I cleared things up with JCLu and he and I are fine. I will say what i said to him. It’s a forum. Feel free to talk about comics all you want. For or against. Just be nice.
Poyo, with all due respect, JcLu posts about this are dangerous to the hobby.
Anyone, me included, should be held accountable for making blanket statements with zero proof that question anyone’s integrity.
I’m not trying to add fuel to the fire, but he should respond with actual proof that all of these shops are lying about the print runs.
These irresponsible claims he makes have the potential to hurt collectors, shops, and the hobby.
I would appreciate it if we could clear this up right here and now and never talk about it again.
No, we’re not going to do this publicly. If you wanna take it offline, then take it offline. You will respect that or I’ll just shut this entire topic down. Thanks.
For the record, I’m not siding with anyone. What I’m doing now is telling people to move on with discussion of Agents of Atlas Frankies store exclusive as moderator, neutral to the discussion at this point.
We’re not going to turn this into a shit show of who’s right or wrong though as I’m not spending my Labor Day weekend babysitting such nonsense. You can talk about it via PM or DM, which yes, you can include multiple people in to settle whatever differences you all have.
1 Like
I’ll respect your request.
It’s not about right or wrong though. There really isn’t anything to argue.
It’s about continually libeling and slandering shops with no proof. It’s highly irresponsible.
I’m done.
Thank you. Trust me, we’ve spoken with jclu privately as Anthony pointed out. There’s no reason to stir the pot with what would turn more personal rather than attacking the idea.
When it gets personal, take if offline.
Now, back on with the topic… buy if you like, buy to quick flip… whatever makes you happy when you buy store variants and exclusives.
This is the exact same argument that occurred during the day trading craze.
Short term (day trading) vs long term (holding for growth) are both investments but with “different” profiles. Long term investors hate day traders because they think they don’t know anything or do any analysis. This is wrong, it is just different analysis (previews vs daily sales). The end results are more people jump into the short term flip because they believe the false narrative of no analysis and “everyone” can make money. That is eventually proven untrue as certain groups continue to outperform everyone else (the short term researchers). When the other flippers start losing money more often they will simply exit, OR stick around as a collector.
What I don’t understand is the disdain for the flippers. You can believe what you want but they help the industry by bringing more money and raising prices. That value generation is also a huge component that brings people to the industry. That is good, not bad.
Alright, I’ll get off my soapbox. Sorry, it’s just always bothered me and makes no sense.
1 Like
Oh and for the record, I’m not a day trader 
Well now … good morning to everyone as well this fine Sunday morning!
2 Likes
The facts are the facts. This is not new. I’m not the only veteran collector who is aware of these misleading print runs. It is well known amongst experienced speculators what Marvels minimum order requirements are. I’m not going to go over the history again. It is well documented for those who want the truth. This has been going on for years. I have experience working close, with a shop or two, on a Marvel exclusive. I have read the contract. I don’t care what your opinion is on the facts. The facts are the facts. And if you would employ your critical reading skills you would ascertain that I have no issues with store books. Buy 'em if you like them, but, they are lousy investments and they have no place in a speculators forum.
If you want to blindly drink the kool aid and perpetuate this deception, that is on you.
And yes, this is getting old, the general speculation community has been preaching this for years, and it is in fact supported by Tony and Poyo. Can we return to real speculation, with some real thought put into it, now? We are here to shepherd the sheep away from the slaughter house, not to ‘ewe’s’ and prey on their inexperience.
That, my friend, is this debate wrapped in a nutshell. I never see any analysis of why people would invest in a store book. Because, if you do an analysis, you wouldn’t waste your money investing in store books. Buy 'em if you like them, but they are poor mid/long term investments. The misleading verbage used by the stores is shady as f*ck too. The more you know. 
The only thing I’d add to the argument is, if stores swear by their limited exclusive numbers they claim in their marketing terms, they can end all debating of such numbers by just making the invoice of the purchase available.
You say there’s only 1500 available, well, show the purchase invoice (blur out the sensitive info on the invoice if any). Somewhere each store had to purchase these so there’s some type of record of how many were ordered and shipped.
Boom, end of debate… why they don’t do this? IDK… makes one ponder if they got more behind the counter. Is it a conspiracy? Maybe, maybe not. Do I worry about it? Not at all cause I don’t chase store variants myself. I think short term they can be a nice flip. Long term, not so much for the most part.
I’m pretty sure with Marvel though, they make stores sign NDA’s to not discuss print runs as well. So they have to say such things in generic marketing terms is likely the other reason it will never be “public” knowledge of actual print runs.
Okay, on with the topic… So who bought Frankie’s 2nd Print Super Duper Exclusive Variant of only 1500 or whatever they claim it is and flipped for profit?
Yes. They can be decent short term flips. Having said that, you will have better returns investing that same money into cover A. So, even as a short term, there are much better, less risky investment options. And if you just want it because you like it, then you can’t go wrong.
My concern is this; if newer investors/collectors buy them at high prices, only to see them devalued considerably over time, and consequentially being turned off of the hobby as a whole, then that is not good for the long-term health of our hobby. The unintended consequences. That is why I’m passionate about this particular topic.
Now, the market is absolutely mind boggling right now. All sorts of weird, unprecedented sales going on all over. This may be the new norm, but history tells us there will be a correction sooner rather than later. If in 5 years, all these store variants are priceless, I will eat my words. But only when the analysis tells me otherwise.
1 Like
I appreciate these tips, Alana. With all of these covers, it’s hard to keep track of what’s what and what’s selling. Please keep them coming.
We need a new section here called Alana’s Quick Flip Tips. 
I can see the marketing now. It’ll start with t-shirts, stickers… paid access to her weekly tips e-newsletter. Before long, we’ll be buying Alana’s Quick Flip Tips Exclusive variant cover 11th print 1:25 3rd print. And, I’m all for it.
Big fan of the “buy two, sell one to pay for your copy” concept. Honestly, keep the tips coming.
Yeah… sounds great!
We posted in the For Sale about the CHU pint glasses, stickers and such and not one person budged on wanting to buy (all the money goes towards the website hosting costs, etc)… Sorry, do I sound bitter? Maybe I’m just sad that we got no one interested in some cheap CHU swag… 
You said you would be selling used CHU thongs from NYCC 2018 I was waiting for those.
1 Like
@Anthony kept those for himself… he just… won’t… . let… them… go! I think he keeps them in his Vampirella area in his basement.
2 Likes
I’d be happy to do some drawings/graphics for CHU if ever needed…
Thanks… but I think Anthony is tired of the box of pint glasses in his basement. I think he wants to replace the box with a box of comics instead.
It’s not about profit, we just figured all the leftover stickers, buttons and pint glasses we had made would better used in the hands of CHU visitors who enjoy the site. The small amount of profit would just be thrown into the website costs.
People argue and that’s fine, I still take in the knowledge they’re taking their time to pass on to me whether against or for what I’m saying unless we are talking gocollect lists lol. We are all comic book enthusiasts with differing opinions and thru other people’s opinions I become more knowledgeable myself. Also I’m not always right you can look thru my past weekend specs on the main site and I get things wrong sometimes, but sometimes being wrong is still a good spec as the books years later find a way to come to fruition anyways. A couple things Frankies comics use to be Hoknes comics they have been around since before they were called Frankies comics. Kevin Fields the owner of Frankies is a great guy who bends over backwards and spends every moment he has helping his customers. Store variants suck that’s very true I fall in and out of love with them. There is money to be made in them there is a market for them but it’s not easy to navigate what’s worth buying from a flipper stand point. You have to watch trends and have an eye for what others will like, this all comes back to understanding other people’s opinions and utilizing it. So when I see a store variant that I may buy I ask my self What would JClu say and hopefully save some money. But if I know a store exclusive book is going to have no problem selling out and be sought after I will always tell you to make the decision for yourself. Something like this Silk book it’s cheap $20 it has an advertised low print whether you want to believe in those numbers or not, it’s a Silk Virgin cover which is rare in itself, it’s got some 1st appearances even though it’s a reprint, and lastly it’s moving for more than it costs because Silk is hot with a newly announced tv show.