it really IS selling for that much more. How much does the CGC SS in grade vs the CGC blue label, Is the difference hundreds of $$$?

 

Which is ALSO different than how much they are LISTED for.

 

I'm quite aware of that. A quick GPA search tells me that Detective Comics (2011) #49, which I purchases a few weeks ago for $3.99 sold on two occasions for $300 (CGC SS) in March. A couple of Batman #49s for $250 and $300. This is just a quick check of two of the 25+ cover variants. Remember, this is for regular circulation comics that are just one month old! It's ALL about the signature.

 

It is not a true statement that Neal Adams' signature adds 100s in value. Get an Avengers 100 in 2.0 signed and see if it adds hundreds.

 

It will add value in certain situations, and it will not add much in others. Blanket statements in the SS world are rarely worth standing behind.

[kav]

There are many examples of SS books selling for less than same grade unspoiled books. Someone should tell Adams hey sometimes your sig lowers the value of a book-you gonna pay me?

[MedicAR]

Sitting there, not looking the best, was Carmine Infantino. Literally no-one was going up to him at all.

---------------

 

This I don't understand. A fan could take a huge stack of reader copies of his various 60s and 70s stuff, stuff that isn't really worth anything beyond a buck or two, and make them "special" by having him sign them. maybe they aren't worth more in this era of SS, but they'd be pretty neat. was he charging? and even if you gave him a little something, big deal.

 

of course, for years i told myself i would do this at NYCC, but i never got around to putting together stacks, researching who would be there and when..and when i get there i am either being dragged in different directions by my kid(s) or need to use what time I have to hunt down comics.

 

No charge whatsoever. Small booth in the main area with images of his more famous covers on it (Showcase 4, Tec 359) Just sitting there with a helper. I could have sat there with a long box of comics and he would have signed them all day. He was so happy to sit there and talk comics with a "kid" who loved it. You could see how he talked about it how much he loved the business.

 

The only time I met Mr. Infantino was at DragonCon, and also found that he had no line to speak of. I have a DC Comics Sixty Years... hardcover that I used to take to cons to get sign, so I brought it to him and asked him to sign a Flash page which featured his artwork. He wasn't happy at all, had some choice words for DC ripping him off. I skeedaddled out of there pretty quickly as I certainly hadn't meant to offend the guy. Definitely struck me as (most likely justifiably) cranky. So, again, I guess it just goes to show that any number of people could get any number of different reactions from a creator on any given day.

 

 

I met him at SDCC in 2006 and your description seems similar to my experience. I was shocked to find Mr. Infantino alone at his table so I made a bee line to him. He had a stack of his (then) new book, "The Amazing World of Carmine Infnatino" and started an almost canned sales pitch on it. I was sold on it at first sight and picked one up which he signed and asked him to sign a Flash Archives that I had with me. He wasn't particularly wamr before but something about this book set him off. He didn't complain, but was clearly unhappy. He signed it, did a quick doodle and I paid for my book, offering extra to him for the sig and sketch. He seemed surprised and refused, it was the closest I came to seeing him appear to be happy.

 

[1950's war comics]

I felt bad that there was nobody in line for NA at the Motor city comic con when I was there on friday last year, i'm sure it picked up for him over the weekend,... the celebrity highlight for me was Jimmy JJ Walker

[Buzzetta]

Beaderstadt and Fricke did Trollords. What would Brian Augustyn have had to do with it?

 

 

I'm not sure what his exact title was. He was acting as a sort of direct market liaison when we met. He'd come to the monthly Retailers Association meeting our fledgling organization held and push several books, Troll Lords being one. Perhaps he worked as an agent for them, or helped in distribution? In those days, you had a number of people driving vans cross country stopping at comic shops to try and sell B& W comics to the shop. for example- the first two or three Comico products were horrible and my distributor dropped their line. Mark Hamlin drove up and down the East coast pushing their upcoming products, especially Mage and Evangeline. Crown wasn't distributing the book so I ended up buying Mage #1 direct from him.

Justice Machine was distributed the same way.

I think Brian briefly worked for Now, as well, before joining DC.

 

Shock the noobz and tell them your Joe Simon story.

[shadroch]

I ran into Carmine while he was talking to Ayers at a NY show, and no one was around. Mr Ayers was kind enough to do a quick Shadow sketch for my three minute sketch book. Mr Infantino declined to do a sketch but said he'd sign it for me. He started to sign underneath the Ayers sketch but I stopped him and had him sign the title page instead. I wan't a big fan of either of them, but we had a nice conversation. Mr Ayers was wearing what looked to be his WW2 Army Dress Uniform.

[MedicAR]

Beaderstadt and Fricke did Trollords. What would Brian Augustyn have had to do with it?

 

 

I'm not sure what his exact title was. He was acting as a sort of direct market liaison when we met. He'd come to the monthly Retailers Association meeting our fledgling organization held and push several books, Troll Lords being one. Perhaps he worked as an agent for them, or helped in distribution? In those days, you had a number of people driving vans cross country stopping at comic shops to try and sell B& W comics to the shop. for example- the first two or three Comico products were horrible and my distributor dropped their line. Mark Hamlin drove up and down the East coast pushing their upcoming products, especially Mage and Evangeline. Crown wasn't distributing the book so I ended up buying Mage #1 direct from him.

Justice Machine was distributed the same way.

I think Brian briefly worked for Now, as well, before joining DC.

 

Shock the noobz and tell them your Joe Simon story.

 

Shock us old farts with it for that matter.

[Calidream'n]

I walked by him on my way to see Jeremy Bastian last year at a con. It was right at the start of the show, and no one had lined up for him yet. He asked me where I was going. I told him and he had some choice words for me for passing him by. I'll NEVER give him my commerce.

 

Dan

 

I love his work, but I dislike hearing things like this. So let me get this straight - he berated you simply because you wanted to see Jeremy Bastian instead of him?

 

Yes.

 

Dan

I like Jeremy's art better anyway...plus he's cool to talk to. Not full of himself at all.

[underthebigw]

 

It's not like his great art on all those DC books sold a whole lot of extra DC comics at the time, did it?

 

An

 

 

Actually, his books did sell dramatically more at the time. His covers could make or break an issue for DC.

 

And then you add in the merchandise. A ton of of DC merchandise from the 1970's had Adams art on it-greeting cards, Pepsi glasses, toys, sheets, posters, etc. And if it didn't, there was a real good chance it was a redraw of one of Adams' compositions by Giordano and later Garcia-Lopez. This went on for decades. There were years of acrimony between him and DC over this and his related stance for creators' rights. I'm sure he has felt mistreated, as well as cheated out of millions of dollars.

 

That said, and this goes for any creator and signatures, I don't think you have any idea how embittered so many are regarding sig series stuff. I know of many who feel taken advantage of and who feel like 80% of the people asking for signatures are fake fans simply looking to make a buck. Some of the behavior these guys have to deal with at shows is unbelievable.

 

And let's face it--none of us are getting younger and these shows are grueling. Cut the guy some slack. All of my experiences with him have been great, with one or two gruff but benign ones thrown in.

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Beaderstadt and Fricke did Trollords. What would Brian Augustyn have had to do with it?

 

 

I'm not sure what his exact title was. He was acting as a sort of direct market liaison when we met. He'd come to the monthly Retailers Association meeting our fledgling organization held and push several books, Troll Lords being one. Perhaps he worked as an agent for them, or helped in distribution? In those days, you had a number of people driving vans cross country stopping at comic shops to try and sell B& W comics to the shop. for example- the first two or three Comico products were horrible and my distributor dropped their line. Mark Hamlin drove up and down the East coast pushing their upcoming products, especially Mage and Evangeline. Crown wasn't distributing the book so I ended up buying Mage #1 direct from him.

Justice Machine was distributed the same way.

I think Brian briefly worked for Now, as well, before joining DC.

 

Brian was responsible for, among other things, hiring Mark Waid as a writer. He steered a great deal of DC in the early 90's.

 

And if he's "pushing 60", he looks a lot more like he's pushing 75. He was clearly an older gentleman, walking around with the assistance of a cane.

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

he sees his signature on a CGC book adding $100s to the value

 

This isn't true.

 

It's true alright. All his new cover variants that only came out this Feb/Mar and still for sale at your LCS (for $2.99-3.99) are already going for way over $100 as CGC SS.

 

This isn't the same thing.

 

Whether something IS selling for more is not the same thing as what he KNOWS or THINKS.

 

Which is also different than whether or not it really IS selling for that much more. How much does the CGC SS in grade vs the CGC blue label, Is the difference hundreds of $$$?

 

Which is ALSO different than how much they are LISTED for.

 

I'm quite aware of that. A quick GPA search tells me that Detective Comics (2011) #49, which I purchases a few weeks ago for $3.99 sold on two occasions for $300 (CGC SS) in March. A couple of Batman #49s for $250 and $300. This is just a quick check of two of the 25+ cover variants. Remember, this is for regular circulation comics that are just one month old! It's ALL about the signature.

 

That would be inaccurate, and you've left out the bulk of the picture. Two sales of a barely dry book do not a market establish. The value for signatures, as I've said elsewhere, is like the cherry on a sundae. Great if you have a sundae worth putting a cherry on, not so much if you don't.

 

Those were 9.8 copies. 9.6 copies? Now we're down to $114, almost 2/3 less.

 

How about the "regular" variant in 9.6? $105.

 

How about the same book in 9.2 or 9.0? $53 and $52 respectively.

 

In other words....those people lost money, and quite a bit of it, when all costs were factored in.

 

All SS copies, all signed by Neal Adams.

 

It is NOT "ALL about the signature", and not only do creators NOT understand that, but no one seems capable of explaining it to them.

 

It is all about the CONDITION OF THE BOOK, which creators have not a single thing whatsoever to do with.

 

This wrong headed thinking has GOT to be addressed, or prices will spiral up and up and up and up with no end in sight.

 

If creators are going to get angry because "people are making money off of their sig", they should also get angry with publishers and printers for bothering to print high grade copies of their work. Obviously, that logic doesn't quite work, does it...?

 

[shadroch]

i'm going to be 58 this year, and from conversations we had, I'm going to guess he is no more than a couple of years older than me. I have not seen him in a very long time- i'm thinking the Philly Fan Fest in 94 so I cant speak for his health or if he is still working. I saw his name in a blurb a couple years back but don't recall what it was for. I hope he is well.

He did a very nice job at DC and was one of the reasons it made the gains it did. I read Gothom by Gaslight but really don't recall it . It was one of the first Elseworlds books, no?

[RockMyAmadeus]

i'm going to be 58 this year, and from conversations we had, I'm going to guess he is no more than a couple of years older than me. I have not seen him in a very long time- i'm thinking the Philly Fan Fest in 94 so I cant speak for his health or if he is still working. I saw his name in a blurb a couple years back but don't recall what it was for. I hope he is well.

He did a very nice job at DC and was one of the reasons it made the gains it did. I read Gothom by Gaslight but really don't recall it . It was one of the first Elseworlds books, no?

 

It was THE first Elseworlds book...but they didn't have the name in place, yet.

 

That was a wonderful line. Loved it.

[shadroch]

I enjoyed most of the Elseworlds books. Strangely, the one I couldn't stomach was the Legion one and they are,by far, my favorite all-time group.

I don't understand the pricing of SS books. Or SS sketches. An example, I had two blank covers that I had Herb Trimpe draw a sketch of Hulk 181 and they were also signed by Len Wein. Both were witnessed and came back in Yellow labels. One came back 9.6, the other was 9.4. Anyone buying them from me is buying them for the sketch and the two signatures, yet the 9.6 sold for about $150 more than the 9.4. Why? When I had GPA, I was blown away by the difference in grades for books that are only being bought for the sketch or the signature.