Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
From terror attacks, the US election, floods, protests, Brexit and the many, many celebrity deaths… 2016 has been widely panned as the worst year in recent history. Some of the factors are par for the course, so unfortunately, much of…
Not too long ago, Marvel released a set of connecting variant covers for their Civil War II mini series. These caught my attention because: 1. The Art: Clearly Asian, somewhere between traditional brush painting and manga. 2. The Design: Minimal,…
While cities across Canada are hosts to a large number of comics, toys and other collectibles/merchandise shows, in-between, scattered throughout the rural landscape, are antiques markets or smaller antique stores. Often situated on the outskirts of small towns, retrofitted barns…
About 10 years ago, I made the decision to cut our cable and phone service in favour of hi-speed internet. But I also worried that my family would be left out of the cultural loop, and indeed, it was difficult…
Summer is well underway and I’ve spent the better part of this month fixing little things around the house. Next on the list is to give our deck a fresh coat of paint. I saved the old paint can so…
Last September, I acknowledged a shift in back issue sales that began in November 2015. I wrote about three concerns I had as we entered the biggest shopping season of the year: Holiday sales The US political climate Movie fatigue…
Speaking of milestones, both DC and Marvel Comics celebrated their 75th Anniversary during the past several years. DC Comics was officially founded in 1934 and Marvel Comics back in 1939. Despite all the promotions and industry events, anecdotally speaking, the…
I’ve got a lot of things I’d like to discuss but I’m gonna have to put that on the back burner because this past weekend was the Toronto ComiCon, 2017! I usually split a booth with someone but this year…
In Part 1 we looked at various criteria that helped to identify “quality” books as potential investment vehicles. In this follow up, we’ll examine some common traits that may, or may not exist as we continue the discussion with a…
If you’ve read any of my past posts, then you’ve read me drone on about buying “quality keys” versus “junk keys”, and yet I’ve avoided trying to define what I meant by “quality”. Many of you probably rolled your eyes…
An inherent part of collecting is being able to show-off your books, but having been blessed with astute sensitivity, I’m far above this crass behaviour. I kid, of course. I’m rarely above anything and this is Boxing Week 2016! As…
I’m back with part two of my list of recommendations. Similar to part one, you’ll find some dark themes, mind benders, thrillers and more sensitive, introspective stories to enjoy. These are books that I feel deserve recognition for being stellar…
Being a slow reader with many interests means that my “to-read” list is an ongoing work in progress. I recently made a push to chip away at my massive list and so, in another two part write up, I thought…
In part one of this write up, I briefly looked at the changing demographic and the response from Marvel and DC. I also discussed the growing Asian influence, specifically from one Chinese company, who is making serious inroads into Hollywood…
A gay Green Lantern, a Korean Hulk and a female Thor. Marvel and DC have been working overtime to appear more inclusive these days, but are these changes simply about appearing more politically correct? For the longest time, Canada had…
Back in early February, I noted that sales during the past holiday were slow and that the back issue market appeared to be trending down. I wondered if comics had peaked, which did not sit well with the faithful. My…
Another Fan Expo has come and gone, and this year, I had the good fortune of being able to set up as a vendor. In the past, I’ve set up at both the spring and winter show but I’ve always…
When it comes to investment comics, here’s what we know: The growth trajectory isn’t a simple ramp but rather an exponential curve and higher grades can offer higher yields. Serious hardcore comic investors like to dabble in high grade…
When I’m out and about, one of the things I like to do is pop into the used book store. Not only can you find some really good deals, but you can also find some unique items as well. In…
The new DC logo is not being received very well but this is not surprising considering this is the age of the internet and people don’t always react to change very well. For all intents and purposes, a logo is…