Special Sale - Comics Under $1 Each! Howdy! Big Apple Convention June 2009 (click on image for larger view) I'm back at home in Boulder this morning, after 5 very busy days spent in New York and New Jersey. Aside from just buying comics on these trips, I love the traveling, as it helps me to really keep in touch with what is happening in the comics world. In this instance, any questions that I might have had about the health and vitality of the back issue comics market were certainly answered at Michael Carbonaro's Big Apple Convention. This show was a bit different from Michael's past conventions, as it was only a one-day convention, and it was held in three meeting rooms on the 18th floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania (across from Madison Square Garden), as opposed to the much larger (but also far more expensive) Penn Plaza Pavilion on the ground level. Michael really wanted this first show on the 18th floor to be a hit, so he advertised free admission. That was great, except for the fact that the rated capacity of the three room together was only 1,200 people, while over 3,500 fans signed up on his website for free tickets. As things turned out, the flow of fans entering the Big Apple Convention was actually well below our initial fears in the morning, when we had expected a huge opening surge. Instead, the traffic in the rooms held at a very comfortable level from 9 AM - 1 PM, and then built to capacity from 1 PM-5 PM. While I had some difficulty navigating the aisles during the late afternoon due to the crush of people, it never got to the point of being uncomfortable. In point of fact, I would say that everyone was incredibly pleased with the show, as there was this positive buzz that emanated from the crowds. All the attendees (dealers, celebrity guests, and fans...) were having a great time, and the good feelings were quite contagious. Simply put, I believe that this was the best Big Apple Convention that has ever been held. Mille the Model Spash (click on image for larger view) All of the above having been said, I completely struck out at the show. It's sad to say, but when all the dealers in any given comics convention are making tons of money, there is almost no incentive to wholesale back issues to me. I ended up buying a nice batch of 500 out-of-print Marvel trade paperbacks and hardbacks from one dealer, and about one thousand Silver Age (1956-1975) comics from another. By my typical convention standards, that's pitiful. I would have loved to have purchased some of the hundreds of thousands of other great bargain comics that were available in the dealer's room, but I simply could not get to them through the crowds. My only consolation was that I was able to score 12 pages of original art (including two S. Clay Wilson's, a Kim Deitch, and eight 1960's MILLIE THE MODEL splash pages) for my own collection. I really do like the artwork that I found, but it certainly didn't make up for not being able to buy huge loads of comics... My one consolation in this matter is that I had already sent more comics (100,000+) and trade books (13,000+) back to Colorado earlier last week than what we can reasonably process in a month. As much as I would have liked to have scored some big deals at the Big Apple Convention, we really did not need them. After all, I'm only home for three days, and them I'm off on another buying trip (Charlotte, North Carolina) on Wednesday. Starting on Friday in Charlotte will be HeroesCon, which I consider to be the single best comics convention in America. Given my past experiences, I have no doubt that I will be able to purchased huge numbers of comics in Charlotte. Show organizer Shelton Drum limits his convention pretty much to just comics dealers and comics guests. With over 200 comics dealers in attendance, however, and a three day duration, there have always been a few slower moments during HeroesCon for me to work out deals with our wholesale back issue comics suppliers. That isn't to say that Shelton doesn't draw a huge crowd of avid comics fans, but rather that the flow being spread out over three days gives everyone a chance to catch their breath. While I am in Charlotte, my assistant, Will Moulton, will be seeking wholesale comics deals at Wizardworld Philadelphia. I could give you half an hour of ranting about the stupidity of two major conventions colliding on the same date, but sometimes things just work out that way. I really hate missing Philly, as Wizard puts on great shows, and their facility in Philadelphia is quite beautiful. I had committed to HeroesCon last year, however, before I found out that Philadelphia was on the same date, so there was no question about where I would go this weekend. Several of our largest wholesale suppliers will be set up in Philadelphia, however, as opposed to Charlotte, so that's why I'm sending Will there. Based on the wholesale deals that I already have set up for him, I figure he'll blow through the first $10,000 of his comics buying budget within a couple hours of getting to the show. I'm budgeting to buy at least as much as Will in Charlotte, so I figure that we're going to buried in comics after this upcoming weekend. Knowing those facts makes it very easy to accept not having purchased very much at Saturday's the Big Apple convention... Another consideration about our buying at conventions is the prodigious amount of buying that our head buyer, Pam Brandle, is now accomplishing here in Colorado. I called Pam on Friday, and she told me that she is getting so many calls and e-mails from fans wanting to part with some of their comics that she basically did nothing else all day! She loves buying comics, however, so this is certainly not a bad outcome for her. If you have a collection (or just part of a collection) that you'd like to sell to us, give Pam a call at 1-800-676-6423, Monday-Friday 9-5 Mountain Time. Pam can help you discover if we are interested in your comics, and also can facilitate your obtaining 50%-70% discounts on shipping your comics to us if you live within the continental USA. You can also e-mail Pam at pam@milehighcomics.com. Please do allow her an extra day to answer your e-mails, however, as she has told me that her e-mail flow has quadrupled in just the past ten days. As an aside, the number one thing that we see happening right now is that more than a few sellers are sending us a few comics just to test our buying program, and then following up almost immediately with additional shipments containing huge numbers of books... My final item for today is to mention that we just implemented a stunningly broad 95 cent sale on our website that includes an incredible number of Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and Independent back issues. Simply click on the quick links that are listed below, and you will see our entire listings of comics priced for $1, or less. The 95-cent comics are included in that list. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the additional 5% off GIVEAWAY codeword benefit is still in effect for all of you who read this newsletter, and it does apply to all of these 95 cent comics (please keep in mind the codeword does not apply to new comics, Dallas Stephens comics, trade paperbacks, hard covers, graphic novels, statues, or supplies). Your actual cost if you use the codeword works out to approximately 90 cents each. New comics have not been this inexpensive since 1988! Marvel Comics 50 cents - $1.00 DC Comics 50 cents - $1.00 Dark Horse Comics 50 cents - $1.00 Image Comics 50 cents - $1.00 Independent Comics 50 cents - $1.00 (listings are by publisher) Please enjoy these incredible bargains with my personal thanks for your support of Mile High Comics! Happy Collecting! Chuck Rozanski, President - Mile High Comics, Inc. Advance Previews of next weeks comics from Archie Comics Current Newsletter