SOTIcollector

D'oh! Missed it by that much! Looks like a great way to re-read those amazing books! Congrats to both buyer and seller!

Awesome book! And just to clarify, the R colophon indicates not just first edition, but first printing as well. GLWTS!

"Waiter! There's a hair in my comic slab!" "Shhhhh! Quiet, sir. Everybody will want one."

I appreciate the humor. At the same time, this particular location of the forum is a place where newbies should feel comfortable to ask questions. It's possible that something you see as gentle ribbing could be perceived by somebody else as unwelcoming or disrespectful. This isn't the wilds of The Internet, where some people feel that the anonymity of the interwebs gives them permission to treat others in a way they would not treat somebody in person. This is a community of people with a shared interest in comics. If we're nice to the newbies, they may stick around and provide valuable contributions. If we make their experience unpleasant, they'll turn elsewhere. I'd rather have them here, asking questions of people who are more seasoned, and eventually becoming the more seasoned ones providing advice to a new generation of collectors. If we mistreat the new collectors and don't welcome them, then there may not be a new generation of collectors. And that'd be a darned shame.

What is your question?

So many awesome suggestions. It's time to pick a winner. How can I pick just one? I can't. So I'll pick two. I just ordered another copy of the book, with a dust jacket, to replace my personal copy which has no dust jacket. So soon I'll have two jacketless undercopies, and I'll therefore pick two winners. First off, honorable mentions: BS Damutantman: All-American (...Comics, ...Western, ...Men of War). I love that the change of the title reflected changes in the industry over the years. Most of the enduring titles stuck with a single genre, but this title evolved from strip reprints to superheroes to westerns to war as the industry changed, all the while maintaining at least a portion of its original name. Golden Age Addict: Marson & Wonder Woman Certainly a rich source to draw from. I like the contrast of a character who has come to represent an ideal strong, independent woman, and was supposed to be that when she was introduced, but whose early books are really just poorly-disguised S&M adventures. Barth: WW2 propaganda covers I've lately started really enjoying and dreaming of owning some of these great WWII propaganda covers. But realistically, that ship has sailed so I'll continue to just watch them longingly from the sidelines. I'd love to read more about them! KCOComics: The Comics Code Appeals to me for the same reasons SOTI books appeal to me. The changes demanded by the Code neutered the comics industry for decades. On the other hand, the Code indirectly brought about the Silver Age as publishers struggled to figure out what would sell now that they were forbidden to use "Weird" in their titles or put sweat beads on the foreheads of astronauts. Fan Boy: Atomic Age becoming Silver Age. Again, this appeals to me for the same reason as the Code and SOTI chapters that were suggested. Hudson: Good Girl Art Yes, yes. yes. But how do you limit it to a chapter? Maybe a chapter on Baker, and then a chapter on all the others, most of whom couldn't hold a candle to Baker? SkyPinkBlu: Women in Comics. Wait, what? Isn't that what Hudson suggested? Seriously, though, in a field dominated by men, there have also been amazing contributions by women. I'm sure the list goes far beyond Lily Renee and Marie Severin, but sadly those are the only names that come to mind. I'd love to see a chapter about women in comics! ...And the winners: I have no way of knowing whether Winner #1 was just pandering to the judge. It's possible. And it worked. Given that SOTI and near-death of the comic book industry in the 1950's are near and dear to my heart, I have to choose the SOTI chapter. Congrats, Cushing Fan, for suggesting a Seduction of the Innocent chapter! And the Variant Winner #1 (it's not Winner #2, because that sounds like second place, which it's not. It's an equal first place)… Goes to the chapter dedicated to one of the most influential creators the industry ever had. He didn't just work in the industry from the 1930's to the 1990's, he blazed trails. He co-created the romance comic book, drew the cover to Captain America #1 (with that famous image of Cap punching Hitler at a time when America in general took an isolationist stance), and co-created multi-billion dollar mainstays of the Marvel Comics and Cinematic Universes like the FF, the Hulk, and the X-Men. He was prolific, cranking out incredible work in the genres of crime, war, horror, monster books, and of course superheroes while inspiring literally (in the literal sense, not just in the figurative sense) generations of artists. Congrats to KirbyJack for suggesting the Jack Kirby chapter! So Cushing Fan and KirbyJack, just PM me your address and I'll send your books out in a week or so (after my new one arrives). If you're outside the US, I'll get you a shipping quote. And now that we have such great ideas for the proposed Volume 2 that somebody suggested, we just need somebody to pitch the idea to a publisher. Oh, and we need an editor. And a writer....Any volunteers? Don't look at me, I have nothing to contribute to it. I'll gladly buy it when it comes out, though. Cheers!

You, good sir, were the victim of Doctor SloppyCopyAndPaste! Somehow I left off the first three entries! Never fear! Captain PayAttentionToWhatYou'reDoing socked him squarely in the jaw! My apologies. Here's the actual list. JB123: Burgos & the Torch vs. Everett & Sub-Mariner BS Damutantman: All-American (...Comics, ...Western, ...Men of War) Bejack3: Stan Lee's abuse of content creators Golden Age Addict: Marson & Wonder Woman Ender: Pre-hero Creators (Flessel, O'Mealia, etc.) Cushing Fan: SOTI books Robot Man: Misc. publishers like MLJ, Ace, Harvey and others. Jginsberg79: The evolution of comics from strips to comic books. fast eddie: Captain America and the political implications of such a character www.alexgross.com: McFarlane and his genius creation of Spawn. AJD: American comic books in foreign reprints Jesse-Lee: Plop! and its crossover appeal in horror and satire genres OtherEric: Feldstein-edited New Trend EC stories (not in the contest, but a great suggestion nonetheless) ECDC: The good and bad of CGC Barth: WW2 propaganda covers KirbyJack: Jack Kirby 90sChild: Spider-man/Amazing Fantasy 15 Marty Mann: Bob Montana and Archie Andrews KCOComics: The Comics Code Hudson: Good Girl Art Fan Boy: Atomic Age becoming Silver Age SkyPinkBlu: Women in Comics JohnnyR: Rise and fall and rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic characters on the USA. 143ksk: MLJ/Archie Telerites: Pulp characters transitioning to comics (not in the contest, but another great suggestion)

Lots of great entries for me to choose from. Here's what I have so far. Not sure which one I'll pick (but I'm sure it won't be McFarlane). Golden Age Addict: Marson & Wonder Woman Ender: Pre-hero Creators (Flessel, O'Mealia, etc.) Cushing Fan: SOTI books Robot Man: Misc. publishers like MLJ, Ace, Harvey and others. Jginsberg79: The evolution of comics from strips to comic books. fast eddie: Captain America and the political implications of such a character www.alexgross.com: McFarlane and his genius creation of Spawn. AJD: American comic books in foreign reprints Jesse-Lee: Plop! and its crossover appeal in horror and satire genres OtherEric: Feldstein-edited New Trend EC stories (not in the contest, but a great suggestion nonetheless) ECDC: The good and bad of CGC Barth: WW2 propaganda covers KirbyJack: Jack Kirby 90sChild: Spider-man/Amazing Fantasy 15 Marty Mann: Bob Montana and Archie Andrews KCOComics: The Comics Code Hudson: Good Girl Art Fan Boy: Atomic Age becoming Silver Age SkyPinkBlu: Women in Comics JohnnyR: Rise and fall and rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic characters on the USA. 143ksk: MLJ/Archie

Thanks for your offer, but this is strictly a freebie, and shipping is on me if the winner is in the US. If you poke around the Intenet, it is relatively easy to find copies of this book elsewhere.

Oops. Make that $50 on the Public Enemies.

Darling Love #7 $45 Public Enemies #9 $40 ASM #64 $200

The Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics. 1981. Well-read copy, with some writing on a couple pages and some warping that suggests moisture but not full liquid immersion. To be extra certain I'm not breaking any rules, I'm putting a price on it. A hundred bucks, shipped, which is a LOT more than it's worth. I'm assuming nobody will buy it. I'd rather give it away for free, because it was just given to me and I already have one on my shelf. The book's chapters focus on a variety of topics: Some focus on characters (Superman), some on creators (Basil Wolverton), some on creators and characters (Donald Duck and Carl Barks) and one chapter focuses on a publisher (EC). To win this book, tell me what chapter you would have included in the book if you had been asked. It can be a chapter about a character, a creator or a publisher you feel is missing from the book. Tell me what you would add to the book and why, but it can only be one chapter. I'll pick my favorite answer sometime within the next week, when answers stop trickling in. The person with the answer I like the best wins the book. If you're in the US, I ship it for free. If you're outside the US, you pay exact shipping via PayPal. No returns. Chapters are: Superman Batman Scribbly and Sheldon Mayer Plastic Man and Jack Cole Captain Marvel and CC Beck Basil Wolverton George Carlson Little Lulu and John Stanley Donald Duck and Carl Barks Pogo and Walt Kelly The Spirit and Will Eisner EC Comics

Yes. From https://www.cgccomics.com/grading/faq/ CGC does not certify sealed poly-bagged books. To have a poly-bagged book certified by CGC, you must remove the book from its poly-bag or send written approval authorizing CGC to remove it. The words “Poly-bag removed” appear on the CGC label.

In normal circumstances, yes, CGC members can drop off their books in person. Due to COVID-19, this has been suspended. For more information, see this article. https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/8274/dropping-off-submissions-at-cgc-headquarters/

Good point. It seems that one can infer from the wedge of the pages that the outer edges are trimmed before the spine fold. I'm realizing that after decades of collecting, most of what I know about the actual printing of comic books is based on my guesswork. I do recall reading about how Max Gaines decided to put unused presses to work by printing comic books, the interiors of which were made by folding down larger sheets of paper. The existence on some books of conjoined pages leads me to believe that at least some folding of the interior takes place before the folded sheet is cut. The fact that most comic books seem to have a cover that is cut on three sides to the exact size of the first wrap has led me to believe that the cover was stapled before the final trimming. Of course, I could be totally wrong about any of these things. My best guess now is that the process looks something like this (but bullets 4/5 could occur in the sequence 5/4). 1) Fold the interior down to the appropriate size, but without the last (spine) fold. 2) Attach the cover, giving the appearance of a comic book that is open at the spine. 3) Trim the outer edges. 4) Trim the top & bottom edges. 5) Fold at the spine. 6) PRESS to make sure the fold at the spine stays there. I like the explanation that the cover of the book I posted (and the cover of Uncle Scrooge #6) could have shifted during the trimming process. That's certainly a plausible explanation that fits with what I have inferred about comic book production. Any other thoughts, theories, or even actual knowledge of the comic production process that could shed some light?

This one is new to me. I just got this book today, from a reputable seller, and it has a pretty significant overhang on the back cover.I am accustomed to seeing large overhang on pulps, which I have always assumed was the result of the covers and the magazines being printed separately. Comics, I thought, were produced by printing the interior pages on a large sheet, folding it down to the correct number of pages (32, 48, 64) stapling with the cover, and then trimming the entire right edge. It does not seem as though this book could have being produced that way, though, because of the significant overhang on the back cover. There is no corresponding overhang or underhang, if that’s a word) on the front cover. Have you seen this before? Can you tell me anything about the production process that would explain how a comic ends up with a significant back cover overhang? to be clear, this is not one of those “I don’t like this book. Can I send it back?“ Type of posts. I still like the book. I’m just trying to figure out how it got this overhang.

Good questions. Thanks for your perspective. Your question about the credentials of the author, Mr. Brunsting, goes to the heart of my disdain for this type of item. It's a religious tract, so the author needs no more credentials than the ability to write a sermon. Similarly, the author need not cite reputable sources; they need only a religious tome and an opinion as to its interpretation. I have no idea how many of these booklets were produced or how widespread their circulation was, but I suspect its impact on the general public was pretty close to zero. To clarify the timeline, this book cites comics with cover dates of July and August, 1953, and has a publication date of 1953. I doubt it was designed to "cash in on the success" of Seduction of the Innocent, because SOTI wasn't published until April of 1954 (although there was an excerpt in Ladies' Home Journal in November of '53).

Well done! That's all of them. Lovers #52 (Aug, 1953) Detective #197 (July, 1953) Spirit #4 (1953) Uncanny Tales #11 (Aug, 1953) My Own Romance #33 (Aug, 1953) Here’s what the author had to say about them. I find it interesting that he got the title of Detective Comics wrong, even though it's only a two-word title. And what should be done about these pernicious comics? For that, the author consulted somebody whose qualification seems to be that she's a "housewife."

And actually, there are two romance books.

Well done! That’s two out of the five. Here’s a hint. The author bought them all in a single purchase, so the cover dates are all within a two month span in 1953. (Well, except for the Spirit, which has no cover month.)

Here's another fun SOTI-related item I just added to the collection. Poison Peddling on America's Boulevards. It's a religious tract from the 1950's that rails against immoral comic books. I prefer mainstream anti-comics publications to religious tracts, but this one was cheap so I couldn't resist. This 32-page booklet attacks publications that it deems to be immoral, and pretty much conflates comic books with more adult-targeted material of the day like detective magazines. It lumps them into one big nasty sleazy immoral they'll-rot-your-brain-and-send-you-to-hell bucket. I found it interesting that the author chose to obscure the titles of the real comic books displayed on the cover, replacing the titles with nonsense characters. So of course, I was dying to know what the books were. I found one pretty easily because I recognized a character, and then I read the tract and found out what the rest of the books are because the author named the titles. Since we have such awesome sleuths on the boards, here's a fun challenge: how many of these books can you identify? I'll drop hints as necessary.

Thanks, Snitzer! I appreciate the heads-up on a thread that I might have missed. I can't speak for other SOTI collectors, but as a collector who has spent decades hunting down SOTI books, I can say that I'm happy to see the notation on the label. I feel that CGC should always include it. In fact, this summer I sent in my Tween Age Digest #1 for grading. I confirmed with CGC in advance that they would label this book as SOTI, because I wasn't going to spend my time and money on grading it if they were not going to label it as SOTI. By getting the notation, I expect to be able to add the book to my SOTI registry set. I can't imagine that the notation on the label will drive up the price of a book I want. Here's how I look at it. Collectors aren't looking for Hulk 181 because the label says "First Wolverine." They want the first Wolverine, so they find out what his first appearance is, and then they search for 181. I expect SOTI collectors are likely to be the same. They decide to find a list of SOTI books (like the list on my website, LostSOTI.org) and shop based on that, rather than hunting for things with a specific label notation.

CGC has finally started noting the contents of the EC Annuals (and, presumably, the Fox Giants), but only if the submitter asks. After seeing lots of postings for them, it seems to me that most sellers of these books don't seem to care what the contents are. However, as a buyer, I am looking ONLY for specific contents within books, and I frequently send sellers a message asking them about the contents of their books. Clearly I'm not the only one. Overstreet notes that the interior contents determine the value. So I fail to understand the logic of CGC sealing these comics in a plastic tomb without at least noting what's in them.

We got this about a month ago. The facility is closed for on-site drinking, but you can order online, drive up, and have world class beer delivered to your car.

On our last trip to Burlington, I was eager to finally try Heady Topper. I was surprisingly underwhelmed by it. But we found some awesome stuff at Foam. Great books, BTW! They go well with Tree House.