Very short post to let you know that Walkin' Willie's Comix will be at the 2008 Dragon*Con in Atlanta Georgia - which starts on Friday, August 29, 2008 and ends on Monday, September 1, 2008 (Labor Day).
This mega con covers 3 gigantic hotels and gets more than 40,000 visitors each year. I truly believe that every mortal soul should go to Dragon*Con at least one time in their life. There is art, film, music, comics, movies, contests, panels - well, 32 programming tracks in all (maybe more). Absolutely the best media convention in the world!
Walkin' Willie's Comix is bringing over 50 boxes of trade paperbacks and graphic novels - something for everyone!
C'mon down - it's one helluva party!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
You Just Never Know......
Awhile back I discussed eCrater in a somewhat recent blog article and thought I would share an experience that absolutely floored me!
We recently received an order on eCrater for three bargain bin books - each going for 50 cents apiece. In other words, a small order. Now we would hope and strive to treat each order as if it totaled a grand or better so our main focus was to ship the order promptly making sure that the books were packed properly to avoid damage. OK, we got that done and case closed, right?
Well, as Lee Corso says on ESPN's College Gameday, "Not so fast, my friend"....
I happened to check my Google Analytics to see what kind of traffic my blog and my eCrater store were getting and noticed that one of the referrals was from a website called Auction Insights. As I had not heard of the site, I wanted to check it out to see how someone would get from their site to my site. I figured there would be a list of links somewhere or something like that - no biggie.
Well, I just about passed out when I got there because there was a three-part review of eCrater with the second part dealing with eCrater from the buyer's perspective. The reason that I was reaching for the smelling salts is that the buyer's perspective review was done using the small order from my eCrater website described above. It had screen shots from my site and everything! While the article is still on the homepage as of the date of this article, it will eventually go into archive mode so here is a direct link to the article.
WOW! You just can't buy - at least not cheaply - this type of internet marketing. And to think that it came from a small order, one that I really hadn't thought about after it was shipped. Not only that but the article on Auction Insights caused me to look at the rest of their articles - some really helpful stuff on there for those of you in the online selling biz, particularly if you are using eBay or some other web based store.
While I felt that I had already learned the lesson of treating every single order as if it was the most important one, this experience just reaffirmed that lesson to me.
Why? Because you just never know.....
We recently received an order on eCrater for three bargain bin books - each going for 50 cents apiece. In other words, a small order. Now we would hope and strive to treat each order as if it totaled a grand or better so our main focus was to ship the order promptly making sure that the books were packed properly to avoid damage. OK, we got that done and case closed, right?
Well, as Lee Corso says on ESPN's College Gameday, "Not so fast, my friend"....
I happened to check my Google Analytics to see what kind of traffic my blog and my eCrater store were getting and noticed that one of the referrals was from a website called Auction Insights. As I had not heard of the site, I wanted to check it out to see how someone would get from their site to my site. I figured there would be a list of links somewhere or something like that - no biggie.
Well, I just about passed out when I got there because there was a three-part review of eCrater with the second part dealing with eCrater from the buyer's perspective. The reason that I was reaching for the smelling salts is that the buyer's perspective review was done using the small order from my eCrater website described above. It had screen shots from my site and everything! While the article is still on the homepage as of the date of this article, it will eventually go into archive mode so here is a direct link to the article.
WOW! You just can't buy - at least not cheaply - this type of internet marketing. And to think that it came from a small order, one that I really hadn't thought about after it was shipped. Not only that but the article on Auction Insights caused me to look at the rest of their articles - some really helpful stuff on there for those of you in the online selling biz, particularly if you are using eBay or some other web based store.
While I felt that I had already learned the lesson of treating every single order as if it was the most important one, this experience just reaffirmed that lesson to me.
Why? Because you just never know.....
Monday, August 11, 2008
Marvel Masterworks Variant Editions
Over the next few weeks, we will be auctioning Marvel Masterworks early first print variant editions. The first lot which is on eBay right now has Marvel Masterworks #4 through #8.
When Marvel started these variants they didn't let us know how many would be printed like they did in later editions. Originally, these variants would be knockoffs of the original editions but soon, they started changing the colors of the dust jackets and such.
There is no doubt that the original Masterworks published in 1992 & 1993 are probably the most valuable but these early variants clearly have the lowest print runs and are hard to find, especially in the shrink wrap. While we do not have exact figures for all editions, the print run for these early variants was about 350 to 620 - i.e. not a whole lot of them to go around.
Here are a couple of good resources to check out:
Marvel Masterworks Library - A great resource which lists almost all the editions for each Marvel Masterwork - a few holes that need to be filled but a great resource.
Marvel Masterworks - Wikipedia - another great resource, especially for newbies.
We have about 15 more early edition first print variants to go up on eBay so bid early and often!
When Marvel started these variants they didn't let us know how many would be printed like they did in later editions. Originally, these variants would be knockoffs of the original editions but soon, they started changing the colors of the dust jackets and such.
There is no doubt that the original Masterworks published in 1992 & 1993 are probably the most valuable but these early variants clearly have the lowest print runs and are hard to find, especially in the shrink wrap. While we do not have exact figures for all editions, the print run for these early variants was about 350 to 620 - i.e. not a whole lot of them to go around.
Here are a couple of good resources to check out:
Marvel Masterworks Library - A great resource which lists almost all the editions for each Marvel Masterwork - a few holes that need to be filled but a great resource.
Marvel Masterworks - Wikipedia - another great resource, especially for newbies.
We have about 15 more early edition first print variants to go up on eBay so bid early and often!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
HOORAY! Our First eCrater Order!
Walkin' Willie's Comix is proud to announce that we received our first eCrater order this month. Just in case you were living on some remote island or just completely out of touch with reality, you can get to our eCrater store just by cruising to this URL: http://walkinwilliescomix.ecrater.com
The Walkin' Willie's Comix eCrater Store mainly will serve up trade paperbacks, graphic novels, hardcovers and bargin bin comics from Silver Age to present. Almost all of the trades, graphic novels and hardcovers are at least 35% off and all of the DC and Marvel books are 38% off of the normal retail price - and they are brand spanking new to boot!
The single issues are WELL below guide, most of the time at 30% of graded guide or less!
The bad news is that it will take awhile to build traffic. eCrater was started in 2004 and while that is a million lifetimes internet-wise, it is still young. Most folks that sell on eBay stay in a tunnel vision mode - i.e. they just don't look around for other venues to sell their stuff. Walkin' Willie's Comix has been on eBay since 1997 and we only found out about eCrater this year - so we were in tunnel vision mode ourselves. Here is an interesting article called "eBay's Death By A Thousand Cuts" which provides a few alternatives to eBay.
The good news is that eCrater is totally FREE for buyers AND sellers!! The only fees a seller will incur are PayPal fees and/or Google Checkout fees. eCrater makes money two ways: 1) If you want preferred placement for your products, you can do so for modest fees and 2) eCrater gets a kickback from Google Checkout.
The other good news is that sellers can offer products at a substantial discount as there are no listing fees or final value fees. THAT in and of itself is wonderful!
Finally, the eCrater forums harken back to the early days of eBay when there was a much more communal feel. There are several posts where one eCrater store will advertise for links for other eCrater stores to include on their own store website (not eCrater). We will be doing that type of cross linking soon. In fact, our first eCrater order was from another eCrater seller - living in Japan no less. Sure, eBay still has the most eyeballs but selling there is becoming a drag - in fact the next article on our blog will focus on our problems with selling on eBay and we'll promise not to whine.... too much....
The Walkin' Willie's Comix eCrater Store mainly will serve up trade paperbacks, graphic novels, hardcovers and bargin bin comics from Silver Age to present. Almost all of the trades, graphic novels and hardcovers are at least 35% off and all of the DC and Marvel books are 38% off of the normal retail price - and they are brand spanking new to boot!
The single issues are WELL below guide, most of the time at 30% of graded guide or less!
The bad news is that it will take awhile to build traffic. eCrater was started in 2004 and while that is a million lifetimes internet-wise, it is still young. Most folks that sell on eBay stay in a tunnel vision mode - i.e. they just don't look around for other venues to sell their stuff. Walkin' Willie's Comix has been on eBay since 1997 and we only found out about eCrater this year - so we were in tunnel vision mode ourselves. Here is an interesting article called "eBay's Death By A Thousand Cuts" which provides a few alternatives to eBay.
The good news is that eCrater is totally FREE for buyers AND sellers!! The only fees a seller will incur are PayPal fees and/or Google Checkout fees. eCrater makes money two ways: 1) If you want preferred placement for your products, you can do so for modest fees and 2) eCrater gets a kickback from Google Checkout.
The other good news is that sellers can offer products at a substantial discount as there are no listing fees or final value fees. THAT in and of itself is wonderful!
Finally, the eCrater forums harken back to the early days of eBay when there was a much more communal feel. There are several posts where one eCrater store will advertise for links for other eCrater stores to include on their own store website (not eCrater). We will be doing that type of cross linking soon. In fact, our first eCrater order was from another eCrater seller - living in Japan no less. Sure, eBay still has the most eyeballs but selling there is becoming a drag - in fact the next article on our blog will focus on our problems with selling on eBay and we'll promise not to whine.... too much....
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Heroes-Con Hangover.....
Well, it has been over a week since Heroes-Con 2008 and I am still trying to get my act together. We might be in a recession but I had by far my best Heroes-Con with only one 10'x10' booth! My previous high watermark was Heroes-Con 2006 in which a) we had four 10'x10' booths and b) the comics creative community rallied behind Shelton Drum and Heroes-Con when those dillweeds from Wizard tried to put Heroes-Con out of business by trying to schedule a Wizard World convention in Atlanta the same weekend.
Now we had the usual array of trades and hardcovers but also scored a nice Marvel Silver Age lot and a really, really nice collection of high grade DC giants from the Silver and Bronze Ages. What I learned is that folks will part with their money if you have what they want. By the way, this was all cash and checks as I don't have a merchant account to take credit cards (don't want one either...). In fact, we were so busy that I really didn't get out and see the convention.
My girlfriend, Melissa, was really working the crowd. It was her first comic convention and she acted like she had done it all her life. Melissa was and is a tremendous asset not to mention fun as all get out. She was like "Hey, we gotta do more of these... you need to start scheduling some cons!!!" .... whatta gal!
All in all, it was a great show - dealers and collectors were both buying like crazy. If you want a great blow-by-blow report, check out the Heroes-Con blog. It is a fun read if nothing else - the inimitable Dusty Harbin scribes in his usual entertaining, witty style.
Can't wait until next year....
Now we had the usual array of trades and hardcovers but also scored a nice Marvel Silver Age lot and a really, really nice collection of high grade DC giants from the Silver and Bronze Ages. What I learned is that folks will part with their money if you have what they want. By the way, this was all cash and checks as I don't have a merchant account to take credit cards (don't want one either...). In fact, we were so busy that I really didn't get out and see the convention.
My girlfriend, Melissa, was really working the crowd. It was her first comic convention and she acted like she had done it all her life. Melissa was and is a tremendous asset not to mention fun as all get out. She was like "Hey, we gotta do more of these... you need to start scheduling some cons!!!" .... whatta gal!
All in all, it was a great show - dealers and collectors were both buying like crazy. If you want a great blow-by-blow report, check out the Heroes-Con blog. It is a fun read if nothing else - the inimitable Dusty Harbin scribes in his usual entertaining, witty style.
Can't wait until next year....
Friday, May 16, 2008
Comic Book Age Categories
Greg Buls is again our guest columnist and today's topic is on the Comic Book "Ages". Thing is, I tend to agree with Greg on this topic and it is one of the more hotley debated comic book topics (with the other two being grading and the pros/cons of CGC - sorry, we don't debate stuff like who is better: Marvel or DC anymore..... um, we don't do we?)
Greg Buls has been a dealer-collector for more than 20 years. He found the pedigree Circle 8 collection in 1991. Greg operates S&V Collectibles on eBay - some really nice stuff you gotta check out!
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Presently, books are divided along age lines that don't make a lot of sense. The golden/atom age runs from the superheroes through Showcase #4, which introduces the Silver Age flash, in 1956. The silver age runs through 1969, and the bronze age begins in 1970, ending in 1980. The Showcase #4 makes some sense as a starting point for the silver age, but the rest is arbitrary. Let me suggest a better categorization. If anyone reads this who discusses these things online, please take this and run with it if you think it's a worthwhile debate.
Golden age: Through 1949 or 1950. At that point, the size of the books changed, as did the paper quality. This cutoff would also coincide with the beginning of the real world atom age, since the Soviet Union began to challenge US atomic supremacy about this time.
Atom age: 1950-1960 & Silver age: 1961-1968 - Aside from the weak argument for the Silver age beginning with Detective #225 and the introduction of Jon Jonzz, there is only one other 50s book that is ever mentioned as the best starting point for the Silver age, Showcase #4. From 1956 through FF #1 (or perhaps Tales to Astonish #27, 1st Ant Man), nothing of note happens. The marginal exceptions include the introduction of secondary characters such as Adam Strange and the Challengers of the Unknown. An argument can be made for Showcase #22, introducing the Silver age Green Lantern, but if you like that book and era, why not the #4? Both of these suffer from two of the same shortcomings: They don't introduce truly new characters and concepts - they are adaptations of existing characters. Not so Adam Strange and the Challengers, but they are not significant enough to warrant starting the Silver age with their first appearance.
Likewise Brave and the Bold #28, which simply teams up existing characters. No, the Silver age has to begin where it really begins, with FF #1. It was all new, enduring, and it signified the opening of the Lee/Kirby creative floodgates which would change comics forever. Had Marvel stayed limited to monster books and Torch/Cap stories, the face of comics would be radically different today. Marvel exists and is propelled ever onward on the strength of characters introduced from FF #1 on. DC is still largely coasting on the work of the 1940s (with hats off to Vertigo).
Bronze age: 1968-1984 (that's right, I said it! 1984!). 1968 saw the next big wave in comics: Hulk, Cap, Submariner, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man all kicked off their modern incarnations in 1968. 1968 also saw the beginning of meaningful speculation; up until about the late 1980s, it seemed like these books were a dime a dozen. One can dispute the significance of these re-launches, but this break makes more sense than 1970, which is totally arbitrary. Another change around this time is worth noting. For the bulk of the silver age, the cover paper of the books was different than they were from about 1968 on. Look at the paper and texture of a 1965 comic cover, and compare it to the paper and texture of a book like Amazing #58-64, or any of the Silver Surfers. The Surfers have what is essentially modern paper, no different than books published a decade later, while the 1965 book's cover paper is distinctly different in appearance and texture. There's little consistency to this change, some Spideys in the #60s and #70s seem to have reverted to the old paper, and this is true of other titles as well.
Modern age: 1985-present - As for the period extending through 1984, the reflects both scarcity and market realities. The direct market came into being in 1984 (and Geppi smiled, and saw that it was good). Up until that point, comic stores were newsstand distribution sites; unsold copies generally went back and were mulched. The DM both increased margins and introduced overstocks to many dealers who had not previously been in a position to purchase extras. The result is that books from 1985 and on are generally more plentiful than their earlier counterparts. And again, while there is some room for disagreement about the significance of 1984, at least there's some significance to it, 1980 as a cutoff is completely arbitrary.
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Thanks again Greg! Again remember to check out Greg's offerings on eBay - great stuff every week.
Greg Buls has been a dealer-collector for more than 20 years. He found the pedigree Circle 8 collection in 1991. Greg operates S&V Collectibles on eBay - some really nice stuff you gotta check out!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Presently, books are divided along age lines that don't make a lot of sense. The golden/atom age runs from the superheroes through Showcase #4, which introduces the Silver Age flash, in 1956. The silver age runs through 1969, and the bronze age begins in 1970, ending in 1980. The Showcase #4 makes some sense as a starting point for the silver age, but the rest is arbitrary. Let me suggest a better categorization. If anyone reads this who discusses these things online, please take this and run with it if you think it's a worthwhile debate.
Golden age: Through 1949 or 1950. At that point, the size of the books changed, as did the paper quality. This cutoff would also coincide with the beginning of the real world atom age, since the Soviet Union began to challenge US atomic supremacy about this time.
Atom age: 1950-1960 & Silver age: 1961-1968 - Aside from the weak argument for the Silver age beginning with Detective #225 and the introduction of Jon Jonzz, there is only one other 50s book that is ever mentioned as the best starting point for the Silver age, Showcase #4. From 1956 through FF #1 (or perhaps Tales to Astonish #27, 1st Ant Man), nothing of note happens. The marginal exceptions include the introduction of secondary characters such as Adam Strange and the Challengers of the Unknown. An argument can be made for Showcase #22, introducing the Silver age Green Lantern, but if you like that book and era, why not the #4? Both of these suffer from two of the same shortcomings: They don't introduce truly new characters and concepts - they are adaptations of existing characters. Not so Adam Strange and the Challengers, but they are not significant enough to warrant starting the Silver age with their first appearance.
Likewise Brave and the Bold #28, which simply teams up existing characters. No, the Silver age has to begin where it really begins, with FF #1. It was all new, enduring, and it signified the opening of the Lee/Kirby creative floodgates which would change comics forever. Had Marvel stayed limited to monster books and Torch/Cap stories, the face of comics would be radically different today. Marvel exists and is propelled ever onward on the strength of characters introduced from FF #1 on. DC is still largely coasting on the work of the 1940s (with hats off to Vertigo).
Bronze age: 1968-1984 (that's right, I said it! 1984!). 1968 saw the next big wave in comics: Hulk, Cap, Submariner, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man all kicked off their modern incarnations in 1968. 1968 also saw the beginning of meaningful speculation; up until about the late 1980s, it seemed like these books were a dime a dozen. One can dispute the significance of these re-launches, but this break makes more sense than 1970, which is totally arbitrary. Another change around this time is worth noting. For the bulk of the silver age, the cover paper of the books was different than they were from about 1968 on. Look at the paper and texture of a 1965 comic cover, and compare it to the paper and texture of a book like Amazing #58-64, or any of the Silver Surfers. The Surfers have what is essentially modern paper, no different than books published a decade later, while the 1965 book's cover paper is distinctly different in appearance and texture. There's little consistency to this change, some Spideys in the #60s and #70s seem to have reverted to the old paper, and this is true of other titles as well.
Modern age: 1985-present - As for the period extending through 1984, the reflects both scarcity and market realities. The direct market came into being in 1984 (and Geppi smiled, and saw that it was good). Up until that point, comic stores were newsstand distribution sites; unsold copies generally went back and were mulched. The DM both increased margins and introduced overstocks to many dealers who had not previously been in a position to purchase extras. The result is that books from 1985 and on are generally more plentiful than their earlier counterparts. And again, while there is some room for disagreement about the significance of 1984, at least there's some significance to it, 1980 as a cutoff is completely arbitrary.
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Thanks again Greg! Again remember to check out Greg's offerings on eBay - great stuff every week.
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