Robot Man

Sounds like my lady. She even puts up with Motorcycles and my Rock 'n Roll habit!

Love that issue as well as the "50 Girls 50" issue of WS!

There's actually a lot of google hits on the name Paul Mittelbuscher.

 

Lots of his letters in pulps are documented here and there, one fanzine he was involved in was "Fan To See", and I wonder if somebody in in this thread snapped up this item signed TO Paul rather than BY Paul, on ebay last week.

 

edit -- spoke too soon, looks like it's relisted...

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGNED-Galleon-Of-Dream-LIN-CARTER-1953-Poems-Fantasy-Science-Fiction-Fanzine/111615667840

Man, you guys are sharp!!!

I'm pretty sure Joe has a lot of books left. Paul liked to write stuff inside his books. He documented where, when and the amount he paid for them. Joe showed me one where Paul wrote "purloined" (stole) as the price!

Do you still have any left Mitch?

I used to go up and visit my cousins in Burlingame when I was a teenager. We would always make a trip to town and hit Beerbongs store. We bought what he would sell us. At the time, I was more interested in spending my money on girls and weed...

Sounds like the power of cash paid off for you!

....yeah, this adds a dimension to the "Paul" books that makes them even cooler than they already were.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

I know,doesn't it!? After seeing so many of Bills and Robots...I'm emotionally attached to this collection even though I've not a one....BangZoom...do you remember what 'zine?Feels historic to me...

There are a lot of them spread to the 4 winds. I recently got one in the wild on Fleabay. They turn up here once in a while because the buyer sold a lot at shows here. I know Harley, Jamie Graham and Brian Peets from A1 got a bunch from my friend Jim Maley who was one of the biggest buyers of this collection.

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned the fact that Paul Mittelbuscher was a member of SF fandom in the 1950's and was the editor of at least one fanzine that I can remember.

 

From time to time he also used to write letters to the editors of pulp magazines.

 

Here are a couple I found in Weird Tales.

 

May 1953

 

 

 

January 1954

 

I think you are right Bang. The name and location match perfectly. I know he was a BIG sci fi fan. He had a ton of Pulps (especially Weird Tales). In his hord was also a ton of fanzines dating back to the early '40's. He had a lot of books, archam editions and beatnik poetry stuff. I was broke just buying comics so I got very few pulps. I will talk to Joe about what he has left. I know all the comics and pulps are gone but I'm sure he probably has some fanzines and misc sci fi stuff left to sell. He likes eBay. Maybe I can get him to put up some more stuff with the "Paul" name in the description if there is any interest.

Was there a USA 7 in that collection? I just bought a USA 7 on the bay. Not only did someone write "Joe Simon" on the cover. Someone also wrote "paul" in a style similar to many of the "pauls" in this thread, but I have no idea if it's the same paul.

 

(image is clickable)

I didn't see a USA #7 or you wouldn't have it! There were VERY few Timelys. All I know of were about 5 Caps in the #60s that Ed got. Joe, the buyer of the collection, put a bunch of books on eBay before I met him. The only ones I know of for sure we're nice copies of MM #26 & 55. I didn't get any Timelys. I will ask Joe next time I see him. He's pretty good at remembering these books. Might be one he sold on EBay before I met him.

The pencil signature does look a little similar to the early books. I think it might have been his mom who did those. The later ink ones are his for sure. The thing that concerns me is the Joe Simon marking. Looks like some one was trying to imitate Simon's signature. But it is in ink and his name is pencil. Hard to tell. I do know that these two Babe Ruth's are the only ones I have seen with any writing other than his name. The CC Beck is interesting. He seemed to know the artist's work and he had a lot of Fawcetts so he was a fan.

Awe gee guys you're making me blush. Yeah I have been at it a long time but I do a lot of "leg work" to find it. You have to think out of the box and hit flea markets, antique stores and estate sales. A lot of good stuff turns up there. A lot less competition too. Some of my best stuff are flea market finds. It doesn't happen all the time but you have to be consistent.

Keep checking my Junk thread. I don't look over here too much. Go post over there with your requests. I will see what I can dig up. If I don't get any interest, I just post something else that people want to see.

Seems like DC, Fawcett and Dell probably had the best distribution due to the fact there seem to be the most surviving titles today. That and the fact that they were a little "tamer" than most of the Timely and Nedor stuff. The "Paul" collection had very few Timely's and Nedors but a TON of Dell and DC's.

It's kind of funny. As I said, I had no idea it was a pedigree until years later when I noticed the stamp on the back cover and put two and two together. I think I have a few more buried in my boxes. I will have to take a look when I get some time.

I just remember him telling me I could only buy 3 which I thought odd at the time. I doubt many people got to buy large quantities at one time.

Mitch, you were in on that deal. What were your recolations?

And here is the Riley/San Francisco copy of Top Notch #10 I bought from Beerbong at his shop back in the day. Complete with the little stamp on back. This was before it was known as a pedigree just a nice stash of books. I remember he only let me buy 3 books at a time and I was only there for a day. I can't remember what the other two are but they are long gone now...

Just a note on the back cover ad. This projector had MLJ characters all over it. I saw one once but foolishly cheaped out and didn't MAN-UP to get it.

Here is the complete collection of MLJ club kit mailaway items. The earliest one is the Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog button from Blue Ribbon Comics circa 1939. (I have only seen 3 of these, soooo very rare). Too bad they didn't do a Mr. Justice club instead...

Next came the Shield Club pins. They are pictured in order of which one was issued first. The large one on the left is the first circa 1940 and is VERY hard to find. Took me a long time to get. The next one is a lot more common circa 1943 and came with the member card and envelope above it. The shield shaped one is very common and was at the tail end of the club just after the war.

The Shield G-Man Club then changed to the Archie Club around 1948 or so. This is the first club button. There were a few later versions as well as a Katy Keene member kit as late as the 1970's. I didn't picture them because I wanted to just feature GoldenAge stuff.

Kinda busy today do I'll have to do a short one.

Here is one of my favorite Peps. (I'd love to land a #32 some day). A very graphic statement almost too heavy for kids but just sums up the World War II genre so well.

Yeah, that's a good one Marty. There is also a good Capt. Marvel Jr. newstand cover. Maybe I should do a newstand or Infinity cover (easy) posting. Hmmm!

My Own Romance #11 (March, 1950)

 

That one is killer Doc! Love the guy's face. You sir, are KING of the love books!

Just arrived in the mail! Has anyone started a Novelty Press appreciation thread yet?

No, but that is a good one to start with! I know TricolorBrian has a lot of them.

Not a particularly expensive book, but man did it take me a long time to find one! This bridges my Super Comics run from issue 1 - 25 together at long last.

 

Still need 20 more issues to have the entire D Tracy set of the run (1 - 115), but the end is in sight

 

Nice copy Bill. Never knew Super had such great covers!

Here's another weird, very small subset of comic covers. Covers with comic creators on the cover. Only three photo covers I know of.

 

First is Headline #37 sporting a Jack Kirby photo cover. This is the Crippen copy (if it matters to any one)

 

I may be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that the man portraying the police officer is Joe Simon.

Yes, I heard that too.

I managed to find a nice vintage gum ball machine...

 

I know, I know , but what kind was it?

Red cast iron with an 8 sided globe. And, I think it is sold already!

Here is an Alfred E. Newman early 1960s 5 1/2 inch bust I recently picked up on eBay.

That's the bomb! I love those. I have lots of Mad stuff but never managed to acquire one of the Alfred E. Neuman busts (there are two different sizes, aren't there? I can't remember which one is rarer). I've only ever seen a few of the straitjackets, either, and it's even harder to find one with the original lock. I understand the cufflinks are the hardest item to find and had the lowest distribution numbers.

 

Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten a copy of "Collectibly Mad," which is a pretty egregious gap for a Mad freak like myself.

The MAD busts are not all that rare (no matter what size). They are 3.5" or 5" high. There is also one in between that is from Sweden. Several variations and even bootlegs. I would say the straight jacket is the rarest MAD item or maybe the charm braclet. I've never owned either one. I have had 3 pairs of cuff links over the years. The T-Shirt is also very hard.

As has been noted, the book that is definitely Stanley, the Black Rider 8, has 9 sig slabs. And that's on a book where Stan is in a mask that covers all but his eyes. I think it's reasonable to assume that if Stan was on the cover of either My Own Romance 6 or 12, it would have been acted on prior to this.

 

Comicnoir, you are welcome. (thumbs u I believe the Prize arrangement with S & K was a marriage of convenience and opportunity. Prize couldn't afford to pay S & K but had a press, S & K couldn't afford to print but had a property, everyone took a risk and shared in the profits. I read that S & K had shopped the concept around with no takers. Prize might have been the end of the line.

 

Just another fascinating aspect of the Greatest Story Never Told. Did I ever tell you guys that in order to get my doctorate in romance, my dissertation was on "The Float: How Women Provided the Liquidity to Bridge the Post-War Chasm"? Thank the ladies, gents. If not for our moms and grandmoms, we probably wouldn't be the fan boys we are today.

 

We owe our moms and grandmoms everything, at least I do.

I'm still pissed my mom threw out my Marvel comics collection...

But I love her anyway, she fostered my love of music.

The same question was posed by Boot back in '13. The consensus was nyet.

 

Do Either Of These Photo Covers Show STAN LEE?

 

Here's my humble copy of 12.

 

 

 

My Own Romance is a great Marvel run. It's a continuation of My Romance (1-3), Marvel's furious and belated response to S & K's dominating early lead in the newly created market. As much as Goodman probably didn't like having his nose rubbed in it by the "help", all the publishers must have been horrified by the rumours of S & K's profit sharing deal with Prize.

 

Prize Comics, a small publisher that also owned their own printing press, agreed to give Simon and Kirby 50% of the profits. Simon believes this was the first royalty agreement for creators in comic books. This issue sold out its original 500,000 print run. It was soon selling 1 million copies a month. The book was distributed by Independent News, part of the DC Comics companies. Timely/Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman complained to Harry Donenfeld, owner of DC Comics and Independent News about Young Romance. He said that "love comics for kids" bordered on "pornography" and would "do irreparable harm to the field." Donenfeld then had Prize remove the "Designed for the more ADULT readers of COMICS" line from the cover.

 

So there was more at stake here than market share - this sort of unheard of collaboration had to be stopped, and stopped good. Failing with other measures, watching dollars pass him by, Goodman decided to compete instead. My Romance, another 52 pager and covers drawn by Christopher Rule, was his response.

 

As they were probably losing out in a head to head contest between Kirby on one side and Victor Fox (#3 into the market) on the other, Goodman decided to change strategies and switched the title to photocover in March 1949. At this point there was another photocover outfit to compete with - another big dog, Fawcett (#4 into the market). And they were churning out a monthly, which no one else had the balls to do. But their photocovers were sweet, all American, happy, and upbeat. That left some room to try something different.

 

My Own Romance was it. Starting at #4, they were campy, strange, different, funny. Crazy word balloons attached to weird photos. It didn't last long, though. Things changed quickly. The world of romance was like the life cycle of the fruit fly - brief and intense.

 

I'll post my copies of what I have on this run later.

 

I wonder if anyone ever brought one to a con to get Stan's sig and he said, "No, it's not me"? Not that Stan is ever reluctant to sign books he had little or nothing to do with.

I think for 50 bucks he'd sign just about anything you put in front of him...

Probably, if I looked hard enough. There seem to be a few books like that just don't know any right off.

Do I hear the sound of all you "love collectors" adding it to your want lists? I should have kept my mouth shut. There goes my chances of getting a high grade copy now...