Defiant1

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6/6/2020 Topic: FLIP BOOKS Defiant1	Most likely a mistake. Unless you have the comic in your hand and see that it's a flip book, you aren't going to automatically know. Price differences would occur because auctions will display different sides of the comic and one cover may be preferred over the other. Sales results could differ based upon what is shown in the auction or ad.
6/6/2020 Topic: Damaged comic shipments Defiant1	I don't buy online unless I'm willing to take the risk of inadequate packaging. I will always request a box if given the option. I also quit selling online due to unrealistic expectations by buyers. One guy insisted on buying a $2 NM comic and insisted that I use a manila envelope and use media mail to keep the shipping costs down. There is no reason for him to believe he'd get a NM comic if I shipped it the way he requested. I tried to predict ahead on one sale. I listed a hard to find NM comic as VF and charged a NM price. The guy was impressed with the condition of the comic and packaging. He was content with what I charged. He writes me back and asks if I have anymore because the comic wasn't mint. I had about 10 copies of the comic and the rest of the stack all graded 9.2 or greater by the CGC when I had them graded months later. I reminded the guy that I sold it as VF. I told him I was not willing to sift through the comics to find a Mint copy. I told him that he was welcome to buy another copy at the same price and take his chances on getting a Mint copy. That shut him up.I honestly think he expected me to incur the additional costs of shipping to pick out a better condition copy than he'd purchased. I don't sell comics with the intention of losing money or buy them with the intention of receiving damaged comics. I prefer to sell in person where we can both agree that the condition and price are acceptable. edited by Defiant1 on 6/6/2020
6/6/2020 Topic: Stargirl television series Defiant1	Other than some CGI and effects, I've been disappointed from the start. I like Luke Wilson as an actor, but his dialogue is a bunch of whining back and forth with his daughter. It's tedious to endure. It seems like too much time is wasted with dialogue saying "you can't do that", but then they do it. Cut to the chase and show the characters doing what they're going to do! I keep expecting Luke Wilson to get killed off. This role is a big step down for him. I'm starting to not like the girl who plays Stargirl because of all the annoying dialogue. I know almost nothing about Zatanna, but I felt as though they were setting up an opportunity for her to show up. The writing on all of the CW shows is terrible. Visually, the shows are decent. The writing is just pathetic. The writing on Black Lightning was the best, but even it gets weak at times.
6/6/2020 Topic: FLIP BOOKS Defiant1	Defiant1 wrote: Most likely a mistake. Unless you have the comic in your hand and see that it's a flip book, you aren't going to automatically know. Price differences would occur because auctions will display different sides of the comic and one cover may be preferred over the other. Sales results could differ based upon what is shown in the auction or ad. There are simply too many comics for the staff to know everything about every comic. I own close to 10,000 comics, but that's a drop in the bucket to what is listed. Even if the book is listed correctly at the start, someone can come around later and say "my comic isn't listed." If it was bagged and boarded, they may have never flipped the comic over to see the other cover was listed. 100's of limited variants come out per year and the staff relies upon collectors to say what exists or not. They can look up stuff online to verify the claims are true, but that won't always tell them a comic is a flip book.
6/6/2020 Topic: Blog Post about Your Collection Goals Defiant1	My goals were: 1) Collect a full run of Tales To Astonish (#1-#101) in VG or greater condition. I have 75% of the run including #1, #13, #27, #44, #59 & #60. 2) Collect full runs of all the Charlton Adult Humor publications. These were printed from the late 50's to about 1986. Titles include Good Humor, 150 New Cartoons, 175 New Cartoon, Cartoon Spice (I have all 5 known issues that exist), Campus Humor (I have the only known issue to exist), Cartoon Carnival, and Best New Cartoons. Because adults were the target audience and they weren't on the spinner racks for kids, many dealers do not even know they exist. 3) All the Silver Age big Marvel keys. I need a Tales of Suspense #39, Journey Into Mystery #83, and Daredevil #1. I really don't care about Daredevil #1. I'd like to have an Amazing Spider-man #1 again, but it's his second appearance and I have Amazing Fantasy #15 which is his first appearance. I'm content without it. 4) Full set of Continuity Comics & variants. I'm 90% there. I'm missing some newsstand version when I own the direct market version (and vice-versa). It's a low priority. 5) Any Treasury-sized or oversized comics in general. Don't care what's in it. I have a huge collection of these and just want anything that exists. I have a poster sized Kiss comic which is the largest I own and I think the 2nd largest ever printed. I have some lesser priorities. 1) Any affordable EC comics in VG or better. I'm cheap, so the price has to be right.
6/6/2020 Topic: Damaged comic shipments Defiant1	It's all unrealistic (and stupid) things I'm tired of in the hobby. I'm particularly annoyed when I see inadequate packaging, because I'm a quality inspector that works in a receiving department. I have to take pictures and write up reports on damage. It's a waste of time and money because insurance companies deny the claims as a first response.
6/6/2020 Topic: Blog Post about Your Collection Goals Defiant1	Ronbatman wrote: Defiant1, you've got some lofty goals. Good for you. I had the chance on Tuesday to buy a stack of Treasury-sized books. I didn't buy them because I was running out of time with a city-wide curfew approaching. This guy had probably 20 different ones that he inherited from his grandfather. I remember a Hulk one, Conan, Superman/Spiderman, Spiderman. They were cool I have pretty much all the Marvel & DC Treasury comics. I need the 1st one DC produced, but the only one I ever had a chance to buy was being sold along with 20 other Treasury comics that I already own. I think I need a Whitman logo variant on one. Some publishers of modern Treasury sized comics started producing variants. I will quit buying from those publisher if they produce variants. I will not support the modern practice of producing variants for every comic made.
6/13/2020 Topic: TWO-FISTED ZOMBIES Defiant1	There's an interesting post by Rick Veitch online. He got a Marvel rejection letter from Marie Severin who liked this comic by him. https://www.rickveitch.com/2013/01/21/absolutely-sweet-marie/ Here's my copy. edited by Defiant1 on 6/13/2020
6/29/2020 Topic: Newsstand vs Direct Defiant1	I'm glad the CPG decided to list newsstand & direct versions as separate comics. On some Continuity Comics, the difference is more than just a bar code. The logo is a different color on Armor #1 On Armor #13, the artwork and coloring is different. The newsstand says so at the top. There are plenty of examples where the difference is more than a bar code. I actually prefer the newsstand editions with bar codes and appreciate seeing them in high grade.
6/29/2020 Topic: Favourite Marvel Silver Age Covers Defiant1	I have always liked this one. Dew from plants is stopping a hero that can go supernova.
6/29/2020 Topic: Odd stuff Defiant1	6 years ago, I tinkered around with the idea of using Wordpress to make a web site. I'm not really a fan. It's not a bad site, but I only made one post and didn't add anything else until this last week. I'm thinking about posting odd items that people may not know about. There are no guarantees that I'll post more. I started out with Charlton Canadian Price Variants from 1983 & 1984. The U.S. Versions were 60¢. The Canadian versions were 75¢. https://comicchecklists.wordpress.com/ Of course... If I ad more posts, those will be buried at the bottom of the list.
6/29/2020 Topic: Canadian Edition Vs. USA Defiant1	Canadian EC Comics published by Superior Comics used to be scorned and frowned upon. They sold for much less than the American version. Price guides and checklists were incomplete. People didn't even know what existed. To some degree they (me included) still don't know. The comics are so rare now, that just a small number of collectors have spiked interest in them and high grade copies could exceed the price of the American versions in comparable condition. http://comicchecklist.atwebpages.com/EC/Superior/Superior_EC_Reprints.html
6/30/2020 Topic: Odd stuff Defiant1	Ronbatman wrote: Growing a blog takes a lot of work and consistency. If you're serious about it you need to post weekly and get on social media platforms that you're active in and promote it. It's important that you don't just post about your blog on social media. Mix it up a bit. I wish you the best. Ron edited by ronbatman on 6/30/2020 I'm not trying to grow a blog. I've been making websites for over 2 decades. One got featured on TV and received over a half-million web hits in one evening. I just play around. If anyone finds it... fine. If they don't... fine. Some of my comic checklists receive nice compliments by creators and authors in the comics industry.
6/30/2020 Topic: Newsstand vs Direct Defiant1	Here's another one. Cyberrad Vol 1 #5 The newsstand does not have a gimmick. The direct market version did with a glow-in-the-dark cover. Some people may not remember, but Diamond would sometimes solicit newsstand versions in Previews. Most people ordered the gimmick cover, not the newsstand alternate cover. I think those newsstand versions solicited in Previews might be a third variant. Cyberrad Vol. 2 #1 It had the normal direct market version with a holgram.. It had two premium versions. A gold logo and a silver/platinum logo. Both with a hologram. Then there's this oddball version. No hologram. No bar code. Artwork where the hologram should be. Someone would need to dig up an old issue of Previews, but I'm betting it's a newsstand version solicited through Previews. There may be an undiscovered newsstand version of this with a bar code. I don't know when Continuity abandoned newsstand distribution.
6/30/2020 Topic: Favourite Marvel Silver Age Covers Defiant1	I was going to post a pre-hero monster comic, but I consider it to be "pre-Silver". I really like TTA #29. Nothing against the iconic superhero covers, but they kinda bore me because I've been seeing the same covers spotlighted for 50 years on comic display and in magazine articles. I like stuff off the beaten path. Things that you see less often.
6/30/2020 Topic: Value of Investment? Defiant1	My total would just say "too much."
6/30/2020 Topic: Favourite Marvel Silver Age Covers Defiant1	rustyauger wrote: Defiant1 wrote: I was going to post a pre-hero monster comic, but I consider it to be "pre-Silver". Showcase 4 is considered the first silver age comic and that is 1956. Tales of Suspense didn't even start until 1959 and TOS 8 is March 1960. I realize that, but I am a recovering Marvel Zombie. I still don't acknowledge DC comics as being relevant in that time period. My gut feeling is that the real Silver age began with Strange Worlds #1 (December 1958). That was when Ditko & Kirby first both contributed to a new title. https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Strange_Worlds_Vol_1_1 Showcase #4 was definitely a catalyst because it revived superheroes. Superheroes were instrumental in bringing comics back to life even though I feel Marvel's take on them deserves more credit. What really bothers me is EC comics being called Golden Age simply because they were old, predated the Silver Age, and were good. The Golden age was over by the 50's. I prefer the terms like "Post Golden Age" or "Pre Silver Age". I didn't coin those terms, but I think they are better for defining the market conditions and relevance to one another. I think the modern era of comics should be named after clothes or fabric. We're in the Garb-age of comics now. If not that, then the Indium Tin Oxide Age, because that is the compound that allows touch screens to work. edited by Defiant1 on 6/30/2020
6/30/2020 Topic: Favourite Marvel Silver Age Covers Defiant1	rustyauger wrote: As a big Batman collector there is definitely a period between the Golden Age and Silver Age. Usually it is called the Atom or Atomic Age. This would include the Kirby and Ditko monster issues and anything with a strong sci-fi basis. Silver Age is more defined by the rebirth of the superheroes however many of the prototypes of the superheroes can be found in these Atom Age monster comics. Some people argue that Detective Comics 225 (first Martian Manhunter) is the first Silver Age comic and it is from 1955. Batman 121 (first Mr. Freeze) is from 1959 and it is not listed by Overstreet as one of the top silver age comics even though its value would put it on the list. I love Marvel but it really bugs me how slanted the industry is towards it. Stan Lee reshaped how the stories were written. I used to buy Action Comics, The Flash, and some other scattered titles in the 70's when I first started collecting. Picking up a Hulk comic featuring the Rhino was a life changing event for me. Rhino was Spider-Man's villain. I knew that from the cartoon on TV. Heroes and villains crossed into other titles and it mattered. It changed things. Next months books were affected by what happened the month before. In most DC comics, the stories changed nothing. Next month everything rebooted back to where it was. They are okay fun for brief escapism, but it's not like immersing yourself in a world running parallel to our own. To this day, I can't stand story arcs or character reboots. I want ongoing stories where things evolve and change in a logical manner.
6/30/2020 Topic: "Raw" Prices vs. "Graded" Prices Defiant1	The value of something is solely based upon what I'm willing to pay or how cheaply I'm willing to sell something. I bought a comic for $75 that had no established value associated with it. Most people wouldn't have paid $3 for it. I bought a comic for $1 that regularly sold online for $75 and up because the retailer didn't take the time to research what he was selling. Collectors are reluctant to sell comics for a loss unless they are leaving the hobby or they've been hit with heavy financial hardships. Is eBay a good guide for prices? No, because I don't buy online and I'd be willing to pay triple what some people are paying. The people who may be willing to pay more aren't searching everyday for the item. Is a comic valued $1,000 in the price guide worth $100 if one collector goes through a divorce and sells it for $100? A dealer sold me a solid copy of Strange Tales #110 for $35 once. He could have gotten hundreds of dollars for it. There is no way to make pricing scientific. The people trying to rely on science are usually trying to manipulate the values. They value it low if they are buying and they value it high if they are selling or boasting. I don't buy graded books. I refuse to pay an extra $30 for a comic I can't read. In some cases, the graded comic is less desirable to collectors. I'm not going to buy a comic that's graded and bust it out of the shell. If someone wanted their comics graded, they can rot in that case. I have no interest in any slabbed comics. edited by Defiant1 on 6/30/2020
7/1/2020 Topic: Favourite Marvel Silver Age Covers Defiant1	rustyauger wrote: All good points. There is a reason why Marvel is so dominant. I grew up reading comics in the 90s and Batman got me hooked. Still love Batman over all other characters. I contend that stand-alone stories, story arcs, and reboots are directly deteriorating the collector loyalty to the characters and unintentionally driving fans away from the hobby. Collecting is like a train ride. You hop on to take a journey. Every time that train stops (or a story arc ends) people jump on and people jump off. It's a lot harder to get people to jump on the train because they have no idea where it's going or if they'll enjoy the ride. If they are on the train and have any memorable moments along the way, they are more willing to stick it out and ride through the less exciting spots. Story arcs and stand-alone stories are like a city bus stopping every block. People will get off the train even if they are getting close to that spot they wanted to be emotionally. Marvel pulled in readers for the long haul. Of course there were some really good DC stories, but DC nurtured collectors with a short attention span. They nurtured collectors that weren't emotionally invested in the lives of the characters. Marvel outsold DC for many years because their approach to selling comics was so different. I tend to prefer heroes with greater power than just a man in a suit. Batman doesn't appeal to me because all it would take is a well placed sniper and some good bait to get him where you want him. He'd be down with one bullet. I prefer characters like Hulk that used to fall from outer space and wake up in the crater he left. I also like Hulk because he was an introvert. He wanted to be left alone. He was quite capable of defending himself, but you'd get along with him much better if you just left him alone.