Wednesday Open Forum

Wednesday
 
Wednesday, the best day of the week, new comic book day. It is like your birthday in the middle of each week (well, one where you buy your own presents.)
We open things up to hear from you. A free for all.
The 121st edition of the open forum!
Well we stirred up a little controversy last week. Thanks for all the readers who jumped in. Not sure who the “reader” who contacted him was but, come on….
“Don’t mess with my Wednesdays”.
As always we also want to hear about your weekly pickups.
So, What were your pick ups?
What had disappeared off the shelves?
What was sitting on the shelves?
What back issue deals did you grab?

107 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Forum”

  1. A couple of days ago I got my order from Solar Flare. They came packed perfectly, comics came in great shape, they still had that new comic smell. Only read the first issue so far can’t wait to read the rest, already added the upcoming series to my pullbox.

  2. One I ordered for this week was the Green Lantern – POTA Rivoche Silver Age homage variant. Just couldn’t resist it.
    Also looking forward to the Joe Jusko cornerbox variants. Jusko is such an awesome artist!

  3. Only 4 books for me this week.
    Harley Quinn #13 (for the wife)
    Walking dead #163 ( only 4 copies for me. Couldnt get no LCS to hook me up with the 500 order so I passed)
    Darth Maul #1 ( only cuz Bunn is writing it)
    True believers wolverine vs Hulk #1 ( it’s a must. True story here: I have a nice VF+/NM- copy of Hulk 181. I had a friend put it in his safe and he forgot the combo to the safe. We had couple of lock smiths check it out but no luck. They say that the bars that go across to lock the safe got jammed. I am afraid that once I do get it opened, the book will be ruined since it’s not sealed and just in bag and board. FML)
    On a good note, I am going to put in my first pre-order threw midtown so I am going to call them tomorrow to set all that up since some of the books that Poyo recommended for the indies, are 50% off.

    1. Yeah Darth Maul seems cool, had to order regular, AF and the animated variant cover. The descriptions on the issues 2 and 3 almost sound like possibly a new character in it, or more..

  4. Pick Ups: #1 Deadly Class. Out of sight.. out of mind. Not in my case!! Still a great book!!
    Bullseye,
    Batman,
    Blood Blister,
    Champions,
    Image Plus,
    Monsters Unleashed,
    Nova,
    Old Man Logan,
    Paper Girls,
    Star Wars,
    Unstoppable Wasp,
    The Walking Dead,
    Wolverine #1
    Hulk #181
    Aquaman #16
    Disappearances: God Country, White, The Dregs, Seven To Eternity, Cougar and Cub, Slayer, Motor Girl, Curse Words
    Sitting: Avengers, US Avengers, Cyborg,
    Deal: Shazam #1 with slightly torn top corner..Free

        1. Oh sorry I welcomed you then. Didn’t realize you were one of Mel’s friends. Lol. Just kidding, we even welcome Mel’s friends.

  5. I asked about paying for 500 copies of walking dead to get the variants but my shop didn’t see what was really in it for them. I tried to explain free comics to sell and a 1:200 for them but for whatever reason they didnt see the value. They just saw a few hundred copies of walking dead needing to be stored. I tried to point out that I’d be paying for them so the could just toss them but nope. Not having it.
    My shop kind of sucks but no one nearby is any better.
    This week I’ll be getting:
    Back to the future
    Batman
    Deadpool
    Mercs for money
    Green lanterns
    Image+
    Invincible
    Justice league
    Midnighter and apollo
    Nailbiter
    Nightwing
    Star wars
    Superman
    Walking dead
    I’m giving you all a break from the wedding and house talk this week. And it’s totally not because there’s no real news……;)

    2. Brennan, your LCS sounds like a real tool. It sounds like the guy in Newmarket. I missed the boat on the TWD 163 variant. I spoke to my LCS today and he only ordered a few issues. He didn’t even know they were 25 cents. He immediately said if he knew he would have ordered a bunch and he would have been down with me ordering through him to get the variants. But, I found one shop that is getting the 1:200. I’ve got first dibs on it when they price it. I’m hoping I can get it for $25. But I’m thinking they will charge $50 CDN. I’m not sure if I’ll take it at the latter price.

      1. LOL it’s not Newmarket! I’m not going to name my LCS just in case they come here and see some of the things I’ve said about them! Hehehe
        I have been to the one in Newmarket before and I have my criticisms about them too, but for the most part they’re pretty good. If he didn’t get a title, he’ll get it for you. If you ask in advance, he’ll get it for you. The owner at that store lives and breathes this stuff and has been working in the industry literally forever!
        I actually make a point of making the trek to Newmarket on FCBD because he has the best ratio of titles to people and an extremely fair policy on how many books you can take.
        So, to summarize, Newmarket is not my LCS but I have been there, they’re actually pretty good, FCBD, Tony is handsome…… just seeing if you’re still paying attention!

      2. Lol. I’ll stop needling you about it. I’m pretty sure I’ve narrowed it down. I visit a lot of shops in Southern Ont., and hearing some of your stories just had me playing a guessing game in my head.

  7. I was hoping to collect all 48 Star Wars anniversary variants, and started off well with Aphra #2, but none of my LCS’ got the Dameron 10 or Star Wars 27. I managed to get them on eBay and found a LCS that’s about 1.5 hrs from me that is opening a sub box for me, specifically for the SW Anniversary variants. The Poe Dameron 10 Immonen variant is selling for $35 on eBay.

    1. I’ve thrown a copy up on UK eBay for £29.95, I was thinking it’s a crazy price but maybe not. I managed to get 4 copies at cover. Can’t understand why these are so rare, especially as it’s a gorgeous cover of Leia, would have thought anything Star Wars 40th Anniversary related would be a no brainer for shops to order…

    2. You can always pre-order them from Midtown 🙂 They have Star Wars 27, but I wasn’t able to find the Poe version. I’ll keep looking to see if I can find a copy here in Phoenix.

      1. I think finding them in the wild is best chance at getting them at a decent price, couldn’t see any left on ebay earlier today.

      2. I’ve been following the Poe Dameron 10 anniversary on eBay for the last week, as I didn’t find it on release day and need it to complete the anniversary set. I watched them go from about $15 dollars a week ago to $40. It got mine for about $30. I didn’t want to do it, but my addict side kicked in and made me do it.

      3. I missed the first couple but I managed to get them, so now I’m just going to pre-order them so I don’t have to worry about finding them in the wild.

  8. Light week for me.
    Batman #16
    Harley Quinn #13
    Walking Dead #163
    Deadpool #26
    Also have noticed that The Few #1 has gone up to around a $10 book.

  9. Forbidden Planet UK have made a great gesture on The Walking Dead #163, giving all issues pre-ordered before the end of January 2017 to those customers for Free. Very Cool. Thank you FP.

    1. I had the same email, you just have to pay the postage. Which they only charged me £1 for 13 copies for some reason… ? but yeah it’s a nice jesture. However, if anyone from FP management reads this, please sort out how you package your comics. They need to be individually bagged and boarded, not stuffing 4-6 comics in a bag and not even sealing them so they slide around in the mailer. A Place in Space, Reed Comics and Island Earth all do this, why can’t you?

        1. I don’t mind one per bag not sealed, if the bag flap folded over they won’t slide around so much. A Place in Space here don’t seal, but they put them all in a brown paper bag which is then folded & taped a little before going in the comic mailer, protects them nicely.

          1. Midtown does put them in a brown bag which is nice. Never had a problem with Midtown orders. But would love for them to seal the bag.

      2. Completely agree on the FP packaging method. One bag per comic taped down should be minimal care requirement ! A Place In Space are fantastic. Just wish the whole Brexit thing would settle & let the pound increase better against the dollar to get back to being able to afford more comic books. The price hike hurts !
        FP generally apply £1 postage to each £5 spent, so with 13 copies of The Walking Dead #163 at £0 each you are only charged £1 postage. Nice score 🙂

        1. Ha ha thanks Paul. I can’t ever work out their postage policy properly, as soon as I put the number of comics up to 14 it quoted me their £5.50 maximum, so dropped back to 13 copies and it changed to £1 again. That’s about the only good thing about their postage, it never goes above £5.50, so if you order a shed load of comics the cost per comic is minimal.
          I feel FP are betraying their roots with how they treat comics, this was how they started. But I bet the merchandise they sell is more profitable so those customers get treated better.

        2. Oh don’t worry about the pound, when inflation starts to bite and the BoE puts interest rates up, the pound should strengthen and we get our comics cheaper. Of course we won’t be able to afford to eat or heat our homes, but hey ho…

  10. Hi long time no talk as pretty much retired from comic book collecting. Just had to chime in Black Flash looked great on Legends of Tomorrow last night.

    4. Great to hear from you Alana! I’m so far behind on superhero shows, look fwd to this hitting netflix so i can binge

    5. Agreed. Legends has quickly become my second favourite DCCW show after Flash. I’ve basically stopped watching Arrow and Supergirl is good but not great.
      What I liked most about last night was how they finally stopped portraying Reverse Flash as most powerful and completely unstoppable. Seeing him afraid for once was refreshing!

  11. I promise not to cause any more controversy this week…
    OK, my splendiferous order list this week:
    Superman #16B Daniel Variant
    Batman #16A and #16B
    Walking Dead $0.25 cover (not as many as Poyo!), 1:200 and 1:500 variants. I love how http://www.comiclist.com/index.php have the variant covers listed as $0.25! I know that is the “technical” cover price but lol
    Star Wars #28 Meghan Hetrick Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover
    Star Wars Darth Maul #1 Terry Dodson Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover
    True Believers Wolverine Vs Hulk #1
    Fairly quiet this week, may your pick ups be bountiful and fruitful!

    1. Oh I pre-ordered Deadly Class #26 (Image Tribute Variant) but my supplier says they are waiting for further information from the supplier, so may not actually get this, which is a bummer as wanted to get a set together.

  12. Quite week, but my LCS gave me Monsters Unleashed short comic box – which is a nice promo item.
    Picked up Walking Dead,
    Darth Maul Brooks cover,
    Monsters Unleashed Future Fight Variant
    Blood Blister 1 variant
    Paper Girls 11

  13. My son scratched my eye this week so I couldn’t go pick up any new comics or read them even if I wanted. Anyway I do two questions regarding these one per store incentives and their value. Like I said before my daughter is super into Squirrel Girl right now. I bought the regular cover of the 25th anniversary (#16) from our LCS but Midtown has the one per store variant listed for $500. Comic book realm has it valued the same but CPG has it for 20 (though the have the wrong cover number associated with it). I picked up 2 this week at about $10 a piece. I know value really comes down to what someone is willing to pay, but I’m wondering if I just got lucky with these picks? Second what sources do you guys use to value your comics?

    1. Sounds like you got lucky with the one per store, but I am no expert, I am sure one of the others will be better placed to answer.
      With regard to values, I sell on eBay, so for me that’s the only values that mean anything when I list. I always check most recent sale prices, when they actually happened and then see what is available for sale. I then set my price accordingly. Sometimes I have to adjust downward if I get undercut, but if the comic is really what people want or heating up then I just let the undercutters get their price, hopefully leaving me ready for the next suck.. sorry customer who comes along!
      Hope that helps some Andrew.

      1. Thanks Barry and everyone else. So it is kind of what I expected. I have noticed that in most cases comics on eBay rarely sell above what they are listed for on some of these sites. The whole thing kind of struck me as odd, so I had to ask.

      1. Yup. Click sold listings and then sort most recent first. Scroll and get an idea of average prices…. Either slightly undercut the live listings or match their price. If they’re selling quickly, you can even list at a higher price since there’s demand if they’re selling quickly.
        One other thing I like to look up is auctions over BIN listings that have ended. Auctions set the actual value by actual demand which gives someone a true measure of worth and value.

        1. I wish people would take your advice Poyo! I sold my Poe Dameron #10 for £29.95 on a BIN after only two days being listed. The only previous sale since it was clear this is gonna be hot was £15 on an auction. So a doubling in price in just over a week, comic on the move. Now someone comes in and lists at £25 and another at £29.95 with a best offer option. Seems like some people just don’t want to make money! I hope they aren’t CHU followers, should be ashamed if they are ;o)

          1. I think for some, they just want to make money faster, even if it’s losing a few buck by undercutting the lowest current price. Which I can understand but a little patience sometimes pays off as well. The time to start cutting prices is when demand slows.. if you list at $29.99 and it sits for over a month, probably time to start slowly lowering your price if others are popping up lower than your own.

            1. Yeah that’s what I do, I also stick a best offer on at that point to, to give a little wriggle room. Just annoying when people do it so badly with teh undercutting. A fairly well known comic shop just did the same thing with God Country #1A, was selling nicely at £15, he came along and dumped 10 copies on the market for £8.95. He probably reads this site, so he knows who he is lol

              1. Yeah, I was affected by that as well. Mine were listed at $15 or so each.. I still ended up selling mine for that much though I’m sure after his dried up.

    3. I agree with everyone else, most definitely the closed and recently ended listing on ebay. offer up is getting more popular in my area but I don’t think it’s an accurate reflection of the market yet.
      Sorry about your eye, corneal scratches hurt like hell!

      1. Explain to me how a global market that has sold, and is selling a similar product to yours (in this case, comics) not an accurate reflection of the market? From everything I’ve seen in the 2 years I’ve been collecting, eBay is by far the greatest reflection of true market values. Now, that can fluctuate on any given hour, but that just makes it that much more accurate as a true market indicator.

      2. JayClue – Louie said that Offer Up isn’t the most accurate reflection of the market yet because it has a small user base when compared to the market and eBay. Offer Up is an app for buying and seling your stuff, similar to eBay but not eBay.
        We all can agree that eBay recently sold is the BEST tool for current values.

      3. Thanks Brennan! and yes JayClue, i was just mentioning Offer Up as another place to look at prices and get data for valuing comics and collectibles, but eBay is the true indicator of ‘the market’.

      4. They sure do! Just got the protected contact lens taken out today. Its getting better but damn it sucks. Was supposed to get filmed for a documentary and because of this the whole thing got ruined.

      5. @Louie&Brennan…ah, I see. I wasn’t aware of that app and misread Louie’s original post. Cheers.

  15. Absolutely nothing is piquing my interest this week.
    Got burned twice by online orders this past week.
    1) A copy of a book I ordered as NM+ came to me with taped rips, color breaking folds, and pieces missing from the edge. The seller requested I send it back saying only that she was sorry I was not happy with the book. A couple days later, my credit card number was used at a Walmart near the seller. I used Paypal, so I don’t know if this was related or not. I’ll be amazed if I get reimbursed by this person.
    2) A book I ordered off eBay was sent to a different person and I received that person’s book. We’ll see if I actually get the book from the other person as coordinated by the seller.
    Steve Leiber, Kelly Sue DeConnick, and Matt Fraction are all signing near me today for Image Day.

    1. That’s sucky I hope you get it sorted. I sold a load of short boxes thru ebay in the early noughties and accidentally posted two boxes to the wrong people!! Luckily one lived just inside the M25 orbital around London, the other just outside, both only an hours drive from me. So I went up and did the swap myself rather than pay out for another two lots of postage. Learnt a valuable lesson tho lol ??

  16. Was anyone able to grab any of the Deadpool #26 Joe Jusko corner box variants? Looks like they are sold out at Midtown and TFAW. I managed to grab one off of Graham Crackers last night but it wouldn’t let me add more than one to my cart (Looks like they’re still available there). Was hoping to get one at my LCS but the owner didn’t order enough to qualify. Just curious if this will end up seeing some heat or not.
    My pickups for the week:
    The Walking Dead #163 Regular cover plus 2 1:200’s, 1 1:500
    Blood Blister #1 Cover A and variant
    Darth Maul #1 Cover A (No Brooks variant or action figure cover at my LCS)
    Star Wars #28 Cover A
    True Believers Wolverine vs. Hulk
    Batman #16 Cover A
    Harley Quinn #13 Cover B Frank Cho variant
    Image+ #10

  17. I was hoping A.D. #3 would be published this week, but just checked on Image site and says it’s not until March 15th!! That’s 2 and a half month delay from issue 2. I know it’s Image’s’ 25th anniversary, but they didn’t have to bring the delays from back in the day along for the ride too!

    1. Even more annoying, today’s Previews announces that Image is re-publishing all three issues of A.D. in a hardcover edition that costs only $1 more than the individual softcover editions.

      1. I saw that the hardcover edition was out fairly soon after third issue, but didn’t realise the price was that. It really is like 1992 all over again: RAVE!!!

    2. Nice snag on the Darth Maul sketch cover! Love that C-3P0 action figure cover also. Cracks me up every time I see it.

      1. I couldn’t resist. I started as unsure about the action figure variants. Then I accumulated so many that it has just become a matter of habit to pick them up. Haha.
        Not pictured, I grabbed the Darth Maul action figure variant too (of course).

  20. Well like I said eye injury kept me from going out today but I did go out Sunday and this is what I got from the $1 bin
    Cable 24 (death of Grizzly)
    Cable 34 (onslaught controlled Hulk)
    Cable 40 (1st Abyss)
    Cable 59 (1st Jack Truman…soon to be Deathlok)
    Cable 64 (Cable origin retold)
    Cable 87 (Death of Pyro)
    Cable 88 (1st Dark Mother)
    Wolverine 100 (hologram cover)
    Nova #11
    Nightwatch #6 (just liked it because Venom was on the cover)
    Interested to see how Cable heats up, but overall I was pleased with the Wolverine and Nova find especially because of the condition they were in.

  22. My pick ups today were:
    Bullseye #1, Connecting Checchetto
    Deadpool #26, Keown Variant and Cornerbox variant
    Wolverine vs Hulk, True Believers x4
    Wolverine #1, True Believers x2
    TWD #163, FREE!
    Batman #16
    Moon Knight #11
    Star Wars #28, reg and anniversary
    Darth Maul #1, reg and anniversary
    OML #17
    All New XMen #1.MU, simply for the X23 cover which I like
    Aquaman #16, reg and variant, curious about a new bad that was introduced, haven’t read, but he looks badass
    Image+ #10
    Injustice Ground Zero #5
    Blood Blister #1
    The Assignment #2
    New Mutants #14, online, One newsstand and one regular cover, Newsstand is pretty dinged, 7.0 maybe, and the regular is NM-, payed $14 for the pair, delivered.
    Uncanny X-Men #316, NM, 1st Monet, $2

  23. Not much for me today…….
    Superman #6a
    TWD #163 x 1 I have a lot pre-ordered. I think that pretty soon I’m going to go back to trade waiting with this series unless a major storyline happens. I will still pick up issues for my spec box.
    Champions #5
    The best 2 things I found today were a copy of God Country #1 and a copy of Superman #10.

  24. Quiet week.. Walking dead twice fo sure
    Missed out on horror stuff..sucks
    Although my lcs had 3 covers of curse words for a decent price..score

  25. LCS
    Batman 16 reg (have not been impressed with the Sale covers lately)
    Harley Quinn 13 var
    Killer Inside Me 5 var
    Walking Dead 163
    Loose Ends 1 reg
    Image Plus 10
    Online
    Action Comics Vol 2 #970 Cover B Variant Gary Frank Cover
    Aliens Defiance #8
    Aliens vs Predator Life And Death #1 Cover C Variant Carlos DAnda Dark Horse 30th Anniversary Cover
    All-Star Batman #5 Cover B Variant Declan Shalvey Cover
    Arhian Head Huntress #4
    Black Panther Vol 6 #9 Cover B Variant Paolo Rivera Connecting E Cover
    Black Widow Vol 6 #9
    Captain America Steve Rogers #8 Cover A 1st Ptg Regular Jesus Saiz Cover
    Carnage Vol 2 #15
    Civil War II #8 Cover B Variant Michael Cho Cover
    Clean Room #15
    Comic Shop News #1547
    Dark Knight III The Master Race #7 Cover A Regular Andy Kubert Cover
    Deadly Class #25
    Detective Comics Vol 2 #947 Cover B Variant Rafael Albuquerque Cover
    Fissure #1 NEXT WEEK
    Flash Vol 5 #13 Cover A Regular Carmine Di Giandomenico Cover
    Frostbite #4
    Generation Zero #5 Cover B Variant Tom Muller Cover
    Ghost Rider Vol 7 #2 Cover A Regular Felipe Smith Cover
    Great Divide #4 Cover B Variant Kevin Stokes Homage Cover
    Grimm Fairy Tales Vol 2 #1 Cover C Greg Horn Never read this series–gonna give it a try
    Harrow County #19
    Hulk Vol 4 #1 Cover C Variant Rahzzah Marvel Hip-Hop Cover (Marvel Now Tie-In)
    James Bond #12
    Justice League vs Suicide Squad #2 Cover B Variant Amanda Conner Justice League Cover
    Mighty Thor Vol 2 #14
    Monstress #9
    Mother Panic #2 Cover B Variant Paul Rentler Cover
    Queen Of Vampires #7
    Savage #2 Cover A Regular Lewis Larosa Cover
    Seven To Eternity #4 Cover A Jerome Opena & Matt Hollingsworth
    Sex #34
    Snotgirl #5 Cover B Bryan Lee O Malley & Jason Fischer
    Spider-Man Deadpool #12
    Spider-Man Vol 2 #11
    Star Wars Vol 4 #26 Cover B Variant John Tyler Christopher Action Figure Cover
    Supergirl Being Super #1
    Titans Vol 3 #6 Cover A Regular Brett Booth & Norm Rapmund Cover
    Unleash #3 NEXT WEEK
    Wolfcop #3
    Wonder Woman Vol 5 #13 Cover B Variant Jenny Frison Cover
    X-Files Vol 3 #9 Cover A Regular Menton3 Cover

      1. Same here, so I’ve been getting them at Midtown. That series and Queen of Vampires
        is actually pretty good.

  26. Giveaways
    https://www.sideshowtoy.com/contest/thor-jane-foster-premium-art-print-giveaway/?scid=&utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image+-+Thor+Jane+Foster+Print&utm_content=Image+-+Thor+Jane+Foster+Print&utm_campaign=TM_ContestsEnding_020117
    https://www.sideshowtoy.com/contest/wonder-woman-premium-format-figure-giveaway/?scid=&utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image+-+Wonder+Woman&utm_content=Image+-+Wonder+Woman&utm_campaign=TM_ContestsEnding_020117

  27. Working so much lately and haven’t had a chance to go out hunting, dying to know what’s in all of the back issue bins that I’ve been missing.
    Picked us my pre-ordered WD variant set from the LCS ($80), definitely slabbing them both for my collection.
    While at the shop I did a quick look through the “B” section and snagged a Black Adam #1 variant for $10.
    In the mood to browse online and pick up a golden age horror book for my PC as I haven’t bought one in a few months. Horrific (Comic Media) is a short run with some killer covers and I’d like to compile a set, mid-low grade is acceptable for me. FN/VF or better are way expensive and virtually non existent, plus the “bullet in the head” cover is gonna cost a bunch even in low grade

  28. Picked up:
    Twd163, blood blister 1, and hillbilly 5 which is starting to get good.
    Also grabbed a Batman 635 that is minty fresh. ?

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