1992 MARVEL MASTERPIECES 30th Anniversary Book

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by Fenian95

I don't think they are viewing the comments anymore either.

You could try contacting them via the form on the website maybe?

I think that goes to their same customer support email address, but not 100% on that

[BobCollects]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

If some more time passes and still no response, I can raise a point on the backer comment page asking why FPG is not responding to any emails, including a shipping issue where a backer wasn’t able to have their pledge delivered.

I have nothing to lose in commenting now as I already received everything, and they can’t cancel my pledge now. Of course they’re probably not even looking at/responding to backer comments either.

Originally Posted by Fenian95

I don't think they are viewing the comments anymore either.

You could try contacting them via the form on the website maybe?

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

I think that goes to their same customer support email address, but not 100% on that

I've sent two e-mails to the info@fpguniverse.com address that was shared in the Kickstarter comments. I've also sent an e-mail using the form at the FPG website. I have not received a response. I just sent the same e-mail to the jjmm@fpguniverse.com address.

Just for kicks, I sent a message to Kickstarter begging them not to work with FPG again. And I contacted Bleeding Cool thinking maybe if they write something about this fiasco it will get FPG to respond.

I sort of remember reading that FPG shared information in a Facebook group. Does anyone know if FPG is responding to messages on Facebook? Is Joe Jusko responding to messages on Facebook?

I'm afraid I'm out of options if FPG won't communicate. It's way too late to get my credit card company involved. FPG isn't part of the Better Business Bureau and given everything that has happened I doubt FPG cares about the BBB.

Maybe somebody rich who pledged for the original art tier and didn't get their painting will get a lawyer involved.

[DynaEtch]

......

[BobCollects]

I finally heard back from FPG. They asked for the alternate address and will ship my book ASAP.

The person who e-mailed me said they were dealing with a family emergency and only just got back to work. That's understandable, of course, but is FPG such a small company that there's nobody else who could take over responding to e-mails/comments?

[Bunny Hop]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

I finally heard back from FPG. They asked for the alternate address and will ship my book ASAP.

The person who e-mailed me said they were dealing with a family emergency and only just got back to work. That's understandable, of course, but is FPG such a small company that there's nobody else who could take over responding to e-mails/comments?

or some kind of automated response or message. By NOT having anything in place it increases the burden on the employee who's attending to human matters and then puts customers and employees at a point of conflict when really it's the company that should be at the center of things. It's unprofessional at a corporate level, which is obviously not a huge surprise at this point.

I'm glad you heard something, BC. It's really frustrating to be left in the dark as a customer. I'll shrink back into the shadows now.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

I finally heard back from FPG. They asked for the alternate address and will ship my book ASAP.

The person who e-mailed me said they were dealing with a family emergency and only just got back to work. That's understandable, of course, but is FPG such a small company that there's nobody else who could take over responding to e-mails/comments?

I’m glad to hear you got it figured out. Kinda assumed it was something like this and just not checking messages, as they don’t come across as a company that’s gonna just take someone’s money. I do think their intentions are in the right place. But man the communication just leaves a lot to be desired, and I think you’re exactly right it’s a very small operation. Not like COMC which is constantly answering customer service emails etc

[Fenian95]

Yeah I have the feeling FPG is something like 5 people and uses a lot of contract outsourcing. So lots of things fall through the cracks.

It doesn't help that the intern he hired to do communications comes off as an entitled jerk.

[BobCollects]

I just got another e-mail with a tracking number. This time sent to the correct address for PO boxes. The package is supposed to arrive Tuesday. The end may finally be in sight.

[BobCollects]

Proof the book actually exists:



After waiting so long, my immediate reaction was regret that I pledged at the $259 level and not the cheaper $59 level. This is not a $300 book, even with Joe Jusko's autograph. The digest, metal card, and bronze cards add value but don't change the fact that the book isn't as premium as it should have been. Of course, the long and tortured journey of the book may be clouding my judgement.

I was expecting lay flat binding, not traditional hardcover. I've only flipped through it once and I can practically feel the binding already straining to hold together. Luckily none of the text or images are close to the binding so everything is readable.

The biggest problem is the varying size and quality of the card paintings reproduced in the book. If what Joe Jusko said is correct, and the scans/photographs of the original artwork were lost, FPG should've hit pause and rethought the book. The paintings that are full page look amazing. The rest are hit or miss. The Magneto painting, for example, looks sharper and cleaner than some of the full page paintings. It probably could've been blown up to fill the page without loss of detail.

Has everyone noticed the picture on page 29 showing Marvel Executive Editor Bob Budiansky scanning the original artwork? "Both artwork and layout are provided to Skybox on computer disk." It's the missing disk!

Overall, I'm happy to have the book and even happier knowing I never have to think about FPG again.

[glorbgorb]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

Overall, I'm happy to have the book and even happier knowing I never have to think about FPG again.

I'm sort of in the same boat. I think I got caught up by the nostalgia more than anything. Honestly I've seen the cards so many times, those are less appealing to me. And not that I expected Jusko to write a tome for each painting, but most comments are one sentence long.

I think the forwards and Making sections are more valuable. So, what? 40 pages of the whole book are what I find the most interesting?

Now it'll sit on my bookshelf with all the other art books.

[DynaEtch]

It arrived……to your doorstep…the doubts are finally gone!

I completely agree about the low-res paintings that were interspersed with the regular ones being a bummer. My initial thought it was it’s gonna be like the IDW book for MM16 with everything large, the size of the page, and nothing low-res. But turned out not.

The comments on each painting…agree with glorb it would have been nicer if it wasn’t mostly just 1 line. BUT there are other MM art books that have no comments at all (Bianchi’s) or only comments on some (96MM one), that I at least give props for having each painting commented.

The meat of the book for me was the intro part, but most of that info and all the things shown I’m already familiar with, so for me it’s not new.

That said, I think they’re nice hardcover books to have. It’s good to have something official for this set. The signed/limited one is still great value, have seen some sealed go for like $400 on ebay already and that’s without the free bronze cards. The base tier also really made out, the bronze card itself is worth more than the pledge. It’s hard to say just how well the painting tier made out (highly depends on character drawn). One thing I wasn’t aware of was just how small the paintings would be (half a sheet of paper). Wish it could have been bigger but then again that’s around the size of the original paintings for the 92MM set. The money isn’t the main thing with me though, as a collector of MM it’s nice to have a new book, with variants too which I like.

[Fenian95]

On the off chance someone is looking for a signed copy @$325. This shop is also selling base versions @$59 each.

https://www.budsartbooks.com/product...ECcrQbxoVwBduQ

[BJohns015]

Joe posted on Facebook that he's hearing the books should hit comic shops this week. He also mentioned the Buds link that Fenian shared above:

According to 13th Dimension it hits stores this week.
TO CLARIFY-It hit COMIC SHOPS this week. Check your local comic shop!
UPDATE: Bud Plant Has Two Versions.

[BobCollects]

I shouldn't have opened this topic. I was free! I never had to think about FPG again.

But here I am, pointing out FPG stated they only printed enough of the signed and numbered books to send to backers. There shouldn't be any extra copies. Is Bud's Art Books selling the owner's personal copies? Purchasing from backers?

[HiltonL]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

I shouldn't have opened this topic. I was free! I never had to think about FPG again.

But here I am, pointing out FPG stated they only printed enough of the signed and numbered books to send to backers. There shouldn't be any extra copies. Is Bud's Art Books selling the owner's personal copies? Purchasing from backers?

I recall (without evidence) that FPG did mention on the Kickstarter that there would be print overruns and that those overruns would be sold (to a single?) in stores. Of course this does not apply to the OA tiers, since each of those should be unique to their OA.

But Jusko's hand hasn't fallen off yet even though he's signed his name millions of times on all kinds of things over the years so I wouldn't be surprised to see regular tier and autographed tier books in stores all over America

[BobCollects]

Originally Posted by HiltonL

I recall (without evidence) that FPG did mention on the Kickstarter that there would be print overruns and that those overruns would be sold (to a single?) in stores. Of course this does not apply to the OA tiers, since each of those should be unique to their OA.

But Jusko's hand hasn't fallen off yet even though he's signed his name millions of times on all kinds of things over the years so I wouldn't be surprised to see regular tier and autographed tier books in stores all over America

All I know is what FPG posted in the July Kickstarter update: "All of the slipcased editions are sold out and we did not print any extra ones." There were 399 backers for the Limited Signed & Numbered Edition and FPG numbered the books out of 500. The original "limit" was 1992 but there were far fewer backers than that, even assuming some backers pledged for multiple copies. For anyone looking at the book as a collectible, the true number of copies matters. I'm just curious; I wouldn't be surprised at this point if FPG doesn't know exactly what was printed.

Also, five days ago someone posted this in the Kickstarter comment section (which currently has exactly 666 comments):

So I found out the real reason and the major reason why this campaign took so long for us to receive these books/cards. First off the big "M" and you know who I am referring to had a big problem.Why you ask well they lost the original prints to the Marvel Masterpieces so they had to scramble.So because FPG did not want to bad mouth the big "M" they said the delays were due to supply chain issues in getting the books to us.Yes that might be true about those issues but not the main reason. So the big "M" had to use private collectors to get the prints they needed to start the campaign.One of these collectors even still had the files of the marvel masterpieces on a floppy disc.So for all the backers who were hard on FPG for all the issues they faced go easy on them.

That matches what Joe Jusko shared somewhere (Facebook?) about the missing scans with a few added details.

I'd honestly love to see a documentary made about this fiasco. Or at least an in-depth, well-researched article somewhere with all the facts and timelines.

[HiltonL]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

I'd honestly love to see a documentary made about this fiasco. Or at least an in-depth, well-researched article somewhere with all the facts and timelines.

It'll never happen, as nobody will cooperate with such an effort, or more likely, nobody has *all* the body locations, so some will remain buried.

[BobCollects]

Originally Posted by HiltonL

It'll never happen, as nobody will cooperate with such an effort, or more likely, nobody has *all* the body locations, so some will remain buried.

I know. But it would make a fascinating documentary.

Better yet, a documentary focusing on the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces set that includes a segment about the book and how Marvel and/or FPG tracked down collectors with the original artwork.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

Better yet, a documentary focusing on the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces set that includes a segment about the book and how Marvel and/or FPG tracked down collectors with the original artwork.

Heck this would have made a great addition for the book. I find the collectible/hobby side of the set just as fascinating as the background of the set itself. I know it probably wouldn’t work since many people are secretive with this stuff, but just a survey of how the paintings are dispersed around the world, collector spotlights showcasing the truly rare stuff from 92MM they have such as the scratch off cards, the paintings, certain uncut sheets, dealer folder, and printing plates etc. I guess that’s partly what forums and social media are for, but I’d have loved to see that.

The painting images in the book are clearly of varying quality, so it appears they didn’t get them all, or had to use lower res scans for some. I can’t believe they tracked down every last painting, but maybe they used the scans on that disk that was mentioned for several.

I’m not much a player in the MM painting arena because the prices are beyond me and it is primarily cards I collect. There are people who know a lot more about where various ones are located. The ones I specifically remember from 92MM were the Psylocke, Rogue, and Black Widow on Heritage 10-15 years ago, the Electro sold on Comiclink not too long ago, and the Magneto sold on ebay like 7ish years ago for around $10k, which I regret not trying to go for since that is an absolute bargain in retrospect. But that’s about how sparsely they hit the major public markets.

[Dukefett]

Originally Posted by BobCollects

All I know is what FPG posted in the July Kickstarter update: "All of the slipcased editions are sold out and we did not print any extra ones." There were 399 backers for the Limited Signed & Numbered Edition and FPG numbered the books out of 500. The original "limit" was 1992 but there were far fewer backers than that, even assuming some backers pledged for multiple copies. For anyone looking at the book as a collectible, the true number of copies matters. I'm just curious; I wouldn't be surprised at this point if FPG doesn't know exactly what was printed.

Also, five days ago someone posted this in the Kickstarter comment section (which currently has exactly 666 comments):


That matches what Joe Jusko shared somewhere (Facebook?) about the missing scans with a few added details.

I'd honestly love to see a documentary made about this fiasco. Or at least an in-depth, well-researched article somewhere with all the facts and timelines.

I'm kind of surprised Marvel would have any part in this besides just approving the licensing? I wouldn't have expected Marvel to have the originals unless it was contracted they would get them 30 years ago.

[DynaEtch]

Resurrecting this old thread…but just wanted to share some sets I’ve finally completed from this project, after a lot of scouring and searching.

Big fan of the metal cards FPG made for this Kickstarter.

Bronze set


Zombie Psylocke set


Full color bronze set (/25)


Solid silver set (/15)


Psylocke Pink Zombie (1/1)


Custom case holder


Ok I think I’m done going for things in this…there are other 1/1s and such but you can’t collect all those, although I’m aware of at least one collector who is trying and has a massive collection of them.

Not gonna go for the solid gold Spidey 1/1 wherever that even is…probably worth the price of a house, give or take