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My Rosebud - Venom: Lethal Protector white cover
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Started by spideysenses,

52 posts in this topic

spideysenses

spideysenses

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Posted (edited)

This is gonna be a long post and it's gonna be a story-time post. So please keep that in mind. And if this isn't your thing, that's cool too. I will try to be brief but it's important to me that I share my story and the significance this issue has to me. I'm not sure why, but I feel like I need to share this.

 

Last night I won the Comiclink auction for my Rosebud, the Venom: Lethal Protector white printing error cover. I haven't made a bid there since 2009. In fact, I was done collecting comics. I love them but I retired from the hobby a few years ago. Though I always said to myself and to my friends that I would jump at the chance to own a white cover, no matter what, never believing I would be able to actually own it or let alone see it come up for auction.

 

I first learned about the white cover from recalledcomics.com, while searching for a black cover. That was a decade ago. Or close to it. Since then, I've never seen this come up for auction. All I had, in fact the only thing we all had, was the CGC census that said two exist and a few smatterings of the books existence online. It was and still is such an unusual and rare book. It had never gone up for sale anywhere to my knowledge. But back in the day, I wanted a copy from that moment; pipe dreams we all say to ourselves one time or another. Not to be so melodramatic and cheesy, but this specific issue represents a decade-old promise to myself, a once-in-lifetime dream to own one.

 

Your very own board member, bcarter, is a close friend of mine. He knows all about my love for this fabled white cover. Yesterday, he just so happened to randomly check Comiclink and viola, there it was. He shot me an email and I got it with 4 hours left in the auction. Thankfully I got to it so late because I wouldn't have been able to handle the anticipation for more than that amount of time. I don't know what compelled him to randomly check the auctions when he did, or on that day. But I'm so thankful.

 

Now this is all well and good up to now. So far, what I've described has probably happened to all of you at one point. But what makes this issue truly special to me is on a personal level. Please allow me to indulge these thoughts.

 

I was 9 years old when Lethal Protector was published in February, turning 10 later in the year. I had always loved comics at that point. I used to draw my own, make my own superhero cards of my own creations. I mean, that was what I did. I don't remember the exact day, but my family and I were heading up to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents whom I loved dearly, one of whom is still alive today! Anyway, that morning I forget why or how we even got to the comic book store, named Baseball Heaven, I suppose I got a good grade in school or something and my dad promised me a comic. There I saw it, a beautiful, shiny red holografix foil cover with my favorite character on it! Venom!

 

I read that issue probably a hundred times on that vacation at my grandparents' house. I carried it in the bag from the comic book store. I still have that bag somewhere, surely. I'll never forget that day. It's so vivid in my mind's eye.

 

Bagley's Venom art was like nothing I had ever seen before at that time. I was 9 and I did not own alot of comics then. Most of the comics I saw were from friends at school or whatever; we used to bring them in and show each other our issues. I loved reading and staring at each panel. The way Bagley drew Venom, and the suit, they felt alive to me.

 

I never read/collected the whole mini-series until I was probably like 11 or 12 when I started to get some money of my own. It was rare that my parents would take me comic book shopping. So I had this sense of wonder about the story for so long. Of course, it's a pretty lame story, Lethal Protector, but that first issue, it was a wonder to me. "Did they really fall through time?! Gosh!," as the last panel reads.

 

So there's something about that issue to me. Lethal Protector, number 1. It's my Rosebud. It's a tangible thing I can actually hold, that existed on that special day for me. It's a physical, literal memory that I can look at, hold in my hand, and be taken back to those innocent days of my childhood. Not to harp on this, but I was diagnosed with leukemia a few years after. So Lethal Protector, holds a lot of emotions for me.

 

I had to share my scattershot thoughts about this. I'm still a little shocked I own a white cover. Out of all the comics I've ever bought in my collecting years, I never felt joy like I did last night after that purchase. It was like I was back in the comic store, in 1993, again. ...Not to be cheesy. I can definitely say, this is the last comic I will ever collect and I couldn't be more content.

 

Money value is one thing, and that's great if that's how you collect. Do your thing. But to me, for my money, the honest-to-god true value is what the comic means to you. Sure, seems obvious. But as someone who always chased the first appearances, keys, and whatnot, the old adage is true -- collect what you love. I learned that last night during my very last purchase.

 

Thanks for reading this if you made it this far. Good luck to all of you; I hope you all find your Rosebuds too.

Edited by advancedpillow
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TXReplicant

TXReplicant

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I had just turned 10 when Lethal Protector came out and it was one of my favorites as well! Congrats on the win!!! Could be years before another one shows up! Perfect timing!

 

For me, that moment was with Spawn #1 in 1992 (Age 9 too!), so last year in 2015 at age 32, I picked up the 1997 Spawn #1 Black and White edition in 9.8.

 

Enjoyed the story, thanks for sharing!

Edited by TXReplicant
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BCarter27

BCarter27

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"This will be a day long remembered..."

 

It is beyond amazing to acquire a grail after looking for so long. Apparently, it is just as cool to see a friend do the same! I got a case of the "auction sweats" just by association!

 

Congratulations!

 

 

 

TXreplicant, that Spawn cover is awesome.

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spideysenses

spideysenses

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That's entirely accurate, bdog. Haha!

 

That Spawn issue is awesome. I got into Spawn pretty heavily too, after Venom. I followed McFarlane to Image, though Spawn was at issue 27 when I first read them. (Another great memory getting that issue. Rainy fall day.)

 

Thanks for the love everyone.

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valiantman

valiantman

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Thanks for sharing your story. I wondered who won the Venom White last night. Congrats! :applause:

 

$4,655

 

https://www.comiclink.com/auctions/item.asp?back=%2FAuctions%2Fsearch%2Easp%3FFocusedOnly%3D1%26where%3Dauctions%26title%3DVenom%26GO%3DGO%26ItemType%3DCB%23Item_1105958&id=1105958#detail

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spideysenses

spideysenses

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Viola!

 

You retired from comics a few years ago, huh...?

 

Getting too old for this chit, then?

 

:D

 

Haha! Nah. I had to though. It was the right thing for me to do. I was sort of losing site of why I loved comics in the first place. It's very uninteresting, believe me. Hah!

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spideysenses

spideysenses

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Congrats. My grail was the Black error copy and finally got a copy after years of looking. Wasnt the first CGC comic to get a 10.0 a copy of the White Venom error ?

 

Thanks! And thanks, Cyclops.

 

The black cover is so sick. Freaking love how it looks, and how the red foil is different for all, or most of, the copies.

 

Actually the first 10.0 was a Black cover of Lethal Protector. There are only two white covers. This 9.8 is the highest grade. The other is a 9.6.

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valiantman

valiantman

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Congrats. My grail was the Black error copy and finally got a copy after years of looking. Wasnt the first CGC comic to get a 10.0 a copy of the White Venom error ?

The first CGC 10.0 was Venom Black error.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4694714&fpart=1

 

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Lethal_Collector

Lethal_Collector

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Congrats. My grail was the Black error copy and finally got a copy after years of looking. Wasnt the first CGC comic to get a 10.0 a copy of the White Venom error ?

The first CGC 10.0 was Venom Black error.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4694714&fpart=1

 

It's handy having you around buddy (thumbs u

 

 

Jerome

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rekushe

rekushe

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Beautiful story! I couldn't agree with you more.... Collect what you love and love what you collect. Congratulations on finding and winning that rare beautiful looking book. I love how Venom jumps off of that white cover.

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