Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Charlie Kim’s column.
Darwyn Cooke was an award winning artist, born in Toronto, and celebrated for such works as Catwoman, Justice League: The New Frontier and Richard Stark’s Parker series. It was announced this past Saturday morning that he had passed on at…
The online market has turned many collectors into dealers who prefer to focus solely on the more lucrative first appearance of popular characters, adding to the competition for “key” books. But unless you have access to a stockpile of “key”…
If you’re old as I am, then you’ve been around long enough to notice change. One of the most notable changes that we can point to is how and what we consume on television, and nowhere is this more apparent…
I was at a local shop last month wanting to buy an X-Men #120. The book was certified by CGC as a 9.0 but the slab was cracked and scuffed so I thought maybe I could negotiate a deep discount.…
If you troll the auction sites as much as I do then you’ve noticed something interesting lately. It’s hard to account for every book but many of our favourite keys seem to be levelling out and some even trending downward.…
It was a year ago that I went hunting for deals during Boxing Day. I end up with a handful of cheap keys, all purchased under $5. One of the books that I picked up, Adventure into Fear #19, was…
Generally speaking, people come to comics by way of art, but stay for the stories. Art is immediate, stirring and personal. Many artists have their beginnings or have been influenced by comics in some way, but not all artists pursue…
In my last write up, I wrote about being more strategic with your purchases and not letting sentiment dictate your investment decisions. One of the things I discussed was understanding the value of a book. Buying a $100 book over…
If you’re in this hobby to read books and be entertained, then far be it for me to tell you what you should be buying. The answer is simple: buy books you like and don’t let guys like me tell…
One of the biggest social issues is the prevalence of advertising and how much it influences us, if at all. John Kenneth Galbraith is the philosopher, economist and critic who coined the term “conventional wisdom” in his highly influential and…
I intended to review Art Spiegelman’s show while it was still running but I didn’t get the chance so I apologize for this late entry. However, I took lots of pictures so hopefully the images can provide you with a…
Let’s quickly recap… If I had to put a finger on it, I’d say that the superhero movie boom that we are currently experiencing began with Sony and their first iteration of Spider-Man way back in 2002. Yes, Fox released…
Back in February I wrote about comic book pressing, which would help to improve the look of a comic and ultimately their market value. In the past, I’ve submitted books to companies in the U.S. that most collectors on the…
My previous post was a book review that I did for my graphic novels class. Here is the second review I did in the more traditional essay form. If you’ve ever browsed around a book store in the comics section,…
I’m one of those weird people that actually like school. When I found myself having to enroll again after all these years… yes, there was some anxiety, trepidation and apprehension… but I also looked forward to the opportunity of refocusing…
February 22nd was another episode of the Toronto Comic Book Show (TCBS) and I was thoroughly impressed. Everyone who set up and attended the show seem to be very satisfied. For me, it was an interesting study. The last batch of…
Many CGC collectors are engaged in an activity called “pressing”, which can greatly enhance the value of your comic books. Unless you own a perfect “10”, all comics have some degree of flaws. But, there are good flaws and bad…
As a follow up to my Boxing Day Hit List, I thought I’d share some of the books I picked up this year (or this past year to be precise). Back in the day, when I use to have more…
Boxing Day is just around the corner and retailers will be offering deep discounts to consumers. Comic shops will be slashing their bin stock and back issues, in some cases by as much as 60%. Boxing day is a great…
This winter has been a real boon for comic book collectors with three one day shows in a row. I wish I could have participated all three shows but I was busy with exams. However, I did manage to squeeze…