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The Weekly Haul: Week of January 15, 2020

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Walt

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This week’s a bit more in line with what I’d like, where I can actually get several comics without racing headlong into $30+ at the register!

One more expensive issue, a $2.99, and a $3.99…plus two $3.99 replica editions/facsimile editions that are well worth $3.99 apiece compared to fair market value on the original editions!

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I haven’t gotten around to reading the first issue of this Question mini yet….but on strength of the creators and the character, I’m interested, and if I get to binge-reading, I’d regret not having all issues. And as I’ve passed on a couple other similar projects, I think I’d decided that if I was getting the first issue, I was getting the later issues, barring some significant reason not to.

The new Spawn issue puts us 4 past 300. I’d think 300 issues is impressive, but is anyone else buying this title? I mean, it’s over 300, that’s hitting triple-digits legitimately, 3 times over, and starting toward the 4th! No one wants any issue numbered higher than can be counted on their own fingers and toes, right??? Or is there something to ACTUALLY keeping the numbering going, AND actually keeping to a reasonable price? This is the 48th consecutive issue I’ve bought of Spawn as a new issue…on strength of that $2.99 instead of $3.99. It was $2.99 when DC was at $3.99 for everything. It was $2.99 when DC cut back to $2.99 and double-shipping with Rebirth, and it’s still $2.99 as DC has leapt back to $3.99! (Meanwhile, Marvel‘s cranking out the $4.99+ books!)

Apparently Second Coming is a mini-series. Or a "season" (blah!). I’m pretty sure I’ve snagged all 5 previous issues, but unfortunately I’m not 100% on that. Still…it sorta proves my point to myself to quit knowingly buying short mini-series and wait for the collected volumes! At this point, after all, I assume a collected edition will make its way along very shortly, perhaps for only $9.99, but even if "only" $19.99 that’ll be like a "free" issue content-wise over the singles, which I’ve paid basically $24 to get.

Then we have Detective Comics #359 (Replica Edition) and The Incredible Hulk #180 (Facsimile Edition). Two reprint editions of comics from…well, some years before I was even born. The former being the first appearance of Batgirl and the latter having one panel at the very end of Wolverine, apparently making it the first appearance of the character, despite the next issue generally being the one credited. (I mean, if you get technical I absolutely would go with #180 as the first appearance, but what’s the POINT when it’s JUST one single panel? I’d much rather have the issue where you see the character DO STUFF and actually find out a little about him and see him face the Hulk and all that!)

I have to give Marvel credit…I’d swear I saw some ad or it was the solicitation text pointing out they gave us #180 last year, so now they’re giving us 180 since it’s "also" part of the first appearance and such. For these reprint editions, I’m actually all for that. Heck, I would PROBABLY buy a bunch of Marvel books if they simply every month published reprint editions of various older runs in this facsimile/replica format!

Comic Shop News meanwhile hits #1700. I’d swear I remember when it was in the mid-ish 300s back in the ’90s. It’s cool to see something like this still going after all this time. In some ways–with it being hard to count on being available by the next week, even–issues of CSN are almost like a "ticket stub" of the weekly purchasing. Or a "proof of purchase" or such. A "souvenir" of being a weekly comics person. Of going to a bricks and mortar shop (I don’t believe the online retailers provide CSN…though I could be wrong).

It’s rather telling that I have NO new Marvel issues; and though The Question is technically DC, it barely counts, given the way they’re pushing this larger physical size and the Black Label…um…label…so much. I’d consider it Black Label more than DC in the same way one used to be able to consider something Vertigo more than DC.

And as said…a decent week, a little over $20, but closer to $20 than $30. And it’s my enjoyment of replica/facsimile editions that lands two of the 5 on my pile this week. I feel like I’m finally getting back to a GOOD "balance" where there’s "enough" worth getting to keep to the weekly thing, but without having massive sticker-shock or buyer’s remorse.

Of course, 20 years ago, this haul would’ve probably been $8 cheaper. But this is the here and now.

That said…we’ll see what next week holds!

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Filed under: 2020 Non-Review Posts, 2020 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

SpawnQuest #7: Spawn 102-131

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Walt

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I’d certainly figured that 2020 would be a slow burn on acquiring any more missing issues of Spawn. With about 150 issues to go, having filled in 1-100, and the most recent 50 or so…it’ll be a matter of finding the issues where I can.

So last week when I saw a post from Comic Heaven on Facebook that they’d just added a stack of Spawn issues to the back issue bins…I decided to check it out!

Knowing so many had a small print run, and it seems "everyone" has a spattering of issues and rarely any "runs," I wasn’t sure what to expect, just that it was a gamble.

I wound up walking away with 30 issues almost perfectly aligned with my 2019 buildup.

I was able to get #s 102-131, which also keeps it a bit simple for me to remember off the cuff without having to consult my list of missing issues in my phone. I know 101 and 132-onward.

Along with knowing I’d regret it if I only bought a few and dragged out the purchasing over several weeks and missed out, I also reasoned that I’ve gotten my "new pulls" down quite a bit, and not one of these issues was priced above $4…which meant that outside of modern Spawn issues (which are back to $2.99!) the issues were really no worse than getting a bunch of brand-new comics…except I have a much higher appreciation for these!

So…2020 started with acquiring about 20% of what I was missing for the title already!

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102-110…

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111-119…

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120-128…

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129-131.

And as much for myself as anyone following along from home…here’s a more visible representation of the significance of the purchase:

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Although #116 isn’t on the list…so either I somehow missed it when I built the list, or I missed it while pulling the run. Still…I’ll take a 1/30 accidental duplicate over a much higher duplicate rate!

Though I know that I have several issues in the 185-190ish range as well as #200 lurking in my accumulation collection…I’ve no idea where they are specifically. As such, they’re "Schrodinger’s Run" to me…I know they’re somewhere, but until I have them back in front of me/immediately accessible, I’m not counting them as present/accounted for.

While I hesitate at some admission prices…I’m looking at several local-ish conventions in the first parts of 2020 here. Though having specifics (Spawn, ’90s Marvel 2099, DC Comics Presents, and grails) to seek will help me avoid more expensive random purchasing.

As always…time will tell!

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Filed under: 2020 Non-Review Posts, 2020 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, Spawnquest | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Weekly Haul: Week of January 8, 2020

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Walt

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Another week, another batch of new comics…and a toy from Amazon.

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This week’s new comics are basically all IDW. New TMNT, TMNT/Power Rangers, and GI Joe: A Real American Hero.

DC only gets in with a $1 comic, reprinting an issue of Brave and the Bold, though I’d considered the new Batman issue. But with King‘s run being shorted, and DC getting into Marvel‘s renumbering games, and rumours flying about a universal reboot (and assumably if true, a renumbering as well) and thinking I saw something about this new run being maybe 14 issues or so, and I figure I’m just better off skipping it.

I’ve had a heckuva time getting around to reading much in any issues of Back Issue but for sheer content I’m happy to support the print magazine. It always seems to be high-quality, so…yeah. AND with other stuff being sparse, it’s "only" like adding 2 1/2 issues to an already small stack.

And then Marvel had nothing of enough interest to me for the right price point. I might have checked out Marvels X #1 but I’m NOT keen on continuously, repeatedly "supporting" the $4.99 price point, especially the way THEY seem to do that for all their #1s and then wonder (?) why more people may not try them(?) By not getting #1, I won’t be getting subsequent issues, so…hopefully oodles of variants and that $1 higher price point serves them well, I suppose.

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Comic Shop News continues to be a weekly thing…and worth showing here since I got it, even though I didn’t cram it into the main photo.

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Over the previous weekend, I’d come across this X-Men Archangel figure at a Booksamillion and REALLY liked the way it looked. I passed on it, though–already spending more on other stuff, and not wanting to buy it on an absolute impulse.

After thinking on it for a few days and finding it for a lower price via Amazon, I ended up ordering it after all, and it arrived Thursday.

I’ve got some version of Angel from back before 2010 or so, I think, from the old-style Marvel Legends (that came with comic books!). But this version–Archangel–is just so bright, colorful, and flat-out cool-looking (to me!) that I decided I’d definitely like it in my collection!

I continue to REALLY like the "modern" take on figures in that they’ll come with "alternate" heads that you can swap out depending on personal preference for display/play and all that. Where I swear I remember some early Marvel Legends having "variants" where the only difference was…a head swapped out.

I’ve definitely appreciated the last couple weeks being pretty small on new comics, and hope to keep to that for awhile.

Meanwhile, I’m leaning into focusing on tracking down (cheap "reader copy" condition!) issues of DC Comics Presents that I’m missing, along with Marvel‘s classic (1990s) 2099 line, and of course, Spawn with my #SpawnQuest.

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Filed under: 2020 Non-Review Posts, 2020 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

It’s Been 25 Months

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Walt

It’s been 25 months. December 7, 2017 was one of THE worst days of my life. It was the day I had to make "that" decision, and was the last day I had this wonderful, loving, gentle, beautiful cat here on Earth.

Ziggy came into my life on a September day in 2010, and over the next 7 years + 3 months became one of the best parts of my life.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 months without this little guy.

I couldn’t cite the day and date the photo below was taken, BUT I remember the moment itself–I was sitting at this very desk where I am now (albeit different chair and different computer) and he’d come over to me, got up against my leg, and meowed at me. He wanted a treat, and knew I kept some in the drawer, and would often "cave" to his begging. (Chloe often seemed to put him up to it, too–lounging off to the side UNTIL treats were out, then racing over to "cut" in line!).

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Just that earnest look on his face, and those big eyes. And that little bit of white fur at his nose. I always remember my aunt Karen loving that about him, and it was her calling attention to it that made me notice it, and it remained a distinctive feature about him (one of too many to properly list).

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Here’s Ziggy stretched out on a cat bed–just one of those cheap ones from Walmart–but I love this pic; he just looks so content there in it. Though it’s one of the FEW times I remember him using it specifically. Sarah-cat uses it most nights now…I hadn’t even remembered Ziggy using it,, so let Sarah have it when I found it buried in a corner with some boxes last year. Some of her similarities to Ziggy let me know it’s a good match.

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Here’s Ziggy just sprawled on a blanket on a bed.

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And here’s Ziggy, Prince of the House…ruling from on high, seated on his mighty throne.

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And here he is waiting for me to go downstairs with him whenever that was (sometime between Fall 2015 and Spring 2017–I know by the blank wall!)

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And here’s Ziggy on the stairs themselves. He never got to experience the "wall of art". Sometimes I think part of my embracing covering-the-walls was to differentiate them; to give a different "feel" to descending into the basement…

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And here’s a collage of Ziggy in a stack of short-box-shells. I’m pretty sure these were after I’d bought a couple of wire racks to replace the cardboard-ONLY setup; but then these became a semi-permanent part of my setup to this day for storage (not that one can tell anymore).

I continue to feel rather morbid, observing ‘anniversaries’ of the day I had to say goodbye.

It’s absolutely NOT any sort of "celebration" but I think it’s a way for me to mark the passage of time. I made it another month, I made it another year, I’ve SOMEHOW made it 25 months without my Ziggy.

Over 30 years into comics, and much of the ’90s especially saw comics make a huge deal out of the round numbers. Celebrate 12 issues, the series lasted a year! Celebrate 13, it’s the second year of the title! And then the 25s–25, 50, 75, 100…

I’d posted (personal Facebook account) weekly batches of photos as I made it week by week. After 52 weeks, I forced myself to pull back to monthly. And here, in this (comics) blog, I’ve posted some, but nothing with regularity.

But just as I’m more and more disgusted with modern comics practices…it feels like…I don’t know. I can’t even find the word I’m looking for (and this is all stream of conscious typing, so your mileage may vary on spelling/formatting/etc).

Ziggy was one of the best parts of my life. And while comics have long celebrated these round number milestones…it’s "observing" that that I allowed myself this post. Because where those are celebrating stuff…this uses that as a frame of reference. All those comics series celebrated making it that far.

While here, I regret the fact that I’ve HAD TO exist this far, without my beloved kitty.

25 months.

1 day, 1 week, 1 month at a time.

One breath at a time.

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Filed under: 2020 Non-Review Posts, 2020 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

The Weekly Haul: Week of January 1, 2020

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Walt

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The new year started out with a pretty small week.

An issue. TMNT: Urban Legends #20.

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Not much for the week in the way of new comics. Which is–I think–pretty much what I’m leaning toward lately.

I’m a few months–at least–behind on reading TMNT Urban Legends, but as we’re into the latter part of the series as a whole, I just need to figure out where I left off, and binge-read and get back to keeping up with it issue-by-issue.

Comic Shop News features yet another Hawkeye series…How many different series/minis has the character had now, since 2003 or so?

While the new comics were sparse…I did make a sizeable Spawn purchase, but will be detailing that purchase in an upcoming SpawnQuest post.

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Filed under: 2020 Non-Review Posts, 2020 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Showing Off the Shelves: Kotobukiya X-Men ’92

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Walt

Earlier in the year, I discovered the Kotobukiya line of X-Men ’92 figures/models/statues.Where I’d originally only intended to get Rogue and Gambit, that quickly expanded until finally, I wound up with the entire line (that I’m presently aware of)!

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Professor X and Phoenix/Jean Grey were the only figures to come as single-characters, all the rest came in packs of 2. Jubilee came with Wolverine, and Storm came with Bishop.

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Gambit and Rogue came together, which is what set me off on this entire line. Cyclops and Beast make up the final pair.

The Bishop/Storm set was the most expensive for me, and I paid more than I’d have preferred–still a bit of buyer’s remorse there–but after missing one heckuva sale price at Black Friday, I decided to splurge and order them from BigBadToyStore just to HAVE them and not have to worry about them becoming even MORE extremely-exspensive if they’re "out of print" or such.

Despite that/leaving the cost off to the side…I really dig the set, and would certainly prefer to see more releases for it.

Most immediately, a "regular" Jean Grey, perhaps paired with a Morph (possibly with an "extra" head for "Dark Morph"); and then of course, some villains.

Magneto and Mr. Sinister would be definites for me, along with Apocalypse, perhaps Mystique, Blob, Pyro, and Avalanche. Perhaps swap Juggernaut for Mr. Sinister if we’d keep to the first season, though Jean in her Phoenix form is from beyond the 2nd season, even, so…yeah.

It’d even be great to see a sentinel, perhaps…though for the price of these-sized figures, I hate to consider what a Sentinel would cost from Kotobukiya!

Despite wanting more…this present set pretty much perfectly fits on two "floating" wall shelves I bought on Amazon; it wasn’t until I was mounting the shelves to the wall that I realized they’d be good for these figures.

I may look into getting some more of these shelves in the new year when I do some re-arranging of the basement space; I have a number of ideas there (plus thoughts toward some alternate shelving as most of my shelves have bowed significantly, and I reconfigure the overall space a bit to accommodate the last couple of years).

Time will definitely tell, though…as always!

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Filed under: 2019 Non-Review posts, 2019 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, showing off the shelves, The Toy Chronicles | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

80th Anniversary Batman Imaginext Singles

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Walt

After about 4 weeks and more than two-dozen Target visits, I had finally managed to get the Neca Bebop and Rocksteady two-pack a few weeks back. I feel like that was ONE OF the, if not THE most hassle I’ve ever had finding a particular toy at non-scalper prices. I’m not after first-editions, they aren’t SDCC-exclusives, etc.

ANYWAY.

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I’d found out about a series of Imaginext Batman figures for the character’s 80th anniversary (WHY is there virtually NOTHING for Superman, but EVERYTHING for BATMAN?!?).

A few days after learning of their existence, I opted to go ahead and check for them at the local Walmart.

Which ONLY had 2 of the figures–the Green Lantern one and the Justice one.

Of course, the one I most wanted was the Knightquest one!

For the price, I went ahead and got the two, figuring I’d regret it later if I didn’t.

I also decided to visit a second Walmart since the one I was at first ALSO did NOT have the only other thing I’d gone in for (treating the figures as a secondary objective).

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The second Walmart had all 5, so I was able to get the 3 I was unable to at the first, and have what I believe is the complete set. (IF there are more than 5 in the series, I am blissfully unaware!).

And I was simply amazed at the fact of being able to go out–ONE evening, a mere TWO visits to a store–and actually being able to find what I was looking for!

EXTREMELY refreshing after the frustration and discouragement trying to get the Bebop and Rocksteady pack!

I am NOT a "thrill of the hunt" kinda person for most things…especially when they’re ARTIFICIALLY-LIMITED and such or seem like some one-off. With toys–figures, statues, whatever–if it’s cool, if it’s desirable such that I want one…I just want the publisher to LET ME give them my money and be done.

Anyway…these remind me a bit of HotWheels in there being this mini-set and there being several figures, with a cardback featuring some cover or other piece of art that the figure represents.

But for me personally…these are much more appealing, as they can be opened and displayed with other small figures without having to worry about them rolling off a shelf or such.

If I’d gone for only 2 or 3 of these, I’d probably leave out the Green Lantern and Zur-En-Arr ones and possibly the Justice one. But not being terribly expensive, and not being able to change the past, I’m happy to have all 5.

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Filed under: 2019 Non-Review posts, 2019 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Toy Chronicles | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Deluxe Crisis Catch-Up

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Walt

I splurged a bit recently to play catch-up on some Crisis stuff…partly inspired by the CW‘s "Arrow-verse" crossover event of 2019-2020.

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I’d snagged the Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition some years back, highly impressed with its sheer size and (relatively) cheap price FOR its size. Looks like that was specifically 2015, and I’d bought it as a "birthday present" to myself at the time.

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But then I’d happened across a copy of the Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion, vol. 1 for 50% off. And then with some disappointment over (lack of) good Black Friday sales and such, I ended up splurging on the 2nd and 3rd COIE Companion volumes.

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They make quite a great-looking set, at least to my eye! And I much Much MUCH prefer volumes like these to a single-volume "omnibus"! Imagine having all 3 Companion volumes as a single book! Sure, it might be the price of only 2 of the volumes. But these are books that I’ll actually be able to READ without breaking my wrists!

Plus, I also won’t have to worry about these self-destructing on a bookshelf under their own weight!

Now, the next thing to investigate is some Crisis on Multiple Earths hardcovers. I’m not sure off the top of my head how many paperbacks there are/were under that title…I think 6-7. And I’d imagine those could easily fit into 3 hardback volumes that would sure be pretty sitting next to these!

Time will tell, though!

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Filed under: 2019 Non-Review posts, 2019 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Spawnquest #6: The First Hundred…Completed!

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Walt

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After a 7-week dry-spell (and about 10 weeks since my last "Spawnquest" post) I have another update as 2019 draws to a close!

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Back in November, I’d snagged these 5 issues of Spawn at Kenmore Komics after a disappointing Akron Comicon.

#s 70, 74, 81, 92, and 96. At $4 each, that’s no worse than buying issues of any modern/current comic series. And as such, it feels a lot easier to buy numerous issues at once!

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Again, it was a good 7 weeks or so of nothing, after that, and I’d somewhat sort of given up for the time-being.

And then at at the Carol & John’s annual Christmas party (seemed just a couple weeks after their Black Friday event!) I talked myself into stopping out, where they actually had a box of Spawn issues, all 50%-off! Now, I might regret it in the near future, but I did not buy everything they had; I’ve been spending a LOT of money lately on all sorts of stuff and justifying the purchases to myself in and of themselves…but they add up.

So I opted to stick with (almost certainly) wrapping up the year with just plugging holes to #100.

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So I snagged #s 68, 71, 72, 77, 88, 93-95, and 97-100.

$4-6ish isn’t bad on a per-issue basis here and there; but add up FAST when multiples are involved.

Issues 93, 95, 98, and 99 were tagged $8 which is rather steep, even though that’s "only" the price of TWO random modern 2019-comics. But half off brought them down to $4.

#100 was $12, so came down to $6…no worse than an opening or closing HoX/PoX chapter, a Last Knight on Earth chapter, or a Doomsday Clock opening/closing issue.

But for the longest time, I’d only broken the $10 barrier once or twice, so $12 would be stretching without the discount.

$15 would be all the more a stretch–such as for #s 77 & 97. But 50% off brought those down to $7.50 which isn’t quite 2 modern issues. But in their favor was also the fact of being amongst some $4 ($2 with the discount) issues, AND that collectively the purchase would fill in the gaps and let me end 2019 with about half of the series’ entire run.

#s 1-100 and #s 257-304…plus I know I have some of the issues from the Endgame arc around #185ish-190-something.

All in all, I’m pretty certain this "Spawnquest" thing is going to be relatively high on my 2020 "goals" along with Marvel‘s 2099 line from the early-mid 1990s and a few other things. But I’ll likely detail–or have detailed–that train of thought in another post!

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Filed under: 2019 Non-Review posts, 2019 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, Spawnquest | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Vexed by Variants AGAIN! The Weekly Haul: Week of December 26, 2019

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Walt

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I am so sick and tired of VARIANTS! And of course, this time it’s gonna be all the MORE memorable because it’s with an event, it’s the final week of the year, etc…it’s not "just" a random week during the year.

It’s ALSO reminding me to STOP GIVING MARVEL A CHANCE.

So, let’s get into it…the final week of the year for new comics…albeit, I have no NEW-new comics, due to the week between Christmas and New Year being a small week of remnants and all that.

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So having ventured to the comic shop and soundly deciding AGAINST Marvel‘s Incoming ($9.99 and they couldn’t even squarebind the thing to go on a shelf?!?) I noticed the 2099 Omega issue from last week that no one seemed to have had.

And there next to it was the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man…picking that up to look at, I saw a checklist for the whole event, listing it as the last ASM issue involved.

Ok, I’ve got nothing else for the week…FINE. Let’s see what other issues are available. 33…34…is that 35? Pull out a couple copies…sure enough, yeah. 35…cool. All 4 issues. Plus the Omega issue, as I had bought the Alpha issue a few weeks ago.

Well…let’s see if they have the Doom issue? Yup. Spider-Man? Yup. Ok…what about Punisher? There it was. Ghost Rider? There as well. Hmm…Fantastic Four? Check. Ok…Conan? Sure enough…there. What was missing? Venom. Oh, look…there it was.

I was gonna wait for a collected volume, but with not having any luck finding any reference to an event collected volume online after all, and not having other stuff for the week…AND EVERY ISSUE OF THE EVENT AVAILABLE (to buy all at once, in-person, one place, one purchase, INSTANT GRATIFICATION)…and the shop was about to close for the night.

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I get home, pretty pleased with my buy, despite it being a clear exception to my intent as recently as earlier in the day.

Amazing Spider-Man #34 is a VARIANT!

I grabbed issues in a hurry. Looking at the TITLE, looking at the ISSUE NUMBER. Marvel HAD–to my knowledge–been putting the word "VARIANT" in the box with the Marvel logo and issue number. So having looked at that box on all the issues, I figured I was good. No variants. Just the standard, regular, basic, non-variant covers.

Because of the [bleep]ing THEME, apparently the thing was put ELSEWHERE on the darned cover, where even though I was looking for it with the issue number and Marvel logo, I failed to see it was ELSEWHERE.

Because I was in a rush, and not studying the covers in their entirety and all that. Just taking logos and numbers at face value.

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And thus even the random, against-my-better-judgement satisfaction of snagging an ENTIRE EVENT all at once, is tarnished by stupid frustration.

And that is NOT what comics should be.

To the notion of "it’s just a cover," I argue that IF it’s JUST a cover, then STOP WITH THE [bleep]ing VARIANTS! Let the cover BE THE cover!

I should NOT HAVE TO STUDY every part of EVERY cover of EVERY ISSUE that I buy, hunt for indicia in the issue, spoil the contents of the issue itself for other indication, pull up web pages on my phone, have memorized covers before going to the store just to AVOID VARIANTS.

When I am specifically, ACTIVELY, consciously TRYING TO AVOID variants and I STILL CANNOT avoid them all…there are too [bleep]ing many of the things!

It’s NOT the comic shop’s fault…it’s the publisher.

And my feeling my own stupidity at this.

I dropped all Valiant comics in the summer of 2015 over one 4-issue stunt. And I did the same with Boom Studios in January 2016 over ONE ISSUE’s variants.

Marvel is in rarified air, and by rights, I really SHOULD just drop them entirely, on the principle.

This’ll certainly teach ME to not do any impulse-buys or quantity-buys from Marvel for sure. And reminds me to just stick with BACK ISSUES from the BARGAIN BINS. Stuff I actually KNOW and/or that is inconsequential at a price point up to 90% cheaper than a single new issue.

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Filed under: 2019 Non-Review posts, 2019 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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