Cat-Man_America

Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm saying, although manipulation isn't outside the realm of possibility in some instances. I'm just suggesting that auction results should be viewed as a bigger picture. It's a mistake to ascribe "trends" to any particular auction based on a couple of results without assessing all the extenuating variables. Any number of factors can be responsible for a difference. Speculation on any market shift involves looking at a range of criteria. This! ...Folks love to speculate, but there's always an inclination to read too much into any one sale. The one analysis which has real merit is MasterChief's in depth research into Promise Collection sales.

Judging from the cover, I think this can accurately be described as a one shot.

Are you claiming you may own unlicensed nuclear comics!? You need to register those Atomic Age books immediately! This makes entirely too much sense. My BS detector's needle didn't move one bit. Maybe I need to check the batteries! Airboy stopped transporting cheese in 1948 because of this... BTW, hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

vat of molten metal to vat-cat of molten metal...

WARNING: Bodacious philosophical nonsense follows (no kiddin')... There's something to the idea of comic book ages being moot, but this would probably manifest as "The Tangible Age" verses "The Intangible Age" and collectors require the tangible in order to thrive and multiply! Memories can be relished, but they're fleeting, momentary things without evidence of persistent longing, pursuit, engagement, conquest and pride of achievement. The digital age ends in "Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto" analogous to Styx after Dennis DeYoung was canned.

There's not a lot that can be gleaned from this result beyond speculation on which variables might've affected the sale. Some may point to the label making a difference, others would point to the apparent condition of each copy (the 4.0 looking sharper than grade while the 5.5 looks more ragged and too much off the right edge). Also, the bidder dynamics might've changed over two days with additional collectors getting onboard for the latter auction ...perhaps looking for bargains... who weren't involved on the 16th (note: This point would've been moot if the books had been auctioned back to back). Is it about the CGC grade, how each book presents, the label, timing or something in the notes about each book's history? ...Inquiring minds want to know!

Really looking forward to this! Your analysis provides the most accurate assessment of the Promise Collection sales history, but also which titles have been least and most affected by market fluctuations. MasterChief, we may have to wait awhile longer till your promotion gets through Congress, but you've earned our DOW Jones command!

Just now getting back to this thread: For Superman the B&W first season is best, with 26 episodes filmed (the second also had 26, with Noel Neill replacing Coates to reprise the role of Lois she had in the earlier Columbia serials). The first season was very edgy and gritty in a pulp kinda way with Phyllis Coates being a much more assertive Lois. Some folks like the campier style of the later seasons. The last four seasons ...only 13 episode each... were filmed in color, but there's too many wink/grin episodes with a few good ones mixed in. The problem with the series is that the plots after the second B&W season (also 26 episodes) often devolved into simple cookie-cutter resolutions that would only please a very young demographic. As for other comic based live action, I never cared for the campy Batman TV series in the mid-60's and could barely handle the spin-off Green Hornet, although appreciated Bruce Lee as a very formidable Kato. British Hammer films were often quite good, but some of those are hit and miss as well. Absolutely agree that only comics could pull off some of the wilder characters in the 60's. And I think comics would've done just fine without the CCA meddling to claw back some of excesses if given more time and the opportunity. The problem was too much government attention focused on what influenced young minds during a period of cold war paranoia. The conditions were just right to produce a perfect storm of repression.

skull to bones via unsolicited acid test...

I'm not sure that I agree with your theory, but I see the logic of it and it's an entirely reasonable POV. Nevertheless, from my analytical perspective of the era superheroes were a dominent genre in mid-1939 till the end of WWII, not that there wasn't a lot of variety in other comic book genres including detective, western, comedy, teen humor and funny animal (cartoons that either originated from or translated to other media). Can't agree that comics were "pretty much it" for a super-hero fix because it couldn't be achieved on TV in the 50's. To preface this, keep in mind that the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons were popular in theaters in the 40's and there were a number of popular live action serials in the 40's and early 50's with comic hero characters that let kids to get their Saturday fix. Serial chapters also transferred to TV in the 50's and a lot more exciting than the boring industrial documentaries that were often used as space fillers in lieu of syndicated reruns, regional or local programming. TV reached most living rooms between 1948 and 1955 (I would've said reached its zenith by '55, but there were other TV brands). George Reeves starring in The Adventures of Superman was very successful from 1951 through '57 (in color by '54), with outstanding FX for the time though clearly on a tight budget. What changed was that superheroes ...with about a half dozen exceptions... were almost a dead genre between the end of the war and late 1950's; these exceptions hung on while crime, horror, romance, western and science fiction dominated comic market readership until public outrage and the CCA almost wiped comics out completely. You're right about the limitless scope of live-action now, but genre fiction only thrives if the storytelling is convincing and not so reliant on action FX that it interferes with telling a good story. The fascination with "comics" as an all encompassing genre will continue into the foreseeable future as collecting is trans-generational. And my prediction is that super-heroes will survive in other mediums that aren't dependent upon regularly published comics. The $64,000 question ...for those who can still make a connection with that period reference... will be which type of heroic character stories survive longer, Homer's Iliad & Odyssey or Simpson.

My one Canadian Edition Marvel Mystery...

Honestly, I don't think that the printing quality can be faulted too much with Canadian editions, certainly not the occasional misalignment of color plates. There are just too many examples of out of register U.S. produced comics from the GA era to judge. Poorer quality inks? Perhaps, but without knowing the specifics of the brands or types of printers inks each press employed it's hard to gauge from a book to book color strike. If different color choices were employed in Canadian variants, that would certainly factor in to value fluctuations. If the dialogue changed in the stories, that would also be a consideration to evaluate. Different ads in Canadian editions shouldn't be a factor in values, but certainly of interest due to the variation. The one element which definitely could and should account for how collectors gauge values is story content. Obviously a 52 page comic contains 16 more pages of story content than a 36 page comic. What would be interesting to see listed on the Canadian reissue's grading label is what's actually missing from the U.S. edition, but alas, that kind of information to my knowledge has never been noted. My long-winded two cents (caffeine added!)

Green suit and dead men coming out of ground to green suit and dead man going to the ground...

Awesome! Pre-Amazing Stories and strong work! Alex was turning out first rate cover work for Gernsback prior to Frank R. Paul's noteworthy tenure as exclusive cover artist for Hugo's legendary SF title. Clearly Alex was a dependable workhorse early-on for publishers; he could always be counted on for first rate art on deadline, including interiors when called upon. We're just scratching the surface here. Alex's accomplishments ...illustration & painting... in pulps, Comics, digests and Hardcover dust-jackets and other projects from the mid-20s through the 1980's is worth exploring. Looking forward to an even broader examination of Alex's wide ranging artistic achievements as this thread progresses!

I don't know about Whiz, but an alien tourist fad might have legs!

Lloyd Jacquette copies haven't to my knowledge been given an official pedigree status, but they're important in publishing history as recognized FILE copies. In the case of my Jacquette dated & stamped copy it's classified as "From the estate of..."

Haven't posted to this wild and combat intensive thread in awhile, but there are some drop dead gorgeous WWII books posted throughout so I'll open my bombastic bomb-bay doors and drop a few lovely scans into the fray here and there, starting with my copy of this Stormy entry...

Atlas to Hercules...

It depends on the specifics. For instance, a Taylor Swift "first down" football jersey might bring even more than stage worn apparel. Okay, how about pre-apocalypse political campaign buttons and memorabilia?

Sweet copy, Steven. Awesome Schomburg cover and first S&K Vision; uncommon in grade...

10 to 40 years is difficult to predict in the $1M to $20M range, but some comics other than the usual suspects might achieve it. Pulps will probably increase in value exponentially over the next 10 years (especially with third party grading) ...not into the multi-million dollar range though. That said, unique cover art associated with an energized pulp market by well known artists (beyond GGA and horror covers) has possibilities. GA Comics will continue to expand in value especially easier to obtain lines only given marginal interest now. Some characters may start sharing first appearance importance of Superman and Batman rarified values, but only those with strong media tie-in interest if that media interest is ever generated. Stage costumes worn by pop stars may reach that $1M to $20M if sufficient interest is generated by younger fans. Rare guitars and stage played instruments is already a popular commodity ...even dropped mics (lol) might become a hot item. Elon Musk memorabilia has potential (X marks the spot), but I predict collectable red gimme caps will drop off dramatically, ...into landfills.

After a long Harvey sabbatical here's the other book promised...

red hood to purple hoods...

Saw this Marvelous array at the Dallas Summit, discussed the kewl presentation with West Stephan and Matt Nelson; briefly chatted with Mark Haspel there too. This was almost as impressive was MrBedrock's wall. Note: My only regret was not having the forethought to strategically pose with a long box of MrB's comics ...a'la the infamous Rifleman cover!

Axanar Confidential celebrity comic expert interview...