Ok, starting this thread to just post what I took home from NYCC and talk about my experience.
Exclusive Comics
Hard to attend NYCC without picking up some exclusives. Whether they be give aways or you pay an inflated premium. I’m normally not a fan of exclusives and I see them as overrated and overpriced. But I do make a rare exception when it come to NYCC, but only for very special cases.
Fantastic Four #13, Marvel’s Next Big Thing panel (give away).
Given away at the end of the panel. It was the first panels on the first day…and competing with a few others
(Like Penguin and Shrinking). It was maybe at 2/3 capacity when the panel started, and they were still letting people in at nearly the end. (FYI, Sold for $45).
Transformers #1 Trade Dress Foil, EBay Live Exclusive. I actually bought 2 copies (1 PC, 1 for Spec)….then won a third later at the EBay booth. I have so many reprints and homages of this cover, had to get one. I’ll eventually sell my extra two copies.
GI Joe #1 Ashcan, Dreadnoks Variant, EBay Live exclusive. There were a few NYCC variants of this book, none compare to last years Cobra and Duke foil. But I do like the Dresdnoks so grabbed one for the PC (hindsight being 20-20, I should have brought this to the Midtown signing).
Venom #3 Facsimile Foils, Unknown Comic Books. I like the Knull cover, but not going to pay $100s. So the foil is the next best thing. Bought two (1 for PC, one for spec) with the movie coming up and word that Knull is not a one-and-done villain. Worst case I think I can always sell the extra copy for cost.
But when I saw the cover A in a white silver foil trade dress, I had a moment of weakness and grabbed one of those too for the PC. No regrets though! Both covers are pretty sweet!
GI Joe #1 Ashcan, Midtown Comics Variant. Wouldn’t be a stop to NYCC for me without a visit to Midtown Comics a few blocks away at Times Square. Although this was promoted as a NYCC exclusive, you had to leave the convention to buy it, and both Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly were present Friday evening to sign a copy along with any other books…the ashcan was $20, but the signatures were free! (FYI, sold for $90).
And it wouldn’t be a stop to Midtown Comics without hitting 99 cent Pizza directly below….
Although they’ve raise the price to $1.50 per slice, still hard to beat $4 for two slices of cheese and a can of soda…
Sandstorm is an up and coming comic book publisher based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. They had free give away and I sat in a panel where the creators talked about how they are looking to expand and distribute their comic titles internationally starting in 2025. I’ll have to read through these books before so weigh in (I’ll provide a separate article), but they are of high quality and the art is pretty good.
They had a booth right as you entered Artist Alley and from what I could tell it was fairly well received. My only critique so far is the book is more magazine size, and I think that will hurt their ability to appeal to shops (shelf space) and traditional collectors.
Spawn #357 Momoko Variant, Spectral Comics. Signed by the Toddfather himself. This was the belle of the ball…so gorgeous it had grown men fighting for her. Literally. Was fortunate enough to grab 3 copies. 2 were spoken for before it blew up. I’m hoping to keep the 3rd copy for the PC…or at least until I can get a Momoko signature and replacement McFarlane signature on another book…it’s hard to believe I’ve been a huge fan since the late 80s, and I don’t have a single book with his signature. Every year he eludes me…
Artist Alley
Here are the signatures I grabbed, all for the PC except as noted.
Tula Lotay (Pearl #8b). Tula is hit or miss. But I just find this cover to be very attractive. So I wanted her to sign it. She did not charge.
Amy Reader (Moon Girl/Devil Dinosaur #1 Trick or Read)
I have about 20 of these give-aways, so just wanted a few signed. She did not charge.
Nicholas Dragotta (you know the book). His line wasn’t too bad. Even with limited signing windows each day. Scott Snyder also had signing windows, but since he wasn’t present Thursday the Friday line was insane. I sold one of these already, and will get Scott’s signature on my PC copy…if it stays my PC copy, that is. I have enough copies I can part with it for the right price and grab their signatures on another copy another day.
First signature was free, duplicate books were an additional $10.
Jason Howard (Transformers #1, 2nd Print).
This was probably the moat enjoyable signature to get. Jason didn’t have a line. So we chatted for a bit about his covers for the 2nd prints of Void Rivals and Transformers. He says there are still quite a few covers he has drawn they haven’t used yet, which is exciting (for me anyway). I had him sign in blue paint pen, which really pops on the white background and matches the shading of Optimuses window and legs. Signature was $5.
Donnie Cates & Ryan Stegman (Venom 26, Skottie Young Variant). I’ve been looking forward to getting this signed by these guys. It’s a fun, amusing cover that captures the craziness that was they Cates hype during his run on the book. Now I just need Young to sign, who’s been elusive. Cates didn’t have any line. Stegman’s line was capped on Friday about 10 minutes before signings started (he had no signing Thursday either). Both signatures were $10.
Back Issue Bin Diving
And now a run down of the books I grabbed from bins.
Dollar Bin Books
These all came from the same vendor. Nothing too exciting. Some Fantastic Four books in high grade. I’ll likely sell the anniversary variant, but the others are PC.
Was surprised to find a Married With Children NM newsstand. What some don’t know is that Miles “appears” (sort of) in a last page add in Ultimate Fallout #3…so that
was a hot book for a New York Minute a few years ago.
Three Dollar Books
Have not come across a 3rd print of Silver Surver 50 in the wild…much less a NM copy. The Star Wars Adventures is a B cover with Hando (2nd app). B covers can be hard to find in high grade in this series. I did come across some others (issues 14 and 16) but did not grab them immediate…when I returned they were gone.
Other Grabs
Grabbed 2 copies of Venom #12, 2nd print for $10 each. Low print run and Dylan cover. I already have 2 copies…cheapest on EBay is $40 now…hoping to move these for a small profit.
The first Moon Girl series was a low print run. So some of the 1:25 incentives are tough to find. Never seen this one in the wild. The God of Thunder 6 in NM was a nice find (I had sold a Vf/Nm copy for $40 a month ago). Both were $15.
Last year I was in to Doom covers…this year I’m into classic Scarecrow covers, for some reason. So when I came across this 9.8 candidate of Detective 571 I could not pass it up for $15. (Also Missed out on a Batman 296 mid grade for $12…was gone when went back later in the show).
Random Pickups
Picked these Lego mini figs from a vendor that’s theee every year (Awesome Autographed Collectables & Minis). They have hundreds of mini figs…DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, etc. $5 per fig, 5 for $20. I need to examine this as I’m curious if they are just knock offs…but I grabbed Omega and Crosshair (Bad Batch), Cad Bane, Enoch and Sabine Wren (Ahsoka).
I didn’t realize VeeFriends was handing out exclusive cards until Thursday evening. So Friday morning I stood in line and snagged on. I admit I know nothing about cards, but an opportunity to pay for some of my purchase from a give-away I’ll be there… Someone offered me $20 as I was walking away, and I was like “no thanks, going to sell this on eBay!” (Sold it for $75).
Some other swag. The Pin I got from the CGC
Booth. You pull out a pin from a bag, and depending what “grade” you got determines your prize. As you can see, I got a 1.0. And my prize was this tee shirt, lol. The person after me pulled a 10 and got a graded comic (I don’t recall what book…I don’t think it was anything special).
At Tiny Onions Booth I grabbed the newspaper for $1. Not sure if there’s any spec value…haven’t opened it yet to see what it’s about.
The Grail
And the there’s the book I’ve been waiting for the right grade and price.
Finally found a mid grade copy that presented very well, was complete (no chips missing or tears), no foxing ie stains in the front, graded before the banana gate fiasco. Here’s the graders notes:
- crease right bottom of cover
- light spine stress lines to cover
- moderate wear all corners of cover
That is not a lot of notes for a 5.5. There is a little local foxing on the back, but otherwise very clean. The crease on the front is barely noticeable. Very happy with this.
The best part was that it was entirely funded by profits from
selling comics! So essentially FREE!!!
And with that book I’ve achieved what I set out to acquire for grails in 2024. I really don’t have any other “big keys” on my list. But will now start thinking about what to get next year…
Well, that’s a wrap for this year. I always think I’m going to do more “reporting” and interviewing…but just get so caught up in the race. Next year will likely be more relaxing as Iikely won’t have any big keys or incentive to dive into bins…we’ll see. It was a fun time, despite the feeling that K can only describe as what it must be like “wadding through molasses…” 