OtherEric

Just had to buy this chopped beauty yesterday at a show for 10 bucks. Came from an OO who did this so they would fit neatly on a shelf. Guy had a whole long box. Was going to pass but just couldn’t leave it behind…

Just found out about Axe Elf, very sad news, he will be missed in the Magazine threads. 

I'm just throwing out an opinion. For example, I grudgingly agree with Action 1 as a classic cover, although I feel it is one of the lousiest "classic covers" of all. I think it gets a pass for content, rather than the merit of the cover itself. I do not consider elaborate cave drawings to be a masterpiece in the same vein as Mona Lisa or Persistence Of Memory despite their archaic and formative nature. 
I love this thread. Classic Cover flags should receive a more transparent and interactive vetting process, to avoid the hyper enthusiasm that may accompany an emerging "thing". Bear in mind, that no one really gives a flaming rat's arse what I think, and I am painfully and realistically aware of that. 
I truly think that only the PB genre would be more difficult to assign a comprehensive consensus of which covers are truly classic. 

I really like Holiday covers. Seem to be a lot less than comics. Unfortunately, most do not share my obsecession. Some real classic pulp holiday covers. 

I'm not giving early pulps more weight regarding classic status.  At this point, they are all getting on 70 to 120 years old, so seniority be damned. You could make an argument, I suppose, that some of the classically trained artists were more at their peak early on, but I'm not buying it. "Firsts" and such make for keys, but I really, really hate first appearance type of focus in comics collecting.  So some character gets in the last panel, and now this comic is defacto chased by generations of fanboys? Please. Also, I'd prefer some of the moronic Overstreet type notations get skipped.  I can see it's a bondage cover, just call it classic (if it is indeed classic).  "Flamethrower Cover?" FFS

@jimjum12: Don't get me wrong, I LOVE 50's SF pulp covers.  I have a full set of 50's Planet Stories and probably over half the 50's issues of Starting Stories and Famous Fantastic Mysteries.  I was just specifically questioning one year of one title having 3 of 6 issues get the classic designation.  

Here I must respectful disagree.  There are definitely lots of classic pulp covers through the 40's and 50's as well.  

@jimjum12: Don't get me wrong, I LOVE 50's SF pulp covers.  I have a full set of 50's Planet Stories and probably over half the 50's issues of Starting Stories and Famous Fantastic Mysteries.  I was just specifically questioning one year of one title having 3 of 6 issues get the classic designation.  

Here I must respectful disagree.  There are definitely lots of classic pulp covers through the 40's and 50's as well.  

That would depend on your definition of classic. Placing the cut off at the late 30's eliminates, what are to me, some of the finest efforts in the genre. The Sci-Fi segment was just kicking into high gear in the late 30's. If we're considering only historical classics, then perhaps that may be more in line with what is often termed a "key". I've always considered a classic cover to be simply a cover image of exceptional notoriety. The SS 4 with the rainbow bridge, for example, is a heinous omission of the classic status. No first appearance or anything, just a cover that made it to more black light posters than many others. Within Pulps and the very, very, many covers that are simply jaw dropping, bone sizzling masterpieces of the provocative and profane, narrowing the criteria to historical significance or formative years only, is possibly unfair and disingenuous.  GOD BLESS ... 
-jimbo(a friend of jesus) 

Anything after 1940 is on shaky ground. Virtually anything that could authentically be labeled classic dates from the late 1920s to late 1930s. 

The group of people who fired up CGC were composed of a majority of GA enthusiasts who most likely considered SA books to be somewhere between penny stocks and Moderns. There may have been a lack of enthusiasm in regards to separating out classic covers from that era. Mind you, these are the same folks who grew up with OSPG and not even one issue of Planet Comics singled out as classic. With Pulps, all I can do is chime in with a few I consider classic. Remember it's art, and we all know what they say about that. GOD BLESS ...
-jimbo(a friend of jesus)
I almost always agree with Other Eric but not so much with the disdain for 50's Sci-Fi covers, several of which I consider as good as it gets in Pulpdom.











 
These were all selected from scans of issues that I owned at one point ... like I said, just chiming in.... I would have no problem with any of these receiving a "classic" flag, nor would I be particularly incensed if any were overlooked.  

One of my sub genres of collecting is classic covers. I have a bunch from the silver age and wondered why some covers which in my opinion would definitely warrant a CGC classic cover designation were not given one. Ex. Silver Surfer 4, Amazing Fantasy 15, Fantastic Four 49, etc... Another group member proposed that some covers are so iconic that perhaps CGC felt collectors considered these books to be classic covers and so they did not need the designation.  Plus these issues already had a bunch of other notation ex. SS4 - Thor & Loki appearance  - Hulk appearance  - 1st Tales of the Watcher stories, AF15 - 1st appearance and origin of Spiderman,  FF49 - 2nd appearance of the Silver Surfer  - 1st full appearance of Galactus - 1st cover for both characters.

Maybe but
No.
Maybe.
Yes.
No.
No.
But that's just like my opinion, man, so I dunno.  I get that there's a consensus over time.  I get that there's an emerging consensus on some of these at least in this small forum right now
Some pulp collecting groups with area focus (WT/SF/Hero/Spicy/Weird Menace) have punched above their weight in determining classic pulp art in the past. Still, some of best pulp artists worked consistently on some of those titles (Rozen,Brundage,Baumhofer,Paul, Ward, Saunders - your/my mileage may vary).   Many excellent paintings in genre pulps get completely ignored (e.g. Modest Stein in Love Story Magazine).  Does it mean they aren't classic because they've been underappreciated?  I guess so.
And the funky thing is - I'd still get side-eyed by a very large group of pulpsters at the mere suggestion I'd chase an issue for a cover instead of a story within

And so we press on with the reading group.  I've said this before, but I'll repeat it one more time:  I think Axe Elf would have been very glad to know the group was continuing, and I'm glad that we picked things up so smoothly even when we were uncertain about what had happened.  You created something very fun and interesting here, my friend, and I thank you for that.
Vampirella #16 thoughts:  I'm not a huge fan of this cover.  It's a definite improvement on the Vampirella #8 cover, which had a similar design, but I don't care for Dracula's face and it's a bit monochrome other than Vampi and Drac's shirt, but not in a way that makes the figures pop.
Feary Tales:  A solid page, introducing me to some elements of the Perseus story I was either unaware of or had forgotten.  Somewhat odd use of color for the lettering and not much else, in a way that doesn't really add much but does make the page pop a bit.
Vampirella: ...And be a Bride of Chaos!:  Archie Goodwin's last script as the regular writer of Vampirella, and it's a good one.  I really don't get why the indexer doesn't like Gonzalez's art, but he's confusing his own taste with the actual quality of the work.  I completely don't understand his objection to Dracula in particular.  A strong note for Goodwin to go out on.
Purification:  An excellent little three page story by Nebot.  Funny, with a serious snapper, with fun art and it doesn't outstay its welcome.  Too short and lightweight to really call a classic, but excellent for what it is.
Gorilla My Dreams:  Gus St. Anthony seems to have only done about 3 stories total according to the GCD, one each for Warren, Skywald, and Castle of Frankenstein.  Nice art by Maroto, but I think the story title telegraphs the ending twist too much, while being too bad a pun for the tone of the story overall.  
Girl on the Red Asteroid:  The story has essentially the same twist as the last one.  The actual script is better but the art is worse, and having the same twist twice in a row really doesn't help.  If Maroto had illustrated Glut's script instead, and the other one had been dropped or moved to another issue, it would have worked out much better overall.
Lover:  Pat Boyette turns in an excellent little story here.  He's another one of those creators who I knew of but wasn't really familiar with before the reading group who I've grown to really appreciate here.
Cilia:  Another excellent and moody story by Cuti and Mas, although the tone of the story is undercut somewhat by the silly intro and outro with Vampi as host, which really doesn't fit the story at all.
Overall, this was a very good issue, slightly undercut by the two lesser stories in the middle.  But you really can't expect every story in an anthology to be A+ every time, and this one hits a pleasingly high average.

So, my current brief analysis of the "Classic covers" on pulps so far:
1) CGC likes to qualify what sort of classic cover it is, only 3 of the 12 we've seen here were simply "Classic Cover"
2) There seems to be very little correlation between what are generally considered classic covers by long time pulp collectors and what they're labeling as classic covers.  See The Shadow The Black Hush not getting the designation as exhibit A for that.  And, even if the covers and title are growing in esteem these days, Famous Fantastic Mysteries being anything other than the cheap entry level title for new collectors is exhibit B.
3) Did anybody else have 1950 issues of Startling Stories as the high point for pulp cover art?  I'm happy to admit they're good covers, but at least 3 of the 6 issues getting the classic designation?
Anybody else have other insights on the subject yet?

And so we press on with the reading group.  I've said this before, but I'll repeat it one more time:  I think Axe Elf would have been very glad to know the group was continuing, and I'm glad that we picked things up so smoothly even when we were uncertain about what had happened.  You created something very fun and interesting here, my friend, and I thank you for that.
Vampirella #16 thoughts:  I'm not a huge fan of this cover.  It's a definite improvement on the Vampirella #8 cover, which had a similar design, but I don't care for Dracula's face and it's a bit monochrome other than Vampi and Drac's shirt, but not in a way that makes the figures pop.
Feary Tales:  A solid page, introducing me to some elements of the Perseus story I was either unaware of or had forgotten.  Somewhat odd use of color for the lettering and not much else, in a way that doesn't really add much but does make the page pop a bit.
Vampirella: ...And be a Bride of Chaos!:  Archie Goodwin's last script as the regular writer of Vampirella, and it's a good one.  I really don't get why the indexer doesn't like Gonzalez's art, but he's confusing his own taste with the actual quality of the work.  I completely don't understand his objection to Dracula in particular.  A strong note for Goodwin to go out on.
Purification:  An excellent little three page story by Nebot.  Funny, with a serious snapper, with fun art and it doesn't outstay its welcome.  Too short and lightweight to really call a classic, but excellent for what it is.
Gorilla My Dreams:  Gus St. Anthony seems to have only done about 3 stories total according to the GCD, one each for Warren, Skywald, and Castle of Frankenstein.  Nice art by Maroto, but I think the story title telegraphs the ending twist too much, while being too bad a pun for the tone of the story overall.  
Girl on the Red Asteroid:  The story has essentially the same twist as the last one.  The actual script is better but the art is worse, and having the same twist twice in a row really doesn't help.  If Maroto had illustrated Glut's script instead, and the other one had been dropped or moved to another issue, it would have worked out much better overall.
Lover:  Pat Boyette turns in an excellent little story here.  He's another one of those creators who I knew of but wasn't really familiar with before the reading group who I've grown to really appreciate here.
Cilia:  Another excellent and moody story by Cuti and Mas, although the tone of the story is undercut somewhat by the silly intro and outro with Vampi as host, which really doesn't fit the story at all.
Overall, this was a very good issue, slightly undercut by the two lesser stories in the middle.  But you really can't expect every story in an anthology to be A+ every time, and this one hits a pleasingly high average.

Board member @Axe Elf passed away April 15th. Many of us were deeply worried after he stopped showing up in the Warren Magazine reading club thread he curated, but we were not able to confirm his passing until today.
He was probably most active in the Magazine forums, but I saw him posting everywhere across the forums.  His love for the Warren Magazines directly inspired me to put together my collection, we were both working on our runs at the same time and we frequently pointed each other at books we knew we needed.
I wish I had known him better but I'm glad we were friends on the forum for the couple years we were here together, and I miss him and his funny, insightful comments and his absolute delight in the hobby.
https://www.aldenharrington.com/memorials/robert-yost/5412656/index.php

And so we press on with the reading group.  I've said this before, but I'll repeat it one more time:  I think Axe Elf would have been very glad to know the group was continuing, and I'm glad that we picked things up so smoothly even when we were uncertain about what had happened.  You created something very fun and interesting here, my friend, and I thank you for that.
Vampirella #16 thoughts:  I'm not a huge fan of this cover.  It's a definite improvement on the Vampirella #8 cover, which had a similar design, but I don't care for Dracula's face and it's a bit monochrome other than Vampi and Drac's shirt, but not in a way that makes the figures pop.
Feary Tales:  A solid page, introducing me to some elements of the Perseus story I was either unaware of or had forgotten.  Somewhat odd use of color for the lettering and not much else, in a way that doesn't really add much but does make the page pop a bit.
Vampirella: ...And be a Bride of Chaos!:  Archie Goodwin's last script as the regular writer of Vampirella, and it's a good one.  I really don't get why the indexer doesn't like Gonzalez's art, but he's confusing his own taste with the actual quality of the work.  I completely don't understand his objection to Dracula in particular.  A strong note for Goodwin to go out on.
Purification:  An excellent little three page story by Nebot.  Funny, with a serious snapper, with fun art and it doesn't outstay its welcome.  Too short and lightweight to really call a classic, but excellent for what it is.
Gorilla My Dreams:  Gus St. Anthony seems to have only done about 3 stories total according to the GCD, one each for Warren, Skywald, and Castle of Frankenstein.  Nice art by Maroto, but I think the story title telegraphs the ending twist too much, while being too bad a pun for the tone of the story overall.  
Girl on the Red Asteroid:  The story has essentially the same twist as the last one.  The actual script is better but the art is worse, and having the same twist twice in a row really doesn't help.  If Maroto had illustrated Glut's script instead, and the other one had been dropped or moved to another issue, it would have worked out much better overall.
Lover:  Pat Boyette turns in an excellent little story here.  He's another one of those creators who I knew of but wasn't really familiar with before the reading group who I've grown to really appreciate here.
Cilia:  Another excellent and moody story by Cuti and Mas, although the tone of the story is undercut somewhat by the silly intro and outro with Vampi as host, which really doesn't fit the story at all.
Overall, this was a very good issue, slightly undercut by the two lesser stories in the middle.  But you really can't expect every story in an anthology to be A+ every time, and this one hits a pleasingly high average.

Probably either Adventure #247 or Shock Suspenstories #6.  Maybe Mad #1 or Daredevil #1?

So, my current brief analysis of the "Classic covers" on pulps so far:
1) CGC likes to qualify what sort of classic cover it is, only 3 of the 12 we've seen here were simply "Classic Cover"
2) There seems to be very little correlation between what are generally considered classic covers by long time pulp collectors and what they're labeling as classic covers.  See The Shadow The Black Hush not getting the designation as exhibit A for that.  And, even if the covers and title are growing in esteem these days, Famous Fantastic Mysteries being anything other than the cheap entry level title for new collectors is exhibit B.
3) Did anybody else have 1950 issues of Startling Stories as the high point for pulp cover art?  I'm happy to admit they're good covers, but at least 3 of the 6 issues getting the classic designation?
Anybody else have other insights on the subject yet?

So, my current brief analysis of the "Classic covers" on pulps so far:
1) CGC likes to qualify what sort of classic cover it is, only 3 of the 12 we've seen here were simply "Classic Cover"
2) There seems to be very little correlation between what are generally considered classic covers by long time pulp collectors and what they're labeling as classic covers.  See The Shadow The Black Hush not getting the designation as exhibit A for that.  And, even if the covers and title are growing in esteem these days, Famous Fantastic Mysteries being anything other than the cheap entry level title for new collectors is exhibit B.
3) Did anybody else have 1950 issues of Startling Stories as the high point for pulp cover art?  I'm happy to admit they're good covers, but at least 3 of the 6 issues getting the classic designation?
Anybody else have other insights on the subject yet?

another of the "missing Four Colors" that I was missing.   1318 Beaver-207  It popped up on MCS  so i added and rejugggled my carts.
It is in my "missing Four Color "section right behind the recently added 1317 Laramie-207
I did not want to place an order for a $% book so lost out on a Dazey's Diary -309
 
Of course I am frugal so lost out on a Very Nice Slabbed Popeye 26 as well
 
 

So, my current brief analysis of the "Classic covers" on pulps so far:
1) CGC likes to qualify what sort of classic cover it is, only 3 of the 12 we've seen here were simply "Classic Cover"
2) There seems to be very little correlation between what are generally considered classic covers by long time pulp collectors and what they're labeling as classic covers.  See The Shadow The Black Hush not getting the designation as exhibit A for that.  And, even if the covers and title are growing in esteem these days, Famous Fantastic Mysteries being anything other than the cheap entry level title for new collectors is exhibit B.
3) Did anybody else have 1950 issues of Startling Stories as the high point for pulp cover art?  I'm happy to admit they're good covers, but at least 3 of the 6 issues getting the classic designation?
Anybody else have other insights on the subject yet?