Wednesday, October 19, 2011

What Lurks in the Longbox? #12

Action Comics #890-900   Writer: Paul Cornell  Artist: Pete Woods

About a year before anyone had heard about the DC "New 52," Paul Cornell began his run on what would become known as "Lex Luthor's Action Comics." 

When fantasy writer Paul Cornell started writing Action Comics, he immediately removed Superman from the book and placed Lex Luthor in the spotlight.  In his quest to regain the godlike power of the Black Lantern ring he possessed in the Blackest Night mini-series, Lex submitted himself to a device that provided infinite streams of information about the rings, but at a high risk of insanity in the process.  As he moved closer to obtaining the answers he was seeking, Luthor looked to a familiar face for both comfort and counsel: Lois Lane.  Except...it was a robot Lois Lane (this may sound familiar to Buffy fans). 



Cornell’s first issue started out strong, as he demonstrated his understanding of both Luthor’s obsessive personality and sociopathic tendencies.  One item of interest in this first chapter: There is a certain amount of irony when one of the most powerful characters in the DC Universe nearly becomes a victim of a disgruntled LexCorp employee, which could happen just as easily to any office or cubicle dweller.




The villain reveal at the end of the issue was an unexpected surprise, which is rare in this age of internet spoilers.  The covers by David Finch were a nice bonus, and the year-long storyline was packed with guest stars, such as Gorilla Grodd, Deathstroke, and the Joker (one of the best chapters in the series).  Even Vertigo's "Death" showed up in Issue #894, making for an interesting confrontation between her and Luthor.
   


Saturday, October 15, 2011

COMIC BOOK GARAGE SALE - THE SEQUEL! (THE GARAGE STRIKES BACK)

Two weeks after our Comic Book Garage Sale in September ended, we were still receiving emails and Facebook requests about the sale.  Collectors and friends were asking questions like "Is there anything left?" and "Do you still have (blank) item?"  An example would be the collection of movie posters that we sold to a cinema enthusiast almost two weeks after the sale was over.


The movie posters are sold !

So after some debate, we decided to have a follow-up sale this weekend.  Unlike the previous month, the plan was for the sale to be only on Saturday, but when I received multiple requests from people who wanted to get first shot at the comics on Friday, I decided to make it a two-day event.

During our sale in September, we had absolutely perfect weather, with temps in the mid to high 60's.  That was not the case with this sale.  With a forecast of rain, high winds and damp conditions, we knew ahead of time that those conditions would factor against us.  However, we forged ahead, and I made sure to mention in my Craigslist posting that we would be having our sale, come rain or shine!

Although both days of the sale were a little slow in terms of attendance, the collectors who did come were once again armed with their want lists, and ready to buy.  The first customer showed up about 10 minutes before our opening time of 10:00 a.m., with another one close behind him, so the sale got off to a good start.  During the weekend, most of our customers purchased anywhere between 20-60 comics, with one person taking advantage of our "buy 'em by the box for $75" deal. 


With about 10,000 comics for sale, customers came armed with their want lists! 

Marvel was the big winner last month, but this time it seemed to be all about DC.  Was DC's "New 52" a factor in getting people looking for back issues?  It's a possibility, since the big sellers this time included titles like Batman, Detective Comics, Justice Society, Birds of Prey, Nightwing, and Swamp Thing.

Marvel titles being sought out included Silver Surfer, Daredevil and X-Men titles, while independent comics were once again mostly ignored, with a couple exceptions, such as the Dark Horse Star Wars titles. 


We also had action figures and some cool vintage DC postcards at the sale.

Perhaps the most interesting visitor to our sale was the woman who was looking for Archie comics, and then literally took off in her car when I retrieved the first box about three minutes later.  I'm still not totally sure what that was about, but she was obviously in a hurry!

Overall, the weekend was a success and we think we made the right decision having another garage sale.  We already had a couple people ask if we were planning to have another one next year, and the answer is yes.  I'm thinking sometime in the Spring, but will probably not have any dates announced until after the holidays, so please stay tuned to my blog, as well as the Secret Identity Comics Facebook Page for updates!


Some unusual Marvel trading cards from Japan.

Once again we would like to thank everyone who came out and supported the sale by picking up lots of great comics at bargain prices.  Just as a reminder, I will be setting up on Saturday, December 3rd at the Great Lakes Comic Book & Toy Expo, taking place at the VFW Post on Gratiot Avenue in Roseville, Michigan.  I'll have more updates on this show as it gets closer.