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Post by Defiant1 on Jun 19, 2007 16:11:31 GMT -5
Heroes Con was not what i wanted it to be. Too many artists that I just didn't care to see. The only items i bought were from Atlanta guys... This is I guess a production or proofreaders copy of Super Goof #70 I'd assume. The dealer had an unpublished copy of turok like this years back. From what i can tell this one is published as well as being reprint material. This might be one-of-a-kind. Not sure. The other is a ashcan sized comic... The cover was drawn by a guy who wants to collate a comic for me. Defiant1
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Post by gowaltrip on Jun 19, 2007 19:39:38 GMT -5
Wow Q, if I would have known you were there, I would have tried finding you. That is if you wanted to be found. Would have liked to have met you and shake your hand. I personally had a great time at the show. But, in some ways there was slight disappointments. 1st off, I havent been in 11 years. The show seemed big to me years ago, but seemed even bigger this time. But the biggest difference was how crowded it was. There was a few times I want to get out. And that was a huge floor. The artists and the artists alley was very disappointing. It wasnt how I remembered. They had them clustered up and the area was even more crowded than the rest of the area the few times I was around that way. It didnt look inviting to want to hang out and talk to the artists. I only noticed a couple of artists tops. The rest I had no idea who they were. But then again. I dont keep up to date much on new stuff. The books were the big draw to me. It was nice seeing books I cannot normally see around here. I recalled seeing higher dollar books 11 years ago. Like Action #1 and so on. I did see a few high dollar big books. But not many. Most of the dealers were piled in junk or way overpriced. I left many dealers 30 seconds after I arrived at their booth. But, there was a few dealers that had it right and I bought from them. For me that amounted to about 3-4 total. But they was right. I got books cheap and good stuff in great shape. The #1 reason I came. I loved it. When I finally found it that was. When I made my last deal and we were leaving, I wanted to stay. I felt I was just getting on a roll. But it was a 6 hr drive and the ride home was worse than the ride up. I got home about 2am. The show was good enough that my family seemed to love it to. I think we are going to go to Baltimore in Sept. Seeing a big con got my comic juices going. I was reliving the excitement I had missed out on for many years. You can say what you want, but I still love comics and fighting for the treasures and hunting them down. Its the thrill of the hunt. Saturday was a great hunting day. I cannot wait to do it again.
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Post by gowaltrip on Jun 19, 2007 20:36:55 GMT -5
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Quato
Level 14
a.k.a. Defiant1
Quato a.k.a. Defiant1
Posts: 1,669
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Post by Quato on Jun 19, 2007 21:36:17 GMT -5
This dealer is the guy I was getting all my Tales to Astonish from. He's also the guy who traded the Amazing Fantasy#15 to me back in 1993. I don't buy a lot of books from him, but if two dealers are selling the same book at a comparable grade, I'd buy it from Dave first any day of the week. I really didn't know I was going to attend until I was leaving Repticon around noon I guess. . That was in Columbia SC. I did ask iif anyone had seen a Charlton collector. I was really worried more about the turtles I had in my truck, because they were a gift for the girl I like. If I thought about it, I'd have looked for the Continuity books I need. The person you needed to know at the show was Earl Shaw. Commonly called "The dealer's dealer." He's the dealer for common folk who just appreciate comics. Defiant1
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Quato
Level 14
a.k.a. Defiant1
Quato a.k.a. Defiant1
Posts: 1,669
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Post by Quato on Jun 19, 2007 21:37:59 GMT -5
BTW, I did chat with Kingofrulers from the comicspriceguide.com board I recognized him from some pictures and introduced myself.
Q
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Post by gowaltrip on Jun 20, 2007 21:36:50 GMT -5
As much as I really wanted to buy Charltons, I actually bought very little. 2 books actually, shown below. I found either most dealers had none or if they did it was a crap book in crap shape. Or they had some and it was WAY overpriced. I must say, i seen higher prices on Charltons than I ever have in my life. Common books I have had since I started trying to get them were showing $8 - $15 common place. A couple of dealers had a devoted section of their collection to Charltons. Usually consisting of 1 to 2 boxes tops. Any piece that was deemed worhty and normally found by me in the $5 - $15 was sporting crazy prices of $25 - $60. I dont know how many actually sold, but I was in sticker shock most of the show when I seen Charltons. Actually a 1st for me. Just happened to find a dealer who seemed rather ecentric to say the least. He was sitting off in a corner furthest away from his tables and reading a newspaper rather uppidy and smug looking if I may say so. I think the name of his store was Hidden Treasures. Or Tomorrows Treasures. I cannot remember. He had books in just plastic bags, no boards layed out in 3 sections on his tables. 1 area was $3 each, and $5 each and yet another $10 each. In it was books you would typically love to have but in maybe less than diserable shape, but the price area it was in still made it a steal. Also scattered in the piles were newer books in high grade. Or underloved books in high grade. In any event, his stuff was worth looking at. He also had a display case sporting notable books like an Amazing Spiderman #1 and many other high dollar pieces I cannot remember, but remember being grails. As I was looking through his stuff another customer came up and said "Can I ask you a question?". He didnt answer, he just looked up at the young man and stared at him. The man decided it was his turn to speak so he said something like "I know your an authority of spotting restoration, can you look at this spot and tell me if this is restoration and what type it is?" He actually gave the man a nice answer and then went back to his reading. My wife was like..."I dont like that man"...Well, I just felt he was a bit ecentric. But no denying I wanted to keep looking at his books. In the $5 pile I found the following nice Charltons and felt they were both steals at $5 a piece. Maybe not heavy hitting keys or anything, but both were in rather outstanding shape for old Charltons. Probably hovering in the VF-/VF range for early 1960's books. I left his table extremely happy and wishing I had paid him another visit after I left the show. His junkshop style table was better than a lot of fully stocked dealers. Anyway, here is the extent of my Charlton haul.
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Quato
Level 14
a.k.a. Defiant1
Quato a.k.a. Defiant1
Posts: 1,669
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Post by Quato on Jun 20, 2007 22:45:32 GMT -5
I saw him and ignored him. I ignored most of the dealers. I'm at a point where I know I want to downsize. Anything I buy now needs to be something I really really want or think is really really neat.
I was looking at the new Bucky O'Hare TPB at Michael Golden's table. He didn't look up once. I thought "whatever" and was reading the indicia on the book. A lady walked up and asked if i needed help. i explained that I was checking to see if it was a Continuity imprint item. It wasn't. It was a vanguard imprint item. So she insists it is continuity. Well, I know Continuity Studios produced it the art. That had nothing to do with the imprint it was published under. I was as polite as could be, but when she kept on saying "She bought them from Continuity", I used that as my excuse to exit the table.
I was interested in a Texiera page of art, but felt it was priced more than I wanted to pay. it was incomplete. It was only pencils. it was a Megalith page that he's been sitting on for 20 years. He wanted $150. I was only willing to pay $100 and I didn't want to spend even that much.
OMG! I forgot to say how bad it stunk. I almost gagged walking into the dealers room. It was ripe from sweat. Dragon con has never smelled that bad to me.
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Post by gowaltrip on Jun 20, 2007 22:57:18 GMT -5
Oh yeah, the funk was flying for sure. I was going through a dumpster dive at one dealer, who was selling nice books at 50 cents each. I actually bought about 20 books from him because it was nicer than most junk piles. When some rude dude who was a bit overweight came barging next to me. I kind of dealt with him for a moment and kept looking at boxes and then he kind of moved a certain way and I got slammed with funk that was so bad, I stopped looking and paid the dealer and left. Kind of pissed me off. This was very early in the show to be stinking that bad. Totally said "hadnt had a bath this morning"
Another thing I found disheartening was the shear volume of...sorry to say...geeks there. Huge amounts. It was so bad, it made me not want to be associated with the hobby. At one point I said to my wife..."Am I anything like a lot of these people"...just for some assurance. She thankfully said no. It was so bad even my kids were saying "there was nothing but geeks in there". I hate it that the hobby attracts this type of crowd and has this stigma. Certainly there was plenty of cool, level headed, down to earth types there too. But, the geek ratio was really high. I felt like half the people there could very easily got out there deck of Yu-gi-oh cards and played a game on the boxes. And some sure could have used a date too.
I hate to be derogatory. But the show had me questioning my desire for the hobby strictly because of the people it was attracting.
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Quato
Level 14
a.k.a. Defiant1
Quato a.k.a. Defiant1
Posts: 1,669
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Post by Quato on Jun 21, 2007 5:10:04 GMT -5
I didn't pay any attention to the crowd either. I was only looking at artists behind the tables and merchandise being displayed. Jennifer at my LCS is always commenting on her customers. We both consider the geek ratio to be way too high. She likes the fact.... "I shut them up" (meaning her customers. They'll say something and I can have them silent in about two sentences. She says that makes me one of her favorite people in the world.
Q
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