Sad but true stories of your comic book collecting

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Whereas in my case, I don't feel any particular tie to the series, though I liked it just fine for awhile there (until I realized that I was getting about 4 minutes worth of extremely incremental movement of the4 story for my $2.99 every month). Haven't read an issue since I dropped it (along with everything else) with #69, though at some point I'll start catching up via TPB, I'm sure.

Of course, too, I'll probably never get over my lack of regard for Kirkman for asserting that Liefeld is another Kirby. *shudder*

I really love the series. I know it moves at a snail pace at times for sure. But I guess I like the aspect that it really can swerve and surprise you at a moment's notice.

[dr chimp]

Your friend speaks truth.

Nice find!

Are you planning to flip it? I'm sorely tempted to put mine up on eBay; needless to say, I bought mine (#s 19-69, I believe) as they came out.

dude sell the run and buy yourself a plane ticket or have an adventure - at the end of the day its just a few pieces of paper and 2 staples and the series is red hot. Do it!!!

*legally i have to state i am not an actual doctor tho and any advice i give is bound to end in recrimination and disaster

[Jezebel Bond]

I'm a potty-mouth sometimes and I heap curses...CURSES I TELL YOU...on those assholes who trim all 3 sides of a silver age comic (they'd trim the spine too if they could) and then try to pass it off as a high-grade book. I'd make exceptions for those who describe the restorations upfront but am unforgiving to those who don't think it's a big deal.

A lot of people get fooled...it's not always easy to tell the side of a book has been trimmed. I almost got taken for a ride until I spotted an uneven edge for the third time in one week.

I also saw a Spidey #41 butchered that way...it was given a CGC Restoration grade...APPARENT 9.0.

I'd rather a sound, solid FINE+ that has maintained 100% its original integrity and just has a couple of dings or a small fold or tear....

[dr_cyclops]

There are too many stories to choose from. So I'll go with a friend's near miss and another person's expeirence. While looking (with a good friend) through a dealers comic boxes at a convention, my friend pulls out a Gold Key Munsters comic. "Wow, look! A Munsters comic for only six bucks!" he exclaimed. Calmly I said; "Take it out and make sure it is what you want to spend your money on." He ask the dealer, and was given permission to remove the book. As my friend flipped through the book, there were pieces of the pages missing. Not tiny pieces that only removed pieces of the borders. Large pieces that went into the panels, word-balloons and captions. I asked; "Is that what you want to add to your collection?" He put it back in the bag and replaced it in the box. Within a short time of us moving to other boxes at the same table, a guy walked up and found the same comic. "Wow, a Munsters comicbook for only six dollars!" and promptly purchased it on the spot and walked away. My friend gave me a look like; 'Thanks a lot!" I said; "Don't give me that 'look'. Imagine how happy he's gonna be when he finds out what he got for his money." My friend said; "Good point." We got some cool comics that day.

[icctrombone]

Many years ago i used to frequent a comic shop named Forbidden Planet and I saw someone talking to a store employee about a book he'd just bought. Turns out he purchased Captain Marvel #34 ( The book where he fights Nitro and gets cancer) but didn't notice that there was a big coupon cutout inside. I generally need to have a complete book or it's a deal killer. I don't know if he got his money back or he got a discount.

[USArmyParatrooper]

I'm a potty-mouth sometimes and I heap curses...CURSES I TELL YOU...on those assholes who trim all 3 sides of a silver age comic (they'd trim the spine too if they could) and then try to pass it off as a high-grade book. I'd make exceptions for those who describe the restorations upfront but am unforgiving to those who don't think it's a big deal.

A lot of people get fooled...it's not always easy to tell the side of a book has been trimmed. I almost got taken for a ride until I spotted an uneven edge for the third time in one week.

I also saw a Spidey #41 butchered that way...it was given a CGC Restoration grade...APPARENT 9.0.

I'd rather a sound, solid FINE+ that has maintained 100% its original integrity and just has a couple of dings or a small fold or tear....

I would rather an unmoleted lower grade copy as well.

[Reptisaurus!]

Oh yeah.

I had a BUNCH of stuff stolen out of my car (which didn't work) when I was moving. A Silver Surfer # 1, a Fantastic 4 # 48 and 50, Amazing Spider-Man 129, 120 straight issues of Marvel Team-Up, a damn near full run of Love and Rockets. And a bunch of other stuff. It was parked at the junkyard overnight while I stayed at a friends house, and the guy swore he meant to lock the doors...

[USArmyParatrooper]

Oh yeah.

I had a BUNCH of stuff stolen out of my car (which didn't work) when I was moving. A Silver Surfer # 1, a Fantastic 4 # 48 and 50, Amazing Spider-Man 129, 120 straight issues of Marvel Team-Up, a damn near full run of Love and Rockets. And a bunch of other stuff. It was parked at the junkyard overnight while I stayed at a friends house, and the guy swore he meant to lock the doors...

Left in the car at the junkyard all night? The only thing locking the doors would have done is give you a broken window.

[Reptisaurus!]

Left in the car at the junkyard all night? The only thing locking the doors would have done is give you a broken window.

I had a blanket over 'em! And they probably woulda gotten at least a little scratched up. Those were some big long-boxes.

Luckily (and oddly) they didn't touch any of my trades. Which would have more instant resale value, especially if they didn't know what they were doing selling-comics-wise.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I do remember once bidding on eBay for a copy of Wonder Woman 199 with the Jeff Jones cover. I won the bid (it didn't go for much) and when I got it, it was a perfectly decent issue, until I realized that on the cover Wonder Woman's white outfit was coloured orange. The previous owner had gone with an orange felt pen and coloured it. If I had looked at the scan on eBay, I would have seen that. So I counted it as my own stupidity and I soon got another copy of the wanted issue to complete my run of mod Diana Prince.

By the way, I recently bought a bunch of comics at a comic book swap meet, but as I had gone out of town immediately after buying them, I didn't have a chance to look through them until almost two weeks later. As often happens, some comics aren't in as good shape as I initially thought, but one comic has me perplexed. It's Superman 156 ("The Last Days of Superman") and it has the pungent odour of moth balls--otherwise it's in fine condition, but that smell knocks me out every time I open it up. How do you get rid of such smells?

[dr_cyclops]

but one comic has me perplexed. It's Superman 156 ("The Last Days of Superman") and it has the pungent odour of moth balls--otherwise it's in fine condition, but that smell knocks me out every time I open it up. How do you get rid of such smells?

Know what you mean about the 'moth-ball' smell. I had a Catman comic that stunk of it. Every time I tried to read it, the fumes would make me sick. Never found a way to get rid of all of it. Leaving the book out of the bag and out of storage, in the open to air-out, over time deminished the smell to the point I could read the issue. Strange or not so, every time I returned it to bag and storage, the smell seemed stronger than when I last read it. Airing out the book is a slow process. It's not done in a day or two, a week or two. It takes months. I started by laying the book open to the center-fold. Each day turning a page forward to the back of the book, then start again from the center-fold going backwards to the front. This method had limited success. Sorry Ear, wish I knew a better way.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Thanks for the info, just the same. Misery loves company.

[dan bailey]

dude sell the run and buy yourself a plane ticket or have an adventure

Which I, of course, read as "Buy that monkey you've been wanting for most of your life & dress it as Squeeks."

any advice i give is bound to end in recrimination and disaster

See my previous sentence.

[dan bailey]

An experienced & expert librarian like Michi (who, suspiciously enough, seems to have enough of a life &/or devotion to his job that he doesn't seemingly spend every waking moment glued to this forum ... unlike, oh, me) would probably have some great tips on attacking the mothball-smell situation, but in the meantime here's another librarian's recommendation, as found on Google --

There is no guaranteed way to remove the musty smell from old books, but there is a strategy that may be successful. This musty smell is most often noted in books that have been moldy or mildewed in the past. The first step is to create an enclosed chamber. This is most easily done by using two garbage cans, one large (with a lid) and one small. The object to be "deodorized" should be placed in the smaller can, which is then placed inside the larger can. Some type of odor-absorbing material should then be placed in the bottom of the larger can. Odor-absorbing materials to try include baking soda, charcoal briquettes (without lighter fluid), or kitty litter. The lid should then be placed on the larger can, and the chamber should be left for some time. You will need to monitor periodically to see how long the materials need to be left inside the chamber.

[dr chimp]

Which I, of course, read as "Buy that monkey you've been wanting for most of your life & dress it as Squeeks."



See my previous sentence.

i have come to terms with that fact that i am no crimebuster and will never have a squeeks of my own so i take solace in this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAP5qWnBek