I’ve watched Bry’s channel. He doesn’t directly advertise the comics he is selling but explains the process of the business of the time, effort and profits he makes. He also gives good tips about CGC. To be honest I think it was a genuine mistake. There are so many variants floating out there it’s hard to keep track of all the art.
If it's art that I like I buy a copy but other than that I personally don't see the value in them or have a need for that Manu books to be in my collection.
I’ve always had very positive experiences buying from Bry, and I find his prices very competitive. I’m not into mystery boxes myself, but a lot of folks love them. I bought this recent box from Bry as a raffle ticket to potentially win one of the grand prizes, as a 1:500 chance of winning one of the top prizes was worth the expenditure to me. I don’t really care about the DellOtto slab, other than I think Bry got scammed by Marvel.
Absolutely. This guy says “I don’t know if Bry…..”, yet, he made the effort to display him as a snake 😂😂😂 doesn’t get more vulgar and clickbaity than that! And to judge him by saying “how could you have NOT known…” 😂 Citicizing someone trying to make a living shows how much this collector doesn’t know about comic business. To think that retailer incentives are “exposed” for what they are is also ignorance; THEY ARE INCENTIVES!! Nothing is hidden! It’s an INCENTIVE to SELL books, what is there to discover, Sherlock?! Such a poor depth of the comic book industry destroy any credibility this RU-vidr might have…..
@MehdiBouhalassa he's making a large assumption for all of the Exclusive retailers. I know Unknown has a big influence on the way their Exclusive covers are. That's why there's so many Homages. The stores tell the artists what to do.... obviously they sell. I just wish Unknown would list print runs. It's totally why NONE of their Exclusives are worth anything.
@stickygoosecomics I can speak somewhat on this as a recent buyer of Bry. He’s very upfront and fair in his practices and even in his own explanation of what happened he didn’t shy away from his mistake and owned up to his part of it. Which unlike some other big comic content creators and sellers is a credit to him as quite a few had mishaps with exclusives but didn’t take any responsibility of the blame themselves.
@@Stickygoose I’d maybe watch his video dude and perhaps make a follow up to this video as it seems a bit unfair to go after him entirely for the whole matter given what he’s said about what happened which even another big comic RU-vidr also confirmed is true
@@stichhavoc88did he tho? All he really did is try to place all the actual blame on Marvel, which is easy to do, and act like he was an innocent victim. You suckers keep saying tbis but he didnt own up to anything, and where are all those ppls refunds? All words are empty without that.
@@nunyabizwacks6711 why would he owe a refund? People got their books no con there. Also you had what Bry said backed up by no less than 2 independent comic channels. Say what you will but swagglehaus he did the digging and found what Bry claims to be true about this foreign cover having close to no data out there. Bry admitted his fault for not fully looking on his own which he said is a now a step he will take going forward with any covers
I got pointed here by a friend that I was mentioned in the video (I saw my thumbnail in this video around the 7 minute mark). Yeah, I bought a single box from Bry 9 months ago. I gave him the benefit of the doubt once to see what would be sent. Certainly not buying another one based on that box I bought last year.
Marvel reprints anyones exclusive they see selling well and sales them to retailers. Marvel is going broke fast their sales numbers are terrible so they steal.
@user-um4ru8vv3e they do the problem is marvel prints their own of that book and holds them. An exclusive is only exclusive for a year then marvel sales their prints. That’s how bry got duped he was so fixated on getting marvel to promise not to print anymore. He didn’t look at delottos past. Unknown got burnt on this with a Wonder Woman. 250 9.8s the rest we’re supposed to be destroyed. Well 1 year later marvels prints hit Walmarts everywhere.
I’m glad this happened as I really didn’t understand how these retail variants were done and this shed some light into what it really is. Can’t blame Marvel, can’t blame these influencers or sellers though. Really the blame falls on the consumers for buying bullsh$t and thinking it’s going to turn into gold. I don’t like where the industry is headed, these publishers just sub contracting work in demand just for a cover. This isn’t what comics were about, comic was one issue full story and cover. Now it’s let’s just slap a cover on whatever issue and have a gazillion variants cause we contracting that work on demand. Smh
and u got to keep in mind ppl just entering the hobby that are ignorant....sure buying mystery boxes or any of that shit is foolish, but there are also children and new ppl involved. These losers dont care as long as they are lining their pockets regardless of how it hurts the community / hobby or individuals in general. Bry, ComicTom, Key collector ppl, etc etc ALL GARBAGE.
Tbh I’ve never really had a problem with these influencer variants I’ve bought one just because I liked the art and I spent like 10 bucks. I enjoy a lot of those guys content I just ignore the variants they try and sell
I think anytime you buy a book it should be "BUYER BEWARE "...LOL... like any business the purpose is to make money, and sometimes I find that us as collectors are more thrift shoppers "looking for a deal" and we are looking to be thrifty in an environment that is trying to get the most for their product and create a high paying market. Like you said in the past that some people do not mind selling us a book that is overpriced, but will complain or shame us when we either see through that or try and sell them a book to make some kind of profit. All I can say is don't be discouraged, there are still some good people out there.
Agreed, the best vids on YT are guys who buy these mystery boxes, then watching the look on their faces as they open it, and the subsequent self-justification for buying garbage.
In full transparency, I have followed Bry since he quit his other job, and started doing the comic gig full time, and I have done a very fair trade with him as well to get one of my grails for my pc, so it's been a while, and have watched him be fully transparent with all his happenings. He's even told the community about some of his personal "stuff". So expect this comment not to be very flattering toward your take on the situation because it felt like you didn't do your due diligence before posting your video. If you did, you didn't tell your followers that you did, or I didn't hear you say it. First off, I have a question for you. Who gives you the right to tell the community to "stop buying these mystery boxes."? We're in the hobby to "collect what you like" and there are lots of people that truly enjoy getting mystery boxes, to support the people that do them, and want to add to their collection that way. I haven't bought one from Bry, however, I buy Comic Tom's monthly and have for years and never regretted any of the comics I bought from him. I know I'm getting a ton of his exclusives and other stuff like prints, and comics for kids, to just name a couple of "fun extras", which I'm ok with. I know if I wanted, I could sell some of them to be able to earn my money back, however, I choose to collect his exclusives as part of my pc. Second, you never once told your followers to go and watch Bry's videos to understand Bry's side of the situation and learn the real story according to Bry to be "fair" to Bry. However, that may not be the type of person you are. That cover was used 19 years ago on a foreign comic from Italy, and it wasn't until Josh the international collector (who's amazing and all should follow on IG) informed Bry about him about his cover. Bry, whom I believe, stated he had no clue it was used before. Josh and others went online to search for that ASM cover, and it never popped up. It does now, however, because of what to happened to Bry. Third, having listened to another retailer (Bird City Comics owner on Nearing Nerdvana, which is an amazingly fun, and positive community) who has done store exclusives, they had to sign a Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with both the big 2 for doing an exclusive. So they are under basically a gag order to talk about the "business side" of those exclusives. Fourth and finally, every person that bought a box was going to get either a 9.8 or 9.9 guaranteed. For the $250.00 investment for the mystery box, the return even now, despite the backlash, the sellers are still getting a lot of money for their $250.00 investment. I believe that Marvel dropped the ball and does need to be held accountable by explaining to Bry. On a positive note, I'm glad CGC made things right for you with your ASM 300. Aside from that, after watching this video, now I remember why I stopped following you a couple years back when I was getting back into comics.
Mystery boxes is a bunch of crap. Just a way for them to unload the junk no one wants and can't sell anyways. Glad you shed light on mystery boxes. We need to collectively stand firm as a comic book community and not buy into it.
I’m new to the hobby, and it’s very clear how the Marvel/DC covers are typically the least attractive, while these “exclusive” covers are more like artwork. I don’t like how some influencers make it sound like they are giving stuff away for cheap, like you should be thanking them. I have bought into some mystery boxes off whatnot, but at least semi-reputable stores.
I have never bought a mystery box and never will. As you point out, the odds are very much that you will end up with no books that you want. You essentially are buying a $250 raffle ticket. But I disagree on a couple points. Bry bought 3,000 of the books (or maybe more?) They're his property and he can do what he wants with them, including destroying 2,500, most of which likely did not meet his 9.8 requirement. As long as the actual number of existing copies are disclosed to buyers, I have no problem with that. However, I do agree that CGC should not be in the business of essentially "partnering" up with these guys. Secondly, I think Bry was duped by Marvel and/or the artist. As he and Swagglehaus have indicated, even a Google search does not bring up the Italian comic book that was published with this cover.
So I saw your front page for this video, and since I've bought from Bry before I thought I would watch. Lo! and Behold! There's my unboxing video screen grabbed! So I felt obliged to comment here since I'm officially part of your video. ;-) I can only surmise that I'm one of the 'schmucks' you mention in your video for buying a mystery box. I think people buy these for a few reasons. For some, the chance to to get a grail for a very low price is very enticing. Also, the 'mystery', can be a very fun experiment. Ultimately, I think each person has to decide if it's worth it 'to them'. Because what each person values is different. I can't deny being slightly disappointed, but I was genuine in liking the Alex Ross cover as he is one of my favs. But you're not wrong, most mystery boxes probably aren't going to net books for your PC. Mystery boxes will always be a bit of a gimmick, BUT, for some people they are a fun way to collect and have a chance at a book they may never have the straight up cash to purchase. So let's try to be a little nicer to fellow creators. (I felt a bit talked down to). I'm not big creator, I've just experimented with a couple one take videos. I plan on expanding to talking more about my PC and sharing some of the art I make. To anyone else, just remember (MYSTERY BOXES ARE A GAMBLE!) If you go into knowing that, you'll have a lot more fun with them.
Yup, I agree with 90% of what you said. However, the only problem I have with CGC destroying 2500 of the 3000 books is that they didn't destroy 3000 of them. Missed opportunity.
Couple of things. #1 buy what you like! If you dig the incentive covers, then buy them. I love how people try to influence the way you collect, by telling you to beware of influencers. Hello pot! Meet kettle! #2 I hate professional grading companies. What you described with cgc is justvobe of many reasons i hate them. So guess what? I dont send them my money. For you to bash how unethical cgc is, while sitting in front of your wall if cgc slabs, in the very definition of hypocritical. If you want to protect your book, Gator Guards do the same thing. Oh except artificially inflate values. Flippers love that part! #3 If you dont dig mystery boxes, then dont buy them! But why do you feel the need to sh*t on both the people who sell them, as well as the people who buy them? I have also watched a lot of videos of people opening Bry's mystery boxes, and the overwhelming majority are pleased with them. Thats why they keep going back. And lastly. Having an exclusive cover with your branding, is just cool. I think almost everyone in this community would love to have one. I know i would. So Bry got duped. It happens. The best he can do is to try and recover his loses. You painting out to be some kind of criminal is borderline slander. This community used to be about supporting each other. Now its cannibalizing itself for views. Its pathetic honestly. Not to mention shameful.
Couldn’t have said that any better! You know me and I’m a grading books guy but you’re right on all of it! Why is he still bashing CGC when they replaced his ASM 300 newsstand? Bet he wouldn’t be bashing him if he was in his shoes. Just grow the hell up
just cuz u own something doesnt mean u cant bash its flaws. And uplifting each other in the community? You mean these predatort YT influencers lining their pockets fro ignorant suckers and new-to-the-hobby people? GTFOH, go let comic tom tell u what to buy next. And better yet, donate him some more books so he can sell them in his mystery boxes. "Bry got duped" God, i hate to be harsh, but yall are gullible fucking idiots. Theres nothing wrong with making money, but its the manner in whicb its done that matters. These guys could care less about the comic community, or should i say "comic fam" 🤣😂 as long as they are getting rich. Its truly disgusting, and preying on ignorant ppl that just want to feel a part of something. Also, Bry trying to recover his losses? LOL thats laughable. Wheres the refunds to all the ppl that bought that garbage ass box, huh? Fuck his "losses" (which i can guarantee you, hes sittin pretty, he aint lost anything) Its always the guyd trying to talk about how much they love this "community" that are doing the most damage to it, including ppl like you, even if its unknowingly....cuz so many of you still havent figured out, and its always beem this way, but there is no "comic community", thats a farce. The hobby of collecting comics is a free for all, every man for himself thing, just like with anything else similar to this. The guys pushing the community narrative the hardest are the ones to look out for, the biggest sharks in the whole sea. And ESPECIALLY when it comes to social media and influencers trying to sell you stuff. That should be a no fuckin brainer. Dont know how some of you have been on this earth more than 30 or 40 years and still cant recognize this type of shit....its alarming and its why our society is in the shape its in to begin with. Waaaaaay too many ppl willing to buy someone elses snake oil, then turn around and praise it like its the greatest thing on earth. Stay ignorant my friends....or willingly being part of the proble..
It is important to remember that at the heart of any seller's motives is to make money. Brys Comics is there to make money period. So it does make good business sense for him to make these giveaways focusing on the high dollar grails and place the vast amount of the actual value of the books into a cheap centerpiece. He probably gets a good deal on those exculsive variant covers and grading by cgc in bulk like that; Then promotes it as a 200 dollar book so the buyers doesn't feel as bad when they open it. Regardless of how you feel about Brys Comics or the giveaway business gimmick, its always good to hear counterpoint to inform yourself to make choices. Thanks for the video.
Unfortunately this industry is more about buying what is on the outside of the comic (variant cover art) instead of buying the comic for the story and art. With all the crappy writers out there...
I felt Bry was let down by Marvel…they are the ones prostituting artists, and they screwed up big time with this ‘re-print’. I don’t think it’s cool to slag off and take the piss out of people in the comic community….whether it’s guys who make content for us, CGC, or people who are quite old enough to make up their own minds what they spend their money on. Wind your neck in.
U got it right about the mystery box unboxing videos….the people’s reaction are a car crash to watch. First reaction is always “ok this sick, great art not something I’d normally buy but I like it” then the probably pause the video look up the book online and eBay and realize it’s at best $3-5. And now they gotta put in work and time to instantly list the book on eBay. “Well it was just something fun I wanted try see what I could get” aka I just got swindled and have to take it with a smile
The destruction of the books is not market manipulation. Just because something is scarce does not automatically make it valuable. The market will decide what it's worth.
i mean they arent destroying the books just for the fun of it. Theres obviously a clear intent behind it whether they get the results they want or not. Its still manufactured scarcity 100%.
@@nunyabizwacks6711 Not arguing that; but there is a difference between manufactured scarcity and market manipulation. There has to be demand for that scarce item in order for it to be valuable. The Comic Book Investments channel here on YT likes to use the example of the Green Llama, a Golden Age comic book hero. Being GA books, they're pretty scarce, but no one really remembers who the Green Llama is, so there's not a whole lot of demand for them. "Scarce" does not equal "Valuable." True market manipulation is more like fake sales on Ebay. Those "sales" make their way into the price guides (GPAnalysis, GoCollect, etc.), and the market then has bad info from which to base decisions.
I normally agree with most of your videos but this one I do not. You should really educate yourself on Bry and how he does business prior to making a video which you clearly don't understand the full story. Watching a video about the topic then giving an opinion is not doing anyone in the his community a favor. If your you properly researched Bry you'd know he actually is one of the most transparent influencer in the community. No one who bought this mystery box gave a shit about the Dell'Otto exclusive. It was the main prizes that drew people to purchase it. Which he actually does a live draw for the grand prizes. So everyone knows if they won prior to even receiving the box. It's a freaken gamble either way. A lot of people would pay $250 for 1-499 chance of getting an AF 15 or your money back. It's a no brainer.
I waited in line for with my friend to get copies of Tankers #1 from bad idea so I could get the 1st customer pin in Chico. I was first in line and my friend was second. He showed up hoping to get the pin. Talked to him for a minute and he didn't know who Mister Miracle is. Then when the shop opened they only had 2 copies for sale. He argued with the shop owner. And somehow got ahold of the 2nd copy that my friend waited in line for. He didn't want to give it to him and had to be told it wasn't his. He stomped out of the shop telling the owner his business practices were bad
@@Stickygoose There's not much more to it. I also got the Eniac 1st customer pin the month before. It was going for up to $400 on Ebay. I showed it to him and he offered $50 for it. I told him no then he told me they were going to be exchangeable for exclusive comics. He tried to lowball me knowing they were exchangeable. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know anything about the history of the characters and their artists.
The concept of artificial demand in marketing is something I've been hitting on my channel for years. We should do another collab-video and have an open discussion about it sometime soon...
I just got back into comics last week and walked right into all this 😂 but I appreciate your take on it all. No excuse making. CGC should NOT be involved in any of this market manipulation. Anyways, I enjoy your channel. Great insights. Great background for your videos. Subscribed! Keep it up 👍🏽
I don't know about this one. The fact of the matter is just because you don't care for collecting modern books and variants does not make everyone else beholden to your feelings on it. The fact of the matter is a large segment of the collecting community likes collecting these books and it has absolutely no effect on you and I's collecting habits. You generally either collect for appreciation of the artwork or your collecting from a speculation standpoint either way its your personal preference. I don't understand all the hate that is always being spread by one side of the community on the rest simply because they are into collecting differently than them. We need to be better as a community and stop spreading the hate.
"Hate" is one of those words that seems to be overused in the comic book community. I don't think Sticky was "hating" as much as expressing his views on how silly he thinks mystery boxes are and some of the other issues relating to these retailer variants. They are just his views and you can agree with it or not. But I don't think it arises to the level of hate.
@@spinnerrackstudios I have to disagree, if your constant focus is trying to convince people that something either sucks, is nefarious, or that your stupid for buying something that is the very definition of spreading hate within the community. Of course he and all of us can have all the opinions we want but it is a far different thing to express an opinion in saying that you don't like something and the reasons why versus spreading unsubstantiated claims about others in the community without being in possession of all the facts. I see this a lot with some of the youtubers out there where they realize that making negative and triggering content gets them more views and comments which drives their advertising revenue.
My friend you're getting a ton of things wrong here. Shops do have input in retailer variants if they want to have it. Sometimes they work with artists sometimes they do not. Sometimes publishers give you a gallery of artwork you can purchase from to "slap" your label on. You're making broad generalizations here without understanding all the different options that you have. Now, let's talk about value. That book your moaning about has 500 in the world and Del'Otto is a heavily sought after artist. Let's talk about "artificial" scarcity, if there are only 500 of them left in the world and that has been confirmed, then that scarcity is real. Let's say there are 5000 collectors world wide that want that book. It's going to drive up value. We send off 50-100 books to CGC a month and we're at a 6 week turnaround. I can't speak to the mystery boxes this guy sends out. If he's using chase books and then never sending them out then that's illegal. Are you claiming that he didn't seen the chase books out? This guy is into those books for $16,000. He's got the printing cost for the exclusive and at least $22.00 a book to get em graded. He's allowed to make his money back man. If you don't want the stuff don't buy it that's all there is to this. On top of this, you have no skin in this game and it looks really douchey because you're saying things that can negatively effect someone's lively hood. He's not ripping people off.
I’m not into RU-vidrs exclusives but the one thing I will say is Bry doesn’t try and hide the fact that he’s a seller at all. Basically that’s all his videos are about is stuff he has for sale. Doesn’t do any top 10 videos or anything like that. It’s kind of like a RU-vid comic shop. Now as far as destroying books to make them rare I don’t agree with but it’s not my money and it doesn’t change my world if someone else wants to have at it.
@@Stickygoose I don’t get that either 🤷🏻♂️ we’ve always joked about buying up all the copies of a book and burning them all but one but he did it for real 😳
I (still) buy modern books at my LCS, and have to admit I can be a sucker for a cool variant cover (and at times pay a premium) but these are the publishers variants not a retailer or tubers. I do think Bry got dooped with the art, but this Vid makes some great points. But remember some of us that don’t have big bucks to buy expensive old keys are often looking for that hot modern book (they do exist: Walking Dead, Saga, Something is killing the kidos) …ultimately I buy what I plan to read. I love reading a floppy comic!!
It's really all about comic book ethics, marketing & selling worthless variants to an audience is despicable. I watched a swagglehse video a few weeks ago where he was mailing out his own comic book variant covers, which were limited, but he kept the "other" books that would keep the amount of comics "released" down to a certain number. Ethically what happens a year or 2 down the road?
I view mystery boxes as mindless consumerism and the only way to justify buying mystery boxes is to flip the books. So the books don't even matter and I just don't like that cycle. I also don't even get into speculation talk, I just wanna buy what I care about and listen to people talk about what's inside the books or what's in their collection. I've never hated on Bry, I'm a sub, but I don't pay attention to him and I largely agree with you. This video needed to be put out. Peddlers selling to peddlers.
I got out of the hobby because of these influencers and haven't looked back. These people are destroying a once great hobby because of their unbridled greed.
Serious question -- is the practice of selling mystery boxes considered a form of illegal lottery? As I understand it, Bry's Comics is based in California, and Section 319 of the California Penal Code sets forth definitions and examples for illegal lotteries. Mystery boxes are not specifically described but they seem to fall under the general umbrella of what's prohibited. I have no idea whether Bry (or anyone else selling mystery boxes in Cali and other U.S. states with similar laws) has investigated the legality of this business practice but it seems like a good idea to do so.
We have known that Exclusives are a big cash grab. I would rather them be destroyed by CGC than stores that say it's a 500 print run with a Numbered COA and then all of a sudden there is another 1K out there. Which would you rather have? Unknown Comics doesn't list their print runs at all. That is way worse and charging $30 a piece for them.
As someone whose been in the hobby only a short time and throughly enjoys new comics and “trashy variant covers” for the art of them,, I see nothing wrong with producing exclusive covers for the new generation of comics collectors. Marvel is a very shady company,, I don’t put it past them so reuse art without telling bry’s or the artist. Golden age comics collectors need to realize that new comics with 20+ variants are here to stay and very much enjoyed by younger collectors. No one can afford ASM 15 anymore at my age. We want our new ratios and variants to be signed and graded by the artist / writers cause that’s what we can afford. I’m tired of always seeing older age comics collectors throwing a fit bc people enjoy new comics and variants. This argument sounds more jealous than anything. You’re finding anything and everything to complain about.
I buy from Brys all the time, I get really great deals all the time, I get free comics from him often added to packages. He sent me the wrong comic once and sent me a return label and fix the problem really quick. I once won $500 in cash paid back to me on his whatnot show. He makes buying from him super fun. Everything is shipped well. I 100%enjoying buying from him. I also bought his limited comic and think its super cool. I 100% would buy from him again and also plan on buying more of his limited books in mystery boxes. Its super super fun. If people don't like to buy rare modern variants you don't have to buy them.
All I know is that I haven’t heard Bry paying anyone back for not researching the provenance of that art. I don’t need “positivity” I need accountability.
On a slight variation of your discussion point. I've been very hesitant to choose any of the grading companies to grade my most variable key comics. Ever since i got back into the hobby in 2019, after i quit in 1984 and just sat on my collection. Once a company that only prides itself on grading, steps across the border it starts to decay the trust of collectors. CGC needs to step back and look at their business model. I, for one, will not be getting anything graded in the immediate future. Till i feel secure in what they are doing. They should not have any affiliation with anyone that sells comic books. This feels like a major scam is about to get revealed. Hold tight...i think one of the other grading companies is going to grasp the mantle of being trusted!!
I actually think Bry has a cool way of doing a mystery box. If you think about it even though it's manufactured scarcety it still makes those variants more valuable ( to some) then you can sell that to cover the cost of the mystery box. At that point you are basically getting a free chance at some nice grails.
Im not a fan of any RU-vid channel that pump books but i only give Bry a pass because Im a Dell'Otto fan and this cover art is amazing. I know nothing of how the administration side of creating a comic book cover works, So i just stick to what i love and that awesome comic art. And because i don't know how any of this works I'll continue on with what i love best. COMIC BOOK ART. Thanks for giving us your perspective on this matter. Im sure we are not getting the entire story, and i dont have the energy to look into, I only have enough to energy to enjoy the amazing art that is released every Wednesday. Thanks again.
so you give a shitty guy a pass because you like artwork from some artist who has nothing at all to do with a guy?...hmm...I gotta buncha Del'Otto covers ill sell you....and dont mind me if i rob you blind, im sure you can give me a pass cuz u gon like these covers boii!
We all have to make money to survive. However I have no respect for anyone willingly scamming someone. Mystery boxes are just like scratch off tickets at the gas station.
I think your way off base. He has a retail side to his business. This is part of it. You know your odds as a buyer. Scarcity creates value, supply and demand.
True, if a big grail or grails are up for grabs, you have to figure out how many boxes there are and if it's worth taking a chance. There is a bit of a gambling aspect to it, but the gamble may be worth it depending on the value of the grail, the cost of the box and the chances of winning.
I get that your schtick is to be pessimistic and complain all the time but in this case I think the drama you're trying to create is weak and uninformed. Exclusive variants always include destroyed books. Always. That's the only way to have limited print runs. You act like he's the first person to do this. They aren't my thing but a lot of people like 'em. So what. And asking CGC to find and grade only the best ones then destroy the rest is a service they offered and he paid for. Not uncommon either. These weren't pre-assigned grades. As for the boxes, people paid $250 per chance to win an AF15, ASM1, etc, etc. Raffles are very common in this hobby. In this case, the losers at least got books. So all he did was give them away. What happens after that is not on him. He isn't "manipulating the market". You can hate on the boxes and laugh and call them junk but those $250 boxes got a number of people a $5K return just by selling the books on eBay. 🤷 TBH, this video comes off as if you heard about this from a friend, whose friend told him what his other friend heard and YOU wanted to be mad about it. Bry has put out videos with explanations. I'm not defending him but it seems like a bad case of assuming the cover was never used because Marvel said "here's one you can use". Why didn't he know better? Well it was from what...15-ish years ago(?) In a foreign market. Anyway, no hate buddy. I just think more research on this would have provided your subscribers better content.
CGC is in business of certification. They certified the destruction of books so that Bry got his sought after print run. Marvel makes people buy 1000 or so prints. But someone wants a print run of 250, they have to certify destroy in order to have the print run. How is a 1000 print run any more authentic than 250 by destroying the rest? I'd be more concerned if he didn't destroy because then someone can sell the extra. I appreciate your point of view, but CGC is not in bed with anyone or making anything. They certify whatever action they were paid for.
I first followed bry about 2 years ago/a year and a half when his channel had a small following and growing. Bought a mystery box (I was new to comics and now see how stupid mystery boxes are) and I was pretty stoked on it. I spent $150, got 2 slabs and 5 raw books. Fast forward a year I see he’s doing his 4th or 5th mystery box. Hulk 181 grand prize, the boxes were $200. At this point he had a huge following. I paid in, got the $200 mystery box, it only had 2 slabs, that’s it and as for the value of those slabs it had a value of supposedly $225 as advertised but realistically on eBay etc. they were going for as low as $30 for one of them I got and the other had no recent sales for 2 years. Just one recorded sale for $185. As his following has increased he has become more and more of just another clown trying to make as much money as he can off his followers. Since that box and how he handled it when I emailed him I stopped following him. Funny seeing Him get in some hot water for something because he is in the business of ripping People off. Not just random people. His own followers who watch him all the time and support him.
I've seen comic Tom and brys pages and they both are hustling the exact same miles morales retailer variant from what I can tell. How is that retailer specific if both have it. It's a close up of miles cover. Maybe u will look into it yourself. Maybe I'm wrong but If they aren't the same book they are very very close.
As far as I know retailers sometimes come together to "share" an artist exclusive. I know it happens a lot with Crain covers where Mutant Beaver, 7 ate 9 and others all have the same book.
thank you for another take on this. i watch most comic you tubers. but over half-Bry's, Garry, Comic Tom, even Mint Hunter-etc. but not what to buy. rather what to avoid. i like what i like but why buy a book that's super hot? i'll wait for it to drop. also if you're pushing me to buy a certain book at least say what you like? it seems aside from 9.8s, keys, variants, or in 1 case-Green Lantern. it's all about flipping. how can you talk about a hobby when you just treat it as a business?
Mystery boxes are dumb but gamblers like them. The business model used here is a sure fire hit to make money. Marvel made Bry enter a NDA so the detail of the working of the contract is secret. The print run of 3,000 is the lowest that Marvel will entertain. It was Bry's decision to destroy 2,500 so the scarcity becomes 500. As someone else mentioned in the chat, the carrot here is paying $250 for a mystery box that might contain AF15, Spidey 1 etc.. it is a no brainer to many that gambling $250 is worth that 1 in 500 chance. In it to win it. I genuinely think that the re-use of Otto art was not intentional.
One of the most trash mystery boxes I've ever seen unboxed came from Bry. He seems like an alright dude, but I see your point. He's a seller at the end of the day and this is a mess he got himself in to. Great video as always Strap On 😜
Before you trash someone..at least watch their content for yourself..overseas content isn't often seen here..blame the company that sold him what was supposed to be exclusive..not that it matters but I'm a little disappointed..you've always been above board
This video kind of lame I just feel like at this point if you don’t understand that if someone makes there own stuff like a comic book and sells it and pushes it you never will and with how many videos you have put up saying this it’s just kinda getting old. find new content not just reiterating controversy
Get um Sticky ! 😂😂 That's why I don't purchase any of that crap. Ima cover A guy and I'm getting away from most of the new trash. Only Collecting Silver Age and Bronze Newsstand. Keep your foot on there Necks Sticky I'm loving every minute of it ! 😂😂😂
I don’t think bry is a bad dude he is a comic book seller. He has never claimed to be anything other than a dude who buys and sells books and a collector himself. This whole situation was more on marvel then him. Honestly anyone with a pair of eyes can see that. How was he supposed to know this art was done 19 years ago in another country. You can’t even find that art online anywhere so how the hell was he to know. I don’t know the dude personally I have bought from him and got good books that I was not over charged for at the end of the day that is what makes me mad. I could care less if this guy really collects or if he is only in it for money. All I care about is am I getting the right price and good product.
This is interesting. So, between CGC and Marvel and the NDA's for the Art, those who paid 5K in Ebay auctions, do the NDA's protect all parties from potential lawsuits? In this game of hot potatoes, who loses? Even the appearance of harm is problematic at best. Bry would have to prove no one in the chain intended to do harm. I did not find that issue slabbed on the CGC census, others before and after. On eBay you see the listing like this now "Dell'Otto Amazing Spider-Man Original Euro Variant 2004 Artwork Not Bry's Comics:" - This appears to have poisoned the well for everyone, even the Italian version. I wonder if the 9.9 listed for 16K will still happen? 🤣 I predict they get lucky and accept a best offer of $90~$100.00 and that's crazy money.
@@Stickygoose Ya, that's going to hurt folks. These new owners are now competing with the Panini editions from 2004. When the original print start to get slabbed wht then? Even if folks chose where the monies belong it is still the second use. The 1st printing of that cover has way more than the 480 prints that Bry released. The L'uomo Ragno is in the thousands and a mint copy will set you back 20~50.
I am ROTFLMAO! The screen shot of Bry as a snake is classic 😂! But in all seriousness! You are NOT wrong with all these variant pump and dump junk. Influencers and speculators have literally sucked all the fun out of collecting. The flip side is I will purchase a variant if the cover is cool like the recent Darth Vader Eastman variants. Going to get them signed because Kevin rarely does work outside the turtles. STILL a LOT of influencers are for the money. That’s fine so long as it’s not mine.
they claim to love the community, or ComicToms patented infamous phrase, the "Comic Fam"....but the reality is, they dont give a shit if all this helps implode the whole thing as long as they are lining their pockets.
Not going to lie but this video is slander and there’s no proof that Bry is doing anything that can be considered unethical or deceitful. His transparency videos are made on his own accordance to try to be transparent. We may never know the truth but i believe it’s wrong that your making accusations and assumptions
I agree with the slander charge! If more people felt this way he’s boxes wouldn’t be selling out in a day! Remember we’re a small community and unscrupulous dealings would soon put him out of business! I believe he is an asset to the community and is sincere individual! I’ve had dealings with him and received a cracked cased double the return that I was asking! I will agree with you on one point that the value when it pertains to mystery boxes are not there! It was my one and only box I will purchased!
So theres alot of people who do variants. Mostly are shared to keep the cost down. As far as what happened to bry....that was unfortunate. To adress the artificial market.....who cares if he shreds 2999 copies or 1. If someone's willing to pay for it, who cares. The market dictates what has value. One mans trash. And why do you tell people what to collect. You shouldn't put down what people buy. The cgc thing....well thats another deal. They've been doing collectables beyond comics for years.
It's supply and demand: nothing wrong with what Bry did. Creating an initial perceived demand and then stoking that interest to sell more or for a higher price is what American industry and consumerism is based on.
Very Gary is a little different… he actually works directly with the artist. No flim flam from him. He is very transparent. Although I’m not a big Comic Tommy fan he also appears to be working directly with artists. Overall I do not believe in manufactured scarcity. True rarity only comes over time.
Not really rarity is amount something is released or offered out in the world. Just because something like ASM 300 has like quadruple in price past few years doesn’t make it a rarer book. They printed +100k of em. Whether it was worth $4 20 years ago or $4000 next year. The amount still out in the public is still roughly the same.
I bought these boxes for a chance for a grail book. I could care less for the retail ratio books. I actually made a profit with the latest box but I can’t say that for the others.
