"What was the most beneficial super power for anyone who works at the stash?" " Be able to read minds." " Read minds?" "Yeah." "Let's say, for instance, some guy comes in with an action figure..." " Okay." " Looking to sell it." " Right." " The negotiation is over." "Yeah, but that might not be the price that you'll get." "So what?" "I don't have to do-si-do anymore with the dude." "Don't you like that little bit of back and forth?" "No." "I'd much rather be done with it." "What about you?" "What would be the best power to have?" "Invisibility." "Nobody would ever steal from here again." "So now, I'm paying you just to stand at the front door and be invisible for eight hours a day?" "He performs the same task as a fake security camera." "What about you?" "You got one?" "I can't think of one that I would waste." "I can stay here." "Hello, and welcome to another episode of Comic Book Men, the only show that thought itself worthy enough to lift Mjolnir, but only got real Thor." "I'm Kevin Smith." " Bryan Johnson." " Walt Flanagan." " Mike Zapcic." " Ming Chen." "I'm hungry for food, and I'm hungry for answers, man." "What happened at the store this week?" "The other day a guy brought in a couple of items... something that I remember from my childhood." " Hey, how you doing?" " What's cracking?" " What's going on, now?" " What's up, man?" "Got a question for you." "Are you guys into any of that John Kaiju stuff?" "What do you mean, like Godzilla?" " Godzilla, stuff like that." " We're into that." " What do you got?" " Ready?" "Ready?" " Oh." " Boom, check it." " Ultraman, right?" " You got it." "I'm a big Ultraman fan." "It's kind of cult here in the U.S., wouldn't you agree though?" "Right, right." "Well, yeah." "I was raised on it," " my man, I was raised on it." " Oh, yeah?" "I have never seen Asian people before, until I started watching Ultraman." "So there you go, my man." "There you go." "Goes around in a big circle, right?" "Was it a big surprise to you when you found out they all couldn't turn into Ultramen?" "Yeah, it was, you know." "I was a fan of Ultraman." "He was a protector of the asians." "I was a big fan." "I don't recall watching any episode where he just declared," ""I'm only gonna protect Asian people."" "Okay, well, I didn't see that part, but I mean... that part I made up in my head and heart." ""Ha ha ha ha, let those white people die, Ultraman."" "Where'd you get these at?" "A friend of mine was teaching conversational English in Japan." "He knew I was an Ultraman geek, so he kind of, sort of worked around the law to get them to me, because they were not allowed to be released" " out of the country." " Really?" "You're looking at some contraband." "So there you go." "Are you sure that there wasn't something packed" " inside the Ultraman?" " No, no, no." "Come on, man." "I don't know how much I believe that." "I can't imagine that there was some sort of ban on, you know... like midnight express." "He has, like, a bunch of Ultramans around his waist." "Guns trained on him." "All right, what are you wanting for them?" "Like, a hunny apiece." " A hundred apiece." " Oh, oh, a hunny apiece?" "A hunny apiece." "Oh, so your looking to get 200 for these?" "See, I really don't know that much about the pricing of them, but I do have someone in the store today who actually, probably does." "Would you mind if I brought him over?" " Sure, why not." " Hey, Robert?" " Yeah." " Can you come here for one sec?" "Sure thing, Walt." "More than just a pop culturalist, Rob Bruce, who we turn to for a lot of deeper looks to some of the products that come through the doors... also world renowned as the kaiju expert." "Yeah, he's, like, the collector." "He just goes around collecting titles." "Sound battlers, wow." "This was actually produced as a show called Ultraman towards the future." " In Australia." " Right." "This was distributed in the U.S." "This was the last time that actually Ultraman was on the U.S. soil." " Mm-hmm." " So he's come in today." "He wants to sell them." "He's looking to get a hunny each." " What's a hunny?" " A hundred, c-note, Benjamin... is that a fair price would that I'd be paying for these today?" "Well, I... you know, if they were boxed... but the thing is, the reason they didn't come in boxes, my buddy had to smuggle these bad boys through." " Contraband, he's saying." " Contraband." "I don't understand that." "I think he just could've mailed them and not worried about it." "How about 1990... 93, 94?" "I've got a pretty big collection, and a lot of it I bought in the '90s, and I wasn't smuggling it out ofapan." "It's about to get heated up in here." "Well, my stuff is smuggled." "Getting back to $100 apiece..." "I don't see that." "So, Robert, what is the retail on these two pieces?" "Probably $65 apiece, which means if I was going to buy them," "I'd buy them for 25 bucks apiece." "Wow." " But that's me." " Kicked me in the nuts." "Didn't even lift your leg." "Oh, my lord." " That's him." " That's him." " Yeah." " We talking to you." "I mean, I'd be more interested in this guy than the Australia one." "The narrow... what are... what are... what are you looking at?" "The other thing to concern yourself with... oh, man, he's back." "It's bandai." "It's not x-plus." "Now, if they were x-plus figures, they'd be hot." "40?" "60." " 45." " 55." "I'm gonna..." "I'm gonna stay at 45." " Ten bucks?" " Ten bucks is ten bucks." "It's the difference between making a profit and breaking even." "Keeping the lights on and having them turned off." "I think you better watch out." "You're about to have your lights turned out, it looks like." "Okay, all right, all right, I'll go 50." "And, you know it, just..." "50 as long as he don't- he walked out in one piece?" " Yes." " Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." " 50 and no punch." " Is that good?" "50 and no punching?" "He just saved you." "50 and no punching." " We good?" " We're good, 50." "You owe us, rob." "I think I do." "Kevin, as promised, I'm here." "Brought something special to show you guys." " Oh." " Oh, my God." "I don't mean this in an... in a bad way, but at times, I find myself challenged by, like, hanging out with you guys." "But I think, like, if I had myself to talk to and hang out with, like, go to ball games, go out to dinner with..." "I think I'd be really, really happy." "Like, you're driving down the street." "You see a comic book shop, and you're like," ""ooh, let's stop there," and he's like..." ""should we stop?" And, you know, like, my clone" " goes, "why'd you even ask?"" " Right." "We're not together all the time, but we spend as much time together as humanly possible." "So you guys don't bang is what you're saying?" "Well, that's..." " that's good to hear." " Well, I mean, come on." "I mean, we have so much in common." "Eventually it's gonna cross our minds." "Maybe he'd turn... he'd turn you." "If anybody could turn me, it's me." "Captain America:" "Winter soldier." " That's a one." " Put plus one on there." " Batman:" "Earth 1." " Put down plus three." " Hey, guys." " Kevin." " How's it going?" " How you doing?" "As promised, I'm here." "Brought something special to show you guys." "So one of the coolest things that we've been doing lately is hitting the con circuit." "And the coolest part's meeting some of the big creators that we'd buy our... naturally, man, you're rubbing elbows." "You're right there with them." "And one of the guys that we've been kind of making friends with is Kevin eastman, co-creator of the teenage mutant Ninja Turtles." "Heroes on the half shell, man." "Heavens." "Last time we saw him at a con, he mentioned that he had, in his possession, the first ever turtles sketch" " that he did." " Really?" "And he said if he was ever in the area, he would show us, and sure enough, he came in." "It's the turtles' 30th anniversary this year, and so we're doing a lot of shows, celebrating all the awesome thing that the turtles have done." "30 years later, you're still talking about turtles." "Did you ever think that your idea would profit this long?" "You know, not in a million years." "I mean, when Pete and I started out, we grew up as huge fans of Jack Kirby." "That's all we ever wanted to do, is write, and draw, and tell our own stories, and you know, we sent sampled around to different publishers, got all the rejection letters that everybody gets," "and so instead of sending it to anybody else, we said, "let's just publish it ourselves." "Let's do it as a real, independent comic book."" "And then we cleaned out all $200 of Pete's bank account." "We borrowed $1,000 from an Uncle of mine, and we had just enough money to print 3,000 copies." " Wow." " It was the first press run." "It sounds like Kevin's story." "Maxed out ten credit cards and made this little movie he thought no one would see, and here we are." "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was not meant to become what it became." "It was kind of a play on what was going on with Frank Miller's daredevil at the time, if I remember correctly." "Eventually, it gets picked up, turned into a cartoon series." "It's become video games." "It's become toys." "But it came from two dudes, sitting around in Massachusetts, not working for anybody, but having fun with themselves, just going, like, "wouldn't this be cool?"" "It's a true American success story." "All right, man, but... so can we see what's inside the case?" "Yes." "As promised, I wanted to bring you guys a special treat, and I actually found two things, one I think you'd get a real big kick out of." "This is the layouts for the very first issue." " No way." " Yeah." "So what we did was I did all the basic notes of the pacing on yellow, lined paper, and then, before we started on the actual version layout, I did these layouts." "And this is, you know, how broke we were in those days." "So this is page one, two, and three, and then, on the back is page four and five." "Did you know right from the start the perfect animal would be a turtle?" "The first big inspiration was Bruce Lee." "I was like, "what if Bruce Lee was an animal?" "What would be the dumbest animal Bruce Lee would be?" "And the natural joke was a slow moving turtle that could do martial arts." "I got to tell you, man, this beats any fine art" "I've ever seen in a museum." " Thank you." " I mean, this is like seeing, like, an original, like, Michelangelo, right?" "Or the sketches before he created the Mona Lisa," " or something." " Yeah." " Is that what he did?" " No." "It was one of them." "It was Leonardo, but he... so you want to see where it all came from?" "The very first doodle... this is the one I showed Peter." "It was started as a pencil sketch, and then I had to ink it in just to clean it up a little bit." "The suspense is killing me." "This rarely leaves the vault." "I figured I'd show you guys where it all started." "Oh." "Here it is." "This may be the most accurate detailed swamp thing figure ever produced." "This is a super rare, vintage piece." "Oh, my God, where'd you get it?" "The teenage mutant Ninja Turtles have been around now for decades." "There've been many incarnations." "Let's shoot around and go favorite incarnation of turtles." "For me, I'm gonna say, hands down, the black and white original incarnation." "What about you, Walt?" "This turtle doesn't get enough props as he should, 'cause he's the first turtle to wield the sword... touche turtle from Hanna Barbara." "Oh, my..." "I don't think anyone's ever made that drawing comparison." "Holy crap, you're right, man." "He was the original turtle with a weapon." "Oh, good lord." "What about you, Ming?" "Who can forget the first movie?" " Oh, big fan of it." " It was a good balance too, between the source material and making it more mainstream." "Like, I remember being in the movie theater and not feeling like," ""we're watching a kids' movie." "What about you, Bry?" "It would have to be the movie that I saw with you since it's the only exposure to turtles I ever had." "So the other day, we got a little turtle power in the store." "Kevin eastman, co-creator of the teenage mutant Ninja Turtles." "Last time we saw him at a con, he mentioned that he had, in his possession, the first ever turtles sketch" " that he did." " Really?" "And he brought it by into the store." "That's a piece of comic book history coming through the door, man." "30 years later, here I am, still talking about turtles, still going out and meeting the fans and doing all that fun stuff, so I figured I'd show you guys" " where it all started." " No way." "You want to see the very first doodle?" "This rarely leaves the vault." "Oh." " Oh, my God." " They've changed a bit." "A little bit." "Wow." "A lot of people ask me what my favorite turtle is, and you know, I love them all." "It'd be like choosing a favorite child, you know what I mean?" "But Michelangelo was the first turtle ever drawn, so is near and dear to me." "He's got the red cloth." "He's got the bulletproof glass." " Some lucite casing inside?" " Yeah." " That's pretty cool, man." " Oh, yeah." "The original drawing of the turtle, that, without it, there is no teenage mutant Ninja Turtles." "How many people do you think try to shoot that sketch?" "So you showed it to Pete, and you're like, "what do you think?"" " "Check it out."" " Yeah." " And what was his reaction?" " Just laughed." "He said, "that's the dumbest thing ever."" "And of course, then he had to do a drawing to top mine, so... and of course, I had to top his sketch, and that's where I did the pencil of all four of them," "and had it for 30 years, and we do a lot of work with a lot of different charities, and so we figured with the 30th anniversary, it would be a great time to sort of put it out there," "and see if there's someone that would pay the amount of money" "I want for it, $2 million." "And if they don't, then I'll just keep it, but if they do, then we can do a lot of good with it." "So this is your first stop for the independent buyers?" "What do we got?" " Yeah, I think I have... 500,000 each?" "I'll hit the ATM." " Wow, that's high." " Yeah." " There's only one in existence." " True." "And it's the bridge to everything." "I mean, it's generated billions." "Well, guys, listen, and chat about this stuff, but I have to run." "Thank you so much." "Listen, a pleasure... an absolute pleasure." "Bryan..." " nice to meet you." " Listen, thank you so much." " Kevin, thank you so much." " Take care of yourself." "Don't let these guys beat you up too badly in here." " I'm trying." "I'm trying." " That's true." "Thanks again." "See you soon." "All right, man, thanks." " Have a great day." " Hi." "Hey." "I was hoping to check out the swamp thing in the back." "Can you bring up the swamp thing Matty collector" " out of the glass case, please?" " Yeah, no problem." "Thanks." "Here it is." "Huh?" "Huh?" "Wow, this is really great." "It's beautiful." "This may be the most accurate, detailed swamp thing figure ever produced." "I mean, it's got everything from the roots throughout his body, the mushrooms, and the tubers, right here, all along his back." "And those are important." "You'll definitely want those." " Tell them about the tubers." " Well, it was swamp thing's way that he was able to consummate his relationship with Abigail." "So she would take a bite out of it and be able to experience" " everything that he experiences." " Really?" "So they could kind of share a moment together." "It's kind of like..." "I guess it was kind of like doing ecstasy or something." "The first time I'm gonna say this, but I think I'd eat a dude's tuber." "I love swamp thing, kids." "Like, that was the first comic book" "I ever read where they took a very dopey premise and turned it into absolute literature, man." "That's the stuff that made me want to try writing comic books, 'cause they took it so seriously and so earnestly." "There was no winking." "They went deep inside their heads and made them, kind of, emotional beings for the first time." "So those issues will always mean the world to me." "Absolutely." "So what makes swamp thing your favorite character?" "My job is pretty dark." "Sometimes I just want to get away and think of something that's gonna take me kind of far away." "What do you do for a living that's so dark?" "I'm a mortician." "Wow." "I mean, I know what it's like to work with dead weight, but not on that level." "Not on that level." "That's insane." "I found it strange that, since she works as a mortician, it would raise her spirits to read swamp thing." "I could see doing anything other than dealing with a dead body would raise your spirits, you know what I'm saying?" "And reading a comic book can be very life affirming." "Ming had such a dead eye in his look the whole time, she actually tried to embalm him on the spot." "All right, well, will you take swamp thing today?" "Yeah." "It's gonna go home with me." " All set?" " Absolutely." "All right, let me put him in his little head case, and it'll be 99.95." "I was hoping to not spend that much today." " Really?" " I was hoping a little bit more around 75." "I don't know if I could do that much off." "I could do 90, you know, take 10% off today." "Can you do 85?" "Yeah, I can do 85." " Great." " You want to grab the box?" " Yeah, I'll grab the box." " Okay." "All right." "How many, like, are these in the world would you estimate?" " I'd say 15." " 15." "This is considered, like, a holy grail" " of Star Wars collectibles." " Oh, my God, holy grail." "If you guys could spend just 24 hours at either Arnold's, meeting The Fonz and the gang, or at pop's, meeting Archie and the gang, which one would you spend the 24 hours in?" "I mean, I think you just said the key word, there..." "The Fonz." "But you go to Arnold's, you're nothing but set dressing." "But you go Archie..." "Riverdale, you may actually have a chance of, like, becoming one of part of the gang." "You could replace, like, moose maybe." "I mean, I'm sorry." "Like, with Archie, is he the coolest one in Riverdale..." "Archie?" " Yeah." " Oh, you could unseat him in a second." "Yeah, you're right." " I'm going to Riverdale with you." " You would clean up." "You would have Betty, Veronica, and midge, and Ethel." " Here you go, need a bag?" " No thanks, we're good." " Thank you very much." " Hey, guys." "I have a vintage, 1977 Star Wars movie banner that was displayed in the theater when the movie first premiered." "Wow, looks like a flying carpet." "This is a super rare, vintage piece." "This is considered, like, a holy grail of Star Wars collectibles." "Oh, my God, where'd you get it?" "My father was friends with a guy who owned a movie theater that premiered Star Wars in 1977." "So my father would drop me off before he went to work," "I would stay there all day and watch the movie over and over again, and he'd pick me up on the way home." "And then, when the movie finished playing" " I actually got it for Christmas." " Wait, wait, wait." "So how many times did you see Star Wars that summer?" "Oh, I can't... at least 1,000 times in my lifetime." "Okay, so how can you still hold any affection for it after seeing it that many times?" "I love it, I still love it." "I still watch it." "That's clockwork orange level of torture." "You could sit through it if I tell you." "Which movie have you seen the most, over and over again?" "I saw raiders of the lost ark 35 times" " in the movie theater." " In the theater?" "My mom would drop us off at the movie theater and I would jump five movies in a day, and they'd come pick me up at the end of the day, and they were like, "you beat the system."" "There's got to be 34 other films out there I want to see." "Even a movie you didn't want to see, just to break the monotony a little." "How many, like, are these in the world right now" " would you estimate?" " I'd say 15." "I mean, in the world." "I've actually had it appraised from Lucasfilm." " Oh, all right." " So you went to the top." "So you already know what it's... what it's..." "I know what its value is." "So what are you looking to get for it?" "7,500." " Really?" " Yep." "But that's what Lucas himself has said, "this is probably"" " "what it's worth."" " Yep." "Well, it's definitely cool." "I could see the stash making a play for it." "What would you offer?" "How about 3,250?" "I'm thinking 55." "How 'bout 35?" "Nah, I got to go a little higher than that." "I think I'm probably firm at 35, considering." "I don't think I could part with it for that amount." "All right, man." "I understand." "Get the man his noodle." "All right." "Definitely cool to see." "I mean, you know, I've never seen anything like it." "All right, guys, well, let's see." "When the new movies come out, if they're a hit, and I'm sure they will be..." "I think they're gonna be." "You excited?" "I'll be there." "How many times a day?" " Yeah." " Seven days a week." "I've already asked for the time off of work." " Thank you." " One thing is for certain." "There is a lot of star wars merchandise out there." "Ugh!" "Like, you ever see that movie, wall-e, where the planet's just covered with garbage?" "If they zoomed in on it, it would be a lot of Star Wars garbage." "And that's all we got for you this week, man." "Just like that big old secret, we gotta ooze out of here, man." "For Comic Book Men, I'm Kevin Smith." " Bryan Johnson." " Walt Flanagan." " Mike Zapcic." " Ming Chen." "Go, ninja." "Go, ninja." "Go." "Good night."