C2E2 Variant Drama 24 24

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:01 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

 

 

their 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

On 8/14/2022 at 12:28 AM, THE_BEYONDER said:

 

 

their 

Well he is a Dum Dum.. 

[toro]

On 8/14/2022 at 1:03 AM, JC25427N said:

you're just doing the equivalent of stapling an acetate cover on Dylan's system and calling it the "In Kav We Trust" Variant. Shameless 

Nope that is wrong!!!!

It's "In Kav We INTRUST" Variant

[TTony]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:59 PM, ExNihilo said:

Any drama in the comments?

I didn't go through the comments but there was a new screen when I logged in that had me agree essentially not to be a troll or disruptive, I forgot the exact wording.

[Red84]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:16 PM, Buzzetta said:

This is still the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a good long time.   The amount he charges for different color signatures is the biggest <spoon>bag thing I have seen in a good long time.   Murder Infinity Remark Signature on a graded books for $175... 

Laughable.

I don't know who are the biggest fools.  The guy charging this rate for this signature or the buffoons that actually wait in line and pay for this nonsense. 

 

Am I the only one who never heard of this guy until this thread?

[Red84]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:22 PM, Buzzetta said:

Back around 2012 I bought a stack of Ultimate Fallout 4's in the polybags for $1 each.

I still have 12 of them. 

I regret to inform you that your books have retroactively become cover less acetate versions since you are missing the amazing new acetate. However, you can now make a lot of money selling your cover less version of the week’s hottest variant!!!

[MGH]

On 8/14/2022 at 4:25 PM, Red84 said:

I regret to inform you that your books have retroactively become cover less acetate versions since you are missing the amazing new acetate. However, you can now make a lot of money selling your cover less version of the week’s hottest variant!!!

hah.. can you imagine.

from now on UF4 gets 'missing cover' and green label 

 

[Cman429]

On 8/14/2022 at 4:20 AM, Red84 said:

Am I the only one who never heard of this guy until this thread?

Crain did a comic shop tour last year. He came to my LCS and the line for him stretched outside the store, down the corridor almost to the entrance of the mall. This store has had signings by Shooter, Golden, Land, etc and I’ve never seen 1/3 of that for any creator. On Black Friday they’re lucky if there’s 20 people in the store at a time, 

He’s been at Megacon every year the past several years. He’s so in demand that you have to give Flag your # and they put you in a ‘virtual queue.” The queue is usually full by around noon.

I’ve met him several times. The first time 4-5 years ago I got a sketch. I put the sketch on comicartfans just to show it off but every 6 months or so I get a message asking if I’d be willing to sell it. Turned down several decent offers. At the LCS signing I mentioned the owner set up a VIP line for us longtime pull box customers. I had grown men offering me $100+ to pretend they were with me so they could jump the line to meet this guy. 

It’s fine if you never heard of him. It’s fine if you hate his art or think he’s a talentless hack as I’ve seen others allude to. The fact is he’s an absolute rock star among modern comic collectors. His popularity is on par with what I saw with the OG Image founders back in the 90s. Except having done 1/10 of the work.  

[troydivision1]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:07 PM, ScarletSpider94 said:

I’m pretty sure these have increased though.

Prices HAVE increased.
From the most recent CGC private signing in May.
https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/487345-cgcinhousesignng-a-lot-in-house-signings-pg-numbers-of-signers-and-deadlines-in-1st-post/?do=findComment&comment=12202538

Clayton Crain Classic Signature is $85 per item 
Clayton Crain Infinity Signature is $115 per item
Clayton Crain Infinity Murder Signature is $255 per item

 

[MetalPSI]

On 8/14/2022 at 6:49 AM, Cman429 said:

Crain did a comic shop tour last year. He came to my LCS and the line for him stretched outside the store, down the corridor almost to the entrance of the mall. This store has had signings by Shooter, Golden, Land, etc and I’ve never seen 1/3 of that for any creator. On Black Friday they’re lucky if there’s 20 people in the store at a time, 

He’s been at Megacon every year the past several years. He’s so in demand that you have to give Flag your # and they put you in a ‘virtual queue.” The queue is usually full by around noon.

I’ve met him several times. The first time 4-5 years ago I got a sketch. I put the sketch on comicartfans just to show it off but every 6 months or so I get a message asking if I’d be willing to sell it. Turned down several decent offers. At the LCS signing I mentioned the owner set up a VIP line for us longtime pull box customers. I had grown men offering me $100+ to pretend they were with me so they could jump the line to meet this guy. 

It’s fine if you never heard of him. It’s fine if you hate his art or think he’s a talentless hack as I’ve seen others allude to. The fact is he’s an absolute rock star among modern comic collectors. His popularity is on par with what I saw with the OG Image founders back in the 90s. Except having done 1/10 of the work.  

Rock star or no, he's a rip off artist

[Black_Adam]

On 8/14/2022 at 3:49 AM, Cman429 said:

Crain did a comic shop tour last year. He came to my LCS and the line for him stretched outside the store, down the corridor almost to the entrance of the mall. This store has had signings by Shooter, Golden, Land, etc and I’ve never seen 1/3 of that for any creator. On Black Friday they’re lucky if there’s 20 people in the store at a time, 

He’s been at Megacon every year the past several years. He’s so in demand that you have to give Flag your # and they put you in a ‘virtual queue.” The queue is usually full by around noon.

I’ve met him several times. The first time 4-5 years ago I got a sketch. I put the sketch on comicartfans just to show it off but every 6 months or so I get a message asking if I’d be willing to sell it. Turned down several decent offers. At the LCS signing I mentioned the owner set up a VIP line for us longtime pull box customers. I had grown men offering me $100+ to pretend they were with me so they could jump the line to meet this guy. 

It’s fine if you never heard of him. It’s fine if you hate his art or think he’s a talentless hack as I’ve seen others allude to. The fact is he’s an absolute rock star among modern comic collectors. His popularity is on par with what I saw with the OG Image founders back in the 90s. Except having done 1/10 of the work.  

As a comic collector who is still stuck in the bronze age I appreciate a modern comic fan's perspective. I remember there were mixed feelings about Frank Miller's art when he set the comic world on fire in 1980. I imagine it's the same with Crain based on your post. Just have to see if he and Black Flag can survive the cancel culture that has them in their crosshairs.

[shadroch]

I know nothing about Crain, but he seems popular and has found a way to exploit it.  While I find the idea of paying for rainbow signatures laughable, it does seem to have a niche of fans willing to pay for them. I think the added acetate is an interesting idea. I'm not sure about the legality of it so I'll leave it to the many lawyers on the board. 

My main concern is with the apparent selling of grades by CGC.  I don't see how they justify it and Matt leaving a moderator to handle the storm strikes me as cowardly. I know it is a strong term but weasely just doesn't convey the right emotion.

[Lord Gemini]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:16 PM, Buzzetta said:

This is still the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a good long time.   The amount he charges for different color signatures is the biggest <spoon>bag thing I have seen in a good long time.   Murder Infinity Remark Signature on a graded books for $175... 

Laughable.

I don't know who are the biggest fools.  The guy charging this rate for this signature or the buffoons that actually wait in line and pay for this nonsense. 

 

If people are willing to pay for it, I don't understand the issue with him charging for it.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Lord Gemini

[Lord Gemini]

On 8/14/2022 at 3:20 AM, Red84 said:

Am I the only one who never heard of this guy until this thread?

I like quite a bit of his work actually. He's pretty popular.

[Buzzetta]

On 8/14/2022 at 10:00 AM, Lord Gemini said:

If people are willing to pay for it, I don't understand the issue with him charging for it.

Hence, I do not know which of the two are the bigger fools. 

[Cat]

On 8/14/2022 at 6:20 PM, Red84 said:

Am I the only one who never heard of this guy until this thread?

His break was doing Marvel's X-Force relaunch with Yost and Kyle. He designed their grey and black costumes, which are still used to this day at times. They're certainly popular costumes. After that he had a Carnage project, and his style had a natural affinitity for the symbiotes, and iirc he stuck with that area for a few years. He's very popular now. 

[Ryan.]

On 8/14/2022 at 9:19 AM, Black_Adam said:

As a comic collector who is still stuck in the bronze age I appreciate a modern comic fan's perspective. I remember there were mixed feelings about Frank Miller's art when he set the comic world on fire in 1980. I imagine it's the same with Crain based on your post. Just have to see if he and Black Flag can survive the cancel culture that has them in their crosshairs.

I don't think cancel culture means what you think it means...

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/14/2022 at 2:49 PM, shadroch said:

I don't see how they justify it and Matt leaving a moderator to handle the storm strikes me as cowardly.

It is a strong word but Matt clearly is acting cowardly and always has done when it comes to dealing with any of the multitude of valid complaints that have been levelled down the years at the company he is currently President of. I think everyone has the capacity to get things wrong in life and to show poor judgement on the odd occasion. I certainly do - we're all human. But when you see that same pattern of poor judgement repeating itself, and that unwillingness to step up and face the music when it is clearly required, that is when you see the true nature of the person. Let's face it, Matt often leaves his junior staff to fend off company criticism and he rarely responds in person to reasonable questions about the very questionable practices CGC often adopts. Does anyone remember when CGC threw the volunteer moderators under the bus last year, and blamed them publicly for the state of moderation here? Does anyone remember the clarifying response / apology from Matt that was called for repeatedly by many? I don't.

Last year I spent the best part of a year publicly and privately trying to encourage Matt to come on to this forum and explain / debate with us his frankly ridiculous strategy on international (non-US) reprints. We'd had OK dealings up until that point and I thought I had a crumb of credit in the bank, having helped them with a few variant related things. He refused, and indicated that I was being presumptuous to think that I could just summon him to do so. In other words, I'm a nobody and he is the President of CGC. Then I see him on Youtube with a small group of high-fiving, whooping enthusiasts who all tell him how great everything is. I'd been arguing passionately against the strategy for a year at that point - my invite, for balance, clearly got lost in the post!  Then, my rather on point visual send up of his untenable position gets pulled from my thread here with no advice, presumably because it made him look foolish.

So none of this latest debacle surprises me.

We can fill this thread and others with another ten thousand indignant posts but I think there is about as much chance of Matt Nelson personally coming onto this forum - the forum his company owns, and which is the home of a great many of his long standing customers - and explaining his position on the accusation of grade selling as there is of the proverbial Hell freezing over. Because he never does. And because their position isn't defendable.

Take a photo of this post, it likely won't last long. 

[troydivision1]

If CGC had just followed their previously established (and still posted) guidelines regarding blue labels...
or
If any of the leadership (NOT A MESSAGE BOARD MODERATOR) at CGC had just faced the public, admitted they [past tense noun] up, and tried to think beyond the immediate in-flux of cash from some 'new' publisher partner...
or
If they had learned anything from the [noun] show that happened after the Bad Idea grading...

BUT they didn't.
They've taken money, bent rules, given gift grades, and were caught doing so.
Everyone involved in the decision process from the beginning should be ashamed of themself.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Troy Division
added screenshot of current cgc label page

[Black_Adam]

On 8/14/2022 at 7:40 AM, Ryan. said:

I don't think cancel culture means what you think it means...

They aren't being ostracized by the comic collecting and online community because of C2E2? I thought that was the definition of cancel culture.