Here we go again.... Spider-Man and the Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do. If you haven't heard of this comic yet, don't worry because it just hit the store shelves this past August. That's right folks. Come and get your freshly slabbed CGC copy for a mere 89.00! Or (if you find yourself short on funds) walk into any comic book specialty shop and pick it up at... COVER PRICE!

Yes, the latest recipient for the CGC Hall of Shame award goes not to the poor sap who spent nearly 90 bucks for a brand new $3 comic but to ALL RETAILERS who slab freshly printed books and then immediately turn them over for an outrageous amount. The eBay auctioneer promoted this comic as "...amazing 9.9 MINT with WHITE PAGES. I have yet to see such a high grade anywhere on this issue." Considering the ink on this book has yet to dry, this is hardly breaking news. Looking at the CGC website, there has been 33 copies of this book slabbed to date. All were in the upper echelon of the NM range (obviously). Why CGC would slab such a book in the first place is beyond comprehension. Perhaps the thinking is to preserve the best copies of this book for the future. If so, then this explanation would be acceptable. Why retailers are promoting such slabbed books today (and not 10, 20, 30 years from now) is unacceptable - period. Some might argue that its not the retailers fault but the people who bid on such books. True. But such craziness is not limited to eBay.

To the left, is another copy of this book from a known dealer in the Chicagoland area. Notice the $50 price sticker displayed on the CGC sleeve? Granted, owning a comic shop isn't the most profitable business one can have and capitalizing on a fad (CGC?) is good for business - at the moment. However (reflecting on "The Hare & Tortoise" tale) its the steady but true retailer that will succeed over time. The lure of CGC books might bring in a quick buck today but tomorrow is another story.

In closing, let me state the following so there is no miscommunication. I support the small business owner. The honest comic shop proprietor who rises each dawn to offer the public a variety of publications in which we can lose ourselves in for a short time. I support Marvel Comics and Spider-Man. Marvel is one of the mainstays of the industry and I’ve had the opportunity to correspond with the such EIC’s from Shooter to Quesada. I support Kevin Smith (writer of this mini-series) and his other projects. I even support CCG (sorta). They have a good idea, however, its an idea that seems to be going askew. This is why the CGC Hall of Shame page exists and will continue until the blatant overpricing of CGC graded modern age books ceases. Thanks to John M. for submitting this auction (and several others which were just as outrageous). I'll be posting future CGC graded books that fetch hundreds of dollars which (w/o the slabbing) would only cost a few bucks. If you want to get in on the action, send the URL's of winning bids of outrageous CGC graded books to the webmaster. To submit a comic for consideration, please follow these simple rules The comic must be from the past 20 years. The comic must be from an on-line auction house. The comic must be CGC graded and fetch a minimum winning bid of 10X Overstreet Guide. Spawned in CGC hell   *   *   Who's the real Joker?   *   *   Spidey enters Web of Shame And you thought Bullseye was crazy?   *   *   11.0 - Ultimate CGC Mint   *   *   CGC: Good, Bad, & the Ugly FastCounter by bCentral