Readcomix

Congrats, Drotto! From the pair of 181's you posted in the club, I'm guessing you got the trade you wanted. Do you mind us asking what all you landed?

I agree; I think we are saying similar things. There's lot of relatively cheap pre-code that's as outrageous as the notorious ones. And I think low budget bronze romances, carefully selected as you're doing (me too) is not a bad bet long-term either. We're visionaries, blob!

I see this a lot I notice on raw early Marvel/late Atlas....maybe '62ish and back, it seems to me. Almost like a waxy look to the inside cover.

That could be a $100 book in some upstate NY antiques markets. Lotta weekender, non-collector impulse buyers who love pop art, and the theme would appeal.

The Negative Man prototype

Jungle lord to The King

Think of it as your cameo and your first full appearance.

For safety's sake, it's kind of hard to argue with AF. If not for that upper left corner, it likely would grade higher as it presents really well. But I don't think that FF is a mistake either. It's not plentiful at that grade, and if AF is the Tec 27 of SA, FF1 is the Action 1. The FF will be back: they likely will not unseat Spidey as Marvel's top dog, but their return will return that book to prominence as the foundation of Marvel. It's where the beloved magic started. I do think FF1 in general and in high grade in particular is overlooked currently. It's just that a possibly slightly undergraded AF15 is a heckuva heavyweight.

Just that the cover seems like a quintessential example of the genre in that era...just as certain PCC and PCH books get a premium for standing out among their equally violent/gory peers. The cover just struck me. Plus, it's Carolyn's first appearance.

I feel like this fits in here, somehow

LOVE the Roly Poly! Been having a helluva time hunting one down. Great book!

I posted this in the bronze threads once and it got called creepy

Thank you! I did a double-take when I saw it. Other than top of the spine and lower left corner, it's flat. And very clean and bright.

This is what I was thinking, as well. Usually, when I trade with an LCS, it's generally easier, I find, to get one big book for several smaller hot keys. Surprised your guy is willing to go reverse. Then again, maybe if he's deep, he just wants one in the shop. Cracked out, in Mylar on a wLl, it would look even better as an LCS showpiece. I agree on the trade elements too. 181 great, but I'd want top bronze keys across the trade. (129 as Miraclemet said, or very sharp HOS 92 or X-Men 94. Maybe something else is also acceptable, but it's a short list. WWBN 32 is cool but scares me as it has heated so long for so little reason. MK is a cool bit character but he's a bit character to tie up a quarter to a third of this trade's value. If I wanted a spec book in the lot, maybe a sharp GL 87 for a much smaller percentage of the total trade?)

Astounding to Astonishing (glad you're back in this thread, DM!)

Fortune to Jackpot

I bought it off the racks and remember the buzz among others who grabbed one and read it. In my anecdotal experience, it just seemed like the one that made people realize something new and cool was happening with the X-Men. GS1 is kind of a standalone read while 94 definitely has that continuity context, that "here we go, we're rolling" feel that made the X-Men feel new again. I don't know if that explains it, but that's how I remember that 1975-1980 era. My mindset still hasn't caught up and I'm always mildly surprised by how many have come to prefer GS1, even though it's an awesome book too. While GS 1 is chronologically "baby A" of these twins, the Mile High II find of GS1 and the darker cover on 94 does make it harder in grade.

I wasn't at the show with all you guys, but I picked up this related piece at an LCS while on business travel a week ago.

Thx!

Woowhoo! Two 9.0's out of the woodwork! Sal, we're not alone anymore! Doom Patrol fans!

Thx for more info, drotto. I agree with what comicdey said above, but I'd want both 181's from that sampling. I guess I wonder if you couldn't get more from him with the AF15 converted to cash in hand, is all. Make yourself happy as a collector; I just wouldn't want to see you regret giving up upside (which is no guarantee though it looks like a No-brainer from today's vantage point -- but then again Marvel Comics #1 was once top GA dog after all). Just because you got it as a bargain/stroke of luck, don't undervalue what you have. But if it doesn't make you happy the way other books do, it is just a valuable possession. So go get what you want; it's a major piece of firepower whether in trade or converted to cash.

Put 'em up anyway! This book needs the love!

Ducks with skis to ducks bearing gifts