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Beautiful book, with the introduction of the Hourman it looks like Sandman was considered a second banana as not only was he not on the cover but his stories were in the back of the book and Hourman in the front. I don't have the earlier issues with just Sandman but I wonder if he was featured as the lead off character then. i think it had more to do with moving away from the pulp hero into the new formula, which was anything but pulp hero. The later move of having S&K revamp Sandman seems to support that theory. IMHO the orig Sandman was as good if not sometimes better illustrated and written than Supes/Batman. Sure I will offend some, but just a preference and you can see from my sig line I am biased. The early Sandman stories are great. I found them almost as enjoyable as the pre-Robin Batman stories and more so than Superman from the same period. The point about moving towards a new formula is interesting and backed up by the available circulation data for DC comics. The data hint that the first few months of Sandman covers most likely did not have a measurable impact on overall sales. That is in sharp contrast to the introduction of Superman and Batman.

Got this book from the William Norval Craig collection last year along with #1-3 (which I posted in a previous thread). I tried to get several other issues (7,8, 12, ...), but was outbid. Oh well, guess I just have to be patient.

Thanks for sharing all the top notch material, Joe All Star.

I could spend weeks in your library, BB-Gun.

It's those subtle reflections of the culture and thinking back in the late 1930s that I find so fascinating. I envy you the opportunity to read the first edition. Usually, there is a sharp distinction between pre-hero and superhero books. Adventure has the hard split at 40, More Fun at 52 etc. But covers like this actually represent a more nuanced transition to me. You have these superheroes in capes etc. doing totally mundane stuff. Amazing-Man 26, with A-Man fighting giant vultures, is, I think, closer to the scary-animal Adventure covers from 1937-39 than it is to the superhero genre. It reflects a thinking where fighting an eagle/gorilla/snake/... was considered super exciting - at least enough so to be the best bet at selling a comic book.

That's a fun cover you don't see very often. The whole premise for the scene is so innocent by today's standards that it's hilarious: the horror in the eyes of the crook from being lifted 6 feet in the air and the two kids in the background. You just couldn't make stuff like that up today. A friend of mine here in Vegas recently had a burglary at night. When the police arrested the guy, they almost scolded my friend for not just shooting the thief. Such a different mindset back around 1940.

Those spaceship wings sure required a lot of rivets back in 1940.

Beautiful books, sacentaur. The later issues are a treat for the eyes, but the New Comics 3 stands out to me. It's amazing that copies from the pre-gorilla period still exist in this condition. The transition from these early humor covers to snakes, vultures etc. reflects the innocent imagination at the time and I find the history of that process just as appealing as a single beautiful book.

This issue (first Barks cover) is extraordinarily difficult to find in nice shape. The census still only has 2 copies above 7.5. For some reason, people appear to be submitting "first appearance" issues (88 and 98), which are valued highly in Overstreet, far more frequently than the rest. To me, that trend is so last century: #95 is an excellent example of a book that would be in even higher demand if it ever came up for sale. Sadly, it does not.

Great book. You have a very distinct taste in esoteric high grade comics that makes it fun to follow your posts.

What a fun book! I'm struck by how well the story and its humor holds up compared to contemporary, cringe inducing narratives like that of "Obadiah Oldbuck". Are pantomime theater and the Harlequin character widely known in the US? In Denmark, where I grew up, every kid is familiar with the genre because of the Panthomime Theater in Tivoli. I read this book as a storyboard-like series of tongue-in-cheek gags about typical pantomime clichés. It's actually pretty clever and funny. Then again, perhaps I just used a lot of words stating the obvious.

Very interesting set. It seems almost too coincidental that a group of proofs from this particular month would have been kept together - I have never seen anything like it. It's fun to speculate whether they might have been used as documentation that the publisher met the war bond promotion requirements, whether they were used for pre-approval from the authorities, or whatever other purpose they might have served. In any case, they represent a neat little piece of history and mystery blended together.

That's a delicious buffet, 40Yrs. At my end, I just dug out my nephew's Danish copy of "Luck of the North" which I plan to read tonight.

Thanks for sharing this fun page. I need to get a copy of this issue.

A more or less random selection of earlier Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.

Beautiful books!

You got it. Mitch, Transplant, Moondog and the other suitors should all have a serious talk with those witches. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: / Hover through the fog and filthy air" ---- On the subject of royalty, here's a book that I got when I was 5 years old. It's not to my credit that high grade comics exist.

"[...] to be king Stands not within the prospect of belief, [...]. Say from whence You owe this strange intelligence? or why Upon this blasted heath you stop our way With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you." Well, eh..., sorry, I got a little carried away by all the drama... --- Edit: Seriously, hopefully my own enthusiasm will shine through my posts. This is all about celebrating these beautiful books and making them as accessible as possible to anyone who might enjoy them. On that note, here is another of my favorites that is surprisingly elusive in super high grade.

The "Buck Duck" cover made me laugh - great book. The "Super Duck" is just disturbing. If EC had had a Duck title, I imagine its covers would be like this. --- Unrelated, I just got an iPhone 5S and was playing with the panorama feature today (contents of a random safety deposit box). Still have a lot to learn but this seems promising for group shots.

I have not. It's important to keep a surprise or two in the back pocket for emergencies like preventing the looming mitchastrophe. I think we'll close this round with a little group shot. What a treat - just fantastic.

It's funny how that missing piece has the same alluring effect as Donald "opening" the cover of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 1. I always liked Four Color 29 far more than Four Color 9 as the "Mummy's Ring" story has so much more soul than "Pirate Gold". One of my own quiet dreams is some day to get reading copies of these books. My own favorite feeling as a collector is holding a gorgeous, rare, high grade copy in front of me, enjoying it as a piece of art, but reading a book is great in a completely different way. I often miss the days when I was able to do that.

This book has a special meaning to me. Back around 2002, I was trying to put together a nice run of Mickey Mouse Magazines and really wanted a nice copy of the last issue. When this copy came up on eBay, I was bidding against Steve Geppi, who pretty much bought everything nice back then. It felt very frustrating to lose one auction after another to him and I felt particularly bad about this issue. Shortly after that, I started sniping which allowed me to win once in a while. Today, I have multiple beautiful copies of this issue, but this one brings back memories and a nice feeling that my persistence and patience eventually paid off.

Thanks. The FC 199 is, along with a copy of FC 386, the most beautiful individual copies of any Four Color I've ever seen in person. I've seen many other Barks issues in the same or higher technical grade, but there's so much more to a book than the number.

A couple of books that I find unusually beautiful. It's very rare to have attractive artwork, great colors, and a high technical grade come together, but, when it happens, it makes for some of my favorite moments as a collector.