*paull*

On 5/3/2023 at 2:39 PM, Professor K said:

This just popped on on the Clink exchange. https://www.comiclink.com/itemdetail.asp?back=%2Fcgc.asp%3F_SORT%3DYES%26Graded%3D%26f1%3DListDate%26ODire1%3DDESC%26f2%3Di.IssueNumber%2C%2Bi.VolumeNumber%26ODire2%3DASC%26f3%3DLeft(i.Condition%2C4)%26ODire3%3DASC&id=1689172

  Reveal hidden contents

It's a 7.5 Catman 28. Sorry to ruin the surprise.

 

Man, that is a huge price.  I realize this is a relatively high grade, but a copy sold in 6.0 on HA in 2021 for 10K.

When I was actively seeking out Cole books, this was one that I wanted, but I never crossed paths with one for the right price.  Maybe I just didn't want it as badly as some of the other covers... in particular his black covers with what he termed "poster colors".  I just don't think the Catman covers are his top covers.  I'm really surprised by that Comiclink price.

A book with a similar composition, but in my opinion, a better cover, is Power Comics 3.  This book matches nicely with Captain Flight 11, Contact 12, and Mask 1 and 2.  Give me this any day over Catman 28.

On 4/29/2023 at 3:44 PM, WolverineX said:

Happy to finally add this to the PC

 

Nice copy!  I wasn't able to come across the right one for me when prices were still reasonable.

On 5/1/2023 at 9:27 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

Mail day, courtesy of a member here...

Great cover!  I haven't seen this one before.  I really like the background with the exploded jeep.

Part of my problem is that I like too much stuff.... comic books, books, pulps/dime novels, records, posters, prints, etc.  If I could have had more focus like Robot Man!

On 5/2/2023 at 1:15 PM, Robot Man said:

One heck of a GA book to “pop your cherry” on! 

Hahahaha... If only I kept going and didn't blow money on other junk!  I did buy more books slowly in the early 2000s.  But oh... the misery... when I think of the things I could have grabbed!

I had a hard time finding this one and can't afford an upgrade... so this one is definitely a keeper.  I couldn't believe it when I first saw the cover to Mister Mystery 12 back in the mid-90s.  This book has a lot of wear, but I respect this kind of wear.  It's a real survivor with both staples and the cover intact.  I love books that look like this as long as they can be handled.  An older high-grade book can look like a newer book, but a newer book can never look like this!

On 5/2/2023 at 7:03 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

my copy is entombed, and I cannot find an image of the inside front cover anywhere on the internet.  You've got the back cover right, but that's the easy one. Hope somebody can help

Thanks for the info!  Right, a lot of Cap 74 copies are entombed, so it may take a while to find someone with a raw copy.

Great original art posted here!  Thanks for sharing!

Here are a few of my Jesse James "thick books" published by Arthur Westbrook circa 1909.  These stories are often quite violent, with Jesse portrayed as a psychopath on an endless murder spree.  There are around thirty books with really attractive covers, seemingly by the same artist.  These books can be challenging to find in good condition.  The paper stock is similar to the later pulps and prone to the same issues... but since the books are smaller, may be more fragile when opened.  The covers are very thin, thinner than the later, larger pulps.  They are often detached or torn on these books.

On 5/1/2023 at 3:36 PM, manetteska said:

Yowza! 
 

Color me surprised as well. 
 

That's a big price for this book.  And I didn't think that copies were that scarce, at least around ten years ago when I was really focused on Cole books.  Not one of my favorites of his... there are a bunch of better ones for less money.

I purchased a copy of Captain America Comics 74 many years ago with a split cover and I want to verify that the back cover has the proper advertisements.  I'm pretty sure that this cover is correct, but want to verify...  could someone please confirm that this is the inside back cover and back cover ads?  Thanks!

Inside back cover

Back cover

I think the front cover is correct...

On 4/20/2023 at 11:36 AM, BitterOldMan said:

In 1971, my parents moved from North Beach into the Mission District of San Francisco, when I was a sophomore in high school.  I attended the academic Lowell High School located at the other side of the city.  Students at other schools openly despised us.  Every day, I commuted to the high school on public transit.

I started buying regularly from the comic store legend, Gary Arlington, located on 23rd Street.

At first, I collected early silver age Marvels.  My first GA was Superman 22.  Not my copy, but still own it.

Over the years, I bought regularly from Gary.  After his shop closed, I visited him several times until his death in 2014.  We would talk for hours.  He bought an original Carl Barks Duck painting for around $200 from Carl.  He was known as an EC super fan, but never owned a Tales of Terror Annual 1.

Check out the ladder sitting on the old comics.🤢

I bet that at least one of the books on that wall are owned by a Boardie today.

On 4/20/2023 at 10:59 AM, Robot Man said:

Awsome! Back cover? Who ever looks at that? One of my favorite Schomburgs and one I was never able to find in any condition when it was still “un-discovered” (pre Gerber). Sadly, that ship has sailed for me. 

Thanks... yeah back cover doesn't matter to me, especially when I'd have to put many multiples to have it.  And the Continental spines were often brittle, fragile or split anyway.

"That ship" is full of books for me... so much so that only a few stragglers that I could afford (and want) remain on the beach!

On 4/20/2023 at 2:17 AM, Primetime said:

That's one of the fewer copies showing most of Schomburg's signature on the curvature of the lever. It is miscut alot on this book. It's a unique placement style here as Schomburg typically signed his last name horizontally in a box (Suspense 3), horizontally or angled w/out a box (Exciting 32), vertically w/out a box (USA 7), or horizontally and split (All Select 1)

Very interesting... I didn't know that about the signature on this cover or that it's usually miscut.  Thanks for the info!

Schomburg is an artist that was difficult for me to pursue because there are so many good covers.  It's like picking one or two spicy pulp covers... there are so many good ones.  This is my only Schomburg and it's one of my favorites of his, and I was lucky to get it in an auction at a very low price due to missing the back cover.

Interior page missing?  Don't care.  One of my all-time favorite GA covers.







A scan of this cover was included in Greg Sadowsky's book:

Bon voyage, Al!  His fold-ins are a national treasure.  A brilliant way of extending the form and requiring the reader to participate in the reveal.  What an artist.  We were lucky to have him this long.

On 4/9/2023 at 9:03 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

"Dull interior" is how I'd describe most Golden Age comics, but yeah the dissonance in Suspense 3 between the [highly overrated] cover and the interior art is kinda hilarious

When that $1000 copy becomes available, you can make the decision about whether that disparity is too much for you.  Don't forget about Terrific 5, Hit 5, Dynamic 8, Suspense 8, and Startling Terror Tales 11.  All will be available for you for pennies on the dollar.

On 4/4/2023 at 3:44 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

All I'm hearing is that awesome cover-driven books like Mask #2 and Brick Bradford #6 may actually be affordable in the future. I can't wait ! 

Don't forget those dull interior books Fantastic 3 and Suspense 3.  You'll get them on the cheap soon, too.

On 4/7/2023 at 10:18 PM, Raze said:

Got this one on ebay. Forgot I bid on it and won...that never happens with books I really want! I didn't know anything about this book when I bought it, and come to find out it has a Nazi death camp story with human flaying. The rest of the contents were enjoyable, so I think its a good buy.

Also has a cool cover!

This issue of Voodoo (#5) has a particularly nasty story.  Farrell wasn't always lurid, but when they were...

On 4/2/2023 at 2:58 PM, fifties said:

Yup, and has a definite injury to eye panel.

RIP Beatnik Sub-Mariner.

On 3/31/2023 at 9:18 AM, drbanner said:

I agree with your sentiment long-term which is why it seems the SA and BA Keys are a bargain right now, they have characters and storylines that will endure 10/20/30 years into the future. There are so many expensive GA books that don't have anything like that going for them...it's almost like the more you have to explain to a newbie collector (or non-comic collector) why the book is so cool (e.g. "It's rare...it has a Lou Fine/Matt Baker/LB Cole cover...it was used in SOTI...the cover is so gruesome") the less staying power it will have in the long run. Pull out an AF 15 and show it to Joe-Schmoe on the street and explain it's the 1st appearance of Spider-man and they'll be like "Wow, how much is that worth?!?!". 

But for today's market, PCH and books like Mask 1/2 are where it's at.

I think that's where Mask 1/2 have an advantage over Fine / Baker / most ECs / and many GA keys for instance.  The covers don't need to be explained.  There's no "but Baker's women are so well rendered" or "Fine's anatomy and movement, blah blah".