RCheli

25 years ago, there seemed to be no hotter book than Adventure #247. Then, for the longest time, nobody really cared much. It's still a major key, but it may be the 20th or 25th most important Silver Age book, when for a while, it was 4th or 5th.

Here is a left field Golden Age question how did job numbers work? In the late 40's Timely books instead of having artist/writer information seem to be all done by a small hand full of people with SL or D. The actual number will vary wildly from story to story (some by over 100+). I would obviously assume SL = Stan Lee but in what capacity? Does it designate writer or editor (or both) is their even a list of codes used aggregated somewhere (google was not helpful).

I am not GATor, but...

Job numbers were just an accounting thing. Jobs were assigned by an editor to the writer, the penciller, the letterer, and the inker, and they just needed a way to track them through the various steps -- both for accounting purposes and for job flow.

Some job numbers in fact had the editor's initials -- see SL for Stan Lee or even AG for Archie Goodwin in the later black-and-white magazines -- but don't always assume that Stan or Archie or whomever actually did anything with it other than maybe assign the story.

The job numbers are slightly interesting where you can see stories that may have been finished a couple of years earlier but never printed at the time (for whatever reason). So in an issue of Marvel Tales, you may have C-341, C-361, and C-081.

The job numbers are often listed in various indexing sites (www.comics.org, for example), but they're by no means complete.

The MMMS pins can sell anywhere from $25 to $100 depending on condition. Looks like you have some rust/wear around the edges, but I suspect it's worth around $40.

Even if you paid $40 for it, though, it's such a cool pin. I have the Daredevil one... somewhere.

A later issue of Comics Collector -- which was the first magazine about comics that I read, as it was available on the newsstand -- had a preview of X-Force with a blacked out Jean Gray on the cover. Cyclops was also wearing an earlier version of the new X-Force uniform (minus the X).

http://www.comicvine.com/comics-collector-10/4000-200057/

I'm weary about listing magazines as the first appearance of characters. That's a slippery slope, but one that has been around for ever.

There was a small shop in Allentown, Pa, that was open for only a few months in the late 80s. The owner, a nice guy and a huge Dave Sim fan, had a FOOM with a preview of the new X-Men in it, and he had in for sale for $100. Nothing could talk him out of this ridiculous price.

He probably still has it.

But there is no Cerebus in 9.8, so we have to treat the 9.4s as the pinnacle of that issue. You need to stop comparing a 9.8 that's real with one that is not.

Then let's look at the Hulk #181 9.9 as an anomaly (which it is). There are 50 copies graded at 9.8. That's a decent (and comparable) percentage of copies graded at that high number to the 9.4s graded for the Cerebus #1.

You could also assume that a 9.8 cracked and re-submitted has a much higher chance of retaining that grade.

The value of the Hulk 181 in 9.8 is significantly higher than the Cerebus in 9.4. A dealer would pay significantly more for that book raw than would pay for an ungraded Cerebus that would likely hit its highest grade.

At the arbitrary grade of 9.2, Cerebus #1 is more valuable than Hulk #181.

But if you look at nearly every other grade, the Hulk #181 trumps it (and it's not even close).

To me, you have to equate the Cerebus 9.4 with the Hulk 9.9, as they are both the best copy of both issues. If a Cerebus 9.6 ever appeared, you would then compare that copy with the Hulk 9.9.

 

It doesn't work that way. That isn't how the market reacts to 9.9s and 10s. This just isn't how 9.9s and 10s work.

 

It also isn't how the market reacts to the "highest graded" when you compare very rare books (like Cerebus #1 and Action #1) to very, very common books (like Hulk #181.)

 

The Hulk #181 9.9 is only worth what it is because it is in a case that says "9.9" on the label. Remove it from that case, and it automatically loses more than 95% of its "value."

 

Reslab it, and it will come back the 9.8 it is now, the 9.9 having vanished into the ether with time.

 

Remove the 9.4 Cerebus #1 from its case, and it loses value...but only about 50% (or less) especially if people know that it is the 9.4 copy. Reslab it, and you might even pull a 9.6 (or a 9.2, however tightly/loosely the book was originally graded.)

All these things you're saying go for every single comic, and are not in the least bit specific to this situation. Of course a comic's grade intrinsically related to the grade assigned. And that value is diminished greatly if the comic is cracked or if it's re-graded lower.

Any 9.9 -- whether it be this month's Captain America or that Hulk -- would lose a ridiculous amount of value in that situation. As the grade gets lower, the lost value (as a percentage) also gets smaller. A 9.9 "worth" $1,000 may be worth $500 cracked (a loss of 50%). A 5.5 "worth" $1,000 may be worth $800 cracked (a loss of 20%).

But the value of the specific 9.4 that is used as a discussion here is less about the number grade but that it's the highest graded copy of Cerebus #1. Same goes for the Hulk.

Action #1 is worth more than Detective #27 in the same grade. But if the highest graded Action is a 9.0 and the highest graded Detective is a 9.2, I suspect the Detective would sell for a higher amount.

Wow... I've read this whole thing.

Must be a really boring day at work.

This is what I think:

To me, you have to equate the Cerebus 9.4 with the Hulk 9.9, as they are both the best copy of both issues. If a Cerebus 9.6 ever appeared, you would then compare that copy with the Hulk 9.9.

It's just like the Action #1 9.0 that just sold. When the Mile High copy comes on the market and is likely graded higher, I suspect the value of the 9.0s will stagnate or possibly drop (only slightly).

I would much rather have the Cerebus than the Hulk, but I think that many more people would rather have it the other way around.

Can't you get these on eBay no problem?

Print runs of these were really, really low (due, I think, to the really high cover price). The last few issues of the series tend to sell for $8-15 each.

Be wary of the Freak Brothers. Early printings are great, but later ones are cover or less.

The EC picto-fiction magazines are also great.

I'll take the WF #184.

I'll take the Girls Love and the Blazing Combat.

(And I think I have a couple of things set aside from earlier, too!)

The problem with those early Valiant books is that, while they are very tough to find and some can garner a decent price, there aren't that many collectors out there.

But pretty cool nonetheless.

I would say that Smith is one of the fifty most important artists in American comics history (he's British, obviously, but he's done nearly all if not all of his comic work with American publishers).

He's one of the most important comic artists in the history of the medium.

I've never heard of the guy.

You've never heard of Barry Windsor Smith? Or are you being a weinenheimer (as my PA Dutch side of my family would say)?

I think the reverse-he was good at 23 terrible after 27....

Are you serious?

Go out and buy The Studio. Go out and buy the Weapon X trade. Go out and buy Rune or Archer and Armstrong or his black-and-white Conan comics.

He has a unique style for sure. Take a good look at the Avengers 100 cover. It ain't workin' there, the legs and lines on the characters are all screwed up, it really looks bad.

 

Sorry to hear he's a jerk, he's not nearly good enough to get away with it.

I'm no huge Smith fan by any means, but that is a ridiculous thing to say.

He's one of the most important comic artists in the history of the medium. He was 23 years old (or younger) when he drew that Avengers #100 cover, and has, like most artists, improved greatly over the decades.

Oh artists HATE that question-it's virtually impossible to find an answer to that by googling or anything

I have 2 marvel artist friends and no idea what they make

How much do you make? That's a ridiculously rude question to ask anyone, especially someone who doesn't know you from Adam.

ok stopped by a half price books store today - here's what I found

 

We were just talking about these Supermans on Thursday. Great pick-up!

Another fine addition to my small poster collection. Picked it up from Tony Isabella himself, $10! Not sure of the artist...anyone?

It's likely Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. He did so much of the DC non-comic art from the 70s through the 90s.

Nice pick-up.

The #106 is the only Flash pre-200 I don't own.

No photos, but I had a decent find last week.

In the middle of the single worst work week of my life (I'm almost 42, so I've been working for a while) where I billed 82 hours on my time sheet, I went for a walk on Thursday to clear my head.

I stopped at a used book shop that I had never been to before, and off in the corner they had about 10 long boxes of comics, all price $1 each. They were in somewhat decent order (grouped by title or character) so it was easy to skip over a lot of titles that I had no interest in personally or to resell.

What I did find, however, was a New Mutants #98 in VF-ish shape and an Alias #1 in VF/NM. For a buck each.

I live/work in Chicago, and I suspect that these comics have been sitting around for a while. But it's obvious that you can find these gems anywhere/any time.

It almost made my week bearable.

Actually, no... nothing could've made last week bearable.

Since you threw your question out to GAtor and anyone else I'll give my opinion: I think the market is already showing what at least key WW books can do recently (AS8, SC 1, WW 1, etc) however I think the grade and look of the WW books play a part in that as compared to other GA keys of relative availability (as they do not) ...

Wait... are you saying that the Peters covers are a bad thing?

If so, I couldn't disagree more. They are extremely colorful, action packed, and while not as iconic as some of the Action/Superman/Detective covers, certainly are pretty darn cool.

I think there is a lot of room for growth for early Sensations/Wonder Womans.