50YrsCollctngCmcs

On 8/10/2023 at 6:09 AM, thejudge01 said:

There's absolutely no way this is worth only $13,000. It wasn't long ago even Wonder Woman wasn't relevant.  You need one good movie to revive a character 

Old comics are only worth what someone is willing to pay. The real point here is that as the older collecting community who find these characters relevant leave the hobby does the value still hold? Green Hornet made a splash through the TV show of the sixties; after that there is much less relevance.

The conundrum will be if some of the nicer Golden Age material starts to be valued like Platinum Age material; anachronistic artifacts from another era but without current cache or relevance. That would likely result in lower prices. I'm not talking classic stuff here but the B rated hero material. On the other hand when I look at how the early Fox books have taken off I kind of scratch my head. That market isn't driven by folks who had an affinity for the material.

I'd sure hate to have my major investments in old comics (other than the blue chip stuff); feels like you could easily get burned.

On 8/8/2023 at 11:00 AM, jimbo_7071 said:

I think that it might have fetched $30K in 2021 or 2022 during the hot Covid market. Now? I don't even think it would hit $20K at auction. Nobody under 65 cares about that character, and it isn't a horror cover, a GGA cover, or a WWII cover.

The 2011 reboot was terrible but if done properly for a younger generation I could see this character being relevant again. But it would need to be done by actors and directors of that generation. Wonder who owns the rights these days?

On 8/7/2023 at 1:53 PM, OtherEric said:

I should sit down and just read the Mickey Mouse serials in the one longish run of WDC&S I have, 204-254.

That's the kind of thing I always want to do but I don't think I have any good continuous runs like that that would make it worth my while!

Fun book but the demand is not there at that price. The first six issues weren't Harveys but put together by Bert Whitman studios. I found a nice issue of #5 at one of Terry's Yorba Linda shows and fell in love with the cover and had to pick it up. And you could take about three zeros off his price for this book.

On 8/6/2023 at 11:41 PM, Robot Man said:

Yeah, I would have to agree. Most of the Mickeys are pretty dull art and reading wise. Phantom Blot is one exception that comes to mind. Just goes to show what a genius Carl Barks was. 

Phantom Blot along with any other Floyd Gottfredson stories are worth a read. The 3 chapter serials in WDCS can be fun but it is hard to get them in sequence.

On 8/6/2023 at 3:47 AM, MrBedrock said:

The Two Little Would Nots and Slovenly Peter Box Set - Two books in very good in a very good box - $15 shipped

 

Pretty sure I've seen Slovenly Peter at every comic con I've attended! No wonder the Little Chick would not go to bed.

On 7/29/2023 at 11:14 AM, ttecwaf said:

34 does not exist.  Description from Overstreet: "35-34 on inside; cover shows origin of Sivana Jr. which is not on inside.  Evidently the cover to #35 was printed out of sequence and bound with contents to #34".  The contents cover #35 of the above are labeled #34 on the first page. 

Odd never noticed that in the guide. Not that I was really looking!

Buy and hold works for me in all my investments! Especially comics!

Granted SDCC is the Gorilla of Comic Cons but I like variety in my life. With retirement coming up in a few years what other conventions should I consider heading out to for some good old comics fun? OafCon is one that I hear is old school fun and maybe Chicago. I did the New York circuit as a kid so that wouldn't interest me too much. Is Baltimore still a good show?

On 7/28/2023 at 7:02 AM, Tom789 said:

What's the old saying - a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step?  Well, here are the first three steps in my low-grade, raw, Carl Barks duck collection.  Long way to go!

Nothing wrong with that! All my early purchases were low grade and I have slowly been upgrading for decades. I still have my pile of beater classics that I can pull when I want to reread one of the great stories!

On 7/25/2023 at 3:28 PM, AJD said:

The ducklings in the washer are very much in Kelly's style, so I think the attribution is right. But I agree that DD looks a little 'off'.

On the other hand, this Kelly cover (on an Australian copy I got in today) is very nice.

Kelly always drew Huey Dewey and Louie a little funny when compared to Barks; something about the beaks. On the other hand his Donald always looked great; compare the washing machine cover to some of the books posted by Marty above. On the other hand maybe Kelly was rushed or having a bad day!!

On 7/24/2023 at 11:48 PM, Paul (GG) © ® ™⚽️💙 said:

I only really collect PCH these days but I have always loved DD.

I haven't bought a Ducky book for 20 years but I still love some of the covers. I figure if I can pick the odd one up cheap here and there it's a fun thing to do.

Just got this one in the mail today.

 

I picked up this same issue at a LCS about 5-6 years ago for $10. Not slabbed so I got to read and enjoy it. I have a hard time believing the cover is by Walt Kelly though; it doesn't have the charm he usually brings to his work.

On 7/21/2023 at 2:00 AM, ttecwaf said:

37

I love this cover. Infinity cover with the whole Fawcett lineup!!

On 7/19/2023 at 12:00 AM, Robot Man said:

I picked up only two “Love” books. This I Love You issue was one I’d never seen. Such great dialogue and I one of only a few “grey tone” covers I’ve seen on a romance book.

The Lovers Lane was one I was looking for for a while. Found it buried in one of the smaller dealers boxes VERY cheap 

 

Boy this sure reminds me of how those Charltons in the early seventies really felt like an inferior product. Other than E-Man there were few I would buy from the newstand in those days.

On 7/19/2023 at 3:53 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

Okay, I doubt it will be as funny without the descriptive visuals, but here goes; this is the abbreviated story...  

My wife and I were on an extended rail journey that included SDCC before the event in Calgary. While we were traveling by Amtrak via the California Zephyr west across the U.S. we encountered the strangest phenomenon in the Rockies. A large group of vacationers of both sexes standing on the bank of a river upon seeing our train pass nearby all turned toward the river in unison to drop their trousers mooning the train passengers!!!

While this was shocking and unexpected we assumed it must be some sort of ritual and chalked it up to an interesting experience associated with train travel. After attending San Diego ComicCon we spent another week in San Diego then boarded the Coast Starlight, traveling north for a couple of days through Oregon and Washington before changing trains again after crossing into Canada at Vancouver.

In Vancouver we booked passage on the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer that traveled east through several scenic parks. All of the upper deck seating throughout this train has a sky dome for spectacular views. The stewards ...in addition to serving four star meals and freshly prepared deserts... acted as guides, encouraging passengers to shout out whenever they spotted eagles, osprey or other animals so that passengers who brought cameras could capture mementos of the wonderful Canadian landscape to take back home.  

Alas, this provided the only disappointment on an otherwise delightful journey. While we saw majestic mountains, grand rivers, beautiful forests and an amazing variety of birds I never once had an opportunity to shout "BEAR" ...and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the biggest difference between Americans and Canadians.  

I was on the Zephyr years ago and did not witness such a sight! One day I hope to take the Rocky Mountaineer; I will advise if I get to shout "Bear!"

Thanks for sharing!!

On 7/18/2023 at 1:00 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

The overlap from a collecting standpoint is simply that both have aged paper ephemera. Comic cons are more focused on the art side, with comic books, newspaper strips, premiums, etc., while SF cons focus more on books, paperback and pulps. The most interesting dynamic is the schism between fan bases. In the 60's and 70's comic cons attracted a more conservative fan base, GA through SA comics having a much clearer good verses evil perspective with fewer shades of grey. This kind of right/wrong, black and white POV appealed to a more reactionary audience, while SF conventions were amazingly progressive and cutting edge from my perspective. Many of the most adventurous SF novels and short stories from the 40's through the 60's dealt every conceivable shade of grey and explored where a utopian verses dystopian society might end up in the future. 

Flash forward to today and the audiences are almost the reverse of what they were. Today, it seems that many SF cons have become more conservative and set in their ways; there's an ongoing internal battle for the hearts and minds of SF fans on a variety of issues which I won't get into, but most fans know the stress points quite well. Basically, the SF fan base doesn't adapt well to changing times as opposed to the comic community. For decades comics have pushed the envelope as fertile ground for bold challenging ideas in a variety of formats and graphic novels and the fan base has been much more open to exploring those changes. While this polar flip was gradual and reflect changing tastes of authors and readership as someone with feet firmly planted in both worlds this dynamic shift has long fascinated me. 

Below is a rare photo procured from the web which I can't recall having posted in this forum before (if you've seen it somewhere before, just pretend it's newly discovered). I was invited to be part of opening ceremonies and give a speech as the only artist among distinguished authors that included my late wife Rachel Caine, Brian Hades, Robert J. Sawyer, Walter Jon Williams and Jack Whyte at the Calgary SF convention When Words Collide (Aug. 12-14, 2011)...

Unlike my wife and other scholarly scribes seated at the table who'd had time to prepare wonderful speeches for this event, my honor was impromptu since artists weren't anticipated at this convention. So, following the brilliant speeches of Walter Jon Williams, Jack Whyte, Robert J. Sawyer & Brian Hades, a slaughter destined lamb was under pressure to come up with 15 minutes off the top of my head!!!  

That's me third from the end looking down the barrel of the literary giants preceding me; GOH Rachel Caine to my left (stage right) would follow, so I was perfectly situated in the rodeo clown seat to prepare the audience for the headliner. What I came up with was an anecdote about an unusual event that happened to us on the train trip to Canada.

As luck would have it, my ad libbed tale of the difference between "bare and bear" and Americans and Canadians elicited roars of laughter from the audience. 

 

And you aren't going to share that tale?

On 7/17/2023 at 6:23 AM, Robot Man said:

Some various wall shots. Some just amazing books in this room. Whatever us LA collectors leave will probably move down the 5 freeway…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prices on those Marvel Family books are shocking. That title was such an off brand of an off brand for years. Wonder if they are especially high grade; otherwise I don't get it. Or is it Black Adam mania?

On 7/17/2023 at 9:57 AM, Robot Man said:

Yeah, very comic book centric and compact.

Yeah, Mr Bedrock I’d going down to SD as well. He had a somewhat smaller booth but brought a very nice variety of books. Something got most everyone. Dealers really get a bang for the buck with 2 shows in basically a week. 

Oh I meant Richie Munchin; haven’t seen him selling in years.

Wow that is the epitome of an old time comic show! Great report. But when they drag all those comics to San Diego they will seem to disappear amidst the giant halls of pop culture pablum!

Good to see Ritchie, is he selling at SDCC? That’s a nice little display he has there. Ive still got a great early Superman I picked up from him in the nineties.

On 7/14/2023 at 3:48 AM, Marty Mann said:

That red still pops so many decades later!

This is a fun listen; I believe I got the link on a FB group. The stories of the early days of this con should be fun for you early attenders. I thought it interesting in that I could sense parallels between Phil Seuling's New York cons that I attended and the SDCC. SDCC turned into the big Kahuna and Phil's show didn't take off that way.

Comic Con History Podcast

The last time I went (don't remember the year but in the latter 2010's) it was for a day probably travelling on the train or driving to and parking at the big stadium and taking a trolley ride in to town. I decided to approach the show like it wasn't a comic show anymore and to just walk around and look at everything else and check out the comics as an after thought later.

I have to say I really enjoyed this approach and it allowed me to find and appreciate things I probably never would have spent time looking at in past years. I doubt I even bought any comics but I remember having a good time all the same.

I plan on going back one day; probably just for a day to see if I notice any further changes. I won't be looking for comics but might look for comics panels. Sometimes obscure dealers have interesting things if you look in the back of their booths. Guys selling expensive toys usually have a comics box that might be overlooked.

Fun is where you find it and SDCC can still offer it up if you give it a shot and figure out some strategies to avoid exorbitantly priced parking, food and hotels. In fact someone should write a book called, "The Cheapskates guide to SDCC, or how I shared a hotel room with fifteen people!"

On 7/10/2023 at 1:58 AM, Marty Mann said:

That's a great cover on that one Marty!