The Comedy Cellar

Buying vintage comic books need not be a hit-or-miss affair. You need to know how to safely buy vintage comic books, so that scheming traders don’t rip you off. Here are some tips:

Check for authenticity. Make sure the comic books you are looking for are in excellent condition and have complete pages that are graded accordingly by the seller. Have the comics authenticated by organizations like the Comics Guaranty or any reputable third-party grading company. You will need to spend a little more money for these services, but it is comic insurance. After all, you don’t to spend your hard-earned money on cheap reproductions.

Buy only from trustworthy sellers. Online auctions are dangerous places to buy expensive vintage comic books, since you do not know the seller, and you have no guarantee that the item is in the condition declared. You also have no idea if it will be shipped to you as promised. So be sure to check a seller’s feedback rating. Avoid sellers with negative feedback. Try messaging former customers to ask if the dealer really sent genuine vintage comics.

Never pay too much. Before bidding on or buying a comic, be sure to check around for its value. There are many helpful \ sites on the Internet that are free — take advantage of them. You should likewise network with other collectors to hear about their buying experiences and get advice on pricing.

Protecting vintage comic books

Your vintage comic books are worth a lot of money. It only makes sense to protect them from the elements and day-today wear and tear. Experts advise you to put them in Mylar plastic bags with slim cardboard to prevent damage. Store them in a cardboard box designed just for comic books. All of these protective supplies are available at your local comic book store.

By: Jennifer Bailey

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It’s hard to believe now, but in the late eighties, early nineties, comedy was king on all the major networks, and the sitcom ruled them all. Sitcoms such as “Seinfeld”, “Friends”, “Cheers”, “Golden Girls” and many more brought in millions of dollars in ad revenues for ABC, CBS and NBC. What happened to the viewing public wanting to laugh? There are a few answers that you will find kind of shocking, but if you think about it, it does make sense.

The surprising aspect of the waning days of the sitcom, is the fact that 9-11 did not make everybody turn away from shows like “The Sopranos”, or “24″, which was just getting started. The only sitcom that benefited from a viewer upswing after 911 was “Friends”. They had a 20% increase in overall viewership two Thursdays later following that horrible Tuesday morning. After 9-11, reality shows were still huge and going stronger until the inevitable burnout of the genre resulted in lower ratings for hits like “Survivor” and “Fear Factor”. The tv sitcom started to suffer from lazy writers who took the easy way out, writing ever more dull plots about boring relationship troubles that we’ve all seen time and time again. Larry David, the best writer on television, left the “Seinfeld” show in 1999, and that was the death knell for the golden age of the sitcom.

However, things are brightening up quite a bit with the arrival of stellar comedy hits like “The Office”, “My Name is Earl”, and the vastly improving “30 Rock”. HBO has gotten into the comedy game too, with “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, the return of Larry David as sitcom star this time, and the brilliant and un-PC star Sacha Baron Coen’s show, “The Ali G Show.”

If comedy continues along these routes, one day the #1 show on the air might be a great sitcom even better than “Seinfeld”, and “America Idol” will finally get the fate it deserves: CANCELLATION!

By: Rob Mead

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