From: Montague_Kevin@Tandem.com (Kevvy Kev)
Subject: Re: Valiant sucks
Organization: In Effect Enterprises
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 23:51:05 GMT

In article <Btnwsx.Kox@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v070km6q@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (John B Schutkeker) writes:
> 
> In article <1992Aug27.193817.1187@unixg.ubc.ca>, jcomeau@unixg.ubc.ca (Joe Comeau) writes...
> 
> >Nobody is getting heart except speculators, and they can be hurt on any number
> >of books.  
> 
> I agree, but these multiple first issue gimmicks magnify the the hurt by the
> number of different versions printed.  I can handle some risk, but not that
> much.  So I (and others like me) bail out, and DC loses money it could have
> made.

Not.  DC will only lose money when both the speculators, the fans, and those
grey people that live in both worlds stop buying the books.  The fact that
DC is continuing with these gimmics, and in fact plans to exponentially 
increase the number of titles on the shelves (ala Marvel. . .even the "Mature"
stuff. . .sigh) indicates that they're still making money.

> >So, in case you are interested I also speculate.
> 
> Funny.  At first it sounded like you were morally opposed to speculators
> the way r.a.c people used to be morally opposed to selling comics.  If I've
> insulted you, I apologize.  But I don't understand why you don't have more
> sympathy for the speculator.  These days, the big two is just trying to
> squeeze them dry, and if you're one, then you must be feeling the pinch,
> too.

Every so often in this inflectionless medium of ours I am jarred to a halt,
wondering if someone is pulling my leg.  Are you Serious?
"More sympathy for the speculator. . ."  Egad.
I'll repeat: the big two are trying to squeeze Everyone dry.  They're in it
for the money.  At the very least, the decisionmakers are.
 
> >You have to buy something to know that it is good.  

> This is all true, and it represents a dilemma for me.  Except for stuff that
> is hyped (and therefore oversold), I rarely get a hot book fresh off the
> stands.  I can buy them cheaper than their peak price, but never at cover
> price.

Why is this?

> It seems to me that the only way around this is to buy one copy of everything
> every week.  Then I'd have no money left to speculate with and no time left
> to live my life.  

". . ."

> The advance info that you get
> is just never good enough.  You have to get tips, and they come sporadically.

I feel bad for everyone in this position.  NOT.
A collateral position: scads of people like you get wind of a new "hot" book,
and buy it up.  The price soars, those who would've bought it as fans because
they wanted to. . .{gasp}. . .read and keep it and maybe reread it can no 
longer find/afford it (Cf. my buddy Axly).  
These people I sympathize with.  I try not to be one of them by staying abreast.
Sometimes, I miss books anyway.  What's insane about this is that sometimes I
end up playing the same games as speculators.  Luckily, this only happens
occassionally. . .the stuff I like is rarely "hot."
 
> I'm open to suggestions, as long as they don't read "Give up speculating
> and get a life!"  I like to think I have a life.

Check the want ads.  
 
> >Good dealers don't speculate(at least not in extremes) they buy a book and
> >plan to have at leats a 75-80% sell out.  If they can't average this across 
> >their comics they get stuck with a lot of crap that doesn't move.  This dead
> >stock is the same as overspeculating.  Yes as you said this does hurt the
> >industry that is why dealers go out of business, miss management of stock
> >is always #1 reason.
> 
> I've always wondered whether this is true or not.  

This is true for the dealers I buy from.

> >Speculating is gambling, and you can lose.

And this is the heart of the matter.  I don't much care if someone gambles and
loses.  And most "collectors" like it when people gambling with books they
are trying to collect lose.  A "moral issue?"  Gimme a break.

> >There will always be collector's who seek everything.  
> 
> These are the guys that *I* think are suckers.  Can you introduce me to a
> few?

Again, listening to Axly and then listening to you just makes me sad.  Why do
you call someone who genuinely likes/follows a title, or family of titles, a
"sucker?"  I think this applies much more to someone who tries to exploit 
such people, and gets burned.  
 
Kevvy Kev
"What we're going to do is a premium book from hell. . .foil, die-cut glow-in
the-dark pop-up 3D with a gatefold hologram in the middle.  Then we'll put a 
coupon in the back that you have to cut out and send in, so that you can get
a copy of the book that you can actually read."
 - Dark Horse panelist comment, at the San Diego Comicon.