I sold most of my collectibles several years ago because I was in a crappy situation that I had no control over. I sold my favorite figures including Spawn, DC & Marvel figures. The Batman figures & statues I sold hurt the most because it was the Caped Crusader that introduced me to nerdom. Luckily, I sold most of it to my close friend so it doesn’t hurt as bad because I know it’s well taken care of. After selling most of my collection, I promised myself not to collect anymore because it broke my heart. Throughout the years, my friends would give me a toy here and there so I’ll start my hobby again. I still tried not to get attached to it.
Then Long Beach comic con came last October and I had the idea of asking artist David Finch (Dark Knight) to draw a sketch of Batman on the back of my iPhone. It felt good to finally have Batman back.
WonderCon was this past weekend and I think I might’ve gone a little overboard trying to build collection 2.0. I spent close to $300 over the 3-day geek event. Below are my hauls:
I got the Arkham Asylyum Batman black & white statue on Friday. The asking price was $90 but I asked for $80 and the vendor agreed without hesitation. Then the doubt came in, could I have gotten it for $75. Either way it’s a good deal..I probably won’t keep the statue though..which I’ll talk more about later on. Next up is the Cyborg Superman & Mongul 2 pack, got the set for $20. I’ve always wanted Cyborg Supes and for $20, it’s a great deal. The vendor was also selling Clayface & Batman 2 pack for $25. I would’ve gotten it but Batman looked like he had doo doo. The next 2 figs were just recently released: Play Arts Kai Batman & Joker. Thanks to my friend, who also bought a set, we each got the set for $95 out the door. I waited last minute on Sunday to buy it when I had a better shot at haggling with the vendors. I want to open the figures because of the articulation and the awesome sculpt. But I have no where to display it my room so it’ll stay in the box until I re-organize the room.
The Wonder Woman print was from the talented Felipe Echevarria. He had a really cool Silver Surfer original piece that I wanted but he said the print won’t be available for another month or so. I was strolling on Sunday in Artists Alley and saw that his table was empty except for the print. It was just taped up to the table. I looked around if he was still around but I didn’t see him anywhere. I take it he already left because this was at the end of the day. So instead of going to waste, I took the print. The Superman vs. The Elite poster for the animated movie (it was awesome by the way) was at the DC booth. This was also on Sunday at the end of the day. It’s signed by someone but the signature is not legible. The Harley Quinn print is from Michael Champion, I was walking by his booth when he called me over to check out his art. We started talking and he gave me the the print for $10 instead of $15.
The Poison Ivy is from a female artist, Sara Richard. I loved her rendition of the crazed ecologist. It’s nice to see more female artists in the artists alley, there style is different from dudes but still awesome. She gave me a discount on the print. The Harley Quinn and Batman prints are from Stuart Sayger. I love the gritty feel to his art. The characters are somewhat abstract which makes the pieces even more thought provoking. Got both prints for $15. The 2 Batman books are Batman #1 and Black Mirror. I already got them before the con. I brought it with me on Sat in hope writer Scott Snyder would sign them. I missed all the signing opportunities from Snyder throughout the whole day but at night he was a guest at a comic horror panel. After the panel ended, I went up to the table and asked him if he could sign my books. The convention worker told me he wasn’t signing but Snyder took my books and autographed it as he was walking out. Take that Con Worker!
This is my favorite item from all my hauls. It’s a 27″ x 40″ poster limited to 100 pieces at the Graphitti Design booth. I’m not taking an actual picture of my poster because it’s already rolled. It was steep at $50 but I loved the propaganda style poster of my favorite superhero. The design is based on the current Batman storyline, “Court Of Owls.” Next to Graphitti Design’s booth was DC where coincidentally Scott Snyder was talking to a couple of friends. After Snyder admired a Talon cosplayer, I asked him to sign the poster. He said he was leaving in 5 minutes for a flight and wasn’t signing anymore books. He made an exception once he saw the poster.
So here’s the rundown of the total cost:
Arkham Asylum statue: $80
Cyborg Superman 2 pack – $20
Joker & Batman Play Arts Kai – $95
Michael Champion Harley print – $10
Sara Richard Poison Ivy print – $10
Stuart Sayger Harley & Batman prints – $15
I Will Find You Batman print – $50
Total: $280
My budget was $200 so I went over by $80. I’m probably going to re-sell the Arkham Asylum statue because when I took it out of the box at home, I was disappointed how skinny his legs were. It didn’t look right with how buff his upper body is. I also wanted to buy a Batman Black & White re-release Mike Mignola statue but I couldn’t find a good price for it. There were also some action figures I wanted but they were gone by the end of the con. I think it was better for me because I saved money.
It’s good to be collecting again, now I just need to find a frame for the big Batman poster because it will be the centerpiece in my room.
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