path4play

On 10/10/2022 at 1:45 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

Shield-Wizard #7 ...This is a popular book, but in my estimation it's a key issue deserving reevaluation and much deeper research to verify it's unique place in comic history.  This is the issue which redesigned the Shield's costume & took away his super-powers making the character more like Captain America. The irony is that Cap was originally provided to Martin Goodman by request in response to Pep Comic's successful super-powered patriotic Shield character. Impressed by the result, S&K were promised profit sharing at Timely and Joe was given senior editorship.  But this honeymoon didn't last long. Frustrated by deceptive basket accounting shenanigans (combining winning titles with losing titles to deceive competitors resulting in lower percentage payouts to Cap's editors) they decided to solicit additional work elsewhere.

When this moonlighting was discovered by Goodman S&K were summarily axed for disloyalty having violated Martin's perception of their binding contract with him. In an intriguing twist, shortly after the dismissal Jack Kirby penciled this unsigned cover of Shield-Wizard (Irv Novick inks?) for MLJ.  

S-W #7 was published less than six months after S&K were dismissed from Timely, around the time they started working for DC.  It's entirely possible that the pencils were done without any paper trail perhaps as a subtle "thank you" to Martin Goodman. But the evidence is sketchy (pun intended). I suspect more proof of how this short side-venture transpired is recorded somewhere. I'm unaware of any other cover work generated by Jack Kirby for MLJ around this time which only serves to fuel curiosity about this book. The timeline is interesting and I'd love to see the evidence developed. This unique issue raises a lot of questions, many still unanswered.

 

I'll go along with that!

On 1/5/2024 at 2:51 PM, adamstrange said:

Collection purchased from a single owner, as documented in a ComicTom video.  I would prefer not to link to the video, but since you asked...

 

Thanks.  My other question is, what's the deal here exactly.  Its not a pedigree label, but yet has a special "fancy" color label - is this going to be a new trend now?  I guess I recall like Jon Berk Collection had basic type printed on the label.  What is the criteria to be a collection, and I'm not certain how I feel about the label. 

WTH is the "Secret Sound" Collection?

My contributions/favs

On 12/23/2023 at 9:57 AM, adamstrange said:

Winner!

Will Eisner Super Historian/Fan Lot - $50 shipped. 

All proceeds to JimJum12

A:  7 Will Eisner Story pages lovingly removed from exceedingly rare comics from 1937 and 1938 and framed with board for binder storage and reading of both front and back pages.

B: 6 Spirit comic book front covers from Fiction House and Quality 1946-1952 carefully affixed to board for easy binder storage and viewing.

• ·         Spirit #2
• ·         Spirit #7
• ·         Spirit #10
• ·         Spirit #18
• ·         Spirit #19
• ·         Spirit #2 in Spanish

C. Miscellaneous Spirit covers from 1970s Kitchen Sink and Warren

On 12/22/2023 at 5:39 PM, thirdgreenham said:

I'm happy to buy this, if it's still available.

Thanks

Andy

On 12/21/2023 at 12:20 AM, Silver Surfer said:

The big books are already climbing fast, won’t be anything cheap as far as they are concerned. The Showcase #4 is probably going to surprise a lot of people, what a cool book to own. 

What's the deal with Fairy Tale Parade?  I recall once fighting my way into an estate sale, scrambling directly to the "good stuff" - a pile of old Walt Disney Comics and Stories.  There were so many people grabbing and fighting for stuff I took what I could get - which the seller already priced at a level I decided was too high so dejected I just handed them to a guy that had been in the opening line with me.  Meanwhile, my daughter found her way over to the "junk pile" and wrangled out her picks with included Fairy Tale Parades for like a buck a piece. 

On 12/2/2023 at 1:39 PM, Robot Man said:

I get it. High grade, big numbers. So what? Most people here can only dream of owning even a super low grade copy. Personally, I am much more impressed to see truly rare GA books in any condition. The kind that never turn up in ANY grade. Collections like Jon Berk’s, BangZoom and Gator’s Centaur collection, now those were impressive.

I'm still on hunt for a high grade My Friend Irma #16, I think I've had 3 and all low grade and always on look-out for better for like 13 years now...nada.  Probably (hoping, but probably not now that I'm posting this lol) it wouldn't even set me back "that much."  There are a number of personal grails like that for me.  I'm even going Western now too lol.

However, picking up on the next big run up trend, that's a whole different game.  I feel like it keeps gravitating more and more to key big heros and blow your mind covers, and Sensation and WW while in that bucket still despite everything are still not keeping up.

On 11/29/2023 at 11:25 PM, Ricksneatstuff said:

Cross posted in the romance thread 

This pickup got my heart pumping. 

Loving these books. 

 

New on my want list...

On 12/3/2023 at 11:05 AM, LOC Collectibles said:

One final price drop and off it goes.. 

...love it, want it, would love to upgrade my nasty trimmed, water damaged and married copy... but just don't have the juice right now.

I'd say #5.  Why imo?

a. cover appeal is better,

b. I personally don't quite get it, but it seems to me the self titled series get more pump, be it Action vs. Sups, Tech vs. Bats or Sensation vs. WW.

.... according to ChatGPT: 

On 9/29/2023 at 10:44 PM, Hamlet said:

I was helping my neighbor price a bunch of comics to sell in his mother’s antique shop and he has the cover ( front and back, loosely attached to each other) and one wrap from Superman 3.  
 

Does anyone have even an order of magnitude valuation for something like that?  I have no idea what to tell him.

 

Sweet!  What a beauty.  But why not simply auction it and let the market decide?  Else I'd use GPAnalysis and try to establish a value, then offer it here!  My guess is your probably taking several offers now via your messages that probably are providing a nice legitimate range, if not then I'll make an offer.  As someone mentioned, I also roughly estimate full covers at 50% of Good price.  Seems to me it would do better those ways than in an antique shop.  Just an opinion. 

ooohhhh - never seen that one before.  I try and stay pre-code, and I'm very light on romance... but if that's not classic then its destined to be so imo.

Amazing books!