That’s E on Facebook
11,552
That's Entertainment
We Buy and Sell Collectibles! Please call first if you have items to sell & speak directly with the right specialist!
Pop 45 Countdown![]()
Moment #23![]()
A Marvelous, Mint Collection![]()
![]()
In the late 80’s I acquired a huge collection of Marvel Comics comic books that included almost every comic they had published from 1960-1984, and most of them were in near mint-mint condition. This collection included every issue of Spider-Man, Avengers, Daredevil, X-Men, Thor, Hulk, Sgt. Fury, Strange Tales, The Silver Surfer, and Iron Man. It also had The Defenders, Werewolf By Night, Tomb of Dracula, Warlock, Marvel Team-Up, Iron Fist, and Marvel Tales. The collection included every issue of The Fantastic Four except for issue #5. This collection was most exciting because it also had all of the less popular but very hard to find comics like Millie The Model, Patsy Walker, Night Nurse, Peter The Little Pest, Our Love Story, and many more. Every western, monster, and war comic that Marvel had published was included, even most of the ones published in the 1950’s. All of the Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt, Two Gun Kid, Tales of Suspense, Tales To Astonish, Journey Into Mystery, and more, were there. No kidding, this was a complete Marvel collection, and believe me; these comics were really in beautiful condition!![]()
![]()
I realized that I probably would have no problem selling many of these comic books. I could process them all, price them, and sort them, and put them into my stock and they’d eventually sell. But I wanted to make this an exciting event for my customers (and for me). I decided to wait until the entire collection was put in order and priced before I would begin selling any of it. Comic books in “high grade” condition are quite rare and I couldn’t afford to price these cheaply. In general, I priced these comic books at about 150% of the current comic book price guide prices. I was concerned that my customers would resist paying these prices because they were usually accustomed to my lower than guide pricing policy. I began telling my customers to get ready for the opportunity to complete their Marvel collection. I also sent out a flyer to everyone on my mailing list to make them aware of this huge collection. ![]()
![]()
Even though I planned this “event” a full month in advance, I wasn’t finished pricing the collection until the night before the collection was to be unveiled. I had to work long into the night rearranging the store so I’d have the space to display this collection all in one area. Eventually, I was so tired that I decided to go home and finish all the details the next morning. I didn’t have to have it all ready for sale until 10:00AM so if I got back to the store by 6:00AM I should have been able to get everything done before we opened for business. I have a bad habit of underestimating the amount of time needed to complete big projects so when I returned to the store on the morning of the unveiling, I still had a lot to finish! ![]()
![]()
I arranged the hundred boxes of this collection in order on tables in a separate section of the store and put up signs indicating that these were part of this special collection. I put up an interesting assortment of the most valuable comics on the wall display including Amazing Spider-Man #1-14, Journey Into Mystery #83, The Hulk #1, The Fantastic Four #1-12, X-Men #1, Daredevil #1, The Avengers #1, The Silver Surfer #1 and #4, Conan #1, and more. ![]()
At 8:00 AM the customers began lining up outside of the store. My wife, Mal, and my son Adam, came to help out just in case we had a larger than expected crowd show up to shop. It was a good thing they came. By the time we opened the store at 10:00AM, there were almost one hundred people waiting in line!![]()
![]()
While the customers were waiting in line many were talking about which books they were interested in purchasing and the excitement was building by the time we finally opened. I was getting excited because I could now anticipate a great day of sales. The first customer rushed directly to the big display of the more valuable comics and bought the entire eighteen-issue collection of The Silver Surfer and as I was ringing up the sale he casually said, “Oh, and I’ll also take the Tales To Astonish #27.” This issue was the first appearance of Ant Man and it was priced at $400.00. My store had been open for about three minutes and this customer spent almost one thousand dollars!![]()
![]()
The day was filled with exciting purchases. Many customers took this opportunity to fill in large runs of inexpensive back issue comics that they had been looking for, while some other customers bought the very expensive comics.![]()
![]()
I learned that the marketing of a collection was a very important part of the process of selling my inventory. The customers were happy because they had the chance to complete their collections with very high-quality merchandise and I was happy because we sold so much of this collection on the very first day it went “on sale.”![]()
![]()
To find out more about my life in comics, visit my blog at:![]()
mylifewithcomicbooks.blogspot.com/.../my-life-with...![]()
![]()
#thatsentertainmentpop45countdown #comics #comicshopnews #thatsentertainment #marvelcomics![]()
![]()
Who still has comics they purchased from this collection?
Pop 45 Countdown![]()
Moment #24: "THE PRO-AM COMIC JAM!"![]()
Back in 1996, Ken Carson had an idea for an event to be held at our larger store in Worcester, Massachusetts. He thought it would be fun to bring some established professional artists into the store, to interact with young aspiring artists, who would bring in their own artwork for critiques and tips. He envisioned these young "amateur" artists pulling up chairs to try new comic art techniques alongside the "pro" mentors. Ken was talking about the event with another employee, Tim L'Ecuyer, and Tim cleverly suggested calling it “The Pro-Am Comic Jam.”![]()
![]()
We all discussed the budget and the basic concept of this “Pro-Am Comic Jam.” Since this event was expected to be rather low-key, Ken was encouraged to plan the whole thing by himself but he had access to any employees that he needed. I was confident that he was up to the task because I had witnessed his expertise when he helped us with other in-store event planning. ![]()
![]()
Although Ken knew that this event could be a fun experience for our loyal comic book customers he envisioned this as more of an “outreach” to the general public. He publicized it through the regular media outlets as we usually did. He also wrote a separate “press release” and mailed and faxed it directly to the art departments of the local schools inviting the teachers and students to come to "jam" with these pro artists. He hoped teachers would encourage their more serious art enthusiasts to attend. Sure enough, a few teachers soon called about the event. They said they were excited about their better students having the chance to meet working artists. One told Ken his timing was perfect, as there was a new push in Worcester schools to connect students to professionals who could talk about how to turn their talents into careers.![]()
![]()
Ken had invited and received confirmations from talented local graphic artists Derek Ring, David Tata, Ted VanLiew, and Memo Salazar. Memo and Ted had done work for “small-press” comic books (called Fanzines), and both were working in commercial art fields. David Tata had done some licensed artwork for several interesting products including a series of X-Men illustrated boxes of “Nerds” candy. Derek was a regular customer of my store who created a comic book titled “Monster.” He had copies printed locally and we promoted them to our customers and tried to keep these in stock at all times. It wasn’t very hard to convince comic fans to try this comic book because it had a well-written story with great artwork. When we would sell our last copy, Derek would bring in a few more. Within a few months it actually outsold most mainstream comic book titles including “The Avengers,” “Daredevil,” and “The Hulk.”![]()
![]()
To headline this event, Ken invited PAUL RYAN, well-known artist of “The Flash,” “The Fantastic Four,” and “Superman.” Paul lived in Massachusetts and he was respected in the comic book industry for his high quality artwork and his ability to meet his deadlines. We knew he was always very busy, but Paul helped us out many, many times over the years. We were pleased when he agreed to be a “Guest of Honor.” We would also bring in a new comic book artist, Randy Buccini, who had recently begun illustrating stories for the major publisher “Dark Horse Comics.”![]()
![]()
By the morning of the event, we had no idea if it would draw a crowd. Many of our regular comic customers told us that they either couldn’t attend or they just weren’t interested. (This kind of thinking always surprises me. This is a free event! If the customers came, they’d probably enjoy themselves!) As it turned out, we shouldn’t have worried about it. Hundreds of “general public” came and had a great time! There were lots of families: mothers and fathers with their kids and teenagers who had some artistic ability that they wanted to share with the professional artists at our store. All of our guest artists were willing to evaluate and critique these enthusiastic young amateur artists without hurting their feelings. Our guests were also willing to do free sketches for the attendees. What an opportunity for aspiring artists to watch professional artist Paul Ryan do multiple sketches of characters like Spider-Man! Paul was a true draftsman, and he demonstrated the thought and care he poured into each panel of the famous super-hero stories that he drew in the comic book industry. All of the artists drew and chatted about art and careers non-stop for hours!![]()
![]()
We also had a few librarians come to the store to see what this event was all about and we had the opportunity to begin long-running relationships with them that continue to this day. Librarians in the "old days" didn't always appreciate comic books, but most librarians are now eager to support programs that simply encourage READING of all types of literature. ![]()
![]()
This event was a success in several ways: it was a low-cost way to encourage young artists; it promoted the comic book industry in a positive way to lots of families; and many of the attendees have been regular customers now for quite a few years, contributing to our increased store sales. Ken had covered all of the bases. ![]()
![]()
To find out more about my life in comics, visit my blog at:![]()
mylifewithcomicbooks.blogspot.com/.../my-life-with...![]()
#thatsentertainmentpop45countdown #comics #comicshopnews #thatsentertainment #paulryan #marvelcomics ![]()
![]()
Who remembers this event?
HURRAY! Power has been restored to That's Entertainment at 244 Park Avenue in Worcester, MA! We will be open regular hours tomorrow, Sunday, January 19th, 11am-7pm, and both Pokemon League and Magic Commander League events will be occurring at their usual times.![]()
![]()
Sunday Pokemon League: 11am to 2pm![]()
Sunday Magic the Gathering Commander League: 2:30pm-6:30pm![]()
For more information on these events, please visit our website: thatse.com/events/
UPDATE: HURRAY! Power has been restored to That's Entertainment at 244 Park Avenue in Worcester, MA! We will be open regular hours tomorrow, Sunday, January 19th, 11am-7pm, and both Pokemon League and Magic Commander League events will be occurring at their usual times.![]()
Sunday Pokemon League: 11am to 2pm![]()
Sunday Magic the Gathering Commander League: 2:30pm-6:30pm![]()
For more information on these events, please visit our website: thatse.com/events/
@ThatsE on Twitter
Call now to sign up to play one or more board games at our Free Board Game Demo this Saturday, Nov. 5th! Each table will have a teacher who will show you how to play! 508-755-4207. Lots of spots still open! #boardgames #tabletopfun pic.twitter.com/FA4s…
