I started collecting the summer of 1989, so this resonates with me.

Kills me how much the market's changed since.

I went to a convention in DC last weekend and passed on Nick Fury vs. Shield # 1 and # 2 at $1 apiece, as well as copies of the Excalibur Trade (1st appearance) for $2.

One book I did buy was Faust # 1 (first printing) signed by Tim Vigil -- for a whopping $8.

Good times...

1 hour ago, Gatsby77 said:

I started collecting the summer of 1989, so this resonates with me.

Kills me how much the market's changed since.

I went to a convention in DC last weekend and passed on Nick Fury vs. Shield # 1 and # 2 at $1 apiece, as well as copies of the Excalibur Trade (1st appearance) for $2.

One book I did buy was Faust # 1 (first printing) signed by Tim Vigil -- for a whopping $8.

Good times...

Yes I did too (when it first came out). Faust was another book that Chuck missed out on but I ordered because I loved Vigil's work. And every time I think about it I get mad because Chuck had shortages on that issue and I was sent a 2nd print months later by the time it was a $30 book instead of the 1st print which I ordered. Of course I can get it now for $5-10 but I will never forget how angry I was when I finally received it back then and it was a 2nd print... Shame on him! (but I still love him anyways)

Come to think of it, Im pretty sure I also ordered Caliber Presents #1 and was never sent this book because of shortages. I just loooved Vigil back then and cant imagine I wouldnt order it from him when it came out 

Yeah - I hadn't looked up prices for Faust in about a decade and was shocked that raw 9.0s now go for less than $20 on eBay.

I just assumed that # 1 first prints would have kept pace with increases of what I consider similar books -- like Crow 1 and Cry for Dawn 1.

Also, wondering how much earlier your Chuck newsletters go.

Asking because I'd be curious to see what he recommends for Nov. 1988 (Wolverine # 1 and Punisher War Journal # 1) and how much he hyped PWJ # 6 prior to release (as I remember his in-comic ads offering it it for $.99 (limit 5).

My first issue of Comic Buyer's Guide came in spring 1989, and it noted that, after months, neither PWJ # 1 nor Wolverine # 1 were available for re-orders; and that PWJ # 1 had the highest print run of any modern book (before it was de-throned by Legends of the Dark Knight # 1 a year later).

Just curious to read contemporaneous confirmation of those facts.

On 4/9/2018 at 12:50 PM, Gatsby77 said:

Yeah - I hadn't looked up prices for Faust in about a decade and was shocked that raw 9.0s now go for less than $20 on eBay.

I just assumed that # 1 first prints would have kept pace with increases of what I consider similar books -- like Crow 1 and Cry for Dawn 1.

Also, wondering how much earlier your Chuck newsletters go.

Asking because I'd be curious to see what he recommends for Nov. 1988 (Wolverine # 1 and Punisher War Journal # 1) and how much he hyped PWJ # 6 prior to release (as I remember his in-comic ads offering it it for $.99 (limit 5).

My first issue of Comic Buyer's Guide came in spring 1989, and it noted that, after months, neither PWJ # 1 nor Wolverine # 1 were available for re-orders; and that PWJ # 1 had the highest print run of any modern book (before it was de-throned by Legends of the Dark Knight # 1 a year later).

Just curious to read contemporaneous confirmation of those facts.

I started subscribing to Mile High and NICE around late 87. Up until Dec 88 (the date of which I started archiving this journal) Chuck didnt really rant too much other than on his quarterly Mile High Features Catalogs. The newsletters prior to that date were very short (around 10-12 pages) and mainly consisted of entries put in by Leanne C Harper, which continued highlighting special books even after Chuck started his Guts & Glory columns, in a section called "From The Clubhouse". She nailed all of them though, even New Mutants 98 (although she didnt think it was anything special). 

I remember ordering Wolverine 1 & PWJ 1 from MHC when they came out and thinking those were very smart buys back then. In fact I subscribed to both titles through Chuck and remember being pleasantly surprised when I received Wolverine 10, not knowing it had Sienkiewicz work and Sabretooth in it. That was a huge book for me back then. As far as PWJ6, I did cover it HERE although I didn't highlight it 

Good insights.

Here's the thing, though. Everybody I knew bought New Mutants 98 (and 99, and 100) off the shelf -- with most of us buying more than one.

Cable was the hottest thing going and that was coming right after his two-parter with Wolverine (my first issue off the rack), then X-Tinction Agenda (which was a must for anyone collecting Uncanny at the time).

And by then we were hooked. New Mutants 98-100 were orders of magnitude more common than say...86-89, and we all loved them.

Then again, nobody cared about Deadpool -- he was fun, but NM 98 was important because it was the first appearance of Domino.

Same thing -- I hate myself because I bought five copies of NM 100 at a show this month for $4 apiece.

I'd previously bought three off the rack -- _everybody_ bought in to that book since it was known as the first appearance of X-Force.

Just strikes me as funny -- nobody speculated on X-Men 266, but in my area folks speculated on New Mutants 93-100 and Amazing Spider-man 361-363.

Just started reading some of your journals, lots of great insight. I liked your intro opening up with what was already hot at the time.