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Lost in collecting- Om's Journal by oldmilwaukee6er
1 1

403 posts in this topic

The Lady Speaks. . .Frustration with the LCS

 

ETA: Mea Culpa

Turns out I was given the wrong books and I didn't even notice because as of late, I haven't been paying attention to what's coming in comic book wise. Plus, I order things through Previews and forget what I've ordered.

 

Additionally, the LCS doesn't do charges under $10 so in order to make the minimum, I bought the Grendel Omnibus 3. Basically, I screwed it up every which way one could and probably got someone needlessly in trouble.

 

The Lady hangs her head in shame.

I went in today to pick up this week's comics as Om was out-of-town for a family function (I had to work my university's Open House this morning). Last week I went to get Dishonored 2 but our LCS was out and we'd never specified that it was to be an ongoing title. Our LCS guy called (while I was right there) one of the other locations and asked for a copy to be sent to the East Side location. He told me it would be with our Wednesday comics.

 

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The comic in question. It's really good and I thoroughly enjoyed the video game.

 

Well, it wasn't there today. Neither was he. It was the owner working the shop. When he gave me this week's issues (Saga 37 and Black Science 24) there was no Dishonored 2. So I asked him about it. Big mistake. It turned into the owner calling the other two locations (and getting pretty annoyed with one that didn't answer right away) only to find out that neither location had Dishonored 2.

 

Fine, I say. It's not a big deal. And it was because in my mind I'm thinking "I'll go to Lost World of Wonders where I know they'll have it." But the owner gave me the distinct impression that our LCS guy might be in trouble despite all my protestations that it isn't a huge deal. I only asked because I was there last week when the call was made.

 

This situation, however, highlights some of the ongoing annoyances, though. As Om has discussed, our LCS is usually shorted copies and doesn't even always receive what's new for the week. In the case of Dishonored 2 our LCS received 2 shelf copies (according to our LCS guy) so I would have had to be there Wednesday at opening to have a shot at it. Using Previews has alleviated some of this frustration, but still.

 

Anyway, I realize this is a total first world problem. We live literally around the corner from our LCS and yet I still find cause to be dissatisfied. I think it's because I know Lost World of Wonders is across town and is like a promised land for comics. Remember that scene in Clerks where Randall goes to the other video store? Yeah, it's like that.

 

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Lost World of Wonders look like this which makes me. . .

 

randal-clerks_zpsruux8fep.jpg

feel like this

Edited by TheLadySpeaks
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When I lived in Milwaukee, Lost Worlds was definitely my LCS, the "chain in town" pissed me off too many times over the years. I would still hit their stores occasionally, but it was almost always a frustrating experience. In fact, my visit to their KK store this summer was about the best time I ever had there aside from the New Years' sale, which I always enjoyed. The owner was actually willing to go down in the basement and hunt for back issues for me. Even though I passed on a lot of them because of inflated prices, I did end up buying quite a bit. It's a shame because they easily have the best back issue selection in town, but they make it way too hard to access them.

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Soundtrack:

 

It is 3pm CST and I am pretty much finished working for the week. Put a fork in me, I'm done. :(

 

Since last I have written extensively, over 4 weeks ago, I have taken a new 9 to 5 job working in waste management and recycling, closed out two online courses, spent time with all my immediate and extended family, and got pretty sick (not surprisingly).

 

Right around Labor Day weekend, I sustained a minor bug bite on my right wrist that blew up to near-MRSA infected proportions. Not risking it, I limped home from a solo weekend with family and rested with the lady (she usually has a letdown around this time of year). Anyways, my bite became poorly infected and after a visit to the Minute Clinic and my Dr. they were culturing for *spooning* MRSA (nothing panned out; NOTHING!). Ugh. So I have been resting, sleeping, and otherwise working trying to establish my new normal. And working under a large report deadline, which I successfully delivered TUES of this week. So I am finally beginning to heal.

 

However, there has been no time for comics and I have been struggling to pick up and read the comics I have. I look forward to remedying that this weekend (after a commencement ceremony for Online U.).

 

That's about it. Some comics thoughts...

 

  • It would be fun to round out my Galactus trilogy with Fantastic Four #49-50 in FN 6.0
  • It would be fun to collect X-Men #3-19 in VG+ to FN, the Kirby / Lee years... some good first appearances and crossovers in that little run. Only the #4 would come at great expense for my desired grade range.
  • It could be fun to hunt for just one solid $120 book per show. I seemed priced out of the Silver Age key I most desire, and high grade underground comix, and thus gravitated too heavily toward moderns. I must restore some balance to the collection and accumulate some value over growth propositions.

While I have been waning on comics, live music is waxing. Recent and upcoming shows include:

  • Locals bands Devil Met Contention, Ian and The Dream, & Well Known Strangers
  • Echo & the Bunnymen (Turner Hall)
  • Jake Bugg (Pabst), incl. 8 acoustic songs
  • The Record Company (upcoming 10/6)
  • London Souls (upcoming 10/28)

PS > I'll post my favorite new comic pickup when I get home.

PPS >> We bought the lady a new Alienware 15-inch R3 overclocked laptop. She calls it "mah bei bei." I worked a deal through Online U's marketplace and scored a free 32-inch LEDtv (going to use a $40 Amazon Fire TV stick and a digital antenna). Then the lady scored a new HP 2-in-1 tablet thing-ee from work when she traded in her old laptop. This is what precipitated the whole purchase in the first place. So we had to buy a wireless extender because we are drowning in new tech.

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It is 3pm CST and I am pretty much finished working for the week. Put a fork in me, I'm done. :(

 

Soundtrack:

 

Productivity is a funny thing. You can ride that train for a good long while, but it does not run forever. I have been working at an incredibly high level for weeks on end. However, sitting at my desk this morning, with my tasks clearly delineated before me, I simply cannot produce. I know my week is going to fill up and shrink my available time, but my two big tasks can be put off for one more day.

 

It is a good feeling to finally get here, but a little worrisome that my mind and body are reluctant to pick back up. SAT was work AM, then disc golf afternoon/evening. SUN was a gloriously restful day, the one I have been hoping for a long time. I watched portions of four soccer matches, looking up the results and fast forwarding to the meat of the game. Then NFL football provided background noise to a little hobbying… the lady content to read, grade, and write herself and not pester for errands or small projects.

 

I did not get any scanning done, but did pull the modern box out and do it a little filing, organizing, and light reading. Next I need to get up to date on my Star Wars digital downloads and catching up with more in-depth reading. Then I would like to set up at a show before the snow flies and move some Modern readers and variants.

 

I found myself pricing books on MyComicShop and Metropolis… and doing some good research on GPAnalysis. My goal is to make note of some data I need before the start of October. I was a little disheartened, though not surprised, to see Amazing Spider-Man #1s increasing steadily in value. By my research, ASM1 CGC books in my target range are netting:

2.0 2900-3500

2.5 3100-3300

3.0 3600

3.5 3900-5200

4.0 4600-5200

4.5 4800-5400

5.0 5600-6500

 

I quick-looked up X-Men #1 to see how my GDVG copy is looking at full-boat and noted:

2.5 1700-1900

3.0 2000-2200 (one seller asking 3250)

3.5 2200-2900

4.0 2700-2800 (one seller asking 3800)

 

Competitive books at that grade. And as Overstreet would no doubt say the market is strong for a $2-3k Silver Age key and there are many collectors that can see spending this amount of money on a good, complete copy of a key book.

 

This makes me happy to have bought the books that I did. I overpaid for my X-Men #2 VG+ on impulse a few years ago, but the gap is narrowing. I felt like my GDVG X-Men #1 was an “OK” deal at top of the market and if it grades 3.0 as expected then that book will have appreciated nicely even with slabbing costs. 3.5 would be even better. My CGC 6.0 Fantastic Four #48 is in the black at 400-450, even with the cost of grading and my JLA #1 is loved even if in the red still.

 

Not bad… as I look back across my Modern spec box, I do not see such generally positive results. I see a fair amount of drek now 1-2 two years removed- Circuit Breaker 1, Garbage Pail kids, and more. Ugh. Django Zorro… Tarantino, Wagner… how could it go wrong? meh. More and more these books get moved to the dump pile to make room for items with more promise. I laugh at some of the things I picked for cheap on the hope of flipping. Like Madballs #1 from 1986 for $1. I know I could price that book for $12 and flip it for $10 within 2 shows… it just has that feel to it. Or my Wolverine Vol2 #50 with the die-cut cover. I bought that book for $1 because I like Weapon X and this book reprises that story. Add a Larry Hama signature and now the book has 3 backing boards like it is a prized treasure to be paired with my VFNM run of Marvel Comics Presents #72-84. Modern books are funny- a mix of fun reads, nostalgia and drek. Sometimes all three at once.

 

I can be much more selective. So it will help me to focus my modern buying a little. No more collecting (for me, anyway) TV or movie tie ins, video game books, no more miniseries, no more re-launch or reboot events… stick to #1 issues of new ongoing series (focus on writers over artists) or 1st appearances of new characters in popular books. No new company just because it’s a new company. No Wednesday Ones. No artist variants, no signature series. Whatever blank covers I pick up I will commission to regional artists at smaller local cons.

 

 

No more of this...

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The Lady Speaks. . .Procrastination is Contagious

 

It's funny that Om published before me on essentially the same topic, in a roundabout way.

 

I should be putting together a presentation on iZombie and Freudian psychology for a conference I'm presenting at next week in Chicago. But instead, I'm flipping through the graphic novels and ruminating on what books I want to eliminate from my pull list and what books do I want back issues for and other such nonsense.

 

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Mile High Mid-Life Crisis has a good deal going right that for once would actually benefit me. I could knock out a bunch of my Grendel back issues for about $2.40 a piece. But do I really need them? Do I even really want them or am I in entrenched in the idea that I must be pursuing something to completion? Is this a void left in me by completing Sandman and Strangers in Paradise within the last few years? Is this a stop-gap for my real addiction--actual books? I can't honestly say at the moment.

 

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As for my pull list I am currently getting Dishonored, AC: Templars, AC, Jem, Faith, and Munchkin. Of those titles I only read Munchkin as I get it. The rest I let build up to read in a bunch. Otherwise, I tend to lose track of story and characters. I want to drop Jem, not because it's a bad book but because I've lost interest. But there's a voice in the back of my head that keeps saying "Of all the ones you collect, this might be the one worth something down the line." Is that even true? Should I even care? I'm the woman who sold off her Harley Quinns, Buffys, Tom Raiders, and Witchblades about 15 years ago and yet held on to Painkiller Jane. Perhaps I'm not the best judge of what's going to go up in value.

 

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I'm contemplating dropping AC but then I remind myself that the initial tutorial levels are boring in the games, so maybe I should ride it out a bit longer with the comic series. Then I remind myself that Templars didn't have this issue and maybe I should drop AC. I don't really know.

 

I'm just a little frustrated with comics right now. Storage is one issue. I have four short boxes in my closet and at the rate I'm going, I'll outgrow them in a few months. I'm pretty much out of shelf space for my graphic novels and yet I keep bringing more of those home. While I know there is no future value increase in them, I can't part with them because I really enjoy them.

 

Cost is another issue. Not because they're terribly expensive (they're not) but sometimes the value isn't there. Comics are shorter now and the prices keep climbing. I don't spend $60 for a video game I can beat in 12 hours so why am I buying 16 page comic books for $4? According to that site that knows all about comics, comichron, as of August 2016, the average price for a comic book was $3.92 cents (down from an all-time high of $3.98 in June 2016). The average price for a comic book hasn't consistently been under $3.00 since May of 2000. Some of the price increase is due in part to the recession that kicked off in 2008, but like many goods that saw their prices rise to fight against economic downturn, comics seem intent on maintaining a higher baseline price overall.

 

Back in the old days of the mid 2000s, comic fans could pick up any standard comic book issue for $2.99. It was the nailed-down price, and for that money they’d get 22 pages. Since those halcyon days wilted, however, more and more we find that we’re paying $3.99 for fewer pages than that. What kind of price should we put on a comic?
That quote comes from a 2013 article on comicsbeat.com written by Steve Morris. The article goes on to discuss that fans expect at least 20 pages for a $2.99 price tag but that often not only are they getting fewer pages, but less content as wordier panels dominate and splash pages eat up real estate. In particular he takes issue with a Batwoman comic that used two splash pages to basically highlight she had bullet proof armor.

 

Additionally he discuss Marvel taking up pages with a one-page recap in each issue and DC putting in two full page ads at the end of each of their issues. The comments section leads me to believe that most comic buyers would love to see comics either go up to 40+ pages for almost $6 an issue (in reality, a mass paperback novel runs in this price range for hundreds of pages) or drop to $1.99 and stick to the 20 page output. One argues that at $1.99 people would be more willing to experiment on titles which does make sense.

 

I argue that at $6 an issue, people would double down on what they really like and not experiment at all. I probably would only collect Munchkin and possibly one other title at that price.

 

One commentator, a John Jackson Miller, offers up the following:

I did a statistical analysis years ago on how the number of words and panels per page in the average comic book had declined from the 1960s to the 2000s. One penny bought you 400 words in a 1964 issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (our test book); in 2004, it bought you SIX. The time to read an issue, based on average reading speed, dropped from 19 minutes to seven minutes an issue.

 

Again, the cost doesn't bother me as much as the realization that it's kind of a rip off.

 

The last issue is a bit difficult to explain but I'll try. I feel beholden to the once a week comic pull. It's like another thing that has to be done in a long list of things that need to be done. I don't know why I feel that way, Om usually handles the LCS. I think part of it is that it's more of a thrill to make a trip to a store to pick up issues than to walk around the block. Perhaps this is my childhood in Montana popping up. As a young collector the nearest store was a 20 minute drive, in a different town, and I was the only girl who collected. It made it special.

 

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

Edited by TheLadySpeaks
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I've decided to give up on new books (for at least a little while) and have also stopped going to shows for just a little bit. Lack of funds is the main reason, but I also realized I have plenty of things to list for sale on eBay and it's just a matter of getting off my butt and doing it. So I've been doing it quite a bit over the last couple weeks. Have sold quite a bit, but I am getting somewhat aggravated with the "Best Offer" feature. Way too many lowballers who think I should sell my books for 50% off or more. I don't mind knocking off a few bucks, but offering $10 for a book I have listed at $20 is pretty much a waste of my time. Guess I should use the automatic reject feature, but I don't really have that much stuff listed yet.

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Fiscal fasting, new ‘mics & a pick…

Soundtrack:

tumblr_m6fwsndjxL1qb1i3go1_r1_500.jpg

 

 

Productivity is coming back, but not surprisingly my head hit the pillow at 8pm last and I slept a restorative 8 hours before waking and binging on Netflix’s Marco Polo (my latest watch). Hump day and new comic day. The lady and I are saving for SUN Maxwell St Days flea market in Cedarburg (~7AM) followed by Burnham Bowl comic show (11AM). I am calling it “the last pick of the year.” And I will run into some new coworkers on the flea market grounds. We invited the chef to join but the starting time is too early for him, so we will pick him up midway for the comic show only. I would have liked to set up and sell at a Burnham show… the runaway success of Mighty Con means that Burnham has been down dealers while still retaining a steady flow of customers (still, it is a dollar book type show). However, social schedules prevail and I am lazy.

 

So today the lady and I are saving pennies and fiscal fasting. No spending ANY money. If we can succeed today, we should be in a good place. Tomorrow is local music at Radio Milwaukee (the Quilz) and if we head straight home after (and not out to eat), then FRI we can splurge on drinks/apps with coworkers and still have a budget for SUN picking (~100/ea plus 10 for parking). Fiscal fast means not picking up new comics tonight, but waiting until tomorrow after music. So double bonus for being disciplined and coming straight home tomorrow is new ‘mics and a pick. My expected pulls this week are:

  • Batman Beyond 1
  • Hunt 3
  • Star Wars 23
  • Assassin’s Creed Locus 1
  • Dishonored 3
  • Munchkin 21
  • Backstagers 2 (for my niece)
  • Tank Girl Gold 1?
  • Previews magazine

 

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I keep having these images of Harvey Pekar and his collecting in the back of my mind… Maybe I will change the title of the journal for 2017?

How I quit collecting moderns and bought an ASM1 with the money I saved

 

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The Lady Speaks. . .Burnham Bowl and the Bursting Bubble

 

Okay, so I have a lot to post but I'm going to start with a recap of the most recent Burnham Bowl. Why? Well, there was some interesting gossip floating around the ol' bowling alley yesterday that I think is worth sharing.

 

The big rumor is that Mighty Con (also known as Milwaukee Comic Con) plans on moving to downtown Milwaukee from its current location at the Serb Hall. This move is rumored to be taking place early in 2017, January or February. At face value this move makes a great deal of sense. It is evident that Mighty Con has outgrown Serb Hall. The second half of this particular rumor is that table fees will triple in price from $20 to $60. I don't see that as a huge deal but the grumbling of others indicates that it is indeed a very big deal. Considering the cheapest table to be found at a Wizard World is $650 and they go up to $1600, I think $60 is pretty reasonable.

 

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Just including this as proof of WW's prices.

 

I'm not sure where Mighty Con will set up. Outside of the hotels I'm not aware of anywhere that makes too much sense. Parking downtown is a hassle and probably will cost additional money ranging from $5 to $20 depending on where one parks.

 

No one seems to fear for Burnham's future despite a fast growing Mighty Con and two new cons that have recently popped up. One is run by a guy named Adam (Om may know more about this) and the other is Pop Con which right now has good buzz for getting a cease and desist order from Zurko Productions over the use of an image. From what I've uncovered on the internet, Zurko Promotions is running an event in Chicago called the Chicago Popular Culture Con which is happening late November. Just for reference, to be a vendor at CPCC will cost you a minimum of $95 plus a $25 deposit. A table at Pop Con will cost you $25 as a dealer or artist.

 

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Is this a battle over names and not images? Despite what the advert says, the name of the con is Chicago Pop Culture Con on the website.

 

I do find it interesting that Pop Con has scheduled itself out for the next three years. It's being held at the Crown Plaza Hotel and Conference Center which is by the airport. Logistically, this is a good move because there's ample free parking and tons of food options. It's also a bit out of the way, but what good con isn't? Sadly, Pop Con's website makes it seem like Pop Culture in this case equals D-List celebrities and former sports stars. This con offers a hated reality tv star and the oldest living Green Bay Packer!

 

So for Mighty Con to actually move to downtown could be a huge gamble. Yes, it's a bigger space but parking and navigating downtown could dissuade people, especially families. The increase in table fees might limit the variety of dealers but then that's not a bad thing if it keeps the garage sales tables away. The big question is: Will the door fee go up? It started at $2 two years ago and recently went to $5. It's possible we'd see a $7 or even $10 door charge. Then again, given how young the Mighty Con crowd skews, especially with the cosplayers, maybe they'll keep the door fee low and recoup costs via the tables. A low door charge would also encourage families.

 

One unspoken concern (probably because I'm the only one thinking it) is that Mighty Con may be tempted to procure "celebrities" for their shows a la Pop Con Milwaukee and the Zurko shows. While it is no secret that celebrities are what make money for the cons, a recent Hollywood Reporter article disclosed just how much money the celebrities themselves make doing the con circuit. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/stars-getting-rich-fan-conventions-933062 The numbers are staggering. For a star like Chris Evans, Norman Reedus, or Chris Hemsworth the take home after a weekend convention can get as high as $500,000. That's half a million dollars to sit around, talk to people, and have your photo taken. The break down is that the cons get the door fee, $5 for an autograph, and $10 a photo. The star pockets the rest. For a guy like Reedus, who charges $100 for a photo, that's a nice profit. It's so lucrative that Jewel Staite (Firefly) was able to turn down television work while pregnant because in two days she can make four times what she'd make for a week of filming.

 

The hunger for celebrities is at an all-time high but you can see how in an area like Milwaukee, you're not going to find or attract super high quality stars to a regional con. Wizard World can do it because they have the clout and a well-oiled machine. I'd hate to see Mighty Con try to go this route and end up with a bunch of D or F list celebrities to attract con goers. Milwaukee is a city of 550,000 (more or less) and right now there are at least five different cons: Burnham, Mighty Con, Allen's shows, the dude Adam, and now Pop Con. Plus there's Anime Milwaukee. Already things are getting territorial. How much more can this city support?

 

Really, all this brings me back to the perpetual question of When will the con bubble burst? It certainly seems as though we're getting closer.

Edited by TheLadySpeaks
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The Lady Speaks. . .Assassin’s Creed Update

I warned you I had a lot to post and I'm not even into my recent pull lists or what I bought at Burnham!

 

UbiSoft recently announced that they are not planning on releasing an Assassin’s Creed game in 2017 so that they can properly retool the IP. I for one am pretty excited about this news. As you know, I love me some Assassin’s Creed but it was becoming evident that the games were becoming repetitive and the ISU/Apple of Eden story line was a bit played out. Fighting the Templars is still fun, but as the game went on it was harder and harder to know which side you really wanted to win the ultimate battle. Or if there even is an ultimate battle (there sort of was, it happened at the end of AC:III with Desmond's physical death but the story continues on). lThe assassins were just as underhanded as the Templars and evil became shades of gray. Basically, it became harder to empathize with your assassins once they were no longer Ezio (this will be a key point in a few paragraphs).

 

In the AC community there are those players who like the real world aspect of the game and then there are others, such as myself, that prefer the assassins’ worlds and could do without the whole Animus/Helix stuff. Syndicate delivered quite well on that front. No annoying fetch quests in the real world and a more streamlined story. And, no annoying modern human having to learn all the back story for the 12th time.

 

To appease the appetite of AC fans, however, UbiSoft is dropping The Ezio Collection in November. November 15, to be exact. November 15 tends to be the launch day for most AAA games slated to come out in a given year. That way developers can capitalize on the holiday rush. This collection will be remastered for current consoles and available for PS4 and XBone. It will contain AC:II, AC: Brotherhood (possibly still my favorite of all the AC games), and AC: Revelation plus two short films AC: Lineage and AC: Embers. Basically by the end, you’ll know Ezio’s entire life history. It’s a bit of a genius move on the part of UbiSoft. AC fans get their favorite assassin remastered for the holidays and UbiSoft keeps on everyone’s minds heading into the launch of the AC movie.

 

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On the comic book front, things are also active in the world of Assassin’s Creed. Templars remains the better of the two main titles but according to a Bleeding Cool article from the past few weeks, Titan plans on rolling Templars and Assassin’s Creed into one title which will be called wait for it. . .Assassin’s Creed. According to Bleeding Cool this will happen in February of 2017. They’re keeping all the major characters from the two books but melding the stories. It will be interesting to see how that’s done considering Templars is set in the 1920’s and Assassin’s Creed is set in the present (or alternate preset, as the case may be).

 

In the interim, Titan dropped a new AC title, Locus, into the mix. Locus is following Evie Frye and Henry Green in the wake of the events of Syndicate.

 

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The full title indicating that Henry and Evie are the last descendants is a bit misleading considering the current AC storyline clearly goes into the present.

 

Titan is cranking out the AC titles at a vigorous clip, including a reprint of an anime imprint that’s never been available in the US. Because Titan is putting them out so fast, there is a loss of quality in the art even though the stories remain fairly strong. The good thing about Titan is that their books are more substantive than Marvel and DC which brings the cost/page ratio to acceptable levels (although the AC books do have tons of ads toward the back). But at least when I pick up a Titan book (and right now I’m collecting five titles from them: AC, AC: Templars, AC: Locus, Dishonored, and Tank Girl) I can feel the heft of it and know that I’m getting a good read.

 

To summarize: no new Assassin’s Creed game until at least 2018 but there are several Assassin’s Creed comic titles for the starving fan. And, don’t forget we have the Assassin’s Creed movie coming out in December. It’s a good time to be an assassin.

 

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Edited by TheLadySpeaks
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I can't imagine Milwaukee will be able to support all those shows. If I lived in the area, I would definitely still go to Burnham and I liked dealing with Allen when he did the Burnham shows, so I would go to his show, as well. Mighty Con sounds good for now, but if the admission price went past $5, I would be out on that show. The "Pop Con" thing sounds to me like a show that was held in my area that was supposed to be comic related, but had one comic dealer who didn't do well. Those type shows don't seem to be trying to attract comic collectors, so again, I'd pass.

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Pulling my floppies

Soundtrack:

 

SAT was a lovely raining morning at home. English Premier League soccer, Marco Polo episodes on Netflix and a little time to hobby with the comic books. Of course, this lovely sort of do-nothing morning weighed on the lady and by the afternoon she was a little stir crazy and wanton of a tame adventure with a bloody mary reward. Since she had just finished reading Assassin’s Creed: Locus #1 with the first appearance of Evie and Henry, she was kind of interested in obtaining a copy with Evie on the cover (being a cool AC female character). Additionally, she was looking forward to acquiring a copy of REBIRTH Batman Beyond… so Lost World of Wonders was our first stop. I was a nice, busy visit… she pulled a few books that she had been eyeing or that our LCS missed on our pull list, plus found a Neko Atsumi plush toy (Mr. Meowgi) and I was treated to my 5th and final installment of The Massive TPBs (Ragnorak).

 

SAT I also took the time to organize my Star Wars and Han Solo comics and download all my digital downloads. Han Solo is easily consumed, while SW is fully 4 months behind with little retention of the previous issues and only to about #8 on my digital re-read. STILL, it was an interesting convergence of my comic collecting / reading styles… my first TPB series in The Massive versus my first digital series in Star Wars. As I catch up with both books, I want to be mindful of the reading experience and further explore these new approaches as an opportunity to ween myself off pulling floppies.

 

Indeed, the past two Previews magazines have yielded next to nothing as far as new titles- nothing for last month and only the Mickey Mouse Inferno TPB and the Little Golden Book- I Am a Stormtrooper. Both of which I plan on popping on BTW, as the right bizarre MM book can fetch a 20-dollar bill to the right buyer and aspiring to be a child Stormtrooper is just plain strange when on pauses to think on it.

 

SUN cancelled on Maxwell St Day’s flea market after it rained the better part of SAT set up and SUN early morning. I felt bad cancelling, as I was supposed to meet a coworker out there for a pick, but this type of rain really does impact dealer load in and set up and in my experience decreases the number of dealers. I am sure that there was still plenty of people in attendance, however I texted my buddy to get his read and he was all “hell naw” and I know another acquaintance that did not set up either. In the end my instincts were correct, as my coworker described it as a day slogging in the mud (though he did pick some interesting items to resell in his Etsy store).

 

As it were, the chef “got pretty rumped” SAT night and so he texted that he was out for the Burnham Bowl comic show. In the end, SUN morning was a little more QT, English football, and hobbying. I loosely joked that we would not find anything as good SUN at the bowling alley as we already had. Boy, was I wrong.

 

About 1130am we motivated over to the show by way of the ATM with our budget now $60 each after the entrance fee. I wandered the show’s wall books first, as many of the longboxes were occupied. I found a dealer that had a new dealer (DVD) that had many early X-Men in FRGD to VG or slightly better. I lingered looking at the books for a few minutes, listening in on his conversations with other potential customers, before becoming trapped in my own conversation that stretched for another 20 minutes or so (he did note that he sold the X-Men 4 from the group for 200).

 

Eventually I excused myself to make the rounds on the floor and grind some long boxes, with the thought of schweet, early X-Men on my mind. :cloud9:

 

 

I talked to a few dealers and listened to more, informing some of what the lady wrote on the changes to Mighty Con (and the Pop Con feud with Zurko Productions). I heard that old Ron Killian from Turning Page was like many original (OG) Golden Age collectors of their time… low on Marvel. “Like many of them, they were loyal to DC or Fawcett or Centaur… so he had one low numbered X-Men, but otherwise no Silver Age Marvel to speak of….” Stuff like that. Eventually I plucked $18 in $1-2 books from John Hauser, interrupting one such conversation to settled up with my $20 bill.

 

Some of what I bought ended up being surplus to requirements, such as a few NM- Mad Love/Kitchen Sink “From Hell” books and one early Books of Magic prestige volume, However, I did score NM copies of Usagi Yojimbo 2, Frank Miller’s Ronin 1-2, and Astro City vol1 2-4 that should (someday) pay for the whole stack. Hopefully the doubles will serve to upgrade some of the lady’s existing copies or become readers (still, that was $8 spent unwisely).

 

After breaking the ice with 1/3 of my greenback stack, I rallied out to the bar to conspire with the lady and plan anew. I thought I could perhaps buy one of the nicer X-Men books I viewed… perhaps the #9 Avengers crossover (priced at 120) or the #12 1st Juggernaut (130), if I was able to sweet talk a little extra cashish (or who knows what I was thinking). It did not matter, since it was time to sit down and discuss things through. Truthfully, the X-Men conversation had been bubbling for a few weeks and she suggested taking some additional funds and going after both the 9 and 12 for ~200. After hitting the ATM, I gave my remaining funds to her to help cover lunch (~18), holding back a 20 in case I had to stretch my offer a little further. I ordered my cheeseburger basket ($6) and went back in to scrutinize X-Men 12. By now, the show was much quieter and upon approaching DVD’s booth I noticed the 12 was missing and presumed sold.

 

Dealer: “I have someone interested in all 5 books [5 low numbered X-Men, including 7, 8, 9, 11 & 12]”

Om: “Ok, no problem… what are you thinking for all five?”

Dealer: “Oh I told them I could probably do 15% off… are you interested in them?”

Om: “Truthfully, only the 9 and 12, they are closer to the condition I am looking for.”

Dealer: “Are you serious about the books? Cash right?”

Om: “Yes sir, cash on the barrelhead… the most I could do is 220 for both.” I went full boat right off the bat. I generally think that -20% off is a good starting point for a larger cash transaction, and I also think he priced the books with the idea that they would be discounted a little. However, by our conversation I understood him to be willing to go about 15% off for a transaction of $300-400. AND, I presumed, my competition for the book was right there.

 

So I went full boat right off the bat and for a moment I thought that the dealer was going to initiate a bidding war and pit the two of us against each other (I would have bowed out on principle). Thankfully, the other buyer did not interject as I weathered the following:

 

Dealer: “Can you do 230?”

Om: Slowly, “thank you so much for letting me look at the books… I am sorry but 220 is the best I can offer. I understand if you hold out for more.”

Dealer: “225?”

Om: “I’m really sorry, this is the drawback for me offering my whole stack…” Makes point of emptying wallet and turning out pockets.

Dealer: “You can do 225.”

Om: “220.”

 

And… BOOM(!) we shook on it and the deal was done.

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I've decided to give up on new books (for at least a little while) and have also stopped going to shows for just a little bit. Lack of funds is the main reason, but I also realized I have plenty of things to list for sale on eBay and it's just a matter of getting off my butt and doing it.

 

Hey BrotherJ. Thanks for reading and posting. I was looking through your eBay auctions yesterday getting tips for when (someday) I begin listing. I noticed that they were BIN. I find myself thinking about backing off of a modern comic pull list and going back to feeding off the racks. It is fun to see the Diamond Previews, however… I like gaining access to the more independent books being published. I would also miss the social aspect of the comic shop and talking with my LCS manager (we have shared interests in bicycling and music). And finally there is the ‘idea’ that I finally live within such easy walking distance of a shop. ANYways… I find myself thinking about it more and more.

 

I can't imagine Milwaukee will be able to support all those shows. If I lived in the area, I would definitely still go to Burnham and I liked dealing with Allen when he did the Burnham shows, so I would go to his show, as well. Mighty Con sounds good for now, but if the admission price went past $5, I would be out on that show.

 

I was listening and the topic of Mighty Con came up three different times while grinding the floor. All I kept thinking was “be careful what you wish for.” I have called for Mighty Con to expand but the logistics of moving downtown are prohibitive IMHO. Plus 3x the table cost! One of the best things about Mighty Con was the $20 table fee. I could set up there and make a quick $120 grinding readers and surplus. And man the crowds sure did respond! One thing I think will help Mighty Con is that they do a good turn on social media and do drive public interest.

 

However, this is the new breed of collector… more interested in prints and Funko Pops (Funko Pop vinyls are the new Beanie Babies). They do not necessarily buy comics as your posts attest, BroJ.

 

A $60 table fee precludes me setting up; $7 entrance (x2-3ppl) and $10 to park (or bussing it) probably precludes me too. Suddenly it seems that Burnham Bowl is the show to set up at. Like the lady said, nobody seems worried for the ‘little bowling alley show that could,’ there just seems some goodwill toward Burnham Bowl. Our 30+ year old show. In a bowling alley. With a bar.

 

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Yeah, I'll still do auctions on eBay once in a while, but it just seems best to put up items at a decent BIN price, make best offer available, and see where the chips fall. I'm trying to build up a bit of inventory, I'm up to twenty listings right now and looking to add more over my three day weekend coming up. With auctions, too many times you are at the mercy of who happens to look at your listings within that week, and sometimes the bids just don't come out on stuff that isn't the new, hot thing.

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The Lady Speaks. . .Recent Pulls and the Eternal Struggle

 

I already discussed Assassin’s Creed in my last post so I won’t go back over that now. But despite my protestations that I want to cut back on my modern books, I find myself pulling more and more.

 

Faith:

 

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I do still enjoy this title. It’s enjoyable, but I do see a point in the future where I lose interest. The second issue was a typical second issue and it tries to do too much, probably. The third issue is set at a con and while con issues are always fun, it seems super early in the run to go to that well.

 

Jem:

 

Still on the fence about this one. Now they’re introducing a new Misfits title that might be more interesting to me, but I’m not sure just yet.

 

Batman Beyond Rebirth or Rebirth Batman Beyond:

 

Batman-Beyond-Rebirth-Cover_zpsbnescswq.jpg

 

Okay so I don’t really know which title is the correct title, but I’m pretty excited for this one. I collected Batman Beyond way back when the first 10 issue series came out and then fell out of collecting altogether. The cartoon is one of my all-time favorites and this version of Bats is easily my preferred.

 

The cover art caught my eye. It’s graphically arresting. The story is good. It’s an updated version of the McGinnis’ origin in the animated series. One change is that his mom is dead, killed in the war (since I haven’t been reading the 52 version I have no idea what that means). Most of the familiar faces are there including Matt (his little brother), Max (his best friend), and he talks about his old girlfriend, Dana. Another new twist is that his dad died the first night he wore the stolen Bat armor.

 

Tank Girl Gold:

 

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I don’t remember wanting this title but now I’m so glad I picked it up. Despite the name change Gold picks up where 2 Girls 1 Tank left off. I had to go to Lost World to pick up the second cover since it’s a nod to two classic Tank Girl images.

 

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Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte:

 

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I simply wanted this one for the art. It’s gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact that I needed two covers. The story is also good. Lady Mechanika is a title I’ve long been interested in and have picked up a few odd issues via free comic book day and $1 reprints.

 

Burnham Bowl Pickups:

My TPB addiction continues unabated. I found a dealer selling 5 graphic novels for $20 so I had to indulge.

 

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Ignore Robogenesis, that was the book I brought to Burnham to read while Om picked. It’s not very good. Robopocalypse is far better.

 

Anyway, I picked up Dragon Age: The Silent Grove vol 1, Dresden Files Omnibus vol 1, The United States of Murder vol 1, Dresden Files War Cry vol 1, and to fill out the needed five, I grabbed a Little Lulu Omnibus vol 2 for my mother-in-law. All these number ones will be irritating, though, since it’s difficult to find volumes 2 for cheap.

 

I've already read the Dresden Files Ominubs and Dragon Age: The Silent Grove. Now I'm working on my Grendel Omnibus 2 (I don't own 1, I guess it's like a unicorn and no one ever has it). Along with that I'm reading CBLDF Presents She Changed Comics. After I finish those I'll probably read Charles Stross' The Nightmare Stacks, Rudy Rucker's Realware, or Chris Moriarity's Ghost Spin.

 

I'm also reading the following books for work:

Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence

James Barat's Our Final Invention

Erik Larson's Devil in the White City

Jane McGonigal's Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World

and Understanding Video Games

 

 

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I've read Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence and found it to be fascinating and horrifying at once. Parts of the text get fairly technical. These parts resonate most with people of a computer or software engineering background. Fortunately, the best parts are all fairly digestible for the sorts of people most likely to engage such a topic in the first place.

 

Here is something that stuck with me.

 

What if an AI system is tasked with the following:

 

Produce the maximum amount of paperclips in the most efficient way possible.

 

From there, the AI decides to exterminate the human race. After all, they use up resources that could be used to efficiently produce paperclips. Subsequently, the AI turns the entire universe into a massive paperclip factory.

 

lol

 

Well, why can't you program more reasonable instructions with specified limitations?

 

The answer is in Bostrom's book. ;)

 

Great read!

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The Lady Speaks. . .Thoughts on Print Runs

 

All print run data comes from Comichron.

 

I've been struggling with the number of moderns I've been pulling as of late, so I thought I'd look up print runs to see if that would help clarify a path forward. Spoiler alert: it didn't, but it was a fun diversion when I should have been grading freshmen college essays so there's that.

 

I started with the book that is giving me the most consternation and that is Jem and the Holograms (IDW). As I've said plenty of times before, the art is amazing and it's a cute story, but I'm losing interest. Let's look at the data:

Jem 1 debuted in March 2015 with a run of 29,015. The most recent data available on Comichron is for August 2016 and that is Jem 18 with a print run of 7972. That's huge drop-off, but not unusual.

Miscellaneous facts: Jem 17 had a run of 9,113 which is an uptick from previous months (which hover between high 7K, low 8K), most likely due to the introduction of The Stingers, a new Misfits-esque band.

 

Really, Jem is still going strong and it's not a scarce title by any stretch. The popularity of the title has to be more than just nostalgia. It appears that Jem has hooked new readers and is holding steady. Right now, I'm still thinking drop. Otherwise the game becomes trying to figure out which alternative covers are going to be more popular long term.

 

Next up: Tank Girl. Now this only concerns Tank Girl: 2 Girls 1 Tank.

Tank Girl Two Girls One Tank 1 in May 2016 had an initial run of 14,318. As one would expect the numbers drop off with each subsequent issue but it never bottoms out. As a matter of fact Tank Girl holds steady with Jem's monthly averages: Tank Girl: TGOT 2 (June 2016) 8,544; TGOT 3 (Aug 2016) 7996, and TGOT 4 (Aug 2016) 7337.

 

The thing is, I love Tank Girl. I also only sporadically collect her depending on who is doing the art. As a result, I don't really care if this title doesn't accrue in value (which I don't think it will). It's fun.

 

Munchkin. I have no plans to drop this title. As a matter of fact, I'm somewhat scared that it'll be canceled soon based on the data. Munchkin is my oldest current title. It dropped in January of 2015 with a first run of 16,234. Not bad for a comic based on a table top game (which is, in its own right is an empire). The last time Munchkin shows up in Comichron's records is January 2016 with a run of 3,735, which means it's dropped below the issue threshold of approximately 2700. Keep in mind, however, that Munchkin's first 13 issues included free cards that can be used in the game. That ended around January of this year, so without the incentive of free cards, it appears Munchkin's readers have gone elsewhere. It's possible that these low print runs in higher numbered issues may make them slightly more valuable down the line. Or they end up in $.50 boxes at Burnham Bowl (and selling for $25 on Mile High).

 

Faith. Faith is only 3 issues into its run and it's doing well. Data exists for issues 1 and 2 (July and August 2016). Issue 1 had an initial run of 22,386. Issue 2 saw that number almost halved to 10,588. I doubt it continues to drop at that clip, however, and I think it's good enough now to keep collecting.

 

Now for Assassin's Creed. As I posted earlier, AC will be rolling the flagship title into Templars and start over at 1 as Assassin's Creed.

 

Assassin's Creed started in October of 2015 and moved 21,453 issues. Not bad, but a lower run that I would have expected for a comic based on such a popular video game. As expected, the runs drop off but it's a greater drop off than Jem. By Assassin's Creed 10 (July 2016) the title was moving only 3,706 copies. As of August 2016, AC doesn't even make it on the list joining Munchkin in the low, low run club. AC: Templars isn't faring any better. The only issue from that title to make it onto the Comichron list is issue 1 (March 2016) and it had a modest run of 5,642.

 

AC: Locus is too recent to even be counted yet. The question is: Will rolling AC and Templars into one title be enough to save the title?

 

Dishonored, which is on issue 3, has never appeared on Comichron's list. This raises an additional question: Is survival of video game comics tied to print runs or are these designed for hard core fans and collectors? My instinct is to keep on with both the AC titles and Dishonored, not just because I enjoy them, but because there may very well be a strong secondary market for these titles that crosses collecting interests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by TheLadySpeaks
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FRI was drinks out with the lady's department

SAT Roman Coin 50th anniversary block party and 2 sets of Dr Chow's Love Medicine (band BTW). Nice weather too.

SUN disc golf with the boys

 

And now jury duty for two days. Some 100+ were called over 6 times (15-35). Not me until dismissed for day at 435pm. Work before, then courthouse at 9am tomorrow.

 

$25 per day and I'm too honest not to pick as juror, so... what nice comic can I buy with my jury duty monies!?

 

A random (cribbed) selection

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Edited by oldmilwaukee6er
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The Lady Speaks. . .Grappling with Graphic Novels

 

This post was inspired by something Om said this morning “I just finished the last of The Massive graphic novels. I can’t remember a time when I’ve consumed 30 issues of something.” To be fair, Om had jury duty Monday and Tuesday and had the time to sit down and read for large blocks of time.

I read graphic novels more than Om does. He likes the issue-by-issue comic consumption whereas I’m impatient and want to read an entire story in one chunk. So for him to read not just one, but five graphic novels in a short time period is quite unique.

 

This got us to thinking about graphic novels and the cost versus individual issues. And always running under the surface is the discussion about collectability. I don’t buy graphic novels or trade paperbacks or omnibuses with an eye toward future value. I buy them because I want the story in one chunk, I’m doing research, or I missed out on the beginning of the comic run and don’t want to go back for back issues.

 

As I’ve said before, storage is becoming a concern for me. My closet is filling up with short boxes of my current runs and my shelves are overflowing with both regular books and graphic novels. My office at work is in similar dire straits except add to that journals because that’s where I keep them. When it comes to storage, graphic novels don’t really help because they are mostly book-sized. I do, however, find it easier to part with graphic novels than either my regular books or my individual comic books. I think it’s due in part to the fact that I didn’t have to collect them, I often don’t pay full price for them, and I know someone will pick them up later (either at Goodwill or Half Price Books or Om’s table at a Burnham show).

 

Cost is another interesting sticking point. This morning I looked at four graphic novels that were on my nightstand. The first, The Wicked + The Divine volume 1, had a cover price of 9.99 and comes in at 144 pages (collects issues 1-5 of the ongoing Image comic). Second was The Massive volume 1 and its cover price is 19.99 for the 176 pages (collects issues 1-6 of the ongoing Dark Horse title). The third graphic novel is American Born Chinese. Its cover price is 10.99 and it was published as a book under the MacMillan imprint Square Fish. Finally, there was Grendel Omnibus 3. This behemoth was 24.99 and weighs in at a whopping 560 pages (collects Dark Horse’s Grendel: Incubation Years, Grendel: God and the Devil, and Grendel: Devil's Reign).

 

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What strikes me is the huge variety in pricing. All of the graphic novels are full color. All are soft cover. The Wicked and The Divine has a per issue price of 3.99. The Massive costs 3.50 an issue. And Grendel had a cover price from 1.50-2.50 under the Comico imprint to 2.50 an issue in the later Dark Horse runs (reprints run as high as 4.99). (Admittedly, Grendel is a confusing title to try and price out because the runs were sporadic and there have been numerous reprints and rebrandings of the title). Doing simple math one can see that buying the collected versions of the comics does save money overall. The Wicked + the Divine TPB saves you almost 50% over the issue cover price. The Massive doesn’t save you much, only about $2 over buying the individual issues. Grendel’s value isn’t so much in the cover prices as it is in having the collected stories in chronological order, something that trying to chase down the separate issues can’t readily offer.

 

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The Sandman is one title of which I have a complete run and I also own the TPBs. Usually I do one or the other, but I so adore The Sandman that I have both. The Sandman’s cover price was $1.95 for issues 1-68, then it was $2.50 until issue 74 and final 75th issue had a unique price of $3.95. There are 10 TPB in the Sandman Library (just one of the many re-packaged versions they’ve churned out for the past decade). The TPB’s collect anywhere from 5-13 issues per volume (the average falls at 7 issues per book). My TPB’s have a consistent cover price of $19.99 per book. Clearly, if you’re paying $19.99 for a paltry 5 issues of a book that had a cover price of under $2, that’s not a deal. But again, like Grendel, the value is in having the stories at the ready for any time I want to read them.

 

Truly, I buy most of my graphic novels at cons where I pay $5-$10 a book. No matter the cover price, that's a great deal. If I can't live without a title, I'll buy it on Amazon or wait for sales on Mile High Comics. Lost World of Wonders has a great 50% section that I use to fill out my X-Men Essentials.

 

One thing that is continually frustrating about graphic novels/TPB is that there is no standard pagination. When trying to write an article about iZombie I was endlessly frustrated at the lack of page numbers. And while the graphic novels included the covers, they didn't include the issue number. This made citing them incredibly difficult. On the other hand, Grendel has continuous pagination that has nothing to do with the issues' page numbers but doesn't include issue covers. The Massive has no pagination and doesn't have issue covers. I suppose it's too much to ask for, but some consistency would be nice. Some of us use graphic novels as sources because we either can't get the original issues or because we don't want to damage the original issues.

 

Graphic novels have been great for me keeping up on titles such as Nightmares & Fairytales and iZombie. They also have allowed me to enjoy titles such as Hopeless Savages (a book I bought on a lark). The best thing is that the graphic novels guarantee me the ability to read and re-read favorite titles such as Strangers in Paradise, The Sandman, and Gloomcookie (the last one I started collecting issues but we moved and I fell out of collection so the graphic novels have been wonderful). For a long time I thought that was going to be the sole way I consumed comics, but moving close to a LCS has altered that plan. Still, I need to find a balance between my graphic novels and my individual issues. Space-wise I can't keep going on with both.

Edited by TheLadySpeaks
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The Lady Speaks. . .Halloween Choices

 

Today while sipping on tea I read an article on io9 in which a father enumerates the many reasons why his daughter (8 years old) and other young girls shouldn't dress as Harley. I've gone on at length with my own reservation about this costume for young women/girls. Really, the father was saying nothing new: Harely's complicated backstory as the abuse victim of the Joker combined with the scantily clad Suicide Squad movie Harley makes for a hyper-sexualized costume which makes us as adults uncomfortable, especially when the wearer is a pre-teen or teenager.

 

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It’s a little weird, it’s okay to admit.

 

It's an interesting thing to consider. No one looks at a Wonder Woman costume and thinks “That girl’s dressed like a slut!” Nor any number of superheroines and villains who wear cat suits (Cat Woman, Black Widow, any one of the women X-Men) and even notoriously fetishized anime characters such as Sailor Moon are acceptable. But not Harley.

 

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Where things grew interesting was in the comments section of the article. First off, many people pointed out that DC Superhero Girls version of Harley is a Harley divorced from the Joker backstory and that she is popular with young girls via the cartoon.

 

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This is a really cute and appropriate Harley, to be sure.

 

The DC Superhero Girls costume was quickly discounted when people pointed out the sheer number of Hot Topic Suicide Squad Harleys that trick-or-treated this year.

 

The second argument, and one that is more compelling, centers around this concept: Why is it okay for kids to dress up as Wolverine, Deadpool, Darth Vader, Batman, and Iron Man (just to name a few) but not Harley? Each of the male characters have terrible backstories and have perpetuated heinously violent acts, not to mention engaged in dubious sexual exploits over their vast histories.

 

• Wolverine doesn't need much explanation, dude's a killer and half mad.

 

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• Deadpool keeps Blind Al as a slave woman and punishes her by putting into The Box while also being a foul-mouthed mass murderer. Also, not a hero. Not really. Funny, but not a hero.

 

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Seriously, look at this guy trying to take down Han Solo (the ultimate bad boy/good guy)!

• Darth Vader was taken from his slave mom and trained as a Jedi and when he can't have what he wants, he slaughters a bunch of kids.

 

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• Batman, like Wolverine, not much to say--he's a super rich guy who lives in a constant state of PTSD due to the tragic murder of his parents (and he's inadvertently killed more than a few sidekicks along the way).

 

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• Iron Man is an ego-maniacal, alcoholic, chronic womanizing, arms dealer.¬¬

 

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Let’s also address the Joker. Without him, there would be Harley. Who knows how high his death count is? Also, we don’t know much about his backstory. We do know that he survived just fine without Harley for close to 80 years. Then when he had her, he beat the out of her and mentally abused her for fun. Yet, no one complains about their kid dressing as him.

 

That’s just a few of the superheroes/villains and their potential ethical issues. The question remains: why is it okay to be one type of super hero (violent) versus another kind (sexual)? Would there be outrage if boys were dressing as Suicide Squad Harley? The answer is simply: no. Violence is not something to be concerned about (although the guy in Texas who dressed as Freddie Krueger and then shot up a house party might change that rhetoric somewhat).

 

This is one American double standard at its finest. Violence is not just acceptable, but applauded. We indulge in the fantasy of violence. When it comes to sexy, however, the -script flips. And you are especially not supposed to be sexy and violent. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the sexy/slutty Halloween costume trend as much as anyone. I hate it because it’s not creative and lazy, not because I’m afraid of or threatened by women expressing their sexuality.

 

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Sexy Harambe is neither sexy nor funny. It’s also not clever.

 

By obsessing over Harley’s stripper clown appearance, we’re teaching kids that it’s not okay to be comfortable with your body, with who you are. More importantly, we teach girls specifically that they should be ashamed of not only their bodies but their favorite characters, as well. The Joker is okay for Halloween, but Harley isn’t. Shouldn’t the Joker be off-limits as an abusive murderer? Essentially, we’re gaslighting Harley. We’re saying it’s her fault the Joker does the things he does because she should know better but then again, her origin is so explicitly tied to the Joker that when she does “escape” him, she becomes one dimensional.

 

I don’t know if there’s a good solution to the Harley problem. I know I’m not entirely comfortable with young girls dressing like the Suicide Squad version of her (or even the Amanda Connor version in the comics) simply because I’ve been trained to think that it’s endangering to young girls to be sexualized like that.

 

Ultimately, I found my mind changed by the end of the comments section article. I think I’m now in the camp of “Kids dress like Harley because they think it looks cool, not because of her story.” It’s the same reason kids choose any costume. And to be fair, a lot of the young girls dressing as Harley didn’t have bare midriffs or booty shorts or high heels. Many wore long-sleeved shirts, skirts or leggings, and sneakers.

 

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Take away the creepy backstory and this costume doesn't seem offensive or wrong.

 

The problem isn’t with the kids who want to dress as their favorite super heroes or villains, the problem is with the adults who can’t stop sexualizing or obsessing over the subtext of a costume. A kid wants to dress like the Hulk because he likes the Hulk he’s seen in a cartoon, not because Bruce Banner is a metaphor for intellectual malaise and unbridled rage. In the same way, a girl wants to dress like Harley because she looks neat, sounds funny, and carries a bat (or a mallet). The girl doesn’t care about whether the Joker loves Harley or if Harley is insane, she just wants to bonk people on the head and laugh.

 

The massive proliferation of Geek Culture into the mainstream has resulted in this sort of constant vigilance about the "truth" of characters we love, be it in movies, video games, television, or cosplay. Perhaps it's time for we geeks to step back and try to remember what it was like when you simply liked a character without needing 70 years of history to get the context.

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