Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Aug 16, 2017 2:03:09 GMT -5
A switch to totally digital would be the final nail in the coffin for comics. I know there are a lot of people who only read digitally, but there aren't enough to sustain the industry for long. I think the majority who have been collecting hard copies all along would finally decide the hobby was finished for them. I feel like I would, and I might concentrate on back issues for awhile, but eventually, I'd probably lose enthusiasm over that, too.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Aug 13, 2017 15:32:00 GMT -5
masterofquackfu , the modern Guardians were formed in the Annihilation: conquest event from 2007. Initially, there were pretty much the dirty dozen in space, assembled by the Kree to infiltrate their capital after it had been conquered by a race of robots bent on universal domination (sort of like the Badoon with the original Guardians). There was no connection with the team from the 3000s. The new team started with Star-Lord, who had known a certain success as a supporting character in the first Annihilation event (and had been a minor hero unconnected to the Marvel universe in the '70s). Joining him were a few other B-list characters, mostly unused for many years: Bug and Captain Universe from the Micronauts, Mantis from the Avengers and Silver Surfer, Rocket racoon from Hulk, Groot from the old Atlas monster comics and Deathcry from... from... heck, she's so obscure that I don't even know. She was one of the first casualties anyway. The survivors from that group, at the end of the miniseries, decided to band together (along with better-known but no longer A-list figures like Warlock, Drax, Gamora, Moondragon and Phylla-Vel, daughter of Captain Marvel) to pro-actively protect the galaxy. They gained their own comic, in which the roster changed regularly; characters left or died, others came in, and during that period a time-travel episode allowed the new Guardians to meet the original, who come from an alternate future. One of the original Guardians, Vance Astro, even joined the new team. Said new team is much closer to the concept of "the Avengers in space" than the original one, so I'm not surprised Marvel went for it when the idea for a Guardians of the galaxy movie surfaced. What's more, the new team is much more in tune with what today's audience expect of such an ensemble cast: the roguish scoundrel, the bad-ass lady, the kind-hearted monster, the feisty little guy, the easily-triggered powerhouse... not original, but easy to sell. The new team also had Cosmo the telepathic dog as their leader, and used Knowhere as their base. The Abnett & Lanning series was really entertaining, from Annihilation all the way through Thanos Imperative.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Aug 12, 2017 23:35:48 GMT -5
I really need ASM 9 & 17 and I have money for the right books. Would love a lower grade FF 1 too.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Aug 12, 2017 23:29:15 GMT -5
I misplaced my phone and haven't gotten around to replacing it, so I'm unable to take pictures of any of these, but I've been busy over the last month or so. Since nobody in my real life gives a damn about comics, I figure I can at least share my purchases with people who might even care. Once again, sorry there are no pictures. I have recently purchased: Fantastic Four 2, 5, 10, 14, 15, 65, & 66 Need about 10 more to finish Hulk 180 & 181 Need 1-6 & 182 Amazing Spider-Man 8 & 18 Need 9, 17, & Annual 1 Flash 123 Still need a bunch of Flash Justice League Of America 2 Need 1, 4, 5, 9, 10 And I also got my ASM 1 back from restoration, signed by Stan Lee, and then CGC'd (it came back at 5.5, but it was really rough).
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Jun 30, 2017 16:20:30 GMT -5
I've only recently begun reading classic Avengers (am up to #126). At this point, the only recurring villain I just don't get (I wouldn't even say he annoys me) is The Grim Reaper. He just doesn't seem worth the attention. Not that it'll make you like the character any better, but Grim Reaper next appears in Avengers 160, "The Trial", which is one of the best single-issue Avengers stories ever. It also puts a spotlight on Wonder Man that might change your perception of him. I'd like to know what you think after you read it.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Jun 23, 2017 23:14:10 GMT -5
I read all fifteen issues of the 1970s Freedom Fighters series recently, but I don't think it counts as binge reading. I read one a night (occasionally slipping one in during the day). I'm planning on doing the same thing with Kamandi soon, but I'll probably be reading two or three issues at a time before going to bed. And when I'm done with that ... Detective Comics from #393 to present day! Have you been waiting until you have all the issues to start Detective Comics, or are you just reading them again?
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Apr 25, 2017 11:32:14 GMT -5
The recent .1, .2, &.3 editions of Avengers, which took place between issues 16 & 17, had old letter columns in them. I enjoyed reading the reactions of the readers back then. Even then,there were old timers predicting the end since all the Avengers left and were replaced by villains. Comic readers haven't really changed at all.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Apr 25, 2017 11:21:59 GMT -5
My lcs always pulls most of the free comics for me to pick up whenever. They'll have good sales on back issues, but I've been through all the boxes thoroughly, so I don't know if I'll go. Guess I'll see how I feel that morning.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Apr 25, 2017 10:55:24 GMT -5
As soon as I get #405, I'm going to take a break for a while. I want to save about $300 for a low-grade (but not TOO low-grade!) copy of Detective Comics #359, with the first appearance of Barbara Gordon. Hey I got a question for alla youse, using Hoosier as my guinea pig. If, like Hoosier, you collect A title of someone who has multiple published (Spidey, Bats, Supey etc) do you also add to your run any books a story may be continued in? As an example, Hoosier, you have Detective 400 - 965(give or take...too lazy to make it exact), would part of your 'tec run include all of the Knightfall books published in other titles? Do our Amazing Spider-Man collector's include Spectacular issues that are part of extended stories? The next question is would you have multiples of crossovers so they could be filed with respective runs? So a Knightfall set with your 'tec books and one with your Batman run. That way if you were reading through Batman you wouldn't have to pull out your Detective boxes as well. This makes bloody good sense to me. Surely some of you are that anal...right I've got the entire Starblast crossover with FF, Quasar, & Secret Defenders filed together for when I ever read it. Only had the books for a couple of years now. All my Superman main titles from the Man Of Steel relaunch until the New 52 are lined up to be read in order. The years with the diamond logo are simple to line up, but the years before and after are a pain to figure out without a reading order. I won't do that again, and may separate them after I've read them all.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Nov 28, 2016 11:12:13 GMT -5
Looking back, I haven't spent over $100 for a back-issue Spidey this year or for quite some time actually. They have increased in price quite substantially (and painfully if you're a buyer) compared to when I was building my run 5-10 years ago. Last one I got for under $100...which I considered a 'right-place, right time' deal as this is a high grade copy. I bought this as an extra just because the auction price was quite low with only seconds to go... ASM is still going up pretty consistently. 1-10 are becoming unaffordable for everyday folks in higher grades. I already collected a complete run of ASM from 2010-2013, and I was able to find good books at discount prices mostly. But I made a huge miscalculation anticipating how long I would be waiting for a large sum of money that I was counting on, and I sold everything from 2-90 except for#9, along with most of my keys in other titles. The only title I didn't butcher was Avengers, because I needed something to show for all the money and work I had spent on the collection. I've been able to replace the majority of what I sold by waiting for the right deal to appear in all the titles (except ASM and Incredible Hulk 180-182). I still need 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22 & 23. Just to buy a FN copy of the cheapest of those is at least $100 now, and steadily increasing. If something happens and I have to sell them again, I'll just hang it up altogether.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Nov 22, 2016 14:43:20 GMT -5
I'm one of the collectors that don't mind spending big money on a comic. For the most part, I don't have other expensive interests, and I came into the hobby this time with the ability to compile a truly nice collection with full runs of multiple titles. So far, the most I've spent on a single book is $2K for a low grade ASM#1. I made the decision to go that route and have Hero Restoration restore it, as opposed to buying a mid to high grade copy for $5-20K. I'll have $3500 in it when I finally get it back, and it will look better than any unrestored copy I could buy for that price. I have no plans on selling it, and I'll get satisfaction just seeing it in my collection. I'll attempt to do something similar for AF15, FF1, & JIM83. I'll pay the cost of a cheap car for each of them, but not the cost of a house. I already have put together a pretty nice collection, but I still have many thousands of dollars left to spend on it. Don't guess it will ever be "done". Pat, do you have any before and after pics of your books? I wonder what Mike uses for tape removal? I seriously would not mind a bottle of it. I still haven't gotten the ASM back. It had a variety of time-consuming repairs. There was a piece of hard tape from the old time labeling guns on the inside cover that had been there forever, but was firmly bonded. Then he had to leaf-cast areas on the cover that had chipping. The cover was cleaned and he is in the process now of fixing art damages and coloring on the cover (inside & out). My book had the added bonus of one interior panel of Spidey being cut out, which he will be able to fix to be undetectable, but stretch out the time. I took pictures of it and my Avengers 1 before I sent them, but they aren't on this computer. The Avengers 1 wasn't as extensive as ASM, and I was really happy with it. Personally, I prefer raw books to slabbed, so I didn't get it graded. Mike and I both agree that it would grade at least 6.0 now, and it was probably 2.0 or lower to start. It look better than any copy I've seen personally.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Nov 20, 2016 1:15:48 GMT -5
I'm one of the collectors that don't mind spending big money on a comic. For the most part, I don't have other expensive interests, and I came into the hobby this time with the ability to compile a truly nice collection with full runs of multiple titles. So far, the most I've spent on a single book is $2K for a low grade ASM#1. I made the decision to go that route and have Hero Restoration restore it, as opposed to buying a mid to high grade copy for $5-20K. I'll have $3500 in it when I finally get it back, and it will look better than any unrestored copy I could buy for that price. I have no plans on selling it, and I'll get satisfaction just seeing it in my collection. I'll attempt to do something similar for AF15, FF1, & JIM83. I'll pay the cost of a cheap car for each of them, but not the cost of a house. I already have put together a pretty nice collection, but I still have many thousands of dollars left to spend on it. Don't guess it will ever be "done".
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Nov 9, 2016 1:29:06 GMT -5
I had only graded 2 books in NM condition and there was no doubt about the condition, 1 book they even downgraded to a VF- which was absolutely ridiculous! Others I graded in VF were actually closer to NM but were downgraded to F/F+ & had just a few VG comics that they downgraded to a G+. I have collected comics for decades and grade conservatively, even the tiniest flaw I will knock down the grade accordingly. I take blame for not investigating Lone Star practices before dealing with them. After the fact I have come across so many people online with similar complaints & the complaints far outweigh the good experiences. I have had no experience with purchasing back issues from them but have heard they are not so picky about condition of comics when they are selling to customers! Like I said, if they grade it VF-, they sell it at VF-. They aren't perfect, and do make mistakes, but all you have to do is pick up the phone if you really disagree with a grade. And remember that you're not 100% consistent in your grading, even if that's what you strive for. Books also get damaged sometimes in transit. Or they could have legitimately fucked up. You never know until you actually discuss it with them. Others on this site have bought and sold to Lone Star, and I think you'll find that they have been mostly happy with the results. That's the feedback I usually hear about them, so it surprises me that you've found a whole group of dissatisfied customers. You might be the first person I've seen that had a real gripe with them and accused them of being thieves.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Nov 8, 2016 2:18:35 GMT -5
I sold a small comic book collection last year to Lone Star/MyComicShop.com. It is a fairly easy system to use, you register on their site, list your comics and they have a set price based on the condition. After listing your comics they send you an email accepting your offer, you then mail the comics to them. Sounds simple, right? After they received my comics they then regrade them and send you a counter offer & the sad part is that they always downgrade your comics so that they do not have to pay you the originally agreed upon amount. In my case I had strictly graded NM/VF comics (& I grade like a pro)...so sad that they knocked down almost every comic book to a lower grade. This was my one & ONLY time doing business with them. On a positive note, if you do not agree with their offer you can ask them to send back any or all of your comics. I've done over 100 sales with mycomicshop.com, and for the most part I've been happy with the results. I have learned that it's best to be conservative with your grading, because they do grade pretty tough. Best not to grade any book NM, or you'll probably be disappointed. But they do grade some books NM, and also upgrade the books you send quite frequently. Whatever they grade a comic is also how they list it, so it doesn't really benefit them to downgrade your books. There is also an option for the better books in a collection to either put them in their monthly auction or set the price as a consignment. It takes a little time to enter your books into the database, and they will only want some of them, but you would probably get a pretty big initial order and several more in a quick span of time. After all the hot books are gone, you can check periodically to see if enough issues have built up again for another sale, and eventually they will mostly be gone. You'll make closer to what you wanted than what you were offered. Also, the offers fluctuate depending on demand, so if they only offer .15 for a common comic one day, that doesn't mean you have to sell it for that. If you wait, chances are good that it will go up a good bit. PM me if you want to know any details or have questions. It's a pretty good thing, though. I always have an order working with my extra books that I send for store credit, and have been happy with most of my deals.
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Pat T
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Post by Pat T on Sept 2, 2016 0:27:55 GMT -5
Nobody knows the diversity of the universe like Silver Age Superman. For years he went on regular patrols throughout the galaxies to help civilizations and occasionally test them with cruel stunts. It seemed every alien race knew about Superman. He had access to The Green Lantern Corps and The Guardians Of Oa. He had access to Hawkman's Absorbascon. He had access to The Legion Of Super-Heroes database. In a nutshell, Superman knew the universe quite well One of the great story elements of Silver Age Supes was The Bottle City Of Kandor. Rescued from Brainiac, Superman kept it in his Fortress of Solitude like an ant farm. He'd pretend concern about their predicament and vowed to come up with a way to enlarge them and release them into the world. Actually, he would have sent them to an orphanage like he did his cousin . Superman would moan and moan about tiny Kandor as they fed his ego, looking up to him like a god (they looked up to everyone, Krypto too) For over 20 years, Superman kept telling the Kandorians to be patient So-Can someone tell me why Superman couldn't just find a nice planet for the tiny Kandorians and take them out of the bottle? How humiliating being bottled. Ask Barbara Eden, she didn't like it. Superman must have known thousands of planets that would be comfy for the Kandorians no matter their size. Size don't matter in the universe, it's how you use it. Size is all relative. He could have picked a planet with a yellow sun and they;d have superpowers too. Or maybe, that's why Supes didn't do it. Just maybe, that is the reason Anyway, he could have released them and come back later and made them bigger when he figured out how to do so. Either that or he'd have to find a rather large orphanage. Or kill them because they knew his identity Actually, If he found them a planet all to themselves, would it even matter that they were shrunken? As long as they were out of the bottle and their entire species was that size, I don't see why Supes would ever have to worry about making them normal.
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