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Post by brutalis on Jun 11, 2020 16:46:17 GMT -5
I'm not sure why they would post that photo. If I were a buyer I'd think, why do I have pay so much when it's obviously not very rare. Plus, if you've got 15 copies - you need me as a buyer more than I need you ad a seller, so you'd better cut a deal! I dunno. Just, why undercut yourself by showing your hand? And isn't it so nice to see classic collector item unprotected comics outside of a bag and board being sold for how expensive? If they were protected & taken out for making the picture do they get graded lower for all the handling & wear & tear on them?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2020 22:27:51 GMT -5
I'm not sure why they would post that photo. If I were a buyer I'd think, why do I have pay so much when it's obviously not very rare. Plus, if you've got 15 copies - you need me as a buyer more than I need you ad a seller, so you'd better cut a deal! I dunno. Just, why undercut yourself by showing your hand? They market themselves as the "go to" place for back issues, i.e. if it's a key or a Silver Age book and you're looking for it, we probably have it. And they do have an extensive inventory. I have spoken to the owner on a few occasions. In 2016 he was still selling back issues of the Claremont-Byrne run from his initial orders of them when they were released, and he has sold thousands of issues from that run over the years (he's been in business as a comic shop since 1974 I believe). They have cut back on their ordering of new books in the last decade as the market has thinned and back issues have been in lesser demand, but through the 70s, 80s and 90s, he used to order perennially in demand titles in massive quantities to have a supply of them on hand for years. And he is always buying collections of stuff from the 80s or earlier. To the point, he usually closes on Sundays, but the days of the Jim and Dan quarterly shows I attend, which are held about 5-10 minutes from his shop, he opens up and advertises at the show with a flyer, if you didn't find what you were looking for at the show, stop by the shop. I probably have it in stock, and there are a number of regulars who hit his shop after the show every time it runs, and they usually find stuff they were looking for at prices comparable to what dealers at the show had. He is also a champion of the idea of comics value not being tied to scarcity/rarity but being entirely determined by demand, and keeps pointing out that Marvel keys are not scarce, they can be had and had fairly easily if you have the time and money, and that there value is based on their being in demand not in short supply. It is the pricing theory they used when putting together their pulp price guide as well, which has become a standard in the pulp market. Since he keeps showing his supply and people keep buying the books at market value (minus his in store incentive discounts for back issues), and the demand for them is steady enough to maintain the prices, he may have some proof in the pudding too. He was also a long time Overstreet advisor and contributor, but I don't believe he is any more. He generally prices things to move, at or slightly below market value, but with those aforementioned in-store discounts, and succeeds in moving a lot of books, a lot of them key, and a lot of them at very good prices. He also isn't afraid to lower his prices if something isn't moving to clear it out and make room for stuff that is selling at value. His sister store across the street has over 10,000 $1 comics with new stock hitting every month. (They also sprinkle in some surprise treasures in those boxes each month I found a mid-grade Avengers Annual 10 in there one time and there is usually reading grade silver books from all publishers scattered in the restocks-though the treasures usually don't last long as people regularly show up on restock days to mine the boxes looking for stuff). So I get your question, but he knows his market and customer base, has developed his own philosophy of comic retailing and what sets market price, and has successfully implemented those for over 45 years, so I am not going to gainsay him. Now I wouldn't want to hang out and drink a beer with him, as he can be bit brusque and opinionated at times, but I respect what he does in this market. I don't often buy stuff form him, as I am not a key collector and more of a bargain hunter, but when I am looking for something specific I can usually find it there (just not always at the price I want) and I usually hit the store 2-3 times a year and pretty much always find something (especially from the bargain bins). And hey, his gaming store (the one that houses the discount comics too) did have me do a signing when I was freelancing for the rpg industry, so I do have some fondness for his stores. -M
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Post by Prince Hal on Jun 26, 2020 10:13:54 GMT -5
I'm sure many here will be aware of this, but I just found out that Neal Adams' epic cover for the Superman-Muhammad Ali tabloid was actually designed and drawn by Joe Kubert. His take was given the thumbs-down by Ali's representatives, who either didn't like his depiction of Ali or thought the look was too dark, or perhaps both. Adams loved the design and used it. (The celebrity-studded crowd was not part of the Kubert portrayal.) Below is the best image I could find of Kubert's cover illustration. Seeing this confirms my opinion that the celebrities took away from the impact of the cover, turning it into an "event" rather than a fight to save the planet.
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Post by beccabear67 on Jul 1, 2020 17:23:04 GMT -5
I think I like both of them, would like to see the Kubert one much larger (also just to make sure Soupy Sales wasn't snuck in). Looking at this photo of a newsstand circa the very late 1940s, I'm struck but how few super-powered characters there are... I can only definitely see Superboy, Adventure, Wonder Woman, Sensation and World's Finest (and in case they still had super characters and hadn't turned crime, war or western yet) Police, Star Spangled and some kind of All Star... Daredevil would have featured The Little Wise Guys at this time. Oops, i see Super Duck now... Marvel's Wonder Duck wasn't super in any way I don't think.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2020 12:59:24 GMT -5
It never came to fruition, but there was a JLA musical in the planning stages in the early 1970s aimed at college audiences... here's the text for those who can't make it out in the document... Michael Uslan was involved in this and this is his recollection of the events... full story at Bleeding Cool-M
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2020 17:48:03 GMT -5
Joe Jusko and his wife examine the original art for the very first Prince Valiant page... look at the size of that artboard! -M
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2020 19:47:19 GMT -5
Here's the story of how the founding members of R.E.M. met when Peter Buck was working at a comic shop... recounted by Joe Pruett of Aftershock Comics... Apparently Kate Pierson of the B-52s worked there at some point as well. full story posted at Bleeding Cool-M
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 18, 2020 5:11:04 GMT -5
I always liked this page I always routed for Debbie Whitman
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 18, 2020 11:30:24 GMT -5
I always liked this page I always routed for Debbie Whitman Nice. This could be a page from an Archie comic.
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Post by beccabear67 on Jul 18, 2020 13:41:42 GMT -5
Cissy Ironwood? Any relation to Cat Yronwode I wonder? That's how her name's pronounced.
I'd only have room for Betty Brant and Mary Jane Watson in my Spider-verse, Gwen is an unnecessary later replacement to me, it's like replacing Lois Lane with anyone.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 18, 2020 15:16:07 GMT -5
Gwen Stacey was THE ONE for Peter. And Norman...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2020 23:47:49 GMT -5
Hmm, just found out there was an unofficial cross-over between the New Teen Titans and the DNAgents in NTT 48 and DNagents 14. and the Titans analogue in DNAgents was called Project Youngblood. Artist Will Meuginot posted this when asked about it... It seems to be a well known thing, but I was unaware of it until this evening. -M
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Post by rberman on Jul 22, 2020 0:23:36 GMT -5
Here is a fascinating discussion among four high-end comic book original art collectors concerning pieces that they have, pieces that they used to have, and pieces that no longer exist to be had.
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Post by rberman on Jul 23, 2020 7:10:08 GMT -5
Here's a video detailing the process of shooting comic book art to negatives, making color guides into color separated overlays, and printing those overlays "in registration" onto two large sheets of paper which were then folded into a 32 page comic book.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2020 15:16:57 GMT -5
shaxper and others here have commented in the past on the influence of the woodcuts of Gustave Dore on the history of comics, but did anyone know there was a comic collecting those woodcuts? I just discovered this yesterday in the weekly auction preview on that FB group I have mentioned a few times run by the organizer of Gem City Comic Con. I then found a listing for it on Lonestar, but it's out of stock. I'm just surprised this "comic" exists. Tome, a division of Caliber, did a lot of non-comics in comic form in that era though, featuring a lot of text and illustration books that weren't comics on a variety of topics. The only one I actually own is there True Spy Stories one-shot... -M
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