thirdgreenham

Major kudos to thirdgreenham for letting me buy a copy of Pedrin's Big Five. Been looking for a long time and finally got a nice copy. Thanks again-John

Ah, it's my pleasure John! Just don't ask for a second copy....

Thanks to you for an easy transaction.

Andy

I'd like to say thanks to flatrock02 (Mike) for the excellent prompt service. Nice packaging and nice DC war books!

Cheers to you!

Andy

Kudos to johnenock for a very nice and simple, problem-free transaction! Hope you enjoy the book..

Major belated kudos to bigfiver for our first transaction, I got a lot of nice grade war books to fill in some holes. Sorry it took this long, but I've only recently learned about this thread. Cheers, Shep!

Andy

Big kudos to Marc at House of Comics!!!

A pleasant buying experience with updates all throughout the transaction.

Nice job, buddy!

Thanks, Andy

Here are a few books that I have Shep to thank for letting me know that they exist. Thanks bigfiver, big props to you!!

Sorry, they are not bronze age, peeps....

The Demon #48

Swamp Thing #82

Swamp Thing #83

Anarky #7

Andy

Here's Our Army At War #6

Not terrific shape, but I'm happy nonetheless.

Andy

Here's one of my pick ups...

All American Men of War #23

(A nice early book and I'm very happy to find it)

Andy

Again Karma, nice pick up. I love that story, actually. I just picked myself up another copy of that book as well.

I just got back from the Toronto ComiCon yesterday.....ughh!

Not much there for collector's of DC War. I did manage to pick up a few books, but I had to go around the room about 4 times before I found something worthwhile.

Small show with a couple of the typical dealers that price their books at the NM price, no matter what the condition is. Then they offer a nice 25-50% discount.

Hahaha, can't fool me that way, boy!

I'll see if I can post a picture of my early OAAW pickup.

Andy

Nice book, Karma....nothing better than these DC wars! Good job and keep it up!

Andy

Mmmm....I'll have to check if I have that one. Crazy cover!

Andy

beee ewww teee fulll

nice books john!

Andy

Thought I should mention, another interesting find for DC War collectors is "America At War" from the Fireside series. Look it up in Overstreet under Fireside.

Nice, tough, super-thick collection of DC War.

Andy

Well, I'm glad that I stumbled upon this thread! Nice books people! Gotta wipe the drool off my shirt now. There is NOTHING like DC war!

G.I. Combat washtones are the absolute best covers! I've got nearly all of them and they are certainly, for me, the most fun to look at.

If I ever get myself composed, I'll post lots and lots of books. Hahah, don't see that happening any time soon, though.

Thanks guys, for posting those fantastic books.

Andy

Those are fantastic digests, Weird. I'm still looking for some of those, they can be difficult to find, it seems, in any grade.

I've got an update on my search for a complete set of the big 5 (including Sgt. Rock and Unknown Soldier). Please, first understand, this is damn tuff!!!! SOOOOO DIFFICULT IN ANY GRADE!!!! I must admit, for guys like Shep, that are putting nice high grade collections, and getting close to completion (relatively), that is a truly AMAZING feat.

Keep up the good work fellas (ahem...and gals?).

As of today, I'm missing:

All American Men of War-35 issues

G.I. Combat-26 issues

Our Army At War-76 issues

Sgt. Rock-15 issues

Our Fighting Forces-31 issues

Star Spangled War Stories-57 issues

Unknown Soldier-7 issues

That's a grand total of 247 books. Eeeeek! Getting closer, but sooooo slow.

I'm having trouble with a lot of the earlier issues as I just don't see them....ever. I know that I could get some of these pretty quickly, but then money comes into play. Hahaha! Damn!

Lastly, just a question from a CGC forum newbie:

Some of you have a little yellow rectangular box at the bottom of your posts, stating something about CGC registry best or something like that. Is that something where you tell CGC that you have these books and they keep track and compare your collection with others? (I hope you can understand my question)

Thanks for listening.

Andy

Super list Shep!

Damn! I've got a good number of those, but now I've gotta pick up a whole lot more that I wasn't planning on. Here's my list for Brave and the Bold alone:

#52 3 Battle Stars

#84 Sgt. Rock

#96 Sgt. Rock

#108 Sgt. Rock

#117 Sgt. Rock

#124 Sgt. Rock

#146 Unknown Soldier

#162 Sgt. Rock

Special Edition (1978) Sgt. Rock

There are a few in that above list to add to your master list.

Well done, and keep up the good work!

Andy

Count me in as well. Gonna have to go through my boxes to see what I've got. Just been crossing books off my lists and haven't seen what I've got in doubles. Please PM me if you've got a list of available comics. Higher grades are best and lower grades are alright if the price is right. Thanks boys!

Andy

No, I haven't got this one...looks great, though! I've got the more modern figure, I think it's from DC archives, or something like that.

Very nice!

Andy

Okay, just to talk about the term "washtones" and the term "greytones", they are describing the same thing. I'm going to quote Chris Pedrin's Big Five Information Guide for the history of washtone comic covers.

THE "ADLER" WASHTONES- A Big Five exclusive

" In the last few years, one element of comic book collecting has received an incredible amount of attention. Greytones! Those beautiful wash covers found on a few DC comic books. Well you can thank the war collectors for this interest. And you can think the various publications for the inaccurate term "greytones".

Lately, collectors have been scurrying all over the country to acquire these issues. Even collectors who have little or no interest in BIG FIVE books actively search out these gems. For not only were these covers seen on the war titles, they were also found on such titles as-- SHOWCASE, SEA DEVILS and MYSTERY IN SPACE just to name a few! I have heard and read countless times about the "Great Kubert and Heath Greytones" and about the "Fantastic Grandenetti Greytones". Well, Fandom, You are all WRONG! You collectors are WRONG! And ALL the publications are DEAD WRONG!

To begin with, the proper term for these covers is WASHTONES. W-A-S-H-T-O-N-E-S. The term was given by the man who invented the process to achieve the effect that the covers give. Calling these covers "greytones" is the mark of an uninformed collector. Well, now you are informed. The man responsible for all the great DC "WASHTONE" covers, and also the inventor of the process (now used the world over!) is... JACK ADLER. Jack Adler was the senior colorist in the production department at DC.

The colorist seldom signs his name to his work. This was the case with Jack. He signed only one cover (a SHAZAM issue-- also featuring his grandchildren!). He has been devising color separations since 1938! He did the color work on the Prince Valiant Sunday sections for five weeks. Once, while doing these sections, William R. Hearst (Newspaper Magnate) went to see him because he wanted to know who the genius was doing the color. Well, the genius is Jack Adler!

Jack Adler came up with the washtone process out of necessity. Jack and his good friend Sol (DC Production man, Sol Harrison-- whom Jack had known since junior high school!), had a problem getting separations done for the cover art. The separations were done by a Union shop, and they did not want to do them. Jack had always wanted to be a photo engraver, but his talents as a colorist went unnoticed by the Union because they locked him out. Jack devised ways around the union rules, one of which was the WASHTONE process, and proceeded, along with Sol to form their own Union! He experimented constantly to obtain the effect he wanted.

The process is quite complicated and to accomplish the "look", artistic talent would be required. Jack would receive a piece of cover art drawn in pencil only, on either Strathmore paper or coquille board. He would then "ink" over the penciled work by doing wash separations done as separate drawings, making a watercolor blank being extremely careful with the color bleeds. Visualizing each color while doing the wash in diluted black ink (hence the term WASHTONE). He had to imagine each color and the effect it would have when overlapped with another color! By doing the art in this way, he would be categorized as an inker and the Unions couldn't touch him! And that's only the simple explanation!

In talking to the master craftsman, comic great and true gentleman, I learned quite a few other things. Mr. Adler is also the man who laid out the ground work for the Joe Kubert School of Graphic Arts! He was the first person Joe thought of when his idea of a school began. The school has been a success for many years, and that success can be attributed, in part, by his efforts.

Besides the fact that he created and did the DC WASHTONES, there is one more startling fact that will be revealed here in the BIG FIVE! When Jack Adler began his stint at DC in 1938, he sat at the desk with Donnenfeld, his friend Sol, and a few other notables, the moment the Golden Age of Comics began! The artwork for Action Comics #1 was laid out in front of him and the others as the decision to put Superman on the cover had been decided leaving only one final decision before history would be made. History not only for comics, but also for all of humanity for years to come! Jack was asked-- "What color should we make Superman's uniform?". And then Jack did it. Jack Adler gave Superman's costume the colors he wears to this very day! Red, Blue and Yellow! Siegel and Shuster gave the world Superman in black and white, Adler gave him to us in color! It doesn't get much more exclusive than that.

And now you know a little more about the EX-most unsung hero in comics!

As the popularity for these Washtones covers grow, and they will, let it be known to all that the man responsible, is Jack Adler. I don't call them washtones...I call them "ADLER WASHTONES". "

So, that's exactly as Chris Pedrin described the greytones/washtones/Adlerwashtones. I personally, don't get upset when someone calls them greytones, but I do love these covers! I think that they are absolutely gorgeous and I'm very happy that Big Fiver created this post. I will post some more "Adler Washtones" in the next couple of days. Hopefully, we'll all have some more being posted shortly.

Thanks for listening...

Andy

Ahhhhhh, thanks Shep. Now, finally another I can cross off my list. Cheers everyone!

Andy

Here's a pic of the Sgt. Rock Special #3....hope it works

 

Next is a picture of DC Special Series #22 (can anyone tell me if this is the book mentioned in Chris Pedrin's Big Five-listed under G.I.Combat as NN (no number) Special Issue and comes between #'s 221 and 222?)

 

Got those from Superworld at Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon.

Just wondering, now that we're on the topic of Chris Pedrin's Big Five, is this G.I. Combat (DC Special Series #22) pictured here the same one that's listed under G.I.Combat as NN (no number) Special Issue and comes between #'s 221 and 222? Didn't get an answer last time I asked...

This book, Chris Pedrin's Big Five, is great! I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a keen interest in DC War comics. There's one on Ebay right now (signed), listed from David T. Alexander, for $99.00!! Yikes! Unsigned, with patience, you should find one for $5-$20. I take my copy wherever I go, update the prices with the Overstreet, and use it as a checklist. It's a small book, packed with a lot of information. Good luck on your searches, fellow Big Fivers!

Shep, you let me know when that book of yours is done as well. I'll certainly take a copy.

Andy

I love the shape on the SSWS #152! She's a beauty!

Here's a pic of the Sgt. Rock Special #3....hope it works

Next is a picture of DC Special Series #22 (can anyone tell me if this is the book mentioned in Chris Pedrin's Big Five-listed under G.I.Combat as NN (no number) Special Issue and comes between #'s 221 and 222?)

Got those from Superworld at Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon.

You're getting some good prices on some good books, in my mind. I paid $80.00 for my CGC 8.5 copy of SSWS #154, which I was quite happy with. Truth be told, I'd love to buy a 9.2 for $175 as well. $200 for #151 in 9.2 sounds very fair. Good job!

Andy

An old VF/NM is now a F+, and I feel a little bit insecure and unsure of buying raw books..

 

Well, it's not quite that severe a change.

yeah, you're probably right, but I'm sure that you all get what I'm saying there...

Those are some fantastic pick ups, I wouldn't feel too bad about that show, Shep. Pretty decent score, if you ask me. Yeah, yeah...who's asking me?

I found that Ted from Superworld was by far the friendliest dealer there. He loved chatting with me and was very curtious. He was super pleased to hear that he had a decent reputation from our forum here.

I think that I found a book that you may have wanted, Shep, that you missed from Superworld. I'll post a pic shortly....well, tomorrow...

Andy

Hey all,

Just to add to the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon. I went there on the Sunday, and of course all of the really decent HG books were nowhere to be found. As Shep mentioned, there still were a couple there, but to me, way overpriced. Maybe that's my problem with picking up REALLY NICE material, I don't fork over the REALLY NICE cash for it. I went to every dealer probably 3 times, first time just asking and doing a quick browse of their books. The second time to look a little deeper. And the third time to pick up books that I didn't really want or to see if I could wheel and deal. (That's my favourite part of a show). To be truthful, I'd love to shell out lots of cash for a super-duper copy of G.I. Combat #87, but they're just not out there. Someone out there owns a CGC 8.0 copy of this, and there are most likely better un-slabbed copies around. I don't mind paying well for them, but you cannot buy what you cannot see. Oops, got side-tracked there...back to the convention. I was satisfied with being able to pick up G.I. Combat #68, an important Sgt. Rock prototype, as well as G.I. Combat #56, another Rock prototype. Lower grades, but they will do for now. I also grabbed a CGC 8.5 copy of Star Spangled War Stories #154, origin of the Unknown Soldier. I drool at the pictures posted previously, but when I look at price point, these 8.0's and 8.5's are a great buy. All of you guys with the 9.2's, 9.4's, 9.6's, and OMG 9.8's.... it's great to be you! Seriously, I know that it'll cost a bunch, but that stuff is the investment material to hang on to. I should follow Shep's lead by looking for more HG raw books, my problem is that half of me still remember's the old grading system and half of me now knows the CGC standards. An old VF/NM is now a F+, and I feel a little bit insecure and unsure of buying raw books...which is an awful shame. Ah, next show, that's what I'll do. I'll buy myself a HG raw DC war book and get myself back on track. (Thanks for listening everyone!)