Independent Comic Book Sampler #1 and #2

Another neat acquisition this summer was the Limited Edition versions of the Independent Comic Book Sampler #1 and #2 from 1988. The standard versions of these were in black & white and had slightly different fonts used on the covers. These green cover editions were limited to 50 copies each and are numbered on the back. They were only given to 10 winners (and some entrants) of the contest mentioned on the last page of the regular edition. This was the first set I'd even seen of these Limited Editions and so, of course, they are a "must have." These are also likely very scarce in existence given their age and low print run.

Turtlemania SILVER !!

By far my biggest TMNT acquisition this summer was a Turtlemania SILVER edition from 1986. There were only 100 of these created with the silver-ish/gray cover stock, signed and numbered by Eastman & Laird themselves. It's likely that far fewer than that still exist. This elusive little gem has been something that, up until a few years ago, I'd never even seen before. I was beginning to wonder if it even really existed. Well, I'm happy to say that I was able to finally acquire a copy, filling a very large and prolonged void in my collection.

Some recent TMNT acquisitions

Hey everyone. It's been a busy summer! I apologize for the long delay between posts. I've been on vacation quite a bit and have been trying to catch up for the past few weeks. The website is still in progress but moving slower than I'd like. However, in the past 2 months I've acquired some awesome stuff so I'm going to be posting a few of them either today or tomorrow. Stay tuned!

The Verdict Is In !!

Hey everyone. I just got my comic back from CGC and the verdict is...

CGC Qualified Grade 7.5 - TALES OF THE TMNT #3 Manufacturing Error (Manufactured with the interior of Turtle Soup #1) .  

I called CGC to inquire how they came to that decision. They told me that they always list comics by what the cover is, regardless of what's inside and that they do this because once a comic is slabbed, the cover is all that can be seen.  Basically, they match the label with the title on the cover and then use the label to "qualify" or explain what is different about it from a standard issue.  Thanks CGC.  Good explanation and very nice work as always!  

So, I've gotten my answer and I've now listed this in my database accordingly.  It's now one of only two graded copies in existence!   

Profile about my TMNT collection on gogreenmachine

Hey everyone!

gogreenmachine just posted a profile about my TMNT collection. Check it out!
(http://gogreenmachine.wordpress.com/category/interviews/)

CGC Test

Well, I've determined that there is really no clear answer to my Tales of the TMNT #3 / Turtle Soup #1 Manufacturing Error Variant question. So, after much research and finding nothing definitive, I've decided to conduct a test with CGC and see what happens. Here are the details of what I did:

1. There is a graded copy of this issue that CGC has determined to be "Tales of the TMNT #3 Manufacturing Error" (see last post). I checked the CGC census and found it listed as an 8.0 "Qualified."
2. I checked the CGC census for any "Turtle Soup #1" variants. There are no variants or "Qualified" issues listed in the CGC census for "Turtle Soup #1" (and there are only 2 CGC graded copies currently listed).
3. I submitted my copy to CGC as "Turtle Soup #1 Manufacturing Error" on the submission form and now I'll wait to see what happens.

This will provide me the definitive answer I've been seeking. Either way this goes I'll be questioning CGC on how they arrived at their decision. How exciting!

I'll update on progress as I know it. Thanks for reading!

Tales of the TMNT or Turtle Soup?

Yesterday, while sorting through some of my TMNT comics, I came across a bit of an anomaly that, due to the sheer size of my collection, I never noticed before. It's presented me with enough of a conundrum that I want to document this here to see if anyone can help me sort this out.

First off, let me set the stage a bit. In my database I list every TMNT comic that I know exists, regardless of whether I own it or not. I do this to ensure my database is as comprehensive as possible. There are very few that I don't actually possess but there are still some that have eluded me (which makes this such an interesting hobby :-). For those issues that I don't currently own, I try to at least find pictures of them so I know what I'm looking for. If I'm able to find a picture I link it to the listing in the database and mark it as a "WANT."

As I was scouring my database for items that I needed, I noticed that there were two separate entries that had pictures of the exact same cover, Tales of the TMNT #3, Oct. 1987.

• The first entry was Tales of the TMNT #3 Manufacturing Error, Oct. 1987 - manufactured with the interior of Turtle Soup #1. It was listed as a "WANT" and had the following picture (FYI - I can't remember where I got this picture from so if it's yours, please inform me and I'll properly credit you):
  
  
• The other was listed as Turtle Soup #1 Manufacturing Error, Sept. 1987 - manufactured with the cover of Tales of the TMNT #3. It was listed as "OWNED" and had the following picture:

I thought at first I had incorrectly linked the picture for the Turtle Soup #1 Manufacturing Error entry so I did some investigation. I went and found the issue in question (pictured in the 2nd bullet above) and what I found inside is pictured to the right.
The inside cover reads "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Volume 1, Number 3" but the first page starts with the story "Turtle Dreams" which is, of course, from Turtle Soup #1. Given the information from the label of the CGC-graded version above (which says, "Manufactured with the interior of Turtle Soup #1"), I know that the issue I have in hand (labeled in my database as Turtle Soup #1 Manufacturing Error) is the same as the one I thought I needed (labeled in my database as Tales of the TMNT #3 Manufacturing Error). Confusing, I know.

But this is great news! Based on my investigation I can logically deduce that there is only one issue with a Manufacturing Error (not two) and I've eliminated one more comic from my "WANT" list (all without having to spend any money - how many times can you say that's happened?).

But now I'm divided on how I should list this issue in my database. There are two possibilities:

1. Turtle Soup #1 Manufacturing Error - manufactured with the cover of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3


2. Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 Manufacturing Error - manufactured with the interior of Turtle Soup #1

Given that CGC has determined it to be Option 2 above with a Qualified label (i.e., a book that has a significant defect that needs specific description) and they are the experts in the industry, maybe I should trust that they've done their research and list it as such. I'll be sending mine in to get graded soon so I'm sure it will return with the same label and I'll likely have to list it that way anyway.

However, it doesn't make sense to me to list a book simply by what it's cover states when the entirety of the issue (with exception of the cover) is something else. Think about it. Everything inside is Turtle Soup #1. Only the cover is wrong. The only reason I can think of labeling this as Option 2 above is if it was shipped with, and sold as, Tales of the TMNT #3. Meaning, when people got home to read their newly purchased issue of Tales of the TMNT #3 they realized they actually just had Turtle Soup #1. Even then I still feel like that's a stretch.

I could go on and on about my thought processes in all this but I just can't reconcile it either way. I've searched and searched but cannot find any worth-while information about this Manufacturing Error anywhere. I'm going to have to lean on my fellow TMNT fans to assist me with this. I need to know the history of this issue and I'm sure someone out there knows it.

Thanks in advance!