Gregory Hecht

Is there a Livestream for today (11/25)? Last week Pete said that there would be one, but nothing for today was posted on the ComicBase homepage or the ComicBase Facebook page. I'm not seeing anything at the ComicBase YouTube page. Hopefully Pete is just busy working on the final touches for Crystal Palace or he's been pressed into service prepping his Thanksgiving turkey!

Monsters of the Movies is listed as Comic, but only a couple of issues have a single comic story. The rest of the content is articles and photos. I suggest that this title be moved to Magazines.

Looks like Jack Kirby Collector #79 somehow got cloned. The issue is listed the title' that is housed (appropriately so) under Magazines, but it also exists under the same title under Comics. The listing under Comics (the one that I linked to) should be deleted. Similar story for Back Issue #122 and #123.

Hi Frank -- This link will take you to a listing of all of the titles in the master database that include the word "Veronica" in the title. If the title is not there, can you post a link to another site (such as mycomicshop.com) to help me figure out what you are looking for? That way I can help you locate it in the database. I do see that the master database lists Betty and Veronica, Betty and Veronica (vol. 3), and Betty and Veronica (vol. 4). That doesn't necessarily mean that the issues you are calling "volume 2" aren't in there someplace under some other title, volume numbers in the ComicBase database can be a little wonky.

Are you referring to the cover price field or the selling price field?

As discussed in this week's ComicBase Livestream, several issues of The New Warriors (6th series) were solicited, but those were eventually cancelled. No resolicits have appeared, so the entry in the database should be deleted. Dr. Strange (6th series) issue #7 was cancelled. As far as I know, a resolicit is not planned, so issues #7 and #7/A should be removed from the database.

Looking at the entry you linked to, GCD is indexing that title as "Superman and..." [note the punctuation that is not present in the ComicBase entry for the title]. I am suspicious that GCD has a duplicate entry for the DCP #27 reprint, listing it under "Superman and..." and under the "Superman and Manhunter from Mars" titles.

The title McFarlane Toys was added as a Comic title in the 10/21/2020 update. I don't have a copy, but my understanding is that this is a toy catalog. Does it contain any comics? If not, would this be better suited as a Comic title or as a Magazine title? The update also added the title Superman and. That looks... odd. Can anybody who owns this issue verify that this is in fact the title in the indicia? Based on the cover, this looks like a reprint of some sort for DC Comics Presents #27. GCD has an entry for Superman and Manhunter from Mars that looks to be the same thing.

There is still some clean-up needed here after the most recent update. Book #1/A and Book #1/HC both say "Direct Market Hardcover" in the notes. That note should be deleted for Book #1/HC and should be kept for Book #1/A. The cover scans also need to be switched. The one with the blue background is the "regular" version (Book #1/HC) and the one with the orange/brown background is the DM variant (Book #1/A).

Hi Pat -- To get to the indicia, you'll need to open up the comic. That means you'll have to take it out of the plastic sleeve. The short answer to one of your questions is that the condition of the comic itself is what counts, not the condition of the plastic sleeve. For the *vast* majority of comic books (and certainly all of the ones from the early 1970's and older) the comic would not have come with a plastic sleeve at the time that it was originally purchased from the store or newsstand, it would have been added later on by whoever wanted to save the comic as part of a long-term collection. The cover blurb also doesn't always match the actual storyline. Again, that will be inside the comic itself, usually on the first page. What is on the cover doesn't always match the official title of the story, and it is the official story title that is tracked by ComicBase. I have attached some photos to this post that might be helpful for you. Regarding searching by both primary character and item number: that would probably be less easy than you might expect. Since many titles get relaunched with new issue numbering and many primary characters get multiple spin-off titles, that might not be very helpful. For instance, there are dozens of comics with the issue number 20 *and* with the "Spider-Man" name somewhere in the title... and even more that include Spider-Man but which don't have his name in the title. Be patient! Comics can admittedly be a very strange beast, but once you get the hang of finding the title info, you'll find that cataloging a collection gets much easier! -- Greg

As you type the title into the Item Lookup text box in the mobile app, you should be getting some suggested title matches from the app as you enter more letters. Keep in mind that although ComicBase (on the computer, not the mobile app) displays titles like "The Amazing Spider-Man" it actually stores that title as "Amazing Spider-Man, The". So typing "The Amazing Spider-Man" vs "Amazing Spider-Man" into the mobile app will give you different title suggestions. I tried the latter and the first Amazing Spider-Man title pops up pretty quickly as a suggestion. I assume that this is the comic that you are looking for. There is no title in the database that begins with the phrase "Starring the Fantastic Four". I'm guessing that the title you are really looking for is "Marvel's Greatest Comics" which is a reprint title that included the words "starring the Fantastic Four" on the cover logo for quite a few issues. If this is the issue #51 and this is the issue #59 that you are looking add to your database, you are in fact looking at issues of Marvel's Greatest Comics. For most comic titles, the best place to check for the title is the indicia, the fine print that includes publisher and legal information. The indicia is usually at the bottom of the first inside page or the bottom of the last inside page for recent comics. For several decades (roughly mid-60's through early 2000's at least) the indicia was predominantly at the bottom of the first page. Prior to the mid-60's, it was not uncommon for the indicia to be on the inside front cover. Some fairly old ComicBase articles about indicia and comic titles in the database can be found here and here. Hope this is helpful!

Hate to say it, but maybe Blue Öyster Cult was wrong when they said "don't fear the reaper" 'cuz he sure has been busy. • The database includes the title 2020 Ironheart. Was this series ever published? I know that Marvel cancelled the physical publication of various comics in the wake of the covid shutdown and then changed their minds for most of them. I think that this is one of titles that never got resurrected (although they did show up on Comixology and in a tpb with the iWolverine series). • At one point DC solicited a facsimile edition of Batman #321, and then it got cancelled. Has this been resolicited? If not, then Batman #321/A should be deleted from the database. • The database includes Archie 1955 Book 1. I know that this was solicited and then cancelled. Has it been resolicited yet? While I'm sure that it will be at some point, but if that hasn't actually happened yet then the current listing should be removed. • The database includes issues #5 & #6 for Batman vs. Ra's Al Ghul. Those issues were cancelled. Were they ever resolicited? • Pre-covid, DC solicited DC War Giant #1. Then it was cancelled. I've totally lost track of which of these books were resolicited or shifted to be just a Walmart (i.e., non-direct market) release. Does this book exist? • Empyre: Ghost Rider, Empyre: Invasion of Wakanda, Empyre: Spider-Man, Empyre: Squadron Supreme, Empyre: Stormranger, and Empyre: Thor were all cancelled. I don't think that they even exist on Comixology. • Strikeforce #10 was supposed to be an Empyre tie-in issue. Then it got cancelled when Empyre was slimmed down. I don't think that it was ever resolicited. • The Union (Marvel) was supposed to be a tie-in or spin-off with Empyre. Then it got cancelled. A series from Marvel is forthcoming and I *think* that the the first issue is supposed to be solicited all over again in the upcoming catalog, but in the meantime the slate should be wiped clean and the original entries for this title deleted from the database. • Event Leviathan: Checkmate was solicited then cancelled. Bendis has stated that it is still in the works, but with all of the changes at DC, I think that it is best that the title be deleted until we see the resolict. • Generation One isn't happening. It's been cancelled and the material is being repurposed for a series with a different title. • At one point DC solicited Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity Secret Files #1 as having two different covers. At one point, they cancelled one of the variants so I'm fairly sure that there is only one version of the book that actually saw print. Can anybody confirm? • Manhunters: The Secret History: You'll be hunting for these issues for a long time, man. Because the secret is that they were all cancelled. • Book #1 for Monster World: The Golden Age was solicited, but then it got cancelled. Can anybody confirm whether it has been resolicited? • Valkyrie: Jane Foster #11 & #12 were solicited but they were cancelled. Issue #10 was the last issue of the series. (#10 was also cancelled at one point, but then it was actually resolicited and has been published.) • X-Men: Dawn of X Saga never saw the light of day. Cancelled.

As far as I know, the only variation among the first print copies of that issue is direct market vs. newsstand, i.e., the content of the UPC box. ComicBase has made the decision to not track that sort of difference (this may have been discussed in one of the ComicBase livestreams, I think). The note regarding the UPC box for the second print may be a way of implying that there was not a newsstand version of the second print, but I don't know for sure whether there was a newsstand version of the second print or not (I suspect not since newsstands generally don't go asking their distributor for second printings of things that sell through... they're just glad that they had sell-through!). But I agree that your question is a logical follow-up to that note about the UPC box, and it may be less confusing if the note were edited accordingly.

The Studio is an art book but is listed as a comic in the database. The media category for this title should be changed to Book. Also, the database lists the NM value for this as $12.50. Speaking conservatively, if you were able to locate a NM copy for less than $50, I think that you would be highly fortunate.

The Solomon Kane: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus, like many of Marvel's omnibus books, has a regular edition and a direct market variant. The database lists these as Book #1 and Book #1/HC, respectively. To be consistent with other Marvel hardcovers that have regular and DM variants, these should really be listed as Book #1/HC and Book #1/A, respectively. This would require changing the existing Book #1 to Book #1/HC and changing the existing Book #1/HC to Book #1/A. Thanks!