Eugene Comic Con!

For those of you in the Eugene, Oregon and surrounding areas there finally is a comic con coming here!  The Eugene Comic Con will be held in Eugene, Oregon on November 14-15, 2015.  You can check out their Facebook page for details. Eugene, Oregon has not had any sort of comic show in almost 10 years! Tickets are on sale now.

Cherry City Comic Con

It's been too long since we've done an update, way too long!  This weekend we will be at the 2nd annual Cherry City Comic Con in Salem, Oregon.  This shows looks to be a vast improvement over last year and it has a new owner - we're excited about the changes and looking forward to another great show in Salem!

Here's what we're bringing:

Comics:  Golden Age to Modern Age, 50-cent comics, back issues, graded comics, exclusives from ECCC and SDCC, and more.  Don't forget, we pay $$cash$$ for comics!

Pint glasses:  We just got a shipment of the latest from our friends at 'Toon Tumblers including DC Bombshells, Marvel (Gambit, Rogue, Dr. Strange, Storm, Deadpool), DC (Joker, Harley Quinn, Flash, Wonder Woman), and the newest WWE line from 'Toon Tumblers!

WWE and Legends pint glasses featuring Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, The Road Warriors, John Cena, Big Show, The Undertaker, Triple H and more!

Magnets:  Mega-Mega Magents, the finest in die-cut magnets are back!  Most major Marvel and DC characters.

Game of Thrones:  We will have a ton of GOT figures, statues, steins, coffee mugs, patches, sigil pins, magnets, shot glasses and more from the latest shipment we got in.  Check out this crazy Dire Wolf mug we'll be bringing:

Buttons:  Out exclusive Upcycle Comic Buttons made from recycled comics and magazines - Marvel, DC, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and more!

We look forward to seeing our friends and fantastic customers this weekend!

We will be returning to the Oregon Convention Center in beautiful Portland, Oregon for the third Wizard World show!  Come see us in booth number 152 where we'll have the following and more...

• Comics (Golden Age to Modern comics)
• Our famous 50-cent comic boxes
• 'Toon Tumblers pint and shot glasses
• Upcycle comic buttons
• Mega Mega Magnets
• Game of Thrones shot glasses, steins, figures, magnets, key chains, and more!

January 23 - 25, 2014

We're excited to announce that we will be returning for Wizard World Portland!  We'll have comics, 50-cent books, tons of 'Toon Tumblers pint and shot glasses, Game of Thrones items, Upcycle Comic Buttons, and more, more, more!  Be sure to come and join us for Portland's premiere comic con!

Rose City Comic Con

Not too much longer until the Rose City Comicon takes place September 20-21 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.  Be sure to come see us at booth 932 to see the following:

- Boxes and boxes of 50-cent comics
- Back issue comics
- CGC graded books (exclusives and signed books)
- Convention exclusive toys and comics from ECCC and SDCC
- Statues from Marvel, DC, Game of Thrones and more
- 'Toon Tumbler pint and shot glasses, pint glass box sets
- Other pints, shots, mugs, and more
- Huge selection of Game of Thrones items from figures to pint glasses and more
- Upcycle comic buttons made from recycled comics and magazines

And remember that we will also be buying comics while at the show.

We're looking forward to seeing all of our friends and customers in just a mere 11 days!

Marvel shot glasses discontinued!

Some surprising news came our way during the San Diego Comic Con last month; 'Toon Tumblers has discontinued making their popular line of Marvel shot glasses.  We're speculating that since Disney has taken over Marvel that it will look to make all licensed products more oriented to kids.

Oddly enough, every child (we're talking 6 years and up) have always referred to these shot glasses as mini glasses or mini cups - most getting a good laugh out of them because of their size.  The line of shot glasses included Captain America, Iron man, Silver Surfer, Punisher, Thing, Thor, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Hulk.

It looks like the DC line of shot glasses will continue being produced with several new ones added including Supergirl and Flash.  

Needless to say, the stock of Marvel shot glasses we have on hand will be it.  Sad face.

Only 28 days until SDCC 2014!

Only 28 days left until the doors open for the 2014 San Diego Comic Con!  For those who can't make the convention this year but want to get something, we will be having our yearly SDCC Exclusives Sale!  No traveling, no standing in lines, no crowds, no hassles!

Be sure to stop in and see what's hot at the hottest comic con of the year!

2014 San Diego Comic Con Sale!

The 2014 San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner and we are preparing for our latest convention exclusive sale!  We'll be offering many convention exclusives live from the con July 23 - 27!  Be sure to check our Convention Exclusives section for updates.

Here's a list of some of the items we'll be offering:

• Ever After High Cerise Wolf doll
• Monster High Manny Taur & Iris Clops two pack
• Transformers Dinobot Action Playset
• Transofrmers Knight of Unicron set
• Infinity Gauntlet figure set
• Thanos Imperative figure set
• Star wars Black Series: Jabba the Hutt
• Funko White Lantern Flash
• Funko White lantern Superman
• Funko Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
• Previews Exclusive Harley Quinn statue
• Convention exclusive comics and more!

Buyer Beware: Online Comic Book Scams

Buyer Beware: Online Comic Book Scams

We've recently been made aware of several online comic book scams involving ads running on Craig's List and Facebook.  One person we know was taken for about $1,000.00 and is working with the police and banks to try to get his money back.

The person bought two books for a decent price through an online ad where the seller initially asked for a payment via Western Union.  Paying for goods via Western Union or similar money transfer services have absolutely no protection for a buyer. Knowing this, the buyer instead offered to make a PayPal payment and the seller asked for a check.  The buyer thought it wouldn't be a problem since he had the seller's phone number and address.

The check cleared and the books never showed up.  The buyer attempted to contact the seller, calling only to have the seller hang up the phone on him several times.

This is just one of many unfortunate scams we've heard of in the past couple of weeks, and we'd like to offer you some advice when buying expensive comics or other items through online ads of any kind:

1.  Never, never, never, ever, never send money to pay for something through Western Union, Wal Mart payments or other similar wire payment services.  You have absolutely no protection and no way of finding out who the money is going to.  Many con artists will try hard to convince you to send the money that way - don't fall for it.

2.  Beware of online ads where the ad may be placed in your area, but the seller is in another state.  This is usually a sign that things are are likely not legitimate.

3.  If you pay for something online, PayPal provides excellent protection with a 45 day period in which you can dispute a transaction. If you don't receive what you were promised within two-weeks, contact the seller and if you get the run around you should immediately file a claim with PayPal.

4.  When something is being shipped to you, always request a tracking number for the package.  If you receive the package and it seems light for what you're getting, be sure to open it in front an employee for the company from which you are receiving the package (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.).  If the contents are not what you ordered, you now have a witness.  We have heard about packages being sent with nothing but crumpled newspaper inside when there was supposed to be several thousand dollars worth of comics.

5.  Never pay with a check and never give your credit card information to anyone over the phone.  While you think you might be protected using a credit card, today's thieves are technically savvy and will likely make multiple unauthorized charges to your credit card.  This sort of mess can take a long period of time to clean up and depending on how the thieves obtained the information, you may not be protected by your credit card company.  You have no protection when using a check.

6.  This is old but rings true; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  This is sound advice in today's world of push button purchasing, it is always good to take the extra time to look at a deal when you get even the slightest notion that something doesn't seem to right.

We simply cannot stand thieves who operate online and try to take advantage of our fellow fans and collectors.  We always recommend buying from reputable and established sellers, like us!

'Toon Tumblers Glassware

When asked what makes 'Toon Tumblers glassware so special and why we think it is the best on the market, here's why:

• The president of the company is a huge fan of comics.  For us, that rings in big because instead of having a company that simply gets a license for a product and mass produces whatever it can, the president of 'Toon Tumblers is careful about each and every item made.
• 'Toon Tumbler glasses are made in the United States of thick, quality glass.
• Every item is officially licensed.
• The glasses made by 'Toon Tumblers are lead and cadmium free.
• 'Toon Tumblers are simply cool!

Don't forget that Comic Safari carries a wide variety of 'Toon Tumblers pint glass and shot glasses!

Steve Borock Introduces New Comic Grading Company!

(This news is a bit late, but better late than never.)

Steve Borock, the former Senior Consignment Director for comics at Heritage Auctions and the founder of the Comics Guaranty Company (CGC), has formed a new comic book grading service.

Comic Book Certification Service (CBCS) will open for business to the public via the Internet this coming July and will be offering a myriad of services for those wishing to have their books authenticated and graded.  CBCS has already appeared at a comic convention and will be appearing at more to come.

CBCS is offering faster turn around times on grading books, better quality control, a better comic holder, a signature service, and more to be announced.  

Steve Borock has had a lifelong love and career in the collectible comics field, and his name in the industry has become synonymous with trust and integrity.  We here at Comic Safari know Steve personally and professionally, and we are very excited to see CBCS breath new life into the third party comic grading arena.

Best of luck to Steve and CBCS, and we have no doubt the company will be successful and bring more innovation to third party comic grading!

Game of Thrones now in the store!

After selling out of our Games of Thrones inventory at the Cherry City Comic Con this last weekend, we thought it'd be a good idea to stock up on some more!  We've created a special Game of Thrones category on the site so you can easily find great items from the epic television series.

You'll find figures, ceramic steins, embroidered patches, magnets, pint glasses, shot glasses and more!  Best part is we're offering some exclusive pre-order items including figures: Jaime Lannister, Cersei Baratheon, Arya Stark, Robb Stark, and the White Walker!  We're also going to offer a killer The Hound bust!

Salem, Oregon: Thank you!

 
We had a great time at and were proud to be a sponsor of the Cherry City Comic Con in Salem, Oregon! Good crowd, nice people, some fantastic costumes, and overall one of the best inaugural shows we've done.

We also want to mention an incredibly talented, 14 year old artist named Hannah who came by our booth.  She had a portfolio with her and she was kind enough to share some of her art.  In a word:  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  Please be sure to look at Hannah's work here.  I hope she posts more because the piece linked to here does not even come close to what Hannah showed us.  She's 14 and has the artistic talent of most professional artists.  Seriously, she's so talented that we're going to hire her for some commission pieces.

Thank you all for stopping by our booth and we will definitely be seeing you all at next year's Cherry City show!

The Greatest Jim Steranko Story. Ever.

The day Jim Steranko slapped Bob Kane.  Wow.

Story at Bleeding Cool.

Happy Star Wars Day!

Game of Thrones

Comic Safari is proud to announce that we are now an official Dark Horse Specialty Retailer and will be carrying items exclusively licensed by Dark Horse Comics!

For those attending the Cherry City Comic Con in Salem, Oregon (May 10 and 11), this means we will have some very cool Game of Thrones merchandise at the show - pint glasses, shot glasses, statues, steins, magnets, figures, and more!

We'll see you in just 6 days at the con!

Detective Comics no.29 available!

This ultra rare copy of Detective Comics issue 29 is now available for sale!  Listed as one of the 20 most valuable Golden Age comics in the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, this issue includes the third appearance of Batman as he takes on his first named villain; Dr. Death!

Bob Kane art graces the second cover appearance of The Batman. Included in this issue are stories by Gardner Fox and Jerry Siegel with art by Joe Shuster and Jim Chambers.  This issue marks the second cover appearance ever of Batman.

This example of an early and rare Pre-Robin issue isn’t often seen for sale. You certainly won’t see an original owner copy of this book for sale any time soon.  That's right!  This book was owned by one person who bought it off the newsstand when he was 10 years old!

This book is part of The Lake Golden Age Collection, an original owner collection that included 13 of the most valuable comic books from the Golden Age that sat in a safety deposit box for nearly 30 years!  To purchase this book or if you have any questions, please contact us.

A quick update

Wow - it has been a long time since this blog was updated.  Apologies as we've been busy, busy, busy.

In addition to handling The Lake Golden Age Collection, out of which we just sold a very happy collector a CGC graded copy of Detective Comics 29 (third appearance of Batman), we attended the Wizard World Portland show this past January, which easily surpassed our expectations and was the most successful show we've ever done in Oregon - kudos to the Wizard World staff for their professionalism, courtesy, and organization! 

The Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle held March 28 - 30 has grown, and grown, and grown each year and it was a fantastic show that was completely sold out.  We were able to acquire and sell convention exclusives to our friends and loyal customers who were not able to attend the event.  the event has grown so large that it looks like the city will have to expand the convention center to meet the growing needs of the show!

Speaking of comic cons, we will be setting up at the Cherry City Comic Con's first event in Salem, Oregon next month, May 10 - 11.  We will have three booths packed with comic back issues, fifty-cent comics, 'Toon Tumblers pint and shot glasses, Upcycle Comic Buttons, magnets, mugs, and more!

We'll also be bringing some Emerald City Con exclusives along with a very limited quantity of Revival 19 variants!  I also hope to have acquired an original owner collection of comics from 1968 through the early 1980s that I've been working on for a few weeks now, and will likely be bringing that collection with me to the Cherry City show.  We hope to see you all May 10 and 11 in Salem, Oregon!

Sadly, and as we predicted, the old Portland Comic Book Show ran by Second Genesis is DOA.  Their website domain has expired and it looks like decades of shows have come to an abrupt end.  Part of the problem came with the show's organizer simply not wanting to evolve with other modern shows across the country and not wanting to change venues.  Very sad to see, but glad to that Oregon continues to play host to more comic shows.

That's it for now, see you at the Cherry City Comic Con in 34 days!

Thank you!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND THANK YOU!

A big thanks to all our family, friends, and awesome customers - your trust and support is greatly appreciated!  We hope you all have a great holiday season wherever and whatever you might be celebrating.  Thanks again!!

Sincerely,

comicsafari.com

Wizard World Portland

Comic Safari will be setting up at Wizard World Portland next month.  We're looking forward to this  three day show (January 24-25-26, 2014) and we will be bringing tons of cool stuff including pint glasses, shot glasses, our new Upcycle Comic Buttons, an original owner collection of Marvel books from 1968 and up, some books from the Lake Golden Age Collection, and more!

This show is going to have some great guests including The Captain himself, William Shattner, and Stan Lee!  Be sure to stop by our booth if you're looking for items to have signed, as we'll have a ton of great William Shattner and stan Lee comic books available.

This is going to be a great show and we look forward to seeing all our friends and customers there!