wardevil0

The End of Victory Culture doesn't address the issue of PX bans specifically, but does say this about comics of the era: "Take Sgt Rock, that heroic World War II noncom of DC Comics' Our Army at War series. Each issue of his adventures now sported a new seal that proclaimed, "make WAR no more," while his resolutely World War II-bound adventures were being undermined by a new enemylike consciousness. The cover of a June 1971 issue, for instance, showed the intrepid but shaken sergeant stuttering, "B-but they were civilians!" and pointing at the bodies of five men, none in uniform, who seemed to have been lined up against a wall and executed. Next to him, a GI, his submachine gun still smoking, exclaims, "I stopped the enemy, Rock! None of 'em got away!" (page 178) Englehardt, Tom. The End of Victory Culture, Revised Ed. University of Massachusetts Press, 2007.

@cncapks In summary, there is a subset of advertising inserts targeted specifically at servicemen from companies like National Diamond Sales, Mark Jewelers, Mennen personal grooming, Alka Seltzer, and Bose speakers that were included in some issues distributed through military newsstand channels. In most cases, the newsstand was located inside the PX but ran as a separate entity, so if you paid for your comics at the newsstand inside the PX they would use an ink stamp (usually blue/indigo, usually six-pointed, usually over the cover price) to prove that you had paid your 20 cents or whatever. Most of this information is anecdotal/apocryphal, but @awe4one had an exceptional website outlining all known variations. So, at a glance, you can tell with pretty high confidence if a book was sold through the military system. I have several star-stamped issues in the 1979-1981 era. Of course, even a star-stamped Sgt Fury 80 (September 1970) wouldn't guarantee it was available in Vietnam, just the military system somewhere worldwide.

Marvel comics were not broadly banned from all PXs, as demonstrated by the "Mark Jewelers" inserts and "star stamped" covers from throughout the 70s. If Marvel Comics were intentionally banned from Viet Nam for some political purpose, I suggest they would have also been banned more widely at all PXs around the world. Not conclusive, of course, just an assessment. If I had to speculate, I'd say it was more of a logistics problem where the freight into Viet Nam was limited and the guy making the decision on what got to go in was more familiar with Batman and Superman so green-lit DC. I'm not aware of any designated historian for either Marvel or DC (especially since everyone expected the comic companies to go broke at any moment), but AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the office that runs the PX (Army) and BX (Air Force)) should have a unit historian at some level who may have a record of the decision. Also might try the NEX (Navy Exchange) since they are managed by another office and would've been responsible for stores aboard ships. Otherwise, I find this a fascinating topic. My master's thesis was on the Cold War and included portions on how the Cold War was depicted in popular culture of the time. One of the books I bought but didn't use was "The End of Victory Culture" by Tom Englehardt; from the back cover: "This book is a compelling account of how a national narrative of triumph through which Americans had always sustained themselves as a people underwent a vertiginous decomposition from Hiroshima to Vietnam." If I had anything on-hand that directly related, it'd be here. I'll check the index this weekend. I've read a few comic book histories (Slugfest, Marvel the Untold Story) and neither referenced anything about this. I think a lot of current social issues were thinly veiled in Marvel Comics, such as the ethnic diversity of Sgt Fury's Howlers, that would've been anachronistic in WWII.

I would speculate that it's being done for consistency. I have SS books from San Diego Comicon, Heroes, Baltimore, and some other smaller ones and none of them name the convention where they were signed, going back several years.

Last I saw it was listed as "tentative" for Twin Cities. https://www.facebook.com/twincitiescomics/

Books with a "Certificate of Authenticity" through a third party would receive a green label. The "select instances" are when signers submit the comic directly to CGC themselves, with the proper paperwork filled in. An example of this would be the "sketch opps" that occasionally come up on the boards. A facilitator arranges for an artist to sketch on blank cover variants, the artist submits the blanks to CGC with paperwork including an affidavit, the books get slabbed with yellow labels, and then returned to the facilitator for distribution to the customers. There was no witness, but the chain of custody is maintained.

Based on my experience with price variants, printing variants, and foreign editions at CGC, it is more likely you have a second (or later?) printing that was not properly identified on the label. Try to return it based on "item significantly not as described" since they explicitly identified it as a first print?

Dark Days: The Forge #1 CGC 9.8 White Pages CONVENTION EXCLUSIVE foil cover - $30

Darkhawk #2 CGC 9.6 White Pages - $30

Marvel Tales #244 CGC 9.4 White Pages McFarlane cover and Spider-Ham story - $30

Marvel Age #12 CGC 9.2 White Pages Spider-Man's black costume concept art - $55

Iron Man #282 CGC 9.8 White Pages First Full Appearance of War Machine - $180

Shadowhawk #1 CGC 9.2 White Pages NEWSSTAND QUALIFIED no Image 0 coupon - $25

Deathlok #1 CGC 9.8 White Pages - $60

Amazing Spider-Man #270 CGC 9.8 White Pages - $70

Ninja High School #38 CGC 9.4 White Pages First Appearance of Lillith (Warrior Nun Areala) - $50

Ninja High School #37 CGC 9.4 White Pages First Appearance of Shanna Masters (Warrior Nun Areala) - $60

Millennium Edition: Justice League #1 CGC 9.6 White Pages CHROMIUM, old red label - $45

A-Team #1 CGC 9.6 White Pages NEWSSTAND - $70

All listings should be considered closed and no longer for sale on the forum. Overall sales terms... Shipping is $10 for USPS Priority Mail within the U.S., no media mail, first class parcels, or carrier pigeons for slabbed books. I will happily combine shipping at actual rates for multiple books. Shipping to the rest of the world will be calculated individually. First to post in the thread gets it. No Hall of Shame, but I may be willing to give a member on Probation a chance to rebuild their credibility (on a case-by-case basis, at my own discretion). No returns on graded books, please. The reason we subject ourselves to third-party grading is so we have neutral terms with which to deal. I will provide as many photos as you want before you get it in-hand to say "it doesn't look like a 9.8" to you. I have Grader's Notes available for most of these slabs as the original submitter (upon request). Payment by Paypal is preferred. Prices are based on recent GPA and I think reasonable; I'm willing to hear offers but am trying to get some return on investment so I can buy more books.

I'd have at least one submission for Granite State Con if any potential facilitator's are still gauging interest...

Fast quoting! I checked that very thing next and saw my mistake. I wonder if it was intentional, because the Harry Osborne drug issues in Amazing Spider-Man were well publicized as "non-code approved" and this one seems to be under the radar. Let me go ahead and speak before I do any research again... If I find anything referential I'll post it here. As to the actual topic, do the Canadian armed forces have a similar retail support system as the US military? While we're on the subject, were Mark Jewelers books distributed through the NEX (for Navy and Marine Corps) or just AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service, AKA PX and BX)?

Nevermind, answered my own question.

I've been to Baltimore five of the last six years, and also went to Heroes last year. The things I care about are: buying back issues, buying in artists' alley, and meeting creators (in that order). If you want to do those things too, then you would be very happy at either show. I found the local area around the Charlotte convention center to be much more pleasant. Baltimore's Inner Harbor area is very nice and has touristy activities for family memebrs who don't want to go to the show (National Aquarium, USS Constellation, also Orioles and Ravens stadiums are nearby) but just outside that it gets pretty sketchy. Some of the businesses I walk past on the way to the convention center have not reopened from being looted during the Freddie Gray riots a few years ago... If you've been to Baltimore twice, then I would suggest trying Heroes next year (all other things being equal).

Notes on my 9.8s: Book A: light scratches cover, light wear cover Book B: very small bend left top of back cover, very small bend right bottom of front cover Book A has a transparent acetate cover overlay, which shows scratches a little differently than paper.