In the Dark

A journal by Tnerb

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About this journal

Oblivious to anything new

Entries in this journal

Book Sixteen-Day Sixteen

Daredevil #5 If issue seven was the first Daredevil issue I craved after issue one, then issue five was third in that list. I still hope to attain a higher grade for both issues one and seven but, issue five is the latest book I hope to upgrade...again. My first copy was somewhere between a fair and a good. The copy I currently own is very good, but I would love to match my second and third issues of this series. I hope to find a near mint copy, somewhere along the lines of a 9.4 or even a 9
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Book Fifteen-Day Fifteen

On a Pale Horse #1 I hated reading. Comic books were different, I never considered them actual reading. I did read the occasional novel but I didn't thoroughly enjoy them like I do now. Books like "The Stand", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and "The Invisible Man" we're some very enjoyable books, but it was "On a Pale Horse" by Piers Anthony that I read over and over again. Innovation was a small publisher that fought for their market share against Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. They purchase
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Book Fourteen-Day Fourteen

Marvel Graphic Novel #4 At one point this book was extremely difficult to get ones hands on. When there were only six 9.8 copies available I started my search. I wrote about being "Wallaced" on two different occasions. I went to work on a day no one should have braved the elements when I purchased my first copy, a signed copy. I never thought it was possible, I now owned a beautiful specimen of the first appearance of my favorite team. The second copy I purchased was a raw universal 9.8 copy
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Book thirteen-Day thirteen

Avengers #98 After seeing RonnyLama's post I wanted to show off the best Avengers comic book I own. I purchased this raw from Greg Reece at the New York Special Edition. The price was too good to pass up, and the condition looked like the best 9.4 I ever saw. That's the grade I thought it would get.       At Philadelphia Wizard World I had the book pressed by CCS, graded by CGC, and returned to me before the weekend was over. I was shocked when it was returned. This book helped me real
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Book Twelve-Day Twelve

Amazing Spider-Man #90 There are a few books in my collection that I thought were near mint when I bought them. This was one of them. I learned over time it wasn't as pristine as I originally thought. The book was magical. Along with X-Men #42 and Daredevil #48, these were the first of many silver age classics I would purchase over the years.       The cover is iconic. Captain Stacey was unknown to me. My first experience with the character also happened to be his last. His dying breath
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Book Eleven-Day Eleven

UFO Encounters This was the other comic I read over and over again, slightly before I turned eight. Each page opened me up to what I thought was factual. And maybe this helped me, when the summer of 1980 had me go to camp for the first time, I looked up into the sky and saw light in a circular fashion dart across the sky.       Was I seeing my own encounter or was I imagining what I could write about for a similar comic book? I can still remember what I saw and occasionally look back on t
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Book Ten-Day Ten

UFO Mysteries Here is a comic book I had for the longest time. On the inside cover is a date stamp. The date is April 3 1979, and most likely I can tell you I was celebrating my fathers 42nd birthday, the same age I am now. I had read this over and over while searching the skies for my own unidentified flying object.       The stories were short, some lasting only a page. I'm sure it is all reprinted material. I can't seem to find any artist signatures on it. Are there some greats involv
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Book Nine-Day Nine

Star Wars #11 & #14 Why two books? Especially since the picture shows three. Star Wars was my first love. I was the only five year old to see it 13 weeks in a row. It wasn't that I was spoiled, it was because it was the only thing my father knew to take me to see that would shut me up. I would watch the movie, my sister would watch me, and my father would take a two hour nap.       Even when my father married my stepmother in January of 76' I was running up and down the hallway defen
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Book Eight-Day Eight

Iron Man #55 After Thanos Quest was released I wanted his first appearance. I never got it, that is until last year. And it wasn't the 9.2 copy I have, it was my .5. The book is the worse grade CGC could bestow. It's not my first .5 nor will it be my last.       I bid and won this on eBay. I was surprised that someone else wanted it as well. When it was all over I was happy that I won. Once it was in my hands I wanted a better one. Eventually I purchased a raw copy from a friend and had
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Book Seven-Day Seven

X-Men #109 In eighth grade I had a friend by the name if Gregory Horn. He collected comic books. I remember him getting excited about issue 12. It wasn't until issue #17 that I was able to find the title. I picked it up and was given more information about Wolverine. I didn't realize then that it was a cover swipe.       At my first Baltimore Comic Con in 2012 I was searching for certain comic books. I found one dealer that had some beautiful looking books. This was the year I also sat d
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Book SIx-Day Six

SuperMan presents the Krypton Chronicles #3 In 1980 I was eight. I had my first real experience away from home. I stayed away for three weeks. In 1981 I stayed away for two different encampments. The first one in late June into early July, the second one I left to go to Camp again on August third until close to the beginning of the school year. It was in 1982 I went to camp for the entire summer, I was ten and given a gift from a fellow camper.               During the encampment the
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Book Five-Day Five

Ms. Marvel #1 Do the books have to be mine to write about?       I like variants, I just don't like the price gouging associated with them. Some newer variants have the artist I grew up with gracing the cover with their skill. Ten Grand #1 had a cool cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Ross did a phenomenal Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Art Adams drew a beautiful rendition of the new Ms. Marvel on the premiere issue.       I have been enjoying the story, but I never believed this book woul
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Book Four-Day Four

Tales of Suspense #97 In 1968 this book was published, four years before I was born. Whiplash's whip had a yellow aura around it which I always thought was a defect. I remember placing the book on a windowsill and thought it was my fault that it happened. It was a long time later when I found another copy I realized it was made that way.       I had a few other books from this era including issue 99. This was the closest I ever had to back to back issues. I felt like I had two comic book
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Book Three-Day Three

Wonder Woman #199 I showed two Marvel titles in two days, both happen to be X-Men issues. There are so many more Marvel titles I would like to add, but this one seems worthy to write about. This was one of the books that helped me decide to go after any and all issues by Marvel and DC that were published in April of 72.       Wonder Woman #199 is an amazing cover that had me search multiple places for. I scoured the boxes at not only my local comic book shops (7), but I looked through box
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Book Two - Day Two

X-Men #98, the pre Uncanny Years I first saw this book in 1985. It was a book my cousin owned. He was a bit younger than me and I didn't understand how he could afford such a book. I was thirteen and he was eleven. I was happy to collect the comic books I could but could not fathom how he could afford a book of that calibre.       It took decades for me to pick up a copy, and I'm sure it will be a bit longer before I pick up a 9.8 copy. The cover itself is amazing. The colors are vibran
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Day One-Book One

X-Men Annual #9 If the sixties were cool to read comic books then the eighties were awesome. Art Adams instantly became my favorite artist with the New Mutants Special Edition. It continued in the X-Men Annual. I followed the story line and read each one over and over again.       The special edition I have is in much better condition than the annual. I found an annual #9 in a 9.8 and have placed it in my collection. I'm not sure if I'll ever crack it for a signature, but I'm sure I'll r
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What I Lost.

Or, Did I need Two? A few years ago I was bidding on a Susha News copy of Sub-Mariner #38. It was a 9.6/9.8 CGC double cover. I lost but bid up to the final dollar in my bank account, after my bills were paid. Another was listed on Comic Link a few weeks ago. I placed a bid of $100. This was not a double cover, but it was 9.8 and from the Susha News Pedigree.       In the final hour it jumped a bit to high for my taste. If I didn't already have a 9.8 copy I would have placed a higher bid
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I was Wrong.

Or, Nope, not back yet. Back in June I decided to have Neal Adams sign a comic book. For the best grade I had it go through CCS. The book is from April of 1972. I wrote on the CGC invoice, October. I thought the book would be marked shipped/safe by now and be on it's way back to me. It's only marked graded.       I figured five months would be enough between the two companies to get it back to me. If I'm not mistaken that's 97 business days (61 days at CGC). And even though it falls with
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The Necessity of Boxes?

Or, Would a Cedar Trunk Work? I do have comic books everywhere. They are either in boxes or stacked on shelves. The stacked ones however are in disarray. I purchased five half boxes to place them in, no bags; no boards. These are the books not worth grading, well maybe not without a press. I did get an Incredible Hulk #271 that was worthy after a press. But back to the subject matter at hand, are boxes necessary.       When I first started collecting CGC graded comic books I didn't have a
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Almost Upon Us

Or, 30 in 30 Season 4 November is fast approaching. What do I dare write about? Do I mention my ASM #129 yet again? Do I state that the next silver age book I crave in high grade is Daredevil #5? Or do I ramble on for thirty days about the books I want graded? What would you write about?       At the moment I'm sitting in my living room with my cat next to me, my girlfriend sleeping, and the portable heater being turned on for the first time. My space is shrinking. Dare I say I'm runnin
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My Favorite Con???

Or, I might as well ask my father who his favorite child is. This year I attended six major conventions and one minor one, the minor one I attended multiple times. So which one is my favorite? I think it would be easier to discern which one was my least favorite. I'll start with my local mini-con first.       Philadelphia Comic-Con       A very small convention dedicated to comic books. I love this show because it gives me a chance to save up and purchase a rare gem. And since it is
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Cons: Pros & Cons

Or, Is more Better? Conventions are great. It's the one event I have attended over the years where I feel no animosity. It's great to walk around looking through long boxes while someone next to you is doing the same. In essence, it's a comic book fans' Mecca.       But, what if there is no convention in your city. As a teen Philadelphia had no major shows. There was New York and there was San Diego. That was until 1994. I remember a second show in 94' but none after. It wasn't until 200
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Getting Things Together

Or a littke but if storage. My girlfriend and I finally got a storage area. One might think that leaves more space for comic books. It doesn't. This is just a band aid on what we want to get done, but either way this reminds me when I used to organize when I was younger.       In the middle of straightening my items I would stop and read a few comic books. It was my reward for each hour. One hour = one comic book. It's been a long time since I sat and read the comic books from my youth.
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What if I Quit?

Or another one year challenge??? What if I quit?       Or a one year challenge.       Somehow, someway I began collecting comic books, along with so many other things throughout the years. My father collected nothing at all. As an adult my collection grew while my father would throw anything out without hesitation, even birthday cards. One year, after giving him a card, he handed it back to me.       "It's nice," he said. "Give it again to me next year."       He never got
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A Proper Dare???

Or what the he## has gotten into me? Today, I got some bad news. Last week I was also told something I never wanted to hear. As for what the news is, I'm not sure I'll get into that here, for a few reasons, one it's not about CGC graded comic books, and two, the story is not completely mine to tell. If I get permission, I will share.       After I was given the news, I was thinking about making a negative into a positive, but will you and CGC allow me. I have been writing on my blog, but
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