Post Your Latest Purchase

[Martin]

My wife would be jealous...she loves Pinots. I find them a bit too light and vaguely perfumed for my taste, but I have had a few that were quite good...I suspect this one of yours would join that rarified club.

I completely agree with you on Pinot's. This one while while still pretty light does not have that flowery or perfume taste. Two others that fit that bill are Ken Wright cellars and Domaine Drouhin from the Willamette valley. Those two are more than double the price of Road 31 though. I will take a Walla Walla Cabernet or a Rogue Valley Syrah over any Pinot though. Did have a bottle of Road 31 last weekend. Good but pretty young. Needs a couple of years in the bottle.

[RonClinton]

I completely agree with you on Pinot's. This one while while still pretty light does not have that flowery or perfume taste. Two others that fit that bill are Ken Wright cellars and Domaine Drouhin from the Willamette valley. Those two are more than double the price of Road 31 though. I will take a Walla Walla Cabernet or a Rogue Valley Syrah over any Pinot though. Did have a bottle of Road 31 last weekend. Good but pretty young. Needs a couple of years in the bottle.

Yep, for me it’s all about the Cabs. I stray some, but that smooth, deep, oaky character is my default wheelhouse. For her, though, we’ve been meaning for a couple decades to do a Pinot vineyard tasting tour in that NW Oregon region....someday we’ll get it done. I think this year — Covid allowing — we’re finally going to hit the Walla Walla area, another local winery hotspot that for some reason we’ve yet to visit.

[Martin]

Yep, for me it’s all about the Cabs. I stray some, but that smooth, deep, oaky character is my default wheelhouse. For her, though, we’ve been meaning for a couple decades to do a Pinot vineyard tasting tour in that NW Oregon region....someday we’ll get it done. I think this year — Covid allowing — we’re finally going to hit the Walla Walla area, another local winery hotspot that for some reason we’ve yet to visit.

If you like Cabernets you will love Walla Walla. It is a region of big bold reds. Just don't go in August, it is unbearably hot. The food scene there really caters to the wine tourism as well. Not a Pinot to be found though.

[TacomaDiver]

In the time of Covid, I have found myself buying more art than ever before. I think it's because there haven't been any comic book or pop culture conventions, artists have become more available for commissions, and more people have had the opportunity to buy originals that perhaps were only available at a particular convention.

So here are some of my recent adds to my art collection:

First is a sketch from an artist I have loved for years - Terry Moore. He's probably more known in the comic book world as the creator of Strangers in Paradise, but has also done work for Marvel, along with more of his own creations - like Motor Girl.

At ECCC 2018, I was able to get a pencil sketch of Francine from SiP (I still wish I could have also got the companion piece of Katchoo, but alas I did not,) but I've always wanted something else from him. Earlier this month, he had a Sketch Sale, along with some other deals over the course of a weekend. Based on how he did the sale, there wasn't any real chance to get a preview of what was going to be listed, and at what cost, you pretty much had to find a sketch that was still available and buy it. No opportunity to look around. I know this made a lot of people mad, but it wasn't all that bad. I say that because I managed to snag a pencil sketch of Sam and Mike. Even though this wouldn't have been my first choice, I still love the piece:
IMG_4918.jpg


Next is something from an artist that won't be a surprise to anyone who knows me - David Petersen. For the second year in a row, he did an OnlineCon where he had guests on his Twitch channel (he had some really great ones this year!) and had a great sale on his store, along with a ton of new items. Like last year, he was offering toned paper sketches and fully inked pages, but the fully inked paged either sold out so fast or I just never saw them, and since I already have two toned paper sketches, I was looking for something else.

One of his items this year was this print:
IMG_4919.jpg

There are so many things about this image I love, but the wife really loves the butterflies. So when the store was opened officially, and the great discount code was activated, I used all of my luck to grab the original inked artwork that the print was made from:
IMG_4920.jpg

While I missed out on getting a custom fully inked page, I'm satisfied with what I did mange to get. Now to frame these two together somehow.

And lastly, something for the wife. One of the artists we follow on-line and watch on Twitch is Brian Miller - aka Oktopolis. During some of the on-line conversations, we've learned that he's really good friends with the principal creator and writer of the old Jem and the Holograms cartoon from the 80s. My wife LOVES Jem and the Holograms, and one evening I asked if she needed a Jem commission. Of course. And then she promptly forgot about.

Brian has mentioned that he too is a huge fan of Jem, and when IDW published a series of comics a few years ago, he inquired about doing some covers (he's done many comic book covers, Marvel, DC, even IDW, and also is the co-founder of a comic book coloring company called HiFi) but was turned down since IDW wanted to keep all of the creators women. When I get.

So while inquiring about a commission. he presented an idea to do a larger 11x17 full color painting of the full band, with some crazy 80s background elements. So it was agreed. I would let him go wild with this. It ended up taking his twice as long as he said (8 hours vs 4 hours,) and he streamed every session (which you can see on YouTube) and came up with something that blew me away. Totally outrageous indeed.

Oh, and my wife had no idea it was for her, until he told her on the fourth and final YouTube stream.
Jem_SketchPaint.jpg

The image is even more colorful in-person and still blows me away. Many more details, so much more depth in the real version. Next to get this framed in something equally outrageous.

[RonClinton]

That's a really cool and thoughtful gift for your wife, TD -- I'm sure she loved it. I mean, looking at it -- how could she not (and I don't even know who/what Jem is!)??

[Martin]

Beautiful additions and a wonderful gift for your wife!

[mhatchett]

Got a few packages last week. Yes, the Tarzan tea tin seems a little random, but if you knew me, it makes perfect sense.

[RonClinton]

Last week was a Centipede and Suntup kind of week -- which is the best kind of week. I received the ENDER'S WAY from Centipede and the two new Suntup AE Heinlein HCs I had on preorder with Camelot.

[Sock Monkey]

Last week was a Centipede and Suntup kind of week -- which is the best kind of week. I received the ENDER'S WAY from Centipede and the two new Suntup AE Heinlein HCs I had on preorder with Camelot.

I received my ENDER’S WAY as well as the new Woolrich and Lafferty books. ENDER’S WAY is very nice. I really like the capped slipcases that Centipede has been doing lately.

[RonClinton]

I received my ENDER’S WAY as well as the new Woolrich and Lafferty books. ENDER’S WAY is very nice. I really like the capped slipcases that Centipede has been doing lately.

I do, too...very different and fancy, a little luxurious.

I received my Woolrich volumes the week before last. Two weeks in a row with a Centipede delivery...nice.

[mhatchett]

I do, too...very different and fancy, a little luxurious.

I received my Woolrich volumes the week before last. Two weeks in a row with a Centipede delivery...nice.

Really glad I got on the Woolrich train early. Such a great set. And Lafferty is supposed to be a 12 vol set once it's complete.

[RonClinton]

Really glad I got on the Woolrich train early. Such a great set. And Lafferty is supposed to be a 12 vol set once it's complete.

I’ve been on the Woolrich train since the beginning, but did skip the Lafferty series.

[Sock Monkey]

I’ve been on the Woolrich train since the beginning, but did skip the Lafferty series.

I got in late on both and now scour the aftermarket for reasonable prices for the ones I missed. Woolrich books aren’t that bad ($150 is the norm), except for the first two volumes of the Collected Short Fiction. The Lafferty books, though, man, $350+ for each of the first three books easy. I just don’t know if I can swallow those prices. The prices on the Fritz Leiber MoSF is also KILLING me.

[RonClinton]

I got in late on both and now scour the aftermarket for reasonable prices for the ones I missed. Woolrich books aren’t that bad ($150 is the norm), except for the first two volumes of the Collected Short Fiction. The Lafferty books, though, man, $350+ for each of the first three books easy. I just don’t know if I can swallow those prices. The prices on the Fritz Leiber MoSF is also KILLING me.

I do have the Leiber SF volume (the single SF, not the slipcased MotWT double volume), but skipped the Farhad series...just not enough of a fantasy fan to go down that road (same reason I skipped the Moorcock series).

EDIT: Just checked the price on that Leiber, and yikes, you’re not kidding...no idea it’d gone up that much.

On an unrelated note, a older, scarce Sub Press S/L that I’ve wanted for a long time just popped up on eBay...not sure I can swing it with all the Centipede and Suntup AE purchases over the last couple weeks, but I sure wish I could...it rarely pops up anymore.

[Sock Monkey]

I do have the Leiber SF volume (the single SF, not the slipcased MotWT double volume), but skipped the Farhad series...just not enough of a fantasy fan to go down that road (same reason I skipped the Moorcock series).

EDIT: Just checked the price on that Leiber, and yikes, you’re not kidding...no idea it’d gone up that much.

On an unrelated note, a older, scarce Sub Press S/L that I’ve wanted for a long time just popped up on eBay...not sure I can swing it with all the Centipede and Suntup AE purchases over the last couple weeks, but I sure wish I could...it rarely pops up anymore.

At some point I know I’m going to need to bite the bullet on the Leiber MoSF title. I was hoping the prices were from over-optimistic sellers but they’re actually selling at $600+ price points. I just can’t see dropping that much on the book.

I’m trying to fill in the older Centipede titles but this is an expensive game. I recently picked up their edition of THE OTHER which I’ve rarely seen up for sale, so there’s that.

As for the Sub Press book, if you can swing it, buy it. I almost always regret passing on a book I’ve been hunting down.