Frisco Larson

A lower grade local show pick up late last year. Love the late Caps!

Mexican publication of Modeling with Millie 37.

Modeling with Millie 37 La Prensa Publications.

Skeleton guy to skeleton guys. (Mexican publication of Marvel Tales #123).

A comic show in early 2018.

Is that Cap #24 a 9.0? I can't quite make it out but it looks super sharp!

Kirby's work on the interior Cap stories always stood out to me. I too started collecting the Golden Age Cap run quite a bit before CGC (early 90s for me) and Cap 5 then Cap 4 were two of my first Cap purchases. The interior artwork on those first issues was unlike anything I'd seen at the time (I hadn't seen much if any of Lou Fine's work at that point) and the art exploded all over the page, not being confined to panels, spilling from one to the next, figures in the middle of the page, it was bursting with energy and very unique to any of the comics I'd seen (mostly Silver Age) up to that point. It's SUCH a shame that the Simon & Kirby run at Timely was cut short and that they didn't get more time to develop Cap and Bucky as well as creating other villains. I agree that a lot is lost in collecting certified comics when compared to the days when they were all raw. I have lots of both, raw & certified books and I purchase a fair amount knowing that I will crack them out once I get them. I've probably cracked out a dozen or so Larsons and a few Church copies. I don't break out super high grade copies but I DO like to find books that but for a defect or two WOULD be high grade and crack them out to enjoy. For example, the Church copy I'll attach to this post (sorry, it's not a Timely) is one that I cracked right out of there, just because I really wanted to get it into my hands, thumb it up and whiff the aroma of that vintage paper. It has all of the same qualities of the other Church copies around it's numbering (most of which graded in the 9.4 range) except this issue has a small piece off of the back cover and a small stain at the bottom right corner. Handling it and the freed Larsons reminds me of those bygone days when you'd see raw pedigrees at San Diego and Chicago shows.

Also about the pic above, the Cap 7 is signed by Joe Simon (the only Sig Series Cap 7 on the census) and the Cap 31 is signed by Allen Bellman. Both were submitted for signing by other people, but I am very happy to have them both.

They really ARE! The 2nd issue with Electro and the Thing appearance can be had for pretty darn cheap when you consider that it's the second DD appearance and the second Electro!!! The #7 goes for some pretty big money in nice shape but it SHOULD! It's one of if not THE best early DD stories and the first red costume! I need to lock down high grade copies while there's still time!!!!

That Cap 7 is the only Signature Series Cap 7 on the census and unfortunately, there aren't any other artists or writers who worked on it still with us.

Well, they aren't BIG group shots, but I did just take a few for the Timely thread, so I'll post them here …. for the group shot gang.