Eric Perry

The most unusual issue involves indentations on the front cover.  Apparently, someone laid a piece of paper over the front cover and traced the image of Superman.  I imagine it was probably a kid 50+ years ago, treating the comic book like...a comic book.

Notable issues

Back cover

Front Cover

Picked this up as part of a collection over the weekend.  There were some other key issues; however, the first appearance of Supergirl was the "Belle of the Ball."

I'd be interested in the opinions of everyone here regarding the grade.  I photographed everything, but I'll start off with front/back cover pics and a list of the issues I saw.

Scans to follow.

On 6/30/2024 at 1:47 AM, Pitboss said:

No. Make your own. Lots of great tips here:

 

Very helpful, thank you.  :-)

On 6/30/2024 at 7:37 AM, CGC Mike said:

Currently, we do not carry these kits, and are not sure when they will be available again.

Mike

Thanks for the response/info.  I appreciate it.

On 6/29/2024 at 8:12 PM, CGC Mike said:

Hi

The entire store is down.  The link you posted is nearly 4 1/2 years old.

Mike

Good to know the entire store is down.

Regarding the age of the link, I am aware it's old.  It's on the CGC site, though, so I figured it may still be relevant.  It seems like the type of item which may be "evergreen" in nature. 

So, I'm wondering if these kits are still available.  Even if I can't get it today due to the store being down, does CGC still carry these?

(not solely asking Mike here; I'm posing the question to the group at large)

On 6/29/2024 at 7:46 PM, CGC Mike said:

From customer service.

Window bags are those bags with a "missing piece" to allow for signatures. correct?  I'm not looking for those.

I'm looking for the shipping kits.  They had 7.5" wide boards, bags to match, a couple shipping boxes, and a Gemini mailer marked, "raw comics inside;"

https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/8035/cgc-shipping-kits/

When I first joined CGC, I requested/received one of these kits.  When I followed the link for them on the CGC website, I got a "page not found" error.

1. Are these kits still available?
2. If so, how would one get one?

On 5/26/2024 at 3:52 PM, zzutak said:

This probably won't be of much help, but (1) the circus stunt you're referring to is called the Globe of Death, and (2) the DC character Deadman was a circus trapeze artist who made his first appearance in 1967 (Strange Adventures #205), with periodic appearances in the decades that followed.  I imagine there's at least one Deadman expert on the Boards who would remember if he was the hero in the story you described.  Good luck. 

Thanks for the info.  'preciate it.

A friend of mine mentioned World of Wheels.  The general theme of that title seems to fit; however, I couldn't find a story synopsis that matched what I remember.

On 5/25/2024 at 6:30 PM, shadroch said:

Was it a comic or might it have been a black and white magazine?

Comic book.  Illustrations, not pictures.  Color, not B&W.

On 5/25/2024 at 6:02 PM, thehumantorch said:

Hi Eric.  Might help if you can give us a rough year that it was published or the year you read it.

I read the comic in the late '70s or early '80s

As a youngster, I read a comic book.  I remember the story; however, I don't remember the title, let alone the issue number.  I want to track down a copy but it would be much easier to do so with the title and issue number.

On which forum thread do I ask this?

# # #

If anyone is interested - or can help:

This story took place (at least in part) at a circus or carnival.  The main character was riding a motorcycle in a globe-shaped cage that was suspended in mid-air.  He didn't know this was coming; however, the bottom half of the cage lowered.  He tried to keep the motorcycle moving fast enough to stay up there with the remaining half of the cage; however, the bike had a mechanical problem of some sort.  The motorcycle lost speed; he and the bike fell.  One of the other circus performers tossed a trapeze (or ring on a rope) over and the motorcyclist caught it just in time.  The crowd thought it was all part of the act.

Here's the back cover of the book.  My phone's camera doesn't always take color-accurate photos.  The cover looks really dingy here; however, it's really not that bad.

After a little while tending to other things, I finally had the chance to get back into this collection.  My next book was Special Marvel Edition 5.

From brawling to battling, Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos took quite the path from cover to cover in this one.  There was even a scene which heavily implied they gunned down a Nazi spy who had joined their group.  To make things more palatable for the readers (I suppose) Marvel had the spy shoot and miss first.  I couldn't help but think of Han Solo and Greedo...when they did a retcon to the Cantina scene. 

Of course, a handful of GIs were able to take on a staggering number of enemies and make it through without losing a single member of their ranks.  Dodging bullets and shrapnel with aplomb, they made their mission seem almost easy...just another day at the office for the luckiest sons of b**ches in the E.T.O.

On 7/2/2022 at 10:31 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

The add on of the art almost or to me, makes it look like the wheels are still level with the ground. Like evil kenivel stunt cycle. I'd have loved that toy during that era. Those strip wind up really kept the force well to have cycles upright for Ramps. Side bar, but what I thought of, and I have a fondness.

 

Perhaps not coincidentally, here is the back cover.

While I'm a fan of the cover art, my favorite part of this comic was Ms. Marvel hitting The Destructor with a motorcycle.  When I saw these two panels, I instantly thought of that scene from Scrooged when Bill Murray said, "...the b**ch hit me with a toaster..."

The next book was a copy of Ms. Marvel 2.  Admittedly, I was already a fan of this series and had four issues before picking up this collection.  I didn't have anything quite so early in the run, though.

One of the ads in Sub-Mariner 29 caught my eye.  I imagine many of us would love to go back in time and pick up Bronze Age comics off the spinner racks.  I wouldn't mind picking up sealed copies of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin albums, either.  

The next book in the collection is Sub-Mariner # 29.  It appears to be the oldest comic in the lot.

The text seemed ever-so-slightly larger, which made reading it easier on the eyes.  Some of the dialogue had an Old English flavor, though, so it took a little more thought to read.  (Let's be honest, phrases such as "hie me to thy side" and "doth return apace" aren't commonly spoken these days.)

The story featured Hercules, The Huntsman, a trio of "monsters from some madman's nightmare" thrown in for good measure...and Zeus.  The actors in this play made the battle scenes truly memorable for everyone.  Everyone, that is, except Namor.

All in all, it was an entertaining read.  I believe it's the first Sub-Mariner comic I've ever read.  Up to this point, I had typically been into "street level" superheroes, especially Daredevil.  I feel my horizons expanding...

On 6/28/2022 at 12:05 PM, MattTheDuck said:

It's possible this was "just" players he'd personally coached - The Babe would have to be on any all-time Yankees squad.

I believe you're correct about Stengel.

You're absolutely correct about Ruth. 

On 6/27/2022 at 9:05 PM, Dr Zen said:

Out of curiosity, who was on his team? I'm trying to figure out who the 3 outfielders better than Mantle would be. I assume DiMaggio is one.

It was a quote from Ken Burns' Baseball, spoken by Robert Creamer.  The full team was not mentioned.

I agree regarding DiMaggio, by the way.