Rockblazer

Tell CGC I said it's a 9.9! It really does look perfect. Colors are so bright I've got to wear shades.

No, I'm all for the free exchange of ideas. I was on a business trip to Detroit the last few days and actually got out early enough to visit two shops in the Detroit area . One quite large and one of average size and picked up a few goodies which I may write about later.

Most interesting Indeed!

Last October on the way back from a mini vacation in Kentucky I stopped in four Cincinnati area comic shops. I'd been in two of the four before. One of them Up, Up and Away Comics said they had opened a new shop in the suburb of Blue Ash . It was on the way home and just off the interstate so I pulled off and proceeded to a really nice plaza. I saw the sign and walked in the door. To my surprise it looked like I walked into an upscale store of some kind. A young lady walked up to me and asked if I need help and I said "Is this Up Up and Away Comics? I thought I went in the wrong door outside. She said it was and I said I have never saw a shop look like this one. She explained that it was a former design center that went out of business. So instead of the landlord remodeling the owner said why change something that looks so nice. The Silver age comics were in a small well lit glass room near the center of the store. Very upscale. One feature which was unusual was a huge Lego bridge which was a scale version of an old bridge over the Ohio river. I have attached a picture of it and the main hallway of the shop. Not your average shop.

Some of the most striking covers I've come across are on war comics. Great artists who make you feel the action.

I stopped collecting for over 20 years at one point but came back strong in 2005 and am still at it. So take a break and when the time is right you'll know it. Rockblazer.

Yes, I agree with your wife, you must meet Stan Lee. I met him 1/24/2006 in Springfield Ohio. He spoke to us for about an hour at the Kuss auditorium and we then walked across the street to the public library and he talked to us and signed two items each . I had him sign a Journey into Mystery 112 and my $6.00 ticket to the event so I could remember what day it was in the future. I had seen him at Wizard World in Columbus a few years later but the line was so long I did not get in it but would have if I had never met him prior. You will remember everything you talk about just about word for word when you do. He is one of the few remaining giants of comics left. I hope you get to make the trip. It's a great memory.

Surfer, great set. I was wondering if you checked out the grader notes on the 9.4's? I was wondering what they saw.

Now that's what I call a high caliber cover.

Thanks Surfer. I may write a short journal tomorrow. My wife and I took a mini vacation this week and hit four comic shops while on it. One shop was totally unlike any I have been in before. I'll write about it Sunday.

Yes, I will be there. I have to put in my vacation days for next year in November so I will make sure that weekend is reserved. Just started a week of vacation tonight. So I thought I would start it off right by scouring the Internet for comics. Hope your new job is still going well. Good to hear from you.

Tnerb. Good to hear from you. It would be interesting to see how your LCS does on grading. If you go that route please post. Thank you.

I have a number of green label books and I am not afraid to add one to my collection if it's something I want. They really don't ding you much for it's defect. I have a Hulk 181 green label 8.5 because the Marvel value stamp has been cut out but it still gets a lot of points. I have a few with one staple missing or a name written on it but still nice books. One of my books has a Jack Kirby signature which is qualified because Cgc could not have seen it signed. Cgc has a small list on their website which shows some of the criteria for qualified grade.

Sorry to hear about your book. My question is, Would they have told you they damaged your book if you had'nt questioned them about it? That really disturbs me if they just noted the damage they did as if it arrived to them in that condition. That alone would keep me from using them in the future. They should have told you as soon as it happened.

I've been reading Thor for a long time and The early Journey into Mystery stories are somewhat weak until Issue 112 on. I feel Lee and Kirby started to hit their stride about that time and they had a golden run for the most part until Jack left the series sixty some issues later. My favorite storylines are from these issues even more than Walt Simonson's run years later. So if you continue your Journey and Thor reviews I expect you will see more four and five out of five's in the coming issues.