sfcityduck

Great call now that we know its a WDC&S 1! That really is a supercool thing for any collector in this CGC era to own!

Well, you made a fantastic (and prescient) pick-up! Hope you landed some others!

Well, the one on the right was good enough for DA to keep in his collection. But, the one on the left DA rejected for the copy he now owns. But any MH is notable. Enough to make the MH Superman 1 a top 10 book even if its "second best"? I think that about the MH Action 1.

That is a beautiful Okajima, and not one I've seen before! Where did you get it? It definitely captures the irony of the Okajima story.

You know, there are so many cool comics out there, I just remembered another possible category. Uncensored variants. Below is the only example for this issue with the uncensored cover that I've ever seen. GCD does not know it exists. The MH copy is censored. I could see how if the rest of the uncensored copies were destroyed, this copy would be so cool as to merit inclusion on my list. After all, a super rare uncensored horror comic variant, especially because it was censored for being too sexy, would encapsulate just about everything the pre-Code era is about.

These guys need to work more days.

I've heard Punch 12 was Nic Cage's favorite comic book.

[READ THE ABOVE, IT IS MORE COMPREHENSIVE!] It is a pre-publication proof copy hand printed by the printers. It is is not printed using black ink, but done with a "silver print" process. It was then sent back to DC for hand coloring as a guide for the printers. As you can see, this was not the final coloring used on Action 1. This particular color guide hung on the wall of the president and/or publisher of DC for very many years.

Then try to imagine making payments for it! You might just find the Barks' bound volume inscribed to Willits as the coolest on the list. LoL!

Lot of jokes about this topic because of the identity of the big booster of the book's import, but it is a cool item. Just not, as you recognize, GA. The backlash against the book is over blown. The pre-GA history is important.

I'd forgotten the court copies, which are supercool, especially to attorneys like me (and Zaid!). They definitely meet my criteria! Thanks for reminding me of these.

The Action 1 color guide is one of the coolest bits of comic history ever, but I put it into the OA category. I'm all in on the coolness of ashcans, but you got to make choices and I chose DA 1 and the first appearances of Captain Marvel. On the ashcan front, other really strong contenders IMHO are the Wonder Woman ashcan (Sensation 1 cover and Sensation 2 interior), the ashcans for the Superman family (Superman w/ Action 7 cover, Superboy, Superwoman and Supergirl), and don't forget the Federal Men aschan which I think is the first surviving DC ashcan.

Okajima camp comics with racist Japanese portrayals are very very cool. They capture an incredible injustice. Very thought provoking, great back story, definitely the sort of book that should make a Top 10 list under my criteria. Thanks!

In a pathetic attempt to spur some conversation, here's a very close second when it comes to bound volumes. Carl Barks' bound volume of Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #1 and 2, and Walt Disney's Vacation Parade #1 - Given by Barks to Malcolm Willits in June 1960 with the inscription: "It was nice to meet a fan after all the years of drawing and writing these comics." Willits was the first person to learn Barks' name and address in 1957 (and he then went into the Army I think). The Spicer brothers learned Barks' name and address in 1960 and were the first to write Barks on April 11, 1960. Willits had written Barks' publisher in 1957, but got no reply. But, Willits was the first fan to visit Carl Barks in person in June 1960. That volume is an incredibly significant bit of comic history documenting, in Barks' own hand, the moment when the "good duck artist" first met the nascent comic fandom then coalescing, and, most importantly, how much it meant to him! That volume, my friends, is a foundational historical document regarding the birth of comic fandom and the ground zero for the then anonymous Carl Barks' becoming one of Disney's biggest legends. Barks subsequently met John Spicer a few months later. Barks appreciated his fans. Barks chose to acknowledge his newfound fans with the June 1961 issue of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories in a story titled Stranger Than Fiction. "I had already informed him of my abiding interest in science fiction, and of how my parents refused to allow it in the house when I was young, and how much I wished he’d do more stories with this theme [of science fiction],” Willits recalled. “In this story, Donald is enraged to find his nephews reading a science fiction book and proceeds to throw it in the trash. The book in question is Ten Seconds to Mars by Spicer Willits. Naturally, the kids have the last laugh as what Donald considers to be science fiction turns out to be fact. As with many of Carl’s stories, a moral is involved, but even if it wasn’t, John and I were delighted in being immortalized, however briefly, in one of his works,” Willits said with a smile. A cool bound volume? Yet it is! Cool enough to make a top 10 list, probably! I am envious of whoever bought the Barks volume (maybe Yellow Kid?). Heritage had it on a $450 estimate and didn't promote it very well (I didn't read the description or I would have bid), but it went $4K+ (which I think was cheap).

Just killing some time, and got to thinking about this topic: What are the coolest single GA copies in the hobby? To be clear, I mean actual single books (like the MH Action 1), not issues (like Action 1). And by "coolest," I mean a confluence of comic history, collecting history, importance, significance, rarity, storytelling value, etc., but NOT necessarily grade. I do NOT assume the "best" or most valuable copy of a comic is the "coolest" copy. Having said that, here are books that make my Top 10 (in no particular order): Mile High / Edgar Church Action 1 - C'mon, its the most important comic, from the most important OO collection, with the most important impact on comic pricing, and it is shrouded in mystery. Even if it turns out NOT to be the highest graded Action 1, it will still be the MH copy I think is "coolest." Pay Copy Marvel Comics 1 - Not the best copy, but the history! We've all talked a lot about this book. Hard to top. Gaines file copy of Vault of Horror 12 -The very first "New Trend" EC Comic. The only "Gaines file copy" of it. Is that cool or what? Talk about boasting rights! All the other guys chasing Gaines file copies will envy you forever. Gardner Fox's bound volumes of All-Star Comics - I hate bound copies and maybe they don't belong on a list of "single copies" because they are two volumes. But, Gardner Fox, the man and legend who wrote the JSA stories, had bound copies of the All-Star run. He sold them to Jerry Bails, the legendary fan and promoter of comic collecting, for $75 in 1959! The coolest bound volumes ever. They belong on the list. Double Action 1 (ashcan) - Another book shrouded in mystery. The Bigfoot of comics, but it turned out it exists! And its got a great cover. Double Action 2 is also a cool book, but the rarity makes DA 1 even cooler. The fact that someone got both DA 1 and the best DA 2 for only $80K tells you that even on the deep end of the pool, the highest price does not equal the coolest books! What a great pairing to own. Fawcett Flash Comics 1 / Thrill Comics 1 - Speaking of ashcans, here's the only ashcan to feature the actual first appearance of a major character - Captain Thunder! ... er Marvel. Super cool. If you want to own one ashcan, this has to be the one that will give you the best story to tell. For this one title, I think all the copies are equally cool (I know, it's an exception to the rule above). Pay Copy MPFW 1 - BUT, there is a cooler first appearance of a major character that may actually have made it to the public! First appearance of the first major Marvel character. And super rare. And shrouded in mystery and discussion points. That sounds cool to me. AND there is a PAY COPY - which hits my list of the coolest copies in the hobby. Allentown Captain America 1 - CA 1 is a cool book. While grade is not a weighty criteria for me, I'll make an exception here as this CA 1 is the only really major GA key that exists in CGC 9.8. And it was owned by a storied dealer for many many years, and was one of a handful of books that shaped the high end collecting economy. Dong Kingman's personal copy of The Nightingale - Also on the pre-Code theme, Frederick Wertham said there was only one "good" comic book ever made: The Nightingale. Super rare, limited distribution in NYC and Westchester county - only two copies are known to exist in private collections. One of those copies was purchased directly from the artist, the famed fine artist Dong Kingman. Artist's personal copy and you can't complete a collection of all comics mentioned in SOTI without it (SOTIcollector has the other copy and the only complete SOTI collection), and it is historically important and a great story to tell. Makes my list! Review Copy of Wonder Woman 1(?) - Someone's got to help me with this one. I recall seeing an auction for a review copy of either Sensation 1 or Wonder Woman 1 (I think the latter) with a letter either written by or to the editor of a respected women's magazine. It included a photo of the woman supposedly holding a copy of the book, but the cover of the comic was a preview version. It was a super cool group of items. Unique, historical, and great storytelling value! Really impressed me, but I can't find any info on line. Help! I'm sure folks have their own thoughts on this one. Light discussion for a slow day.

REHOLDER (SA Book) Estimate at submission: "25 working days" Delivered: 1/15/21 Received: 1/26/21 (Interval to = 6 business days) Charged by CGC: 2/4/21 (Interval to = 7 business days) FAST TRACK ECONOMY (+CCS) Estimate at submission: "16 working days" Delivered: 1/15/21 Received: 1/26/21 (Interval to = 6 business days) Charged by CCS: 2/15/21 (Interval to = 14 business days) MAGAZINE MODERN (+CCS) Estimate at submission: "74 working days" Delivered: 1/15/21 Received: 1/26/21 (Interval to = 6 business days) VALUE (+CCS) Estimate at submission: "89 working days" Delivered: 1/15/21 Received: 1/26/21 (Interval to = 6 business days)

New info on Two Faces of Communism and Double Talk. Here's confirmation that Two Faces came first from an ad for Double Talk in the June 1962 Christian Anti-Communism Crusade newsletter: And here's info on an Indian edition of Two Faces for the hardcore collectors to seek out from the April 1962 CACC newsletter:

There is no doubt that Bob has information and stories I'd love to hear. I reached out to him directly about something he once said on a topic of intense interest, information I'd only seen him express, but he didn't respond back. I'd really like to get the info out of him. So, yeah, I'd be happy to see him back on the boards - so long as it didn't devolve into flame wars (and I know there are folks who have strong objections to him).

Mitch is already King:

That story was told by Cat earlier in this thread. Very funny! Telling about his high character that JV would tell that story about himself to share the laughs.

The notion of a message board hall of fame is pretty laughable. But, if I were going to nominate anyone, it would be based on quality of posts, not quantity (longevity would matter, but not number of posts), so I might be on board with 10+ years but not 10,000 plus posts (that just encourages spam). And if I were going to name some of the posters who have conveyed the highest quality info they would be heavy on the GA and include the following not mentioned so far: Bangzoom ECcomics Moondog and many others not mentioned on this thread so far. Silly idea, I think.

Inks was a short lived publication of the Ohio State cartoon art department/museum. They are hard to find, but I imagine that there are comic dealers who have them. I found mine on Abe Books.

I mean comic book format comic strip reprints. I like the Israeli publications!

That is fantastic! Another grail (this one seems a bit high given the condition), but I am tempted!

I'm looking for a copy of a GA magazine which features this image (only a partial image of the mag, but you get the idea) as my current comic cover magazine grail: