It’s PREVIEW NIGHT! Okay, no SDCC dealers, but... 2 2

[Cat-Man_America]

Randomly sampled images of these consummate champions of comic consolidation holding court.  

Experienced enthusiasts of exotic ephemera who stand as proud paragons of prestigious purchase... 

Alas, our #1 mystery paparazzi eluded view again (no one knows him from Adam)!

[Robot Man]

I’d probably show up looking like this...

[RareHighGrade]

1 hour ago, Cat-Man_America said:

Alas, our #1 mystery paparazzi eluded view again (no one knows him from Adam)!

  Perfect!!

[Cat-Man_America]

These would've been in the queue for an appearance at this year's RHG gathering had SDCC not been interrupted by a pandemic...

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

This one I held back posting on the boards for months (this seems like the right time & place for a debut)... 

Spoiler

[Cat-Man_America]

Dealers apparently were set-up at SDCC this year since booth space was prepaid, but everything was socially distanced with no public admission.  All sales were conducted on-line or between dealers.  It will be interesting to hear a postmortem on business and reflections on SDCC generally.  Note: As I understand it, the 50th Anniversary 2020 Overstreet Price Guide ...which is traditionally released during SDCC... will be coming out, but has been delayed until September.

[bpc3qh]

2 minutes ago, Cat-Man_America said:

As I understand it, the 50th Anniversary 2020 Overstreet Price Guide ...which is traditionally released during SDCC... will be coming out, but has been delayed until September.

That's very useful to know--I typically preorder my Overstreet sometime in May/June to pick up in July, but obviously haven't been to my LCS, so this timing info is helpful.

[Bumble Kitty]

I am really bummed out about SDCC 2020 being cancelled.  I also have a strong opinion on the whole pandemic, but I will save that for another time and forum.  Instead, I found these pics from 2105.  I had fun seeing them, so here they are!

[Bumble Kitty]

[Bumble Kitty]

[Bumble Kitty]

Terry looks a little off in this photo...

[Bumble Kitty]

[Bumble Kitty]

[Bumble Kitty]

[Bumble Kitty]

Later tonight I will revisit an incident that happened at SDCC 2005 with two well known dealers. 

[Bumble Kitty]

3 hours ago, Bumble Kitty said:

Later tonight I will revisit an incident that happened at SDCC 2005 with two well known dealers. 

OK, this happened in 2005.  The wife and I were at the San Diego convention for Preview night, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The hotel we stayed at was packed and filled with noisy Con goers, so I got very little sleep throughout the convention.

Sunday morning, I was dead tired and we were waiting for a table at Cafe 222 to eat breakfast.  I was so tired that I was sitting down and I had my eyes closed.  I felt a light tap on the side of my face -- sort of a light tap as to wake me up.  I opened my eyes and Bob Storms and Ted VanLiew are standing over me.   They had just finished breakfast and were walking out.  Both of them are in a good mood and I introduce them to my wife (and vice versa).  We talk a little about the great books and art inside the dealer's room. Just then, I thought I heard my name being called for a table.

I excuse myself, head over to the hostess area and check to see if my name was called.  It was.  I head back, say my goodbye's to Bob and Ted, and my wife and I are led to our table for a delicious breakfast.  

Fast forward about seven years.

My wife tells me about a short conversation she had with Bob and Ted at SDCC 2005 at Cafe 222 when I momentarily left to check with the hostess.  Both Bob and Ted commented that my wife is real.  Wife replies, "what do you mean I'm real".  They said most comic collectors say they have a wife or a girl friend, but that is usually just "talk", because they are "comic book" collectors.  My wife pointed out that I wear a wedding ring.  Bob and Ted replied, "that doesn't mean anything.  How difficult is it to buy a dummy ring"?

My wife had to muster all the energy she had to keep from laughing, as I was walking back to the group.  When she finally told me years later, she was still trying hard not to laugh.  I thought it was funny.  Not laughing down funny.  But funny.  But what struck me was I had always thought I was somewhat normal and everyone else was dorky and nerdy.  I guess I learned that day that I am dorky and nerdy too.

I think I am going to flip through a golden age comic book now.

 

[Cat-Man_America]

1 hour ago, Bumble Kitty said:

OK, this happened in 2005.  The wife and I were at the San Diego convention for Preview night, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The hotel we stayed at was packed and filled with noisy Con goers, so I got very little sleep throughout the convention.

Sunday morning, I was dead tired and we were waiting for a table at Cafe 222 to eat breakfast.  I was so tired that I was sitting down and I had my eyes closed.  I felt a light tap on the side of my face -- sort of a light tap as to wake me up.  I opened my eyes and Bob Storms and Ted VanLiew are standing over me.   They had just finished breakfast and were walking out.  Both of them are in a good mood and I introduce them to my wife (and vice versa).  We talk a little about the great books and art inside the dealer's room. Just then, I thought I heard my name being called for a table.

I excuse myself, head over to the hostess area and check to see if my name was called.  It was.  I head back, say my goodbye's to Bob and Ted, and my wife and I are led to our table for a delicious breakfast.  

Fast forward about seven years.

My wife tells me about a short conversation she had with Bob and Ted at SDCC 2005 at Cafe 222 when I momentarily left to check with the hostess.  Both Bob and Ted commented that my wife is real.  Wife replies, "what do you mean I'm real".  They said most comic collectors say they have a wife or a girl friend, but that is usually just "talk", because they are "comic book" collectors.  My wife pointed out that I wear a wedding ring.  Bob and Ted replied, "that doesn't mean anything.  How difficult is it to buy a dummy ring"?

My wife had to muster all the energy she had to keep from laughing, as I was walking back to the group.  When she finally told me years later, she was still trying hard not to laugh.  I thought it was funny.  Not laughing down funny.  But funny.  But what struck me was I had always thought I was somewhat normal and everyone else was dorky and nerdy.  I guess I learned that day that I am dorky and nerdy too.

I think I am going to flip through a golden age comic book now.

 

Comic book investment values have gone up a lot since 2005, ...I doubt that Bob or Ted would say that today.   

Edited July 27, 2020 by Cat-Man_America

[N e r V]

1 hour ago, Bumble Kitty said:

OK, this happened in 2005.  The wife and I were at the San Diego convention for Preview night, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The hotel we stayed at was packed and filled with noisy Con goers, so I got very little sleep throughout the convention.

Sunday morning, I was dead tired and we were waiting for a table at Cafe 222 to eat breakfast.  I was so tired that I was sitting down and I had my eyes closed.  I felt a light tap on the side of my face -- sort of a light tap as to wake me up.  I opened my eyes and Bob Storms and Ted VanLiew are standing over me.   They had just finished breakfast and were walking out.  Both of them are in a good mood and I introduce them to my wife (and vice versa).  We talk a little about the great books and art inside the dealer's room. Just then, I thought I heard my name being called for a table.

I excuse myself, head over to the hostess area and check to see if my name was called.  It was.  I head back, say my goodbye's to Bob and Ted, and my wife and I are led to our table for a delicious breakfast.  

Fast forward about seven years.

My wife tells me about a short conversation she had with Bob and Ted at SDCC 2005 at Cafe 222 when I momentarily left to check with the hostess.  Both Bob and Ted commented that my wife is real.  Wife replies, "what do you mean I'm real".  They said most comic collectors say they have a wife or a girl friend, but that is usually just "talk", because they are "comic book" collectors.  My wife pointed out that I wear a wedding ring.  Bob and Ted replied, "that doesn't mean anything.  How difficult is it to buy a dummy ring"?

My wife had to muster all the energy she had to keep from laughing, as I was walking back to the group.  When she finally told me years later, she was still trying hard not to laugh.  I thought it was funny.  Not laughing down funny.  But funny.  But what struck me was I had always thought I was somewhat normal and everyone else was dorky and nerdy.  I guess I learned that day that I am dorky and nerdy too.

I think I am going to flip through a golden age comic book now.

 

That story was funny yet disturbing too...

[Cat-Man_America]

You can't get much nerdier than this.  We were walking over to the convention from our hotel after picking up coffee and came upon a Disney "How To Train Your Dragon" promotional team walking a dragon around for folks to photograph.  So I asked my wife to take a posed photograph me running from the dragon with my grande coffee in hand (normally I'd only come up with something like this if I was carrying an empty beer stein)... 

Edited July 27, 2020 by Cat-Man_America

[Cat-Man_America]

18 hours ago, Bumble Kitty said:

I am really bummed out about SDCC 2020 being cancelled.  I also have a strong opinion on the whole pandemic, but I will save that for another time and forum.  Instead, I found these pics from 2105.  I had fun seeing them, so here they are!

BTW, my eyesight might be failing me, but Dale and Matt look remarkably well preserved 85 years from now!