Girls With Comics

(This is paraphrased, but you get the idea.)

Me: “Hello again. I have purchased from you before,and hopefully you will also consider this offer.  We think that this could possibly grade at a VG, so I hope you will consider offer this from us. Thanks.”

Dealer reply: “I consider such an attempt to influence my consideration of your offer to be not only ridiculous [as stated above YOU have NOT inspected the book], but a calculated and arrogant assertion that is completely without merit.”

IF YOU ARE POSTING ‘BUY IT NOW OR BEST OFFER’ THEN DO NOT BLOW UP. WE ARE NOT FINDING A CURE FOR CANCER. THIS IS THE COMIC BOOK BUSINESS. GET. OVER. IT.

Many of my friends ask me if it’s worth getting into collecting older comics. I always say no. The above is the reason why.

-Lauren

(**The “we” and “us” is my dad and I, who collect together.)

I legit feel bad for the crap you sometimes go through from people. But such is the nature of any hobby.

That being said, the covers this year are God fucking ugly. I bought the Batman one because I like Batman, but really it’s an ugly cover and I’m sad that it is. Also next year, please leave out all Aquaman, no one likes him.  We all know Mera is the dominate one in that relationship, since she is the Head Bitch In Charge.

-Lauren

True Blood #1- I’ll sum it up for you; Dumber than the TV show, but just as enjoyable! They even make fun of the way Sookie says Bill.

Lady Deadpool one shot Funny, well drawn. Great one shot for a character I know little about. I’ll probably follow the Deadpool family.

Brightest Day #6- Finally, this series is going somewhere. Great back story for Mera too. Oh and fuck Aquaman.

I also got the new Overstreet. I can now know how much some of my books are worth! Oh, happy day.

-Lauren

So after visiting my LCS tonight (and finding out I don’t have my wallet, yikes!), I took a good look around. We, as comic book fans, are over stimulated with choices. There are roughly 183637 different Batman series, and about 275141 different Spider-Man books. On top of that we have graphic novels and digest books and big reprints and all kinds of goodies. To be blunt, being a comic book fan will drain your wallet. Obviously the most cost-effective way of collecting books is by getting graphic novels. They take up less space and are easier to read. However I’m impatient and don’t really feel like buying graphic novels.

So what is a fan to do? I couldn’t tell you. I limit my modern buys to Batgirl, Gotham City Sirens, and Green Lantern. I will buy mini series as well as one shots if I’m so inclined. I check graphic novels out at the library (which is the best way to do it), and I only buy big commemorative books of platinum age comics, such as Bringing Up Father. 

In nothing related to this post, I might go see Star Wars for free tomorrow night.

-Lauren

(And yes those numbers are accurate and true.)

Thoughts? I think it could have been a lot worse, but it most certainly isn’t the best either. It looks too much like his insides have come out and turned green. Granted it will look A LOT better on the big screen, for now I’m just mildly pleased with it.

-Lauren

I am a huge fan of the antique store/malls. I love spending an entire day jumping from one shop to the next, digging through junky gold in search of some unique comic book item (or anything weird really). I’ve come across some pretty awesome things. I’ve found an original 1960 Ken doll for $6, albeit his left hand had his hands cut off. I’ve bought those cute Archie Welch jelly glasses at various antique stores. Hell, I’ve even bought comics.

While many might be duped into thinking that books might be cheaper since it isn’t in a shop, I know better and you should know better too. Many long boxes I find in these places are stuffed with 90’s drek. You see, in the early 90’s, comics for one reason or another became a hot item. People were eating them up, assuming they would be of value one day. However since demand was so high, publishers issued millions of copies of a “hot” comic, thus making them anything but valuable. That’s not to say there aren’t rare moderns, but they are few and far between. That being said, people are asking really crazy prices for their modern drek. $5 for a foil cover? I’ll give you $1 and that’s being generous.

Every blue moon there will be a booth that is clearly run by someone who knows what he or she is doing with comics. For example, today I found a Jolly Jingles #16 (a golden age book, published by MLJ which would later become Archie Comics) in what I would say to be a poor/1.0 shape. The dealer was asking a mere $7, but a quick peek at 2009’s OSPG reveals that $7 is what that book is worth. I have seen signs posted that this dealer usually sells for 20% below guide, but uhh…I don’t buy it. Clearly, I do not buy it. That being said, I would have spent $75 on the OA he had up on the walls. Too bad I don’t have $75 lying around.

Lots of non comic book dealers also ask near mint prices for clearly no-where-near-mint books. Most of the time if the dealer is there, you might be able to cut a deal with him (without being rude about how he over grades). The worst thing they can say is no. If the dealer is not there? Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask the person at the check out counter. Again, the worst thing they can say is no.

So good luck, fellow comic book antique store hunters. You’ll have better luck buying comic book toys than comic books.

-Lauren

Recently Archie announced that Toys R Us would be carrying Archie titles, something the store has somehow  avoided. Now I don’t remember the last time I was in a Toys R Us, so I don’t remember if they had comics or not. That being said, I can’t imagine a toy store not having a comic book rack. It seems like the most logical way to make sales. More kids go to toy stores than comic book stores. Maybe all of these “poor sales” could be turned around by selling in places where kids go. .. Like a toy store. Seems like common sense to me.

So will this help Archie sales? Of course. Every little bit helps. And maybe it will help parents realize that comic books can help a childs reading skills.

-Lauren

I feel like I should come clean with all of you. I love DC comics. Not as much as Archie comics, but I love them almost as much. Marvel just seems to hoaky for me sometimes. Sure, the characters are more than just right playboys or boy scouts who can only succumb to Doomsday or a green meteorite, but I just can’t get into them. The movies on the other hand are a thrill to watch. Iron Man 1 and 2 are some of the most enjoyable comic book movies to watch! DC doesn’t have a good track record with comic book movies, yet Marvel has, for the most part, made pretty enjoyable films.

But the comics? I just don’t like them. I don’t care about the characters. Maybe it was because I didn’t grow up reading Marvel. I spent much of my youth reading Batman, Wonder Woman, and any other Batman related titles. Yet Captain America, which my dad loves, I could never get into. I tried reading the Spider-Man comics after the movies came out, but Spider-Man was too angsty for me. Heck I even gave Fantastic Four a shot. But all of these characters just put me too sleep.

Oh well, better luck next time.

-Lauren

Starting today, you can now get a DCU app for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Playstation Portable will also be able to get DCU digital. DC is one of many who are now embracing the digital age, leaving a giant question mark over good old-fashioned comic book publishing. With other media outlets such as newspapers going kaput, will hand-held comic books be a thing of the past within the next year? I always think there will be a need for comic books. I personally do not own a PSP, iPhone, iPad, nor an iPod Touch. I do however own a Blackberry, but I very highly doubt I would want to read a comic on a screen that small. That seem’s silly.

John Rood, Executive VP of DC Entertainment said, “Today’s launch provides an additional opportunity to convert new readers and recapture lapsed readers while serving existing fans,” while I understand where he is coming from with new readers, this does not serve me at all, as an existing reader. It also won’t serve my 60-year-old father, who has been reading comics his whole life.

Whatever the future may hold, I hope no comic book publisher gets rid of the old-fashioned comic book.

-Lauren