I’ve invested all of my “moneys” in comic books! No, but I have entered the ebay world to try and move comics I’ve been sitting on for a few decades. They mostly come from two collections I inherited, and also some I collected in my teens. No great fortunes so far, but I’m still building my rating before I attempt to let go of the more high-end stuff.

So the first step is research - see what things go for. It is interesting to note that everything up until ‘82 is considered “Bronze Age”. So take that geezer. But I’m really not complaining. I also have some “Silver Age” titles as well. Then comes the strategic game of pricing and seeing how the bidders react. The best case, of course, is to get a bidding war going, and watch your sale go up and up. But it’s difficult to list something for 99 cents to get those initial nibbles, when you saw the same title just sell for $20. But I’ve had plenty of listings expire with no interest at all, so one wants to list low and get at least two buyers drooling. A high price is useless if no one bids. Then comes the building of multi-book “lots” to gain attention. Offer a gem or two and make them take some lemons in the mix. Of course, one geek’s gem is another geek’s lemon. Then there is the professional grading system, but I’m not obsessing on that too much, just trying to be honest in my descriptions.
And finally, as I attempt to widdle three long boxes down to one of keepers and some paypal cash, there is the challenge of my own changing taste. Much of this stuff was someone else’s collection and I have no attachment to certain titles, but now suddenly, a huge run of early Dr. Strange does seems cool. Maybe I should keep these early 70’s Conans when he meets up with Elric… What’s wrong with Werewolf by Night? And hell, if I unload these Ms. Marvel and Captain America’s (squares) I could even buy the issues I’m missing for a complete run… So you see: Overstreet is just as complicated as Wall Street.

It’s pretty amazing when you think about it: 8 years ago he takes power in a contentious election. Today we are in 2 stupidly expensive wars, neither of which is will leave us looking good. The gasoline, when it’s available, is crazy expensive - am I wrong in saying nearly double what it used to be? Wall Street, and the American lending system, are in shambles. American air travel is a sketchy hassle, at best.
There were points along the way, I have to admit, I caught myself thinking “Well, it’s not all so bad. Things are more or less progressing as normal”. But now somehow, when you tally it all up - unbelievable. And this putz is just gonna walk away, without taking some serious loss of face for his incompetence. I’ll never forget.

You make Reagan look good, you bumbling fool…

Caught Beneath the Planet of the Apes recently, and mostly just want to go on and on about cult siren Linda Harrison. Ask many men of a certain age, “Who’s the hottest actress in cave woman garb?” and many will tell you Rachel Welch from One Million Years BC, but I beg to differ. True, Welch has greater overall star appeal, did sexy wet suit stuff the same year in Fantastic Voyage, and was technically a few years older during that performance, but Harrison captures a quintessential early 70’s look.

I just can’t stop imagining riding around the lusher parts of the Forbidden Zone, mounted on the same black horse as she, The Association’s ‘Never my Love’ somehow always playing in the background, until we are eventually captured and dissected, perhaps used for target practice. OK, she can’t speak, but she looks great in dog tags, or munching pilfered fruit.

Yes, of course it’s pathetic - but that’s what aging fanboys do. Not to mention, I heard she only dates astronauts…
Also, silly ape pep rally set to Queen courtesy of Blancotron industries.

He would have been 88 today. Who’s drunk right now?

Some poems:
death

the sex fiends

From “Poems and Insults”, recorded in the City Lights Poets Lights Theatre, SF 9-14-73
Here’s the entire show, if you want it…

Did you see Bela Karolyi flip out over Nastia Liukin’s routine during the NBC Olympic gymnastics coverage? (Sorry about the commercial, I’ll circumvent it when I figure out how. Go General Electric!)

Maybe it’s just the mustache…

I’ve always had an irrational hatred of Bob Costas, but am feeling him here-

It couldn’t have been easy being that bald in the 70’s. But the chain jacket helps…
And Jesse Jackson definitely needs to go back to his old look!

So over dinner with some friends the other night (ahem) I became aware of this Japanese man who “got away” with murder and cannibalism in Paris during the 80’s. Issei Sagawa’s is a fascinating case, not only because he wrote about the experience, including a children’s book, but he also went on to star in a Roman Pinky (porn) film. There is a breakdown of those Parisian events and some background on Mr. Sagawa here, but none of this is to be confused with garden variety nyotiamori, which is not eating a woman, just eating off of a woman. Well I guess there is the other kind, eating the fake woman…

Bo Diddley