JTLarsen

Wow, thank you!

According to the coa that came with mine, there were 586 printed.

Silly question...apologies if it's already been answered...is there a way to tell Canadian price variants without having to look them up? Pence variants are obvious, of course, but how do you know if you're looking at a Canadian one without looking it up?

2 hours ago, Unca Ben said:

As late as 1978 there were still gas stations with three bathrooms in Brevard County, Florida (Oak Hill Florida, to be precise).   There was a roadside diner/bar in Oak Hill where black people couldn't order food or be inside (they asked my buddy to leave, but I could order his sandwich and he could eat it outside).

Around 1964 the Brevard County courthouse still had separate bathrooms and drinking fountains; the County Courthouse, where justice was served.  

I saw/experienced all this personally.  There's more, but that gives the general idea.

In the late 1800's many settlements in central Florida, such as Cocoa Beach and Melbourne to name two, were first settled by freed slaves (well there were Native Americans there before them, but that's another story) but hurricanes, later white settlers, Jim Crow laws and prevalent attitudes limited prohibited their success.  

 

Great post. And redlining and other discriminatory practices continue today.

1 hour ago, Brian48 said:

Loved Aparo.  Second best Batman artist of the era. The only thing I thought he couldn't do that I thought Adams did significantly better was drawing the ladies.  Adams's gals looked like they leaped out of the pages of Playboy whereas Aparo's looked like trannies (bad ones).  

Rethink this, please. It's 2017 and they're having a tough enough time as it is without remarks like these belittling them.

2 hours ago, Ken Aldred said:

For years I thought this was drawn by Aparo, but I eventually discovered it was Adams...  

To me, the opposite effect - Adams mimicking Aparo.

Except that Adams got there first. Unless you're saying you see some specific stylistic quirk in this drawing that Adams was mimicking from Aparo? Otherwise, the overall dynamic is pretty clearly that Adams got there first with this style and then Aparo, Novick, and others charted their own way within Adams' penumbra.

2 hours ago, lou_fine said:

+1

And an almost impossible book to find in grade, with the CGC census population report indicating only 1 highest graded copy at CGC 9.0 with all other graded copies at CGC 8.0 and below. 

True, though I wouldn't want to say that explains the attraction. It certainly helps explain the intensity around the search for it--and the prices. But I tend to think its importance and fundamental draw would've been there without its grade-rarity. Hell, I'd guess the grade rarity only became clear because so many people decided they wanted it in the first place.

17 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Only relevance is that Wizard always attempted to keep up with prices on the current hot books of the day which sounds like what you was looking for in terms of a price guide. 

As you have correctly pointed out, however, it is actually not possible for a printed format of a price guide to ever be right on top of current actual prices in the marketplace. 

11 minutes ago, Howling Mad said:

I've never really understood the significant attraction to Our Army At War 83. Can someone explain the significance?

First true appearance of Sgt. Rock, the single most prominent character and icon, by far, of an entire genre of comic books. It's the Action Comics #1 of war books. And it's by the definitive war artist, Joe Kubert. 

55 minutes ago, Crimebuster said:

I have been beating the drum on JLA #75 for years. It's essentially the first appearance of the Silver Age Black Canary. Thanks to DC"s multiple universes, though, it's not as clear as a lot of other character's first appearances. However, it was later recognized officially as the first appearance of the Silver Age Black Canary in a really convoluted retcon just before Crisis on Infinite Earths.

In the prior two issues, Black Canary is still on Earth-2 as part of the JSA. During that storyline, her husband, Larry Lance, is killed. At the end of #74, she decides to start a new life on Earth-1 by going to Earth-1 with the Justice League.

#75 is Black Canary's first issue on Earth-1. it's also her first issue as a member of the Justice League. More importantly, it's the first appearance of her Canary Cry, with the explanation that traveling between worlds somehow triggered some kind of mutation. And finally, her relationship with Green Arrow begins in this issue, though it's subtle, as the two of them co-narrate the tale. 

It's a very clear breaking point between the old Golden Age version of the character and the new Silver Age version reimagined by Denny O'Neil. It's also the second appearance of the new look Green Arrow, after B&B #85, also written by O'Neil. 

It was later retconned that the Canary who came to Earth-1 is actually the daughter of the Earth-2 Canary, and she had been in stasis in limbo because her canary cry couldn't be controlled on Earth-2 or something. it's too weird to explain. This retcon was deemed necessary because all the other heroes in the JSA were pushing 65 by that point, only on Earth-1, Black Canary was still young. 

Importantly for viewing #75 as a first appearance, that retcon remained in place post-Crisis - though the details were obviously different, post-Crisis the modern Dinah Lance was the daughter of the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake Lance, who had been a member of the JSA in her youth. The idea that there were two Black Canarys ultimately came from the major changes made to the character in JLA #75.

Her powers, personality, and relationship with Green Arrow all date to this issue. I think it's absolutely the key issue for Black Canary fans after Flash Comics #92. 

 

Having said all that, I'd bet my hat the price bump actually just is because the issue has an iconic black cover that's really hard to find in grade. 

Terrific analysis and spot on. My only adds...let's not underestimate the impact of the cover. And, none of this proves it's why Overstreet raised the value.

4 hours ago, F For Fake said:

I don't get the appeal of Artgerm, as it's too slick and digital to be appealing to my tastes. But I accept that everyone likes what they like. So by all means, everyone start snapping his stuff up, and leave more Bolland, Stevens and Hughes books for me!

I agree. At the risk of sounding like a cranky music fan, I find his earlier work has much more humanity and differentiation to the faces.

8 hours ago, Jeffreykli said:

JLA #75 is up because of Black Canary, not Green Arrow.

Which we know becaaaauuuuse......?

10 hours ago, followtheleader said:

Dodson has great work, but the Quinn stuff is ruining it. 

Really cheeseball. 

Cho's variants on the same run are much better. 

I actually think the character is ruining Dodson and vice-versa.  

Patrick

What do you mean? Dodson's run on Quinn was years ago. Is he back on Quinn now???

Definite keeper. And, yes, overshadowed by Adams, especially. One of the definitive Batman artists.

50 minutes ago, lou_fine said:

Wow, all of this analysis and research must have taken some time and work. 

You are definitely right about the Tomahawk 116 with the classic Adams cover and 'Tec 359 with the first Batgirl because both of these books have been extremely hot.  Especially with the Tomahawk by Adams being truly as rare as hen's teeth to track down and long overdue for this type of increase. 

Not TOO much work. I keep a running database that calculates increases as new data comes in. Helps me notice when things are starting to pop...! I do think a Tomahawk 116 in true 9.2 would probably be a thousand-dollar book, but for conservative Overstreet to quintuple the value in just one year is a powerful statement. The Hughes breakouts were, too...with more to come in subsequent years, I'm sure.

2 hours ago, darkstar said:

Not really, no. You labeled a comic book cover for an issue that was released about a month ago to be iconic. Unless the work being called iconic represents or captures a significant moment in time then you kind of need the passage of time to occur for the iconic thing to influence and inspire; to actually demonstrate an impact that would be attributed to something that is iconic. The word isn't a simple substitute for something that one finds to be visually interesting or appealing.

That's not what iconic means. It doesn't mean it has to demonstrate impact. And I didn't use it as a substitute for something that one finds to be visually interesting or appealing. Go look up iconic in the dictionary. That's what I meant.

4 hours ago, Kevin76 said:

I don't like the design of the covers from Marvel these days...Where is the issue number?  Bottom of the book?  Who was the design genius that came up with that idea and who was the big shot who gave it the green light?  

The art covers look more like posters than a compelling cover to draw a reader in, there's no drama anymore i.e "Who will die???"  or "Get lost Spider-Man, we don't need you!!"   

The dialogue is cheesy and there aren't any ground breaking art styles anymore. 

Comics now are over sexualized and making alternate versions of characters only to make them of color is an epic fail. What's next?  Peter Parker is "transgender" and Bruce Banner is gay and his boyfriend is General Ross and are making wedding plans??  

This is the comic world we live in now.  Thank the left.    

You sure do use a lot of words to tell people to get off your lawn.

An incomplete sampling of huge movers:

Catwoman #51. Up 2400% over last year. Hughes Catwoman covers made a huge jump this year. Not just broken out but also values shot up. Recognition of Hughes price increases was spotty, however. Some titles reflect it. Others, such as Wonder Woman, still don't. 

Batman 635. Up 900% over last year. 1st Jason Todd as Red Hood.

Batman and Robin Adventures 21. Also up 900%. Classic Batgirl (animated) cover.

Zatanna 16. Also up 900%. Another series where Hughes got his due. Zatanna and other classic female superheroes showed up strong in this year's Overstreet. Interestingly, as noted above, Wonder Woman didn't enjoy a similar surge. It's almost as if the B-list superheroines were the focus. I'm guessing Wonder Woman will flex her muscles in next year's.

DC Comics Presents 49. Up 775%. Black Adam, if memory serves.

Superman Annual 11. Up 733%. The impact and influence of Moore's standouts are becoming clearer as the years pass. This story, and Moore's last Superman two-parter, are all-time classics that will always speak to people's love for Superman.

New Mutants 25. Up 400%. Legion (26 up, too).

Richard Dragon 5. Up 400%. First Lady Shiva. Surprised by this one, as I'm not aware of the character having penetrated the market so much to enjoy this kind of interest. That said, I've always appreciated her appearances.

Tomahawk 116. Up 400%. An amazing, overdue jump. This stunning, classic Neal Adams cover was long overdue for recognition of just how hard (impossible) it is to find in high grade. It's now a $500 book in 9.2, and I'm guess would sell for considerably more than that. Adams for decades was accompanied by other artists, especially Wrightson, in terms of collector interest and value. That's not the case any longer. The prices in this year's Overstreet suggest that Neal Adams has become the dominant artist of his time, in the way that Jack Kirby was before him. As an uninformed, young collector, I knew this on an intuitive level all along. It's now becoming codified as reality.

Firestorm 3. Up 150%. First Killer Frost.

Promethea 32. Up 150%. Final issue of a jaw-dropping, stunning, overlooked series of Alan Moore brilliance.

Zatanna 1 (Bolland variant). Up 150%. Weirdly, Bolland's Wonder Woman covers remain mired in the surrounding issues. Even 72.

Action 835. Up 50%. First in-continuity Livewire. Weirdly, her first appearance AT ALL is not yet broken out.

Detective 359. Up 80%. First Batgirl. It won't grow at as fast a pace, but it will keep growing.

JLA 75. Up 75%. Green Arrow's new costume.

Miscellaneous Harleys, Neal Adamses and other books also got considerable bumps. Other notable individual issues: Batman 423 (McFarlane cover), House of Secrets 92, Some classic Dave Stevens covers. Joker covers... 

5 hours ago, Mapleleafvann said:

I really don't know....I love Dodson's work.  I picked up a bunch of those Astonishing X-Men #1 1:10 that were just released as I thought the cover art was just great.  

I enjoy Dodson a lot, too. But I don't think he's distinct enough to break out. At least not yet.

4 hours ago, darkstar said:

The word iconic has lost all meaning in regards to comic book cover art with how often it is applied to modern comics. Just the latest marketing buzzword to push books. 

Sorry you feel that way. I used it with the same meaning it's always had.

6 hours ago, Mapleleafvann said:

Hard to argue with this point and it is one of the reasons why I was so late to the Frison camp.  I was intrigued with #20, very interested with #23 and amazed with #25.  A lot of the other covers don't hold the same interest for me.  I have found however, that the more I look at certain books, the more they grow on me.  Books such as #7 and even #15 continue to grow on me....I wonder if other covers will also convert over into this category for me. 

Exactly what happened with me (including 27!) Same thing is how I started with Bolland and Hughes covers...BEFORE they blew up!

6 hours ago, Brock said:

There needs to be more consistency... right now, for every WW25 there's a WW27. For my money , Joshua Middleton is putting out more consistently strong work, and will likely break out first.

I can't really speak to Middleton, but I'm not sure how consistent covers really have to be. Most great cover runs have their clunkers.

4 hours ago, Mapleleafvann said:

Couldn't agree more....they flew under the radar for me for a little while.  I do think more people are catching on though....

I agree...just so little chatter about them...some of them are real keepers!

I'm amazed how little talk there's been of Jenny Frison's Wonder Woman covers. Yes, #25 got a lot of hooplah, but her whole run is full of future classics. Iconic covers but with a recognizable, distinct style. Great stuff and I'm guessing will always be in demand. (Yes, I picked some up for myself, just like I did with the Hughes run before it took off!)

1 hour ago, F For Fake said:

It's true. With the advent of the internet, eBay, etc, it's no longer a challenge to put together, say, a run of X-Men or Batman or whatever.  If you're willing to spend the money, you can have the books delivered directly to your doorstep with zero difficulty. So these odd variants, errors, newsstands, etc give people something new to hunt. 

And an additional way to "own" favorite books that they already have! #Guilty

21 minutes ago, maidenmate91 said:

Lmao nice try man, good effort. I don't see how stating I liked the mantles of the heroes mentioned above as me slamming the race. Also btw  that's not what "literally" means.

Have you heard the one about the man who assumes things? 

I don't see the word black as a label or social stigma, I personally think it automatically makes the subject 10x more badass! Thus me saying simpler times. 

 

Keep digging.