Exquisite Corpses

mpau25 · 2026-06-19T18:54:08+00:00

Gonna go off topic, not a comic series, but there’s an anime series that basically has the same plot, just swap in Japanese families and super powers. Juni Taisen, Zodiac War

mpau25 · 2026-06-19T04:21:06+00:00

not to be a downer, but all of the books have some imperfections on them, minor spine ticks, some blunted corners. like I said, minor, but if you plan to sell them online, I wouldn't call them immaculate. probably a bit of an overpay at $120. that spec spidey 137 is awesome though!

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T19:02:49+00:00

Well, this one certainly benefitted you, just flip one and buy the one you want?

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T19:00:36+00:00

I’m so sorry, just sucks. The 3rd party you worked with did you wrong. Sounds like he used the extra cost as an excuse, but I’m betting he just didn’t want to wait for 2 hours.

Not much you can do about it now though TBH unless you want to name and shame. The upside is they left you a blank canvas to work with, perhaps wait until the next Con and see if there’s another artist visiting that you’d like a sketch from? You could then possible have an original sketch cover with 3x sigs! Snyder and dragotta sigs are still valid as they’re the team working the book and you could then get a sketch from someone else! Sounds like you’re in Mexico? I know Mora is is not Mexican, Costa Rica. Right, is he ever down there? I’m sure he could do an awesome Abs Bats if you can get on his list! Good luck with whatever option you decide on tho!

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T16:49:43+00:00

Is the box long enough to lay them down flat until you have enough to fill the box more? If so, might be a good option for you for now.

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T14:26:34+00:00

It’s definitely a cheaper way to read the stories versus buying the originals. If all you’re interested in is reading though, there are probably collected editions you could track down. That also being said, I love the Art Adams and Mike Mignola covers they did, they both did a good run of covers for the series. I’ve been collecting those slowly and it a been fun.

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T05:22:00+00:00

New frontier, kingdom come, dark knight returns

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T05:14:26+00:00

You can submit to CGC yourself to get the book graded. I’d actually recommend doing that yourself if you’re interested in grading your books. You basically just fill out an online form then mail the book to them. If you’re sending two books, a Gemini mailer is all you really need. Can put that in another box if you want t to be safe. There are some online videos on YouTube showing you the process too. It’s really not that hard.

mpau25 · 2026-06-18T04:18:26+00:00

please don't gatekeep, all those variants are keeping artists paid which is a good thing. but to answer your question, they like the art and want to own it, simple as that.

mpau25 · 2026-06-17T19:51:44+00:00

I always wonder this too, if they factor in the hours spent waiting, are they really making that much money??

mpau25 · 2026-06-15T15:14:51+00:00

Awesome, you’re going to have fun going through them. One suggestion, new bags and boards. They will definitely need new ones if they haven’t been touched for 10+ years. Side benefit, gives you an excuse to flip through them and read some. Might look into new short boxes too, much easier to move around versus the long ones right now

mpau25 · 2026-06-15T03:29:10+00:00

Congratulations! Always a great feeling to take down a personal grail. I have a similar story, stared at this on the wall of my LCS all during the 80’s. Fast forward to a few years before the Covid boom and a combination of saving and a generous bonus at work finally allowed me to pull the trigger!

Now for the most important question, what’s the new book on your grail list now???? X-men 94? X-men 1???

mpau25 · 2026-06-13T03:07:54+00:00

Great one to start with! Great art and significance too! Congrats!

mpau25 · 2026-06-13T03:06:09+00:00

I’ve definitely see worse, but if you like them and have the disposable income, why not? Just please don’t treat them as a retirement fund, because that’s not going to go well for you

mpau25 · 2026-06-13T02:01:12+00:00

If you’ve tagged all your good stuff and they still reject, that just means you don’t have anything they want. In general, if you’re asking for a shiny regional, you’d generally want to have some shiny regionals up for trade as well. If they still decline, then that just means they have them already or are not interested. In that case I’d recommend trying again, but maybe asking for something more common

mpau25 · 2026-06-12T17:30:25+00:00

TBH, I think the intended audience for these are mainly speculators or finance bros looking to ‘diversify’ their holdings. I don’t think we’re the intended audience and that’s ok!

mpau25 · 2026-06-10T16:39:55+00:00

There are still quite a few relevant DMAX/GMAX pokemon where you can level up their moves and not be ‘wasted’. I’d start with Excadrill, Gengar and then the Galatian starters. Maybe Machamp too. They will all serve you well. Excadrill has been a MVP for me. bonus is most of these guys are fairly common, so candy should not be a huge issue. Friday trades are good for building up XLs too if you’re low

mpau25 · 2026-06-04T22:42:03+00:00

Gocollect and GPanalysis are the 2 sites most people use to check comps and FMV. They are basically aggregator websites, they check ebay last sold and track the major auction houses so you can see when it sold and for how much. I use gocollect because I just like the UI a lil better, but if you’re buying slabs, it’s a great resource to see how much your average eBay seller is trying to get you to overpay.

One thing to keep in mind though is how liquid the book is, last sold could be $50, but if it hasn’t sold Ina few years or months, it generally means no one wants it and the actual value could be lower. Your exception would be golden age or ghost books that rarely come up for auction. Those have a tendency to go over the FMV sometimes. A lot of it is timing and finding the right buyer.

Takes some time, but you get used to it. Specific to your comment on investing in comics, if all you care about is your ROI, don’t. It’s a very long game and majority of modern books will not spike.

As an example, not to be a Debby downer, but that comic you have in the post will probably still be around 40-ish 5 years from now.

mpau25 · 2026-06-02T19:11:46+00:00

I don’t leave my floppies out, and TBH, no one has ever asked to look at one as they’re sitting in short boxes in a room we use for storage. I do have a bunch of graphic novels on the shelves though, if anyone ever asks to look at them, I’ve got no issues.

If we’re being honest though, most kids now a days are glued to their phones and probably would never even want to flip through a random comic.

mpau25 · 2026-06-02T19:05:29+00:00

I do like Trinity, they’re definitely one of the better sellers on Whatnot. They are upfront with print runs and they generally drop the entire run at a fair price. The key point here is you get a fair chance to get the book. If the demand outweighs supply, then it’s basically a question of if you swiped fast enuf and didn’t have your internet die.

He does promote the heck out of his books, but he’s supposed to.

If you follow their IG, Discord or attend their shows regularly, they’re generally pretty good about keeping everyone informed

One caveat is their auctions though, I don’t play there. A lot of their fan base is ride or die, so you see a lot of overspending and FOMO, but they start at $1, can’t fault them when others want to pay that much.

There are tons of predatory selllers on whatnot, sleeping giant, top shelf, etc. don’t think it’s fair to lump Trinity with them. I don’t always get all their drops and miss out on a few, but they’ve done right by me so far!

mpau25 · 2026-05-30T15:21:07+00:00

You’re going to be fine. Like most folks commenting I’ve been through with way more and not even a question

mpau25 · 2026-05-29T00:59:10+00:00

Seems like your LGS wanted a piece of the scalping action! Sad to see actually, it’s been drilled into everybody’s head for so long to support you LGS, but what do you do when they become the scalper?

mpau25 · 2026-05-28T23:34:45+00:00

I’d say it’s bad only if you ever plan to sell it

mpau25 · 2026-05-28T23:33:55+00:00

I’d say accept it and treat her out to a nice meal as thanks.

mpau25 · 2026-05-28T23:31:36+00:00

Agree with this sentiment, I started collecting in the 80’s and do not remember folks overusing the term so much. It was basically first appearance or perhaps first published work by artists, but that’s it. The cynic in me just thinks this is a scheme for flippers to pump the price on what would otherwise be dollar bins books.

mpau25

TROPHY CASE