Mucheee1

Oh no, just saw this. Praying for a full and speedy recovery for you Jimbo.

On 8/1/2023 at 1:59 PM, bc said:

Another splash that is close to the cover.....

-bc

On 8/1/2023 at 12:50 PM, bc said:

When the splash is the cover....

-bc

 

 

On 7/21/2023 at 5:22 PM, bc said:

What Drew Me to the Pre-Hero Marvel Era

Mr. Larson's Sixth Grade History Class, Room 29590

-an essay in four-part harmony by bc

 

By the mid-90’s I had accumulated a near complete collection of my favorite Marvel SA superhero titles. I loved the hunt back then - hitting garage/estate/yard sales, local cons, flea markets, the LCS, the randomness of mail-order, finding someone at school into comics and more. Sure you all experienced that as well. I was proud to have completed runs because it took patience, effort & money and often some luck.

Then along came eBay and after the initial freak-out period, I realized that I was basically gathering and wasn’t hunting anymore.

So, I sat on the sidelines for a few years until I turned back to the 22^nd OSPG from 1992. It featured an extensive section on the Atlas Implosion and rise of the PHM era. I read it over and over, even made Excel spreadsheets detailing timelines and events. I still use the base of that in posts I make here. The more I read, the more I wanted to learn because even back then, it seemed like a semi-miraculous event to bring the right talent at the right time to the right market and have it become part of Pop Culture that was so ingrained into my childhood and teenage years.

Think about it - Atlas was basically dead, key people were let go or left on their own (or died), they had a highly restrictive distribution deal that was wholly owned by one of their direct competitors and no real ideas that had management support. Then suddenly Jack shows up, Stan lets he and Steve create while he promotes and interacts with fans, they develop a new way to tell relatable stories and launch the Marvel Universe that hooked me in the first place. All in a fairly short time span.

In 2004 I made the decision to build a complete PHM collection. I decided not to use the internet and that ‘ole hunting rush kicked right back in – it was tough to find these books in any condition even at larger shows. I was happy to complete mini-runs and flesh out the collection.

That changed in 2009. I was only about 50% of the way done and had drained the inventory from all the regional dealers who hit the local cons. I had to expand my hunting grounds. But to keep it challenging, I decided to only buy 8.0 or higher books. Even back then, there were PHM books that didn’t have anything higher than 7.5 in the census.

Became a regular sniper at Clink, CC, HA and very occasionally eBay and by 2019 the collection was completed with many dupes/under copies. Did a few upgrades since then but nothing really serious since I decided to start a business right as COVID hit  

So, it’s not really about a particular type in this genre, it’s the place in comics history where this genesis occurred that drew me in. The reinvention from the 5-page stand-alone story to the book length sagas, the artistic style of the sci-fi & monster stories bleeding into those early superhero books, ideas from the ‘50’s sci-fi movies I watched as a kid on Super Host (mutants, monsters, radiation, aliens, cold war, robots, etc.) presented in a modern context and style that attracted a rabid fan base; it all fascinated me back then and drives my research to this day.

-bc

Awesome read.

So what was your first PHM acquisition, and what was the last one that finished your collection?

On 7/20/2023 at 3:40 PM, bc said:

Those are some sharp looking copies man!

-bc

Thanks. Still need a #15 though …

On 7/9/2023 at 3:05 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

People still use Overstreet to figure out what comics are worth?

Surprisingly, my wife will reference the last Overstreet we bought in 2018 when buying SA Green Lantern and Flash. She has bought many books for under guide to fill in her collection, including a GL 48 in 9.0 last month from Clink.

On 7/3/2023 at 3:48 PM, bc said:

-bc

The drawing skill on that cover is wafer thin …

On 6/23/2023 at 5:52 PM, bc said:

Got mine in a Clink auction back in Feb 2016:

Wish the wrap was better but it really looks nice in hand.

-bc

I’m trying to find one in nice shape because I like the colors so much on this book. Your copy is a very nice example.

Now if I could find a ST 94 in that shape I’d be happy. That is a hard book to find, it seems.

On 6/23/2023 at 5:20 PM, bc said:

Gorgeous copy!

Thinks this was one the highest graded copies for a long time (as it has the awesome old school slabbing).

-bc

I do remember it being the highest graded up until the last couple of years. Of course when I bought it I knew nothing about the census or anything like that, I just saw it on eBay and said that looks nice.

I was lucky for once and stumbled on a decent copy.

On 6/1/2023 at 10:10 PM, Book Guy said:

Probably a pretty scary cover to a kid back then!

Not scary anymore …