Kevin Eastman destroys another comic book grail! 3 3

[HotKey]

On 9/3/2021 at 6:59 AM, Ryan. said:

I'm not sure that's true... 

I'd say 20 mil is "set for life". 

[Ryan.]

I know he sold his stake in TMNT when it was an essentially dormant IP, after spending the 90s frittering away much of his fortune. Looks like IDW has done nicely for him over the previous decade. That is, if Celebrity Net Worth is to be believed, whatever that is. 

[MetalPSI]

I'm sure the people on a first name basis with him can verify if he is busking on a busy street or sleeping indoors 

[Ryan.]

Will sketch on TMNT 1s for food. 

[Randall Ries]

On 9/3/2021 at 1:43 PM, Ryan. said:

Will sketch on TMNT 1s for food. 

[Randall Ries]

On 9/3/2021 at 7:27 AM, Ryan. said:

I know he sold his stake in TMNT when it was an essentially dormant IP, after spending the 90s frittering away much of his fortune. Looks like IDW has done nicely for him over the previous decade. That is, if Celebrity Net Worth is to be believed, whatever that is. 

Eastman and Laird shilled for the lowest common denominator. That whole thing went from being marginally clever to bottom rung kiddie fare. My wife made me leave the room when that came on and my kids wanted to watch it on tv in the mid nineteen eighties. If you think MST3K was scathing commentary......

My kids loved it, though. I didn't want to wreck it for them. I always wanted a crossover with TMNT and Voltron to show up and Voltron wiped that smugness off their faces. Or even Thundercats. Or even the Wonder Twins.

As they grew older, I could finally tell them "Hey did you know they were killers before before they got like this? Yeah! They were assassins!" Funny thing is they then preferred THAT idea to the pap they were seeing on tv and the big screen. The '80's were a confusing time for many. People now think Lego's suck to walk on in the middle of the night? Even tiptoe into your kids room at night to check on them and step on one of those little knifey things that came with the action figures? Hah? Ever get one of those in between toes right in the webbing?

Perhaps E&L gave up a controlling interest but retained a percentage to have some residual checks coming in. I wouldn't have sold it entirely. Would you? Plus, how can Eastman do sketches using someone else's copyrighted characters and images if he doesn't have the rights to the characters anymore? For money? At cons and book signings? And hastily drawn turtles on napkins at pizza restaurants when he is outed?

I have no idea what he did with IDW as I was never a fan of TMNT. What I DO know is they did the same thing to Batman for about 30+ years. Took a moderately clever idea and homogenized it for kids, their mushy brained parents and a ton of loot. Turned him into a simp and a joke until Neal and Denny had enough. Because that's what they do.

Might have been worse, I suppose.

 

[jaybuck43]

On 9/3/2021 at 1:23 PM, Dr. Dank said:

I'm sure the people on a first name basis with him can verify if he is busking on a busy street or sleeping indoors 

He’s not busking on the street. And that website is definitely not accurate. He sold his entire stake in the turtles to Pete in 2000. Subsequently he’s been working on the IDW line. And he does some work here and there for other publishers. 

[spracknetch23]

Laird is the one who sold the property to Viacom/Nickelodeon for $60 mil in 2009. He had already bought out Eastman in 2000 as stated above. I don’t think either of them have a stake now, but as part of the deal, Laird kept the right to publish a certain amount of new TMNT comics per year through Mirage, although he hasn’t. 

[jaybuck43]

On 9/3/2021 at 7:13 PM, spracknetch23 said:

Laird is the one who sold the property to Viacom/Nickelodeon for $60 mil in 2009. He had already bought out Eastman in 2000 as stated above. I don’t think either of them have a stake now, but as part of the deal, Laird kept the right to publish a certain amount of new TMNT comics per year through Mirage, although he hasn’t. 

I believe the final 4 TMNT v4 books were published under that deal. He just hasn’t released anything since.

[MR SigS]

On 9/2/2021 at 7:01 PM, Randall Ries said:

The examples I have seen sit for years at some outlandish price until some other dopey comes along and thinks "Awwwww DOOOOOD tha's AWE-SIIIIME!!!"

So the books sell at the crazy prices, and are purchased by other people who like the remarks. 

On 9/2/2021 at 7:01 PM, Randall Ries said:

Then they get stuck with the contemptuous POC.

Or they now own something they really like.

POV

[Randall Ries]

On 9/4/2021 at 1:54 PM, MR SigS said:

So the books sell at the crazy prices, and are purchased by other people who like the remarks. 

Or they now own something they really like.

POV

Sure enough. If they like it, that's for them. It's ok though if I put my own 2 cents in though, right? There's nothing wrong of course with having a book drawn all over and signed. Just that maybe not with first print mint issues that are hard to find in the first place. OTOH, someone pointed out that just makes the census that much smaller of blue label minto 1st issues that are hard to find.

Some of us will see it as vandalism. Others will see it as neat pop art. Some of us will see it as an owner with zero taste and good sense. Having Stan Lee write "With Great Power yappity Yap" on a nice ASM 1 shows a certain amount of tastelessness and no imagination. Others may giggle and say "YAH! 'Cause that's what they said in the movie!"

It's like trusting monkeys with matches and dynamite. Seems to me there are scads of reprints and treasuries available to doodle and write little homages and obvious movies quotes in and on. Why take something that is really limited and old and mess with it? Just because one can? I dunno. Even if I was going to keep it, after awhile it would get old looking at it.

But you know. They are in the same league of collector who buy slabbed golden age books that are rare or delicate and then break them out to read them in spite of the fact much of the golden age - especially hero books - have been reprinted. Just because they are trying to prove some sort of weird point:

"No one's gonna tell ME what to do!!" Ha. People like that are dying needlessly in hospitals across the US. That's really the bottom line. "No one can tell ME what to do!" They all come up with their shaky logic and reasons. But it's the bottom line. I'll do what I want whether it makes sense or in good taste or not.

[MR SigS]

On 9/4/2021 at 1:16 PM, Randall Ries said:

It's like trusting monkeys with matches and dynamite. Seems to me there are scads of reprints and treasuries available to doodle and write little homages and obvious movies quotes in and on. Why take something that is really limited and old and mess with it? Just because one can? I dunno. Even if I was going to keep it, after awhile it would get old looking at it.

I doubt the owner did it simply because they could, rather than simply because they wanted to have a special book inscribed (as opposed to a 'meaningless' reprint). Someone like this will obviously enjoy it still, even after awhile.

But you know. They are in the same league of collector who buy slabbed golden age books that are rare or delicate and then break them out to read them in spite of the fact much of the golden age - especially hero books - have been reprinted. Just because they are trying to prove some sort of weird point:

I guess I just don't see having this inscription done as being part of someone's nefarious plan to thumb their nose at the system. I'll admit I'd find that act to be a tasteless, pea-brain, lunatic, dopey, ding-a-ling move IF it were the intent, but personally I have no reason to automatically assume that someone spent the necessary money just to poke people in the eye. 

"No one's gonna tell ME what to do!!" Ha. People like that are dying needlessly in hospitals across the US. That's really the bottom line. "No one can tell ME what to do!" They all come up with their shaky logic and reasons. But it's the bottom line. I'll do what I want whether it makes sense or in good taste or not.

Definitely not the parallel I drew. 

 

 

[MetalPSI]

Most people I wouldn't trust with a damp tissue

[MR SigS]

On 9/5/2021 at 12:17 PM, Dr. Dank said:

Most people I wouldn't trust with a damp tissue

I wouldn't trust myself with a damp tissue 

[Randall Ries]

On 9/5/2021 at 2:56 PM, MR SigS said:

 

Well, it's the parallel I drew. I try to put myself in someone else's shoes when I think about these things. Really? CAN'T buy a raw copy of the same Golden Age book and read it? Can't keep it preserved and safe or buy a reprint or even better, read the thing online? Gotta buy a high grade slab and bust it out? Like some great liberator? How heroic. Haha. No one can tell ME! The Simon Bolivar of the Golden Age comic book world. I guess Golden Age slabs should be retired and preserved because someone will dump grape juice all over a nice, raw 'Tec 33 or get their peanut butter cracker fingers all over it, then expect sympathy when they opine about it.

I dunno. I think some things ought to be off limits at least where common sense is concerned. Draw all over an ASM 300 or an IH 181. There's scads of those books laying around. Nothing even remotely rare about those things. Maybe if I ever get enough dough, I'll buy an IH 181 in 9.8, break it out of its slab and pay Lou Ferrigno to do his best attempt at a Hulk sketch in green sharpie and have him sign it 15 or 20 times in purple sharpie. Right in front of the entire staff of CGC in an operating theater, then get it SS'ed.

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 9/5/2021 at 5:25 PM, Randall Ries said:

Well, it's the parallel I drew. I try to put myself in someone else's shoes when I think about these things. Really? CAN'T buy a raw copy of the same Golden Age book and read it? Can't keep it preserved and safe or buy a reprint or even better, read the thing online? Gotta buy a high grade slab and bust it out? Like some great liberator? How heroic. Haha. No one can tell ME! The Simon Bolivar of the Golden Age comic book world. I guess Golden Age slabs should be retired and preserved because someone will dump grape juice all over a nice, raw 'Tec 33 or get their peanut butter cracker fingers all over it, then expect sympathy when they opine about it.

I dunno. I think some things ought to be off limits at least where common sense is concerned. Draw all over an ASM 300 or an IH 181. There's scads of those books laying around. Nothing even remotely rare about those things. Maybe if I ever get enough dough, I'll buy an IH 181 in 9.8, break it out of its slab and pay Lou Ferrigno to do his best attempt at a Hulk sketch in green sharpie and have him sign it 15 or 20 times in purple sharpie. Right in front of the entire staff of CGC in an operating theater, then get it SS'ed.

Rather than buy a 9.8 Hulk 181 & become what you hate...

Pick up a HG Blue label TMNT 1 & save  it from being vandalized by any more of these sharpie shenanigans.

 

Or a Batman 1 before Neal gets ahold of it 

Edited September 5, 2021 by THE_BEYONDER

[Randall Ries]

On 9/5/2021 at 6:16 PM, THE_BEYONDER said:

Rather than buy a 9.8 Hulk 181 & become what you hate...

Pick up a HG Blue label TMNT 1 & save  it from being vandalized by any more of these sharpie shenanigans.

 

Or a Batman 1 before Neal gets ahold of it 

Yeah, well. Obviously I am bloviating and supposing but I make my point. I'm not going to get any of those books in this lifetime or the next. Some people think it's imaginative and cute. That they feel they have a "one of a kind" thingamabobbie. It's too bad they feel they have to do that stuff on the actual McCoy. IMO, it's arrogant, narcissistic and short sighted. 

I don't mind signatures. I have whole runs of books that are SS. I actually like the sig placement on the example shown.

Oh well. No big deal. Not something I could do. If Adams did that to a Bat 1, I'd be forced to drive over there and kick him in the cubes. I bet I'd have to get in line.

I always picture people who request this kind of thing at cons and CGC SS signings as sort of standing there watching looking like this:

https://i.gifer.com/LPlF.gif

Edited September 5, 2021 by Randall Ries

[SpideyFein]

As a turtle lover, I’m happy I opened this thread and found out my Spidey has a twin  I would NOT get a Stan sig on a high grade 1. Low grades are more than fine for me. I love SS. 

As for this book, when I saw it on Instagram I said what the …. I love the sketches, love Eastman sigs and remarks, but did question why someone would do this on a first print.  Then, like others have pointed out, to each their own. If the owner is happy, then so be it. Artists are often asked to do crazy things on books, and I guess the customer comes first. It’s THEIR book. They could do as they like. We’ve all seen books that make our eyes pop out of our heads, but I believe we can’t blame the artists. 
 

Regarding Eastman, he’s a great guy and didn’t have to win me over as I’m a turtle nut, but back in 2012 he stayed an hour past closing at NYCC to sign and sketch for free. He used to do this often. He does charge now, but is always gracious and a blast to converse with. After all of his success, he appreciates his fans and stays humble. 

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 9/5/2021 at 7:08 PM, SpideyFein said:

As a turtle lover, I’m happy I opened this thread and found out my Spidey has a twin  I would NOT get a Stan sig on a high grade 1. Low grades are more than fine for me. I love SS. 

As for this book, when I saw it on Instagram I said what the …. I love the sketches, love Eastman sigs and remarks, but did question why someone would do this on a first print.  Then, like others have pointed out, to each their own. If the owner is happy, then so be it. Artists are often asked to do crazy things on books, and I guess the customer comes first. It’s THEIR book. They could do as they like. We’ve all seen books that make our eyes pop out of our heads, but I believe we can’t blame the artists. 
 

Regarding Eastman, he’s a great guy and didn’t have to win me over as I’m a turtle nut, but back in 2012 he stayed an hour past closing at NYCC to sign and sketch for free. He used to do this often. He does charge now, but is always gracious and a blast to converse with. After all of his success, he appreciates his fans and stays humble. 

 

I love that yours has the Stan label too, I have a couple, one on ASM and one Hulk, those were like the 1st to be introduced and I'm thankful for the opportunity! Fits your book well!

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by ADAMANTIUM

[SpideyFein]

On 9/5/2021 at 8:15 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I love that yours has the Stan label too, I have a couple ome on ASM and one Hulk, those were like the 1st to be introduced and I'm thankful for the opportunity! Fits your book well!

 

Thanks!!! It was originally a 4.5 with slight ct. I had it for a couple years, I then decided to send it in for possible removal. I can’t stand purple labels  I wasn’t pleased with how they scraped it, or in general how they do it, but it looks great otherwise. I think it’s fitting on a low grade Spidey 1! It doesn’t affect the art as well.

Some would hate it- I love it. I guess it’s a good example for the thread.