surfer99

Random favorites and opinions... On the way home from work today I started thinking about who the smartest heroes in the Marvel universe were. Yeah, random right? Then of course this led to me thinking who the smartest villains might be, then the most powerful, then the best looking women...covering all the bases of brains, brawn, and beauty. With the registry awards coming up now seems as good a time as any to share these thoughts with you and open up the floor to your own opinions. What do you think? Top 5 Smartest Heroes 1. Mr. Fantastic...undisputed genius of the Marvel U 2. Tony Stark...with his ingenuity and creativity he is second only to Reed here 3. Hank Pym...creator of Ultron, the most powerful AI ever 4. Bruce Banner 5. Henry McCoy Top 5 Smartest Villains 1. Supreme Intelligence 2. Doctor Doom 3. Mad Thinker 4. MODOK 5. Leader Top 5 Most Powerful Heroes 1. Silver Surfer...sucked all gamma radiation right out of Hulk using unlimited power cosmic 2. Hulk...pick a color...see World War Hulk 3. Thor 4. Black Bolt 5. Iron Man Top 5 Most Powerful Villains 1. Molecule Man 2. Thanos 3. Dark Phoenix 4. Ultron 5. Apocalypse Top 5 Hottest Females 1. Emma Frost 2. Sue Richards 3. Mary Jane Parker 4. Black Widow 5. Hepzibah Top 5 Hottest Dudes No comment...though I can understand why women would be attracted to Thor. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Busy day, big decision, sore feet... I planned on just attending this show on Saturday since CGC wasn't going to be there but I decided to take the day off work today as well and go look at comics. I figure the more time I spend doing that on my own, the more time I have to hang with the family and cruise the floor. It worked out well for me. The highlights of my comic searching landed me a NM minus copy of TOS 94...the first appearance of MODOK...and, a VG copy of Sgt. Fury 13...the second Silver Age appearance of Captain America outside the Avengers. I also picked up a few other reading copies of TOS and some Iron Fist. The BIG question I had going into the con was whether or not to crack open my Hulk 181 CGC 8.0 for a Len Wein and Herb Trimpe sig. I filled out the paperwork and brought the book with me just in case I was able to meet up with Hank Pym who graciously agreed to help me out as a witness...since CGC wasn't present. As luck would have it he was available, and a very nice guy. In the end I decided a signed Hulk 181, even with a potential drop a grade, means more to me than an unsigned Hulk 181 with a guaranteed CGC 8.0 grade. It was nerve wracking watching Hank bust open that CGC case but I was OK once it was done...then I just got excited thinking about those signatures. I left my paperwork and most prized possession with Hank and now the waiting begins. Looking forward to going back tomorrow. I will post more pictures here as well. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest addition, 1st appearance... Its 1.11.2012 and what do I see? Not one, but two of the comics I want for my collection come up for sale on ComicLink that you rarely ever see show up in this condition. To date I had only seen these come up for sale like once every couple of years. Problem is I cant afford both, no way. So I make my choice, and its Fantastic Four 104 CGC 9.6. I wont go into it here about why I wanted this issue so badly but if youre interested you can check out the journal I wrote about it on 2.4.2012. As Im sure youve surmised by now, the other book I had to pass on at the time was Giant Size Fantastic Four 4 CGC 9.6. Apparently this exact book, serial number and all, sold on ComicLink earlier this year and I didnt see it. Dont you hate it when that happens? Anyway, the buyer put the book up for sale on eBay a couple months later and was asking twice what he had paid. Ouch. Im not paying that so I offered 200 less than what they were asking. No dice. The seller lowered the price 100 then 150 of their original price but it still didnt sell. I was tempted to go up on my offer for fear that someone else would snag it but I took Tnerbs advice and stuck to my guns. Instead I asked the seller if they would accept my original offer...which was 100 more than it sold for earlier in the year...and just do the transaction direct through PayPal. He finally accepted and I was thrilled. I made payment as soon as the transfer of funds completed and the seller shipped that same day. Now the waiting game begins. According to usps.com my book should be arriving today, Saturday. Ive decided I cant wait anymore, its 2pm so Im gonna go see if the mailwoman delivered my comic. Sigh, nope. Now its 4pm so Im checking again. Well, the mailwoman showed up but no comic. Grrr. Pulling up tracking info on usps.com now and it says item was attempted delivery at 12pm but address is undeliverable so it is being returned to sender. What...the...heck. Tried calling PO...they closed 2 hours ago and wont reopen until Monday, of course. Reaching out to seller now. If they printed the shipping label using the address in PayPal then this should not have happened. On the other hand if they hand wrote the shipping label and misprinted something then that would explain it. Nope, they printed the shipping the label right off of PayPal so this has to be a PO error. Cant do anything about it until Monday at this point. Its Monday morning and I call the PO. I pity anyone that has ever tried to navigate this IVR in an attempt to reach a human being. Finally I am being transferred...I wait for 10 min when all of a sudden the hold music stops. Im like hello, anyone there...aaaaannd Im disconnected. I dial back into the IVR from h-e-double hockey sticks and eventually reach someone. First thing I say is how sorry I am for the grief they must receive from customers about their IVR...I am very sympathetic and polite. After all, this person didnt invent the automated system that led me to them, and they didnt fail to deliver my package. The agent was cool and said he cant stand the IVR either, then he gave me a trick to get around it. Nice guy. He brought up my tracking number, confirmed the address is correct, said the postwoman must not have read the address closely enough, emailed the local PO and asked them to redeliver immediately. The package was diverted from Tuscon and made its way back to me today, delivered! Totally pays to be nice. With the drama ended I am SO happy to finally have this book in my hands, and now framed on my wall. So why all the fuss? Whats so great about this issue anyway? 1. This is the last appearance of one of the original Xmen, dated February 1975, before the new Xmen were introduced in August 1975. The Xman in question is their founder, Professor X, who was last seen battling Magneto in The Defenders 16. 2. This is the first appearance of Jaime Madrox, The Multiple Man. Ive always liked this character and its cool to read about his origin and meeting with Professor X for the first time. I had been waiting until the graded book was in my hand before rereading my beater copy so Im looking forward to revisiting this story. 3. This fills a huge whole in my Xmen the Missing Years set. Not counting the books Im still waiting for CGC to return to me, I only need 4 more issues to complete the set! This particular book, in this condition, has taken me the longest to find...5 years to be exact. Its very satisfying to check this one off the list for sure. Thanks for sticking with me as I recapped my experience in finally obtaining this book. All is right with the world. Now I get to be excited about Phoenix Con on Friday...even though CGC wont be there. Big question mark on whether I crack open my Hulk 181 to get it signed, but either way I know Im gonna have a blast. Tnerb, wish you were here man. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest additions... I was just finishing my dinner...a carne asada enchilada style burrito, shredded beef taco and a glass of Menage a Trois CA red...not the best of combinations I know, but wine sounded really good and so did Mexican food...then I hear a familiar truck engine and horn honk. It was the UPS man dropping off my CGC books from the Amazing AZ Con in January. It was like a scene out of Christmas Story when the leg lamp arrived as we all stopped and I looked around at my family at the dinner table. I ran out, relieved my friendly UPS man of the CGC box, and eagerly ran inside...its 110 here so yeah, I ran. Now I am writing you this journal. I am opening the box, dont even remember exactly which books these are which adds to the excitement, and will reveal each book as I pull them out of the box. Its way more fun not to peak at the grades online so I have no idea what the grades will be. First book...Amazing Adventures 14 CGC 9.6 OW to White pages. Oh...yeah. This is the death of Quasimodo...you might remember him from Fantastic Four Annual 5...and there is an appearance by Iron Man and Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat. It amazes me that I can still find a raw copy of this book from 1972 and have it grade at 9.6. Very happy to add this one to my Xmen the Missing Years collection. Now lets see what else I got. Second book...Amazing Adventures 13 CGC 9.2 OW to White pages. Feeling a little disappointment with this one. This is a very tough book to get in high grade because of the dreaded black over...there are 4 to 5 very faint spine creases that dont break color which I was hoping CCS would be able to press right out but no such luck. Still, a nice high grade book with sharp corners that Im happy to add to my set which to date has consisted of only 9.2 or better. Third book...Iron Man 68 CGC 9.6 OW to White pages. This is one I remember paying a little more for because it is hard to find in high grade and was advertised as 9.6 from the Tongie Farm collection. Im very happy to see it received the advertised grade and honestly I thought with the press it had an outside chance at 9.8 but no matter, I am very pleased. This is the last part of the Sunfire story I needed that ran through issues 68, 69, and 70, all of which I know own in 9.6. Woo hoo...insert exclamation point here. Fourth and final book...Iron Fist 11 CGC 9.6 OW to White pages. Wow. This is a beautiful book and SO hard to find in high grade...a CGC 9.2 copy just sold on eBay for 100 bucks and I think I paid like 25 for this one. I love this issue because it features an appearance by Scott Summers and Jean Grey from 1977. Im starting to really like Iron Fist and think I may just have to get all 15 issues in the run. Thanks for sticking with me as I lived out the excitement of opening the CGC box and revealing the grades for the first time. Looking forward to the next batch which I submitted at ECCC in March, though it will be a few months before those get here I imagine. In the meantime I look forward to reading the journals from all of you as your books arrive. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Found a few cool reading copies... I love it when my LCS has a new batch of Silver Age books to look through. Nothing so good this week its worth getting graded, but some nice looking reading copies. This is what I went home with... Tales to Astonish 55 in VG minus Avengers 17 in FN minus Avengers 18 in VG plus All have great eye appeal and make a nice addition to my collection. I would like to have a complete run of Avengers through issue 200 and all the Ant Man Giant Man issues of Tales to Astonish. Very good stories...along with the Cap issues in Tales of Suspense which Im also collecting. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

And other goodies... Yesterday was Free Comic Book Day and today is May the Fourth be with You Day. My youngest son and I paid a visit to our LCS and picked up a few free books. Then the comic shop owner brought a long box he had just purchased...books weren't even priced yet. I love it when I get first crack at the good stuff. I was able to pick up an ASM 238 NM, an ASM 300 NM...dare I say NM Plus, Warlock 1 VF NM, and Marvel Premiere 15 VF. My son paid for the Marvel Premiere with his own money and is very excited to send it off for press and grading...it will be his first graded book. I plan to do the same with the other books at Phoenix Con next month. The other quandary I have is that Herb Trimpe AND Len Wein will be at Phoenix Con...do I dare crack my Hulk 181 VF 8.0 for the signatures. It's the first CGC book Ive ever owned...my wife bought it for me for Christmas years ago so it has great sentimental value, and monetary value to boot. What if it drops in grade, even with a press. This is a rare opportunity to get these two gentlemen to sign this book...will it enhance the memory, or if it drops in grade will it take away from the memory. These are tough questions I cant seem to bring myself to answer. I am conservative by nature so to even think about doing this is crazy to me. Let me know your thoughts. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Some things, like Disneyland, you just have to experience for yourself... Im writing this on the plane ride home from Seattle to Phoenix...my mind still reeling from all that went down over the past 4 days. This is really going to be like 5 journals in 1, but I cant stop writing so please bear with me. What just happened? Its like Parnell and Sandburg said...I just got taken to a dream world of magic. Now, what happens at the Ronnylamas stays at the Ronnylamas, but I will share some of my experiences with you. Gotta keep it vague though. Too much detail and I may get my FORF...Friends Of Ronnylama Forever...card revoked. Not really, I think Im a member for life...maybe even platinum status. The man and the legend are mythical though dude, for real. I heard stories of how outsiders in the area would die for a peak behind the curtain that is the domain of Ronnylama...Im not making that up. I am honored to have had the opportunity to do so. Memories I will cherish forever. The true beauty is the mans heart which flows through his art and can be seen all over his home and yard. Ok, ok, Ive said too much already. Thursday Sure I know Tnerb and Ronnylama from the journals, but do you really know someone when your interactions are so limited? What would they really be like? What if in reality they were freaky voodoo headhunters who had lured me into their CGC net? Haha. Sometimes man you just gotta take a leap of faith and I am SO thankful I did. You know the second you make eye contact that you have just made a lifelong friend. These two guys, along with LeeK who came over that night, and Shivibali who I met the next day, are some of the most genuine, caring, loving human beings Ive ever met. Ronnylamas daughter was also super cool...you can see a lot of her dad in her. We spent this first night hanging out, pressing books like crazy, sharing comic stories, and prepping for opening day. Good times. Friday Woke up later than we wanted, but made it to the con not too long after the doors opened. The place was sold out and packed every day. This was a big show...second only to SDCC in my opinion, with WonderCon now being the third largest in my mind. To be fair though, Ive never been to a show on the East Coast. Once through doors and up the 3 escalators, we bolted straight to the CGC booth where the amazing Mike and the beautiful Cynthia were both kind enough to help us get our books signed and submitted...this took all day, but we got a LOT done. I did manage to pick up a few nice reading copies of TOS though and the other 2 Rutgers Halloween issues I wanted...Thor 207 and ugh a DC title, JLA 103. We met LeeK back at Ronnylamas place later that night and Shivabali made us some amazing carne asada tacos for dinner...thank you Shivibali for your very thoughtful gift as well. We were joined by another couple who have been friends with Ronnylama for years and who I now consider friends as well...not comic enthusiasts like us, just wonderful people and I am so glad I was able to spend some time getting to know them. Saturday We were about an hour early and waited in line til the doors opened...crazy crowd. Another day of tracking down creators and gathering signatures. We made a beeline for Klaus Janson since he was only signing for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. He signed the DD 158 gifted to me by Ronnylama and my MTU 100. I also turned in a Universal submission for TOS 82, Avengers 104, and Spidey Super Stories 6...another gift from Ronnylama, seriously could this man be any more generous. Last stop was to James Silvani who I hadnt heard of before but does an amazing job with the character Stitch from the Lilo and Stitch movie. My wife loves Stitch so I didnt hesitate to ask him to do a commissioned piece for her...this was the highlight for me, this sketch brought her to tears when I brought it home and showed it to her. Just awesome. After the con we met back up with our non comic book friends at Ronnylamas and they made us an incredible dinner...beef bourguignon served with Napa cabernet...sooo good. Tnerb and I spent the rest of the night figuring out which key books I might like to pick up and at what price. It was a godsend having him help me review books before I bought them...like having free personalized prescreen service. Haha. Thank you SO much again Tnerb for all your help. Sunday Again, we arrived an hour early and waited in line for the doors to open. This time was more leisurely since most of the signatures were done. I picked up my Stitch sketch and Tnerb and I cruised the floor looking for key issues. One of those was Special Marvel Edition 15, first appearance of the Master of Kung Fu. We found about a 9.0 copy that we liked but I wanted to keep looking to see what else we could find before committing to that one. Not long afterward we met up with LeeK who had been listening to Tnerb and I the night before as we were talking about which issues I wanted. I have something for you LeeK says...then he hands me a PGX 9.0 copy of SME 15. Wow, just wow. I cant say thank you enough my friend. At the end of the day I picked up a decent copy of Daredevil 159 and a PGX 9.4 copy of Xmen 121...I submitted both, along with the SME 15 received from LeeK, to CCS for pressing and CGC for grading. Really looking forward to getting those back and will share the results when I do. From there it was straight to the airport and back home to Phoenix. It was sad leaving my friends behind and yet I could not be more thankful for the time we got to spend together. Amazing people, just amazing. Thank you all for allowing me to be part of your lives. God is good, and those here in this CGC community are a blessing. Til next year... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Anyone remember this restaurant... I was going through my closet this week looking for books to take with me to ECCC and ran across a kids menu I kept from the Marvel Mania restaurant in Hollywood, just outside Universal Studios. They opened briefly in November of 1998 and I was able to visit once before they were gone forever. They offered food and drinks based on almost every Marvel hero and villain that you could imagine, not to mention they also had a cool gift shop. The food wasnt great, but who cares, everything was Marvel themed so I loved it. Some of the items from the kids menu...hey, I wonder if I can send this into CGC, haha...include Uncanny XPasta, Caps Battle Burger, Dare Dog, Defenders Tenders, Wolverines Grilled Cheese, Mighty Mutant Mac and Cheese, and Champions Cheese Pizza. Yum, right. The day we went I also got to meet Norrin Radd himself, the Silver Surfer. I even got a picture with him and my son...who was only 2 at the time so he didnt fully understand the awesomeness of this occasion, . Good times. Sadly and inexplicably the restaurant was closed less than a year later, in September of 1999. Luckily I did pick up a couple of souvenirs from the gift shop as we left...a Marvel Mania ice cream shake glass, and an oversized book on how to draw the Silver Surfer. These things sit in my closet still, but it brings a smile to my face anytime I see them because of the great memories associated with them. Here to hoping they open another such restaurant at some point so others can make some memories of their own. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

These guys are ever cooler in person... My family and I just got back from Disneyland again. This was the last chance we had before our annual passes expired and the kids were on Spring Break so it worked out. We love this theme park. Last year I wrote a journal about how the Innoventions attraction featured an amazing Iron Man exhibit with every suit of armor on display and a really cool interactive virtual experience where you could put on the armor, fly around the room, and virtually blast objects with your repulser rays. This exhibit was still there, as well as two others...meeting Captain America, and meeting Thor. Im not ashamed...though maybe a little embarrassed...to say that I lined up with the kids to get my picture taken too. My wife was supportive and played along by joining me for a picture with Cap first. I joked with Tnerb beforehand and asked if he thought CGC would send a witness with me to see Steve Rogers sign one of my Cap comics. Wonder if they would authenticate that or insist that he was not THE Steve Rogers, . That would be too cool to have a CGC book that said Signed by Steve Rogers on 03/11/2014. Anyway, the guy was friendly as expected and asked if I had met Thor yet. I said no, but he was our next stop. So he told me to be sure to tell him Cap said quote Hey Brotha end quote. He shook my hand and I was on my way. Time to see Thor. Ugh...60 min til next meet and greet starts. Waiting in line it is. Chilled there with my lady and talked about what attractions we wanted to ride next...we decided we would hit Star Tours again then go over to California Adventure. OK our wait is over and now we are headed into the Thor area where they have all the weapons from the movie on display. These props look pretty impressive and each has a description that tells of its significance. Let me know if you want pics and I post some. We enter the center of the waiting area and there is a sign that reads... Welcome to Thor, Treasures of Asgard, an exhibition designed to create a better understanding between our two great worlds. With the discovery of extraterrestrials and ancient Asgardian gods and the reappearance of an American legend after seventy years, life on Earth has been irrevocably changed since the Battle of New York. These dramatic new developments have been difficult for our world to accept, but astrophysicist Jane Foster has been working with Thor himself to forge an alliance between Earth and Asgard. Odin, King of Asgard, has permitted the Bifrost, a cosmic bridge that links the nine realms, including Asgard and Earth, to open at these precise coordinates here in Southern California. Now Foster is partnering with Innoventions to access the Bifrost so people from our worlds can travel to Asgard for an audience with the Mighty Thor, Asgardian god of thunder. As you await your own journey across the stars, we invite you to enjoy these Treasures of Asgard in the hope that these rare artifacts might create new insights into our Asgardian counterparts, and that we as a people might join them in their ongoing quest to ensure peace across the cosmos. After a few minutes of checking out these artifacts, a circle of colorful lights overhead starts flashing and dry ice smoke surrounds us before a hidden door in the wall opens up and we enter a crazy cool Asgardian throne room where we are greeted by Thor. This guy looks a LOT like Chris Hemsworth, he is all smiles and speaking with that cool Asgardian accent. Why does my wife seem even more transfixed than I am...hmmm. We go up and shake his hand...you can let go now honey...get our picture taken, and I deliver the message from the Cap. He smiles and says it was great meeting you brotha...and tell Cap he still owes me that shawarma. Good job Disney, the Marvel exhibits and cast members you selected were awesome. Stan would be proud. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Picked up a couple of nice issues... I love it when I ask my LCS owner if he has any new goodies for me to look at and he brings out a couple of long boxes from the back filled with Silver Age goodness! This week I was able to peruse some Tales to Astonish and Captain America back issues among other things. I walked out of there with Cap 105 in VF featuring Batroc for 15 bucks and Tales to Astonish 48 in VG featuring the first appearance of The Porcupine for 35. To me these are the kinds of books that make comic collecting so much fun. Plus I always get a kick out of holding them in my hand thinking wow, I wasnt even born when these were made. The TOS 48 is especially cool. I remember seeing The Porcupine for the first time with a handful of other villains who partnered up with Count Nefaria to try and take down my mutant heroes in Xmen 22. In this, his first appearance, I even get to see what he looks like without his mask. Also, Im looking forward to reading the Cap issue considering Batroc will be featured in the new Cap movie. Let the good times roll... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Just finished issue #22... This is one of those titles where I really, really, look forward to the next issue. If you havent been reading this book, shame on you. I have no idea who the artist and writer are, dont care...all I care about is how much I enjoy every issue. This isnt the Xmen Legacy of old where we follow a team of heroes trying to live up to Charles Xaviers legacy...here, we follow Legion, the son of the aforementioned Xavier. The book summary says it best...Charles Xaviers mutant son David Haller would be nearly omnipotent if he could lock his multiple personalities away in an effective mental prison. But that task seems insurmountable in the wake of his fathers untimely death. Now, David fights to keep his mind an powers under control as he works to uphold his fathers legacy. I have loved Legion since Uncanny Xmen 54. Next to Proteus...the mutant son of Moira MacTaggert...Legion has become one of my favorite mutants. Wow, I would love to see a Proteus vs. Legion battle. OK sorry, got distracted. So, the latest issue of Xmen Legacy is the climax before the climax that has been building up for a year and man it has not disappointed. Some of things Legion, sorry David, says are so profound and just to watch the character development has been amazing. Truly, that more than anything is what has me eagerly anticipating each new issue. He has gone from broken, lost, and misunderstood to confident, determined, and respected. Who doesnt love a feel good story like that. Seriously, please give this series a shot if you havent already, its THAT good. I also want to say thank you again to Tnerb for gifting me Legions first appearance in New Mutants 25, as well as the complete storyline in that series. That was a great read as well. On an unrelated note, Ive always liked Longshot so I decided to pick up the 6 issue mini series with his first appearance. Im half way thorough and I gotta say, Im not impressed. Art Adams art looks great of course, but the story is all over the place and hard to follow...plus the characters are kinda goofy. Oh well, they cant all be winners. Thankfully though, subsequent writers developed Longshot into a very likable character...his appearances in the Xmen were great. I see he has been in recent issues of XFactor as well, but I havent looked into those...if anyone else has, please let me know if they are worth a read. Thanks. Til next time... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Good times... Amazing AZ Con 2014 I was ill prepared for the first con of the season. After 5 hours of walking the floor my legs, knees, and feet were aching. My story is Im out of shape, not old, and Im sticking to it. The wife and I walked to dinner at Majerles...as in Dan Majerles, of Phoenix Suns fame...after we had seen every vendor at least 3 times, headed back to the con for one final walk around, then headed home. I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and soaked my sore feet in the hot tub...ahhh...now Im writing to give you the highlights. Unlike last year when we got there 30 minutes before the doors open, we chose to sleep in today and grab breakfast on the way so we ended up getting there about an hour after the con was underway, which was fine. First vendor I went to is a great guy who is there every year, Ed Robertson, and he has nice books at great prices so I picked up a couple decent copies of Tales of Suspense from him...I love the Cap stories. Then we walked around and tripped out on the cool costumes and scantily clad beautiful women...my wife doesnt mind that I look so long as I dont touch. There was one dressed as Black Cat, gorgeous...I will include a pic. It was funny, my wife said she admired the guts I showed by going right up to her and asking if I could take her pic because she saw several other dudes taking pics from far away trying to be all inconspicuous and she thought that was a little creepy. Just walk up there and own it dude...be like, your hot and I want your picture, is that cool? No I didnt really say it that way, but I was thinking it. As we walked around I noticed a lot of steampunk and Adventure Time, which are both cool. There were only about a half dozen vendors that carried comics from the Silver and Bronze age...the others were all Modern which isnt my thing, so that was a little disappointing. Not a lot of high grade books period unfortunately, and MAN the prices some of these vendors charge. Saw several copies of XFactor 6 for 60 bucks, Cap 14 for 50 bucks, Hulk 271 for 100 bucks, that kind of thing. I was hoping to find high grade copies to fill my Xmen the Missing Years set, but no such luck. I did go back to the first vendor I visited and bought a couple more issues of Tales of Suspense, including a higher grade...maybe 9.2 with a press...copy of issue 82. I had been looking for a nice copy of this issue because it features the first appearance of the Adaptoid and Ive always thought he was a cool character...found out that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch also make an appearance so thats a bonus as well. What else...oh yeah, I heard the funniest thing I think Ive ever heard at a con. You Liefeld fans should like this, ha ha. So this dude hands his books to Rob for his signature, and tells him...Oh man, I love your work. I think youre really talented, I dont care what anyone says. Dude...I was laughing out loud as we walked by, I couldnt help myself. You know the guy meant it as a compliment, but it sure didnt come out that way. I would have loved to hear Rob respond but his mouth was full of food at the time. SO funny. While I didnt find any additional high grade books for my collection, I did bring 4 with me that I handed to Nicole at CGC for pressing and grading. These were submitted on the Economy tier without fast track so she said it would be about 6 months before I got them back, which is fine. I think she was a little irritated with me...my books are each in a bag and board, then placed inside a larger bag and board with the cover facing the other board so its protected all around. Well, she started pulling out the comics, and after the first one I was like...youre making me nervous. She said I could do it myself, which I did, but they had to see each comic to verify that the book on the invoice was the book being submitted. I get that, but didnt know that was the process...had she explained that from the get go I would have been cool with it, you know. Oh well, no harm no foul. I would have liked to submit more books, but as it is Im looking at 25 per book for pressing and 35 per book for grading...does that seem expensive to anyone else. Makes you appreciate getting a good deal on a CGC book thats for sure. OK, thats enough for now. I need me some leftover pizza and another brew. Enjoy the pics, and feel free to leave comments. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Xmen set updated... I was reading a copy of TOS the other day and noticed an advertisement for the other Marvel books that were published that same month. These are found under the section labeled The Mighty Marvel Checklist...Marvelous Mags On Sale Right Now! Unfortunately not every issue gets a preview, but those that did have now been added to the comic descriptions in my Xmen The Missing Years set. Some of them are pretty corny, but some just suck you in. Makes me wonder who wrote them, maybe Stan, who knows. One of my favorites was promoting Fantastic Four 104... The fighting FF...versus Magneto...versus Sub Mariner! A thousand surprises! A million thrills! And oh, that ending! Cmon, you know you wanna go read that book right now! Thats one of the great things about picking up reading copies...you just dont get all the cool ads, articles, letters page, or that great old comic scent from a TPB. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Series A 1974 I know, I know, two consecutive journals in the same day...sorry, couldnt help myself. The subject is related to my last journal, but needed its own space. So I was looking through the ads of an old Bronze Age book the other day, Captain America 172 to be exact, and saw something I had seen many times before but never gave it much thought. Im talking about those Marvel Value Stamps. We all try to be wary of buying a book thats missing the stamp as it completely devalues the book, but they do look kind of cool. Although I cant imagine ever cutting one out, Marvel sure did push the idea with their promotion...This is it! Your MARVEL VALUE STAMP for this issue! Clip em and Collect em! Yeah, no thanks. I will keep my books in one piece thank you. At least when people peel off the Digital Copy sticker from todays books they get something out of it. With the stamps all you got was bunch of clippings of pictures you could put in a folder. While the stamps would be fun to collect, lets keep them IN the book. Hey come to think of it, this would be a really cool idea for a CGC set...Marvel Value Stamps. A quick search on the Internet and I found a site that has all of the stamps listed with pictures and the books they came from...Im telling you, some people have way too much time on their hands. There are 100 issues in all for the first series...a worthy collecting goal. For more info on the stamps, check out the website www.mvstamps.com Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Is it Con season already? So my wife asks me today hey, did you know the Amazing AZ Con was in less than 2 weeks? Well, I knew it was in January...the first con of the year...but I guess time just sorta slipped away from me. I totally did NOT realize it was that close. Apparently she had been talking with someone who thankfully happened to mention it otherwise another week would have gone by, or worse I may have even missed it altogether. I must be getting old, its the only thing that makes sense. Now Ive got to start looking at who is going to be there, what if anything I want to have signed, what I want to have graded, and update my want list of reader copies. I would love to find some more Fine copies of Tales of Suspense at a great price, but fat chance of that happening so I will also be on the lookout for high grade affordable copies of other books I can either add to my collection or try and profit on. Still thinking about the Hulk 109 Tnerb picked up at a good price that graded at 9.4...I would love to be able to walk away with a story like that. Since Im on the subject of time flying I will share something on my mind that has nothing to do with comics. I heard a song on the radio today that got me thinking...25 years ago my girlfriend in high school took me to my first rock concert. It was Night Ranger and the little known band at the time that opened up for them, Tesla, playing in Sacramento, CA. I was the skater type from Long Beach, CA and listened to things like The Cure, Depeche Mode, Thompson Twins, Tears for Fears, and all that stuff. She literally had to drag me along. We were really far from the stage, but man Tesla just drew me in with their sound, it was rockin and they instantly became one of my favorite bands. Recently, Tesla was in town here in AZ playing at a casino and I was able to take my girlfriend, now wife, with seats just 10 rows from the stage. Dude, they were still rockin and it brought back all kinds of great memories. Good times man, good times. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Adding to the collection Its been awhile since Ive written journal. Instead Ive been living vicariously through others here as they write about their latest additions and collecting experiences while leaving comments when I can. The truth is I havent had the funds to outright buy the high grade issues I want so I havent really had anything to write about. I have purchased several high grade books for my X-men appearance collection over the past few months that I plan to have pressed and graded, but Im waiting to write about those until after theyve been submitted. In the meantime I will have to appease myself by picking up some really cool reading copies, in the F to VF range, of books that interest me. I started with Tales to Astonish back issues featuring Giant Man and the Hulk. Ive never been a big Hank Pym fan because of the crappy way he treats his girlfriend, but was pulled in by the hype of the Ant Man movie. These have actually been pretty good and its funny to see early appearances of characters like Whirlwind, aka The Human Top. Most recently I began to pick up copies of Tales of Suspense. I was cold on this title at first because it was more Iron Man centered than anything, but now Ive zeroed in on the Captain America stories. Ever since I started collecting comics 25 years ago the Silver Surfer has always been my favorite character. Now for whatever reason, I find myself being more and more drawn to Cap. I suppose it does make sense when I think about it. Both characters have a sense of justice and nobility that I identify with and both always seem to find a way to overcome any obstacle, but Cap is more down to earth...literally. Anyway, I am loving these old Cap stories and hope to someday pick up copies of issue 59, his first Silver Age appearance, through issue 99 which becomes the Captain America title with issue 100. Below is a pic of the recent issues I found hidden at my LCS. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Joe's art is really good. Impressive collection. Crazy they're not worth more points, especially since some are SO limited. Really wish Joe was more committed to the book by producing new issues regularly...the guy, for whatever frustrating reason, just isn't motivated enough to get them done.

It really happened... Like a lot of people, I enjoy getting me weekly fix of new comics. What I enjoy even more is picking up Silver and Bronze Age books I havent read before. I recently read Cap 151 and 152 featuring the Scorpion and Mr. Hyde which was a great story. The problem is, these books are oftentimes more costly than the Modern books so I am forced to go back and reread some of the great stories already in my collection. This isnt so bad since I tend to forget what I read after several years. Once such book I just reread was Giant Size Defenders 3 featuring the Grandmaster. The Defenders enlist the help of Daredevil to battle a series of alien foes in a game of life and death with the Grandmaster. I love these types of stories that are along the same lines and Contest of Champions and Secret Wars. Anyway, spoiler...it turns out badly for Daredevil and the Sub Mariner, neither of which survive the match up with their opponents. I thought this would end up being one of those things where the battlefield ended up being in their minds or something...no way they could really die right? Well, I was wrong and they really didn't make it. Fortunately the other members of the Defenders did survive and as a result the contest was one, at which point the Grandmaster brought them back to life. Wow...I knew dude was an Elder of the Universe and all that, but did not know he could bring someone back from death. Crazy. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Looking for opinions... If...and this is a big if...I was to open an online comics store, what kinds of features and things would you like to see? Some of the things Ive seen on other sites that I like are a quick search, advanced search, nice looking scans with descriptions, graded and ungraded books, a whats new section, and obviously a shopping cart that accepts credit cards and Paypal. I thought about a link to my eBay listings as well where I would list the same comics but at a higher price given the fees involved...and I dont know if eBay would allow me to include a link to the online store in the auction listing. Just an idea I was kicking around. Ive been scooping up some raw high grade Silver and Bronze Age Marvel books from various sources lately and I need to figure out what to do with them. Do I press some, grade some, press and grade some, leave some raw, keep some or sell some. So really Im not sure what Im doing with them yet, but I know I wanted them because they look amazing and the price was right...and I love comics. The idea of having my own store has always appealed to me as well, so we'll see. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest addi....not so fast One of the books I need to complete my Xmen the Missing Years set that has been difficult to find in high grade is Giant Size Fantastic Four 4. I saw a CCGC 9.8 copy come up for sale on eBay this week with no reserve and a low starting bid. I put in an initial bid of 100 to get the ball rolling, with every intent to increase the bid as the auction went along. Then I get this email yesterday... Dear eBay Community Member, The bid that you entered for the item has been cancelled. You can view the reason provided for the cancellation by selecting the bid history link from the individual item page. Please be cautious if you are contacted about purchasing this item after the bid has been cancelled and as always avoid paying for your eBay item using instant wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram as these payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know. Regards, eBay So I went to the item page and see this description... This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available. Gee, I wonder what happened...yeah, we all know what happened. Realistically I only had a small chance of winning the auction at a reasonable price considering the last two copies I saw sold for well over 500, which is insane to me. Still, I wanted a fair shot at it. I probably shouldnt be too sad really. I have done what this buyer did once myself, though only once...I really wanted my Fantastic Four 48 CGC 8.0 so I offered the seller 500. He accepted, ended the auction, I paid via PayPal, and he sent my book. Oh well, win some, lose some I guess. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Signatures, Cons and the like... It seems like Ive been becoming more obsessed with comics lately. Thankfully I havent gone on a crazy spending spree or anything, but I do find myself checking eBay and the other auction sites more and more frequently. What am I hoping to find? Books that will enhance my collection mostly. A lot of the books I want though are very tough to find in high grade or they are priced out of reach. Despite my increased searches, there are a couple that I let get away from me...thinking surely someone else would bid more than I did. Yeah, I really need to learn to be more aggressive, go with my max bid and let the chips fall where they may. With all this talk lately of who will get what signed by who and when, Ive also been trying to find things for signature series. My plan is to make it to ECCC next year and Id like to take at least a few books with me. The problem so far has been that most all of the guests Ive seen are creators of Modern Age books and Im a fan of Silver and Bronze. I did make an exception at the Phoenix Con this year and had a few Modern books signed by Peter David...Hulk 337, 338 and 340, because I really like those books. Sure, I could find other Modern books to have signed just for the sake of getting them signed, but I would rather spend my time and money finding and slabbing books I really want...signature or no signature. My favorite writer is Steve Englehart...he, more than any other, kept the Xmen alive after their own title entered reprint mode with issue 67. Steve had the Xmen making guest appearances in numerous other titles which, I believe, kept reader interest in these heroes and ultimately led to the creation of a new Xmen team with issue 94. Steve tells me he will be at the Albuquerque Con in January which is only about a 6 hour drive for me, and an even shorter flight. My plan is to attend so I can meet the man and have him sign a few books...that is unless ECCC extends him an invite and he accepts, in which case I will just wait til March and see him there. Back to my initial ramblings...most of the books Im looking for are related to Xmen. Lately though Ive been losing my collecting focus a little and searching for any high grade books within the titles I like to collect. The latest is pictured below...Captain America 151. I found this at my LCS yesterday and thought with a pressing it has a great chance at a 9.4...not a bad grade with that black cover, and I like that it features a crossover of sorts with an appearance by the Scorpion and Mr. Hyde. Hey, for only 15 bucks I couldnt pass it up...and I could always sell it later if I want so its a win win. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Disneyland goodness... My family and I just got back from spending the weekend at the happiest place on Earth...Disneyland. Thats right, we are big Mickey Mouse fans, and proud of it. We cant get enough, and bought annual passes for the first time earlier this year. Its cheaper to do that than to visit twice in the same year so it was definitely worth it for us. The drive from AZ is a little long, about 6 hours, but we have such a good time we dont mind it too much. The park is really cool this time of year too because its all decked out in a Halloween theme. Space Mountain has a spooky space ghost thing going on...pretty freaky really. The best is the Haunted Mansion with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme that even includes this HUGE gingerbread house in the ball room scene, made out of real gingerbread...it even smells like gingerbread during that part of the ride. Im telling you, those imagineers at Disney are genius. New this year to the Innovations attraction was an Iron Man exhibit. My wife told me about this...they have all the different Iron Man suits from the various movies on display as you can see in the pic below. Even up close they look real. They also had this virtual reality type deal where you stand on this 3 foot diameter circle on the floor and face a TV monitor where you see yourself on the screen in Tony Starks workroom slash garage just like in the movie. First, the armor starts flying onto the image of you on screen until youre all decked out in the suit...then you reach out your hands like youre grabbing for the helmet and the image of you on screen puts the helmet on...so cool. Now that you have the Iron Man suit on you get to do a weapons test, aka target practice with your repulsors, and then finally a test flight around the room by leaning forward, backward and side to side. How cool is that. My understanding is that sometime in October the Iron Man exhibit is going away and they will be showcasing a Thor exhibit instead. Looks like I need to check my vacation calendar. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The original X-men... I read this excerpt from a recent journal posted by wardevil0... I progressed into the Marvel Universe at about the time of Secret Wars, and gravitated heavily toward the XBooks. I kept this up for about ten years, but by 1995 had quit comics completely. In mid 2001, the revitalization of Marvel with JMS on Amazing Spiderman, Grant Morrison on New XMen, and Joe Casey on Uncanny XMen brought me back. Since then, Ive transitioned fully to DC for new books. I just don't feel that Marvel is putting out comics that reach me. Ever since Civil War the Marvel characters have been strangers. Is wadevil0 right, have the original Xmen changed that much in recent years. He may be right. Lets take a look at where they are now... Professor X... killed by an angry, Phoenix corrupted Cyclops in Avengers vs. Xmen 11, November 2012. As if this werent enough of a travesty, lets desecrate the mans memory by allowing the Red Skull to then take the brain of Professor X and fuse it with his own so that he can tap his mutant telepathy and use it for his own evil ends. Seriously, it happened in Uncanny Avengers 1, December 2012. I blame Joe Quesada for allowing this to happen...shameful. Cyclops...corrupted by the dark Phoenix force, kills Professor X for trying to stop him from remaking the world in his own image in Avengers vs. Xmen 11, November 2012. His mutant powers are now broken...an ill effect of the Phoenix force, and he is on the run from SHIELD and the Avengers who want him to answer for his crimes. So, he decides to partner with Emma Frost and Magneto to start a school for new mutants which he christens...wait for it...Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters in Uncanny Xmen 1, April 2013. So you kill the man, take no accountability for your actions, and then start a new school using his name. I have no idea what Cyclops is about anymore, and I cannot bring myself to root for him...at all. Jean Grey, Marvel Girl...tricked by a Magneto imposter named Xorn, to end up trapped on Asteroid M as it drifted into the sun where she died in New Xmen 150, February 2004. It is believed she is still alive somewhere in something called the White Hot Room where the Phoenix force resides. More to come Im sure as Jean, thankfully, refuses to remain dead for long. Angel...had his wings first removed by the Marauders in Thor 373, November, 1986, and replaced by artificial blades in XFactor 24, January, 1988. The metal blades broke off to reveal real wings underneath in Uncanny Xmen 338, November, 1996. Had his real wings ripped off again, this time by a mind controlled Wolfsbane, before his techno organic metal wings grew back in XForce 4, July, 2008. It was revealed that he could now change at will from Angel with feather wings, to Archangel with metal wings any time he chooses...I like this concept. Is then stabbed by Psylocke with the Life Seed in Uncanny XForce 16, December, 2011, and thought dead but in reality just has an amnesia of sorts as he does not know who he is or who any of the other Xmen are...seems to think he is a real Angel who is supposed to help people. Iceman...still an Xman and currently a professor at The Jean Grey School of Higher Learning under headmaster Wolverine. Also in the early stages of a romantic relationship with Kitty Pride, aka Sprite. Gotta love that Iceman at least has retained those things that make him such a fun character. Beast...still an Xman and currently a professor at The Jean Grey School of Higher Learning under headmaster Wolverine. Unfortunately he has also recently mutated into blue furred ape like state in All New Xmen 5, March 2013...which wouldnt be so bad if he had Hulk like strength or something cool like that to go with it, but no such luck. Brian Michael Bendis has earned my trust though with All New Xmen so we will see what happens there. Lets face it, most of the writers of today have totally jacked up these characters. Its no wonder Bendis wanted to bring back the original Xmen from their youth, now appearing in All New Xmen. We long for a simpler time, and the innocence of these great characters who, although they faced many obstacles, never lost the sense of who they were individually and as a team. I for one will be sad to see the young Xmen go back to their own time, as they inevitably must, and hope their older selves learn some lessons from the experience. The ultimate for me would be to see the original Xmen of today reunite on the same team, order and powers restored to normal, and watch them take hold of Xaviers dream once again. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Thanks for sharing Rune, very interesting. It's funny, I was just wondering yesterday if there was a risk of damaging the CGC books I have on display in frames on the walls of my room. From the sound of it, the preferred environment is dark, and most of my books are stored in the closet so that's covered. My best books I keep on the wall though...I'm not about to tuck them away - I view my books as pieces of art and they are meant to be displayed and enjoyed. At least I can say that my home faces North/South so that I don't have any "direct" sunlight coming in...again, still better to store them in the dark I know, but I prefer to admire them so I'll just have to keep my blinds closed more often I guess.

Latest additions... Back in May I attended the Phoenix Con and submitted four modern books to CGC after obtaining signatures from Peter David and Bret Blevins. I dont usually collect graded copies of modern books but these were Xmen appearances and I couldnt pass up the opportunity to have them signed by the creators. A couple of weeks ago I saw they had hit Graded status...after Tnerb talked me down from the ledge I opted not to peek at the grades until they arrived in my hot little hands. Well, now they are here so I can share with you all... I opened up the box and saw the grades were facing up so I immediately turned them over so I could flip them one at a time to see the grades. Flipped the first one. Hulk 336, XFactor appearance. Predicted 9.8 and received 9.8SS...Peter David Nice, I got one right. Man, now Im really hoping issue 337 graded 9.8 as well so I can have a matched set. Flipped the next one. Xmen 211, Mauraders first appearance, CGC 9.8 given to me by Ronnylama...thank you again my friend...signed and sketch by Bret. Expected 9.8 and received 9.8SS Im really glad this one retained its grade. Even better, bagofleas footed the bill for the grading as a thank you for getting some of his New Mutants issues signed. Thank you again kind sir. Flipped the third one. Hulk 340, Hulk vs. Wolverine. Predicted 9.2, maybe a 9.4 after pressing and received 9.6SS...Peter David Wow, this was a pleasant surprise. Pressing really paid off in this case. Ive always loved this cover and now I have a great looking signed copy. Yea. Flipped the last one. Hulk 337, XFactor appearance. Predicted 9.8 and received 9.8SS...Peter David Yes, a matched set of 9.8SS and without pressing even. Score. I did pretty well with these moderns and may need to consider doing it again sometime if the right issues and creators come along. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.