Lee K's Journal

A journal by Lee K

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YAY! Grades!!

I like White Ahh well - 102 "business days" later my books are graded and I am not just satisfied, but happy with my grades. Only two books - House of Mystery 133 (with a great octopus cover) - 9.0 White Tarzan 243 Western Penn (with a great shark cover) - 9.6 White While each is a single notch lower than I was hoping for, I mostly expected that the Tarzan was a 9.6 and not a 9.8...although I did anticipate that the House would be a 9.2 Now to wait for them to be verified and add th
Lee K

Lee K

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Why the registry?

2,123 registry users with point totals ranging from 2,265,493 points to 3 points, and I don't even begin to know how many registry sets... Given that I would have to multiply my current collection by 100 to find myself in second place in total registry points, and with my limited collecting focus it is unlikely that I will ever be in 1st place in any of my registered sets; why the registry? I possess a competitive nature and I want to be 1st - and I am a completionist (is that a word?) so I
Lee K

Lee K

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When I first decided on the go-go check collection...

I chose it for a number of reasons 1. It represents a very specific period in DC's history 2. It includes books of every price range. 3. It includes several first appearances or first Silver Age appearances. 4. The exterior checked decoration was combined with an entire marketing scheme, if you see a reader copy at con, open it and look for the Go, Go, Go! advertisements. 5. No Neal Adams, so I don't have to fight with Adams completionists in order to acquire minor books from the run -
Lee K

Lee K

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What's the deal with Stan Lee's signature?

I mean really? Below is a photo of Stan's sig on a modern I had done for my wife in 2010. What strikes me most is how clear and readable the signature is. While it is obviously the signature of a person who signs their name often, fluid & smooth, it isn't a nun identifiable black scrawl on my wife's book. It is rather crisp, and although I gave Stan free reign to sign anywhere on the book he wanted, he selected a location that doesn't hammer the artwork. Yesterday I posted about my so
Lee K

Lee K

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What? so quickly?

... No - not grades. Still. But my fast-track, SS, silver-age submission from ECCC already moved to verified. Maybe I will like fast-track...then again, maybe I'd rather have the $10. Like Bob & Doug McKenzie said, Ten bucks is ten bucks. Happy Hunting! Lee K
Lee K

Lee K

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What? It's top ten time again?

Blame Fleas - he started it. I needed to jump quickly or I would have missed the bandwagon. Ten slabbed books that would survive if I had to get rid of nearly everything....I don't know - all of them *SPOON* it! So - instead - how about ten books I would like to focus on in 2015. Ten books that I would like to add to my CGC sets in the coming year, if I am so lucky as to secure them in the desired grade. #10 - Because everything doesn't have to be about me - Nyoka the Jungle Girl #15 (Ch
Lee K

Lee K

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WHAT?

I'm confuzzled So my books were 'graded' and had information loaded and have been that way for 6 weeks as of today. When I check today, I see that all of my ECCC books have been received. But my books that were formally 'graded' are now listed as "Grading/Quality Control" What is that supposed to mean? Spoon. Really? I guess we'll see. Happy Hunting Lee To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
Lee K

Lee K

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What to do...

what to work on... Now that ECCC has come and passed and my competitive set request is up and amended, I've reached a bit of a lull in my comic-nerd-ness. All of my signature series books from ECCC are showing as 'received'...and there isn't going to be anything to do with them buy wait for the next couple months. Which is fine - it is what it is. And all of my books are uploaded into my DC Go-Go Check Set as well as photos & descriptions. And I believe it is beautiful, even if it i
Lee K

Lee K

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What Marvel does for me...

See - I don't only complain about turn around times... While I continue to be frustrated with how long CGC has held my books at 'graded' without shipping them, I was reminded last night by facebook conversation with Tnerb - that there are some books by Marvel that I do cherish and I do think that the writers at Marvel did/do better than anyone ever did at DC. The three big things that I have always felt made Marvel readable to me are: Martial Arts, Norse Gods, and Dr. Strange. I could care
Lee K

Lee K

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What is it...

About issue 1? It doesn't matter how well I pre-screen my books; and it doesn't matter how they compare to the other books I send in (even in the same submission)...whenever I submit a #1 my grade is hammered. This time I submitted four books (coupon) which I determined where all a strong 8.0 - although I thought, maybe, one of them was a little nicer than the others (it was graded highest). I got back a 7.0, a 7.5, an 8, and an 8.5 - and sure enough, the lowest grade was the book worth th
Lee K

Lee K

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What go-go checks?

Because. So more than once I've been asked, "why this set?" My decision making process was fairly easy, I love SA DC, but I'm unable to compete financially for key books from the early silver age, I just don't have that kind of money to spend on my second hobby. But, I wanted to have clear guidelines to keep myself from buying books all willy nilly and not having anything at the end of the period that I was proud of. I also didn't want my focus to be so narrow that I was unable to find an
Lee K

Lee K

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What else is there?

I mean, we all collect comics or we wouldn't be here, right? So, what else makes you smile like comics make you smile? Now, I don't mean your spouse or family - my wife makes me smile, I understand that. But, I have other guilty pleasures - I love looking at the movie poster auctions on Heritage. I haven't purchased any - as an artist myself, I have no wall space; but I might make wall space for the 'perfect specimin'. When I was young, I was sure that I wanted to collect Buffalo Nickles
Lee K

Lee K

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What a strange decision

... One of the reasons given for the dislike of the go-go check banner was that it "used up" valuable space on the cover with no measurable gain. A review of go-go check examples makes me question this explanation. As can be seen below, it was typical for paste ups and cover blurbs off all kinds to encroach into the go-go check area, even the masthead is sometimes overlayed in such a way as to obscure the checked pattern. Today I consider the go-go checks an excellent thematic element tha
Lee K

Lee K

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What a long strange trip it's been...

2012 has been an odd one So my collecting year hasn't passed as I intended in 2012. I have made a couple of good additions to the go-go check collection passing the 20% complete threshold, and I have continued to add and slab books in my Strange Adventures set - finally reaching 5th place on the registry, just ahead of the 420kid...but although 2nd through 4th are reasonably attainable, I doubt I will ever be 1st - at least not as I am going. Perhaps, some day. Money has been the big bugab
Lee K

Lee K

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What a great day!

yesterday & today combined to make a great week My books shipped confirming my grades. I finished paying for the Mike Grell splash page for DC Retroactive Green Lantern (with Denny O'Neil) My package showed up from Worldwide Comics (Tarzan 243 NM+, Strange Adventures 185 NM-, and Strange Adventures 192 NM-) showed up... AND my LCS got a 1/200 sketch copy of Justice League #1 which I picked up at a very reasonable price. Now I just have to by a 1/25 cover at a decent price on-line.
Lee K

Lee K

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Welcome new registry members

or: how I dropped 30 ranks in 30 days... I don't know - last month I was ranked 391 and trying to determine how many years it would take me to get in to the 200's - now I'm ranked 421 and wondering how many months it will take to get back in the 300's. Did we get a bunch of new registry members? if so, that's really cool - more people to share with. Or did everyone all of a sudden have a lot more money to spend on our hobby than me? which is kinda cool, but I wish I had some cash too... O
Lee K

Lee K

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Waiting again

Books are out to CGC and are verified... so now all I can do is wait. Plastic Man (1966) #1; Inferior 5 #1; and Teen Titans #2 are all sitting in line waiting their turn behind boxes and boxes of convention submissions and I'm sitting on my hands. I anticipate they will come back 9.0 OW/White; 9.2 white; and 9.0 OW - I hope I have gotten better at grading before I sent this batch in... L well - here's an interesting turn of events, my order status from CGC says graded, but they came in a
Lee K

Lee K

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Waiting

for my first submission to be graded... OK - so I am naturally impatient, particularly when I don't know the answers. I sent three packages in to be graded and I am eagerly waiting for my first set of grades. Right now I am showing one package Scheduled for Grading and the other two Verified...it's weird because I just grabbed some books, more or less at random, from the piles of stuff I have as 'I aught to get this graded some day' - so I sent some Marvel, some DC, some silver, some bronze,
Lee K

Lee K

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Veterans' Day

you, me... It has little to do with comic books - but thank you to all my fellow vets out there, for it is through your willingness to serve and my willingness to serve that all of us can enjoy our silly little hobby. Plus, without you and me - we wouldn't have such classics as Daredevil vs. Hitler; Superman 14; and oh so many covers from Action, Batman, Captain America, Young Allies, Marvel Mystery, Exciting Comics, The Nam, Weird War Tales, Our Army at War, Star Spangled War Stories, GI Co
Lee K

Lee K

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Verified...

hmm Business day 33, books secretly moved from received to verified. Annotations added to the submission grid in the pedigree column; and a double-cover noted. A detailed check that the title, publisher, and issue number match the submission information has occurred - but two books that were clearly submitted with dates taken from the indica have been marked ND, and a book that I found no month of issue on has had a month added to the year. Fascinating. Soon(ish) I may have the books I
Lee K

Lee K

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Verified

So... So I now have two separate invoiced marked as 'verified'...one a small group of moderns that were checked in on 7/5/2011 and the other 3 books on my member coupon that were checked in today... Which group will be graded first? Which group will be shipped first? This is almost as exciting as anticipating my grades... Lee K
Lee K

Lee K

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Verified

sort of... So...I sent in two issues of JSA, two issues of Justice League of America, one issue of JLA, and one issue of All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder. I have verified two issues of Justice Society of America, three issues of Justice League of America, and an issue of Batman & Robin. Will quality control catch this and correct it before everything is graded and shipped? or should I contact CGC? Anyone else have this issue before? Lee   And the response from CGC is:
Lee K

Lee K

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Value invoice

Yep, my grades finally came in... Fifteen books. Three go-go checks One Strange Adventures One Weird War Stories Ten shark covers for my buddy's Christmas, some of those being books I bought for him. And some being books Ronnylama bought for him... The go-go checks are ok, An 8.5, a 9.2, and a 9.4 - they'll be added to my sets eventually. Right now they are all being rejected as not available for their slots. I do have to say I'm a disappointed with the 8.5, I must have really miss
Lee K

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two zero one three...

Mayans, Horses, Mike Grell, and me... If the end of the world does not come to pass as the week comes to a close, then I shall enjoy my Friday and weekend at the quiet retreat that is Mike's house, and ranch. Weather permitting, I may even go for a ride upon one of the many fine horses - of course if the world does come to an end, I intend to be there for the ample food (elk, yum!), spring water, and friends backing up to the Olympic National Forest...and the horses will get ridden as part of
Lee K

Lee K

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Two years later

Ever feel like your story wasn't all wrapped up? July 1961, August 1963. So when you feel like you have some more story to tell, and the book your stories see print in is episodic in nature, you get to wrap up your loose ends. Although these two frog-people look totally different, they are meant to be the same race of undersea dwellers, bent on a disagreement with the air breathers of the surface world. What do I love? The same pink sky tying it together on the cover, and the same pro
Lee K

Lee K

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