Upgrayedd2

Below is my attempt to unravel the Braddock Family. This is what I've come up with. NOTE: Key Collector does not have a listing for Brian Braddock (Captain Britain). I left out several details such as costume and/or ability changes to keep it simple. And...all alias names for Captain Britain because that deserves a thread all to its own. Also, I could not identify when Gloriana first appeared.

Captain Britain Weekly #1 (October 1976)

• 1st appearance Captain Britain (Brian Braddock)
• Origin of Captain Britain (???)

Captain Britain #8 (December 1976)

• 1st appearance of Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock (later becomes Psylocke)
• 1st mention of Jamie Braddock Jr. (later becomes Monarch)

Captain Britain #9 (December 1976)

• 2nd appearance of Betsy Braddock
• 1st appearance of Jamie Braddock Jr., later becomes Monarch

Mighty World of Marvel #7 (December 1983)

• 1st appearance of Meggan Braddock (later becomes Gloriana)

Captain Britain #8 (Volume 2) (August 1985)

• Origin of Meggan Braddock

Captain Britain #12 (December 1985)

• Betsy Braddock becomes Captain Britain

New Mutants Annual #2 (October 1986)

• 1st appearance of both Betsy Braddock and Meggan Braddock in U.S. comics
• Origin of Betsy Braddock
• Betsy Braddock renamed Psylocke (by Mojo)

Uncanny X-Men #213 (January 1987)

• Betsy Braddock joins the X-Men and adopts the name Psylocke

Uncanny X-Men #257 (January 1990)

• 1st appearance of Psylocke as Lady Mandarin

Captain Britain and MI13 Annual #1 (June 2009)

• 1st appearance of Meggan Braddock as Gloriana (???)

On 5/22/2022 at 11:39 AM, Erndog said:

I'm too afraid to buy Omnibuses on Amazon now bc of the small spine fonts.  Ughhhh.

Would they accept returns?  I guess so eh? 

Amazon is a great way to purchase TPB (and other books). Especially if it's offered with Prime - Free (relatively) fast shipping.

However...unless the book has it's own box made my the manufacturer of the book, it will arrive with dings, bends, and crushed areas. My record for returning books (I ordered approximately 15 TPBs) was 6 times. That's 6 times that I sent the approximately 15 TPBs to Amazon and they sent me back 15 new TPBs. After the 6th time, acquired 5 without damage. I gave up the remaining. I ended up getting a phone call apology from a manager and a $150 credit. Just a few months ago, I went through the same thing with TASCHEN Spider-Man book ($200 version). That copy came with it's own box and it got so smashed within the Amazon box, the damage reached the comic book. After the 2nd time, I asked if they wanted me to return it or give me a discount. The book weighs 10 LBS. They opted for a discount. 

I keep coming across this exact same pattern on DC comics. Three horizontal lines. The only difference is their location, but always on the lower half of the comic and begins at the edge. Is this one of those "CGC identifies this as a common defect"?

The three samples below are different comics (Brave and Bold #57)

Thank you.

On 5/20/2022 at 11:37 AM, Lazyboy said:

Everyone knows JIM 83 is the first appearance of Marvel's Thor. That is, the character who has been continuously used by Marvel since that debut and has had a major role in the Marvel Universe.

No comic book is even close to being the first appearance of the Norse god Thor. Jack Kirby using similar designs for different interpretations of mythology doesn't make them the exact same character.

Although my original post asked for forum member opinions, I could see where it appeared I leaned towards recognizing Thor's first appearance as something other than JIM #83. After seeing all of the previous appearances and how Lee/Kirby developed the character, these Thor appearances are more than similarities. Had Kirby remained at DC and developed Thor as a character, would one of the aforementioned comics been identified as Thor's 1st appearance? We will never know.

WRT to your comments, I concur...JIM #83 is the 1st appearance of "Marvel's" Thor.

Update: 1st comic book appearance of Thor in 1940 (Fox Publications), Odin in 1946 (DC), and Loki (1949).

1940: "Thor" appears in Weird Comics #1 (Fox Publications). Thor, son of Odin,  imbues Grant Farrel with the God of Thunder's powers. Thereafter, Grant is known as Thor when he changes shape and assumes the form and powers of the Thunder God.

1941: "Mercury" appears in Red Raven (Timely Comics) and later becomes Hurricane in Captain America (Marvel Comics). Hurricane is the “son of Thor, god of Thunder, and the last descendant of the ancient Greek immortals.” – a Kirby character.

1942: "Thor" appears in Adventure Comics #75 (DC). Thor is a villain/mobster using tech to imitate the god. – Kirby-designed.

1946: "Odin" & "The Valkyries" appear as villains in Comic Cavalcade #17 (DC).

1948: "Mercury" (a similar character) appears in Venus #3 (not sure if this is Marvel Comics) – edited by Stan Lee.

1949: "Loki" appears in Venus #6 (Marvel Comics) – edited by Stan Lee.

1957: "Thor" appears in Tales of the Unexpected #16 (DC). Thor is a Norse god, wears the same tunic which appears in today's story line, has the same hammer which appears in today's story line, reference to Loki as a villain. – illustrated by Kirby.

1959: "Thor" appears in Out of this World #11 (Charlton Comics). Thor discovers the hammer and uses it to drive away enemy forces. – illustrated by Ditko.

1962: "Thor" appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (Marvel Comics). – Ditko/Kirby/Lee???

Here is the breakdown based on good old internet searches.

1941: "Mercury" appears in Red Raven (Timely Comics)  and later becomes Hurricane in Captain America (Marvel Comics). Hurricane is the “son of Thor, god of Thunder, and the last descendant of the ancient Greek immortals.” – a Kirby character.

1942: "Thor" appears in Adventure Comics #75 (DC). Thor is a villain/mobster using tech to imitate the god. – Kirby-designed.

1948: "Mercury" (a similar character) appears in "Venus" (December issue) – edited by Stan Lee.

1957: "Thor" appears in Tales of the Unexpected #16 (DC). Thor is a Norse god, wears the same tunic which appears in today's story line, has the same hammer which appears in today's story line, reference to Loki as a villain. – illustrated by Kirby.

1959: "Thor" appears in Out of this World #11 (Charlton Comics). Thor discovers the hammer and uses it to drive away enemy forces. – illustrated by Ditko.

1962: "Thor" appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (Marvel). – Ditko/Kirby/Lee???

So how can one argue the 1957 appearance of a Norse god named Thor, with the same hammer and tunic, villain Loki, lightning bolts, etc does not represent the 1st appearance of Thor in a comic? Journey into Mystery #83, under the key notes should read, "1st Appearance of Thor in Marvel Comics". Would love to hear y'alls opinions pro and con.

On 5/19/2022 at 8:06 AM, grendelbo said:

Unsurprisingly, eBay sellers are calling it Thor's and Loki's first appearance - predates JIM 83.

Based on what I am seeing:

This pre-dates Thor in Marvel. "Character named 'Thor'", come on! I would buy that if 'Thor' in this comic was not a God and did not carry a hammer which matches Thor's.

As for Loki, maybe first mention in a comic book.

On 5/19/2022 at 9:28 AM, MR SigS said:

The bidders past C $415 could be shills. Both are low feedback with 66% activity with the seller. 

 could be dodgy, but I can see new buyers spec-ing it if they liked the Morbius film. I haven't seen it, so I don't know if that's likely.

Soooo, what you're saying is that there won't be a 2nd chance offer to the 2nd highest bidder...It will be the the 3rd highest bidder.

And it's a Key Issue, right?  First battle and team-up of Man-Wolf and Morbius 

I really shouldn't talk because I overpaid for a copy of Flash #141.

On 5/19/2022 at 7:01 AM, Dr. Balls said:

This is pretty much where I fall. Eye appeal is not only preferred, but I've paid a premium for the grade if it looks better because of some issue inside. I agree on detached centerfolds as well. If it's complete, I don't mind the issues when it looks nice.

I'm on board with your thinking. I would rather buy a 9.2 with a centered cover, than a 9.4/9.6 with a shifted cover (shows  white boarder on the left or cuts into any of the text).

On 5/19/2022 at 6:46 AM, Artboy99 said:

I have heard of this but I have never seen the book. Have a copy of the book? Post a few pics, it would be interesting to see them.

You can find all of the pages via internet search "Tales of the Unexpected #16". 

I searched the forum and could not find a discussion on this. 

In 1957, Kirby drew a story called “The Magic Hammer” in DC Comics’ Tales of the Unexpected #16. The tale portrays Thor as a Norse god, complete with a foil in the villainous Loki – who would, of course, become the main villain in the Marvel series. In addition, the hammer matches the one in Marvel, and calls on lightning and the weather.

If you provide a copy of the story to anyone familiar with Thor, they would recognize him, the hammer, lightning, etc without reading the text. Then when you read the text, they would clearly read the character names Thor, Loki... When I opened the first page, I didn't even need to see the hammer. I said, "that's Thor." Having recently read Tales of the Unexpected #16 (DC, 1957), I'm curious to see what Key Notes CGC places on the label. I've seen some comic book sites refer to this comic as, "Prototype of Thor, created by Jack Kirby prior to the character's introduction in Marvel Comics, Journey Into Mystery #83". But, I do not believe this is accurate.

If Thor had remained in DC, would this comic be considered a "prototype"?

I realize there are plenty of Golden Age references to Thor. My curiosity is what Key Notes CGC includes on the label. If anyone out there has a CGC copy, please share the Key Notes from the label.

Beautiful copy.

On 5/15/2022 at 9:21 AM, jimbo_7071 said:

At least he autographed it on the splash page and not the cover! I really don't like books autographed on the cover. I blame CGC for that trend. Before CGC slabs came along, I never saw a comic autographed anywhere other than the splash page.

Agreed.

When you attend a book signing, where does the author sign the book? Answer: Inside the book.

On 5/15/2022 at 8:30 AM, John1122 said:

Submissions from July 2021 are still not back and who knows when they will be at this point. Modern submission and an economy submission. Sometimes you need to bite the bullet and suspend intakes like PSA. 

I received some Modern and Economy within 4 months. However, there's several more to go.

On 5/15/2022 at 8:30 AM, optimal_max said:

ok, sorry if it's been posted already, but what is up with this?

I could see if it was "newsstand"  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353986786420?hash=item526b41b474:g:BSQAAOSw0nhiR3aI

Original post was to cover eBay fees accumulated throughout the year.

Same question for Spider-Man 2009, foil cover with crease, but no color breaks. 

On 5/14/2022 at 3:20 PM, joeypost said:

On-Site pressing as the great idea? 

Ah! Allow me to correct myself and please keep in mind I haven't been to a comic show in over 20 years. 

I meant that offering pressing at a comic show is a great idea. However, I recommend the vendor work within an enclosed area kind of like GCG/CBCS/PGX(?) when they grade at shows.

And I am on the list of "would have freaked out" if I saw someone crack open a case like that. I played in slow motion to see how much the comic flexed within the sleeve. I could not tell if the vendor was looking down as he cracked it. Fortunately he was wearing glasses in case a piece fired off (but not the guy doing the interview).

Great idea, but need to work on presentation. Hoping they see the value in the feedback.

I love underground comics but only buy them based on the cover/content. I have no expectations they will rise in value.

A few months ago, I passed through a comic book store in Anchorage (Bosco's). They had a sold inventory and I acquired an entire collection of RAW comic/magazine.

I've been looking at Exiles #2 (Cover A) and came across one for sale with the descriptor "Volume 5". There are no additional details. This leads me to ask, how many printing versions did the publisher release? By this I mean, is there a 2nd, 3rd printing? If so, how can you tell the difference?

The only other detail I noticed is that most of the slabbed are dated June 2018, where the comic publication date is April 2018.

Hopefully I'm wrong and there is only a 1st printing.

Ah. That makes sense.

And yes, it has the label in the attached image.

How set were the dates of these label?

I found a comic with the post-April 2016 label, but the registry says it was slabbed in October 2015. So the date of the slab and label don't match up.

Any thoughts welcomed.

Thanks

I came across an incredibly clean Fantastic Four #52. Until you discover a single dot of a black pen.

This is so painful to look at. Someone took a black pen and colored (?) a piece of the cover at the top staple. How can you tell? At first, I thought it was a hole, but it's the ink seeping through to the inside page. Assuming the seller's grade stands (8.5 Restored) FMV is a bit over $2,295. Had the pen never met the cover, you could go all the way down to a 7.0 and retain an Unrestored FMV of $2,700.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203928854744

I'm pursuing a Bronze Age comic book, an Annual issue - which means it has a box spine. I'm one of those collectors who avoids comics if the cover is rotated or shifted, showing the white edge on the spine when it shifts to the right, or where the comic words or price get cut-off when it shifts to the left. Almost all of the Annual issues I look at have some form of shifting. I'm prepared now to buy one with minimal rotating/shifting. However, I've discovered that if the cover is shifted, the pages on the inside also follow. I've seen some where a portion of the story gets cutoff. 

I see CGC doesn't appear to grade down the "box" issues when the cover is shifted. However, if an internal pages is shifted enough to cut into the edge of story, does that lower the grade of the comic?

Thanks for your time.