bronze johnny

On 4/24/2023 at 1:58 PM, buttock said:

You'd be surprised.  I think tth2 has a point that you can't say with certainty.  But I'm siding with you that it probably was treated with something more. 

Thanks. I will say with a high degree of probability that this book was restored given it “was treated with something more” than dry cleaning. 

On 4/24/2023 at 12:14 PM, buttock said:

If it's surface dirt you can just wipe/rub/scrape it off with a variety of tools. 

Yep, but that’s not surface dirt and agree with your point about staying away from that book.

On 4/24/2023 at 10:29 AM, tth2 said:

Without seeing it in person, I don't how you could possibly say that.

So can you tell me how that’s removed without say using peroxide or some other cleaner? 

On 4/24/2023 at 7:02 AM, bronze johnny said:

 

There’s no way that was removed by dry cleaning. That’s m

On 4/24/2023 at 5:43 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

And here it is now, as listed in one of the current auctions 

 

I really wanna know how the gunk on the back cover disappeared 

On 4/24/2023 at 5:43 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

And here it is now, as listed in one of the current auctions 

 

I really wanna know how the gunk on the back cover disappeared 

There’s no way that was removed by dry cleaning. That’s restoration.

On 4/24/2023 at 12:34 AM, Hap Hazard said:

yea, I hear you this took a while to decide what to list, many more that are right on the fence on making the list.

On 4/24/2023 at 12:34 AM, Hap Hazard said:

yea, I hear you this took a while to decide what to list, many more that are right on the fence on making the list.

Great books Hap! I can see “Hap’s Horror 25.” What I’d like to know is why you chose these books like @Darth Corgi? Also, Underworld Crime 7 needs to be include in a top 25 crime list. I’m sure you also have those. 

Jay, same holds for you given your taste in Precode books!

I don’t see any key books in the video and photos:
 

https://nypost.com/2023/04/21/comic-book-hoarders-house-buried-in-vintage-collectibles-worth-millions/

On 4/21/2023 at 10:23 AM, johnenock said:

This is my 3rd copy. I think I sold a 6.0 to Comcav. Maybe people aren't slabbing it.

The 6.0 you sold would make it the highest graded copy. Who knows, maybe this book is destined to cross your path more than twice in a lifetime?

On 4/20/2023 at 11:51 PM, johnenock said:

One more Doll Man:

Great Crandall cover and one of the scarcest 50’s books. Check out the census on this book. 

Joker will lose his hand or it will be deliberately amputated by another rogue (Ras?) who is going to put it on Batman. Batman will then be affected by the evil spawning from the new hand and cause him to kill someone close to Bruce Wayne. The story arc will then go another 20 issues of how Batman deals with whether he is or is not a murderer. The people of Gotham believe he is. Will the rogue behind this achieve their objective in making Batman public enemy number one? Will Robin or some other believer in Bruce Wayne have the hand surgically removed and replaced by a bionic version with A.I.? Can Batman prove he’s not culpable for what the idle hand did? Stay tuned.

On 4/11/2023 at 12:51 AM, BoomCity said:

My favourite lb cole cover. Have always liked his sci fi covers most. Have another classic cover en route to me too. 

My favorite and his best! This would be my cover to Wells’ “Things to Come.”

Cartoonist Heaven just got better! Jaffee the man may be gone but his art is forever!

What’s the deal with this one?

On 4/6/2023 at 7:15 PM, Jayman said:

Jay, I’ve always wondered why the “Terror” never got its beard trimmed?

On 4/1/2023 at 2:29 PM, fifties said:

I have the full run of The Thing, and that is the most gruesome cover of the title.  Sorry for the lousy pic, I'm a better collector than a photographer.

The most gruesome cover in one of the best non-EC precode horror runs says a great deal. We need to remember that a blue label without the“Classic Cover” notation does not in any way define cover of the book inside the slab. It takes a consensus of true collectors and those who appreciate this art form to decide whether a cover is a classic. The flip side to this is who doesn’t think the cover to Thing 7 is a classic? 

On 4/1/2023 at 1:08 AM, Black Bat said:

Considered a sort of classic, I was never drawn to this cover until I recently met one in person.  Now I have one and I'm having a hard time putting it away. A puzzle I'm obsessed with solving.  First, there's a time-warping progression of decapitated floating female heads, evolving from a prototypical 1950's attractive woman, into.... what?  Is she a he now?  A gnarly grandma?  A gnarly grandpa??  And what's that fury stuff around the neck- is it a vulture maybe, they have furry necks, right?  That is a bird beak, no?  An owl then?  And those snakes, I've never seen such big heads on such skinny bodies.  Are they emerging from Grandma's body. Medusa like?   What does it all mean???

"Here son, I stopped by the newsstand and brought you home a comic book."  "Oh wow thanks Dad!"

Oh yeah. and there's a balding middle aged man with blood running down his face because a giant monster hand is clawing out his eyes.  

This is a classic injury to eye cover by Lou Morales. Look at how fine Lou’s pencilling is. Would love to see the original art on this one. Gruesome and bloody. One of the top injury to eye covers in precode horror! 

Comic book historians and collectors know that Fawcett’s Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero on the Golden Age whose comics regularly outsold DC’s Superman, Batman, and Timely’s Captain America. DC’s copyright infringement lawsuit later put an end to Captain Marvel. The character would ironically become part of the DC Universe in 1973 and called Shazam because Marvel Comics had the rights to the name Captain Marvel. The question remains whether Marvel Comics/Disney should permit or even license the name Captain Marvel to DC Comics for the character known only as Shazam. Neal Adams fought for comic book artists and creators throughout his legendary career and he had an opinion on whether Billy Batson’s alter ego should be called Captain Marvel, which might hopefully inspire others to express their beliefs about this issue given it’s the character’s original title. Neal’s legend as one of the two greatest comic book artists ever (Kirby being the other) isn’t his only contribution to this American Art Form. Neal was outspoken on many issues and spoke his mind. He weighed in on the issue of the original Captain Marvel and defended the right to continue a Golden Age legacy:

I agree with Neal. Do you?

On 3/27/2023 at 6:07 PM, Ryan. said:

Pike was one of the greatest romance artists ever. Schomburg, Baker, Kamen, Feldstein, Doolin, and Lubbers laid the foundation for GGA/Romance but Pike took it to another level.

On 3/25/2023 at 2:38 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

There is going to be some element of deviancy from accepted norms in every collecting hobby, sport or activity; it's even worse in the political-arena (the third rail we must not discuss). In comics, especially GA comics, we're involved in collecting snapshots of attitudes from another era. Without judging people for what the buy or why they buy it, there is a fascination for war art that includes images that are socially unacceptable by today's standards. It doesn't make a collector deviant for having an interest in history; in fact, it's laudable and deserving of encouragement. George Santayana's quote about those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it is a poignant reminder that we should treasure those snapshots, to be aware of our past ...not to cancel it... and develop a historical perspective that our own flawed humanity need to be constantly vigilant of it. 

This is the long way of saying what we collect are choices that define interests and taste.  We determine the rationales, justifications and parameters (where to draw the line).

Personally, I don't care for stereotypical racial depictions that are used purely as comic relief.  There are a borderline exceptions, but they're rare. This precludes purchasing some comics that would be considered unacceptable given today's sensitivity standards as it impacts my comfort level as well. That said, my collecting interests don't judge other's collecting interests. The line I've chosen to draw is at war propaganda ...yellow peril stereotypes... because these accurately reflect perceived fears of threat and public attitudes.  I don't embrace the views of that era, but am fascinated by history and consider it critically important understand how society has evolved.

Misogyny is another animal altogether. I can find misogyny in the unrealistic stylized depictions of men & women in comics today, even though women are usually depicted as more self-reliant. That's definitely a plus IMO, but hasn't been without trade-offs. Overt over-sexualization of girls and women seems more pronounced in a lot of current comic art. But who am I to judge evolving fantasy content and collector's tastes? Undoubtably much of it would've been too extreme for the GA, but social norms have changed.  Violence and gore are more pronounced today as well, but again, who am I to judge fan tastes?  

I'm pretty much in agreement with Richard on this. We shouldn't be judging folks by what they collect. Yes, there are lines and we choose them and the topic is worthy of discussion, but it doesn't diminish anyone to collect the popular culture of another era. My long-winded, caffein influenced two centavos (can I say centavos without it looking like an ethnic slur?)

Agree and will add that what’s also interesting from a historical perspective is how what was published during the period before Wertham’s book, and the move to censor the comics for “negatively impacting” children is something we have seen (and may be currently seeing) in different mediums like television, film (see Precode v. Code), records (see Heavy Metal), and now there are concerns about TikTok (just mentioning here and taking no position). There are episodes throughout American History demonstrating reactions to mediums and in some cases, resulting in the industries self-censoring their content. Even Major League Baseball took on its own Commissioner to regulate the game after the 1919 World Series “Black-Sox” Scandal.

The comics, like other art forms, can give us insight but it’s also important that we are careful to do our best to accurately interpret these primary sources. Television wasn’t prevalent prior to the 1950s and film was provided a rating system once the movie industry self-regulated. The comics during that period, were an important entertainment medium that was accessible to most Americans and reflected many readers’ views of the times they were published. There are views acceptable then that are unacceptable and even offensive today. The standards back then were different from those we see today. Studying the history gives us some insight into how and why. Learning and knowing more about that period of time is one of the reasons why some of us collect the comics.

Santayana’s point about forgetting history is a difficult challenge to say the least because time has a way of wiping out the past. Collective memory passes with the passing of each generation. There is a certain amount of knowledge passed from generation to generation but like “telephone talk,” the information and stories change over time. There are many of us who lived during a time when there were veterans of WW1 (Billy Parker may have known Spanish-American War Vets?) still alive who shared their personal experiences of the “Great War.” The same holds for the last of the “Greatest Generation.” The 20th Century and its historical lessons grow more distant as we venture further into the 21st Century. Historical memories are slowly disappearing. People who impacted 20th Century history have died or are close to it. What’s left for us now and posterity, is the historical record, and that can only give us so much insight into the past. The warning Santayana  gives for future generations, is that history or what remains of it in the historical record (includes literature, film, art, sport, etc.), be studied and accurately interpreted. This means that future generations must be careful not to see the past entirely through the “filters” of their time. It’s a difficult challenge given that we inject our subjective insight when working on objective projects. The same can be said about seeing through the lens of our “collective generational views.” Still, we can achieve a substantial degree of objectivity when also discussing and debating the issues that arise with others who have a level of understanding and passion for knowing what actually happened and why. It’s not always easy to figure out and will in many cases, require time and work - more than a visit to Wikipedia to survey the subject. The period of time’s composite of moral, cultural, class, racial, ethical, sociological, political, and economic forces that result in history must also be taken into account when looking at and providing interpretation to historical primary documents. The comics were primarily entertainment with exception to the Classic Comics/Illustrated comics that my dad and his friends relied on to read instead of the actual literary works and before Monarch and Cliff Notes. This is important because the interpretation of these cultural historical items must be carefully made, which also means that personal judgements based on current views should not be the “filter” through which to see the past. It’s of course fine to say that one personally disagrees with how things were back when. We have personal opinions and that’s what makes us who we are so long as those opinions don’t lead us to misinterpret our readings and studies of the historical record.  

This is the best way to avoid Santayana’s point.

It’s also the best way to avoid Orwell’s warning that those who control the past, also control the future.

-John