MAY1979

Final issue, perhaps looking in wrong places but this one took longer than I guessed to locate a newsstand (had hoped to find a 2nd gen CGC slab so it would match my other Battlestars).  I'm not a newsstand collector as such, but want books the way I first recall seeing them.  Which is why in my last post was actually a bit disappointed the Hex 1 in pre-2002 CGC slab was not Direct Sale. Guess I'm difficult to please

Simonson Cover with Simonson/Janson interiors - an A level team doing what at the time was a C level book on the cancellation block.

Picked this up not due to it being a newsstand, but think the cover looks great with the old school slab. My memories though are the direct sale edition and to me it does not look the same with out the "1935 DC50 1985" in UPC area.  So for me just a place holder.

One of my favorite Texeira covers.

On 10/10/2021 at 1:06 PM, Rick2you2 said:

I would be more concerned about someone who might be willing to spend $55,000 for Mr. Miracle.

 

I'm sure if it was on certain auction sites it would be bid up to a higher amount

On 9/7/2021 at 10:45 AM, batman_fan said:

The Black Cat has beoobs so she is deemed a major character.

Unless it's DC Character then nothing appears to matter. Only exception I can think of is Harlequin.

Minor Marvel Character gets small mention on a TV show 1st appearance jumps to hundreds or more and continue to climb.. DC somewhat Major (well major-ish) Character gets own TV Show, values go up only a tiny amount then stabilize - IE ,  Stargirl, New Teen Titans/Titans TV [Starfire, Raven, Cyborg (Doom Patrol) ]

On 10/10/2021 at 11:09 AM, pemart1966 said:

It only needs to happen once...

Agreed.  At one time festival seating at major events was considered fine. Until Cincinnati in 1979.   I've never been to San Diego Comic Con does it appears safe from Fires and other hazards?

I'd like to mention the callous disregard for human life in at least one members posts here are in poor taste and frankly unsettling. Those of us with a conscience should at least give the overcrowding at previous NYCC's cause for pause.

Since the Elson's were all issued in 1981 does this topic belong in "Copper Age"? If yes how can that be requested?

Not sure about art dealers, but comic dealers I spoke with mentioned sales were up compared to 2019 even if crowds were down.  More than one dealer, I do ask ?'s,  mentioned to me that at least now buyers can actually get to their tables unmolested.. Reduced ancillary activities and cosplay probably helps sales - The metaphor "Costumes, don't have pockets" applies. In 2019 years back a major high end book dealer told me no one in costume had ever made a purchase from him. ant any show he had ever done.

I'll glad take a perhaps perceived "lower energy" show over one where I'm constantly pushed, shoved, and jarred while attempting buy some books. It's a con not a football field.  Also lower crowds inherently means better fire safety.

P.S.  Artist Alley was actually bearable this year, seemed more space and smaller crowd, also one particular major/huge entity not being in the alley IMHO was addition by subtraction.

On 10/9/2021 at 12:33 PM, BCarter27 said:

You're not wrong -- fewer people, less guests, higher ticket, etc., etc. economics, blah blah.... But 2017-2019 were SO BAD with crowding that something needed to change. They were just packing people in. No way that was safe from a fire marshal pov too. Imagine moving across a crowded club dance floor for 8-10 hours. You would just hit a knot of people in an aisle and not move for 10 minutes. I'm not providing solutions here. That's up to ReedPOP. They are going to make their money. It's not my job to do it for them. (ReedPOP, if you're reading this, I am available for consulting. Let's talk!)

Agreed.

2016-2019 they must have seriously greased the inspectors as no way it was safe with the massive over crowding and plethora of choke points.. Too few egress routes and far too many people. If there had been a fire of any note on the top (main) floor death tolls likley would have been in the thousands due to smoke inhalation and trampling.  Would have made the infamous Triangle Shirt Fire seem like a walk in the park.  All that said its  possible the sprinkler system might mitigate all but the trampling which still could could leave hundreds dead. 

This year regardless of the reasons it felt safe from a fire hazard perspective at least on Thurs and Friday.  Weekends are not my scene. 

Overall the show reminded me of the first 4 or 5 NYCC's. Before the event became an "in-thing". Honestly I'd gladly pay the higher price if the future shows were the same. But they won't be, price will still increase but they will sardine cram in all they can. Nothing is more importantly to ReedPop than their bottom line. Getting the kickbacks from "Clear" (story for another day) as well as unsafe crowding until this year proves that.

P.S. The real irony here is due to Covid many of us got a "nicer" NYCC experience.

I recall seeing a few of these as child in the 1982/1983 time frame at a friend of a friends home.  Appears that was 1-2 year after they were issued.  At the time I was a bit jealous. Wish I had asked how he got them.

I picked up a very nice graded one, since all the covers are the same except for color background any one to me was is representative of the "series" and my memory of seeing them long ago.

The most I was able to find on their history is this: http://www.kleefeldoncomics.com/2014/11/on-history-elsons-super-hero-comics.html

In 1981, Elson's Gift and News paid DC to repackage some of their comics into Elson's Presents Super Heroes Comics. There were six issues, each featuring the same cover (with just a change in background color). The interiors were pulled from existing DC books, including the original ads. The only new material for any of the issues was the Elson's comic style ad on the back covers with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

There's curious debate about the interiors. Because the original ads are included, and nearly all of the material comes from January 1981 issues, many people believe these were not in fact reprints at all. Rather, they were returned/remaindered copies of the originals which were literally pulled apart and glued back together with a new cover. .

Given they were 100 pages, the way they were packaged and distributed, and that they might have been remaindered pages, they are very much condition sensitive and apparently rather rare books. For those who have memories of them if you see one in 9.4 or above and price is "fair" in my opinion grab it. Interest in them is low however - probably why in Overstreet they have only gone up $4 over the last 16 years. 

In terms of content #3 with the New Teen Titans 3 and Wonder Woman 275 (vs Cheetah) is my favorite volume, #1 being very close due to the excellent Starlin penciled Superman/Spectre story

Elson's Presents
DC Comics (1981)

#1  DC Comics Presents 29, Flash 303, Batman 331
#2  Superman 335, Ghosts 96, Justice League of America 186
#3  New Teen Titans 3, Secrets of Haunted House 32, Wonder Woman 275
#4  Secrets of the Legion of Superheroes 1, Brave and the Bold 170, New Adventures of Superboy 13
#5  Legion of Superheroes 271, Green Lantern 136, Super Friends 40
#6  Action Comics 515, Detective Comics 498, Mystery in Space 115

As long as price structure remains same for 1975-current then it's fine. This type of topic that I feel is highly dangerous to that structure. What's in a name? Is it really worth loosing the price point to change it. I know corporations very well that is how they will "fix" the issue and we DON'T want that.

On 10/1/2021 at 3:01 PM, da.amazing.spiderman said:

I think I got you beat.

• I had 25 "Modern" tier comics (not fast track) delivered by USPS to CGC on September 1st.
• It was acknowledged as "Received" on my CGC Submission Tracking page on September 29th.
• The status then changes to "Shipped" on September 30th (Yes...1 day later!!!).  The books are currently on their way back to me.

Now...That's what I call lightning fast customer turnaround service!!!

 

The icing on the cake is that that 21 out of 25 of my books (mosting mid 70's to 80's stuff) received either a 9.8 (11 books) or 9.6 (10 books).

 

If only all of my submittals to CGC was like this...

 

:-)

 

Sent 25 Modern books in April 9, marked as received June 14.  Listed as in Grading Sept 24th. No updates since and as of today CGC Sub tracking appears not working. Must be nice to get lucky w/CGC, probably for best it does not happen to me as the shock would likley give me a stroke or coronary...

^ onlyweaknesskryptonite^ For Card grading they are not the perceived industry leader.  Competition is good for consumers. For comics CGC had no actual competition, I really wish they did...

On 9/28/2021 at 8:58 AM, skybolt said:

The CCS turnaround times (189 business day now) keep going up. You have to believe they'll plateau at some point with the higher pressing fees introduced several months back.

Eventually yes.  

Last big con I attended in 2019 every other sentence I heard out of dealers and alleged collectors in regards to raw books was send it for pressing. Some of these books had pieces missing still dealers were saying get it pressed and these so-called collectors seemed to agree - I saw this twice at 2019 NYCC!   [sarcasm on] It was a Nice reminder that Comic Dealers on the whole are just as honest as trading card dealers [end sarcasm]

I am taking a wild guess but it's possible 25% or more of the books waiting to be pressed either do not need it or will not be aided by the process.  My next guess is when those who are clueless about the hobby in general get a clue that pressing is not a miracle panacea or leave the hobby,  then backlogs will subside. Sadly however the higher prices will remain!

P.S. Books I shipped for submission April 9 just prior to the price increase announcement, were moved into Grading/Encapsulation/Imaging Friday Sept 24.   I'd expect a much longer wait than 6 months for the books I  sent in this Aug and Sept.   None of my submissions included pressing. I do have a small stack of 10 books I feel would be aided by pressing, but I'll wait even if it's years to send. I'm collector only, not a dealer, not a flipper and derive none of my income from selling Comic Books so I can be patient

On 9/29/2021 at 11:07 AM, bluehorseshoe said:

Thats a lot of speculation on your part, and I can't make a connection between random 1st appearance books being sold at inflated prices and comic book shops going out of business, as comic book shops are staying in business selling new releases as the majority of their income, but again, I am okay with all of that. 

If you havent spent the last 2-3 years (or 8-10 years) chasing down the good stuff to stash away, at this point, I wouldnt start.  And if anyone wants to start, I'll be the first to sell those books to them.

yes, buy low - sell high
 

As for "connection between random 1st appearance books being sold at inflated prices and comic book shops going out of business" . Will a bust occur is not the question, when is... I saw this in the 1990's with comics and it never recovered. Many of those those who get burned buying high and selling lower will enact a scorched earth policy towards comics in general, using social media it will spread. Attrition in new buyers to replace the ones leaving hobby accelerates, which of course is the trend over thee past 4 decades anyhow.  In effect the bigger the boom the bigger the bust.  New sales continues to drop, as that progresses, so too will amount of comic shops due to loss their life blood. 

A buddy of mine chose not to renew the lease on his Shop and sell entirely back issues and ancillary stock on-line now. Storage rental is less than Commercial real estate rental. His gross is lower but his net is higher! AND workload by his estimate is half.  It works in his case as he was looking to semi-retire anyhow. Still working smarter not harder is the way to make real bucks, easier said than done of course..

On 9/28/2021 at 1:24 PM, bluehorseshoe said:

So what?  I can live with those results, I'd imagine a bunch of folks on here could do so as well.

If it means a Bear Market eventually, as collector then yes I'm all for that as well!  I do realize that a Bear Market won't affect true keys and blue chip type books. It would mean no more Marvel random 1st appearance hot book de jour  due to TV tie-in or other random minutiae. 

Sadly though it would likely mean (or rather hasten) the demise of more comics shops.  As speculators exiting a hobby never leave a hobby in better shape than before they jumped in. Which was the 1990's reference in my last posting.

Found my Mylar box containing some DC 48 and 52 pagers all purchased in the late 1990's. Starting to prepare them for a CGC submission. All, except Mr Miracle,  are Oakland Pedigree but I sadly replaced the Mylar's for 2 of them probably around 20 years ago. When I see Vinny Z at NYCC, I know he'll remember (I've known him since he was tiny fish doing small local shows in my area) my somewhat large in quantity Oakland purchase perhaps he still has his records and can furnish me with something? 

On 8/10/2020 at 2:01 PM, littledoom said:

House of Secrets 61 being wiped off of eBay due to Eclipso’s Stargirl Season 2 villain News 

Mine is low grade but also low priced, .25 in 1991

My regular comic shop at the time had just got in a 1960's collection, many of the lower grade DC's and some of the Marvel's the owner just did not want to deal with so he dropped them in his 4 for $1.00 bins.

I picked up HOS 61, Marvel Super-Heroes 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,20  Metal Men 1, Metamorpho 1, Doctor Solar 3, and I'm sure I few more I no longer recall.  All would probably grade 1.5-3.0, except the Solar which might get a 7.0. 

Some of the pics were blurry some very clear.  The lack of close up pic of lower front  spine and the blurry pics make it difficult to get a good read but if they are not "hiding" anything I feel a 9.8 is possible. 

On 9/24/2021 at 2:06 AM, BoogieWoogie said:

Y'all sharp af I must admit

You did an excellent job scanning the book and providing nice closeups. I think that is what allowed folks to provide you a precise estimate. A good looking newsstand copy that presents nicer than it's technical grade. Enjoy the book!

Looks like color breaking stress line on back cover to me.    If that is the only issue I think a 9.6 without pressing.  Honestly I've purchased 9.8's that have same type mark that does not go front-to-back or back-to front, however always best to assume small private submitter will not get benefit of doubt on grades that could go either way.

Pressing will flatten the stress line but based on it appearing white against the dark background I think it will still be noticeable. Dark covers always more condition sensitive.  IMHO save you money on pressing and either submit as is or put it in a nice clear Mylar with thick buffered board and enjoy it that way.

On 9/23/2021 at 7:58 PM, MattrixAlien said:

Beautiful raw copies - you did well! I'm waiting on a news stand ASM 265 - first appearance of Silver Sable. It's coming from the US so it'll be a while

The book's I had from the 80's I collect the way I remember them some are newsstands, some are direct sale. For years before "newsstand " was a thing I was picking up the one's recalled having had as a child/kid.  

Good luck , may it be only a short wait. 

On 9/18/2021 at 12:51 PM, MAR1979 said:

While not new acquisitions they feel like they are to me as I had not opened my 80's "Spidey in Mylar" boxes in approx 15 years, but decided to cull some for submissions. All were purchased by myself when new. Had multiple copies of all but 316.

252 was the first ever comic I purchased multiples of in my life. I recall having to pass on other books that week to do so. It was a heavily hyped book in it's day and my Mom even cut out some newspapers articles back then for me.  Copy is perfect on front and spine but a tiny color rub (app 20% the size of a standard pencil eraser in diameter) on top of the back, I've seen and have purchased many worse books in 9.8, but I seem to get Graders of Doom who just had a fight w/their significant other on all my submissions thus expect only a 9.6.

Sadly have no recollection why I never purchased 301, 302 , 303 and 304 back in the day

I scan all my books before subbing, but not sure if it would ever actually make a difference in the event of CGC mishandling? Still have more to scan. I probably put way too much effort into each submission to the point it's become a chore.
 

BTW: Those seeking McFarlane era newsstands are truly missing out as they lack the B/W pencil and ink  "doodles" in the UPC area. Love those things!.

 

 

Scanned a few more.  Oddly I had WCA Limited Series 1 in the same box, no idea why. Great how ROM is pictured on the WCA cover so Marvel must alter for reprinting. Also had  238 in Spidey Mylar box that I purchased as a back issue for 75 cents in 1985. I'm proud to say I almost never have a book pressed- limited to 1 of 150+ book submitted over last 5 years, but I think the 238 will respond well insuring a 9.6 and potential for a 9.8??.  Will do that at a future date as I'm taking a rest from gathering, scanning, packaging, and shipping efforts for a while.

All Spidey's pictured in my posts, and the WCA for good measure, have now been shipped to CGC, reckon I'll have them back 'round this time next year, or the next   

Special thanks to myself as 1980s/early 90's kid for being far more of an OCD-ish collector then than now and for storing things safely!

On 9/22/2021 at 2:53 PM, ygogolak said:

It was a joke....

Still though you may have hit the nail on the head The hobby has become a speculative joke courtesy of the Social Media crowd.   Speculation in Comics has not been good as those of use who lived through the 1990's know. Sure a few do profit, but most in the end lose.

On 9/20/2021 at 8:08 AM, ygogolak said:

 

With the Venom / Spider-Man movie crossover rumored you will want to pickup their first meeting!

 

So it that officially ASM 252? SW 8? ASM 299? or ASM 300?  No matter which all have been hot books for 30+ years are are some of the highest populated books all time on the CGC census - although early on 299 was less so than the others.   Still the time to pick up these books was in the 1980's or 1990's certainly not at full market price in 2021. 

Given the copious amount of each book on the census and growing exponentially every year how much room for fiscal growth do they really have? Which is a question not a statement

On 9/20/2021 at 10:30 PM, Axelrod said:

Bump!

Just because I've noticed in the recent mycomicshop auctions that these MofU "previews" are apparently being pulled out of the comics they were originally in, and then sent to CGC to be graded separately, and 9.8s of the graded preview pages can go for over $100.00.  Doesn't seem like there's any indication or note of which particular comic the preview came out of.  And as far as I can tell the comics these previews came in still aren't especially valuable, so it's weird that the pages in said books, separated out, could be more valuable.  Also seems like there ought to be a higher chance that the pages inside a given book would grade higher than the overall book, since they are more protected.

I guess it's probably still not a great investment risk to spend $30-$40 to grade and only get maybe $100 back if it comes back 9.8.  But could they go higher than that?  Or you think this a temporary fad?

I do wonder how they get the preview pages out of the original comic.  Do they remove the staples?  And then put them back? Or just cut away the rest of the book?    

Anyway, I thought that was interesting.

it should be graded as qualified as they are nothing more than pages removed from a comic. SMH,CGC should know better than this!