Lee K

Or to understand what came first - you have to understand what never left... The go-go check marketing period of DC comics abounds with firsts, as do the couple of issues that pre-date the go-go checks by one or two months. A handful of new, long-term characters were introduced, some of whom have carried their own titles, while others have appeared in animation, and some of which (thankfully) passed into the sunset of comic life. Additionally, DC started going through its golden age character archives and re-introduced a number of characters that hadn't been seen since the 40s. But to understand this, you have to understand what went before; before not only the go-go check period, but before the beginning of the silver age - before Showcase #4 and the introduction of the totally re-imagined Flash character in 1959. The comicbook landscape of the 50's is littered with westerns & romances; true crime & detective books; sci-fi & jungle action; but not with superheroes. Four Color & Classics Illustrated were easy to find - funny animal books - and many books based on TV and movie personalities... Except at DC. Someone at DC said 'Spoon this spoonity spoon spoon' - Superman is an alien - that's sci-fi, right? - and Batman is a Detective...OK maybe not exactly like that. But DC did continue to publish hero & superhero books all the way through the 50s. Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Detective Comics, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Blackhawk, & World's Finest - eight books that started in the golden age and ran continuously through the go-go check period - from the birth of comicdom to the beginning of the Neil Adams period and the first inklings of the bronze age (Blackhawk wouldn't make it all the way to the bronze age - although it will be revived in the mid-bronze period). Tomorrow - why aren't my books in QC yet? Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Like Georgia... Most of us spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars of comic books, and then on CGC to have those very same books scrutinized under a magnifying glass, a black light, an MRI, and quite probably a CAT scan...all so that they can disclose their valued opinion on defects, even those not visible to the naked eye, and the dreaded prospect of undisclosed restoration. We appreciate and acknowledge that the people doing this are human, that they are not infallible, and that at the end of the day it is only an opinion. Except, of course, in the instances of signature verification and pedigree verification. Because they require physical presence to witness the signatures and evidence of pedigree...and we all assume that we, as collectors are reasonably honest, mostly since there isn't any real money value added in tacking on a pedigree designation in most cases. But, we all hear/read/post stories of mislabeled comics...so what happens when CGC mislabels a comic in your favor? What should I do with the comic below? It is not from a pedigreed collection, it wasn't submitted with a pedigree certification, it just magically became a pedigreed book while at CGC... BTW, I have no intention of selling this book without full disclosure that it is mislabeled. I am not an underhanded person. Happy Hunting! And tomorrow, back to the go-go check collection... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Over eighteen months Starting one month after the debut of the Batman TV show on ABC, in January 1966, and ending the Carmine Infantino's promotion to Editorial Director in August 1967. The go-go check marketing period contains a lot of firsts, a lot of lasts, and some surprises. What isn't a surprise is which title has the most issues with checks at the top: Action Comics with 20. That's right 20 issues in 18 months. No title has 19 issues in the set, but a number have 18, and this is where the surprises are...or some of them, anyway... The five most common titles after Action are: Adventure Comics, ok no real surprise, this is home to the Legion of Superheroes. Detective Comics, again no surprise, Batman is enjoying a surge in popularity due to the success of the TV show Our Army at War, so...a war title, maybe a little surprise as DC had five war titles running at once, six if you count Blackhawk, although it had ceased to really be a war book. Strange Adventures, I'm surprised. Just science fiction/science fantasy with no single leading character. Those four represent the 18 issue books, which leaves the sole 17 issue book: Blackhawk, which is surprising, as sales on this title are flagging...and it will be cancelled in 1968. But, do you see what isn't there? Batman, Superman, Brave & the Bold, Showcase, Wonder Woman, World's Finest? No...none of these books were monthlies. Tomorrow, what's new... Happy Hunting Lee To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I chose it for a number of reasons 1. It represents a very specific period in DC's history 2. It includes books of every price range. 3. It includes several first appearances or first Silver Age appearances. 4. The exterior checked decoration was combined with an entire marketing scheme, if you see a reader copy at con, open it and look for the Go, Go, Go! advertisements. 5. No Neal Adams, so I don't have to fight with Adams completionists in order to acquire minor books from the run - but also, Adams' first work signals the end of the goofiness of the go-go check era. Thanks to my friends, I have now completed 2/3rds of the big key issues. Once I add the grail issue of Detective, this display will be complete. Happy Hunting! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

To an old friend I've had this lying around in my Iron Man collection for years, and with the current focus in my collection, it is time to get it slabbed and allow someone else to love it. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I mean really? Below is a photo of Stan's sig on a modern I had done for my wife in 2010. What strikes me most is how clear and readable the signature is. While it is obviously the signature of a person who signs their name often, fluid & smooth, it isn't a nun identifiable black scrawl on my wife's book. It is rather crisp, and although I gave Stan free reign to sign anywhere on the book he wanted, he selected a location that doesn't hammer the artwork. Yesterday I posted about my sole Stan sig series book, and while I love it, it does look like it was signed by an angry doctor with a dull sharpie. It is basically a dull black smear across my book. While I am willing to acknowledge that age might have something to do with the deterioration of his sig, or even his up and down health, I really blame the way his handlers have him do the signatures. Too many sigs, too fast, all in the name of the unholy dollar... I would be happier if there were fewer Stan lee sigs, but they were more beautiful to behold. I personally won't have another book signed by Stan. Lee To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Thanks Tnerb Some months ago Tnerb offered to help me with a Stan autograph, it having come to pass that I decided to break down and get one on at least one of the books from my personal collection while the opportunity was still there. Obviously, selecting a book from my collection wasn't an easy feat. I don't really collect Marvel and I only own a couple of Marvel slabs, plus I didn't want it on an X-book. What generally isn't known, is that as a teen, and even a pre-teen I enjoyed both the Avengers & Iron Man, although I enjoyed the Avengers because Iron Man was a member. I didn't buy issues he wasn't in. So from my musty collection of early Iron a Man appearances, I selected this issue below. Why? It is a minor key, but that really wasn't part of the decision making process. Rather it has Red Skull on the cover, and when I think of SA & BA villains, Red Skull is a favorite. Additionally, it is issue 65, from 1965, and I was born in 1965. Now it is signed by Stan Lee, for Lee, with help from Tnerb. Anyway, I love it. Thanks T! Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

or - I have nothing better to do... Collecting focus - I have got to stay dialed in on my collecting focus in 2014. I know I love a lot of books - Sword & Sorcery books; Superhero Team books; 60's Science Fiction books; Signature Series books; Jungle Adventure books; and the go-go check collection.... I have help from a friend on the go-go check collection - but some of the books in that run are fairly expensive, and it is a BIG set, or it will be once Nicole gets it up...with some fairly impossible books to find in high grade. Heck, one of the books on my most recent invoice has never been slabbed before...and it's a go-go check. Romance books. Sheesh. Of course, I love my Strange Adventures run - but I'm only missing a single go-go check from that run - and as I look for books after the Capt. Comet run ended and before the introduction of The Atomic Knights, well those books are hard to find in high grade... Next would be what? Conan & Red Sonja & Green Arrow & Tarzan & Korak & Lone Ranger & even Rima the Jungle Girl....so much good stuff...I am trying to get my DH Conans and my Red Sonja's signed and slabbed with pretty yellow labels... And really after that - I don't have a lot of money left to focus on the other cool stuff at the moment... But I always manage to find something that I really need Oh well - Comics are Good. Happy Hunting! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Or, at least it feels that way... My value tier submission has now been graded for 5 business days and should shortly be advanced to quality control. Obviously, with a value tier submission there isn't very much there that is uber-valuable to my collections, but there are three books for the go-go check collection and another for my Strange Adventures set. Also, some books I selected for my buddy as a Christmas present for his shark covers collection are in there. He's going to be surprised. At least it appears that I'm not getting back any PLODs - everything appears to be blue label goodness. It just feels like it is taking a million-billion-gazillion (sounds like a Richie Rich title, huh?) days have passed since the books were shipped off and I am getting impatient. While I have been waiting, I did manage to recover my position with the #3 set in Strange Adventures...and I had some original art framed at the frame shop...and I ended up buying several of the DC leticular covers for villians month - with signature opportunities for the Bat-books at ECCC (hey - does anyone know what pens work on the leticular cover yet? - yes, I'm asking you Ronnylama, I know you were experimenting)... Well - for now there is Halloween around the corner and after that, books should be shipped safe and I can consider my new grades. And then - well, then I need to save money for ECCC - because I have waaaaayyyy too much stuff for signature series this year, and we don't even have any really big names from the 70's or 80's yet - Klaus Jansen isn't that big a deal to me... Well - we'll see. Enough meandering thoughts for now - Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Submissed Ok - so most importantly I have to say what a great evening I had last night. After completing my husbandly duties of dinner with my wife and walking the dogs, I got to pack up some comics and head to Ronnylama's. For those who have never enjoyed the experience, Ronnylama lives in the most incredible artists enclave, with sculptures, and paintings, and animals, and comics...so a trip to Ronnylama's is a pleasure all in itself. But, what I had was my four coupon books to share with him as well as the books I am starting to assemble for signature series at ECCC this coming March. The opportunity to talk Willams III, Janson, Arthur Adams, Rocafort, and D'Anda - to take in hand his books (slabbed and sitting on the coffee table) from Evil Knieval promo to Crisis on Infinate Earths, to Howard the Duck...why it was great. Now my four books have gone on their way - three of which I expect good things from 9.2+ the fourth? I don't know - it's a copy of Iron Man #1 that I purchase from my LCS years ago and I just don't know where it is going to grade out. 7.0 maybe? but that's a big, hairy guess...I suppose I'll find out in a few, short weeks. Hey Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

hmm Business day 33, books secretly moved from received to verified. Annotations added to the submission grid in the pedigree column; and a double-cover noted. A detailed check that the title, publisher, and issue number match the submission information has occurred - but two books that were clearly submitted with dates taken from the indica have been marked ND, and a book that I found no month of issue on has had a month added to the year. Fascinating. Soon(ish) I may have the books I intended for my friend's birthday in hand and I will be able to wrap them up - although that is my own fault. Now I am excited for the grades (and for the three go-go checks that are in the mix...) Happy Hunting Lee To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Wow I just realized I have exactly 43,000 registry points. Weird. Lee To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Day 25 They suspect nothing, my books. They rest quietly in a secure place, unknowingly approaching 'verified'... I really need to have more than one invoice going at a time to keep myself entertained. I'm not even halfway to the sixty day turn around for my budget submission and I'm already getting anxious for my books. Maybe I need another hobby to add to my list of hobbies... Happy Hunting Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

18 months... People who are into SA & GA DC books know that DC has a long standing fascination with gorillas. And that's ok; I like gorillas. But, hen I was shuffling through the go-go check collection, my eye fell on these: Star Spangled War Stories #126, April-May 1966, cover by Kubert, featuring Sgt. Gorilla on a beautiful red background Tomahawk #107, November-December 1966, cover by Bob Brown, featuring Gorilla Ranger on a beautiful red background Wonder Woman #170, May 1967, cover by Andru & Esposito, featuring a space gorilla on a beautiful dark-green background And Strange Adventures # 201, June 1967, cover by Infantino & George Roussos, featuring the Mod Gorilla Boss on a beautiful green background. I think I have to get a four panel display to show there all off together. I seriously need to find more go-go check gorilla examples too. Happy hunting! Lee To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Thanks Ronnylama She finally got home from CGC and I couldn't be happier. Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane 70, CGC 9.0, white. The go-go check collection just got a lot better. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

And I didn't even really aim at him... Not that many years ago, I was in a select group of people who would rather post in the journals, as opposed to communicating in the chat boards...I ghosted the boards some, made a handful of comments, and decided that the journals were for me. Some time later, Tnerb caught the CGC bug, and he caught it bad - grading New Mutants? Really? You might as well slab Science Fiction books from the 60's - no-one else really cares... Except There's something addictive about Tnerb, about his passion, about his writing style, and about his collection...and after meeting him - there's something addictive about him. And now that he has a new job, and is no longer slinging hash in the middle of the night - well - he doesn't seem to have as much time to write. Neither journals nor blog, and my day seems emptier without reading his words. In the spirit of his writing - we should do some ourselves...I don't know what, I'm definately not a writer of any magnatude - nor am I a particularly good wordsmith when I do write. But the journals seem an emptier place without his input, and without our comments. Random photo from my Cambodia vacation below... Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Nice book. Congrats on the grade. Lee K

I am reading and enjoying My early birthday present. You are a great guy, and I am thankful I know you. Lee K Now there is one less key I'm missing in the go-go check run... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Well, it is. So I've spent some time crafting my Strange Adventures registry set, and while I is a far cry from some of the great collectors that don't even have their books on the registry, or even slabbed in many cases, I have assembled thirty six of the books in VF of better including some of the key issues. Comfortably ensconced in third place with about a thousand points between myself and the big número dos, I check once in a while to see if the number four guy has added any books (we all do that, right?)...anyway, I check today and I'm back to number four...sigh. But wait, it isn't the old number four that has overtaken me, no it is a newcomer. I must see his set! What coolness does it hold? What images I'll unfold before my eyes? No, it isn't obscured; yes, there is an image loaded... Of one book. His single ultra high grade book out values my entire set of thirty six issues. And it is a fine copy of an early (non-key) issue. But I still think its a bunch of **spoonity spoon-spoon** I'm gonna go polish my armor. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I've dropped four registry spots in four days. Well, what are you going to do about it? I mean - due to the oddity of my collection I'm not going to be in the running for any registry awards any time soon (ok - I'll get a couple certificates in the mail)...and I'm not trying to get anything ready for 'best presentation' so I guess I'll watch the recently modified set list and see who is competing. To each of you with a competitive set - to each of you with 100% pics & 100% comments - good luck tomorrow. As for me? I'm going to go home and read some comics... And wait for a shipment of yellow labels from the east coast. Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

only two remain... Now we are at the place that represents the last two books I would keep in my possession if something occurred and I had to liquidate my collection. At number two - at the cusp between the golden age and the atomic age - another DC beauty this time combining superheroes with sci-fi travel to the future and finally incorporating some of the goofiness that 50s covers can be known for - PLUS the first appearance of one of my favorite villians: Deadshot. Ever since I got to know Floyd Lawton in the Legends miniseries and then followed him over the years in the various Suicide Squad series I have been fascinated with him as a character. So, when his first appearance (from 1950 nonetheless) came available in my price range, I was willing to look past the poor staple placement to make this purchase. Checking in at number two on the no-purgie-purgie list - Batman #59, CGC 8.0, off-white, with an issue date of 1950. And when you are all done checking out the image - look at it again: Take a moment to take in the cartoon stars that make no pretense at accuracy, the cartoon planets with their rings, and when you are all done thinking about the background, and take time to consider the Bat-spaceship (first cover appearance of the Bat-spaceship - why isn't this annotated on the label?)...and better than just the Bat-spaceship is the little, tiny wheel on the bottom of the bottom flange of the spaceship. So that must be so you can land the spaceship like an airplane (?)... Still - at the end of the day - I LOVE this book. Happy Hunting! Lee K To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Darn I've run out of pithy things to say.. Down to only three books on the grand tour of 'the books that I wouldn't couldn't shouldn't purge, except as a last resort, and now for a book or two that don't appear to be part o my regular CGC focus... Although I have written about my friendship with Mike Grell, I may not have made clear that my love for Green Arrow came first. I always thought that his trick arrows were pretty sweet, and once I discovered that he was a comic character from the 40s, I was hooked: Arrowcave, Arrowplane, Arrowcar, Arrow sidekick. He had it all, but he didn't have to wear all black and be moody, plus he had regular friends in Hal & Dinah. Plus no one ever put him thought Arrow Mite, or 80 page Giant Arrow-Family.... For all the excitement that surrounds those key Bat issues, key Arrow issues are almost unknown, hidden as they are in More Fun Comics, which is also home to Aquaman, Dr. Fate, The Spectre, and even Superboy. At number three, I give you the first and only over appearance of the Arrow-car, More Fun Comics #78, CGC 5.5, off-white, with an issue date of April 1942. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Space the final frontier... There are comics for a lot of cool voyages that took place over the years, many in the 50s and 60s and those words gave rise to some equally cool images that ended up on our cherished comic books. I've made no excuses for my love of sci-fi books of the past and sci-fi covers make up a substantial portion of my top ten comic covers list. Checking in at number eight: My absolute favorite cover from one of the greatest sci-fi runs of all time: Planet Comics. After the fashion of the most excellent pulp books that came before - Planet Comics is home to some of the all time great sci-fi images on their covers. My favorite: Planet Comics issue 66. The image below was ripped from the internet - and in no way should imply that I own this book. But one day, I hope to own a copy of this issue. For those of you who want to check out one of the great cover runs of all time - I direct you to the Planet Comics registry set of Cheetah. I don't know Cheetah - we've never met or spoken - but it is one very excellent set of books To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

... Ok - so uploading an image in the journals is easier than on the chit-chat boards...and quicker since I have the pdfs on my desktop. Coming in at number 9 of my personal all time favorite covers - a golden-age beauty from a time when fairy-tales ruled. Although I must admit to a modern guilty pleasure with both Fables & Fairest. At number nine: Fairy Tale Parade #3 When I think beautiful, golden-age line art - this is one of the images I think of immediately. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Or one final interlude before I get to my top three personal comics on my 'thou shall not purge list' To discuss what I think are, to me, the ten best comic covers of all time. If you follow a lot of electronic media, you'll know that CGC has been showing individual workers' favorite covers, and Heritage has been sharing different employees' top ten - and I figured with all the ten-lists we are doing her, why the **spoon** not do this one too. I figure each of us has a cover or two that we think is amoung the greatest we have ever seen, that others are unfamiliar with - whether it is a Golden Age/Silver Age/Copper Age/Modern question or a Marvel/DC/Timely/ACG/Nedor-Best difference of opinion or simply because one of us focusses on Batman and another X-babies and yet another funny animal books. Rather than take up your time and your electronic space with ten posts - I am going to load them as responses below. Starting with number 10 on my all-time ten favorite comicbook covers is a silver-age, grey-toned beauty from one of the big-five war titles at DC. I know that few would consider this to be the pinnacle of comic cover art, but when I think war books, I visualize this cover: Our Fighting Forces #71 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.