C2E2 Variant Drama 24 24

[Buzzetta]

What page was the chain of events on that TTony (I think it was him) posted? 

 

[Beige]

 

[fastballspecial]

Facebook is exploding with Black Flag Booth videos.

 

[Dr. Balls]

On 8/12/2022 at 4:51 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Doesn't say "after" 

But I dont have a good feeling about my slab

I remember those! 

[manetteska]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:11 PM, TTony said:

People are saying BF went around and sold them to vendors prior to the show opening and that's where the pictures are coming from.  What vendors are supporting this?  There are others who are saying BF is not selling the books because of potential issues with Marvel or the Con.  Drama.

Exactly; who is still buying their books at this point?

[Dr. Balls]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:14 PM, fastballspecial said:

Facebook is exploding with Black Flag Booth videos.

 

What is the general gist of what’s going on in them?

[fastballspecial]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:15 PM, Dr. Balls said:

What is the general gist of what’s going on in them?

Right now nobody is around the booth or at least at video time. Rumor is he sold them to dealers under the table. He is calling security on anyone coming near his booth with video. I saw two videos they were hilarious.

Edited August 12, 2022 by fastballspecial

[Beige]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:14 AM, fastballspecial said:

Facebook is exploding with Black Flag Booth videos.

 

Link to good ones?

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:14 PM, Dr. Balls said:

I remember those! 

Lol thanks! My lowly way of circling the news, but I DID just complete this set minus the x-men 25 variants white and gold. Regular covers complete though, I miss the usual on the boards, granted this thread is more importante!

 

[fastballspecial]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:18 PM, Beige said:

Link to good ones?

Sorry I didn't know that was a private site. Looking for others now. First two I saw were in private groups 

[Buzzetta]

On 8/10/2022 at 8:30 PM, TTony said:

If you are new here, to summarize the last 79 pages of this thread...

• Line cutting
• Influencers pre-buying books before the con is open and before those books are supposedly available
• Influencers hyping a book they are selling on WhatNot
• Retailer selling out of books for collectors because dirty flippers bought them all without a limit to purchase
• Limit to purchase books (from unlimited down to 1 or 2) instituted right after flippers finish buying their mass quantities
• Book shows up on CBSI Top 10 list the day it is released and no one supposedly knew about the book
• No one mentions CBSI comment on book "That being said, the homages.. bleh.  Please make it stop." (I guess this doesn't fit the narrative?)
• Raising the price of books while other people are still in line ($85 up $100 for raws and $500 to $750 for 9.8's)
• Charging $2500 for a 10.0 at the booth
• Artist possibly related to the store selling the copies
• Store recycling exclusives by adding acetate covers to "limited edition books"
• Marvel did not approve the acetate covers, someone knows a VP
• Bleedingcool.com publishes Marvel did not approve of this
• The wheels are rolling
• People who buy 79 copies of a book with 750 copies
• Youtube influencers put up videos defending the practice of them being able to buy books before others because "it's their livelihood, they quit their day job to do this and you are just a collector with no financial interest."
• Youtube influencers take down video defending what they did.
• Other Youtube influencers criticize original Youtube influencers for (a) putting up the video defending their actions and (b) taking the video down.
• CGC says it stands by the decision.
• CGC says it will reply with more details the next day.
• CGC more details = we did it for Stray Dogs 1 Acetate cover
• Stray Dogs publisher = please leave us out of this, we have no part in this.
• Stray Dogs book had different UPC code and acetate cover installed when book produced, UF4 book has same UPC code as previously released store exclusive and acetate cover added later, post production
• Instagram poster that bought 79 copies... turns out only 15 are for her, the rest are for friends.
• Instagram poster posts apology
• Instagram poster deletes apology
• Instagram poster turns off comments
• Photoshop of instagram poster with 79 copies makes people laugh
• Instagram poster gets roasted in WhatNot auction in the comments, asks people to be booted from auction.
• Instagram poster gave some books away and sold some to friends at regular $85 retail price.
• Instagram poster feels bad for people that didn't get books that waited in line, tried to do something about it.
• YouTuber tries to sell book on eBay and donate profits to veterans causes, eBay takes listing down after angry comic book fam mass notifies eBay of fradulant listings (hot damn, comic fam!)
• eBay takes down listings of books as bootleg copies
• eBay shill bids of over $1000 prevent ignorant buyers from buying book
• Greggy, i don't know wtf that means but it's here
• Store exclusive UF4 has a print run of 750 (actually 750 left over copies from last year) and got graded as a 10.0, 3 9.9's and several 9.8's...  then releases 2 more store exclusives for upcoming Boston show that also has one 10.0, three 9.9's and several 9.8's but this time with a print run of only 350.
• CGC graded these post production modified books in Blue Label Universal grade.  
• CGC says Acetate cover made by the original artist so it's all good for Blue Label.
• Posters say it should be Green Label.
• Posters say it should be Purple Label.
• Posters say it should be Yellow Label.
• Posters say it should be Yellow/Green Label.
• Posters say it should be "NG".
• Posters say it should be Blue Label with notes stating cover was attached after production.
• Signature on Acetate is a printing, not real signature.  
• Folded flag on cover shows red and white, folded American flags should never show red & white.
• Cover marketed as homage to veterans, no money from books sales goes to veterans.  Bronze & Modern Gods YT channel host is a veteran and is not amused.
• Screen shot of direct messaging to CGC, CGC comments their "head grading team" is on the case.  Who is this mysterious head grading team?  Speculation goes wild.
• CGC description on label states "In God We Trust", cover of book says "In God We Intrust"
• Like 20 pages of posts of people wanting to Acetate own covers and get 9.9 or 10.0's.
• Like 10 pages of "Bad Idea" and this is the "Ultimate Fallout" posts.
• Boston Fan Expo aware of issue but mid level management keeping opinions silent and waiting for the boss to make a decision/statement
• Outrage over influencers going through CGC grading course
• Many people learning there is a website called CBSI (Comic Book Speculation and Investing) and saying the end of times is here.
• Can we get comics graded as 11.0?
• Selling these on WhatNot is a violation of WhatNot's own TOS
• Key Collector App has ethics
• Black Flag will make TWO lines at the next con... 1 for influencers and resellers who can buy 10 copies each.  and 1 line for collectors that can buy 1 each.
• The collectors will get 100 copies, the influencers and flippers will get 250 copies.
• Misogyny
• Blackstone does not equal Black Flag
• Vanilla Ice, cowbell, Grover Cleveland, Ding Dongs, invisible books, lots of people eating popcorn, hulk vs wolverine in some 1950's neighborhood, 9.9 Bibles, 11.0 dictionary's, squirrels smoking crack, lots of tires hitting people and removing the tire that actually seriously hurt someone
• Acetate Gate nickname coined
• Jumping the shark?  Can it be done twice?
• Black Flag drove 22 hours to sell these comics so it's ok.
• CB** weighs in with shots fired mess post elsewhere.
• Books would be ok if torn up and made into collages
• CGCMike throws down the gauntlet and says he expected more replies than this... "only 57 notifications in 4 hours?"
• It should be graded as a double cover
• It should be graded by both covers and the interior
• Stop promoting competitor graders just because of this controversy
• No one knows what C2E2 thinks of this
• Skeff got 10 copies that he sold that night
• Books were graded at CGC, not onsite at C2E2.  Books graded with other acetate Black Flag covers.  
• CGC dealer discount dropped to 15% and $200 yr fee this year
• What if Chic-Fit-A did this???
• eBay is the new standard for ethics.
• Many pics of census screenshots to show lack of 9.9's and 10's
• Black Flag IG is gone.  Now it's back.
• Black Flag IG posts on UF4 are all gone now.
• Several accountants posting expected profit of $30k+ for this by the retailer.
• Recap of 79 pages
   

@PeteFromPetesBasement

Here, read this.  This was a good summary of events. 

[s-dali]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:58 PM, Sigur Ros said:

On 8/12/2022 at 3:24 PM, Gaard said:

"There is a precedent for acetate covers being attached to a printed book, and then graded by CGC"

"For us, this was an unprecedented item to grade."

 

[Beige]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-12/turkish-bear-rescued-after-eating-mad-honey-/101326312

 

Just to while away the time as the Black Flag saga unfolds....

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:17 PM, Troy Division said:

Agreed.
It would be interesting to know of the tier / cost Black Flag publishing paid to have their copies 'graded'.
It would also be interesting to learn how much CGC makes from their 'annual' Clayton Crain signings.
(which includes a $255 'infinity murder' signature...)
Crain also appears to have distinct signature series labels.
 

CGC right now..

[FFB]

On 8/12/2022 at 4:11 PM, TTony said:

People are saying BF went around and sold them to vendors prior to the show opening and that's where the pictures are coming from.  What vendors are supporting this?  There are others who are saying BF is not selling the books because of potential issues with Marvel or the Con.  Drama.

If CGC comes out and says they see the error they made, they can still save face and show they are IMPARTIAL.  I have several hundred more books to submit but am holding off until this is resolved.  If these books were graded as part of some marketing campaign (like the CGC 9.5 for Wizard World), then they should have their own color label for marketing or a green label.  But these should NOT be counted as blue label 10.0, 9.9 or 9.8 books.  If blue label, the highest would be 7.0.

All I can say is that if I were one of the vendors who bought that drek before the con opened, I'd be asking for my money back. 

And then I would be using that money to get a lobotomy because I would clearly need it.  

[Bob Sacamano]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:17 PM, fastballspecial said:

Right now nobody is around the booth or at least at video time. Rumor is he sold them to dealers under the table. He is calling security on anyone coming near his booth with video. I saw two videos they were hilarious.

Nice place to be, having to call security on all potential customers.

[MGH]

On 8/13/2022 at 1:02 AM, CGC Mike said:

We feel it is important to provide transparency on how CGC arrived at our method of certifying Clayton Crain’s Ultimate Fallout comics with the attached acetate covers. For us, this was an unprecedented item to grade. After Mr. Crain spoke with us prior to C2E2, the rules we applied to his books:

 

• The additional cover had to be created by an established artist in the industry.
• The comic to which the cover was attached had to contain a cover by that same artist.
• A copy of the comic with the attached cover had to be submitted to us for inspection prior to certifying any copies.

 

Given the recent circumstances, we have made adjustments to the labeling originally used for the Ultimate Fallout exhibiting the acetate cover. Going forward, any copies submitted to CGC will display in the label text: "In God We Intrust" Acetate Artist Cover attached with 2 staples after manufacturing. The books will still be allowed to receive a Universal label.

 

This will also apply to Mr. Crain’s forthcoming copies of Ghost Rider #1 and Deadpool Nerdy 30 #1 that contain an acetate cover.  

 

 

 

[Buzzetta]

 please, someone link the video... 

[Dr. Balls]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:17 PM, fastballspecial said:

Right now nobody is around the booth or at least at video time. Rumor is he sold them to dealers under the table. He is calling security on anyone coming near his booth with video. I saw two videos they were hilarious.

I guess I have something to watch when I get home. 

How can you call security at a public event and prohibit being recorded? The internet giveth, the internet taketh away. Ahh the hilarity.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Dr. Balls

[Buzzetta]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:35 PM, Dr. Balls said:

I guess I have something to watch when I get home. 

How can you call security at a public event and prohibit being recorded? Ahh the hilarity.

Private venue.  Admission is paid and is conditional.