surfer99

Latest addition... I wrote a journal a couple weeks ago about how I had just spent more than I ever have before on a comic book. Well, that book has arrived and is now framed and hanging on my wall. Most of you have probably already scrolled down to take a look at the picture so I will just come out with it...the book is Amazing Adventures 11 CGC 9.6 with white pages! Tnerb was closest to guessing the issue with his suggestion that it was an Xmen appearance from the time between teams (Xmen 66-94). Its just such a historic time for the characters, I love it. This is the most expensive Xmen appearance during that period and honestly I never expected to own a copy in this grade. With the black cover and the significance of the issue...first appearance of Beast with fur...this is a rare book to find in such great condition (thus the hefty price tag). My initial intent was to buy the best looking copy I could find raw and have it graded, which I did. The book I sent in came out a 9.0 which I was happy with. Now I had my sights set on a 9.6 copy which my wife couldnt understand but she supported nonetheless. So what changed? A couple of things...one, the other rare (in high grade) Xmen appearances I have displayed are all in CGC 9.6 condition with white pages so if I wanted to display this issue it had to fit the same criteria. Two, after creating the Xmen The Missing Years set I was quickly booted from the top spot by someone who had also obtained a copy of this issue in this grade...and I aim to reclaim the number one ranking. Not being petty, just competitive, and having fun! As an added bonus, I was able to sell my 9.0 copy, at a profit no less, and will be using the money to buy another issue. I will let you know how that turns out in another journal. Right now, I am going to reread Amazing Adventures 11 and admire the high grade copy I have displayed! Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Let's see if they have anything good... So I was in Richardson, TX this week on business. The Summit I attended had ended and I had a few hours until my flight was scheduled to depart. Let's see, what can I do for an hour? I was telling a coworker who lives in the area that the rental car return at DFW airport is a pain to find. He agreed, but said I should have no trouble if I used the voice guided feature on Google maps. Downloaded the app to my iPhone and it did work great. Before heading to the airport though I tested it by visiting a LCS, Comics Asylum. The app didnt steer me wrong and I arrived at my destination with no problem. The employees were a bit stand offish but overall they didnt seem too bad. After browsing their selection of back issues for awhile I decided to pick up Cable and Deadpool TPB Vol 1 for my youngest as he is a big Deadpool fan. Read it on the plane ride home, it wasnt bad. When I asked the clerk about Silver and Bronze Age back issues he pointed me to 2 boxes which I thought were all DC only. Turns out the DC and Marvel were mixed so I had fun browsing through those and found a few issues that would go home with me. Nothing high grade of course but I'm happy to add these to my collection of reading copies. I bought 1 issue of Sub Mariner and two issues from the Xmen reprint days. I told the store manager that I didnt like paying for the Xmen books because they were reprints and I already knew the stories, but I was a completest and was working on an Xmen 1-544 run. He was sympathetic and knocked a few bucks off each issue. All in all, a good trip, and scored some unexpected comics as an added bonus! Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

More to follow... I dont want to give it away just yet, but I just won a ComicLink auction for a high grade book Ive wanted for a long time. This is an amazing book and I cant wait to get it in my hands! I spent more on this book than I ever have on any other. I figured Id treat myself since I got a nice bonus at work. If I hadnt won this book I would have settled for Iron Fist 14 and Daredevil 168 in CGC 9.6. It was a tough choice, but this is the one I really wanted. I will share more when I receive it, and if you can guess the book I won before then you will receive an unofficial No Prize! Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Following in B Koski's footsteps... I see these journals from B Koski every so often where he picks up another high grade Bronze Age Xmen book at the close of a Sunday auction to add to his ever growing collection. I think to myself, Id like to pick up some of those books for my collection, but Im usually outbid because I tend to bid conservatively when it comes to Xmen only because those issues are so abundant. What I usually do is look to see what that issue has been selling for lately on eBay and then place a bid just shy of the lowest selling price. I figure if I win the auction then I got a pretty good deal. Well, this past Sunday I put in my bid and just barely won! Surprisingly B Koski does not have this issue in his collection yet so I consider myself fortunate he didnt spy this one. Its OK, Im sure he can find another any time he wants. So without further ado, my latest addition... Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Anyone planning to attend... I don't know if anyone plans on attending the St Louis Comic Con at the Wizard World Convention Center this year, but a friend of mine sent me a link for 50% off admission. It's valid for Friday, March 22, 2013 only and you have to buy your ticket in the next 7 days. Here is the link if anyone is interested... http://www.groupon.com/deals/wizard-world-3?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu14347839 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Bigger and better than last year... Last year the Amazing AZ Con was held in downtown Mesa at the Convention Center. This year it moved to downtown Phoenix at the Convention Center there. It was five times as big as it was in Mesa and we had a great time. Funny story. We paid 12 bucks to park the truck then walked to the Con from there. We were standing on the corner next to another family and this dude in a Joker outfit, complete with straight jacket, waiting for the light to turn green. When it did, the Joker dude lets out this crazy laugh and starts running across the street then up the Convention Center steps. The family we were standing next to starts to follow when one of the kids, a little boy about 3 or 4 years old, says...Not that way dad, thats Joker. Too funny. So I was bummed that Stan Lee couldnt make it, but I went to the Desert Winds booth and dropped off my FF 28 CGC 7.5 and Strange Tales 120 CGC 8.0. Stan will sign them once he kicks this flu bug and the books will ship to CGC...Economy, so I should get them back in July. Im extending a lot of trust to Desert Winds that they wont damage the books taking them out of the slabs. The big guy I was talking to there says he likes to tell the story of the previous tool he used to take books out of their slabs...he would let his two rottweilers tear the slab off then pull the book out before they could get their teeth into it. Yeah. The sad thing is some people actually believed him. I didnt submit any other books this time around. I figured the 200 dollars I spent to have the two books signed by Stan and resubmitted for grading was enough for one day. I looked for a high grade copy of Uncanny Xmen 286 to have Jim Lee, who also had the flu, and Scott Lobdell sign but no luck. This was the last Uncanny Xmen issue Jim Lee drew, even though it was only the cover, and it was the first Uncanny Xmen issue Scott Lobdell ever wrote so I thought it would be pretty cool to have them both sign it even though it has no other real significance. Wow this is one of the longer journals Ive written. Hope Im not boring you guys. So, I got to see my buddy Frank at Aspen Comics and he gave me a 1 in 200 copy of Legend of the Shadow Clan 1 which looks to be a pretty cool series. Then I visited all the other vendors and browsed their books. I didnt see any high grade books that interested me so I started looking to fill holes in my collection for the reading copies I needed. You would be surprised how difficult it is to find an Avengers 195. Finally found a copy that was like a 9.4 but the seller wanted 50 bucks. Huh? Oh I see, its the first appearance of Taskmaster. Really, 50 bucks? Needless to say I did not make that purchase. I did find a lot of other reader copies I was looking for though and as we were leaving I happened to stop at one more dealer with a really small booth...flipped through his books and found a Fine copy of Avengers 195 for 5 bucks. Score. My oldest son was most excited about the weapons booth and Japanese candy. We ended up letting him buy a hunting knife, though its more like a replica than anything. My youngest son bought a couple TPBs and a few Marvel tokidoki blind boxes...those little figures are way cool. At the end of the day our dogs were barking and stomachs were growling so we walked down the street to Majerles, named for the owner...former Phoenix Suns player Dan Majerle, grabbed some sandwiches, and headed home. All in all we had a great time. Cant wait to come back in May for the Phoenix Con. Til next time... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Was really looking forward to meeting the man... Im excited about attending the Amazing AZ Con tomorrow. I went to the Cons website to double check what time they opened their doors and saw some sad news though. Apparently Stan Lee is ill and wont be able to make it. http://amazingarizonacomiccon.com/ Selfishly Im really disappointed because I wont get to meet him, but the reality is the man is 90 years old so my thoughts and prayers are with him for a speedy recovery. I thought this would also mean I wouldnt be able to get his signature, but it turns out Desert Winds will take my books to Stans office once he is feeling better and he will sign them at that point. Im thankful for that at least. Get well soon Stan! Til next time... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Writers today... ...dont seem to crank out the volume of work they did back in the day. I recently purchased a nice run of Avengers reading copies from my LCS from like issue 180 to 220. Ive been adding these in to the mix of current books for my reading pleasure and I noticed something. There is a lot more to read with the older books. I trashed my back earlier tonight rolling up a hose in the backyard so Ive been resigned to the couch for the duration of the night. This has allowed me to get caught up on some of my reading and I just finished Indestructible Hulk 2 and Avengers 193. Hulk being the modern book of course, and The Avengers was from 1979. Since Im stuck on the couch anyway I decided to count the number of words in each issue to see how they compared because the older books just feel like they take so much longer to read. I know I lost count a few times so its not completely accurate but it will give you an idea...The Avengers had roughly 1,993 words in 17 pages while the Hulk had about 1,222 in 20 pages. I was surprised it was even this close to be honest, but still thats quite a difference. In the end we are left with less of the story told today with words and more with artwork. This isnt a bad thing mind you as Im a big fan of great art, but if Im honest I really miss the extra reading when its a great writer. There are some modern books that take like 10 minutes to read and then Im left wondering what the heck, I just spent 4 bucks for 10 minutes of entertainment? Personally I want to have my cake and eat it too...give me the great art with the splash pages AND the substance of added writing. For what we pay, I dont think this is an unreasonable request. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Who is she? I recently purchased a nice copy of Amazing Adventures 15 for my collection of Xmen appearances and decided to reread the story for like the fifth time. This issue features the first appearance of the Griffin and an appearance by Patsy Walker and the X-men. I'm thinking to myself, who is this Patsy Walker that she warrants a CGC appearance designation on the slab? So I looked her up. Turns out she is a character who had her own romance comic back in the Golden Age. Im sure you Golden Age collectors out there knew this, but this was news to me. Anyway, she married her Air Force boyfriend and ended up making an appearance in this issue of Amazing Adventures. The storyline between her and the Beast then continued in Avengers 141 where she threatened...OK, I wont spoil it for anyone who hasnt read it, but I will say that in a later issue of Avengers she ends up donning the costume of the former heroine, the Cat, thus becoming a new heroine altogether named Hellcat. She goes on to join the Defenders, divorce her husband, and marry the Son of Satan. Quite a leap from romance books to super heroine if you ask me...and she looks amazing for her age, but then again this is the world of comics where anything is possible. Her full story can be found here... http://marvel.wikia.com/Patricia_Walker_%28Earth-616%29 Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

What do you think? Ive been on vacation since Christmas so this has allowed me to play catch up on some of my reading. I just finished All New Xmen 2 and thought it was awesome! I was excited about this title because it brought the original, or antique...no longer classic Im told, Xmen to the present day to face their current selves. What a great concept in my opinion. I love the first Xmen and really miss their innocence and noble character, back before they were scarred by the experiences of life, twisted by demons inside and out, and hardened to the world around them they once sought to embrace in peaceful coexistence. Even the Uncanny Avengers seems like a forced alliance, rather than a happy union. What would the younger more idealistic Xmen of yesterday think of their self absorbed, in fighting selves of today? Well, they stick to the personalities the writers of the day infused them with and do exactly what you hope they would do which is what makes this such a great story. OK, Im off to read issue 3 then 4! Great review... http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=5429 *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

2013 schedule I had a great visit today from my very good friend Frank Mastromauro of Aspen Comics fame. Frank and I have been friends for many years, since back before he broke into comics at Top Cow, moved to Southern California, and later joined Michael Turner in launching Aspen MLT, Inc. Of course I miss hanging with him on a regular basis, but our families remain close and we do stay in touch. The holidays, and anytime he's in town for a convention, are great times to catch up if we havent spoken in a while. I enjoy hearing Frank talk about his experiences in the comics industry, from what goes on behind the scenes, to the comic con happenings, to the office hijinks and all the great people he works with. There are some really exciting plans for Aspen in 2013 to celebrate the companys 10 year anniversary, so I thought Id share them with you. Starting in February, Aspen will release one new book per month for 10 months at only a buck each. These will not be preview books where you get like 5 pages, theyre full length, real number one issues. Of course subsequent issues will be at regular price, but the thought is fans will enjoy the books so much theyll want to continue picking them up. The low cover price also allows new readers to jump on board and check out a book they might not have otherwise. The number one issues will alternate between new books like Legend of the Shadow Clan and Jirni, and new volumes to familiar titles like Fathom and Soulfire. Im looking forward to checking out the new Aspen titles in 2013, and the 10 for 10...that is 10 number one issues for 10 dollars...sounds like a win win for Aspen and for fans like us. Looking forward to reading some of your reviews! http://www.examiner.com/article/aspen-comics-celebrates-its-tenth-anniversary-2013-with-10-for-10 Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I didn't think I was THAT old... So I was in the Disney Store at the mall last weekend and my son pointed out these Marvel mini figures in boxed sets. There were some really cool ones like the team from the new Avengers movie, Amazing Spiderman with villains, and the modern Xmen team. Then I see this one called Xmen Classic featuring the team from the 1991 comic book reboot. The characters have all the same characters and costumes from that time. Im thinking to myself, how is THIS classic Xmen? The classic Xmen are from the Silver Age, back before the Beast gained fur and Angel became Archangel. Were the 90s really so long ago that theyve now been dubbed Classic? Sigh. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

And he's not a super-villain... So after brushing my teeth on Monday morning I happened to look down and see this nasty looking bark scorpion. Dude...Ive lived in AZ for 18 years and I have never seen any of these beasts anywhere near my home. They usually infest homes built around the mountains and foothills, but I am in the valley. For whatever reason, we started seeing them outside in our neighborhood this summer. Now they are in my house! Ive heard from some people, oh its no big deal if you get stung, it just numbs you a little bit. While others are apparently in so much pain they have to go to the hospital for anti-venom. Note- there was a news story earlier this year about one of the hospitals near me that charged a lady $80K total for two shots because her insurance wouldnt cover it. People were pretty upset about this because you can go to Mexico and it costs like $100 per shot. The hospital later changed its pricing so now its like $5K or something and the lady was thankfully issued a refund for the difference. Crazy stuff. The worst part is, now I have to inspect every inch of the bathroom before I can take a shower or use the facilities to make sure there aren't any scorpions. I also have to check in, over, and under my bed with a blacklight before going to sleep. No, Im not paranoid, I would just rather avoid the experience of getting stung if at all possible. So what does this have to do with comics? Nothing really, I'm just not a fan of social media and needed an outlet. Thanks for listening! OK fine, um...the first appearance of the Scorpion was in Amazing Spider-man 20 and you can pick up a 9.2 copy for $2,250 right now on eBay. *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest addition... Ka-Zar (pronounced kay-sar) issue 3. Ive had my eye on this book for a while and had to sell quite a few Modern Age raw books to get it, but Im SO happy I did. I was a year old when this was made and its in amazing 9.6 condition with white pages, crazy. The book is Giant Size and features three separate stories...a reprint of Amazing Spiderman 58, a reprint of Daredevil 14, and a brand NEW Angel story written by none other than Jerry Siegel, the creator of Superman! I may not be a DC fan, but I can absolutely appreciate what this man has done for comics. So Ive seen this priced on eBay at $268 which I was NOT prepared to pay, but then I found it on wwcomics for $185 and thought that was much more reasonable. Once I had enough money to make the purchase I decided to do one last minute search on eBay and to my surprise I found a newly listed copy for only $130 with free shipping. What? Needless to say I bought it with a quickness. As I went to add it to my Xmen The Missing Years set, I also found that I was no longer Rank 1 for this set. You mean Im not the only one who has an affinity for Elf culture, I mean for Bronze Age Xmen crossover appearances? Sorry, getting into the Christmas movies already, and I just realized if you havent seen the movie Elf you have no idea what Im talking about. Sooo anyway, yes, a fellow collector named x-files has an AMAZING collection of Xmen appearances that surpasses my own. In my defense he does have a much higher overall ranking than I do but this has only pushed me to work even harder to complete the set and retake the Rank 1 status. Im normally not one to care about set ranking, but this is my baby. Wish me luck, im gonna need it. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest addition, first pedigree... I bought this one on eBay a few weeks ago but am just getting around to adding it to my Xmen The Missing Years set. Ive never owned a pedigree, this one is Rocky Mountain, and this is a great Bronze Age appearance of Magneto so I had to go for it. I found a cool web site on pedigrees, but the story of Rocky Mountain isnt listed...comicbookpedigrees.com. I know Matt Nelson was working on a book about pedigrees so maybe I will learn something about it there. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Need suggestions... Im putting together a set of all Bronze Age Xmen appearances and could use some input. Specifically, should Iceman and Angel appearances be included when they were part of the Champions? They werent Xmen at the time they were Champions, which is my hesitation. Issues like Iron Man Annual 4, Spectacular Spiderman 17, and Godzilla 3. I was leaning toward including these appearances initially, but now Im leaning the other way. Another question is whether to include Dazzler and Rogue appearances. They didnt become part of the Xmen until after the Bronze Age so what about issues like Amazing Spiderman 203, MTU 109, and Rom 31? Im thinking of including them, but Im not completely sold on the idea. Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks! Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

This is a lot of work... So I have two issues. 1) I am running out of room in my closet to store all my comics...aside from my CGC books I have about 20 short boxes full and I don't want to go over that, 2) There's a graded book I want, but I don't have the cash to buy it and I don't want to put it on a credit card. Solution? Purge my collection of ungraded books and sell them on eBay! Sounded like a good idea at the time, but man it was a lot more work than I thought it would be...going through my collection, viewing completed auctions to get a feel for the right price point, writing descriptions, taking pictures, and finally listing them all on eBay. Oh look, it's 2:00am on a Sunday morning. Sigh. Need to get to bed. Hopefully I can write about obtaining that book I want in a future journal. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest addition... Feeling inspired by B.Koskis recent additions. I picked this one up a couple weeks ago. Here are the highlights... X-men 122 CGC 9.6 1979 1st Mastermind as Jason Wyngarde. Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, and Mariko appearance. Arcade, Black Tom, and Juggernaut cameo. Real name of Colossus revealed for first time. Summary and comic details... http://marvel.wikia.com/X-Men_122 Quote: We're super-heroes, Ororo, not God. We can save humanity from Doc Doom or Galactus...but not from itself. Luke Cage To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest addition... One step closer to completing my Marvel Masterworks Xmen Volume 8 set. I would have loved to add Giant Size Fantastic Four 4 awhile back, but that auction ended the same time as the auction for Fantastic Four 104. Both issues were CGC 9.6, and I opted to go with the latter. Very rare that either of these books would show up for auction at all so of course they both had to appear at the same time. I didnt want to spend so much money at once so I had to choose...has this ever happened to anyone else? Anyway back to my latest addition. Thanks to Gemma I can now add this book to the newly created Marvel Masterworks Xmen Vol 8 set. There are 14 issues in this collection and now that I have Defenders 16 in high grade, I only need 3 more issues to complete the graded set...Hulk 180, MTU 38, and the aforementioned GS FF 4. Gemma has also added a couple of other sets for me...Marvel Masterworks Xmen Vol 7, and Xmen The Missing Years. Check em out when you can, these are my pride and joy. Lastly but certainly not least, a special shout out and HUGE thank you to Ronnylama for his recent contributions to my collection and his always friendly correspondence. This is a generous man with a big heart whom I am proud to call friend. Youre my kinda human Ron thanks again!!! Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Always great to find what you're looking for... I was admiring my copy of Marvel Team-up 4 CGC 9.6 yesterday that I have framed and hanging in my room. Its good to appreciate what you have and I don't think we do that often enough as collectors. This is one of the most treasured books in my collection of Xmen appearances. It got me thinking about how hard it was to find that particular issue, and how gratifying it was to finally own it. For me, those are the triumphs in my collecting journey that I treasure the most- finding those issues that, regardless of age or value, are so elusive. Ive read some journals that talk about this subject and would love to hear more about the books others have added to their collections that were hard to come by. After searching six different web sites on the internet today trying to find another copy of each of the books in my collection, I can honestly say these are the rarest- Avengers 110 CGC 9.6, only found 1 copy for sale graded higher and none in 9.6 Avengers 111 CGC 9.6, only found 1 copy for sale graded higher and none in 9.6 Capt America 172 CGC 9.6, only found 1 copy for sale graded higher and none in 9.6 Champions 17 CGC 9.6, only found 1 copy for sale in same grade, none higher Daredevil 99 CGC 9.6, only found 1 copy for sale graded higher and none in 9.6 Daredevil 111 CGC 9.6, none found for sale in same grade or higher Fantastic Four 104 CGC 9.6, only found 1 copy for sale in same grade, none higher Marvel TeamUp 4 CGC 9.6, none found for sale in same grade or higher Power Man and Iron Fist 57 CGC 9.6, none found for sale in same grade or higher So a total of 3 books in my collection currently have no other copies for sale at the moment in grade or higher and 6 books only have 1 copy for sale. Glad to see my Marvel TeamUp 4 made the list. That one and the Avengers 111 are really tough to find in high grade because of those black covers. I should point out too that the books above that are for sale are all priced way above market value, making it that much more satisfying to own them. There are still quite a few books I want that are proving near impossible to find, but then if they were easy to find it wouldnt be anywhere near as rewarding. Not that I dont have love for the more common books like my Hulk 181 or the Byrne run on Xmen, those books rock, I dont care how many thousands of high grade copies there are, . There is just something cool about owning the hard to find books that takes it to another level. Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me? Good luck to all in your collecting journeys. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Blinded by the lights of the Con... Submitted these books at WonderCon in March and just got them back. I was really excited that I found these at the Con and convinced myself they would all grade at 9.0 or above so I didnt hesitate to overspend. Unfortunately I didnt fare as well I had hoped, and when I took a closer look at them after getting them back from CGC I can see why. What can I say, I was caught up in the moment and blinded by the lights of the Con. Anyway, these are the unfortunate results. Avengers 47 CGC 8.5 with White Pages Avengers 53 CGC 7.5 this one hurts, need to find a better copy Sub-Mariner 52 CGC 9.2 with White Pages Fortunately they were all Blue Labels so thats one positive. As Ive mentioned previously though, I think Im done submitting my own books for a while. Id rather save up and spend the money on a grade I really want rather than overspend on raw copies and receive grades Im not happy with. Good luck to all with your submissions, and may the odds be ever in your favor...sorry, couldnt help myself. Til next time... P.S. Why is my journal not posting to the message boards. I took out all special characters. ***

Latest addition... I debated getting an investment grade copy of this issue for some time, and surprisingly there aren't many listed on the census. The story takes place right in the middle of Avengers #110 and #111 (one of my all-time favorite X-men crossovers) with the Avengers seeking Daredevil's aid in stopping Magneto, but it doesn't feature an appearance by the X-men. You would think there'd at least be a cameo or something, but no. Ultimately though I decided to get it because I like having the whole story, I really like the cover, and thanks to the Avengers movie, Hawkeye and the Black Widow just seem way cooler than they ever have before. Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Latest additions... I put off buying these issues for way too long. I could have picked them up a month ago for almost half the price, but I didn't see any rush. So what happened? On 8/1/2012, it was confirmed that the Days of Future Past will be the storyline used in the upcoming X-men First Class 2 movie (http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/days-of-future-past-story-confirmed-for-x-men-first-class-sequel/). Sigh. That's what I get for waiting. Oh well, at least from what I can tell these issues continue to rise in value so they should be a sound investment. You know what's funny is I never realized the "future" in which this story takes place is 2013. Kind of a letdown we haven't seen any sentinels yet, . It's like when that Prince song "1999" came out it sounded so far in the future and then wham, it comes and goes and the world is still here. Shouldn't we all be driving flying cars by now at least? Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Nice to see an old friend... My good friend Frank called me last week to let me know he'd be in town for a signing Aspen was doing at Jesse James Comics in Glendale, AZ (http://www.jessejamescomics.com/site/). I like to hang out with Frank anytime he's around and I'd never been to this particular comic shop so I was looking forward to the visit. I guess the way it works is that since Jesse James Comics paid for an exclusive comic to be produced (Executive Assistant -- Assassins #2), Aspen agreed to come out and do a signing at the comic shop, which I think is pretty cool. Jesse, the owner, was a really nice guy and I got talk to him for a few. He's a huge Hawkeye fan like my youngest son and he had a whole wall dedicated to his personal collection of Hawkeye comics/art. Turns out when he was young he got to meet Stan Lee and Stan asked him who his favorite character was. He looked around and saw that copy of Avengers with Hawkeye prominently displayed on the over so he said "Avengers". Then Stan was like, no, that's a team, who's your favorite character? So he said Hawkeye, which he was really indifferent about at the time. So why did he continue to focus his collection on Hawkeye? Because otherwise he would have felt he was lying to Stan and he didn't want to do that, . I was hoping to browse through some Bronze/Silver Age books while I was there, but there weren't any. Jesse said he had a bunch in the back he was going to be bringing out in the next couple weeks so I think I'll have to make a return visit...trying to put together a reading copy set of Avengers #1 - #200, and I'm always on the hunt for high grade X-men appearances. I'm glad I had a chance to hang out with Frank and the guys from Aspen a little bit, and he even hooked me up with about 50 books I didn't have so that was way cool. Didn't even know there was a Soulfire volume 2 and 3, or that volume 4 just started so I'm looking forward to reading those! I'm a pure Marvel fan, but there's no doubt Soulfire is a great book (Charismagic was a fun read too), plus I gotta support my friend. Speaking of Soulfire, I had to take a pic of the main character, Grace, who made an appearance at the signing. She looks so amazing that I asked if Aspen hired her, but Frank said no, she lives here locally and just decided to come out on her own (she was at the Aspen booth at the SDCC as well). He said, and I quote, "we have the BEST fans!" Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Surprised at such a fast turnaround time... On Monday I received the lot I submitted to CGC at the Amazing AZ Con using Fast Track on 5.26.12. Honestly with as long as it took to receive my last batch, I was shocked to receive these so quickly. Im satisfied with all the grades except one which Im dumbfounded by, but Im letting that one go. These are the results... Xmen 112 formerly CGC 9.4, now CGC SS 9.4 Xmen 128 formerly CGC 9.6, now CGC SS 9.4 with a cool Phoenix logo sketch...worth it Amazing Adventures 11 best guess 9.0, received CGC 9.0 WP Avengers 48 best guess 9.2, received CGC 8.5 Fantastic Four 28 best guess 7.0, received CGC 7.5 Xmen 95 best guess 9.0, received CGC 8.5 WP Xmen 126 best guess 9.6, received CGC 9.6 WP Xmen 133 best guess 9.8, received CGC 9.0 Except for the Xmen 133 I think I did a pretty decent job with my estimates. There are a lot of things to be excited about with these results... 1. No PLODs, 2. None with page quality worse than Off White/White, 3. Coming within a grade or half grade of my predictions for all books but one, and 4. Receiving as good as expected or better grades for the two books I spent the most on...Amazing Adventures 11 and Fantastic Four 28. This grading stuff is not as easy as it looks and Ive been collecting comics for more than 20 years. As fun as it is, Im thinking I will submit less books in the future and gladly spend more to get a high grade copy of the book I want that someone else has already gone through the anxiety of having graded by CGC. Im waiting for one more batch of 3 books that I submitted at WonderCon. I will let you know how those turn out when I receive them! Til next time... *** To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.