Zolnerowich

Yes, it is very odd. It sort of coincided with Maurice Whitman coming on board for the covers. And also coincided with the last sputters of the original FH titles. Planet issues #51-62 were bimonthly (through Sept. 1949), then #63 in Winter 1949, then #64 in Spring 1949. Then #65, arguably the first hyper-vibrant cover, appears with a "1951" date, and then very sporadically through the last issue, #73 (Winter 1953). Same thing basically occurred with Wings Comics and Fight Comics in terms of artist (Whitman) and sporadic output. Maybe FH decided the best way to save the ship was by amping up the colors, or maybe they bought a new printing press in an effort to re-energize. Or maybe they had money to burn (on flashy covers) to liquidate their assets and get some tax relief. Or maybe Maurice Whitman insisted on bright colors! These are all completely unfounded hypotheses of course. But based on the erratic pub dates, it does seem like the company was teetering..

I'm guessing it's the only one on the census! Clearly Marlon Brando did something very bad to upset that wonder collie.

Great books! That Green Lama rates a 10 on the oaf scale for sure.

I've heard this talented Renaissance man play the Mile High Serenade by Edgar at the famed Rosemont (IL) convention concert hall. Sublime it was, and with such fragrance.

The whole thing smells a bit brittle. Which more or less echoes what others are saying in this thread. Esp. the rapid multi-fire bids from 1 bidder. And the undisclosed reserve. And the limited number of photos. And the dodgy grading system. And yeah.

Was the bread still fresh? Nice to see that you picked up another Baker cover.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Wonderworld 8 came out at a 2.0 (not that I'm any authority on the matter!). The cover colors present very well. But whatever you decide to do with CCS/CGC, make sure to read the books first and take photos of the awesome splash pages -- and post to the boards if you're so inclined !! Congrats again.

It is gratifying that in a post-Berk Auction world, one can still find Berk books when least expected. And at a proper discount compared to the original auction price. (fuzzy pile carpet not included with book)

Now that's a shining example of how to jumpstart a Fox collection!!! The Fantastic 1 looks to be in pretty nice condition. What's your guess on the grades?

Great book, RM! Always something new to be seen (for me) on the boards. Love the purple billows of clouds, and the tiny parachutists.

Hey! I thought you were done buying comic books! Lovely book! Is it just me, or does our lady in peril look a bit like the fish monsters who are causing her so much grief?

Like paper-rock-scissors... straw beats sq. eggs.

Without the woman in peril-bondage-torture-fire iron thing of course.

As usual I'm gobsmacked by your books! That Church/Berk book sure is a foxy complement to an already superior Fox collection, friend.

What a great set you've compiled! My favorite is the #5, but they're all so cool.

Ditto! Supreme scintillating colors!

Scrooge: one of my absolute favorite Jumbos!! So much Lou Fine craziness going on there! Are the interiors as nice as the cover...?

A super pair of Fiction House books you picked up! Thanks for sharing those pics, including the interiors of Jungle #64. You’re off to a great start!

A Planet group shot two-fer. Sorry for the shabby photo. This curiosity has probably been remarked on before, but it was new to me when I lined these up side by side. #7: July 1940. Artist Bob Powell (comics.org) #61: July 1949. Artist ? (comics.org) Even the alien's left eyeball in #7 has been repurposed into a Voltaman hat in #61. "Swipe" is an understatement... though I love both covers nevertheless!

Great books! #3 is probably my favorite cover in that stretch.

What bugs me is that even when I fork out the dollars to get the CGC grading notes, frequently the notes are slim and lacking details, making it impossible to know why the book was graded 4.0, 2.0, SB, etc., and what defects drove down the grade. It is unclear to me why there is so little transparency in providing informative grading notes. Is it too much work for the grader to justify how they arrived at the grade and to type out the notes? Especially if people are paying for this information. If this issue can’t be addressed, it’s not clear to me that the subtle differences in degree of brittle will be addressed either. Grading transparency is one thing that Voldemort does well, and for free, whether or not one agrees with the actual grade.

(Sqeggs, a new friend of Bellevue)

Definitely in my top 5 most disturbing GA covers. I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight.

The artwork is consistently above average to excellent, and the stories are actually not generally horrible. The stories in the first year of publication are simple and repetitive, but there is the charm that these were the very first sci-fi comic books out there. To paraphrase Alter Ego Magazine: they didn’t know it was the Golden Age. But I wouldn’t recommend the PS Artbooks editions, at least the first 5 or 6 volumes, as the color reproduction is a real disservice to the original printed pages. Or just come on over and read my copies!

Last one... Planet #61, MYSTA OF THE MOON/Charles A. Winter