John Byrne at NYCC 2017? 2 2

[ygogolak]

17 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

Yeah, because I was going to say... after time it is none of his business what I do with my "stuff".  Take Derek Jeter for example.  Jeter did NOT sign stuff if he thought it was going up on eBay.  There are videos of him refusing to sign for kids on the street.  20-22 years ago... it wasn't like that. 

I had this ball signed by Jeter.  Now... here I am 20 years later.  I have thought about bringing it to a Steiner event just to get the authentication events just so I can have a third party say it is real... (I know it is real and it isn't going anywhere so I don't see the need to spend the money.)  However, if an artist said he didn't want his signature in a slab.  I have to say... sorry John, but if I had him sign a book and then a year later wanted it authenticated, I don't think I would have any ethical problem with that, especially if I paid money for the signature. 

Now like I said, I completely agree that some of the artists have a rule where the signature is conditional upon an understood agreement not to have a witness there to have it signed.  However, I agree with you that what I do with my stuff after the fact is up to me. 

 

These artists are really biting themselves in the foot.  Take Skottie Young for example.  At NYCC I would have paid a fee to have a sketch done so long as it would eventually be kept in a yellow label.  He wanted to charge $500(?) if it was going to CGC and about half of that if it wasn't.  Know what?  I gave someone else my money.  Young loses out.  I am sure he made some money, but he lost out on my money.  There are a lot of artists that are doing that, and just as they are principled with their decision making in regards to signatures and sketches, I am principled with my wallet.   Guys like Neal Adams?  I have an Adams signature on a midgrade Batman 227.  Now after seeing what he charges at shows, I don't even stop at his table to see what he is doing.   Neither do my friends.   What a shame... things like this are actually turning away fans.  Whereas a few years ago Jeremy Haun did an incredible sketch for me that I still have on a Batman blank.  To this day he is one of the first guy I see at the shows and this year I wound up buying a couple of his indie books just to check his stuff out so he knows his stuff is appreciated. 

 

I am rambling now... I will take a break.

(Pic related -  I had posted this on FB when the Yankees retired Jeter's number)

 

  

Jeter asked me if I was going to sell them when he was in the minors.

[mysterio]

The only reason Byrne’s signature is worth big money is that there are so few of them in yellow labels. If Byrne signed for free at every other show then the value would drop precipitously and there would be no incentive for secret witnesses. 

Or, Byrne or Young or whomever could make all those fat stacks themselves if they created their own yellow label books or sketches and sold them onto the marketplace. Since it’s so easy. 

[mattn792]

It really is sad how some of these guys approach the Signature Series program.  I know from my own little corner of the collecting world, I'd LOVE to have an SS 9.8 run of Wolverine 17-23 signed by Byrne.  Why?  Because the Spore story line is one of my favorites, and Byrne's work on it was fantastic.  Would I one day sell the run, be it due to some unforeseen financial need or getting up there in years and my beneficiaries not being interested in comics and/or Wolverine, circa 1988?  Sure.  But am I going to have them witnessed, on site'd, and then immediately slap a $600 apiece price tag on the front?  Lord no.

And I'm willing to bet the legit collectors far outweigh the flippers.

[Chip Cataldo]

5 hours ago, mysterio said:

The only reason Byrne’s signature is worth big money is that there are so few of them in yellow labels. If Byrne signed for free at every other show then the value would drop precipitously and there would be no incentive for secret witnesses. 

Or, Byrne or Young or whomever could make all those fat stacks themselves if they created their own yellow label books or sketches and sold them onto the marketplace. Since it’s so easy. 

Byrne already has FU money. I'm sure he doesn't care. 

[mysterio]

25 minutes ago, Chip Cataldo said:

5 hours ago, mysterio said:

The only reason Byrne’s signature is worth big money is that there are so few of them in yellow labels. If Byrne signed for free at every other show then the value would drop precipitously and there would be no incentive for secret witnesses. 

Or, Byrne or Young or whomever could make all those fat stacks themselves if they created their own yellow label books or sketches and sold them onto the marketplace. Since it’s so easy. 

Byrne already has FU money. I'm sure he doesn't care. 

I imagine that he doesn't care either, about the money anyway. But a lot of the controversy generated over the SS among creators seems to hinge on the perception that their signatures are creating huge value, and thus they feel justified in charging ever increasing sums to those getting their books slabbed for SS. I thought that this was why Byrne and others put a stop to signing for yellow labels, but others can correct me if I am wrong. Anyway, if they are so convinced that they can print money with their signature, it would be enlightening for them to try selling their own SS of their signatures on eBay to see how "easy" it is.

[mschmidt]

27 minutes ago, mysterio said:

I imagine that he doesn't care either, about the money anyway. But a lot of the controversy generated over the SS among creators seems to hinge on the perception that their signatures are creating huge value, and thus they feel justified in charging ever increasing sums to those getting their books slabbed for SS. I thought that this was why Byrne and others put a stop to signing for yellow labels, but others can correct me if I am wrong. Anyway, if they are so convinced that they can print money with their signature, it would be enlightening for them to try selling their own SS of their signatures on eBay to see how "easy" it is.

I don't think it's a money issue with Byrne - I'm pretty sure it's him being under the misapprehension that the only people who get books slabbed are resellers & flippers, eg. not "real" fans.

[mysterio]

Just now, mschmidt said:

I don't think it's a money issue with Byrne - I'm pretty sure it's him being under the misapprehension that the only people who get books slabbed are resellers & flippers, eg. not "real" fans.

Ah yes, the "real fan" argument, as if nobody with slabs in their house could be putting them in a collection. Who does he think would be the end user in that scenario, or is it an endless loop of flippers selling to flippers?

[Logan510]

17 minutes ago, mschmidt said:

I don't think it's a money issue with Byrne - I'm pretty sure it's him being under the misapprehension that the only people who get books slabbed are resellers & flippers, eg. not "real" fans.

I don't think it's even that. Just from reading his thoughts on CGC over the years he just prefers books not be encased in plastic as a collectible. He is fully aware that a person can crack a book out of a case.

[mattn792]

23 minutes ago, Logan510 said:

I don't think it's even that. Just from reading his thoughts on CGC over the years he just prefers books not be encased in plastic as a collectible. He is fully aware that a person can crack a book out of a case.

What a bunch of excrement.  So hypothetically JB is cool with a collectible book, with the owner never intending to read/handle it, sitting in a box stored in mylar.  But should that very same owner take an additional step to protect said book's condition (nevermind the grading aspect) by getting it slabbed, that's a no no?  Top notch logic there.

[Logan510]

3 minutes ago, mattn792 said:

What a bunch of excrement.  So hypothetically JB is cool with a collectible book, with the owner never intending to read/handle it, sitting in a box stored in mylar.  But should that very same owner take an additional step to protect said book's condition (nevermind the grading aspect) by getting it slabbed, that's a no no?  Top notch logic there.

I think a lot of what people do with their collections is stupid, but I don't begrudge them doing it the way they want to do it. Same way I don't hold it against John Byrne for his opinions on comic book collecting. 

[mattn792]

8 minutes ago, Logan510 said:

I think a lot of what people do with their collections is stupid, but I don't begrudge them doing it the way they want to do it. Same way I don't hold it against John Byrne for his opinions on comic book collecting. 

Well put, and ultimately his signature is his own commodity.  We may disagree with the reasoning, but he can sign (or not sign) whatever books with whatever conditions attached that he wants. 

[mschmidt]

31 minutes ago, Logan510 said:

I think a lot of what people do with their collections is stupid, but I don't begrudge them doing it the way they want to do it. Same way I don't hold it against John Byrne for his opinions on comic book collecting. 

The difference is that you aren't forcing other people to collect comics in the specific Logan510-approved manner.

[Logan510]

2 minutes ago, mschmidt said:

The difference is that you aren't forcing other people to collect comics in the specific Logan510-approved manner.

I'm not in the position to do so, he is and I respect his views though I may not agree 100% with them.

[Chip Cataldo]

He's been cranky for decades anyway. 

[WoWitHurts]

7 hours ago, mattn792 said:

What a bunch of excrement.  So hypothetically JB is cool with a collectible book, with the owner never intending to read/handle it, sitting in a box stored in mylar.  But should that very same owner take an additional step to protect said book's condition (nevermind the grading aspect) by getting it slabbed, that's a no no?  Top notch logic there.

I have always thought it weird to encase a comic book like a baseball card. At least with a BB card you can get to all of the information. With a comic you get the cove and back cover. I don't really see the point in that. I like the restoration check though.  I think a lot of the time people are buying the label and not the book. I don't begrudge anyone for liking it or whatever they want to do. Just my opinion. BTW I own over 100 slabbed books. ;-)

[WoWitHurts]

9 hours ago, Chip Cataldo said:

Byrne already has FU money. I'm sure he doesn't care. 

I actually doubt that. Comfortable? yeah. FU money? Don't know. His star was waning when Image was formed and those seven were making some dough. He seems like a bitter man and has for as long as I can remember. He was at a smaller con once so I bought a WW cover I colored and had him sign it. Not an overly nice individual IMO. He could have had an off day but still.

If he really had FU money he would still be doing Next Men instead of other companies crappy books. His FF run was spectacular though.

[Logan510]

2 hours ago, WoWitHurts said:

I actually doubt that. Comfortable? yeah. FU money? Don't know. His star was waning when Image was formed and those seven were making some dough. He seems like a bitter man and has for as long as I can remember. He was at a smaller con once so I bought a WW cover I colored and had him sign it. Not an overly nice individual IMO. He could have had an off day but still.

If he really had FU money he would still be doing Next Men instead of other companies crappy books. His FF run was spectacular though.

The most money he ever made on a book was after Image had formed...just as an FYI. He might be bitter, but not for the reasons you think.

I've had great experiences meeting him, but that's just anecdotal 

[Chip Cataldo]

13 hours ago, WoWitHurts said:

I actually doubt that. Comfortable? yeah. FU money? Don't know.

I've been to his house. He's got FU money. 

[ygogolak]

45 minutes ago, Chip Cataldo said:

I've been to his house. He's got FU money. 

[Logan510]

1 hour ago, ygogolak said:

Funny if that turned out to be the one thing that's actually true