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Just Another X-Men Full Run Dream

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speedcake

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In this journal, I'll be talking about my quest to finally finish a full run of X-Men volume 1, from #1 to 544.  I can't tell if many boardies read the new journals or not, and I like the old format way better, but at least this will be a place to help keep myself focused and on track if nothing else.

I've been a fan of the X-Men since the late 80s when I first really started reading comics in earnest. I've dreamed about having a full run since my early 20s, but made the huge mistake of not focusing on the silver and bronze runs first. So like all full run noobs everywhere, I eventually completed a run from about #141 to 544 by picking up a book here or there at shows, looking for sales online or on Ebay, the usual. 

So here we are, its 2018 and NOW I'm going to get serious about finally finishing the run? Ok, great! I clearly have no sense. But I still love the X-Men. 

I have a plan, sort of. First and foremost is to start shedding excess fat from my roughly 1000 book collection. This is going ok so far. I've sold some things on eBay, through craigslist, and even here on the boards so far.  I don't pick up many monthly new books, but I'm going to look at that list and probably at least cut out a few books and put that money towards the run instead. I'm also selling off the last of my Transformers collection. This should net a decent pile of dough to also put straight into the run. I've already sold about a third of it in a week, so this is going pretty well so far.

And finally, I need to stay disciplined. I get easily distracted by shiny books, runs of other titles (I recently picked up a huge run of Amazing Spider-man for example and I'ma sucker for Iron Man), and other interests. So instead, I want to work on resisting all of that temptation and focus as much on the X-Men run as possible. I don't want this to be my only focus, I don't want to burn out on it, but it needs to be priority #1 or I'll never finish this.

I am missing ALOT of books. Nearly the entire Silver Age run, and most of the Bronze Age run minus a handful of the keys. So it will be a marathon, not a sprint. I just hope it is as rewarding at the end as I hope it will be.

One big decision I have to make (big for me, small potatoes for some reading this I'm sure) is whether or not to sell things like my raw NYX complete run in very high grade. I'd like to have a few issues from the run graded, but not unless I'm sure about the minimum grade. Selling the set would translate into a decently big chunk of the X-Men run. I love having this set, but we'll see.

Later today I'll post a list of the missing issues and any other thoughts I have.

Thanks for reading, whomever drops by, and please comment with your own thoughts.  Call me nuts. Call me names for waiting so long. I'm good with it, just talk with me.  :D

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15 hours ago, oakman29 said:

You know It! There will be plenty of nice books that come across here,  I didn't buy anything but what I was searching for in the run , I  got the hardest or key , most expensive ones first. The fillers are easier to get on the cheap, but keys can get expensive so grab them first.

Gotta work on my discipline. I've been simultaneously working on an ASM run, so that needs to take a back seat. Just so many great sales threads filled with high grade spidey books. :D   I think saving up for a nice 94 is  a good idea. After that the bronze run would definitely feel much less burdensome. I have a mid grade 101 and many of the smaller keys already, thankfully. Although at some point I'll want to upgrade some of those.

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15 hours ago, maraxusofkeld said:

Depending on what grade you are going for issues #21, 39, and 42 are hard to find in 9.4 and above and command serious money even though they are not key issues.

Haven't even looked at prices for these yet, but thanks for the heads up. I'd probably be happy with VF+ , especially if they are tough in higher grades and that pricey.

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15 hours ago, STORMSHADOW_80 said:

Excellent choice for a journal! I too have this same dream. I also started reading X-men in the late 80s and has always been a fave for me. About 5 years ago I decided to get serious about collecting but not sure where my focus would end up. I bought a few small collections and noticed I had a pretty decent run of Late bronze and copper X-Men. At first I wasn't sure if I would go past 300 but decided why not.

My current list just so you know where I'm coming from is 1-12, 14-17, 20, 27, 28, 35, 42, 43, 50, 65-94, 448, 453, 456, 458, 460, 463-467, 470, 478, 491, 495, 496, 497, 507, 512, 513, 534, 535, 537, 538, 539, 542, 543, 544

A lot of the later issues can be found in discount bins. Or even cheap online so I'm not too worried about those. Like you silver and early bronze age is the hardest for me. I've been able to knock off some by looking for sales locally, and even at conventions. I was able to get some from friends on social media (IG). I too struggled with still wanting to collect a lot of new titles but I found once I gave those up it became a lot easier.

Are you going to go after the reprints? I'm a bit undecided, or at least it will be secondary for me.

Good luck with the hunt!

that's your missing list? sweet, if so! the l later issues are a dime a dozen for the most part.  It still felt nice to complete that part of the run.  Cutting back on new titles will be crappy, but it must be done. At four bucks a pop on average, it won't take long for even a few books to add up every month.

 

I do plan to get the reprints, but they are low priority and I only want them in really high grade if possible. So no rush there.

And thanks! I need all the luck, ha. You too. Get it done :D

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That's the list. Thanks man! It's taken me a while to get there, but worth the effort. I should be picking up a 94 next weekend :smile:

Other runs I've finished have been fun too. Wolverine 1-189 was my first full run. Then followed by Punisher vol1 and war journal.

.....ASM is also a dream for me. But you know how that goes lol

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Will do! :smile: It's an 8.5.

I still have my Wolverine and Punishers. Those were some of the first books I remembered reading when I was a kid. One run I almost had complete was GI Joe. Then I gave up because the later issues were so expensive only to later find the later issues in the wild a couple weeks ago :tonofbricks: I wish I still had the run. It would have been only a few issues away from 1-155

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I've been working on slabbed run of 9.8 with only white pages but until issue 300. That's more or less when I stopped reading. It's super tedious to find these older issues in high grade let alone 9.8 and white pages!! I expect I'll be at this for a while so I definitely wish you luck as I will need the same lol. I do have a lot of the bronze age keys but those silver age ones are really tough to find.

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That sounds like a cool quest, but super tough as you get into the silver age stuff. How far along are you?

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I have 38,56,61,64,69,89,94-102,105,109,129,141-42, 148,160,169,201,248,266 and Giant size 1. I'm trying to go for the bronze/silver ones first but picked a few coppers I loved and got a couple of newer ones as a gift.

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I gotta get everything in order.... my issues are scattered all over. I have 2 101s and they are not even in the same box.

Some flea market scores with an LCS pick up on 50. Shop wanted 9 bucks for it cause of the date stamp!  :bigsmile:

The 40 is real nice but I paid nice for it too. The 44 has a loose cover so it was free and the 42 is a five dollar beater.

Glad I have no desire for high grade but totally respect those who do. (worship)

UncannySAXmen.JPG

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On 3/24/2018 at 8:10 PM, Lev said:

I have 38,56,61,64,69,89,94-102,105,109,129,141-42, 148,160,169,201,248,266 and Giant size 1. I'm trying to go for the bronze/silver ones first but picked a few coppers I loved and got a couple of newer ones as a gift.

Heck of a collection already, though. nice!

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On 3/27/2018 at 10:35 PM, Alf Pogs said:

I gotta get everything in order.... my issues are scattered all over. I have 2 101s and they are not even in the same box.

Some flea market scores with an LCS pick up on 50. Shop wanted 9 bucks for it cause of the date stamp!  :bigsmile:

The 40 is real nice but I paid nice for it too. The 44 has a loose cover so it was free and the 42 is a five dollar beater.

Glad I have no desire for high grade but totally respect those who do. (worship)

UncannySAXmen.JPG

Should have told them you'd give them $5 for the 50 because of that totally ugly date stamp  :D   Seriously though, to say 9 bucks was an absolute steal would be quite the understatement. nice pickups!

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23 hours ago, youfoundjake said:

Excellent journal to read... glad your on the same journey as me, but if something pops up in the sales thread.. LET ME HAVE IT! heeh...

 

I will duel you! (JK, maybe  haha)

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I recently got into collecting Lucio Parrillo covers and went a little hog wild on them. I'm not sorry about it, he is a great artist and his art is extremely cool. But I did have to admit it here because its money not spent on the X-Men run. :D  I think I'm over the initial "oh  man these are great, I gotta get a ton of them asap" phase and can go back to focusing on X-Men. 

I sold my NYX #1-7 set, so that's done. I still have most of what I sold it for left to put towards this run.  East Coast Comic Con is coming up and maybe I'll go. I enjoyed it last year. Loads of comics dealers and boxes to dig through, plus its expanded to three days this year. Anyone else in the NYC area planning on going?

I'm still sitting on about six hundred modern books that I want to sell. not really sure how  best to get rid of them. I'm not expecting much for them so maybe one huge lot on craigslist. Although everyone there thinks they are a dealer and want to pay ten cents each so... I might just break them up into smaller lots, by theme, run or whatever, to try to sell that way. I've sold a couple lots on craigslist but it hasn't been too fruitful. I do decently on ebay, but fees are pretty garbage. Although if i got 50 cents a book after all my costs, I don't suppose that is too terrible.

Anyone want to by about 600 modern , mostly X-men related comics? no? come on! they are sweet!  And high grade!

Hopefully I'll have some more X-Men goodness soon to post. Hope everyone is doing well!

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Man that 45 cover is sweet! I need one but all my $$$ is going to Original Art these days.

Have you guys thought about getting an original X-Men page? Most Byrne and Lee stuff is out or reach but the cost of issues 144-544 would get you some sweet pages. Holding a splash page that just came in the mail gives me a total rush 100 times greater than scoring a stack of books.

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22 hours ago, Alf Pogs said:

Just shot this rag for everyone to laugh at. Poor thing. Beat but complete. Smells like old socks. Never gonna upgrade at this point tho'.

gsx1 (1).jpg

Read to death lol !! still worth a couple bucks lol 

 

Edited by 1950's war comics
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