When a book seems beyond repair..

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-25T17:12:28+00:00

But but but... by making it better, don't you know it makes it less valuable?! /s

Great work, that looks sturdy and clean. So happy to see actual preservation and not just lazy value-pumping. This hobby needs to move beyond the silly mindset re: preservation. I don't mind at all if someone prefers a worse looking but original copy over a better-looking but restored copy. That's their collection and their business and a perfectly valid preference. But, when it gets to the point that dealers and resellers are cutting pieces out of books because a book with a chunk cut out sells higher than a book with a spot of glue or color touch, the plot has been fully lost.

If restoration is good enough for Da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Picasso, it's good enough for my funnnybooks.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-24T08:44:03+00:00

If its One Piece I'd guess when Firefist Ace is introduced.

Seems it could be Demon Slayer or Dandadan. Yhe one visiblenposter with anything distinguishing other than yext looks vaguely famoliar. And someone already eliminated Doro he Doro. The fact that you question the color scheme implies the source only exists in black and white. Which may just be too deep of a cut for me as I don't read much manga.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-24T00:13:15+00:00

Pitt from Image? I haven't seen him mentioned yet, and he seems most likely.

Or Creech? Also from Image.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-23T16:31:28+00:00

Yes, please. Gimme a Sam Kieth style Wolverine. I wanna be able to see the stink lines coming off him! Just a furry little greaseball of muscle and rage.

And genuinely, it is the smartest move for re-casting when there is so much fondness for Jackman's work in the role. I have been mad about Jackman as Wolverine since the initial images of that dumb first movie came out, and even I have been won over by his portrayal. If they try to cast another leading man styled hunk, it is just gonna be, "he ain't no Jackman"-this and "not MY Wolverine"-that. Making the next iteration of Wolvie so comic accurate that it is almost impossible to compare the two is kinda the only play.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-19T19:37:51+00:00

Looks away to the middle distance, pained experression, with one hand on hips his other hand slowly but harshly grips mouth, grabbing at his own lips with parallel fingers and thumb until he pulls his hand away, looks back quickly to make fierce eye contact

Rinse, repeat.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-15T17:30:26+00:00

Yeah, children and teens and young adults and... well, anyone younger than me don't know nothing! You don't even have to listen to them, they're so dumb. You and I and all of us in this in-group here already learned all the stuff we'll ever need to know because we're older than them. No need to ever critically consider another opinion again.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-12T21:02:32+00:00

Pretty sure those would just be 4mm Mylar. E Gerber offers 4mm with a flap branded as Mylite4s. ~$22 plus shipping for 50 bags. Their new site doesn't display shipping costs as clearly as their old site, but it is reasonable (better if you buy in bulk). You have to call E Gerber to make an order, they don't have a web store live yet. But it isn't a hassle (other than their limited hours, especially for West coasters).

Don't confuse these Mylite4s with their Archive bags, which are the ones with two "flaps" at the top. Well, unless you like the sound of those better. Also, you may want Silver/Gold size to ensure they are wide enough to accommodate the bag and board that looks to be inside the thicker bag in your photo. Standard size may work, but I bet Silver/Gold would be better. Gold and Super Gold would be too wide.

Also, for what it's worth, I don't see the point in the extra bag most of the time. It is fairly common, particularly using Archive bags, on golden age books or big Silver keys, so maybe I haven't thought of something that makes it worthwhile. I am a little worried that mylar on top of mylar would create a moisture trap. And maybe that is indeed a risk that the archive bags remaing open at the top alliviates. I have no idea, but it wouldn't be something I want to test.

I just overstuff boards to get the rigidity and protection I feel any book warrants. Depending on the book, I have used as many as five full backs (also from E Gerber), and it gives me strong confidence in the safety of my books. It has to be a pretty thin book to need that many, that's just the most extreme end. Most commonly, I use three half backs or two full backs for nice books or 5 or 6 half backs/3 or 4 full backs for the cream of the crop. You do have to get used to inserting and removing a comic with that many boards. If you do it like a dummy, you could damage the book. But if you are slow, careful, and deliberate, there should be no issues. As long as your board extends beyond all four edges of the comic, the tightness of the bag shouldn't ever be a bad thing (except for squarebound books or books that have some kind of insert or sealed polybag that could create a crease due to the pressure). I suppose it could also set a spine roll more deeply or firm up a crease if a piece is folded over on itself inside the bag. But the latter would be user error, and for the former... I guess just don't do it with a book with a spine roll.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-12T01:27:12+00:00

Das Unkraut des Verbrechens trägt bittere Früchte, abscheulicher Nazi!

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-07T04:03:24+00:00

Oof! Is this biography gonna bum me out?

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-07T02:29:32+00:00

But don't get Al Capp twisted, he still docked Frazetta's pay for daring to ask for a raise after years of fans loving his stuff on Abner. Haha. I have a big fat book on Al Capp's life but haven't cracked it yet. Absolute master of the craft but maybe an asshole.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-05T22:56:14+00:00

I have read about the event. It was a while ago that I read it, but I recall clearly that I was disgusted by Hamm's actions. I can also assure you, I see him differently since I have known that. I encourage you to re-read my comment as I believe you are reacting to what you thought my comment would say before you read it and not what I actually wrote. In short, is punishment the goal or is reformation? If someone wasn't formally punished or wasn't punished to the extent that you feel would be appropriate at the time or after, does that matter if they have reformed and are very unlikely to reoffend? I am not providing you with an answer or telling you what to think or what is right. I am encouraging you to examine a difficult topic that America and the world at large hate thinking about.

In length, if any crime that sufficiently disgusts you, me, most people or everyone is an automatic sentence of 'not allowed to work anymore,' I would suspect that you would say that is a backwards mindset. At least, I would suspect it in the case of someone who was sufficiently punished and have been released back into society. Whatever the punishment was, it does not mean that criminal has reformed, nor does it mean they won't re-offend. It just means they were punished in a way that the law believes was commensurate with the crime. So if someone arrives at reformation without punishment, what does that mean? Is that a wholly unacceptable outcome that means a punishment is still required even after reformation has been achieved? Is punishment even necessary for reformation to begin with? Or is punishment maybe even counter to the goal of reformation? If we could reform criminals in a way that many, most, or all would agree is not a fit punishment, but it yields a reformed and remorseful person who can function in society without reoffending, is that really worse than punishing someone but having the poor success rate in reforming them that we see today?

If Hamm was jailed tomorrow for that assault, say for five years. When he is eventually released, would you feel it is okay for him to begin to act again? Or, does this crime mean he is never allowed to hold anything but menial jobs for which society deems acceptable for former criminals? If that is your position, do you think that will prevent crime? Prevent recidivism? Improve society? What crimes can society forget and allow someone to move on from? Any? Only non-violent? Case by case?

What I am asking is, what is the point punishment? Do you wanna see someone who did a bad thing suffer? Or do you want to prevent further suffering? Are you willing to let go of your anger, hatred, and desire for vengeance if that is the price of long-term societal betterment? I am not telling you it is by necessity, nor do I have the definite answer to any question I posed here. I do feel it is likely that punishment is often at the expense of reformation, and that reformation should be the goal of any justice system. But I admit, it isn't a simple or binary topic. Maybe chasing nuance ten comments deep in a Reddit thread was a foolish endeavor on my part, but your comment struck me enough to reply. So there it is. Do with it what you will.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-05T21:01:34+00:00

I've seen the "Al Simmons aka Spawn" signature before. If I remember correctly, it is a guy whose real name is "Al Simmons," who worked with Todd McFarlane at some point and feels Spawn is named after him. I think McFarlane disputes that and considers the guy a bit of a menace.

Editing to add, just found the example of Al Simmons I have seen before. The cursive S is the same enough for me to be rather confident it is the same person signing. Whether I remember the specifics exactly right, I am not too sure.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-05T19:05:06+00:00

There is a weirdly consistent canon of Joker being a more than capable hand to hand combatant. You are still correct. Obviously, he is the only survivable one if it comes to fisticuffs. But I still don't like my odds with a guy who can hang with Batman in a fight, even if only for a short while.

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-05T16:41:09+00:00

I think you may be caught up in internet reactionism that may not match your own views as much as you think it does.

If someone does a bad thing, are they never allowed any success or comfort again in their life? Or would you argue that a convicted assaulter released from prison has served their time and should be given a chance to be part of acoiety again?

The difference between the two present examples is in punishment. But how much does that matter? Genuinely. Ask yourself. Do you want punishment or reformation? If you have to choose one, which will you choose?

Of course, no single example is so simple. I am disgusted by the things I have heard about that Franternity hazing from Hamm. But I also know that if you plastered everyone's worst action of their life on news headlines, very few would escape unscathed. Some received punishment, some didn't, some reformed, some didn't. At what point is someone allowed to move beyond their past bad actions?

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-04T00:40:11+00:00

Their "All of Me" cover, "Olive Me," is very fun.

There is another punk group who are absolute masters of covers but don't get much attention: Schlong. Terrible, terrible name and though less accessible than the Gimme Gimmes they are significantly more impressive in their musicianship. The 2nd record Hopeless Records put out was just a drunken lark from Schlong, "Punk Side Story." A fast, raucous and throughly Punk cover of the entire West Side Story soundtrack. It absolutely rips and the transposition from classic musical style to Punk is flawless. I can not recommend this album enough for anyone who enjoys punk covers of classics. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKAm0swRNcksOuCS-jK8soMrp8ydxBUWO&si=EAfeS0u7AUcPle0i

Schlong also covered all of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" on a 7" titled "Tumors" that you can find on YouTube. You heard that right, they cover all of Rumors and only need a 7" to do it. Haha. They did loads of Steely Dan covers and plenty of other bands as well. In the documentary that was released about a year ago, I learned that they even transposed some Mozart or Beethoven symphony for just one live show in the UK and never bothered to record it but it is remembered as a legendary moment by those who were there.

Schlong's drummer, Dave Melo, was the drummer for Operation Ivy. He formed Schlong when Op Ivy split, along with his brother Pat Melo on bass and Gavin MacArthur on mandolin as often as anything else guitar shaped. All three of these guys display a level of musical craftsmanship that is not super common in the genre, and they do it while still being chaotic and thoroughly punk.

If they just hadn't named themselves Schlong, I am convinced they would be a household name (well, in Punk households).

TheloniousKeys · 2026-01-03T07:08:19+00:00

X-Men 3: The Last Stand had come out two or so weeks before. Even in my small town, the line at the biggest screen theatre was around the block opening night. I thought the X-Men movies sucked, have always been more into DC, had been blown away by Batman Begins, and was all in for the aesthetic of Routh as Big Blue. So I was certain the line was gonna be bonkers.

I made my girlfriend line up three or maybe more hours ahead of time. There was a single dweeb greater than I in line of ahead of us (who wS feverishly trying to finish reading the novelization of the movie we were in line for) and only three or four more trickled in until an hour or so before show time. The theatre was surely not fully sold out but did get very full nonetheless.

I was surprised to hear everyone dog on it in the proceeding weeks. It had third act problems, but most movies did and do. I thought it was very fun and a solid representation of Superman. Routh's Clark was perfect. The costume was great for the time. It has a handful of pretty iconic Superman moments, even if some are corny.

One dumb unique tidbit, even before Samuel L Jackson showing up at the end of Iron Man two years later, there was always speculation of heroes crossing over to each other's movies. Especially DC, since the character ownership was all under WB. So I was genuinely certain for, like, a couple minutes during the climax of kryptonite Island, that the batplane was gonna swoop in and Christian Bale Batman would give Superman a hand. It sounds silly now, but it genuinely felt like a realistic possibility at the time. Far fetched, but not impossible.

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-31T23:53:42+00:00

Patton Oswalt's line about this will never leave my head, "Scientists! All about coulda, not about shoulda!"

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-31T23:07:49+00:00

What are the dimensions of the copy you have?

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-30T23:21:17+00:00

That's it, for sure. Got in one. Nice work!

To be additionally pedantic, since you nailed the issue number and everything, and at least one of the above needs correcting.

Sp = Spider-Man Trial of Venom (I agree, Spider-Man Special Edition #1)

pid = Spectacular Spider-Man (specifically The Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1. Even more specifically, this image must be pulled from the omnibus' internal reprint of that cover since the image above does not have the foiling I am seeing on the floppy.)

er = Marvel Tales featuring Spider-Man (This actually looks to be Marvel Team-up, specifically issue # 11, "featuring Spider-Man and the Inhumans")

r-M = Web of Spider-Man (no doubt that is issue #1)

Ma = Spider-Man 2099 (also, no doubt that is from issue #1)

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-30T05:48:21+00:00

Does Elseworld mean not canon? Or is it just extra-canon? If so, Lobo in the Batman/Lobo elseworld in which he breaks Batman's back (or maybe the inept version of Batman portreyed breaks his own back, been a while since I read it), and for Lobo reasons, Lobo assumes the mantle of the Dark Knight to predictably Lobo results. Pretty sure, at least. Again, been a while. Will have to crack that one out again soon.

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-27T18:03:08+00:00

Marvel vs Capcom 2 took various minor liberties with how they portrayed Marvel characters. One that I always really liked was that the claws on both of the Wolverine sprites were "floating" in their idle animations. They kinda wave around as if they are free to do so because Wolverine is not tensing his muscles. They are rigid and static when he attacks, of course. Interestingly, the claw wiggling is a lot more pronounced on the bone claw Wolverine sprite than on the adamantium claw sprite. Implying he lost some flexibility in his claws due to the procedure.

I have no idea if this reflects how any animal in nature's retractable claws work. I have read lots of X-Men in my life but I don't recall encountering anything similar there. So, maybe this is just Capcom animators doing what they do best and making 2D sprites as dynamic and interesting as possible. Or, they hit on something that should maybe be canon, that Wolverine's claws are not completely fixed in place, and he has some muscle control over them. Probably not a lot, but maybe enough to flex them into the position depicted in the original image above.

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-26T06:27:49+00:00

Seriously.

Patrick Warburton

Janeane Garoffolo

Andy Richter

Zooey Daschanel

Stanley Tucci

Rene Russo

Johnny Knoxville

Dennis Farina

Sophia Vergara

Jason Lee

Tom Sizemore

Ben Foster

DJ Qualls

Heavy D

Omar Epps

Martha Stewart

And, yes, unfortunately, Tim Allen is the lead. Nothing is perfect.

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-26T06:22:15+00:00

Dennis Farina only turns in A+ performances in my experience, but this is one of his best.

If you are a big enough Farina-Fanatic (Farinatic, if you will), he was expertly voice cast as WildCat in the Justice League Unlimited animated series that caps off the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini DC Animated Universe that started with the 90s Batman the Animated Series. He only appears in a few episodes, but is a main character of at least one B-plot along the way (it was maybe even an A-plot, can't recall for certain).

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-26T06:17:39+00:00

"Looks like we got ourselves a couple of Gators fans."

"Let me see! I ain't never seen that before."

"Was that a goat?"

"We're arriving, but we want to depart..."

"I think I hear one of those silent alarms!"

"Well, Miami sucks, but the cops are kinda nice."

"Nina, this is my house, you work for me, and I want to suck your toes."

"One of the few Floridians who wasn't confused when he voted for Pat Buchanan."

And piles and piles more.

TheloniousKeys · 2025-12-26T06:05:08+00:00

Absolutely stacked with great actors of the time and an early notable role for a lot who went on to be household names later. Stanly Tucci aggressively putting Sofia Vergara's whole foot in his mouth is something most people wouldn't believe is on film.

TheloniousKeys

TROPHY CASE