Informed Comic Book Speculation and Pop Culture News
A Walk Through Hell #1 : Key Collector Comics Hot Comic Alert
I had mentioned this a few weeks ago in the New Comic Spec Review that I had heard some insider buzz behind the potential for A Walk Through Hell being optioned. Seems like it is getting closer to reality as Key Collector Comics has put out a Hot Comic Alert that an option announcement is forthcoming.
A Walk Through Hell #1 had a regular and an all black variant. The All Black variant is going to be a killer in high grades, and without fingerprints. There were also a couple of store exclusives including a Comic Elites, limited to 100 copies and a Charity Virgin Variant.
Like I had mentioned, I dropped hints about rumblings I heard back on July 25th in the New Comic Spec Review video for July 25th.
As always, these things can take time to be announced. Even once paperwork is signed, it can take time for press releases to come out.
71 thoughts on “A Walk Through Hell #1 : Key Collector Comics Hot Comic Alert”
I think ‘key’ collector should change their name to ‘option alert’. AWTH, any of the 3 issues, are not keys. Any one remember the Body Bags alert? The last sale of that book was for about $5.50 + shipping. Be weary of apps telling you to buy books, especially when that app is run by guys who sell comics. I see a slight conflict of interest there.
How is news that a book by a writer, with an established track record of getting a show to air and it being successful, getting optioned not make that book” key”?
And he doesn’t really sell comics. He has a partnership with a retailer that sells books. Bit of a difference. And they never, as far as I’ve seen, do a stockpile cheap and resell high after an announcement kind of thing.
They’ve never been wrong on their announcements. Some haven’t held their value but they were optioned. Spec doesn’t always stick. I love the app and think that any app or site that brings more collectors to the game and makes collecting easier is ultimately a good thing for the hobby.
Bringing new readers/collectors to the hobby is never a bad thing. But if these new collectors take the advice of said app, under the impression that Garth Ennis’ new book, 3 issues old, is now a key, and they go and buy that book at its inflated secondary prices, only to never see that become an actual ‘key’ collectible, then I think that misguiding these new collectors with false verbage, can only hurt the hobby in the long run. I understand that everyone needs to think for themselves and that no ‘alert’ should be taken as gospel, but I feel that app is misleading its users for its owners monetary gain. I have issue with that aspect of it.
Well, I think they started out as pointing out “key” books but have evolved into more. Anthony did mention they put out a “hot comic” alert. As long as they’re not calling them “key” books when they’re optioned, I’m fine with it.
I think that begs the question, Poyo, as to what came first? The chicken (said book being hot) or the egg (the alert about said book being hot)? Very slippery slope, imo. It is compounded, imo, by the fact that the operators of said app are not only selling books themselves, but have partnership(s) with comic book retailer(s). They should disclose that information to their subscribers, as they are charging money for their alerts. Its all super shady to me. Why dont they disclose their partnerships? S-k-e-t-c-h-y
Wait, they charge for their alerts? I don’t use the app myself. Hmm…
Yes. They have 3 categories that you need to pay a subscriber fee in order to have access. It is a good business idea, dont get me wrong, im just skeptical about how they are operating their business. Seems shady to me. I would like to see them issue full disclosures, as to their comic selling partners, as well as a track record of how much any alerted book was worth before their alert. And how much it was worth 24hrs/72hrs/1 week/1 month/3 month/6 month/1 year after the alert. If the track record is reputable, it would divulge these successes to any potential subscriber, to show everyone just how ‘good’ the info they are selling really is. Imo.
While not a fan of the app, I do get the alerts for free…and then promptly list the book in question on eBay.
it is up to the person buying the book to decide what a key comic book is and thats based soley on their own interpretation. It could be something that has nothing to do with comics at all and in this case, it’s a media option. In all actuality that book is a #1 and it can be key because of character appearances alone.
Agreed. A books value is only what someone is willing to pay. For whatever that reason may be. I think that an app/site selling info to customers should be more transparent about who their selling partners are. How that app is run, raises all sorts of red flags to me. Im simply voicing my opinion. If youre looking for a set of AWTH #1-#3, NM, I have them for sale.
It was doing well for a while but much like other optioned books the cycle is heat up at announcement. cool off. heat up on casting news. Cool off. Heat up on other news. Rinse repeat. I never advocate for buying anything in particular. I own so many books I am usually selling on news.
You and I have very, very different interpretations of the word ‘key’ book, as it pertains to comics. I would not call the 1 book he is well known for and had optioned (to some success, but not overwhelming where it drastically increased prices on that book), Preacher,
…as something that he is known to do. Having one series optioned does not make him ‘have a track record’ of getting things optioned.
Also, ‘not really’ selling books is another way of saying that he does sell books. Not to mention, if you are partners with a retailer who sells books, then by association, you are also selling books. So, he is not only selling books, he has partner(s) who do sell books at there comic book retail store. That is even more weary to me. Who is he looking out for? New collectors (nope), or his and his business partners best interests (ding ding ding)?
So a site who has their “trusted sellers” on ebay or links to ebay makes you wary also? They’re basically partnered with ebay. They usually take a cut of ebay seller fees when a purchase is made after you redirect from their links.
Or any comic news site that gets advertising money based on traffic shouldn’t post or break news because they’re profiting from increased clicks? Every spec site/app makes picks and breaks news and somehow profits from it. Even though I don’t think it’s much. Many picks don’t pan out and that’s perfectly okay, it’s speculation afterall. But a lot of us welcome a heads up for news and trends as we don’t have time to comb social media looking for clues or we don’t have insider contacts.
If any site is doing insider trading type stuff, like stockpiling then selling high after they announce something then I agree that might be a problem. But breaking news and speculating on profit is welcome in my book. I can make up my own mind if I should follow anyone’s advice.
Moral of the story, comic apps and sites wail!
Yes. I am wary of a site that links a ‘trusted’ ebay sellers list. That is super sketchy, given that that site, I feel, is responsible for the same shenanigans. The difference between a site posting info for info and KC is that KC directly demands money for their info. Other sites post that info for free. Advertising revenue and retail revenue are two very different things, in this context. I believe that most sites disclose their advertising by simply having the advertising on their site. Thats a given. But KC does not disclose any of their partnerships to their subscribers. Do you, Garret, have any investment in key collector or any of key collectors comic retail partner(s) that perhaps you would like to disclose at this point? What is your relation to KC, Garrett? Can you tell us who their partner(s) are?
PS. Thx for opening my eyes to the difference between weary vs wary. Apparently Ive been using that incorrectly my whole life.?
To sum up that last ramble of mine, I have no issue with spec and/or selling comics or reporting on comic related news. What gets my goat, is when those things are done with amorality.
Well Jay for full disclosure for you, I own a whopping 0.00% and have never been financially compensated by them. I have talked with them and pointed out some keys. The only partners I know of are the partners they post about all the time on the site and on social. I just think it’s a bitchin app run by a guy that cares about comics and the community with a small revenue stream to help pay for updates to the app.
You are entitled to that opinion. Thank you for the disclosure. You spoke with some detail about their partners, and it appeared as if you may have some direct link to the app in some regard. That is what prompted that inquiry. I respect your opinion but we will agree to disagree about the motives behind the app and its current business practices. Enjoy your weekend, Garret.
You too Jay.
Garret, we’ll said! For $1.99 a month you get a well informed and diverse app. The alerts, whether you like them or not, are well-timed. I give kudos to Nick for running a great app at a very low price.
I give kudos to those who give their information for free and for not exploiting me and other collectors for their own financial gain.
Well, I can admit that if the Key app doesnt have ads, the subscription plan is a good way to support the apps development, upkeep and maintenance. Being in the tech business, its not as cheap as some think maintaining a website and custom app with hosting, backend infrastructure support, etc.
If you want to be successful in selling comics on the secondary market it’s best to read articles and comments from all speculation sites. Key Collectors is the reason I bought 5 copies of the Rejected. I don’t subscribe to their app, but I made $237.96 because of that book. I believe they were trying to personally push that book for reasons other than pure speculation, but who cares. Anthony pushes books by creators he has a personal connection with and on occasion as well, but again, who cares. You either buy the book or you don’t. I see no reason to bash an app/website. Especially if it’s just hearsay.
Anthony also discloses who is selling that book, he doesnt require fees to read his article and he doesnt send alerts out that basically tell people to go buy ‘this book’ because its hot. Any post that Tony makes on his site, to me, are completely transparent and informative if nothing else.
And as I stated before, I have no problems with flipping books, but doing it with amorality is frowned upon by me. It is short sighted, greedy and nefarious, imo. I dont blame any one for flipping ‘The Rejected’ but that book is a great example of what I disagree with about this app. That book heated up for no other reason than it was pumped (and most likely dumped) by said app. Thats shady as shit, and im sure The Rejected will be a $5 in 3-6 months (unless there is media news on that book) will be a $5, at best, just like Body Bags. Again, not shunning any one for picking this up and flipping it, but the initial ‘hotness’ was purely fabricated. I have not heard or read 1 person talk about the actual content of the book. From what I did see, the art was not great. Im willing to bet the same of the story. I hope the buyers that paid $40 for that book really enjoy it. So many real ‘keys’ could be had for that $40 (ASM #265 comes to mind).
What’s the difference between heating up and hot? KC doesn’t say go buy this book at all. It’s just telling you it’s “heating up” the alerts just tell you about a change and nothing more. KC posted the same books Anthony, Poyo, and Mel did absolutely free of charge at that. If CHU was an APP on Android or IOS, IT WOULD NOT BE FREE! you need to generate revenue to maintain a website as well. So, this, CHU variants, his personal comic sales and adds are what keep this page running. Here is a little food for thought… If I wanted to promote my own book like umm… let’s say ‘Solar Flare’ I would pay Anthony for promotion. I’m not saying that’s the case, but It’s just a natural progression that comes with running websites and apps. There is nothing wrong with trying to make money. You being upset about KC is just strange because it’s almost exactly what goes on here on CHU. Anthony can attest to the fact his eBay sales increased because of this site. He also offers a reader EBAY section as well. Kinda like the ”trusted” eBay pages you complained about previously. So just stop hating. It just seems like your mad because you don’t get access to KCs subscribe section for free lol.
1. About 6 letters.
2. Please refer to the previous chicken and egg response.
3.ive stated many times already, nothing wrong with spec’n and flip’n, if done with 100% transparency.
4.If and buts dont make good arguments. If CHU was an app….well, its not.
5.Your food for thought is rancid, and does not apply because it is purely hypothetical (you even dismantle your own point by saying that you do not know this to be the case), and has been addressed already.
6. Again, doing honest business is great. Two thumbs up. Doing dishonest is bad. Four thumbs down.
7.Anthony does not promote his user ebay page, and it is just that. A user ebay page. No links, or declarations to buy from said list. The other ‘trusted’ ebay sellers page has some sellers with single and double digit feedback. How trust worthy are they with such little transaction history?
7.Im not upset. People who paid $60 for a PnD book should be upset. Why are you so defensive about giving your money to someone to receive alerts that are available for free everywhere else. Not to mention the obvious shade associated with said ‘alerts’ .
8. I hope his sales increased when he started the site. It has certainly helped me increase mine.
9. I dont need to pay some bum to alert me to pump n dump books. I can read all that for free on the interweb.
10. Im just voicing my opinion. If you want any of KCs alert books. Ill sell them to you all day long.
11. Your rebuttals are just littered with what aboutism. Tsk, tsk, comrade.
Actually James Haick is a personal friend. But it is also a really good book. That is why I promoted it. Absolutely revenue has to be made to keep the site going. I do this because I love comics and love talking about comics. Believe it or not, and I am sure most of you won’t believe it, many of the ads I host are free of charge. CHU gives info away for free. Never charged for it. Yes we have sold exclusives in the past, but it’s not required to come here. It helps pay to keep the site going. Trust me, I am not driving a BMW because of the site, my car does have three letters in the name but they are KIA. Lol. I don’t offer a trusted eBay page. I used to offer a reader eBay page but haven’t updated it in years.
The only alert he did about the rejected was to say it’s going crazy and he reached out to the creator and learned there was still 50 copies for sale at the source point website for cover price, and he said they’re going fast so be mindful of other collectors when ordering! He secured the giveaway after the book went nuts. Sorry nothing nefarious here, quite the opposite actually… I still hope you have a good weekend Jay 😉
There is quite a bit of room for nefarious actions in that assessment of the sequence of events you just described, G, imo. Again, who are his selling partners? Why doesnt he list them on his app for all to see? I want to see that list, and cross reference it to some initial sales of any ‘alert’ book. Why does he hide that info? Thats the bottom line here, for me. Cheers, G.
I have been into comics since high school selling them, trading them and most importantly reading them, but I just recently started using eBay because it’s faster and easier to move the comics. So my feedback is low, in the double digits, but I’m definitely not going to rip anyone off. A lot of people think that if you have low feedback your shady, I guess that true for some but not all.
Absolutely. Very valid point. A.King. But it is easier to ‘trust’ a seller with 1000 positive feedback @ 100% than it is to ‘trust’ one with 30 feedback @ 100%. The whole ebay sellers list thing is way off from my original post or this article. It doesnt bother me so much as I find it humorous.
Jay, The Rejected was a free to view pick. All of their picks are. If you actually did the research on KC. Everyone has an opinion. I stated mine you stated yours, but you take it personal. I said that it’s the natural progression to require revenue to run a website. That’s not opinion it’s fact Jack and there are no buts about it. When you can act like a man Instead picking apart my opinion like a low life internet troll. We can talk.
The problem here is that you state your opinion as fact, imo. And yes, if your opinion makes no sense, I will point that out. You are missing the point and are relying on tangents and whataboutism. I dont like shady shit. I dont care about how you think people make money from advertising. That is moot to my original point of non disclosure. I take nothing in life seriously or personally. If you can stay on topic and stop citing how other sites work, as we are discussing KC, not CHU, not CBSI, but KC, then perhaps we could have agreed to disagree. Who is this Jack you speak of? Is he one of KCs selling partners? Ive yet to see any disclosure on that. Now that would of ended this convo a long time ago. Lol
And I believe you are using the term ‘internet troll’ incorrectly in this scenario. Here is an excerpt from a definition of that term. ‘… posting digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages…’. That sounds a lot like your tangeants and whataboutism. Kettle? Pot? Black? What about….
I had it in my picks. Doesn’t anyone read my picks? 😛
I picked it because it looked interesting. I didn’t even score any of them myself. Heck, I didn’t even go to the comic shops the day it was released. 🙂
I love your picks Poyo
I was just trying to inject myself into the conversation cause I’m bored.. But good to know. I think it’s one of my few winner picks.. cause most of the time I’m just wrong. 🙂
I read your picks, and you said don’t go big on it. I disobeyed the chicken man and scored lol. I actually ordered 2 directly from sourcepoint a week prior and found a couple at a store I rarely frequent. I have 1 copy of The rejected still sealed in its plastic. Their shipping wasn’t very great, but neither I got in the mail were damaged so I really can’t complain.
Haha, I did say that. Ya just never know with those indie picks though. My shops didn’t even get them so even if I did venture out that day, wouldn’t have gotten any. But yeah, when I say don’t load up, that’s saying buy a handful but be cautious. If they’re catching fire, by all means buy as many as you can, just don’t be that complete shelf clearer so others don’t get their chance at a copy.
I’m happy you scored from them though. That’s why we’re here right? Score a little, read a little, collect a little.
Some times not listening to Poyo helps you win. It’s like the George Castanza effect. Do opposite what he says. Lol.
Yup. Poyo approves this message.
I also enjoy Poyos free articles. His love of comics shines through in his writing.
Thanks. I will admit, I am a reader first, collector second and then a flipper of order of importance.
I wouldn’t say I push. But I do drop words for books who are done by creators I am friendly with. Absolutely. But only if I think it is good stuff. I wouldn’t push a total shyte book by someone because I am friends with them.
Yup. I bet if I made a crappy comic not only would Anthony tell me its crap he would ban me forever. There would be tears but I would understand…. Then I would egg his house and have my dog crap in his yard. Yes, I would drive the 1,545 miles just for the egging and letting my dog relieve himself on his yard.
I wouldn’t notice from all the crap I have to pick up from my wife not cleaning up after our dog. Damn I hate that. I am always picking up after her let the dang thing out.
You’d notice, I promise. My dog’s piles are likely Mt Everest compared to that rat size dog you have now. 🙂
I hate my wife’s dog.
Heh… Some days the dog in my house is the only breathing creative I like. 😉
There were some cheap copies of issue #1 still on Amazon so I picked up one…I am not loading up on indi options anymore…. Upon news of an option If I don’t already have one I will get a copy for the personal collection. My indi movie or TV option box has gotten pretty full over the years with only a handful paying off so far.
Yours and mine both. Lol.
Yeah. My Indie box was at one time large and full, at times I would overload on books. I tread lightly on indie books for that same reason you stated. If I read it and liked it, if it heats up I’m still going to sell it. If I ever want to read it again, I’ll just buy the trade and or wait for the prices to drop to rock bottom again after the media news to buy.
One publisher I almost never pick up nowadays are sadly Image books. I hate to say this but most of the stuff they put out ends being total garbage. I might pick up number ones from time to time, but I dump way too many Image books at Half Price Books that never move on the secondary market. Even some of the recent options or media deals heat up but sizzle fast. You have to be on top of your game to move them at times. Look at Skyward, it’s option news made them on fire but it seemed to only last a few hours. I was fortunate enough to dump a Jock 2nd print for $30 immediately when the news hit. The market got swamped and now you can find it at $10 or even less, at least for the 1st print. The real winner with that one was the Jock variant.
Jay, the selling partner list is quite short. Exclusively partnered with Jesse James Comics. That’s it. Also provides just a generic link to an ebay search for which ever book you’re looking at. I have a closet full of tin foil hats man but i really think there isn’t anything shady going on with them.
The one thing that I really didn’t like about them was when they were selling blind boxes by Jesse James with “keys” from the app. I don’t know if that is still going on, but it was shady as heck to me.
Beyond that, if someone wants to waste their money for info that they can get here and from G+ groups for free, who am I to argue? I just refuse to pay for it, but if others want to do so, then go for it.
One last point I will make, them I am done participating in this debate. On CHU, Tony clearly has his advertising for KC visible for all who visit his site to see that there is a relationship with those two entities. Full disclosure. Now, if you go to KCs app, there is no mention, anywhere that i can find, any mention of any partners. If im paying an app to alert me to hot books that I then go and buy one of those books from that sources partners, without either party disclosing that they are business partners, them that is shady as shit. This is precisely what happens with KCs business model, as I understand it. Hence, KC is shady as shit, imo.
I assume he pays Tony for advertising. And nothing goes better with some CHU than a side of KCC, desert is happiness and profits!
Companies don’t openly disclose everywhere they advertise that would be pretty hard for a lot of companies to keep up with. Also KCC prides themselves on not having ads. Still hoping you have a great weekend Jay!
Im not asking for disclosure of his advertisers. I clearly am asking for disclosure of his selling partners. Fin.
Directly selling an advertising partner’s products from your app., the books of which you promote, would definitely go in the “shady” category to me.
Who was selling what? Just curious Jay. KCC is an advertiser. They are on the side bar. Not really a relationship but there is an advertisement.
Im not sure what is being asked there, Tony. My point was that any money you make from advertising is fully disclosed by you, imo. If anyone pays you to advertise, the ad banner (or what have you) speaks for itself. I feel that KC doesnt have that same transparency with their selling partners. Imo, you run an honest site, and I respect you for it. I have never frlt that CHU was shady in any regard. Yes, you promote stuff in some of your content. But I feel that that content is presented honestly, with good intentions and transparent. I did not mention you or your site in my original post. You were brought into this via the whataboutism that others used in attempts to defend their favourite app. from my dislike of said spp. Cheers, Tony. Cheers, CHU. Go RAIDERS.
Not sure about the go Raiders part but fully get you on what you said.
I think i get your question now. I was stating that if KC asks money from me in exchange for an alert about any given hot book, and I then take that alert and go online to purchase said hot book that I was just alerted to, and I buy that book from someone who is a business partner of the company that sent the initial alert, then I would expect the app that sent the alert to disclose to me, up front, that the company sending the alert has monetary ties to the seller who I just purchased the book from. Nothing to do with you. Cheers.
I read the comments backwards. It’s weird. So I usually end up getting the explanation as I go through the comments. I figured out what you were talking about. It is all good. We are cool as ever.
Very few third or Indy publishers specs stick they may go hi the first week when option or movie news come out but they fall almost all the way back down over the course of a year. The Boys, The Kitchen, Scarlett, whatever that Jim Carrey alchemy book was, Vanessa Van Helsing, etc. Even the big two have spec trouble when it comes to their less popular shows Agents of Shield and Krypton come to mind.
This is my go to spec site because of the people who post here. Anthony, Terry (I miss him), Mel V, Shawn B, The Long Box Pimp, Alana oh and that Chicken man is okay I guess. I have been coming here for years. I actually won a copy of X-Force #2 from comic flipper. That’s a little nostalgia for you Ant. My closing argument is that KCC is doing something flat out amazing with that App. If you can’t appreciate what that guy is doing for our business, you are just hating to hate and it’s wrong.
Thanks for the support on the site. We love giving away comics. Some people have hated on us mentioning a book and then giving away copies later. Yes, we do mention people are selling something. We do not say “hey go buy this” but mention it. Get copies. Give them away. Gonna do one tonight in fact. We miss Terry too. Terry had been a long time friend and collaborator on the site. He has just gone through a bunch of stuff recently and pulled away from comics.
You refuse to see the forest for the trees.
‘Hopelessly passing your time in the grassland away
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air
You better watch out
There may be dogs about
I’ve looked over Jordan, and I have seen
Things are not what they seem
What do you get for pretending the danger’s not real
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel
What a surprise’
Yeah, that chicken man gets on my nerves at times, he’s only okay compared to the others. Oh wait, that’s me we’re talking about. 😛
All I’m gonna chime in and say here in regards to a recent “key alert” from said app is that Carnage Mind Bomb would still be sitting in a long box in the ocean in a cave buried under a house in a hole inside a safe gathering symbiote dust had it not been for the app not only alerting me to said key but then also suggesting to sell it. “Wait, I think I have that. . .do I have that??” *puts scuba gear on*
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I think ‘key’ collector should change their name to ‘option alert’. AWTH, any of the 3 issues, are not keys. Any one remember the Body Bags alert? The last sale of that book was for about $5.50 + shipping. Be weary of apps telling you to buy books, especially when that app is run by guys who sell comics. I see a slight conflict of interest there.
How is news that a book by a writer, with an established track record of getting a show to air and it being successful, getting optioned not make that book” key”?
And he doesn’t really sell comics. He has a partnership with a retailer that sells books. Bit of a difference. And they never, as far as I’ve seen, do a stockpile cheap and resell high after an announcement kind of thing.
They’ve never been wrong on their announcements. Some haven’t held their value but they were optioned. Spec doesn’t always stick. I love the app and think that any app or site that brings more collectors to the game and makes collecting easier is ultimately a good thing for the hobby.
Bringing new readers/collectors to the hobby is never a bad thing. But if these new collectors take the advice of said app, under the impression that Garth Ennis’ new book, 3 issues old, is now a key, and they go and buy that book at its inflated secondary prices, only to never see that become an actual ‘key’ collectible, then I think that misguiding these new collectors with false verbage, can only hurt the hobby in the long run. I understand that everyone needs to think for themselves and that no ‘alert’ should be taken as gospel, but I feel that app is misleading its users for its owners monetary gain. I have issue with that aspect of it.
Well, I think they started out as pointing out “key” books but have evolved into more. Anthony did mention they put out a “hot comic” alert. As long as they’re not calling them “key” books when they’re optioned, I’m fine with it.
I think that begs the question, Poyo, as to what came first? The chicken (said book being hot) or the egg (the alert about said book being hot)? Very slippery slope, imo. It is compounded, imo, by the fact that the operators of said app are not only selling books themselves, but have partnership(s) with comic book retailer(s). They should disclose that information to their subscribers, as they are charging money for their alerts. Its all super shady to me. Why dont they disclose their partnerships? S-k-e-t-c-h-y
Wait, they charge for their alerts? I don’t use the app myself. Hmm…
Yes. They have 3 categories that you need to pay a subscriber fee in order to have access. It is a good business idea, dont get me wrong, im just skeptical about how they are operating their business. Seems shady to me. I would like to see them issue full disclosures, as to their comic selling partners, as well as a track record of how much any alerted book was worth before their alert. And how much it was worth 24hrs/72hrs/1 week/1 month/3 month/6 month/1 year after the alert. If the track record is reputable, it would divulge these successes to any potential subscriber, to show everyone just how ‘good’ the info they are selling really is. Imo.
While not a fan of the app, I do get the alerts for free…and then promptly list the book in question on eBay.
it is up to the person buying the book to decide what a key comic book is and thats based soley on their own interpretation. It could be something that has nothing to do with comics at all and in this case, it’s a media option. In all actuality that book is a #1 and it can be key because of character appearances alone.
Agreed. A books value is only what someone is willing to pay. For whatever that reason may be. I think that an app/site selling info to customers should be more transparent about who their selling partners are. How that app is run, raises all sorts of red flags to me. Im simply voicing my opinion. If youre looking for a set of AWTH #1-#3, NM, I have them for sale.
It was doing well for a while but much like other optioned books the cycle is heat up at announcement. cool off. heat up on casting news. Cool off. Heat up on other news. Rinse repeat. I never advocate for buying anything in particular. I own so many books I am usually selling on news.
You and I have very, very different interpretations of the word ‘key’ book, as it pertains to comics. I would not call the 1 book he is well known for and had optioned (to some success, but not overwhelming where it drastically increased prices on that book), Preacher,
…as something that he is known to do. Having one series optioned does not make him ‘have a track record’ of getting things optioned.
Also, ‘not really’ selling books is another way of saying that he does sell books. Not to mention, if you are partners with a retailer who sells books, then by association, you are also selling books. So, he is not only selling books, he has partner(s) who do sell books at there comic book retail store. That is even more weary to me. Who is he looking out for? New collectors (nope), or his and his business partners best interests (ding ding ding)?
So a site who has their “trusted sellers” on ebay or links to ebay makes you wary also? They’re basically partnered with ebay. They usually take a cut of ebay seller fees when a purchase is made after you redirect from their links.
Or any comic news site that gets advertising money based on traffic shouldn’t post or break news because they’re profiting from increased clicks? Every spec site/app makes picks and breaks news and somehow profits from it. Even though I don’t think it’s much. Many picks don’t pan out and that’s perfectly okay, it’s speculation afterall. But a lot of us welcome a heads up for news and trends as we don’t have time to comb social media looking for clues or we don’t have insider contacts.
If any site is doing insider trading type stuff, like stockpiling then selling high after they announce something then I agree that might be a problem. But breaking news and speculating on profit is welcome in my book. I can make up my own mind if I should follow anyone’s advice.
Moral of the story, comic apps and sites wail!
Yes. I am wary of a site that links a ‘trusted’ ebay sellers list. That is super sketchy, given that that site, I feel, is responsible for the same shenanigans. The difference between a site posting info for info and KC is that KC directly demands money for their info. Other sites post that info for free. Advertising revenue and retail revenue are two very different things, in this context. I believe that most sites disclose their advertising by simply having the advertising on their site. Thats a given. But KC does not disclose any of their partnerships to their subscribers. Do you, Garret, have any investment in key collector or any of key collectors comic retail partner(s) that perhaps you would like to disclose at this point? What is your relation to KC, Garrett? Can you tell us who their partner(s) are?
PS. Thx for opening my eyes to the difference between weary vs wary. Apparently Ive been using that incorrectly my whole life.?
To sum up that last ramble of mine, I have no issue with spec and/or selling comics or reporting on comic related news. What gets my goat, is when those things are done with amorality.
Well Jay for full disclosure for you, I own a whopping 0.00% and have never been financially compensated by them. I have talked with them and pointed out some keys. The only partners I know of are the partners they post about all the time on the site and on social. I just think it’s a bitchin app run by a guy that cares about comics and the community with a small revenue stream to help pay for updates to the app.
You are entitled to that opinion. Thank you for the disclosure. You spoke with some detail about their partners, and it appeared as if you may have some direct link to the app in some regard. That is what prompted that inquiry. I respect your opinion but we will agree to disagree about the motives behind the app and its current business practices. Enjoy your weekend, Garret.
You too Jay.
Garret, we’ll said! For $1.99 a month you get a well informed and diverse app. The alerts, whether you like them or not, are well-timed. I give kudos to Nick for running a great app at a very low price.
I give kudos to those who give their information for free and for not exploiting me and other collectors for their own financial gain.
Well, I can admit that if the Key app doesnt have ads, the subscription plan is a good way to support the apps development, upkeep and maintenance. Being in the tech business, its not as cheap as some think maintaining a website and custom app with hosting, backend infrastructure support, etc.
If you want to be successful in selling comics on the secondary market it’s best to read articles and comments from all speculation sites. Key Collectors is the reason I bought 5 copies of the Rejected. I don’t subscribe to their app, but I made $237.96 because of that book. I believe they were trying to personally push that book for reasons other than pure speculation, but who cares. Anthony pushes books by creators he has a personal connection with and on occasion as well, but again, who cares. You either buy the book or you don’t. I see no reason to bash an app/website. Especially if it’s just hearsay.
Anthony also discloses who is selling that book, he doesnt require fees to read his article and he doesnt send alerts out that basically tell people to go buy ‘this book’ because its hot. Any post that Tony makes on his site, to me, are completely transparent and informative if nothing else.
And as I stated before, I have no problems with flipping books, but doing it with amorality is frowned upon by me. It is short sighted, greedy and nefarious, imo. I dont blame any one for flipping ‘The Rejected’ but that book is a great example of what I disagree with about this app. That book heated up for no other reason than it was pumped (and most likely dumped) by said app. Thats shady as shit, and im sure The Rejected will be a $5 in 3-6 months (unless there is media news on that book) will be a $5, at best, just like Body Bags. Again, not shunning any one for picking this up and flipping it, but the initial ‘hotness’ was purely fabricated. I have not heard or read 1 person talk about the actual content of the book. From what I did see, the art was not great. Im willing to bet the same of the story. I hope the buyers that paid $40 for that book really enjoy it. So many real ‘keys’ could be had for that $40 (ASM #265 comes to mind).
What’s the difference between heating up and hot? KC doesn’t say go buy this book at all. It’s just telling you it’s “heating up” the alerts just tell you about a change and nothing more. KC posted the same books Anthony, Poyo, and Mel did absolutely free of charge at that. If CHU was an APP on Android or IOS, IT WOULD NOT BE FREE! you need to generate revenue to maintain a website as well. So, this, CHU variants, his personal comic sales and adds are what keep this page running. Here is a little food for thought… If I wanted to promote my own book like umm… let’s say ‘Solar Flare’ I would pay Anthony for promotion. I’m not saying that’s the case, but It’s just a natural progression that comes with running websites and apps. There is nothing wrong with trying to make money. You being upset about KC is just strange because it’s almost exactly what goes on here on CHU. Anthony can attest to the fact his eBay sales increased because of this site. He also offers a reader EBAY section as well. Kinda like the ”trusted” eBay pages you complained about previously. So just stop hating. It just seems like your mad because you don’t get access to KCs subscribe section for free lol.
1. About 6 letters.
2. Please refer to the previous chicken and egg response.
3.ive stated many times already, nothing wrong with spec’n and flip’n, if done with 100% transparency.
4.If and buts dont make good arguments. If CHU was an app….well, its not.
5.Your food for thought is rancid, and does not apply because it is purely hypothetical (you even dismantle your own point by saying that you do not know this to be the case), and has been addressed already.
6. Again, doing honest business is great. Two thumbs up. Doing dishonest is bad. Four thumbs down.
7.Anthony does not promote his user ebay page, and it is just that. A user ebay page. No links, or declarations to buy from said list. The other ‘trusted’ ebay sellers page has some sellers with single and double digit feedback. How trust worthy are they with such little transaction history?
7.Im not upset. People who paid $60 for a PnD book should be upset. Why are you so defensive about giving your money to someone to receive alerts that are available for free everywhere else. Not to mention the obvious shade associated with said ‘alerts’ .
8. I hope his sales increased when he started the site. It has certainly helped me increase mine.
9. I dont need to pay some bum to alert me to pump n dump books. I can read all that for free on the interweb.
10. Im just voicing my opinion. If you want any of KCs alert books. Ill sell them to you all day long.
11. Your rebuttals are just littered with what aboutism. Tsk, tsk, comrade.
Actually James Haick is a personal friend. But it is also a really good book. That is why I promoted it. Absolutely revenue has to be made to keep the site going. I do this because I love comics and love talking about comics. Believe it or not, and I am sure most of you won’t believe it, many of the ads I host are free of charge. CHU gives info away for free. Never charged for it. Yes we have sold exclusives in the past, but it’s not required to come here. It helps pay to keep the site going. Trust me, I am not driving a BMW because of the site, my car does have three letters in the name but they are KIA. Lol. I don’t offer a trusted eBay page. I used to offer a reader eBay page but haven’t updated it in years.
The only alert he did about the rejected was to say it’s going crazy and he reached out to the creator and learned there was still 50 copies for sale at the source point website for cover price, and he said they’re going fast so be mindful of other collectors when ordering! He secured the giveaway after the book went nuts. Sorry nothing nefarious here, quite the opposite actually… I still hope you have a good weekend Jay 😉
There is quite a bit of room for nefarious actions in that assessment of the sequence of events you just described, G, imo. Again, who are his selling partners? Why doesnt he list them on his app for all to see? I want to see that list, and cross reference it to some initial sales of any ‘alert’ book. Why does he hide that info? Thats the bottom line here, for me. Cheers, G.
I have been into comics since high school selling them, trading them and most importantly reading them, but I just recently started using eBay because it’s faster and easier to move the comics. So my feedback is low, in the double digits, but I’m definitely not going to rip anyone off. A lot of people think that if you have low feedback your shady, I guess that true for some but not all.
Absolutely. Very valid point. A.King. But it is easier to ‘trust’ a seller with 1000 positive feedback @ 100% than it is to ‘trust’ one with 30 feedback @ 100%. The whole ebay sellers list thing is way off from my original post or this article. It doesnt bother me so much as I find it humorous.
Jay, The Rejected was a free to view pick. All of their picks are. If you actually did the research on KC. Everyone has an opinion. I stated mine you stated yours, but you take it personal. I said that it’s the natural progression to require revenue to run a website. That’s not opinion it’s fact Jack and there are no buts about it. When you can act like a man Instead picking apart my opinion like a low life internet troll. We can talk.
The problem here is that you state your opinion as fact, imo. And yes, if your opinion makes no sense, I will point that out. You are missing the point and are relying on tangents and whataboutism. I dont like shady shit. I dont care about how you think people make money from advertising. That is moot to my original point of non disclosure. I take nothing in life seriously or personally. If you can stay on topic and stop citing how other sites work, as we are discussing KC, not CHU, not CBSI, but KC, then perhaps we could have agreed to disagree. Who is this Jack you speak of? Is he one of KCs selling partners? Ive yet to see any disclosure on that. Now that would of ended this convo a long time ago. Lol
And I believe you are using the term ‘internet troll’ incorrectly in this scenario. Here is an excerpt from a definition of that term. ‘… posting digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages…’. That sounds a lot like your tangeants and whataboutism. Kettle? Pot? Black? What about….
I had it in my picks. Doesn’t anyone read my picks? 😛
I picked it because it looked interesting. I didn’t even score any of them myself. Heck, I didn’t even go to the comic shops the day it was released. 🙂
I love your picks Poyo
I was just trying to inject myself into the conversation cause I’m bored.. But good to know. I think it’s one of my few winner picks.. cause most of the time I’m just wrong. 🙂
I read your picks, and you said don’t go big on it. I disobeyed the chicken man and scored lol. I actually ordered 2 directly from sourcepoint a week prior and found a couple at a store I rarely frequent. I have 1 copy of The rejected still sealed in its plastic. Their shipping wasn’t very great, but neither I got in the mail were damaged so I really can’t complain.
Haha, I did say that. Ya just never know with those indie picks though. My shops didn’t even get them so even if I did venture out that day, wouldn’t have gotten any. But yeah, when I say don’t load up, that’s saying buy a handful but be cautious. If they’re catching fire, by all means buy as many as you can, just don’t be that complete shelf clearer so others don’t get their chance at a copy.
I’m happy you scored from them though. That’s why we’re here right? Score a little, read a little, collect a little.
Some times not listening to Poyo helps you win. It’s like the George Castanza effect. Do opposite what he says. Lol.
Yup. Poyo approves this message.
I also enjoy Poyos free articles. His love of comics shines through in his writing.
Thanks. I will admit, I am a reader first, collector second and then a flipper of order of importance.
I wouldn’t say I push. But I do drop words for books who are done by creators I am friendly with. Absolutely. But only if I think it is good stuff. I wouldn’t push a total shyte book by someone because I am friends with them.
Yup. I bet if I made a crappy comic not only would Anthony tell me its crap he would ban me forever. There would be tears but I would understand…. Then I would egg his house and have my dog crap in his yard. Yes, I would drive the 1,545 miles just for the egging and letting my dog relieve himself on his yard.
I wouldn’t notice from all the crap I have to pick up from my wife not cleaning up after our dog. Damn I hate that. I am always picking up after her let the dang thing out.
You’d notice, I promise. My dog’s piles are likely Mt Everest compared to that rat size dog you have now. 🙂
I hate my wife’s dog.
Heh… Some days the dog in my house is the only breathing creative I like. 😉
There were some cheap copies of issue #1 still on Amazon so I picked up one…I am not loading up on indi options anymore…. Upon news of an option If I don’t already have one I will get a copy for the personal collection. My indi movie or TV option box has gotten pretty full over the years with only a handful paying off so far.
Yours and mine both. Lol.
Yeah. My Indie box was at one time large and full, at times I would overload on books. I tread lightly on indie books for that same reason you stated. If I read it and liked it, if it heats up I’m still going to sell it. If I ever want to read it again, I’ll just buy the trade and or wait for the prices to drop to rock bottom again after the media news to buy.
One publisher I almost never pick up nowadays are sadly Image books. I hate to say this but most of the stuff they put out ends being total garbage. I might pick up number ones from time to time, but I dump way too many Image books at Half Price Books that never move on the secondary market. Even some of the recent options or media deals heat up but sizzle fast. You have to be on top of your game to move them at times. Look at Skyward, it’s option news made them on fire but it seemed to only last a few hours. I was fortunate enough to dump a Jock 2nd print for $30 immediately when the news hit. The market got swamped and now you can find it at $10 or even less, at least for the 1st print. The real winner with that one was the Jock variant.
Jay, the selling partner list is quite short. Exclusively partnered with Jesse James Comics. That’s it. Also provides just a generic link to an ebay search for which ever book you’re looking at. I have a closet full of tin foil hats man but i really think there isn’t anything shady going on with them.
The one thing that I really didn’t like about them was when they were selling blind boxes by Jesse James with “keys” from the app. I don’t know if that is still going on, but it was shady as heck to me.
Beyond that, if someone wants to waste their money for info that they can get here and from G+ groups for free, who am I to argue? I just refuse to pay for it, but if others want to do so, then go for it.
One last point I will make, them I am done participating in this debate. On CHU, Tony clearly has his advertising for KC visible for all who visit his site to see that there is a relationship with those two entities. Full disclosure. Now, if you go to KCs app, there is no mention, anywhere that i can find, any mention of any partners. If im paying an app to alert me to hot books that I then go and buy one of those books from that sources partners, without either party disclosing that they are business partners, them that is shady as shit. This is precisely what happens with KCs business model, as I understand it. Hence, KC is shady as shit, imo.
I assume he pays Tony for advertising. And nothing goes better with some CHU than a side of KCC, desert is happiness and profits!
Companies don’t openly disclose everywhere they advertise that would be pretty hard for a lot of companies to keep up with. Also KCC prides themselves on not having ads. Still hoping you have a great weekend Jay!
Im not asking for disclosure of his advertisers. I clearly am asking for disclosure of his selling partners. Fin.
Directly selling an advertising partner’s products from your app., the books of which you promote, would definitely go in the “shady” category to me.
Who was selling what? Just curious Jay. KCC is an advertiser. They are on the side bar. Not really a relationship but there is an advertisement.
Im not sure what is being asked there, Tony. My point was that any money you make from advertising is fully disclosed by you, imo. If anyone pays you to advertise, the ad banner (or what have you) speaks for itself. I feel that KC doesnt have that same transparency with their selling partners. Imo, you run an honest site, and I respect you for it. I have never frlt that CHU was shady in any regard. Yes, you promote stuff in some of your content. But I feel that that content is presented honestly, with good intentions and transparent. I did not mention you or your site in my original post. You were brought into this via the whataboutism that others used in attempts to defend their favourite app. from my dislike of said spp. Cheers, Tony. Cheers, CHU. Go RAIDERS.
Not sure about the go Raiders part but fully get you on what you said.
I think i get your question now. I was stating that if KC asks money from me in exchange for an alert about any given hot book, and I then take that alert and go online to purchase said hot book that I was just alerted to, and I buy that book from someone who is a business partner of the company that sent the initial alert, then I would expect the app that sent the alert to disclose to me, up front, that the company sending the alert has monetary ties to the seller who I just purchased the book from. Nothing to do with you. Cheers.
I read the comments backwards. It’s weird. So I usually end up getting the explanation as I go through the comments. I figured out what you were talking about. It is all good. We are cool as ever.
Very few third or Indy publishers specs stick they may go hi the first week when option or movie news come out but they fall almost all the way back down over the course of a year. The Boys, The Kitchen, Scarlett, whatever that Jim Carrey alchemy book was, Vanessa Van Helsing, etc. Even the big two have spec trouble when it comes to their less popular shows Agents of Shield and Krypton come to mind.
This is my go to spec site because of the people who post here. Anthony, Terry (I miss him), Mel V, Shawn B, The Long Box Pimp, Alana oh and that Chicken man is okay I guess. I have been coming here for years. I actually won a copy of X-Force #2 from comic flipper. That’s a little nostalgia for you Ant. My closing argument is that KCC is doing something flat out amazing with that App. If you can’t appreciate what that guy is doing for our business, you are just hating to hate and it’s wrong.
Thanks for the support on the site. We love giving away comics. Some people have hated on us mentioning a book and then giving away copies later. Yes, we do mention people are selling something. We do not say “hey go buy this” but mention it. Get copies. Give them away. Gonna do one tonight in fact. We miss Terry too. Terry had been a long time friend and collaborator on the site. He has just gone through a bunch of stuff recently and pulled away from comics.
You refuse to see the forest for the trees.
‘Hopelessly passing your time in the grassland away
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air
You better watch out
There may be dogs about
I’ve looked over Jordan, and I have seen
Things are not what they seem
What do you get for pretending the danger’s not real
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel
What a surprise’
Yeah, that chicken man gets on my nerves at times, he’s only okay compared to the others. Oh wait, that’s me we’re talking about. 😛
All I’m gonna chime in and say here in regards to a recent “key alert” from said app is that Carnage Mind Bomb would still be sitting in a long box in the ocean in a cave buried under a house in a hole inside a safe gathering symbiote dust had it not been for the app not only alerting me to said key but then also suggesting to sell it. “Wait, I think I have that. . .do I have that??” *puts scuba gear on*