The Grail Hunters Comics Podcast

Lean is back, and he joins Neville and Ben as they drop a double episode (cause we got carried away)   It's been a week or two of drama with the grading companies! Neville had challenges with CGC mislabeling books, Grail Hunters members had challenges with Halo mis-grading and not calling out missing pages.    Wrong label colours? Wrong grade? Inconsistent grading? They chat about the impact of grading inconsistencies, how it affects the collectors and the collecting economy, and more so they ask all the tough questions around what obligation the grading companies have to fix it or resolve issues. Where does the buck stop?   Ben pitches his one concept for a grading company to us as the shark tank audience and quickly realise that it will take effort to deliver....so they quickly move on to movie reviews!    *Spoilers*   The Flash & Indiana Jones 5   Ben and Neville had a couple of man dates to watch The Flash and Indiana Jones. They share our thoughts on the movies, storylines, the CGI, what was done really well, or where the movies fell flat.    Don't listen if you don't want spoilers cause we got carried away.   Sit back, crack a beer and enjoy the show

An episode so big, we even changed our intro for it!!   Our brand new episode, stars a special guest and Guinness World Record holder Gareth Pahliney.   Gareth's been a member of Grail Hunters Australia for just over 3 years, and earlier this year, following in depth scrutiny by the Guinness officials, Gareth was crowned with the world record, beating Deadpool fanatics worldwide to the title... Even Rob Liefeld himself! Ben and Neville talk to him about the origins of his collection, where and how it all started! They discuss the staggering cost, and value associated with such a large collection, his favourite collectibles, the logistics of collecting from all over the world and then we also touch on what else he collects. Believe it or not, he would likely qualify for more world records if he cares to apply for the title.   Neville proposed a cage match with Australia's biggest Deadpool collector Blake Morgan, but after looking at the girth of what Gareth calls his arms, we thought it would bebest to not follow through with this. Despite Ben and Neville's best efforts, Gareth was incorruptible, and proved to be an all-round nice guy. Not only did he team up with a comic shop to open the doors to the general public, he's also collecting funds for his favourite charities! For more information on the #deadpoolcave, head to www.gazcomiccave.com, it's the world's largest Deadpool collection and hosted tours can be arranged with Gareth himself! All door proceeds go to DogsTrust, and Esker House for Domestic Abuse Support Services.   Gareth also launched his own Youtube Channel called Gaz's Comic Cave where he features his own collection and all other things pop culture: https://www.youtube.com/@gaz_comiccave Sit back, crack a beer and enjoy the episode!

We promised big things for this episode and Royd delivered!! In this episode, we are joined by Grail Hunters Australia member, comic and original art collector, Royd Burgoyne! For close to 15 years Royd's worked with Supanova Comic-Con & Gaming to recruit and host international comic artists during Australian events. The list of talent he's worked with is longer than Neville's.... we'll. It's very long.    Royd starts by reflecting on his first purchases back in the 80's, and how, when he got hooked on original comic art (not to mention his loving partner playing part in his first purchase! It was literally the dark ages, pre internet and Royd talks about how he found the artists, formed relationships across the pond, and how those relationships became not only the foundation of what he does at Supanova but also his personal collection. Ben and Neville get lost in the 'what-if's of original art collecting, before Royd shows off and talks through some of his favourite pieces and stories behind them (eg. John Byrne Shanna, Ashley Wood pieces etc.) and then  generously offers advice on sourcing and collecting original art, published pages and commissions. We then discuss tips about displaying and storing artwork before jumping into assessing value of art pieces both personal and market value and discuss how personalising art impacts value    To be honest, we could have gone for hours, and we'd love to have Royd back for a part two where we can field members questions! As always, sit back, crack a beer and enjoy the show.

In this Episode, Neville and Ben is joined by Lean Fouche! We recap on our episode featuring James Anthony Joseph and what we learned (and still need to learn) on retro gaming and its collectability and tease next weeks guest! Won't spoil it here, but it will be someone talking very high end comic related collectibles.   We then jump straight into movie talk! Movies, reception, the movie going market and appetite for Superhero movies? We start with Ant-man, what we think about the movie and the contrasting reviews by critics vs. the audience going to actually watch the movie. This flows into our next debate, have we seen the end of the MCU “hype”, are audiences cooling to Superhero movies in general, or do Marvel need to contract and focus on what's made them successful in the past 10 years and then speculate what it could look like years from now.   Our conversation turns to online scores, market place finds! Neville reflects on his score which resulted in a road trip for comics, vinyl and other goodies, and Ben falling on hard times with no loot to show on 2023.   Ben discloses that he had a windfall on a Channel 9 gameshow a few years back, and we play a game of “What If” with Ben; had he purchased an Amazing Fantasy 15 with his winnings…what would his investment have looked like!   Lean shows off his books which came back from CGC Toddfather signing as we discuss CGC's approved turn-around times and tricks around getting already signed comics graded. We explore the collectability of modern comics and toys and the likelihood of getting investment returns on modern toys and discuss whether it's worth keeping stuff new-in-box   Supanova's a couple of weeks away, and we preview some of the international stars who will be making an appearance at and what we'll likely get signed at the event.

In this episode, Ben and Neville is joined by Melbourne's very own James Anthony Joseph to talk all things collecting!  With James, it runs in the family! He started collecting at the tender age of three, following in his dad's footsteps, and now has 30 years experience in collecting. Aside of comics he also plays in markets for trading cards (including Pokemon and Magic) and retro games and gaming consoles. We start with a retrospective look at James' journey as a collector of all things pop culture, and James shows off some of his favourite games and good scores he's had over the years. We discuss tips on what to look out for when buying games in the wild so you don't loose your pants. We then deep dive into the emerging collectors market for games, and how it compares to 10 years ago, and then explore game grading and the opportunities that will bring to collectors and what it will likely mean for values in the future!   As always, crack a beer, put your feet up, and enjoy the episode with us.   

We're back for Season 5! Your host line-up have changed ever so slightly, but familiar voices will greet you as we reflect on our last purchases of 2022.   Mike's doing hard time in a Mexican prison (yes, please spread the rumour) so in Season 5 we'll be joined by Lean Fouche who will bring a fresh perspective on collecting comics 101 and ask the 'new to collecting' questions. Nev and Lean got sucked into a large purchase. A comic? A Slab? How about a truck full of comics! Buying a collection sight unseen 2,500 kilometers away comes with a set of challenges not even Liam Neeson would be prepared for. Ben shares his impulse buy which resulted in a fun roundtrip and what could likely be the start of his new obsession (no, he'll never admit it) We discuss the Todd McFarlane CGC signature event, and Lean shares his 12 month journey into collecting. (aka...sucked in!) Crack a beer, and enjoy the episode.  

What a rollercoaster month it's been! First #acetategate with Black Flag Comics producing bootleg comics, then CGC Comics "standing their ground" on giving said Bootlegs a blue label and grading them up to 10.0 (but then....reversing said position ever so slowly like a MACK truck on a downhill) and now we have CBCS Comics exposed for shoddy practices. Join Neville, Ben and Mike for a great episode as they take on CGC, CBCS and also discuss Neville's latest score (comic score that is)   They start with the next Chapter of #Acetategate and the third 'official' announcement from CGC on their adjusted position on the bootleg books. How will they be graded moving forward, and how would it impact public perception. Did they finally come to their senses, or is is it a saving face exercise?    Our team then steamrolls into the news that CBCS comics lost close to 400 books submitted for slabbing, all submitted via a captain of industry Clan McDonald Comics! How do CBCS loose 400 books? Easy break all your own rules by shipping them to graders homes during Covid with no tracking and logistics oversight!! (Well, we wish this was a joke, but it's not) Dive into what this means for CBCS, their reputation, and how it would impact the common collector, not to mention The Clan McDonalds Comics themselves!   The conversation takes a turn when focus shifts to Neville's latest score, discussing the short box he bought, and great keys he landed in the process. The hate flowed freely from Mike on this one.   They round it off with verdicts! Where does this put CGC, CBCS now, and five years into the future, and will we see a changing landscape of Grading Authorities as collectors shy away from submitting books and continue to question the integrity of said Authorities.   It's an action packed episode, deserving of a couple of beers, so get ready for a wild ride!

In this episode Neville and Ben are joined by fellow Grail Hunters member Lean Fouche for part two of "Comic Collecting 101" - class is in session!   Lean is "new" to comic collecting, and comes at it from both angles, investing as well as reading. After binging close to 50 episodes of our podcast in a few weeks, Lean highlighted that in many cases we discuss many comic topics with the assumption that listeners have a sound understanding and knowledge of collecting. As result we thought it  would be great to invite Lean on to a couple of episodes to discuss "Collecting 101", and explore the basics of how/where/what/when to collect!   Before we kick into the questions, Ben and Lean get side tracked as we discuss nostalgia with comics and toys and how that inevitably leads us to paying... or overpaying for relics from our childhood! Star Wars, Biker Mice, MOTU and then Ben gets all emotional as he recounts him playing with Kenner Indiana Jones bootlegs.   We then jump into question time! We discuss the comic barcode cheat-codes, and how to determine which series/run a comic is from.   The Question "Where do I start?" is surprisingly difficult to answer and lead us down a rabbit hole of debates and nostalgia. That considered, don't expect a quick Q&A as we have many distractions along the way. We deviate to jump on points for Star Wars (reading and investment) and how Movies, and TV fed the popularity of the comics.  We follow that by exploring the cadence of comic publication, resetting series with a number 1 issues and the thinking behind why larger publishers are so quick to reset their titles. As always, the episode is filled with distractions and laughs from 80's toys franchises to breast feeding we got it covered!! Grab a beer and enjoy the episode

In this episode Neville and Ben are joined by fellow Grail Hunters member Lean Fouche.    Lean is "new" to comic collecting, and comes at it from both angles, investing as well as reading. After binging close to 50 episodes of our podcast in a few weeks, Lean highlighted that in many cases we discuss many comic topics with the assumption that listeners have a sound understanding and knowledge of collecting. As result we thought it  would be great to invite Lean on to a couple of episodes to discuss "Collecting 101", and explore the basics of how/where/what/when to collect! The Question "Where do I start?" is surprisingly difficult to answer and lead us down a rabbit hole of debates and nostalgia. That considered, don't expect a quick Q&A as we have many distractions along the way. We deviate to jump on points for Star Wars (reading and investment) and how Movies, and TV fed the popularity of the comics.  We follow that by exploring the cadence of comic publication, resetting series with a number 1 issues and the thinking behind why larger publishers are so quick to reset their titles. As always, the episode is filled with distractions and laughs from 80's toys franchises to breast feeding we got it covered!! Grab a beer and enjoy the episode

In this episode Neville, Ben and Mike deconstruct the shitstorm that was Black Flag Comics' C2E2 event! We discuss Black Flag Comics selling Ultimate Fallout 4 Facsimile Reprints with bootleg Acetate Covers with Four Staples at $100 a pop. Allowing "Influencers" to skip queues and bulk buy so they can flip it on their WhatNot channels for triple the price all while collectors and true fans (aka Blag Flag customers) are left out in the cold! We chat about the "influencer" apologists crying foul and supporting their mates, and the likelyhood of Black Flag receiving a quiet letter from Marvel lawyers and also what endorsing these books means for the integrity of CGC as a grader. All OBVIOUSLY speculation, we don't know what the hell is going on. We don't have the facts right? But we do know where true collectors are leaning toward. You're going to need more than one beer, or at least a two for one cocktail for this episode, so strap yourself in!

In this episode Neville, Mike and Ben chat about the highs and the lows of San Diego Comic Con!  Yes, it starts with a 15 minute therapeutic rant about Qantas and their (lack of) customer service and care factor in general but after that we jump straight into the highlight - the meat and veg!  How was SDCC post Covid? The crowds, the people? Amazing! We talk about the panel reception, and then move on to which comic creators were there and where Neville got lucky with signatures (Or in some cases no so Lucky...) and how Jim Lee gained a new bestie from Australia... We're looking at you Roger! We talk Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, David Mack, Jim Starlin, Bill Sienkiewicz, the list goes on!  Tune in, crack a beer and enjoy the episode

In this San Diego Comic-Con Special Episode, Neville chats to Gary Chaloner Next week Neville will be travelling to San Diego Comic Con where he will be hosting a panel to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of some of Australia's most iconic comics and the creators behind them  In his preparation for the panel, many of the great creators behind titles such as Southern Squadron, The Dark Nebula, Jackaroo, Flash Damingo, Phantastique, Nightshade and The Rock took time out of their schedules to chat to him about the story behind the stories. With the consent of the creators he will be releasing them over a number of short episodes so collectors and readers passionate about the books and stories can enjoy them as much as he does Gary started his career in comics as a publisher in 1982 when he got the band together and formed Cyclone Comics which went on to play host to his own work. Cyclone went on to publish a range of amazing comic books with titles as diverse as The Jackaroo, The Southern Squadron, Dark Nebula, GI Joe Australia, Flash Damingo and CCQ (Cyclone Comics Quarterly). As the years rolled by, Gary also worked overseas, including US editions of The Jackaroo and The Southern Squadron; a very odd issue of The Badger as well as the award-winning Planet of the Apes. Gary also worked on The Olympians, a two-issue prestige series for Marvel Comics which featured his art inked by the great Gary Martin with covers inked by Todd McFarlane (Spider-Man and Spawn) and Karl Kesel. Gary was also lucky enough to have worked with the late, great Will Eisner on stories featuring Eisner's early creation: John Law, Detective. This was subsequently released by IDW Publishing and awarded a Ledger for International Title of the Year. Gary's more recent creator-owned projects included a pulp adventure series Red Kelso, an Australian adventure series The Jackaroo, and  The Undertaker Morton Stone. And now? Well Gary's back with the rest of the crew to take on the 40th anniversary of our bronze age heroes!   Crack a beer and enjoy the episode! 

In this San Diego Comic-Con Special Episode, Neville chats to Tad Pietrzykowski Next week Neville will be travelling to San Diego Comic Con where he will be hosting a panel to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of some of Australia's most iconic comics and the creators behind them  In his preparation for the panel, many of the great creators behind titles such as Southern Squadron, The Dark Nebula, Jackaroo, Flash Damingo, Phantastique, Nightshade and The Rock took time out of their schedules to chat to him about the story behind the stories. With the consent of the creators I will be releasing them over a number of short episodes so collectors and readers passionate about the books and stories can enjoy them as much as he does. In this episode Tad lets us see under the covers..or is that behind the covers of The Dark Nebula.   Find out why The Dark Nebula was almost a “the comic that never was” and we also  talk about the evolution of the character to what we know him to be now. From multiple designs and colours, Tad wanted a point of difference and not make it not look it's a copy from the US. Inspired by characters like The Green Hornet, The Lone Range, and wanted to created “The Dark Nebula”. The intention was also to make sure the characters biggest weakness is not the other characters he takes on but rather his biggest weakness is doubt and internal conflict.   From “Just wanting to tell a story” to creating a character embedded in Australian Comic Universe folklore, The Dark Nebula will probably survive us all! We talk about Cyclone and Oz Comics, and how the tyranny of distance meant that Tad was isolated and doing his own thing for long before the advent of OzComics and Cyclone. Tad reflects on the origins of Cyclone and how the team anchoring the titles came to know each other and work together, and how a life changing event (which almost ended his life in fact) made him refocus on The Dark Nebula.   Looking forward Tad lets us in to things to come! Issues 12, 13 and crossovers with Southern Squadron, the Reverie universe and much more, including actually writing stories about other characters than Dark Nebula!   Crack a beer, and enjoy the episode

In this San Diego Comic-Con Special Episode, Neville chats to Dave De Vries In a few short weeks Neville will be travelling to San Diego Comic Con where he will be hosting a panel to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of some of Australia's most iconic comics and the creators behind them   In his preparation for the panel, many of the great creators behind titles such as Southern Squadron, Dark Nebula, Jackaroo, Flash Damingo, Phantastique, Nightshade and The Rock took time out of their schedules to chat to him about the story behind the stories. With the consent of the creators I will be releasing them over a number of short episodes so collectors and readers passionate about the books and stories can enjoy them as much as he does.   David is a film writer, director, and producer and also writes and illustrates comic books. He started his comic book career in the early 1980s with work for OzComics, Phantastique, MAD Magazine and Penthouse. Together with Gary Chaloner, Glenn Lumsden and Tad Pietrzykowski he established Cyclone Comics in 1985, to ensure that their characters could be published while remaining under their control. Dave entered the American market through First Comics, and Malibu Graphics with The Southern Squadron, a superhero team that at that stage had taken over the Cyclone title, and in America he worked on The Phantom for Marvel Comics, have worked on Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Star Trek comics for DC Comics, and Valiant Comics, and also other projects like The Puppet Master and Planet of the Apes, Flesh Gordon, Black Lightning and a Green Lantern annual for DC, as well as recreating the origin of Captain Boomerang with John Ostrander in an issue of the Suicide Squad. We get an exclusive behind the scenes look at the origin of Southern Squadron, the evolution of the team members into who they are today but also the purpose of the team and what makes them unique. Beyond that Dave talks about his influences, and process in putting pen to paper, whether it's writing or drawing and shares some sage advice from legends like Todd MacFarlane! Is this reason to celebrate? Well, they are BACK BABY! Southern Squadron along with many other Bronze Age heroes will return to Reverie and share their universe with a new generation of characters as part of the big bash 40th celebrations. Crack a beer, and enjoy the episode  

On this episode, Neville, Ben, and Mike is joined by Mark Wahlberg... Uhm... sorry Ty Salazar!   Ty is a comic trading veteran of 10+ years using social media to buy, sell and help fellow collectors complete their runs. He was also a CGC witness and travelled to conventions far and wide with creators including Kevin Eastman for signature events and facilitation. Ty recently bought a blind box of comics, and one of particular interest was Amazing Spider-man 74, dated 1969. The book had a coupon filled out by its original owner "back in the day", and since finding it, Ty's side-quest is to track down the original owner and reunite him with his childhood Spider-man comic! A noble cause indeed. This naturally lead to us discussing privacy and social media and how collectors put themselves at risk by 'over sharing' information, and how to avoid some of the pitfalls. We don't stop there though, Ty shares his own collecting story, including a health scare which saw him sell most of his collection, and the challenges of trying to fill the gaps again now that he's back in the game.  And on the case of mistaken identity which led to a free night at the bar?   Well, you'll just need to listen to the episode!  

Foreign Comics and foreign prints of US comics are booming!!   Neville and Ben are joined by Matthew Roybal. Matthew is a journalist, and also co-founder of Foreign Comic Collector Magazine as well as admin of one of the friendliest and engaging comic groups on Facebook of the same name! (Well Grail Hunters Australia set a pretty high bench mark, but I agree!!) Matthew takes us on his collecting journey over the past 10 years as we discuss how, from humble beginnings on the CGC boards the foreign collecting community have grown to be thousands of members strong. We talk about his grail books to date, and then discuss how CBCS and CGC adopted and approach foreign books and how it's impacted the value and desirability of the foreign comics. Matt takes us on a journey showing off "Brazilian Frank Frazetta", Mexican "non-canon" Spider-man books and so much more! Tune in for a 90 minute marathon of entertaining and insightful conversation about all things foreign comics!   Find Matthew here: Instagram: @define999 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/274684996585171/  

In this episode Ben and Neville are joined by Tad Pietrzykowski, the creator of Dark Nebula! On the eve of the release of issue 10, and with only months before The Dark Nebula celebrates its 40th anniversary we take a look back at where it all began. Analog printing, large print runs, cheap paper and months of wait!  Tad takes us back to what it was like to be in independent publisher in the 80's, and how his book contributed to the establishment of Australia's very own bronze age of comics. As always we get side tracked by all things 80's and vintage including recording music, reel to reel players before Tad gets us back on track and focused on 2021, a massive year for Dark Nebula. We talk stories, planning for the next issues and how Dark Nebula will usher in a very exciting era for Aussie books. With issue 10 at the printers we talk about the 3 covers, including the Grail Hunters Exclusive and how issues 9, and 10 have not only brought back old readers but exposed new readers to the Dynamic Dark Nebula's adventures.  It's not all business however, I reflect on "What could have been" with my Amazing Spider-man 1 Marketplace purchase after which Tad gives us a rundown of what he's currently collecting and keeping an eye out for.   All while driving a few cold bevvies... as usual! So crack a beer and enjoy the episode 

  Ben and Nev are joined by a special guest, Scott Liston! Scott's been part of the comic collecting community for years, and a card punching Grail Hunters member since day one. Scott also happens to be Event Director of Supanova! Also, he needs to add to his business card "Hell'a funny guy".   Comic Collections, Community Spirit, Investing in books, Supanova events, and more NFT's and Poohing on Planes than you can shake a stick at - just a taster of what lies ahead.   It was destined that we were to start with a debrief of poohing on planes, but rest assured we quickly jump onto other unsavoury discussions!    We chat about how the local community have grown, and how online networking has encouraged us hermit collectors to get out and meet each other face to face. We chat about how and where NFT's fit in in the collecting landscape and try to explain to Old Man Liston how to go about buying his own.   After this we move onto 'timing' on buying books for Investments, or rather when not to buy. Current hot books and trends, and investments on the horizon.   Scott provides us a quick rundown of the favourite books in his collection, and how he came about some of them. We spitball about the future of "Nev and Benny's" Collectable shop and what we'd be selling.   After this we jump right into Supanova! How Scott got involved in pop culture events (and met his wife!), and how the event calendar evolved over the years. We talk about how Covid's impacted events around the country in the past 2 years, and how Brisbane in two weeks will be the first step back to normality for local events. We speculate HARD about future guests, but you'll have to listen to the episode t to find out if we could crack Scott!  

Following the excitement of taking part in our first NFT drops on Veve, Ben and Neville debrief on the entire experience, from getting up (or being up) at 2am for the drops, the hussle to try and land one and how the community in itself is coming together to support each other in educating and enjoying the NFT side of our hobby.   Mike's back for this episode, and true to form we regress into a debate about whether or not we/or anyone should pooh on long haul planes, and the anxiety associated with the tiny toilet with it's suck actions!    Yes, we're deprived in VIC due to lockdowns, we chat about the things we've missed out due to the state being in hibernation but turn it into a positive where we talk about how Grail Hunters members from other states support and assist us in buying goods, be it comics or toys. We then also cast out eyes forward, as the world opens up, we talk NYCC, and Supanova plus the promise of 'normality' in 2022.    We also run through our achievements in 2021 - what collectibles we've hit so far, and what our next targets are. MOTU, Phantom Starkiller, great reads and expensive books! Grab a drink and join us for episode 3.    

With Mike celebrating 31 days of gaming on Twitch for the month, Ben and Neville are joined by special guest Jordan Howlett to talk Comic Non Fungible tokens.   We've all heard "disruption is good", and the comic publishing and collecting landscape have experienced many disruptions over the years. Fast forward to 2021 and we're again experiencing a brave new territory with Comics NFT's!    Jordan's a member of the Collectors Club on discord where they assist and educate those members new to the community to get up and running and enjoy the collecting environment in Veve.    We start by discussing the one comic to rule them all, Hulk 181, and why it will always be a special comic in Jordan's collection, and discuss how to assess/measure the best grade to 'invest' in if you have the money to spend!    We then jump straight into NFT's. We pose the questions  - What are NFTs - Why NFT's matter - How does it work  - Where and how do you buy it - What's Veve and Gems   With loads of questions in between, and Jordan was kind and patient enough to share his knowledge and experience with us (i did ask him to dumb it down as we know nothing of this!   Ideally you'd be able to leave this episode and be able to make an educated choice about whether it's for you or not but most importantly a better understanding of where it sits in the collectors and investors landscape.   If you want to know more, check out their group on Discord, all new members are welcome   discord.gg/collectorsclub

After a few months break we are back, and if episode one is anything to go by, we have A LOT to talk about! In this episode we talk about how we survive our groundhog day of lock-down habits, after which we dive into Mike's pull list only to get severely side tracked by great movies The Prophecy and Power of One (Which became Mike's homework for our next episode!)   Neville talks about the hidden blessings of still being in lock-down, and how it results in more time scavenging the interwebs for bargains, and being able to refocus on collecting and scaling collection.   Then we get into the meat of the episode:   Which comics would be the "Modern Age" grails in 20 or 30 years from now, and what will drive value, demand and appeal in the long run. We touch on the "corporatisation" of comics by the big two and how that could mean they lose track against the creator owned uprising! We close by spit balling what would make soccer more exciting, and Ben pitches his idea of a Train Carriage Gym to shark tank!! All while sinking a few beers, so grab one and get ready for a whole lot of laughs.  

Join Mike, Ben and Neville for another hilarious episode as they provide a recap on Supanova Melbourne (And GABS) right before the fourth wave of COVID lockdowns struck Melbourne! It quickly turns into a therapy session where they reflect on the crazy prices in the market and books going out of reach.  They debate shows including Falcon and Winter Soldier, and upcoming Loki and trailers including Black Adam, Eternals before jumping into our recent Ebay successes and fails (Looking at you Ben!)  They also field many members questions including: - The much debated first App of Wolverine is it 180, or 181? - A run down of their favourite underrated creators - Updates on Spawn World And then get terribly side tracked by UFO's (Due to Department of Truth obviously!) Crack a beer and give us a listen!

In this episode talk about prepping books for signatures and then full into conversation about Ben Gee's weakest claim to fame! (Hint, it involved Keanu Reeves)   What a world we live in! We chat about the abundance of comic themed shows available to us including the Snydered Justice League, the magnificent Invincible, as well as Falcon and Winter Soldier (and how it compares to its predecessors) and the resulting spec books.  We reflect on our purchases since our last episode (Shuri, Nubia, and a few other specs), and how Ben's bending Neville's rubber arm, convincing him to spend thousands on non-comic related collectibles, but bottom line... pay-dirt! The tricky question came up, do you ask your partner for permission or forgiveness when making big collectible purchases??   We also mention our Podcast mascot Matt Sutton at least 3 times! Well worth a listen :D 

Stage 4 lockdowns can't keep us down! We're back on Zoom for this jam packed episode, and it's packed with Comicy goodness.   We recap on our visit to Big City Comics and then dive into a few of the big topics for January including: - DC's Future State books, are they finally doing something right? - We share our thoughts on Marvel and Disney's TV Projects including Wandavision, - We go on quite an elegant rant about Trading Card prices and speculation around market manipulation causing the price rises we are seeing.     If that's not enough we move to Grail Hunters members questions (of which we had looooads)    So grab a beer and join Neville, Ben and Mike for the lighter side of collecting 

State vs. State - Member vs. Member - Who will win over the judge and score a point for their state?   Sam Cripps won Episode 5, and set the stage with a mighty challenge "Which stories are better read in a collected edition" It was a tough round, but the team brought their A game. Stories from DC, Marvel and many indie books were discussed, but we could only leave with one winner.   Episode 1: Modern Grails  Episode 2: Iconic Covers Episode 3: Best Antagonist Episode 4: Indie Grail Episode 5: So Bad, it's Good Episode 6: Better Read As Collected Edition After the first five episodes, we have South Australia in the lead on 2 points. Western Australia and New South Wales, and Queensland at one each, with only VIC still looking to get on the scoreboard.   How does it work? Each member have two minutes to pitch their book, after a round robin, each member gets one vote. Our grandmaster flash, and very own Wendigo Ben Gee casts the final judgement and one state walks away with a point tallied up across episodes to find the one state to rule them all! Round six players are: Murray Jackson (WA), Bec Beetson (NSW), Michael Swindells (QLD), Sam Cripps (SA), Neville Howard (VIC) with Mike Speakman as chief heckler and time keeper - join us for  30 minutes of fun  

In our first face to face episode since start of lockdown Ben, Mike and Neville took the show on the road to the Big City Comics store in West Melbourne to talk to owner Mark Catania!    Be warned, it's jam packed with great content! The origins of his shop, how comic stores compare to other retail businesses, how he evolved his business during COVID, and overcame the distribution challenges in 2020! Think that's it? Far from it! We talk hot comics, comic trend and collecting habits and hint at a not-so-hostile take-over of floor space to return to the shop in the future for more episodes.   Mark and Big City were amazing hosts, and it was a blast chatting with him. Check out their facebook page, and online store: https://bigcitycomics.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/bigcitycomicsAU   and if you're not already a member of Grail Hunters Australia Facebook group, you should be:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/Grailies    

State vs. State - Member vs. Member - Who will win over the judge and score a point for their state?   We all have those comic books in our collection. At times worthless, at times controversial, at times actually wothe a few dollars but they are just plain bad!  Sometimes the bad is so bad, that it comes full circle and is actually good, whether infamous or famous this episode explores some of these books.  It's definitely worth a disclaimer too! If you don't leave this episode offended by at least one book, you are dead inside. Or the ideal listener :)   Episode 1: Modern Grails  Episode 2: Iconic Covers Episode 3: Best Antagonist Episode 4: Indie Grail Episode 5: So Bad, it's Good After the first four episodes, we have Western Australia and New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland at one each, with only VIC still looking to get on the scoreboard. Each member have two minutes to pitch their book, after a round robin, each member gets one vote. Our grandmaster flash, and very own Wendigo Ben Gee casts the final judgement and one state walks away with a point tallied up across episodes to find the one state to rule them all! Round four players are: Murray Jackson (WA), Bec Beetson (NSW), Michael Swindells (QLD), Sam Cripps (SA), Neville Howard (VIC) with Mike Speakman as chief heckler and time keeper - join us for  30 minutes of fun  

State vs. State - Member vs. Member - Who will win over the judge and score a point for their state? Over the past 40 years, the Indie Comic industry have added a world of flavour to the publishing landscape! Many creator owned properties have changed our childhood, inspired our dreams, and formed our personalities. This episode's challenge is to bring to the table a Indie Grail which have already, or have the potential to inspire readers for years to come. Episode 1: Modern Grails  Episode 2: Iconic Covers Episode 3: Best Antagonist Episode 4: Indie Grail After the first three episodes, we have Western Australia and New South Wales and Queensland at one each, with all other states still looking to get on the scoreboard. Each member have two minutes to pitch their book, after a round robin, each member gets one vote. Our grandmaster flash, and very own Wendigo Ben Gee casts the final judgement and one state walks away with a point tallied up across episodes to find the one state to rule them all! Round three players are: Murray Jackson (WA), Bec Beetson (NSW), Michael Swindells (QLD), Sam Cripps (SA), Neville Howard (VIC) with Mike Speakman as chief heckler and time keeper - join us for  30 minutes of fun

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! State vs. State - Member vs. Member - Who will win over the judge and score a point for their state? Episode 1: Modern Grails  Episode 2: Iconic Covers Episode 3: Best Antagonist After the first two episodes, we have Western Australia and New South Wales at one each, with all other states still looking to get on the scoreboard.  Each member have two minutes to pitch their character, after a round robin, each member gets one vote. Our grand master flash, and very own Wendigo Ben Gee casts the final judgement and one state walks away with a point tallied up across episodes to find the one state to rule them all! Round three players are: Murray Jackson (WA), Tad Pietrzykowskie(NSW), Michael Swindells (QLD), Sam Cripps (SA), Neville Howard (VIC) with Mike Speakman as chief heckler and time keeper - join us for  30 minutes of fun

With no guest this episode, Neville, Mike and Ben use the opportunity to vent about COVID Stage 4 restrictions and it's impact on shipping with packages being stuck in no-mans land. But fear not, We swiftly tackle more fun topics like recent comic and toy scores and comic characters in the public domain. We chat about new movie and TV  trailers and somehow land on South Africa creating their own Sesame Street because they were to cheap to buy the US episodes   You find out which podcaster will likely be eaten first if we get lost in the woods, and also why Neville had a 50/50 chance of being stabbed by Chopper Read.   If you don't listen, you will never find out how to pronounce Fokken Prawn!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!   State vs. State - Member vs. Member - Who will win over the judge and score a point for their state?   Episode 1: Modern Grails Episode 2: Iconic Covers   Like a thief in the night, Murray Jackson stole the first round for Western Australia, and returns in round two to defend his crown.    Each member have two minutes to pitch their book, after a round robin, each member gets one vote. Our grand master flash, and very own Wendigo Ben Gee casts the final judgement and one state walks away with a point tellied up across episodes to find the one state to rule them all!   Round one players are: Murray Jackson (WA), Bec Mcnaboe Beetson (NSW), Michael Swindells (QLD), Sam Cripps (SA), Neville Odinson Howard (VIC) with Mike Speakman as chief heckler and time keeper - join us for  30 minutes of fun!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!   State vs. State - Member vs. Member - Who will win over the judge and score a point for their state?   Each member have two minutes to pitch their book, after a round robin, each member gets one vote. Our grand master flash, and very own Wendigo Ben Gee casts the final judgement and one state walks away with a point tellied up across episodes to find the one state to rule them all!   Round one players are: Murray Jackson, Bec Mcnaboe Beetson, Dakeyras Waylander, Sam Cripps, Neville Odinson Howard with Mike Speakman as chief heckler and time keeper - join us for  30 minutes of fun!

In this episode we go Full Bec Beetson!!   We have a hilarious yet insightful chat with Bec Mcnaboe Beetson on what it's like with a household filled with pop culture enthusiasts! Who rules the roost, DC, or Marvel? Which child is named after which character, and what other collections fill the walls of her Bat Cave (Here's a hint, it's deadly and sharp) We talk about her love for creating indigenous art, and get a sneak peak of art she just finished for Killeroo creator, Darren Close!  We discuss our common love for 80's and horror movies, and talk about the top three comics in her collection.   It's a fun filled episode, so grab a beer (or a West Coast Cooler if your name's Bec) join Neville, Ben and Mike for a barrel of laughs.

Brendon Dann owner of Dee's Comics (ACT) joins Neville, Mike and Ben for a great chat on everything you need to know about Local Comic Shops!    We chat about how the world's changed for local comic shops due to COVID, and what role Diamond Distribution, DC Comics had to play in it. We talk social distancing in the shop, and which politicians collect comics. Ben shares how speculation's changed the collecting habits of the regulars coming into the store, and reflects on the Dee's Exclusive TMNT #100 by our very own Camillo practically sold out! Brendon also tells us about his brush with Bleeding Cool, and how it came to a ballsy end, and we even share a laugh about a few Grail Hunters members who shop at Dee's - all while sipping on a few cold beers!    

COVID-19 retail therapy kicks into high gear as the Grail Hunters Comics podcast hosts, Neville Howard, Ben Gee and Mike Speakman explore the world of Australian collecting trends, whether it's Australian price variants, print errors, childhood toys or sourcing those pesky grails from the United States - we have it covered! Note, all books and toys we discuss can be seen on the video uploaded as part of our panel on the official Comic Con International Youtube Channel.

The episode we didn't want to end!! We are joined by superstar creator and bad boy of Australian comics, Dean Rankine. We recap his comic journey to date as we chat about how he got started with Simpsons, his brush with Matt Groening, and memorable experiences at SDCC. He shares how keeping busy opened doors over the past twenty years, from Indie books like Itty Bitty Bunnies, to Rick and Morty and I Hate Fairyland to to the recently published smash hit, Timmy The Ticked Off Pony written by comedy genius Magda Szubanski! Dean takes time to share his favourite collectibles, from signed gems to vintage toys and explains why he's, according to Neville the KING of Cat MEME's. We could not close without revealing one of your hosts have started growing their ISO Tiger King mullet, and made Dean promise to join us for part two of this amazing chat in a future episode.  

We are joined by special guest Mark Randall of Thump Music and GeektopiaOZ, and talk all things collectibles! It's a glorious rabbit hole as we start with comics and move to vintage toys before deep diving into the world of Masters Of The Universe and the hidden variants in the range. We talk about landing bargains, and helping out our fellow collectors in the community. We do a check in on the progress (or lack there of) of Flip Kings, and Ben gives us a peak under the hood on progress of his Brokeback Challenge. All that plus the trauma left by the book "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾"

It's episode unlucky 13, and we are joined by Point Cook Geeks page administrator Andrew Caird to chat about all things Horror - From classic horror movies, to terrible remakes, and how the advances in gaming technology and VR are breaking boundaries with interactive horror experiences. Andrew also talks us through the process of 3D printing, and shows off some oh his creations (we'll post photos on Facebook and Insta). The most horrifying part of the episode is Ben's theories around how Smurfette was created, and you'll need to listen to it to find out why the episode was almost called 'Smurf on my face'!

Lenore Zann, actor and member of Canadian Parliament joins Neville, Ben and Mike for a very special episode to chat about her many roles during her career! From adding voices to many of our favourite cartoons, including Rogue in X-Men: The Animated Series, Tigra in Avengers, and Chikara Shisho in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to sharing with us how she became known as Scream Queen of Canada, acting in many famous 80's horror moving including Happy Birthday To Me, Visting Hours and American Nightmare.  We squealed like the fan boys we are when she repeated her audition lines for Rogue with us!! We talk about why X-Men: The Animated Series left its mark on generations of fans, and how calls for a relaunch of the series is gaining momentum and how we can get involved! Lenore also takes the time to share how she and Rogue have many things in common which ultimately lead her to standing for member of parliament. Follow Lenore on Twitter here - @ZannLenore

In this episode we are joined by fellow Grail Hunters member, and owner of MJ Comics, Michael Swindells! Michael shares with us how he came across a container of 300,000 comics, how he started off collecting and selling, and the unforeseen benefits of being too lazy to sell! We chat about the updates from DC, and Diamond on comic distribution, and the fallout of San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) being cancelled. If that's not enough, we make Michael name his favourite chicken, and Ben lets loose about his first Barbie collectible. All this, with a couple of craft beers in two!    

We jumpstart the episode with Tiger King speculation, and debate how we would dispose of said hypothetical husband! With Covid-19 causing chaos in 2020, we talk about the industry fallout - the positives, negatives and inevitable delays it will cause. We speculate about how our beloved comic shops will cope through this, Diamond's likely return dates and talk about the great initiatives the professional artists are running to support the shops. Ben reflects on the passing of the great Tim Brooke-Taylor, and we virtual high five at the news of Dan Didio being stood down at DC (along with a report card on his bad decisions over the years). When all is said and done, we all are all united that Carl F*$%$* Baskin killed her husband!

It's a new world, and the team have adapted to accommodate it! Join Mike, Ben and Nev as they implement social distancing via ZOOM! They recorded their ninth episode on Friday, some wearing pants, some not, and we're sure you can guess who... They debriefed on Supanova and debate the challenges left by Diamond Comic Distribution halting distribution. How will it impact readers, and more importantly retailers! Will we see an end to many of our beloved LCS's, and how can we help them? They also discuss how the Corona Panic could likely effect the market short and long term, and they recommend you get up to while isolating at home! To end, they tackle member questions, while slightly challenged by 7 different types of craft beer. 

Recorded in front of a live audience at Supanova Melbourne, we are joined on stage by Fats Comics owner, and industry expert, Norm Bardell. We talk about what got us into collecting, and investing in comics and how graded books are a safer bet when selling high end comics. We field questions from the Grail Hunters community and audience! Grab a beer, put your feet up, and have a listen!

In this episode, we talk signed comics! Do signatures increase or decrease the comic book's value, and where do you draw the line? Beyond comic creators, would you have Chris Hemsworth sign a Thor comic, or Mark Hamill sign a joker book? Talking Joker, we debate the most profitable comic movie ever made. We talk about indie comics which influenced modern pop culture, be it movies or games, and also flip that on its head and explore characters which started in cinema or games and then comics were created as result. Why stop there? What about cross overs. Aliens vs. Predator, Mortal Kombat vs. Injustice, Scooby and Batman, with these blends of properties are we the real winners? We preview Supanova and chat about Halo Grading labels, and announce that we'll officially be doing a live podcast panel from stage in Melbourne!

We're joined by fellow Grail Hunters member, Geoff Kerrigan! Geoff discusses his influences as a collector and then move into a debate on the old school Brick and Mortar comic shops! We as collectors absolutely love our Local shops, and support them no matter what, but are printed medium, and thus the comic shops we love so much following in the steps of Video, Music, DVD and Book shops? We then discuss how can the industry be reinvigorated!? Please share yours once you've listened to this episode.

In this episode, we are joined by fellow Grail Hunters member, and Stanley Artgerm's biggest fan, Roger Navarro. We talk about the merits of slabbing comics and getting comics signed. Be it assurance of value (and condition), or purely prolonging the life of the book, is it the thing to do? We also touch on the #FlipKings2020 progress, and discuss our favourite "Bad" comics movies all while being interrupted by Rob Liefeld "Deadpool, Cable, Domino, Image.... Liefeld OUT"

Join us in part two of our Christmas episode, we talk about mistakes we've made over the years in collecting and ramble on about Ebay war stories! We also kick off the Flip Kings challenge #flipkings2020 and preview Kevin Eastman's visit to Australia in a few months! 

We kick off the episode talking about the top books for 2019, and discuss everything from Donny Cates's Cosmic Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer black to Marvel and Disney's movie announcements the past 12 months and how that impacted the market. We touch on the Grail Hunters top 25 count down, and get lost in collectors and the market speculation with modern books and variants and how to ensure you don't get burnt... All that while sinking back a few nice IPA's

In this episode we field listener questions, and explore our favourite non-comic collectibles and how collecting anything pop culture related is as joyful yet slippery slope. We also introduce the Grail Hunters Facebook group 2020 initiative, FLIP KINGS and close with Mike tackling the Ghost Pepper while doing a review of Silver Surfer Black issue 1.

Episode 1: Our pilot episode is here! We introduce the hosts, provide an overview of our purpose and then chat about how we got into collecting, and what drives us. The passion, the desire... the thrill of the hunt! Whether you collect runs, modern or back to Golden age this show is for you.