| Slot: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 1 Hastings Edition |
| Item: |
|
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1149188003
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Owner Comments
Brian Michael Bendis story
John Romita Jr. Pencil’s
Scott Hanna Ink’s
Laura Martin Colorist
Carlo Barberi Cover
SO HOW MANY ARE THERE K???
This is the one that pissed me off and will most likely be resent after being pressed. So total there is 47 that have been graded with 20 CGC 9.8 and 12 CGC SS 9.8. Saddly this isn’t one of either of those. Originally and heart breakinly…if that’s a word this one was number 13 of the 9.8 SS group. But I wanted to have more than one signature on it and had the slab opened to add the cover artist Carlo Barberi add his signature to it. Now it is one of 7 9.6 CGC SS’s out there. Hopefully they can smoosh this one out and I can have it go back to the 9.8 that it deserves to be.
On a side note love the cover and applaud Hastings for there choice. Having Deadpool collecting bets from some of the best villains in Marvel was a cool idea and really does work here.
PERSONAL STORY OF HEROISM…
Soooo this one. I guess I'll start from the beginning. So I get a copy from the Hastings down the street and head up to the Dallas Fan Days (Dallas Comic Con) and hop in line for Stan Lee. Not meaning to get this one signed I looked through my small box and realize once I get to the front I had actually left the wrong box in the parking lot and I'm about 10 people short before its my turn to have something signed. Not wanting to wait forever again as his line is usually lllllllllooooooonnnnnnnggggggg, I had him sign both this one and a copy of the Retailer specific variant of Avengers vs. X-Men. This one and the Retailer variant are actually the ones that got me hooked on wanting to complete this collection. It was from the time I sent this one until today that I had been waiting to through this on the Set Board.
So anyways its graded everyones happy and I am elated on the grade. At the time there were a few CGC 9.8's but this was the first and only CGC SS 9.8 out of the group and to have that first and only just feels right.
Continuing on, The Wizard World Austin comes up and I look at the main attractions. Oh my God, Carlo Barberi the cover Artist is going to be there. Not wanting to settle on one signature and having a copy of the final issue #12 Hastings Variant also I thought the stars were aligned and that this was a sign that I should crack this one and get them signed together...
Or not, when I got the grade back for this one I almost cried. This was a perfect one and only Stan Lee Signature Series'd Variant and I tossed it all away for another Signature and *gasp* a grade reduction to 9.6. While I wasn't happy with the change I am still happy at being its owner. Maybe one day I'll find another and try it all again... or not.
Below is the first grade of 9.8 and as soon as I can get a cover scan of the new 9.6 I'll throw that one probably on the reverse image so as not to tarnish the memories.... ah.
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| Slot: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 1 Launch Party Variant Cover |
| Item: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 1 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1117189001
|
Owner Comments
Of all of these this one is by far my favorite. Yes it was signed by Stan Lee and yes its slightly rarer than normal as it is a Store variant. But how this became my favorite honestly shows the friendship that I developed with my LCS.
A few days prior to the sale of Avengers vs X-Men #1 I walked into my local comic store as with any day, a struck up a conversation with Earl of America's Heroes Killeen TX and began to talk to him about something unimportant and probably uncomic book.
He then looks at me has this little grin and says you want to see something cool... So at first I look a little apprehensive but he pulls out this mailed by itself comic and its this very one. I looked at it and heard they may be doing this retailer incentive but was unsure. But here it was with the inside stating it was specific to America's Heroes.
First thing out of my mouth, how much? Just smiles and says at midnight on launch night its yours free of charge.
He just shook my hand thanked me for being a good customer and that was that. This was the first comic I ever thought of getting Stan to Sign. Not some almighty Avengers #1 or something from the Golden or even Silver era, this one. I wanted Earl and the others at America's Heroes to know how much it meant to me there kindness.
That even though Stan had nothing to do with this one, he was the first person I wanted to get to sign this.
So since that time I have cracked the CGC case of the one in this image and have added cover artist Jim Cheung to SS label. Its in Sarasota FL right now so hopefully with a little luck, it will make it through and back into my caring hands in 20 to 30 more business days.
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| Slot: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 1 Sketch Edition |
| Item: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 1 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1062663004
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Owner Comments
OWNER'S DESCRIPTION
Brian Michael Bendis story
John Romita Jr. Pencil’s
Scott Hanna Ink’s
Laura Martin Colorist
Who Ever You Want Cover – But this one has George Perez and Mitch Breitweiser on it.
SO HOW MANY ARE THERE K???
These I enjoy. They are the blank variants in which we the reader get to choose who creates the cover and what it will look like. Currently there are a total of 185 graded and soon there will be an additional two more on here from me as well. This one had a pretty good story and the others are still currently in CGC Limbo. But for now there are 133 9.8’s with 7 of them being blank…. Wait…. What??? I don’t get that at all. Why grade a blank with no cover on it??? Oh well and 126 9.8 SS with an additional 42 9.6 SS’s with this one included. Hopefully with the other two sent off those will grade at 9.8 and help me a little in the Registry Set.
PERSONAL STORY OF HEROISM…
So this one had a fun story. I was attending the Dallas Comic Con this past May. Prior to going I read the attending list and saw two of my favorite artists. First was the amazing George Perez. As soon as I saw his name I pulled out my old Astonishing Tales #25 with Deathlok and low and behold found out it was his first Marvel Comic.
So with this I knew I wanted something drawn on a blank cover but didn't know quite what yet.
Then I saw one of my favorite cover artists was going to be there as well as his wife. Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser. This duo is out to conquer the world. Elizabeth with her art in Winter Soldier and Mitch with what is still to this day one of my favorite covers ever Captain America: Chosen #1. If you haven't seen it you should pick it up for the cover art alone. Its a simple water color of Cap's shield with him lightly placed in the background and I knew I needed to score there respective signatures on a few things to include this favorite of mine.
So I get there and went straight to Mitch's both when I arrive. This is also when I learned that if you want to be on someones list you should always look for them prior to going to a Con. But I get there first in line with both the Chosen in hand as well as this Avengers vs X-Men blank and ask for a Captain America quick and fast. He then apologizes to me right there and says that he's already go a full stock of commissions for this Con and asked what else I brought.
Sadden and distraught I show him my lowly issue of the chosen. I guess this was one of both his and his wife's favorites because as soon as she saw it she looked at me and asked why this one. I told her why and that I had loved the simplistic art and water color of this and after talking about how he actually didn't mean to turn in that art for it and some other stuff his wife asked him for a commission for me.
That was awesomeness all rolled into one. He asked what I wanted and I asked him if he would be ok sharing a cover with someone else here at the Con. As soon as I told him it would be George Perez I had never seen someone so excited about a commission and quickly went to work.
As soon as he finished I was amazed and politely tried to pay when his wife said the conversation was enough for this one. I handed it back to someone to escort for CGC SS and oh shit... She touched the ink and it hadn't dried.
I almost cried and even though he asked if I wanted another I honestly could be selfish of his time. I thanked him and off to George Perez for a lllllllloooooooonnnnnnnngggggggg wait.
In the end this was still a great piece for me. I got to talk to three amazing artists and had a wife stand up for me and request a commission on my behalf. The story alone was worth it to me.
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| Slot: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 2 Diamond Retailer Summit Edition |
| Item: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 2 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0193236004
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Owner Comments
Another #2. It took me a little while to find this one but once I did I sent it in with my first paid shipment along with a few others.
What you see in the photo is what it looked like up until Wizard World Austin. At that point though it was cracked in the hopes of retaining its grade but to be signed by Jim Cheung.
If you've ever not met this man at a Con I suggest you do. Extremely nice guy and if it wasn't for me being in such a hurry that day as I decided to bring my wife (Note to Self: Never do that again) I probably would have stayed and talked more or even gotten a commission from him.
Anyways one of the big things I enjoyed about this cover was Jim Cheungs slight ode to Uncanny X-Men 101 where in the background you can see Hope striking her Phoenix rising pose with almost every hair strand in the same place...
While it might not be every hair strand it is a nice flashback for those of us that have seen that pose before.
Old photo attached. New photo whenever CGC is done with it.
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| Slot: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 7 X-Men Variant Cover |
| Item: |
Avengers vs. X-Men 7 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0196262022
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Owner Comments
Matt Fraction story
Oliver Coipel Pencil’s
Mark Morales Ink’s
Laura Martin Colorist
Esad Ribic Cover
SO HOW MANY IS THEIR K???
This one is funny and down below I’ll explain why… Anyways total of the “I’m with the X-Men” Variants clock in with a grand total of 12 graded, with all of them being graded at the 9.8 grade and only 2 of them having retained the title of 9.8SS.
PERSONAL STORY OF HEROISM…
So happened to look around on ebay for one of these back in my more lazier days of picking up a copy and saw this one bold as day with something very wrong on it. Yep, the picture is the right one… and yeah that says “I’m with the Avengers” on it big as day. So yep, this one was an opps on the part of CGC’s Quality Control. I picked it up anyways as I do plan to get my raw one signed by the artists or writers but just found it comical that someone missed this.
Anyways this one will most likely stay in the collection just specifically because heck… its fun to have something like this.
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| Slot: |
AvX: VS 5 Variant Edition |
| Item: |
AVX: VS 5 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0199480007
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Owner Comments
So this one was a cool cover. I do like the way the variants were made with the idea of the fight posters like in the past but wish that these were simply the regular covers and the variants were more of an in-depth art of the two main fighters. An example of this would have been on my Uncanny X-Men Vol. 2 #11 CGC.
On it there's a pretty wicked art posting of Colossus in all his greatness vs the Red Hulk with art by Greg Land. This normally isn't an artist that I follow but after one look at the cover I knew I was going to send it away as soon as I saw it.
So back to this cover. It's kinda simple kinda plain but overall part of the series and for me this is one of the ones I want to have completed.
Also one of the ones I got back a little late so the image will be up once I go on leave.
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