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Superheroes Are Taking over the Boob Tube

March 11, 2015 By admin Leave a Comment

Comic Book Shows I Watch

As a comic book fan, I honestly can’t get enough of the various comic based television on the air right now.  My weekly TV ritual currently includes Gotham, the Flash, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and of course my favourite, The Walking Dead.

walking dead, amc, zombie
My Favourite – AMC’s The Walking Dead

Thankfully, comic book movies, and now TV shows, are starting to get it right.  The two  biggest mistakes that producers of these films and shows made in the past were: 1) not sticking close enough to the comic book source material and 2) isolating our favourite characters from others in their universe.  Well these mistakes – which were made over and over again  – have finally been avoided by the creative teams responsible for bringing our favourite comic books to life today!

As spring approaches, I eagerly await the arrival of even more comic book television.  The following are properties that will be hitting our TV screens very soon!

Netflix: Daredevil

Daredevil on NetflixOnce  it regained the rights to The Man Without Fear from Fox, it didn’t take Marvel much time or to begin working on a series for Daredevil.  Marvel has obviously decided to use his familiarity  to their advantage, using the Daredevil series as a springboard for a new intertwining Defenders series (sound familiar Avengers fans)  on Netflix.

Charlie Cox of Boardwalk Empire, Stardust and recently The Theory Of Everything has he title role of Daredevil/ Matt Murdoch .  Vincent D’Onofrio is set to play the villainous Kingpin.

The entire 13-episode Daredevil series will drop onto Netflix simultaneously on the 10th of April 2015.  So all you comic nuts can binge on the series all at once (I know I will).

Check out the trailer below…and pay close attention to the words spoken by a character at the end referencing the Avengers.  Like I said above….all apart of the same universe.  Awesome.

The CW: iZombie

izombie on The CWThe success of The Walking Dead has certainly prompted other companies to shift their zombie properties into the world of live action.   DC’s  iZombie tells the tale of a young zombie named Liv (played by Rose McIver of Once Upon A Time) who is given visions after consuming human brains.   Using some rather gross techniques, Liv becomes a crime-fighter.

This series is pretty obscure to common folk, but is likely familiar to those of us who hung out at the local comic shop a few years back.  The show is based on a comic from DC’s mature Vertigo line which  ran  28 issues from 2010 to 2012.

iZombie can be seen on The CW beginning the 17th of March.  As indicated by the first trailer,  it seems the show will push hard for its home network’s target teen audience via romance and a steady gag rate.   You’ll get the idea after watching the trailer below.  I may have to pass on this one.

Superhero Shows in the Works

1. Preacher

2. Luke Cage

3. Iron Fist

4. AKA Jessica Jones

5. Supergirl

6. Krypton

7. Walking Dead Spin-Off

8. The Defenders

9. Vixen

10. Dreadstar

…and many, many more!

Superhero TV Series and Your Collection

As I stated in a previous article,  as these new shows continue to pop up, their source comic books often increase in value.  If you have any of these comics, maximize their value by improving their condition. Contact The Comic Doctor to see if the condition of your prized comic books can be improved.  In the meantime….enjoy the shows!

Filed Under: Comic Book News, Comic Books in the Movies Tagged With: comic book movies, comic books, comics, dardevil, DC comics, izombie, marvel, Marvel Comics, netflix

How To Handle Your Comic Books

February 20, 2015 By admin Leave a Comment

For those of us who have collected comics for a long time, the following guidelines may seem obvious. For collectors new to the hobby, however, these points may just save a precious comic book from being damaged.

1. Avoid rolling the comic, as you would a newspaper.

2. When handling a comic, do so gently. Avoid holding it tightly.

3. Always handle the comic flat in the palm of your hand, and turn the pages carefully, allowing each page fall down gently on its own. In doing so, you avoid placing any pressure on the comic book or its spine.

4. Comic stores tend to organize their comics standing up in comic boxes or bins. When perusing these comics, avoid bending the top of the comics down over the previous books. If you bend the spines while searching for a particular comic book, you will damage the spines for the next customer who comes along. That being said, a previous customer could very well damage the spines of comics you want to purchase. Always handle comics with care and respect.

5. When enjoying trade paperbacks or graphic novels, simply cradle the spine of the comic book and open it just enough to read. Avoid opening the book completely and “cracking” the spine, and never grasp the comic by its covers and read in the air, doing so will surely cause dents on the covers and the pages.

6. If paperbacks or graphic novels have been stored in extremely cold weather, let the books acclimatize to room temperature before opening it to read. Opening a “frozen book” could cause the spine to crack. If the glue on the spine becomes very brittle due to t e cold, the cover may even pop off.

7. Avoid “dog ears”, that is, don’t bend the corners of the pages to place mark where you last read. Invest in a book mark.

8. Eating while reading is a bad habit, especially around valuable comic books. If crumbs fall into your book, this could stain your comics or cause impressions when/if your comics are stored. If you handle food while reading, you may also actually transfer oils from the food you eating directly to your comic books.

9. Always keep your hands clean. We naturally excrete oils and these are easily transferred to your comic books, especially if they are being held tightly.

clark kent, washing hands, handling comic books

10. As outlined in an earlier post, be sure to store your comics in a cool dark area. Using comic bags and boards is also strongly recommended. Storing your comics upright is also suggested;

Comic Book Storage Box, long box
The trusted comic book long box (made from card board). Will keep harmful UV rays away from your comic books.

there are a variety of comic boxes to choose from. Mylars and Mylites are the preferred choice of comic sleeve. These are museum grade and while they may cost a little more, the will last a lifetime. WARNING: Be careful when using the stiff Mylar bags, comics can be damaged when inserting them, take your time.

11. Avoid storing your cardboard comic boxes directly on the basement floor, especially if it is concrete. Use a palette of some kind or shelves to keep the boxes off the floor. Over time, boxes may absorb moisture from the concrete and even the carpet. Moisture + comics is a no no.

12. Again, this was mentioned in an earlier post, but avoid exposing your comic books to direct sunlight, and even bright artificial light.

13. Don’t write on your comic books or colour in black and white areas! It is not a colouring book. Also, be careful not to write on paper with a comic book beneath your work – this will cause impressions on the comic book cover and although this sort of damage can be minimized with a good press, often times the impression is still faintly visible.

14. Do not cut coupons out of your comic books…especially back issues…most of those offers have expired. 🙂

 

handling comic books, mego advert
Darn the Mego Corp! They tempted kids all around the world to cut out their order forms and purchase their action figures! I wonder how many comics were ruined because of Mego!

Filed Under: Collecting Tips, Comic Care Tagged With: comic books, comics, handling tips, storage

Old CGC Labels – Are they More Valuable?

February 10, 2015 By admin 2 Comments

A Bit About CGC

CGC, Old label, red, comic books, comics
CGC old style red label – now discontinued.

Comics Guaranty LLC, also known as CGC, is the first independent and impartial third party grading service for comic books and has become the industry standard (in North America at least) since opening it doors in early 2000. From its headquarters in Sarasota, Florida, CGC has graded thousands of comic books, and the trend to grade isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Those new to collecting graded/ slabbed comics may not realize that CGC’s first grading system was slightly different than its current set-up. A red label, for example, was once used for modern-age books. This label – which looks quite different from the current design – has been phased out, and extended the blue universal label to include modern comic books as well. These early CGC labeled slabs, and the comic books found with them, will be the focus of this blog.

Old Label CGCs – Really Worth More?

It is widely believed by collectors, and even CGC insiders, that old label comic books were graded far stricter than those comic books being graded today. Also, since CGC didn’t offer pressing and cleaning services in its infancy, there is a very good chance that comics found within old label slabs most likely did not undergo the procedure. This information is very exciting, especially for anyone in possession of a valuable comic book encased in an old label slab – where a single grade jump could mean the difference of thousands of dollars.

cgc, old label, comic books,comics
Old label CGC slab on the left compared to the company’s current, more recognizable design on the right.

Lets examine a Fantastic Four #1 for example. Say you were fortunate enough to own a copy that had been encapsulated in a 3.5 old blue label CGC slab, according to comicspriceguide.com, the comic is worth $6900. If you were brave enough to free the comic from the old CGC slab, and re-submit, it may come back a half grade to a full grade higher, in which case the value would jump to between $7200 – $8000 or a potential increase of $1100. If the comic book was pressed and cleaned, the jump in value could be even higher, perhaps a 5.0 or 5.5. In this case, the comic book guides for $9600 – $11,200. That’s an increase of $4300.

Cracking A CGC Slab

The potential payout on some of these old label CGC comic books is really quite amazing, but it is a gamble and the following are risks you should be aware of.
1. Removing the comic book from its case does void its current grade. And although the upside to submitting old label CGC comic books can be beneficial, I have encountered those who have had comic books returned with a lower grade.
2. By removing the comic book from its protective slab, you run the risk of damage befalling the comic…so be careful! Even the process of freeing the comic book from a CGC slab takes finesse.  Check out this youtube video on how to “free” your comic from a CGC slab.
3. You still have to send the book back to CGC, which not only costs money, but once again the risk of damage is great, plus postage mishaps could happen.
I have some rather valuable comics currently sitting in old label CGC slabs, and I do intend on re-submitting…some day. To be honest, I am in no rush and must admit I do feel weak at the knees when I contemplate cracking open these old slabs. The potential gains are great, but in the end it is up to you.

Filed Under: Collecting Tips Tagged With: cbcs, cgc, comic books, comics, grading, pgx

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The Comic Doctor is located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
You can also reach me by phone at 905-449-5680. The best time to call is after 3:30 pm.

Latest From My Blog

The Amazing Spider-Man – Top 10 Issues

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s creation, Spider-Man, remains one of Marvel’s top tier characters.  Several Spider-Man comic book titles, spin-off series, … [Read More...]

CGC Submissions

Submitting to CGC

The Comic Doctor is an authorized CGC dealer and as such can submit comics on your behalf to CGC.    The following is important information regarding our submission service. Your books ship within two weeks of being pressed!   No waiting for large bulk … Read more

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