I didn't go to Heroes Con.... but....

[Defiant1]

I didn't go to Heroes Con.... but I had allocated the day for the trip in case I was energetic. Since i made a decision not to do anything today, the last minute (and I do mean minute) cancellation of the trip meant I could do some other things I haven't done in awhile.

First, as I already posted, I added scans to my Oversized Golden Age Comics list. It's nice to have that 99% done.

Second... I decided to visit a couple of stores all the way on the other side of town.


The first store is pretty well run. It's always neat and clean. I bought the following:

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace #1 (Image/Little Eva Ink/Vanguard, Signed & numbered)
Eclipse Monthly #1 -- It had a Ditko' "Static" character on the cover
Brother Power, The Geek #2 - Heck! Why Not?
2 copies of The Terminator Hunters and Killers TPB - More on this in another thread
Terminator Endgame TPB -- More on this later

The second store was Dr. No's. For those who don't know, it's owned by Cliff Biggers. The thousands upon thousands of back issues were gone. I hadn't been there since right after the death of Superman in Superman #75. It's been that long. Regardless, I bought a few things there also:

Versper: A Graphic Novel (Now Comics, 2004) - Picked this up for my checklist. Trying to grab the oddball Now Comics stuff.

2 copies of Youngblood TPB - If you aren't seeing a pattern yet, I'll be posting more soon.

Batman Blind Justice TPB - Anybody who knows I'm NOT a DC fan should have figured out the pattern of today's purchases.

As far as I'm concerned, it was a good day of shopping.

Defiant1

[Brother J]

another copy of the Blind Justice trade, excellent. Did you get it for a good price?

Wish I had known you wanted a copy of Brother Power the Geek #2, I have a pretty beat up copy I'm trying to get rid of!

[Defiant1]

Jun 22, 2008 5:33:52 GMT -5 Brother J said:

another copy of the Blind Justice trade, excellent. Did you get it for a good price?

Wish I had known you wanted a copy of Brother Power the Geek #2, I have a pretty beat up copy I'm trying to get rid of!

A I said in the other thread... $40. So yeah, I was pleased!It has a couple of dings. I had no idea what the price was going to be. Other than the Youngblood trades, none were priced. I told the one store that all the Terminator trades I've seen were going for $10-$15. That's NOT a lie. He went in the back and did something. He came back out and said $9.95. I breathed a sigh of release.He could have been one of the retailers that looks everything up on Ebay and tries to jack things up for top dollar.

On the Batman trade, again, I just said the truth. I said "I'm not sure what the price is on this. There is a newer printing on the shelf for $15, but this is the one I need. " The retailer knew what it was. He clicked a few things and said it was $40. That was interesting.

There were no Cyberrads or Dracula's. I know people who want Cyberrad, so I'd love to find some more of those!

Defiant1

[gowaltrip]

I dont know if you seen my review and comments over at my site about the Heroes Con, but to be honest, you did well to miss out. I know you werent too happy with last year's show and I must say I was way more happy with last years show than this years. If I would have spent the same out of money in a comic store I would have came away with 5-10 books I would be really happy with. Instead I have about 100 new books but hardly anything I am really happy about. Just things that make you go...okay, Im glad I have that but ho-hum. So...good move staying home. I dont think you would have liked it at all.

[gowaltrip]

However, one of the happiest things I did was get a solid copy of Blue Beetle #1 1967 with Ditko art in about VG+/FN- (No real damage anywhere, just aged looking, but solid) for $2!!! To let you know how bad the show was, I seen someone else selling one just a bit better shape than mine for $120. Just an idea of how stupid the pricing was.

However, I felt like this was one of my biggest steals of the day!

[Defiant1]

Jun 23, 2008 20:36:15 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

I dont know if you seen my review and comments over at my site about the Heroes Con, but to be honest, you did well to miss out. I know you werent too happy with last year's show and I must say I was way more happy with last years show than this years. If I would have spent the same out of money in a comic store I would have came away with 5-10 books I would be really happy with. Instead I have about 100 new books but hardly anything I am really happy about. Just things that make you go...okay, Im glad I have that but ho-hum. So...good move staying home. I dont think you would have liked it at all.

I went to Heroes Con in 1996 and was blown away. I bought several art pages from Budd Root when he was drawing his Cavewoman:Rain series. Creators I'd never seen before were there. The dealers were cool. The bargains were great. I thought "Wow." So in 1997 I made a return visit. I expected the same. Unfortunately, my experience was much like yours this year. I had planned on staying two days, but after buying a weekend pass, I realized I'd seen everything I wanted to see in 2 hours. I bought some stuff, but it was exactly the same stuff I'd seen in 1996. No different creators. No different dealers. It was like I'd gone back to the same show with less to offer. I'd already gotten everything I really wanted back in 1996. Fast forward to 2007 and it completely paled in comparison. I walked around and looked at has been creators and third string had beens. Cap that off with complete nobody's and a disinterest in anything less than $20 in value. Rather than waste more money, I just came home.

defiant1

[gowaltrip]

It wasnt all bad. I'd still rather have this experience than not. Its better to be around a lot of comic books once in awhile than not. I still get joy out of looking at comics even if I dont buy anything. But yes, this was the worst Heroes Con I have been to. And I think my 1st was somewhere between 93 and 96. Im pretty sure 96 was the last one I went to before 2007. Those early 90s shows blew away the last 2 years hands down. I remember seeing a person trying to sell a Marvel Comics #1 and a dealer said "I'll give you $10,000 for it right now" and the seller put it back into his briefcase and walked away. Im not seeing those kind of books anymore. I remember deals a plenty in the early 90's. This year there was hardly any. You had to work really hard to find a deal. Last year was even better than this year for deals.

In the end, there was a few books I passed on I wish I had purchased. I let my thoughts on cost get in the way even though they were the best deals I had seen throughout the day. I still scoffed at the price and walked away. Later I wished I had went back. I tried to on 1 or 2 but got distracted along the way.

I feel I made the most of it. I am disappointed. But, its still fun to go. Fortunately I have a love for comics like that. Joey wanted to leave an hour after we got there. The dealer in him was finding nothing to love. Truly, he was right. But the collector in me and Azbatx still found a way to enjoy being a collector. It just wasnt a good show at all to be a speculator.

[Quato]

It's a horrible drive home for me, so there has to be more than just a few comic deals. For most conventions, I have a 10% rule of thumb. If the entry fee isn't 10% of what I spend at the show, I feel ripped off. At Dragon Con, I have to walk away with $600 to feel like it was worth it. At a one day show, all it takes is $40. That's a big difference. Another thing I know about myself is... that I'l really be annoyed if I spend the entry fee and don't buy anything. That where you'll see me looking for something unique... maybe even more than one. That's why I own two Greg Horn sketch books. That's why I own an Adam Hughs sketchbook. That's why I bought the signed Michael Golden items earlier this year. If I walk away with nothing the show was a complete waste.

Testing, testing, testing... Brad & Josh at Heroes Con...


It's a myspace picture. It might not show.

Q

[gowaltrip]

Well luckily, since Joey is a dealer and has connections, he was able to get us in for free. If I would have paid, it would have been $20. Altogether I spent about $180 - $200 on comics. I brought $600 with me. I spent about the same amount on food and drinks for a couple of days. I was more pissed about that than anything else. Its like you cant eat anywhere anymore without forking out at least $20.

If I would have put out a recommendation, I would have not recommended anyone have went to the show. I would have said stay home. Save your money. In reality, I should be very pissed I went. But Im really not. Im just not excited about what I took home. I wanted a gem, a key book, a high grade drooler. I didnt get any of that. I got a bunch of really nice $2 books with a couple of $10 and $15 books. If I had one $50 - $100 book that I could be really proud of, it would have made my show. It just didnt happen. Nothing was worthy. Either I would have paid too much for something worth maybe $20 - $40. Or I would have gotten something in crap shape. There was no worthy nice grade books for a moderate price. The selection and pricing was the worst I had seen.

[Quato]

Jun 27, 2008 18:33:43 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

Well luckily, since Joey is a dealer and has connections, he was able to get us in for free. If I would have paid, it would have been $20. Altogether I spent about $180 - $200 on comics. I brought $600 with me. I spent about the same amount on food and drinks for a couple of days. I was more pissed about that than anything else. Its like you cant eat anywhere anymore without forking out at least $20.

If I would have put out a recommendation, I would have not recommended anyone have went to the show. I would have said stay home. Save your money. In reality, I should be very pissed I went. But Im really not. Im just not excited about what I took home. I wanted a gem, a key book, a high grade drooler. I didnt get any of that. I got a bunch of really nice $2 books with a couple of $10 and $15 books. If I had one $50 - $100 book that I could be really proud of, it would have made my show. It just didnt happen. Nothing was worthy. Either I would have paid too much for something worth maybe $20 - $40. Or I would have gotten something in crap shape. There was no worthy nice grade books for a moderate price. The selection and pricing was the worst I had seen.

One of the reasons I quit looking through the cheap stuff is that I'd walk away with an empty wallet and not feel like I'd gotten anything. That's why you see me biting the bullet and paying more for stuff.

Defiant1

[gowaltrip]

Jun 27, 2008 19:22:53 GMT -5 Quato said:

Jun 27, 2008 18:33:43 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

Well luckily, since Joey is a dealer and has connections, he was able to get us in for free. If I would have paid, it would have been $20. Altogether I spent about $180 - $200 on comics. I brought $600 with me. I spent about the same amount on food and drinks for a couple of days. I was more pissed about that than anything else. Its like you cant eat anywhere anymore without forking out at least $20.

If I would have put out a recommendation, I would have not recommended anyone have went to the show. I would have said stay home. Save your money. In reality, I should be very pissed I went. But Im really not. Im just not excited about what I took home. I wanted a gem, a key book, a high grade drooler. I didnt get any of that. I got a bunch of really nice $2 books with a couple of $10 and $15 books. If I had one $50 - $100 book that I could be really proud of, it would have made my show. It just didnt happen. Nothing was worthy. Either I would have paid too much for something worth maybe $20 - $40. Or I would have gotten something in crap shape. There was no worthy nice grade books for a moderate price. The selection and pricing was the worst I had seen.

One of the reasons I quit looking through the cheap stuff is that I'd walk away with an empty wallet and not feel like I'd gotten anything. That's why you see me biting the bullet and paying more for stuff.

Defiant1

Actually I honestly did the opposite. I searched high and low at the higher dollar books 1st while Joey and Josh were dumpster diving. I ended up spending $17 for 2 books on day #1. I just never found anything. On day #2 I decided to hit the dumpsters. I had given up on high dollar books. I snagged about 90 books on day #2. The most I spent on any book the entire weekend was $15. If I didnt dumpster dive at the end. I would have left with nothing.

[Quato]

Jun 27, 2008 19:39:00 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

Jun 27, 2008 19:22:53 GMT -5 Quato said:

One of the reasons I quit looking through the cheap stuff is that I'd walk away with an empty wallet and not feel like I'd gotten anything. That's why you see me biting the bullet and paying more for stuff.

Defiant1

Actually I honestly did the opposite. I searched high and low at the higher dollar books 1st while Joey and Josh were dumpster diving. I ended up spending $17 for 2 books on day #1. I just never found anything. On day #2 I decided to hit the dumpsters. I had given up on high dollar books. I snagged about 90 books on day #2. The most I spent on any book the entire weekend was $15. If I didnt dumpster dive at the end. I would have left with nothing.

Was Earl there? Tall.. gray hair. Very reserved.
His site says he was..
www.earlshaw.net/

Q

[gowaltrip]

It took me awhile, but I think I know who you are talking about. He looks a bit stuffy and eccentric. Has books laid out in $5, $10 and $20 piles with some higher dollar books back where he sits. Usually is reading a paper and looks disinterested in people looking at his stuff. If this is the same guy, yes he was there. His booth has very little fanfare although I did notice a couple of people made their way back to his sitting side of the table to look at his higher priced stuff. Last year I bought 2 awesome Charltons from him for $5 each in pretty shape. I looked through his stuff this year in the same hopes but all of his stuff was low to mid grade at best. He has books I certainly want, but unfortunately his books tend to be too low grade. But last year I was very happy with what I got from him. That is....if we are speaking of the same dude.

[Quato]

Jun 27, 2008 20:34:35 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

It took me awhile, but I think I know who you are talking about. He looks a bit stuffy and eccentric. Has books laid out in $5, $10 and $20 piles with some higher dollar books back where he sits. Usually is reading a paper and looks disinterested in people looking at his stuff. If this is the same guy, yes he was there. His booth has very little fanfare although I did notice a couple of people made their way back to his sitting side of the table to look at his higher priced stuff. Last year I bought 2 awesome Charltons from him for $5 each in pretty shape. I looked through his stuff this year in the same hopes but all of his stuff was low to mid grade at best. He has books I certainly want, but unfortunately his books tend to be too low grade. But last year I was very happy with what I got from him. That is....if we are speaking of the same dude.

His stuff sells well in Atlanta. No telling what he took. He could rotate out his stock 6 times on 6 tables and not bring the same stuff. He has some loyal customers. His display books have been marked high lately, but he gives the price breaks very nicely when the mood hits him. It's always a good idea to ask to see his boxes in the back. He usually has about 4 short boxes of stuff with neater items.

Q

[gowaltrip]

It seems kind of funny that his site has "The South's Friendliest Dealer"....he looks like he would pull out a gun and blow your head off if the mood hit him if you asked him a question. He looks "above" comics. He looks so uninterested when I see him, but he is a striking personality to say the least. I felt like I wanted to talk to him (which I generally dont want to talk to any of them) but he seems so unapproachable. However, I did watch him interact with people when they did speak to him. Although I did not see much, it did appear he would humor you with conversation if he felt so inclined. Last year I seen a young man ask if he could tell if a book he had had restoration...he looked bothered but glanced at it and said in seconds that he could tell immediately that it had restoration. This year I walked by and seen someone who had made their way behind his table and was talking to him over by good stuff. He had in his hand a low grade copy of some Silver Age book and he was telling someone "People dont think so, but this stuff sells, I can put this pricetag on it and I can sell it all day". So, I am encouraged that if he felt inclined (thats the best word I can find), he could offer up some great conversation. He looks like a smart individual that does things his way. Trust me, he is very memorable off of seeing him just one time. Whereas other dealers fade from memory the next day, this guy was somebody I was actually hoping Id see (I didnt see him on day #1) and when I seen him on day#2 I was happy to look through his stuff. However, I found this years version of books in worse shape than last. But he has unique books. He has comics that most dealers do not. And I must admit, i wanted a lot of the books he had. I just was hoping for better condition. Like I said, I got 2 early 1960s Charltons from him last year that nobody could care less about than me that were in like VF condition for $5. I couldnt be happier with them. They are SWEET! So, I know this guy has stashes of good stuff and whatever he brings is just the luck of the draw. If I go next year and he is there, you can bet I will go through his stuff just the same again. Maybe on year #3 I will start saying something to him. But d**n, I have never seen someone look so unapproachable. But at the same time, he looks like if you can get him to talk...hes okay.

[Quato]

Jun 28, 2008 10:29:48 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

It seems kind of funny that his site has "The South's Friendliest Dealer"....he looks like he would pull out a gun and blow your head off if the mood hit him if you asked him a question. He looks "above" comics. He looks so uninterested when I see him, but he is a striking personality to say the least. I felt like I wanted to talk to him (which I generally dont want to talk to any of them) but he seems so unapproachable. However, I did watch him interact with people when they did speak to him. Although I did not see much, it did appear he would humor you with conversation if he felt so inclined. Last year I seen a young man ask if he could tell if a book he had had restoration...he looked bothered but glanced at it and said in seconds that he could tell immediately that it had restoration. This year I walked by and seen someone who had made their way behind his table and was talking to him over by good stuff. He had in his hand a low grade copy of some Silver Age book and he was telling someone "People dont think so, but this stuff sells, I can put this pricetag on it and I can sell it all day". So, I am encouraged that if he felt inclined (thats the best word I can find), he could offer up some great conversation. He looks like a smart individual that does things his way. Trust me, he is very memorable off of seeing him just one time. Whereas other dealers fade from memory the next day, this guy was somebody I was actually hoping Id see (I didnt see him on day #1) and when I seen him on day#2 I was happy to look through his stuff. However, I found this years version of books in worse shape than last. But he has unique books. He has comics that most dealers do not. And I must admit, i wanted a lot of the books he had. I just was hoping for better condition. Like I said, I got 2 early 1960s Charltons from him last year that nobody could care less about than me that were in like VF condition for $5. I couldnt be happier with them. They are SWEET! So, I know this guy has stashes of good stuff and whatever he brings is just the luck of the draw. If I go next year and he is there, you can bet I will go through his stuff just the same again. Maybe on year #3 I will start saying something to him. But d**n, I have never seen someone look so unapproachable. But at the same time, he looks like if you can get him to talk...hes okay.

It's always best to catch him after he's bought out a store. My understanding is that he used to be a pastor of a church. Not sure though. I know he is a teacher in his regular occupation. He does not show a lot of emotion, but he's the one who told me the "The Racing Pettys" treasury comic existed.
www.angelfire.com/comics2/treasury/Other/001_STP.html

He has seen so many comics that like me, the oddball and obscure stuff appeals to him more. He's not "above" it. He's just had and sold so much stuff that I think he's in if for the novelty factor of it. Things that excite some people are probably like crowds pouring through the gate at a stadium to him. They all look alike after awhile.

I don't buy a lot of stuff from him, but I do try to pick up something at every show. I got my Psychoanalysis run of #1-5 from him in a trade. He sold me a G copy of Strange Tales #110 for $35.

We also have mutual friends because we both know the same circle of people.

Q

[gowaltrip]

Just stopping by to say hello....

I couldnt figure a good place to put this message so I just put it here because I guess it is as good as any.

Looks like you shrunk the board some. Its still high quality and all but obviously smaller. Thats cool but hope you dont go much smaller than this but I respect your decisions on your board. Its been a good visit for me for some time now!

[Quato]

Jul 16, 2008 20:10:30 GMT -5 gowaltrip said:

Just stopping by to say hello....

I couldnt figure a good place to put this message so I just put it here because I guess it is as good as any.

Looks like you shrunk the board some. Its still high quality and all but obviously smaller. Thats cool but hope you dont go much smaller than this but I respect your decisions on your board. Its been a good visit for me for some time now!

Maybe my comments here will provide insight...
defiant1.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=Administration&action=display&thread=398

You can always start a new thread. I can move it to another category. They all still exist.

Q