Most over-rated overpriced book of all time

[steelhelmet]

In reference to my last post, let me re-iterate. When I lumped Superman 1 and Showcase 4 together I realize it's not a perfect analogy, but they both share some things in common.

 

They're both believed with starting or mainstreaming a trend, therefore high high praise and values.

 

But what I see is that when each of these books is compared to their respective peers, value-wise, I see a discrepancy. Compare Superman 1 with Tec 27, Action 1 and Marvel 1 and Superman 1 falls short IMO, as its not a good read, and other questionable details.Same with Showcase.

[DarrenSmith]

I had never heard that there were more than one print runs of Superman 1. Any way to distinguish them?

 

Yes, the first printing has an for Action 14 that says, "On Sale June XX" (I forget the actual date). The second and third printings have the same ad, but it says "On Sale Now." There does not seem to be a way to tell the difference between the second and third printings. (thumbs u

 

Actually, there are three printings and two known variations based on the ad for Action 14 on the last page before the back cover. One can safely say that the "On Sale Now" was from a later printing. Assuming there are no other variations, You have some possibilities:

 

1st print "On Sale June XX"

2nd print "On Sale June XX" or "On Sale Now"

3rd print "On Sale Now"

 

So you still cannot be 100% sure a given copy of the first Superman is a first print.

 

Also, I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe the first printing was the largest printing.

[Theagenes]

I had exited the thread but you've brought up some very good points and I thought could add something to the discussion. Or not. Just my

 

Though I acknowledge what you say as far as the book being an inspiration to other publishers, I rate various types of ground-breaking actions differently than you do. That is, publishers for ages have been about pushing a product that sells and re-packaging it in as many ways possible in order to make another dime off of the same editorial content. Pulp publishers did so much reprinting that there were laws that required them to state when their contents were reprints. Action 1 was a significant revolutionary step in that it was the first appearance of a new literary concept, the colorfully-costumed, alter-ego'd superhero. Once that creation occurred, any publisher would have been able to make the same decision to publish a reprint issue wrapped by a new cover as the early comics publishers were also pulp publishers (or connected to them) and that was their model. Any competent publisher watching the numbers come back from the distributor would have eventually made the decision to publish Supe 1.

 

So while, Supe 1 was influential and important in demonstrating to other publishers the profitability of super-hero comics, the decision to publish Supe 1 doesn't seem out of the ordinary at all because it was a low initial print run, wasn't really the start of a title series (just a one-shot), was reprints (makes me wonder what Siegel and Shuster got paid?) and was just an extension of existing publishing business decision-making.

 

For me, I get less excited about those types of decisions and when I think of historically important books my mind goes to comics that creatively moved the industry forward. Action 1 = Goosebumps. Supe = no goosebumps. Your mileage may vary.

 

 

Note: I'm not totally creator-focused. I do think that what Max Gaines did in developing the comic magazine format and proving it's marketplace acceptance and viability was crucial to enabling the subsequent comics revolution. There had been 30 years of experimentation on formats and lots of newspaper syndicated comic strips but there was a magic convergence of price and acceptance with Gaines' conception.

 

I don't disagree with you at all - Superman 1 was absolutely a marketing gimmick - a quick repackaging of earlier material in order to jump on a potential new fad while the opportunity was there. It was a chance to make a quick buck without laying out much capital. That still doesn't change the fact that it had a huge impact on the industry and helped propel the comic book boom of the next couple of years. I would never argue that it is more important than Action 1 or Tec 27 or even Marvel 1, but it is an important book and does belong up there in the top 5 or so, IMO.

 

The only thing I would disagree with you on is nitpicky - the size of the initial print run was the larger of the three and was pretty substantial if IIRC. Over 600K, I think?

 

In reference to my last post, let me re-iterate. When I lumped Superman 1 and Showcase 4 together I realize it's not a perfect analogy, but they both share some things in common.

 

They're both believed with starting or mainstreaming a trend, therefore high high praise and values.

 

But what I see is that when each of these books is compared to their respective peers, value-wise, I see a discrepancy. Compare Superman 1 with Tec 27, Action 1 and Marvel 1 and Superman 1 falls short IMO, as its not a good read, and other questionable details.Same with Showcase.

 

Steelhelmet, Again I don't really disagree with what you're saying - I would not rank it over those other books, but I do think its historical significance is often overlooked today due to its lack of substance.

 

As for being overpriced... well, that's a different argument. I'm a bottom feeder, and 5 and 6 figure books are way out of my league. I'll let some of the BSDs on this board comment on whether or not it's overpriced.

 

Jeff

[Theagenes]

I had never heard that there were more than one print runs of Superman 1. Any way to distinguish them?

 

Yes, the first printing has an for Action 14 that says, "On Sale June XX" (I forget the actual date). The second and third printings have the same ad, but it says "On Sale Now." There does not seem to be a way to tell the difference between the second and third printings. (thumbs u

 

Actually, there are three printings and two known variations based on the ad for Action 14 on the last page before the back cover. One can safely say that the "On Sale Now" was from a later printing. Assuming there are no other variations, You have some possibilities:

 

1st print "On Sale June XX"

2nd print "On Sale June XX" or "On Sale Now"

3rd print "On Sale Now"

 

So you still cannot be 100% sure a given copy of the first Superman is a first print.

 

Also, I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe the first printing was the largest printing.

 

That's a good point re: the possible variations. I would submit though, that due to the time involved for the larger first printing to sell out, that it is more likely that only the first printing had the original ad variation.

 

I wish I had the numbers - I know it's posted in several threads in the GA forum in the past. I'll try and find them.

 

Jeff

[adamstrange]

The only thing I would disagree with you on is nitpicky - the size of the initial print run was the larger of the three and was pretty substantial if IIRC. Over 600K, I think?

 

The moment I saw Darren Smith's post the 600k figure popped into my head so I'm sure you're both right about the size of the print run. I'd be curious to know how that compares to print runs of other DC titles at that time, especially Action.

[Blind Owl]

The only thing I would disagree with you on is nitpicky - the size of the initial print run was the larger of the three and was pretty substantial if IIRC. Over 600K, I think?

 

The moment I saw Darren Smith's post the 600k figure popped into my head so I'm sure you're both right about the size of the print run. I'd be curious to know how that compares to print runs of other DC titles at that time, especially Action.

 

Here is some Circulation info from various publishers in the late 30's and early 40's.

 

The only problem (as you'll see) is that a lot of titles (DC) are grouped and not individual. But it could give a general idea about circulation.

 

.

 

[Theagenes]

The only thing I would disagree with you on is nitpicky - the size of the initial print run was the larger of the three and was pretty substantial if IIRC. Over 600K, I think?

 

The moment I saw Darren Smith's post the 600k figure popped into my head so I'm sure you're both right about the size of the print run. I'd be curious to know how that compares to print runs of other DC titles at that time, especially Action.

 

Here is some Circulation info from various publishers in the late 30's and early 40's.

 

The only problem (as you'll see) is that a lot of titles (DC) are grouped and not individual. But it could give a general idea about circulation.

 

.

 

 

Great info, Blind Owl! Thanks for posting this!

 

I found a few other things using the search engine. According to Bob B., the total print run for Superman 1 and 2 was 900,000 and 1,200,000 respectively. I also found this old post by rjpb quoting RIP, quoting Pedigree Man, quoting a very interesting article regarding the the multiple Superman printings. I suppose we've gotten way off-topic for this thread, but this is an interesting discussion.

 

 

From the Audit Bureau of Circulation (thanks to Russ Maheras of the Grand Comics Database), regarding Superman #1:

#1 FIRST PRINT 500,000

#1 2ND PRINT 250,000

#1 3RD PRINT 150,000

TOTAL 900,000

 

 

 

From an earlier post by Pedigree Man via Rip:

 

The following article was written by David Bachman and appeared in the apa mailings APA-I #63 and Interlac #103. It is reproduced here without permission!

 

 

"Superman #1.1?

"When, in recent years, DC Comics went back to press for second printings of the better-selling issues of its top titles, the move was perceived by some as a departure from a supposedly iron-clad policy of producing only original editions of its newsstand comic books. However, I have recently discovered evidence suggesting that DC's practice of producing second printings of specific issues dates back much further than, I think, most readers had previously suspected. Indeed, the practice appears to date back at least as far as the 1939 version of Superman #1.

 

"I have recently been spending time with my microfiche copies of Golden Age comics and my microfiche viewer, all from MicroColor International. I have in mind a number of objectives as I read these old comics, not the least of which is the simple enjoyment of the stories and art. Another objective has been to get some sense of the publishing schedule of the early DC, and more specifically to determine the publishing month in which DC's early quarterly comics were published. (DC's monthly comics clearly present no problem in this regard. I recall from my earliest days of comic-book collecting that DC's bimonthly titles always listed two months in the indicia, and were scheduled by the former month; I assume that this practice was also followed in DC's earliest days. Since DC's earliest quarterly comics were dated by season, rather than month, I have always been slightly curious about the publishing month in which those comics were scheduled.) It was this second objective which led me to my discovery.

"Action Comics #13 carried a house ad for Superman #1, specifying its on-sale date as May 18th [1939]. This did not tell me whether Superman #1 should be included in the June cover-date publishing schedule, or the July schedule, since I did not know the on-sale date of the June or July issue of Action Comics. Superman #1, on its last interior page (not the inside back cover), bore a house ad for Action Comics #14. MicroColor's microfiche copy of Superman #1 advertised Action Comics #14 as being 'Now on Sale'. For some reason, I decided to compare the page with its reprints in Famous First Edition #C-61, and in Superman Archives Vol. 1. Both of those reprints said that Action Comics #14 would be 'On Sale June 2nd'.

 

"I noted the inconsistency without assigning much meaning to it. I had (and have) no doubt regarding the authenticity of MicroColor's microfiche copy, since it was simply photographed from an genuine Superman #1. I initially assumed that DC had made an error in reprinting that issue. But as I reflected on the matter, I came to a different conclusion. I decided that Superman #1 must have gone through at least two printings, and reasoned that if I could find non-reprint evidence of a Superman #1 advertising an on-sale date of June 2nd for Action Comics #14, my hypothesis could be proven. This led me to call some of you APA-I members (past and present) in search of that comic. My thanks to Rich Morrissey, Howard Keltner, and Randy Scott for your assistance in my research. It was Randy who first confirmed for me by telephone that he had microfilm confirmation of the 'On Sale June 2nd' version, and Howard who first sent me evidence by mail of that version in the form of a pre-MicroColor microfiche copy of Superman #1. Copies of both versions appear in this zine (albeit in negative, since the only decent fiche printer I could find was stuck on negative).

 

"The order of publication of these two versions can be deduced intuitively. The version announcing that Action Comics #14 would go 'On Sale June 2nd' was obviously published prior to publication of Action #14, while the version stating that Action #14 was 'Now on Sale' was obviously published concurrently with, or subsequent to, Action #14. Hence (and assuming there were not more than two printings!), the 'On Sale June 2nd' version is the first printing, and the 'Now on Sale' version is the second printing.

 

"There are other anomalies surrounding this first Superman issue, although these may be widely known. Superman #1 was not, in fact, Superman #1. It bore no number and no date (except a copy-right date), either on the cover, or in the indicia. More significantly, it bore no notice of second-class mail permit in its indicia, an item that must be carried by any publication that will be published periodically and sent to subscribers via second-class mail. The house ad in Action Comics #13 referred to it as 'a big complete Superman book' rather than as a new title. And the house ad for Superman #2 in Action Comics #17 stated, 'Your overwhelming approval of the first magazine has prompted us to publish this second one....' Cumulatively, these items convince me that the publication we refer to as Superman #1 was actually intended to be a one-shot publication. Its 'overwhelming' success, then, apparently prompted two reactions by its publisher: (1) publication of a second printing, and (2) a decision to initiate a new quarterly title featuring only Superman stories.

 

"I am very interested in learning whether this has previously been known in fan circles. None of the people I talked with had ever heard that Superman #1 went through two printings. If this information is not new to any of you, please let me know."

 

 

Mr. Bachman also provides this tidbit of info:

 

Soon after I published this information in APA-I, I received a package from Robert Klein. The package contained photocopies of writings of [former DC attorney] Michael Uslan .... I learned from Mr. Klein's package that there were three, not merely two, printings of Superman #1. I never did find a way to determine whether any particular copy of #1 was a first, second, or third printing. I think the most supportable statement we can make is that a copy with "Now on Sale" is definitely NOT a first printing, and that a copy with "On Sale June 2nd" is definitely NOT a third printing.

 

Alan

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

It might be possible to deduce wether the 2nd print resembles the 1st or the 3rd by examining all or most known copies - if less than 20% have the 'Now on Sale.." ad then they are probably all 3rd prints. If the percentage is closer to 45% then probably only the 1st print has the "On sale June 2nd" ad. With many if not most existing copies encased in plastic we will probably never know - and I doubt many owners of a Superman #1 are interested in finding out that they may not have a 1st printing. This topic was brought up before - and the reaction was largely "who cares- it's a Superman #1" - but of course most collectors do care if they have a first print or not - especially if they are laying out thousands of dollars. At some point new buyers will start making sales contingent on the wording of the ad page - and sellers who have possible "1st" printings will want that info on the label if the book is slabbed. But there is alot of money tied up in the notion that all Superman #1 printings are of equal value in a given grade, so that day may be a while off.

[MutantKeys]

Astonishing Tales 25