Scoop Pressing Follow-up

[drice6900]

Wow, Stu, how do you really feel?

 

"Stu Cathell

Plainfield, CT

You know, I've been reading your "Making the Grade" articles in the weekly Scoop, and one question comes to mind: could you guys be more biased???

 

Who decided who should be asked these questions? You've stacked the deck sooo bad! You're asking people who press books to get a 0.2 bump to make thousands of dollars extra if pressing is restoration? Who are you kidding!!!

 

You're asking Tom Brulato is he thinks pressing is restoration? Of course he doesn't, he's been pressing his comics for years, not disclosing it, and making tons of money off the upgrades!!! (Why did you call him a "collector"? You know he's a big-time dealer). Why don't you ask him real questions, like what his involvement in the Ewert trimming scandal was???

 

Same goes for Steve Lauterbach (his company name Investment Collectibles isn't too obvious, is it?), Doug Schmell, who has admitted on the CGC Board to pressing a bunch of comics and was disbarred as a lawyer for unethical conduct (fact), Tracy Heft (no comments needed here, he's a Restorer!), Matt Nelson, who is the King of Pressing Comics and will not disclose it, AND he himself sells the comics he works on!!! (spectre52), Lon Allen from Heritage (via Matt Nelson) - anyone from Heritage is going to say pressing is not restoration, Steve Mortensen, the Monthly Subscription to 9.8 comics king, etc, etc.

 

Did you choose to ask these people, or did they volunteer the info? Because if you're choosing, then I'd definitely say the rumor that Overstreet is catering to CGC and the Pressing/PCS crowd is no rumor. Nevermind the entire fiasco with this year's [edition of] The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and the changing of Restoration terms.

 

Please, we have had enough CGC bullspit. We need a company that looks out for the collector. We have CGC to look out for the Speculators, can we have Overstreet stick up for the true collectors? If you really want to know the opinion of true collectors, check out the Ebay Comics Board (both of them) and the CGC Board, where people are finally waking up.

 

Are you guys doing any articles on the Great Pressing Experiment that Matt Nelson cooked up to deflect attention away from his unethical selling of comics?

 

"Pressing is not restoration because nothing is added" is the biggest cop-out I've ever heard. These people are intentionally manipulating books with machinery and heat/moisture and they say it's not restoration?? C'mon, don't insult the comic book industry!

 

 

Editor's note: As we have clearly documented publicly, we have sent our questions to all Scoop readers, our Overstreet Advisors, and to comics retailers served by Diamond Comic Distributors, inviting everyone to respond. We have run every response we have received that dealt with the topics at hand, thus far excluding precisely one off-topic reply."

 

Scoop's Making the Grade Responses

[rob_react]

For anyone that doesn't know Stu Cathell has been banned here several times- read_em slab_em , etc.

[sterlingcomics]

For anyone that doesn't know Stu Cathell has been banned here several times- read_em slab_em , etc.

 

It looks like his new moniker should be f**k_em

[esquirecomics]

I don't know the guy in the slightest, but no surprise to many that I agree with some of this comments regarding those who submitted their "views" to Scoop. I'm not sure what his beef is with Heft as he took the position that pressing is restoration.

 

I commend Scoop for publishing his response.

[rob_react]

I don't know the guy in the slightest,

 

you never ran into read_em/slab_em/etc. on the forums?

[rob_react]

I'm not sure what his beef is with Heft as he took the position that pressing is restoration.

 

He's a hater.

 

He hates you because you buy nice comics and make money off of them. You're a dirty speculator.

 

Why he hates Heft is anyone's guess. There's no explaining some people.

[Aman619]

For anyone that doesn't know Stu Cathell has been banned here several times- read_em slab_em , etc.

 

It looks like his new moniker should be f**k_em

 

post of the day!

[tth2]

I'm not sure what his beef is with Heft as he took the position that pressing is restoration.

 

He's a hater.

 

He hates you because you buy nice comics and make money off of them. You're a dirty speculator.

 

Why he hates Heft is anyone's guess. There's no explaining some people.

Well, in this case I agree with what he said, particularly about the stacked deck of people that Scoop had quoted so far. I have to say kudos to Scoop for publishing the letter, though, I would have given odds that they would not.

[rob_react]

I'm not sure what his beef is with Heft as he took the position that pressing is restoration.

 

He's a hater.

 

He hates you because you buy nice comics and make money off of them. You're a dirty speculator.

 

Why he hates Heft is anyone's guess. There's no explaining some people.

Well, in this case I agree with what he said, particularly about the stacked deck of people that Scoop had quoted so far. I have to say kudos to Scoop for publishing the letter, though, I would have given odds that they would not.

 

Yeah, kudos to Scoop for publishing his letter.

 

BUT...

 

Right or wrong about this topic... He's still a hater.

[Aces]

For anyone that doesn't know Stu Cathell has been banned here several times- read_em slab_em , etc.

 

It looks like his new moniker should be f**k_em

 

[tth2]

Right or wrong about this topic... He's still a hater.

No disagreement there.

[esquirecomics]

I don't know the guy in the slightest,

 

you never ran into read_em/slab_em/etc. on the forums?

 

I might have Rob. I honestly don't remember.

 

But if he hates me I guess its for the better.

[Scheradon]

Wow! Kudos to Scoop for publishing his response and Kudos for him not holding back with it! I tend to agree with everything he said here. I think his comment in regards to Tracey Heft was less about what Tracey's response in the article was and more of a reference to who he felt was asked to participate.

 

 

[rob_react]

I don't know the guy in the slightest,

 

you never ran into read_em/slab_em/etc. on the forums?

 

I might have Rob. I honestly don't remember.

 

Whether you remember or not you've DEFINITELY take part in discussions with him since anything negative to CGC would put you two guys in the same threads on similar sides ("similar" in that you want CGC to change their policies and Stu wants CGC burned to the ground.) He's been here under about ten different IDs as well, so if you don't remember either of those, one of his other IDs might ring a bell.

[Flaming_Telepath]

For anyone that doesn't know Stu Cathell has been banned here several times- read_em slab_em , etc.

 

And that renders his comments invalid?

 

Stu might have a deep aversion to all things CGC, and since inception has treated it with suspicion (and obviously he was soooooooooo wide of the mark with that, eh?), but Stu also has a deep love for the books themselves...the stories, the art, the history and development of them...and knows more about them than 80% of the folk here.

 

Please don't pigeon-hole a true fan of the art-form as a 'hater' simply because they have never joined the 'Cheerleaders for CGC' club.

 

And besides, without certain folk questioning the party line as determined by Sarasota, we'd all still be buying our micro-trimmed, PCS-pressed, 'everything-in-a-blue-label', 'was-a-4.0-and-now-it's-a-9.2' from Halperin's chums at Heritage.

 

We need disenting voices, no matter how shrill they might occasionally become.

[rob_react]

For anyone that doesn't know Stu Cathell has been banned here several times- read_em slab_em , etc.

 

And that renders his comments invalid?

 

Me pointing out who Stu is is just filling out the story. Giving people the full picture.

 

Stu might have a deep aversion to all things CGC, and since inception has treated it with suspicion (and obviously he was soooooooooo wide of the mark with that, eh?), but Stu also has a deep love for the books themselves...the stories, the art, the history and development of them...and knows more about them than 80% of the folk here.

 

Please don't pigeon-hole a true fan of the art-form as a 'hater' simply because they have never joined the 'Cheerleaders for CGC' club.

 

No, he's a hater, because he's a hater.

 

How much have you actually dealt with him? It's not just CGC. Do you buy books higher grade than FR or GD? You're a dirty speculator. Buy price variants? You're an [embarrassing lack of self control]. Stu hates anything and anyone in the hobby that isn't exactly like him and his tastes. And he does so personally- ask Darth or Flying Donut or any number of other people who have been on the other side of his venom. That's why he's a hater.

[Flaming_Telepath]

How much have you actually dealt with him? It's not just CGC. Do you buy books higher grade than FR or GD? You're a dirty speculator. Buy price variants? You're an [embarrassing lack of self control]. Stu hates anything and anyone in the hobby that isn't exactly like him and his tastes. And he does so personally- ask Darth or Flying Donut or any number of other people who have been on the other side of his venom. That's why he's a hater.

 

We'll have to beg to differ....

 

I've known Stu for about 5 years. Never met, but have communicated and talked comics, music, all manner of things....

 

But my own books are all in the VF/NM to NM+ range, and a good percentage of them are in plastic.

 

But he and I have always got along and understood each other, so I'll have to at least deny your assertion that 'Stu hates anything and anyone in the hobby that isn't exactly like him and his tastes'.

 

Maybe there's more to his 'hating' than you're prepared to acknowledge?

[rob_react]

How much have you actually dealt with him? It's not just CGC. Do you buy books higher grade than FR or GD? You're a dirty speculator. Buy price variants? You're an [embarrassing lack of self control]. Stu hates anything and anyone in the hobby that isn't exactly like him and his tastes. And he does so personally- ask Darth or Flying Donut or any number of other people who have been on the other side of his venom. That's why he's a hater.

 

We'll have to beg to differ....

 

I've known Stu for about 5 years. Never met, but have communicated and talked comics, music, all manner of things....

 

But my own books are all in the VF/NM to NM+ range, and a good percentage of them are in plastic.

 

But he and I have always got along and understood each other, so I'll have to at least deny your assertion that 'Stu hates anything and anyone in the hobby that isn't exactly like him and his tastes'.

 

Maybe there's more to his 'hating' than you're prepared to acknowledge?

 

We've certainly had different experience with the guy then.

 

I don't even know what that last sentence means, by the way. I've never really had any run-ins with him personally to color my opinions of the guy, if that's what you're insinuating. He's never gone after me, as far as I can remember (really the only people that've ever gone flame war on me are JC and KK/DESTRO.) I have watched him tear into some of my favorite people in the hobby with absolute venom, for doing nothing more than collecting what they want to collect (he's literally the inspiration for "What I collect is cool, what you collect is stupid") - which is what I base my opinions of the guy on. That and his writing of course. If you've had personal interactions that were different than that and he's actually a lot more open-minded then he puts on in public- cool. That doesn't change his public persona, however.

[rob_react]

I just realized what you meant. I forgot that for many here there was only one topic (where you stand in regards to CGC's business practices) that could color people's opinions.

 

No, I haven't judged Stu based solely on his "side" in the grand debate here as I don't really take part in that never-ending war (although the venom and personal attacks he brings to that debate don't exactly speak well for him in my eyes), so whether or not there's "more" to his hatred of CGC isn't the deciding factor in my opinions of the guy (as proof of that I liked MajorKhaos and he was almost Stu's equal in terms of his unbridled animosity towards CGC).

 

Now if you're asking if there's "more than I want to let on" about Darth being an evil, speculating person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point who deserves years and years of insults, obsession, e-stalking and all-around hostility just because he collects price variants and sold some high grade graded moderns, then the the answer is a big, fat "no."

 

The same goes for Flying-Donut and any of the other people Stu has chosen to let his venom fly at just because of a difference of opinion in terms of what's a "worthy" collectible.

[awe4one]

No, I haven't judged Stu based solely on his "side" in the grand debate here as I don't really take part in that never-ending war (although the venom and personal attacks he brings to that debate don't exactly speak well for him in my eyes), so whether or not there's "more" to his hatred of CGC isn't the deciding factor in my opinions of the guy (as proof of that I liked MajorKhaos and he was almost Stu's equal in terms of his unbridled animosity towards CGC).

 

Now if you're asking if there's "more than I want to let on" about Darth being an evil, speculating person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point who deserves years and years of insults, obsession, e-stalking and all-around hostility just because he collects price variants and sold some high grade graded moderns, then the the answer is a big, fat "no."

 

The same goes for Flying-Donut and any of the other people Stu has chosen to let his venom fly at just because of a difference of opinion in terms of what's a "worthy" collectible.

 

Then what are you trying to say in regards to his Scoop article? He didn't attack any of those people in his response?

 

I thought his points in the Scoop article were dead on target...

 

Jim