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Comics Modern Age

Image Blind Box - utter disappointment x23909

Collector vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user
All I wanted was a chance at the Negan book, but would have been happy with a variety of variants at least. I just opened the second of the two boxes I ended up with, after going 0 for 3 pre-orders at three different shops, then getting a couple through other means (including one of my store owners that got blanked on pre-orders actually hunting down one for me like a champ).

Short version - I got nothing but standard (color w/trade dress) 25th anniversary variants in both boxes. No B&W, no virgins, no blanks, no sketches, and certainly no Negan.

I don't generally buy to sell, it's all for my personal collection... but now I have about three of the base variant for each of the 17 series, and just wish I'd decided to buy a Negan preview on eBay and save myself the "fun." I don't see myself coming close to recouping the cost of the blind boxes given what I ended up with.

Now I think I won't even bother with hunting a Negan... time to start selling anything that doesn't clearly belong at the core of my collection. I'm demoralized.
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Collector poka private msg quote post Address this user
sorry to hear. i will get my three preordered boxes this week. i have decided to open one and see what happens. wish me luck.
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Collector dpiercy private msg quote post Address this user
Purchasing this was not an equal opportunity for happines, for those who opted to buy, in my opinion. Skybound is a great company, from my perspective, so I will leave it at that.
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Collector RexMuff private msg quote post Address this user
@vacaboca, from what I've seen, the boxes were really lop-sided. Some were gold with 2 and 3 sketches with a Negan, and some, like mine, had...meh.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
all i got were b&w versions of the 25th anniversary logo covers lol sounds like I got all your b&ws and you got all my color covers lol
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Collector vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user
I literally don't think it's possible to end up with a worse box than either of mine... so I helped balance out the better ones at least. Here's what I ended up getting across the two boxes - all the standard color 25th anniversary variants:

3 each for Curse Words, Divided Stats of Hysteria, Eternal Empire, Extremity, The Few, God Country, Grrl Scouts, Old Guard, Plastic, Regression, Rock Candy Mountain, Rose, Royal City, and Sun Bakery.

2 each for Paklis and Youngblood

4 for Redneck.

In my second box, I had 8 duplicate pairs in a row - hard to imagine that would result from true random allocation.

Heh, @kaptainmyke I'm sure there have to be some situations like that given how much I DIDn't get
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
wow that blows
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COLLECTOR DarthLego private msg quote post Address this user
Image did a piss poor job of randomizing these. They should have had everything sorted into batches pre bagging, and then sorted into the boxes to guarantee a balanced mixed while still remaining random. And the good stuff should of been separated so if you got a Negan you didn't also get a sketch and vice versa. Seems there were a handful of gold and the rest was junk. imo
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Collector Homer private msg quote post Address this user
I didn't fall for it, I'll wait and buy a Negan on Ebay in a few weeks.
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Collector Kinsella5 private msg quote post Address this user
Not only was the randomization off but the printer defect copies should never have been put in the bags. There was ZERO quality control for the blind box set. A healthy percentage of the blank variants had a printer roll mark on the front and back covers that went from side to side, some faint, some more noticeable. Also nearly every copy of the Royal City #1 had this style issue as well. All of the comics should have been inspected before bagging, especially for something as unique as the blind box.

I purchased four of the boxes, one of them only had 24 polybagged comics inside, not the advertised 25 and all my blind boxes were factory-sealed. I didn't get any original ark sketch covers but I did pull a Negan which luckily was in insanely nice condition in box four. In box three the first nine bags that I opened contained a blank sketch cover copy. But overall I am at a point where if I break even on what I paid I will be happy but it will be a long haul. I put most of the stuff on eBay and priced everything lower than most sellers.
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Collector vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinsella5
But overall I am at a point where if I break even on what I paid I will be happy but it will be a long haul. I put most of the stuff on eBay and priced everything lower than most sellers.


There's no way I'm at a break even point, and have only a few covers I actually want to keep in my collection. It was a huge waste of time, effort and money ultimately.
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Collector poka private msg quote post Address this user
@vacaboca but you had the thrill while opening. It is the nature of doing a gamble!
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Collector vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by poka
@vacaboca but you had the thrill while opening. It is the nature of doing a gamble!


There was definitely a small amount of thrill during the opening... but zero variation eroded that pretty quickly... the second box was the worst though, as every pair I opened for the middle 16 issues of the box were identical, to the point where I felt I knew what was coming next (both in terms of a dupe, and then one of the remaining unseen series)... and I was right. It never felt like I could get surprised in the slightest. Bad luck of the draw, certainly, but that was my experience.
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Collector Kinsella5 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by vacaboca
There's no way I'm at a break even point, and have only a few covers I actually want to keep in my collection. It was a huge waste of time, effort and money ultimately.


Oh I hear you on that, my only real saving grace was for me was pulling a Negan out of the four boxes. Next to that was the multiple copies of God Country #1 and Redneck #1 but also the blank variants for them. Most of the color variants I am only trying to get $7 for but only some have sold. I will relist everything as my auctions just ended. I do set up at cons so eventually they will sell there if not through eBay.
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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user
Sounds like people need to start barking at image over this fiasco. Who knows, they might do something about it, considering how horrible the execution
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Collector poka private msg quote post Address this user
you can add to the list that negan was advertised to be available in the blind box only - just for 10+ copies 9.8 SS to have been slabbed months before and gradually appearing on the market
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Collector poka private msg quote post Address this user
time to choose
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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user

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Collector poka private msg quote post Address this user
well - that was definitely the wrong box. comics for about $150 - best one was this one.

damn - gonna open one more tmr and that is it
and
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Collector VaComicsGuy private msg quote post Address this user
Sometimes I pass on an item only to regret it later.
Not this time.
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Collector dpiercy private msg quote post Address this user
😂 at box of lies. Going to make a graphic w/one of these blind boxes when I get time.
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COLLECTOR DarthLego private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by poka
you can add to the list that negan was advertised to be available in the blind box only - just for 10+ copies 9.8 SS to have been slabbed months before and gradually appearing on the market

I think they said, limited to 500 copies, and the only time it would be printed as a single issue comic. I don't think they specifically said all 500 copies would be blind box exclusive. Lawyers, gotta love em.
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Collector RexMuff private msg quote post Address this user
No virgins or blanks? Open another one! I know it'll be in the next one😯
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Collector DocBrown private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by RexMuff
No virgins or blanks? Open another one! I know it'll be in the next one😯


I know, right? You get some comic boxes, you're bound to find virgins...
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Collector poka private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocBrown
Quote:
Originally Posted by RexMuff
No virgins or blanks? Open another one! I know it'll be in the next one😯


I know, right? You get some comic boxes, you're bound to find virgins...


almost. 2nd box basically only contained b&w covers - but cannot complain on that box although bit weird
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Collector Kinsella5 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by poka
you can add to the list that negan was advertised to be available in the blind box only - just for 10+ copies 9.8 SS to have been slabbed months before and gradually appearing on the market


I understand what you are saying but to shine some light on it, those copies that started appearing the day before the blind boxes were even released were the artist copies who had a comic book store in the UK that he has a friendship with sell his copies. I personally felt that what Image should have done is made the 500 copies that they stated they would be found only in the blind box, and yes they did say the book was EXCLUSIVE to the blind box, therefore only found in the blind box and that implied that ALL 500 copies would be randomly inserted in the boxes. The fact that the creators received copies means A) not 500 copies were inserted in the blind boxes as advertised and B) the possibility that more than 500 copies were produced. What Image should have done was print up an "Creators Edition" copy that was number stamped on the cover that was only intended for those who work on the book. Maybe 25 copies total, but by numbering and stamping them Creator Copy would then be different from the "500 copies" that were intended for the blind boxes.
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Collector Kinsella5 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthLego
I think they said, limited to 500 copies, and the only time it would be printed as a single issue comic. I don't think they specifically said all 500 copies would be blind box exclusive. Lawyers, gotta love em.


Here is the official press release, note the word "exclusive" before the Negan listing.

https://imagecomics.com/content/view/image-comics-25th-anniversary-blind-box-to-hit-stores-this-july
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Collector Kinsella5 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by poka
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocBrown
Quote:
Originally Posted by RexMuff
No virgins or blanks? Open another one! I know it'll be in the next one😯


I know, right? You get some comic boxes, you're bound to find virgins...


almost. 2nd box basically only contained b&w covers - but cannot complain on that box although bit weird


I actually weighed my blind boxes. One of them was over a pound heavier. One would think with the same amount of books, same packaging that the weight would be close to the same. The one that was over a pound heavier was loaded with blank wraparound sketch covers. The first 9 I opened were blank covers. By the time that box was finished being opened I had 14 out of 25 comics as blank sketch covers. Ultimately in my boxes there were no original art or even virgin covers, but I pulled a Negan which happen to be in my fourth and final box and it was in the 23rd comic opened so I was close to the wire on that one.
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Collector vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user
@Kinsella5 I'm psyched you pulled one - that was really the only moment I was hoping for. That said, I just got the ebay box from Skybound, with my Negan in it... it's noted as a "publishers comp" copy, though presumably identical to the ones in the boxes. Here's the link to the auction, if it's of interest. I feel used and abused, but my Walking Dead collection feels incomplete without that damned book. I'm not shooting for every variant of #1, those come out too frequently and are a pain to hunt/track, and I don't have some of the early 2nd prints (no blue #33 Governor variant), but have almost every other cover/issue released.
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Collector dpiercy private msg quote post Address this user
B
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