Harry Lime

Thank you! Fantastic Four #28 July 1964 My Copy - Grade 5.0 Cover: 3/5 ~ Not my favourite by a long way but you have to give marks for not one but two superhero teams on the cover at the same time. There's even room for the Amazingly Amorphous Awesome Android! I would have been all over this if I had been 8 years older, living in America with 12 cents jingling in my pocketses. Art: 3/5 ~ Great action scenes and that's it really. Kirby didn't feel like drawing anything else this month. Fair enough. Story: 2.5/5 ~ Yes, that's right, a decimal point. I enjoyed the action and the rollicking pace too much to give it a 2 but it's too contrived (were the X-Men sales dropping, perchance?) and contains two glaring errors, to give it a 3. The most minor being the declaration that the Thing had smashed Xavier's puppet and the major error being Cyclops thinking that Reed's answer was exactly as the Thinker had predicted when the Mad Thinker's involvement was unknown at that point and would be for some time. It's interesting to note Reed's wholly different reaction to Sue's kidnapping this issue (yeah, that girl needs to get some pepper spray). Good for him, he's better for thinking before acting. Quote of the Day ~ "I better land a hay-maker on someone pretty soon! I don't wanna grow up frustrated!" My assessment ~ An enjoyable enough romp, pretty average again. I would love a whiter copy but this one cost a fair bit so the expense is probably beyond me at the moment. Thanks for reading!

Fantastic Four #27 June 1964 My Copy - Grade 6.5 Cover: 3/5 ~ The red/orange sky is lovely and it's nice to see such large representations of our heroes but there's something off about the poses, it just doesn't appeal to me. Art: 3/5 ~ Best parts are the splash page (more Hubba hubba), the Thing juggling Namor's henchmen & the extensive coverage of Reed's flexibility, Kirby does a great job here. Overall though, it's pretty average. Story: 3/5 ~ Another issue of Namor brooding for Sue driving the plot with the bonus of the first Dr. Strange crossover. Both aspects don't do enough to lift this higher than bang average though & when is Namor going to get into his head that perhaps kidnapping girls is not the best way to achieve their love? This ish is Reed-centric and he's fighting-mad which is possibly not the best way to employ his talents although back in the mid-60's I suppose it was expected of him to abandon his brain and make ready with the fists when someone steals his 'gal'. Quote of the Day ~ "Well, Mr Richards. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't expose your thoughts of me for everyone to gape at!!" My assessment ~ Neither good nor bad, this book is as about as average as it gets for earlyish FF. A definite keeper though and no upgrade needed which is nice. On the fateful day when I discovered that you could actually buy old comics, this issue, although not this book, was up on the wall. I asked the proprietor if I could have at look at it and then I saw the price; £30! I thought that was a lot for an old comic. Ha, ha! I was such an innocent. Anyway a couple of weeks later after more research about pricing and grading etc, I realised that it wasn't such a bad deal after all and went back to get it. Of course, it had gone, much disappointment ensued, but I ended up buying this one from eBay about 18 months later anyway. For less money and in better condition, the comic book store copy had someone's name written about 10 times on the cover. Thanks for reading!

Just spent an enjoyable couple of hours examining, bag & boarding, cataloguing & sorting some recent purchases. Aside from reading the books and of course updating this journal , I find this to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of this hobby. It really appeals to the inner OCD in me. Journey Into Mystery #103 April 1964 My Copy - Grade 2.5 Cover: 3/5 ~ Great cover but average score? Two reasons, firstly the awkward placement of Amora and secondly, we only see 2/3rds of it. Like the FF#24 if the cover had extended to the top it would have been so much better. I'm presuming there were practical reasons for this, hopefully someone will enlighten me. Art: 3/5 ~ Finally I get to see Kirby's work on this title and it's a definite improvement from the previous offerings. Earth & definitely Asgard look much better and the Enchantress? Hubba hubba!! What a hottie! Story: 3/5 ~ Another improvement, at least Thor is facing enemies more in keeping with his own prowess. Loki's scheming is all the more effective through using Odin and Amora. Jane Foster after being shocked by a snog finds herself in greater peril and the Executioner might have won the day if not for a temporary memory lapse in desiring Thor's hammer almost as much as Amora! Ultimately it's this ending that rather lets the story down. Quote of the Day ~ "Lady, I'd take you to the Moon if you asked me to!" My assessment ~ Although I enjoyed this issue one thing this journal has taught me so far is that I won't be collecting any more JIM's. I'm undecided at the moment whether to keep this or not. ! It's no beauty, it can go. SOLD! Thanks for reading!

Got a small pile of DD and FF recently. Very fast shipment, great packaging, great communication and tight grading. Would happily buy from him again.

No updates tomorrow so a bonus edition for tonight. Fantastic Four #24 March 1964 My Copy - Grade 6.5 Cover: 5/5 ~ I love this cover, distilled Kirby cosmicness. The only way that this could be better would be for the black spacey effect to be extended to the top edge. It would have got 6/5 then! Art: 4/5 ~ Jack has a lot of fun with this one. So many awesome panels, the only complaint is that, like #20, he's not given enough room to do them justice. Story: 3/5 ~ Again, a lot of fun is had with the plot. The protagonist acts like a little child (Elain just wanna have fun) but because of his unpredictability and precocious talents turns out to be probably the FF's greatest threat up till now. The part with the gangsters is a hoot and Reed spots what looks suspiciously like the Martian ships from War of the Worlds to ultimately save the day. Alas, because they were having so much fun, the plot is a bit silly and predictable (once we found out that it was an infant) but still very enjoyable. Quote of the Day ~ "YIIIII!! It..it turned into a...a pig! My assessment ~ Definite keeper. Fine grade is good enough for me and I don't mind pence copies. No upgrade needed. Thanks for reading!

Journey Into Mystery #99 December 1963 My Copy - Grade 7.5 Hard to evaluate this one. It looks trimmed from the scans but there's plenty of overhang top & bottom cover and the interior pages come to a V when viewed edge on. I think it may have just been badly cut at the presses. Cover: 2/5 ~ Thor is looking better so kudos for that & cool transition effect but nothing that really shouts BUY ME! Art: 2/5 ~ Heck is on the pencils so the overall standard is up. Hyde is ugly enough but everything just feels so small & ordinary. Story: 2/5 ~ Stan the Man is back on the --script so presumably Berns had been fired or his phone wasn't working that month. Lee's work is certainly an improvement but not quite enough. Highlights were Blake's fall from the window & the family exchange with Odin. Low points were Hyde's origin (don't worry about any details, this is a homage to Robert Louis Stevenson, suckers!), the general lack of action and the jarring cut to the ending. I haven't got #100 so I realise this may be unfair but I have to read them as they were printed. Quote of the Day ~ "Silence! Even a Thunder God must be taught humility!" My assessment ~ Although certainly an improvement over the hair-pulling, Tourette inducing offerings previously reviewed there's still not enough here to make me want to keep the book. Thanks for reading!

Fantastic Four #20 November 1963 My Copy - Grade 2.0 Cover: 2/5 ~ Nothing special but gets marks for the FF in action, 'cept for poor Sue, the crazy warped street on the right and the big panel exclaiming "The Marvel Age of Comics!" I used to love that as a kid reading the reprints. "Yay! This is the Marvel Age and I'm reading one" Art: 3/5 ~ A blessed relief after Sinnott. Some great Kirby touches, the floating Baxter building, typical Kirby machinery, literally a road hill, the bendy water tower and Manhattan under glass but I don't feel he's given enough space here to truly showcase his talents. Story: 3/5 ~ Any story with the Watcher in it gets an automatic +1 from me and this is fast paced, action heavy and packs a few surprises as well. However the Molecule Man for all his undoubted power is a cornball. As Johnny Storm remarks "Get with it, fella! You sound like Bela Lugosi on the late show!" Quote of the Day ~ "The only thing worse than hating a Yancy Streeter is havin' to be grateful to one!" My assessment: Another low grade pence copy, another in need of an upgrade. This will do for now though. Thanks for reading!

Thanks but that wasn't spoiling, that is a public service. I didn't know that about Berns, thanks for the info. I hoped I would garner more knowledge from this journal. Thank you very much. It's good to know other people are enjoying this. I agree the FF's 'title' is very cool and very 60's as well. I too hope for a few upgrades but it would be nicer to fill some gaping chasms first. Not easy to do when on a budget. This is great info, Claudio. Thanks for the kind words. I know that Thor picks up later, I've read quite a few of the later SA ones but it's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks these JIM's are unworthy of Mjolnir. Unfortunately or should that be fortunately I haven't got #93. I have got #114 though but it's time has not yet come.

Well I have got a FF #30 after all. The seller got back to me and refunded the sale without me sending it back. I told him i didn't really think it was his fault that he had missed the removed ad page as it had been graded by Comic Connect and should really have been picked up by them or do they think an incomplete book is graded the same as a complete one? I also advised him not to refund returns until receiving the item back for obvious reasons but I would be posting it back tomorrow. He then replied and apologised again and said I should keep it as a gift. I couldn't let that happen again after being gifted 40 odd BA FF's by a seller who absolutely refused to take payment and quickly replied that I would send a nominal amount to cover the postage and for being such a genuine bloke to deal with, which I did pronto! I've said before and I have no doubt I will say it again. FF collectors are the best!

Straw does raw, sweet!

I am increasingly finding this out. Indeed the real Journey Into Mystery is when am I going to read a decent one? Stay tuned, folks!

Journey Into Mystery #96 September 1963 My Copy - Grade 3.0 Bought this from a British e-Bay dealer whose grading I generally respect as a VG-. I think he was a tad generous with this one. Cover: 1/5 ~ My copy is quite faded, I understand that the sky was supposed to be a light blue which may have improved the score. The statuesque poses however do not. Art: 2/5 ~ More simplicity & general crudeness in the drawing of this period of JIM's is evident. However a couple of close-ups of Merlin's 'mad eye', Washington monuments & a JFK cameo just about edge this one over the previous issue. Story: 1/5 ~ Sigh. This is really the weakest aspect of the JIM's so far. Was Berns phoning these in? A costly & cumbersome procedure in 1963. The actual idea is weaker than the previous issue but the execution is better delivered overall aside from an incredibly helpful Loki (chained up again, I note. Did Odin learn nothing from #92?) and the terrible culmination of the story. Thor defeats Merlin by turning back into Dr. Blake which horrifies Merlin so much he turns into a gibbering wreck and is willing to go back to sleep again for another 1000 years. Dreadful. Quote of the Day ~ "All right, dear...I'll take you to your mother and tell her to let you ride 'Macaroni'!" My assessment: Yep, no reason to keep this. None at all. SOLD! Thanks for reading!

Journey Into Mystery #95 August 1963 My Copy- Grade 3.0 Cover: 2/5 ~ I really like the green sky and hey, it has 2 Thors. Unfortunately both are rather simplistically drawn. Also the blurb lies! Art: 1/5 ~ Simplistic, naive and a waste of the opportunities given with a 'duplicating' machine. Main villain resembles a creepy, game show host. I'm guessing the game show would be "What's my Finger?" Story: 0/5 ~ Another dire offering I'm afraid. Full of discrepancies, absurdities & contradictions that a 5 year-old could see through. Decent enough idea in having a duplicate Thor but terrible, terrible execution in seeing it through. Also Thor makes it rain in Asgard, Yay! Quote of the Day ~ "Amazing, eh? Thor's hammer can split a mountain, but it can't even scratch the android's skull" My assessment: Well, these early JIM's are turning out to be quite the disappointment. As bad, if not worse than the #92. Another one for the sale pile. Thanks for reading!

I agree, it was this referencing that really got me hooked on Marvels rather than DC which was more available in the areas where I lived. I grew up, was into other things. Boring adult stuff etc. There was a time in the late 80's/90's when I got back into again, mainly Silver Surfers. Then I decided I didn't like the style of art that was being used and stopped buying 'new' material. My favourite time has always been SA/BA and those books just weren't available in the areas where I lived before the Interwebs. Purely by chance I found a comic book store in Canterbury which had some SA Thor's & early BA Avengers and suddenly I rediscovered my long lost passion for old Marvels. Being somewhat more financially solvent than in the past it's been a hobby I've been able to indulge this time around. Regarding the early FF's & other Marvels, I agree that they are not as professional as later efforts but I tend to cut them more slack a) because of my love for them & b) taking into context that they were the trailblazers in a new age of comics. However I'm still trying to be honest in my appraisals of what I like & dislike about them as will, hopefully, become apparent in later updates. JIM's suffer particularly in this regard. Thank you both for replying.

The size issue seems to be sorted out, let's stick to that for now. Fantastic Four #16 July 1963 My Copy- Grade 3.0 Cover: 5/5 ~ Massive, malevolent Doom head? Our heroes just about to be crushed in his equally huge, plated fist? That wonderful red cover? What kid could have resisted buying this off the rack in '63? Art: 3/5 ~ Some great fun is had with proportions both the FF's and Ant-Man's guest appearance & the splash page is wonderful. Nothing particularly Kirbtacular in this ish though. Story: 3/5 ~ Great first act with the mystery surrounding the shrinkage but the plot gets progressively weaker. Still enjoyable enough though, just wish Doom had taken a more active role and didn't leave most stuff to tiny, medieval people and motorised fish. Quote of the Day ~ "I love Alicia, and she loves me best as the Thing! So why don't you forget about tryin' to change me back, and work on some way to make her see again, instead?" My assessment ~ A keeper until a better copy becomes available and I've filled in the gaping holes in my early FF collection. Thanks for reading!

Thanks, Claudio. I know you would have done. This one has good PQ as well. Probably just slightly lower grade than yours. Yeah, are you saying the US e-bay has slumped a bit as well? Now seems to be a great time to buy here, if you can find decent copies that is.

Apparently Brexit woes seem to be hitting e-Bay UK. Just picked this up for 2/3rds what it normally goes for there and I was the only bidder. Unfortunately the #30 I got at the same time from the same seller is missing an ad page so that's going back. Still a mighty big hole filled at a very reasonable price.

I'm not sure what's going on with the pictures, I wanted them smaller than normal but not that small. I've resized them, again, let's see what that looks like. Journey Into Mystery #92 May 1963 My Copy- Grade 5.5 Cover:1/5 ~ Poorly drawn. I don't like the early version of bug-eyed Loki and Thor has about as much emotion in him as a dead fish. Art: 2/5 ~ Run of the mill, really. Desperately missing Kirby's touch. Story: 0/5 ~ Awful. Blake tricks gangsters with a 'he's behind you' routine, then makes a film & then proves he doesn't need his hammer by making ones out of wood & stone because Loki tricked him with the power of magnetism?. At least Stan isn't to blame but I can't find any redeeming qualities to this issue. Quote of the Day ~ "Don't worry, Mr Jones! Dr. Blake is very experienced in using a mallet!!" Seriously, that's as good as it gets. My assessment ~ Ugh, what a disappointment this book is. I love the Norse Sagas & Thor has been a favourite of mine since childhood but this book stinks. It's in good condition for it's age so, despite being somewhat of a completist, I'll be moving it on to pay for stuff that is actually worth reading. Thanks for reading! SOLD!

I thought Kirby's art does that, especially page 15, but the story falls kinda flat, imo. Still I value & welcome your opinion always.

Hi, Claudio. Thanks for dropping by. It maybe the middle-ages but it's definitely a renaissance. To continue...well after finding that ASM I scoured the local newsagents for more of the same only to find there was a reason I'd never seen an actual American comic before; there were none to be found at least where I lived. I lived out in the sticks in the North-East of England then and I believe, although I don't know for certain, that the distribution of authentic Marvel books was confined to the metropolitan areas only. So I had to make do with hurried sorties into the WH Smiths at King's Cross station en route to family visits for my Marvel fix. I remember picking up a Claremont/Byrne X-Men, various Avengers and a FF where Reed loses his powers and is all floaty on the river (haven't re-read that one yet). My collecting was very limited and governed by how good the cover was. I did manage to find the pocket books published in 1977 compiling the early FF's & ASM. Man, I loved those so much. They really made me aware of what a vast body of work & continuity lay behind the tiny tip of Marvels that I had seen. I wanted to read them all but had no money or opportunity to do so back then.

Next is the jewel in my collection. Fantastic Four #14 May 1963 My copy-Grade 1.8 Cover:4/5 ~ Nice perspective, damsel in distress, underwater dome. What's not to like? Art:4/5 ~ I really like the underwater scenes and the inventiveness of Namor's creatures + giant octopus! Story:4/5 ~ Great, fast moving & action packed, Not a dull moment in this one . Namor is always a great character and we have the incredibly creepy Puppet Master as well. Which brings me to the only real gripe I have, would Ben really take Alicia on such a dangerous mission? In fact she's only there to 'sense' the real protagonist of the story. Quote of the Day "Yeah? Well, I'm just shiverin' in my little pink booties!" My assessment ~ Obviously in serious need of an upgrade. A raggedy, pence copy. Ugh, right? Yet, it's complete, everything is attached and for a time was my oldest book. It's a well loved book and deserves a good home in it's dotage. Thanks for reading!

So a little background information. I'm well into my middle-ages, have been collecting comic books for about 2 1/2 years. Firstly from the LCBS in this area of Kent (very sparse pickings) then e-Bay (risky pickings) and a few months after I joined this forum, from here (quality pickings). I first read Marvel books in the UK's Mighty World of Marvel back in the early 70's. This was a weekly publication that reprinted early Silver Age material (FF, Spidey, Hulk) in B&W format. That was good enough for me and I was hooked. Sometime after that I read my first American comic, ASM #33, my dad found it on the bus! I was astonished, not only one of the best stories ever but it was in colour! And it had a glossy cover! This blew all the drab British comics away. I would no longer be satisfied with their dreary, monochrome tales of chimney sweeps, horse ownership & croquet hoops (I jest, I jest) but seriously British comics of the 70's you need to up your game. More later, thanks for reading.

Hey, that worked! Thanks Ed for you excellent help and advice. Anyway as I said this will be mainly short reviews of the books I currently own. Everyone has their own opinion of course so don't be afraid to share it here if you think I'm way off-base about something. I'm not easily offended, having been a moderator and admin on a gaming site for a number of years, I've been called most unmentionable things. This site is a relative oasis of calm for me. I'll be reviewing the books in chronological order, reading them like that is something I've only recently started doing after splurging myself on FF's. It makes sense to me to do it like that to see and understand the gradual evolution of the Marvel universe and will hopefully add to the immersion factor. First up is the oldest book I own Fantastic Four #7 October 1962 My copy-Grade 2.5 Cover: 4/5 ~Rioting mob and a Silver Age Spaceship! Art:4/5 ~Kirby greatness on Planet X but there are panels that are quite plain. However giant robot & the Thing's original depiction just about swing this into the upper echelons. Story:2/5 ~Pretty standard early 60's sci-fi. I'm sure Stan used that shrinking people ploy more than once. Good FF interaction early on (Ben griping about having to wear pants!) then Reed gets his big brain on to save the day. Quote of the day "A portable self-contained TV receiver! AMAZING!!" My assessment ~I love the FF so I'm keeping this one. Needs an upgrade though but as this is my earliest and there's six more before it, that will have to wait unless opportunity presents itself. I aim to update this journal on a regular basis. Thanks for reading!

A tale of pithy reviews, low-grade abominations and generally fuzzy collecting. Hi there. I'd like to start a series of journal entries, cataloguing my comic book collection, reviewing them in an honest if perhaps uneducated way. Sharing random thoughts & purchases and generally boring you all along the way. The aim is to perhaps attempt to focus what I want and what I get out from the genre and to alleviate the good people in the FF collecting thread from my inane ramblings. See more journals by Harry_Lime

A tale of pithy reviews, low-grade abominations and generally fuzzy collecting. Hi there. I'd like to start a series of journal entries, cataloguing my comic book collection, reviewing them in an honest if perhaps uneducated way. Sharing random thoughts & purchases and generally boring you all along the way. The aim is to perhaps attempt to focus what I want and what I get out from the genre and to alleviate the good people in the FF collecting thread from my inane ramblings. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.