New user post - Hello. 1 1

[Wampa Thing]

Hi, 

 

I've been a record collector for thirty one years, bought a copy of Nirvanas 'teen spirit' when I was ten and became a bit of a Grunge/Sub Pop vinyl addict. About a month ago I was looking through my collection and stopped on the Sub Pop 200 compilation. I love the cover and did some research and discovered it was by Charles Burns. Since then I've been working my way through his catalogue of books. I've decided I would like to pick up a complete run of Black Hole the comic book released in 12 issues.

[Axe Elf]

What grade are you looking for?

[KirbyTown]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:55 PM, Wampa Thing said:

Charles Burns. Since then I've been working my way through his catalogue of books. I've decided I would like to pick up a complete run of Black Hole the comic book released in 12 issues.

That's cool. There appears to be one set available on an online auction site. You could also try putting a set together yourself from various sellers on various sites. One site to try is a retailer called mycomicshop.

If you find that the "first printing" of a vintage comic book is too expensive, there sometimes exist reprints that may be less expensive. I believe that some issues of Black Hole were reprinted.

You also may be interested in a book called Raw #4, which has a Charles Burns cover and originally came with a flexible record inside. Unfortunately for your wallet, it also came with the third chapter of Maus bound inside.

Good luck!

[theCapraAegagrus]

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:46 AM, Axe Elf said:

What grade are you looking for?

Hi , I'm still figuring the grade system out. The collector in me obviously wants the best grade but, my wallet is telling me two things. 1: I've already got the Black Hole omnibus and don't need the comics for reading. 2: Do the comics really need to be perfect if there only going to be used for display purposes. 

I saw a recent sale at auction for two of the comics (#8 & #9) graded 9.8 and 9.6  went for about $80 which seems reasonable when compared to the seller on Ebay who wants $185 for just issue #8 graded 9.8.

I think price rather than grade will probably determine what I buy.

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 2:54 AM, KirbyTown said:

That's cool. There appears to be one set available on an online auction site. You could also try putting a set together yourself from various sellers on various sites. One site to try is a retailer called mycomicshop.

If you find that the "first printing" of a vintage comic book is too expensive, there sometimes exist reprints that may be less expensive. I believe that some issues of Black Hole were reprinted.

You also may be interested in a book called Raw #4, which has a Charles Burns cover and originally came with a flexible record inside. Unfortunately for your wallet, it also came with the third chapter of Maus bound inside.

Good luck!

Hi, 

thanks for the advice, I'll check 'mycomicshop' out. funnily enough my dad has just lent me Maus to read after I mentioned to him about Charles Burns. he's a big Robert Crumb fan and has been giving me a lesson in underground comix. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Raw #4. The 'Reagan speaks' track that is on the flexi disc also appears on the cassette compilation 'Sub Pop 5' from 1981 which has cover artwork by Burns. I bought it to complete my Sub Pop collection in 2005, now it's part of the Burns collection lol. 

[Axe Elf]

On 7/15/2022 at 12:33 PM, Wampa Thing said:

the cassette compilation 'Sub Pop 5' from 1981

Featuring two Kansas bands I saw many times live in the early 80s--The Embarrassment and Get Smart!

I also just ordered one of these...  I love that they had to put a "Tipper Sticker" on the Bible!

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 6:17 PM, Ice Cream Bunny said:

This is all you need, why buy anything else? 

If you want to display their covers just print them off the internet.

I 100% agree with you. In fact, I have a Canon printer which prints A2 sheets which I used last year for some Todd McFarlane covers I wanted to hang on my wall. 

The reason I'm more inclined to spend money on Charles Burns comics is his link to Sub Pop Records which is my main interest / hobby.  

[KirbyTown]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:17 PM, Wampa Thing said:

I 100% agree with you. In fact, I have a Canon printer which prints A2 sheets which I used last year for some Todd McFarlane covers I wanted to hang on my wall. 

The reason I'm more inclined to spend money on Charles Burns comics is his link to Sub Pop Records which is my main interest / hobby.  

Unless you really need to have the grade on there, there are definitely more affordable ways to display raw comic books.

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:08 PM, Axe Elf said:

Featuring two Kansas bands I saw many times live in the early 80s--The Embarrassment and Get Smart!

That's cool. I've just listened to both tracks on the compilation. that's my kind of music, I'll be on Discogs later and I'll check out their other releases. 

Is the Crumb Book of Genesis worth a read? I've flicked through alot of my Dads Crumb collection but have never taken the time to actually read any of it. I really like the artwork of Maxon Crumb as well.

[Axe Elf]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:37 PM, Wampa Thing said:

Is the Crumb Book of Genesis worth a read?

Dunno, I just ordered it, because I never knew it existed until a couple of days ago--but it's basically just the text of Genesis from the Bible, illustrated by R. Crumb.  So if you know the book of Genesis, you know the story--I'm just interested in the novelty of Crumb's artistic depictions of it.

On 7/15/2022 at 1:37 PM, Wampa Thing said:

That's cool. I've just listened to both tracks on the compilation. that's my kind of music, I'll be on Discogs later and I'll check out their other releases.

HIGHLY recommend the "Heyday!" 2 disc set as a comprehensive retrospective for The Embarrassment (out of Wichita):

https://www.discogs.com/release/2868702-The-Embarrassment-Heyday-1979-83

If you liked the minimalist sound of that Get Smart track, you'll probably want to look into their earlier work (when they were based in Lawrence, rather than their later Chicago work):

https://getsmart.bandcamp.com/album/talk-talk-flexidisc

https://getsmart.bandcamp.com/album/words-move

Enjoy!

 

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:28 PM, KirbyTown said:

Unless you really need to have the grade on there, there are definitely more affordable ways to display raw comic books.

 

On 7/15/2022 at 7:33 PM, Ice Cream Bunny said:

Yeah,  CGC, buy some nice raws.

Thanks for the advice. When I buy records, VG+ is as low as I go when it comes to condition. I know what to expect with that grade. I had a look online at comic grading and it seems similar but also completely different lol. Obviously I'll try and get a visual of any comic before I buy but with somewhere like 'mycomicshop' which uses a  poor to mint grading system, what should I be aiming for. I found a grade list online. Would you say 'Very Fine' would be about right for what I'm looking for?

all advice is greatly appreciated.

• 0-1.5 = poor to good minus
• 2.0-3.5 = fair to very good minus
• 4.0-5.5 = very good to fine minus
• 6.0-7.5 = fine to very fine minus
• 8.0 = very fine
• 8.5 = very fine plus
• 9.0 = very fine/near mint
• 9.2 = near mint minus
• 9.4 = near mint
• 9.6 = near mint plus
• 9.8 = near mint to mint
• 9.9 = mint
• 10.0 = gem mint

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:48 PM, Axe Elf said:

Dunno, I just ordered it, because I never knew it existed until a couple of days ago--but it's basically just the text of Genesis from the Bible, illustrated by R. Crumb.  So if you know the book of Genesis, you know the story--I'm just interested in the novelty of Crumb's artistic depictions of it.

HIGHLY recommend the "Heyday!" 2 disc set as a comprehensive retrospective for The Embarrassment (out of Wichita):

https://www.discogs.com/release/2868702-The-Embarrassment-Heyday-1979-83

If you liked the minimalist sound of that Get Smart track, you'll probably want to look into their earlier work (when they were based in Lawrence, rather than their later Chicago work):

https://getsmart.bandcamp.com/album/talk-talk-flexidisc

https://getsmart.bandcamp.com/album/words-move

Enjoy!

 

Nice one, I'll give these a listen. thanks 

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:57 PM, Ice Cream Bunny said:

They use numerical too 

 

On 7/15/2022 at 7:58 PM, Ice Cream Bunny said:

This has a few mistakes. Here's what you want:

https://www.cgccomics.com/grading/grading-scale/

Cool. I didnt see the numerical grade on the Black hole comics they are selling. Just says Fine and Very Good. Thanks for the better grading scale. 

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:24 PM, Ice Cream Bunny said:

I lived in Seattle for 5 years 

I missed this post. Yeah thats cool. when were you there? If I had a time machine late eighties early nineties seattle would be my first journey.

[Yorick]

I discovered Tomer Hanuka's artwork from an album cover of Bazooka Tooth.  I love finding great album art and then finding that the artist moved into comics!

Burns does some very nice work.  Good luck with the hunt!!

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 8:06 PM, Ice Cream Bunny said:

Here's an example of both grades:

thankyou. its not on issues 4 or 5. You can also see a scan. I wouldn't of known that either. Double thanks.

[Wampa Thing]

On 7/15/2022 at 8:10 PM, Yorick said:

I discovered Tomer Hanuka's artwork from an album cover of Bazooka Tooth.  I love finding great album art and then finding that the artist moved into comics!

Burns does some very nice work.  Good luck with the hunt!!

Ah man, I use to be a big Definitive Jux fan back in my college days. I've got that Bazooka Tooth on vinyl as well as Float and Labor days. The artwork is cool I'll check out Tomer Hanuka's other work.  Thanks

[KirbyTown]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:53 PM, Wampa Thing said:

but with somewhere like mycomicshop

Please know that mycomicshop is THE place that you want to buy; there is truly no "somewhere like".

You can trust their grading because they grade for buyers' benefit, so they are HARSH in comparison to CGC, which is great for you! I have consigned with them for a decade and they have the strictest and most consistent grading system out there. Consignors are initially surprised by it, but they get over it quickly because it is such a great place. The level of customer service is incomparable, even via that online auction site:

A VF at mycomicshop is going to be a great looking comic.

Their grading is so tight that people will sometimes spend more there for raws than they would on equivalently graded slabs.

To get an idea of their grading and the lowest grade you'll be happy with, just find any comic listing with a bunch of boxes on the listing and click through on any of them. You'll get to a page with a list of all the boxes you just saw but as one long page. Before you click a pic, make sure it's labeled "actual scan" and not "generic image". That's an easy way to get a grip on what you'll be ok with.

For example, on this Spawn #1 list, scroll all the way to the bottom to get past the CGCs to their raws:

https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?ivitems=8631381

Hope this helps,

[Yorick]

With Black Hole, there were several printings.  You could probably grab a very nice high grade slabbed copy from the Fantagraphics printings...  And also, since the intent is to display it, it's probably best that you don't go for highest grade.  Wouldn't want one of the nicest copies out there getting sunfaded.