IN POSITION
AND PREPARED
CAPTAIN
Slash fiction is somehow to blame.
IN POSITION
AND PREPARED
CAPTAIN
IN POSITION
AND PREPARED
CAPTAIN
“And you people…you’re all…astronauts on…some kind of ‘star trek.'”
from Peter Pan Book & Record Set #PR-45 (1979)
I’m a little short on posting time…
…so here’s a picture of the Enterprise crew fighting a googly-eyed dinosaur (identified as a “tyrannosaurus” later in the story) with an inset pic of Badly-Rendered Kirk reciting the TV show’s intro:
What if Kirk recited that every day at the beginning of his bridge shift? That would be weird.
from Peter Pan Book & Record Set #PR-45 (1979)
I want to believe…in secondary market values on comics from the 1990s.
So when Topps Comics released The X-Files #1 in the mid-1990s, about a year or so after the TV show’s debut, the demand for the comic caught us a bit by surprise. We ordered what we thought was a good number, considering the industry was well into its market crash at this point, but this was one of those comics that caught folks by surprise by managing to bring non-comic readers into shops. We sold out in short order, and proceeded to field requests the rest of the week from people looking for copies of that first issue, while thinking the whole time “if only we knew” which you can never really know for certain, really.
The upshot of all this is that X-Files became a “hot” item in a business where “hot” items were a pretty significant factor in almost destroying said business just a year or two earlier. And you can see a good example of just how “hot” it was if you cast your peepers back to the scan above and the price sticker visible therein.
That issue was among the many, many comics that came with this collection, and was one of the books that survived the sorting process as I worked through the boxes, throwing some into the bargain boxes and keeping some aside for potential use in the regular stock, or on the eBay. I haven’t dealt much with the old Topps run of X-Files…people poke through its slot in the back issue boxes once in a while, but it’s not like I’ve had a lot of demand of the series lately, even with a new series being released from IDW. At any rate, I’ve not really thought about the prices on this series in some time, and spotting the #1 in this collection, I pulled it aside thinking it was, if no longer at the $55 price it had been marked, surely it was probably still worth something.
Well, nope, not really.
A quick search of the eBay shows lots of the first three, four or five issues (including the first printing of #1, like the one I have from that collection) usually only sell for about five to ten bucks. The #1 by itself sold for as cheaply as $2, and I found one that sold for nearly eight bucks, which is more the exception than the rule, it seems. (A “slabbed” copy of #1, signed the stars of the TV series, sold for about $400, so I guess there’s that.) There are copies currently listed in the $10 – $15 range, but unless someone’s desperate to get a copy, they’re probably not going anywhere fast.
And I didn’t go back to double-check, because I’ve looked at eBay enough today, but my impression was that there were many attempts to sell the serial-numbered second printings as some kind of special big-deal thing, but no one cares too much about those, either.
The “too long, didn’t read” version: some formerly-hot comics don’t sell for what they used to anymore, which I’m sure comes as a surprise to everyone. And yet, even with this knowledge, I still don’t want to just dump this comic in the bargain bin. The days of getting $55 for this comic are long gone, but I might be able to get $5, maybe, if I’m lucky.
In other news:
- The other day, when I mentioned how I thought a new Legion of Super-Heroes series would be best served by making the focus one character, with the rest of the cast as occasional supporting characters? Jer asked which one, and Casey in the comments suggested “Brainiac 5,” which actually was my suggestion, too, when I previously brought up the topic.
Still think that’s a good idea. The team book version of Legion is not one people seem to want anymore, or at least no one’s hit on a version of the Legion that really does anything for anybody. There’s going to be another Legion book sooner or later, and it can’t hurt to try something different…I mean, what, you might end up with another dead Legion book if the idea doesn’t pan out? Or maybe you might have something that has a little staying power? What’s to lose, really? Other than money, creative efforts, market value of a DC property which has been adversely affected by yet another cancellation, so on?
- Back to that collection: Wayne asks if we have to inventory all the toys that came with this collection. In this case…no, not really. Our perusal of the toys, an informal inventory, revealed a handful of figures sans accessories that we might be able to sell for a couple of bucks each. Haven’t really made the time or space to price these things up and put ’em out for sale…they’re low cost, low priority items, which we got essentially for free, and we haven’t really dealt with them yet because there are always other things occupying our time at the shop. The investment in this collection, aside from employee costs in processing and space taken up by storing the boxes, is minimal.
Having looked more closely at the toys, we’ll probably keep a handful of the usable stuff and dump the rest, either in the trash or in an eBay auction titled “BIG BOX OF CRAP – cheap! L@@K H@T” just to get it all out of my hair. Even the box of little accessories probably isn’t worth the trouble or mess, and may go on the eBay too. Someday. When I have the time.
- Pal Dave is starting a new feature on his site: “I Had That!” Nostalgia ahoy from one of the best comic/pop culture bloggers out there.
Progressive Ruin presents…the End of Civilization.
Here I am, rocking you like a hurry-can once again with yet another look at what treasures await us in the not-too-distant future in the latest issue of Diamond Previews. Grab your copy of the February 2014 edition and follow along…and please enjoy the joke I totally stole from Mr. Show (video link maybe NSFW):
p. 76 – Conan the Avenger #1:
Man, Marvel’s ongoing Avengers title-creep has gone too far, too far I say.
p. 85 – Marvel Classic Character X-Men #94 #2 – Wolverine:
He’s the best at what he does, and what he does…is, well, look kind of creepy.
p. 140 – Graphic Ink The DC Comics Art of Frank Quitely HC:
Well, hello to you, too, Robin.
p. 141 – Watchmen TP New Edition:
“Watchmen TP the ‘Sorry Alan and Dave, We’re Going to Hold onto the Ownership of This Comic for a Bit Longer’ Edition.”
p. 261 – Heisenborg T-Shirt and Breaking Borg T-Shirt:
Oh, I don’t know.
p. 431 – Batman ’66 Boxers:
Friends, if you’re with that special someone, and you doff your street clothes and reveal these beneath, there is no possible way your evening will not be filled with more intimate romance than you’ve ever thought possible.
Also, I considered making a “Bat-pole” joke, but let’s not drag these thoughts of love into the gutters.
p. 449 – Hanna Barbera Captain Caveman 3-inch Action Figure:
This is just one of those instances where I scan an item out of Previews for, if not no particular reason, then only for the slightest of reasons, in this case those crazy thick, black “hairs” sticking out of his face and head, and I don’t have any kind of joke or anything, I just wish to compel you to gaze upon that terrible visage and those dark, twisty strands that beckon to you.
p. 453 – Mr. Potato Head: Marvel’s Spider-Man:
Oh, come on. “Spuder-Man.” It’s right there! C’MON!
p. 457 – Star Trek Tribble Mama Plush:
Just wondering if in the Star Trek world the larger Tribbles were hollowed out and used for hats or toupees? “Um, Jean-Luc, what’s that on your h–” “LOOK, MY HEAD WAS COLD, OKAY?”
p. 472 – Marvel Comics Juggernaut – Danger Room Session – Fine Art Statue:
Well, I don’t know about you, but my definition of “fine art” has been adjusted accordingly.
p. 486 – Doctor Who British Icon 12-Inch Dalek:
“WARNING: MAY BE TOO BRITISH FOR SOME BRITISH PEOPLE.”
p. 491 – Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Play Arts ~KAI~: Snake:
Finally, I thought they’d never do an action figure of David Hasslefoff from the Nick Fury TV movie! …Wait, what? It’s not? Well, damn.
p. 500 – Sailor Moon Moon Stick Proplica:
First: “proplica?” Second:
Just sayin’.
p. 501 – Godzilla vs. Mothra: Mothra S.H.MonsterArts Figure:
At first glance, I thought the picture was of a throw rug, and oh, can you imagine my disappointment.
p. 506 – DC Comics Zombie String Dolls:
“MOM! Can’t we stay outside and play superhero just a little longer?”
“No, it’s dinner-time! Come inside and eat your salt!”
p. 507 – The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Skellington Goblet:
Indiana Jones closely studies the array of goblets, large and small, ornate and plain, that are spread out before him, as Elsa and the Old Knight watch.
Suddenly, Indiana reaches out and grabs the Jack Skellington Goblet. He dips it into the water, then takes a deep drink from the skeletal chalice. A great cry goes out, as all the inhabitants from Halloweentown emerge from the shadows and celebrate Indiana’s success. The Mayor’s head spins around to its happy visage and declares today to be Indiana Jones Day!
“You have chosen…wisely,” intones the Old Knight, as Lock, Shock and Barrel chase each other around his legs.
p. 528 – Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery Blu-Ray & DVD:
Oh, give me a break. Surely by now everyone knows how fake this is! I mean, honestly, who thinks talking dogs are real?
Marvel Previews p. 3 – Amazing Spider-Man #1:
“Returns?” I had no idea Batman had left.
I suppose coveting a $100+ Swamp Thing figure undermines any criticism I make in an End of Civilization post.
Between having a very long day at work and spending my Tuesday evening doing prepwork for Thursday’s End of Civilization post, I didn’t leave myself a lot of time for an entry for today, other than:
- I do know about the Sofubi Swamp Thing figurine currently being offered:
…having been first emailed about it by reader John K. a few days ago. The figure looks cool ‘n’ all, but at a total cost of about $140 including shipping (according to Google’s currency converter) I’m probably going to hold off for the time being. However, whilst doing the aforementioned prepwork for the EoC, I did spot the other two figures from this particular wave (Superman and Bizarro) being offered in the Previews Import Toys section, so perhaps there’s hope I’ll be able to get my weirdo Swamp Thing toy at a wholesale price via my evil retailing powers. - While taking a peek at Kickstarter’s funnybook listings, I happened upon this fundraiser for A Deitch Miscellany, a handmade book collecting comics and sketches by Kim Deitch. Well, I like Kim Deitch’s work, and I hope some of you do as well, so maybe take a look at this project and donate if you’re able.
- Bob writes about starting to read B.P.R.D. on a monthly basis, partially in response to my comments about the current steep entry cost to that series.
Tom Spurgeon responds by saying he’d rather not see a rebooting of B.P.R.D., which isn’t really what I want, either, but at this point the series isn’t too kind to anyone new to the franchise. Of course, as we’re all learning again right now with the “Marvel Now #1s” publishing initiative, a relaunch is a jumping-off point as much as a jumping-on point, and starting again with a new B.P.R.D. series (without an attendant Hellboy movie to bump up some awareness) would likely, after a brief spike in sales, end up just selling to the same people who were already buying it before.
As I said, I can see this B.P.R.D. ending and wrapping up its years-long storylines, and the current Abe Sapien title incorporating the B.P.R.D. elements in a perhaps more reader-friendly manner. (Much in the same way I once argued that the Legion of Super-Heroes could be revitalized by making one of the Legionnaires the star of his/her own book, and the rest of the Legion the occasionally-appearing supporting cast.) I wouldn’t think of that as a full-on “reboot” so much as some retooling, but I’m likely just splitting hairs.
“Ebon-Isz and Ivor-Isz / Live together in perfect harmon-Isz”
So let’s gaze long into this abyss:
…which is just one of the boxes recently donated to our shop last week…the remnants of what was once another comic book store’s stock. The previous owners tired of these multiple boxes of comics and toys occupying space in their storage, and thus they now occupy space in our storage.
Well, okay, not all of the boxes. The acquisition of any large collection usually results in a small percentage of the received items being desirable, usable items, and the greater portion mostly being stuff like this. The jury is still out on how much of this collection will be of use to us, since we’re still going through it. My first pass through resulted in about half of the comics going straight to the bargain bins — so long, Brigade! — while we’re still going through the other half which is just on the threshold of possibly being sellable items. It’s mostly late ’80s – mid ’90s material, but there are plenty of Valiant titles, Amazing Spider-Man issues, some Deadpool, and other goodies that are in enough demand to warrant some double-checking prior to consigning them to bargain-box purgatory.
That’s just the comics. The toys, on the other hand, were packed haphazardly into a handful of beaten-up cardboard boxes, and if they were intended for sale before, the condition they’re in now make most of them pretty much useless. I half-suspect some rough playing with the toys occurred after the removal from the store, because there sure are a lot of limbless and otherwise busted figures in there.
But then again, that particular box pictured above was marked “ACTION FIGURE ACCESSORIES – $0.25 EACH” so maybe they just had a bunch of used toys they were trying to unload for anything, and now I guess it’s my turn. I briefly though about trying to match up some of the bits ‘n’ pieces in that cardboard box with the action figures in the other boxes, but I’m too close to death to use up my precious remaining minutes doing that.
The box did contain a few of these fellas:
…the Iszs or Iszes or Iszeseses or whatever from The Maxx, presented here in 1 1/4-inch tall bendable-arms form. These had originally been packaged with Maxx action figures, but I didn’t see any of those in the boxes. Apparently there was a bag of Isz figurines once available from the McFarlane Toys fan club, so maybe that’s where they all came from.
Also in the box was a canister of this stuff:
…and since the picture is a bit blurry, thanks to my fantastic camera skills, I shall read the label to you, which says “ALIENS OOZE PLAY GEL – slimy ooze traps unsuspecting prey!” Sadly, this item dates from 1994, and a perusal of the gel within:
…shows us that its slimy days of trapping unsuspecting prey are long behind it. Maybe you can bean your prey upside the head by tossing that hard-rubbery lump at it.
As long as I’ve got your attention, it occurs to me that it’s been a long time since I’ve trolled any of you. So…
…there you go.
Like I said, we’re still digging through these boxes, so I may yet find more goodies of interest to show you. Like this Image Comics editorial preview package from 1995:
…which should prove to be equal parts nostalgic, hilarious, and depressing, so let’s all look forward (or backward!) to that.
Please enjoy this first draft of my review of that JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time DVD.
[Some minor SPOILERS AHEAD]
So I was clued in by one of Johanna’s recent posts that there was a new Justice League animated feature that was going to be available exclusively at Target stores, which seemed to come as a surprise to pretty much everybody. According to this interview with the director, there was a desire for a DC superhero cartoon that maybe skewed a little younger than the usual DC Direct films that could be marketed alongside the toylines, and this was the result.
They really want you to know that this is an “original movie,” since it not only tells you so in a blurb directly printed under the title, but this sticker is affixed to the front of the package as well:
And this sticker is slapped on the box too, reminding you about Superman’s 75th anniversary last year:
As for the cartoon itself…it’s entertaining enough, with plenty of superhero versus supervillain action and a simplistic time-travel plot. The Legion of Super-Heroes are involved, kinda sorta, with Dawnstar and Karate Kid as two potential members of that future super-team who find themselves in the present day, trying to prevent Lex Luthor from using Legion villain the Time Trapper to destroy the Justice League. Dawnstar is given, in addition to her traditional super-tracking powers, some kind of magical glowy energy-healing ability that seems to primarily exist to provide a quick ending to the climactic battle of the movie. Karate Kid’s ability to spot structural flaws are given enough of a flourish to be a visually-interesting super power, and his martial arts skills are given a good showcase in a battle with Robin.
The character designs are New 52-inspired, with too many seams and not enough red trunks:
…though Superman doesn’t have that terrible collar, which is a plus. Bizarro does have red pants in this cartoon, in case you were worried. I should note that Superman’s design, from his costume to his facial features, do fluctuate somewhat throughout the feature, which is a little distracting.
One of the major highlights in the story is when everybody time travels back to Smallville, with the villains attempting to prevent the Kents from rescuing baby Kal-El, and the heroes trying to keep history on track. It’s a very funny, slightly surreal sequence as the good guys and bad guys play keep-away with Baby Kal, who is repeatedly referred to as “Superbaby.” This Silver Age fan approves.
While mostly enjoyable, if slight, there are some minor quibbles with the film, such as Robin’s characterization as a bit of a petulant child (meant to be comic relief, and probably funny to the target (heh) audience, but may grate on old people like you and me). Plus, the Time Trapper’s ultimate gambit, to apparently…wreck stuff around Earth with time vortices, I guess? — doesn’t seem like much of a final battle beyond giving heroes one last action scene to show off their stuff.
One surprising positive: this dude shows up, and though my initial reaction was “oh, no,” he’s actually one of the more entertaining parts of the film:
Yup, that’s the jester-ish Toyman from the ’70s Super Friends cartoons, redesigned into apparently being some kind of robot-toy-thing himself:
…and a brief shot of a display in a 31st century museum gives us his extremely depressing fate:
The original Toyman of the ’70s cartoons was mostly just annoying. I want to know more about this Toyman, who is less annoying and more creepy and / or goofy.
Bonus features on this disc include two of the original Super Friends episodes, both involving some kind of time travel, and I haven’t watched them yet because I’m sure I’ve seen them before and therefore they have already stolen away enough of my life.
Overall it’s a fun cartoon, despite some minor issues, and hopefully will lead to more all-ages original animated features based on DC properties. …By which of course I mean “Swamp Thing.”
You can probably tell that my monthly comic distributor orders are due tomorrow.
So a few years back I wrote this little piece about the Flash series publishing shenanigans, in which what appeared to be a relaunched Flash ongoing series ended up secretly being a mini-series, which was supplanted by a continuation of the previous Flash series that this new “ongoing” series supposedly replaced. The upshot of all that was, had I known it was going to be a mini-series, I would have ordered it as such, rather than ordering it as a supposed ongoing series with the potential for a longer back issue sales life.
Boy, times have changed. The announcement that Superman Unchained is ending — another huge launch that maybe I would have ordered lower numbers on had I realized it was going to be a nine-issue mini-series — reminded me that for most of my new comics orders, I’m ordering with the assumption that (in DC’s case) the title will probably be cancelled soon, or (in Marvel’s case) the series will be relaunched with a new #1. I’m not ordering with the assumption that there will be a long-standing interest in back issue sales on most titles.
That’s the really super-cynical way of looking at it, I realize, and I’m exaggerating to some extent. But a lot of these relaunches and re-relaunches and ridiculous numbering schemes aren’t helping any. That recent Avengers comic that was actually #24 but tried to kick off a soft-relaunch by emphasizing the beginning of a brand new storyline with big ol’ “#1” on the cover? I actually sold less of those than I did of previous issues. But I did bump my orders up slightly because I thought maybe sales would go up a bit, so Marvel got more money out of me, therefore this was a success for them, I guess.
But for a lot of these new Marvel relaunches I’m not ordering much more than what I’m already selling. Judging by Marvel’s…enthusiastic sales plateaus for the multiple variants they’re offering, it looks like they want me to order a lot more than what I have been, but I don’t see how a new Secret Avengers #1 is going to sell any more than the current Secret Avengers series which just debuted a few months ago. I did sell more of the recent Thunderbolts issue that brought in Ghost Rider, because people like Ghost Rider, but I don’t know if this new Ghost Rider series is going to sell. I can already hear the complaints: “This doesn’t look like Ghost Rider!” “Who’s this new guy? Where’s Johnny Blaze/Danny Ketch?”
I’ve said before we do good business in back issue sales. Even early issues of most of DC’s New 52 titles still move, so long as those titles are still producing new installments. So long as any of the titles on the stands are producing new installments, I can usually move the back issues for that series. But the likelihood of any title maintaining a continuity of issue-numbering, thus also maintaining that stretch of increased back issue demand, is rapidly decreasing, and I am ordering accordingly. A few comics I still order with the expectation that they’ll sell in the back issue bins, but those are increasingly the exception.
Anyway, I don’t have any terribly deep insights here…just letting my mind wander about on how the industry has changed so much. Not that pursuing short-term profits over long-term growth is anything new for comics, but I don’t recall it ever being so obvious. Well, maybe during the ’90s boom, but there was actual money to be made then, and not the pennies everyone’s chasing after now.
No time for posts, Dr. Jones.
I may or may not be in Low Content Mode this week, but I’m certainly in Low Content Mode today, hence:
- Congratulations and / or my sympathies to my blogging brother Tim on his ten year reign.
- Employee Aaron’s wife Kempo has drawn Judge Dredd. If this is how he appeared in that most recent movie, maybe it would have made money.
- Yes, I’ve seen the Onion article. And they’re wrong; those are the only two movies. Well, and The Spirit, too.