New Comic Zone: Sparkle City Comic's Founder Jay Maybruck 1 1

[esquirecomics]

Here is the ad from Sparkle City that I would love to know more about.

 

[EastCoastExchange-migratio]

Just my 2 cents about Brad Savage. He still owes me $300 for a restored Avengers 4 he sold me and I returned PERSONALLY to his house/shack in upstate NY. He did a ton of business on Ebay and was always fighting with them for some reason or another. Its been a few years now so I don't remember his ebay user name or if he is still around. He wasn't a well person when I was talking to him and a Howard Hughes type individual. With the artwork PINNED on his walls in the house he probably could have bought a mansion. Old beat up car, clothes everywhere, books and artwork everywhere BUT it had to be worth a fortune. I don't remember which VERY early FF (below issue 10) artwork was hanging but I think it was almost complete. He was a real nut with Marilyn Monroe memorabilia and had some killer looking Avengers 4 and also other keys including an FF1.

 

I am positive that I won't be seeing the rest of my refund from him...I should have gotten the whole thing when I was there.

 

Steve

 

What else do you remember about him. This is all very interesting to me. He must of had some knowledge about selling, because where else was he getting to money to place such high bids? Where is he now? And does he continue to sell comic books?

Edited May 13, 2008 by CarolinaComix

[esquirecomics]

You should also check out the ebay lot with the Sparkle City Memorabilia Set. It is really cool and will help a good cause.

 

Also, I am a little confused about these current sets. Am I understanding it correctly that these 200 sets are recently created reprints and not from the "original" reprint set that Sparkle City created back in 1979?

 

[metropoliscomics]

Thanks for your feedback Mark. I really appreciate your kind words about CZ and its value.

 

I don't believe he is still a fugutive or ever really was. I am sure anybody with a decent Private Investigator could find him if they wanted. As for the portfolios, the portfolios are brand new, the reprints of the propoganda books are new, the newsletters in the 1st 20 are original (I think) and the rest are reprints. Plus all the stories are included for everybody and are new. The art in the 1st 20 are original. Like I said earlier I read through all this stuff and it is great and anybody who loves comic history should buy it and read it. I do believe the others will be less expensive, so if you don't care about the art and photos of Jay as a kid just hang tight and bid on the other ones. By the way part II is coming your way tomorrow night and after speaking with Jay yesterday he has agreed to do a few more interviews.

 

V

[aardvark88]

carolinaComix,

 

Pretty sure Brad Savage is still selling comic related items on eBay. greggy used to know his handle. Brad used to send out quarterly for sale lists to his mail order clients and was willing to trade for his Annette Funiciello wants.

 

 

[esquirecomics]

Thanks for your feedback Mark. I really appreciate your kind words about CZ and its value.

 

I don't believe he is still a fugutive or ever really was. I am sure anybody with a decent Private Investigator could find him if they wanted. As for the portfolios, the portfolios are brand new, the reprints of the propoganda books are new, the newsletters in the 1st 20 are original (I think) and the rest are reprints. Plus all the stories are included for everybody and are new. The art in the 1st 20 are original. Like I said earlier I read through all this stuff and it is great and anybody who loves comic history should buy it and read it. I do believe the others will be less expensive, so if you don't care about the art and photos of Jay as a kid just hang tight and bid on the other ones. By the way part II is coming your way tomorrow night and after speaking with Jay yesterday he has agreed to do a few more interviews.

 

V

 

Thanks Vinnie. When kind words are deserved they will always be forthcoming. I also confirmed earlier today as well what you stated above.

 

Please, please - if you didn't in part II - inquire with Jay about the origins on how he obtained the Catechetical Guild books and the Fawcett files (especially the ashcan copies and litigation files).

 

Or can I look forward to that tomorrow night?

[EastCoastExchange-migratio]

carolinaComix,

 

Pretty sure Brad Savage is still selling comic related items on eBay. greggy used to know his handle. Brad used to send out quarterly for sale lists to his mail order clients and was willing to trade for his Annette Funiciello wants.

 

 

Someone compared him to Howard Hughes earlier in this thread which I thought was funny. I can see him now putting on gloves before he handled any one book or screaming a kids if they got to close the table. To me this kind of stuff is humorous.

[Harvey Dude]

This brings back memories. In late 1981 or early 1982, while shopping in Tyson's

Corner, VA, I saw a comic convention sign and decided to check it out. I was

struck by all the thirty somethings in the room as I thought comics were for kids.

At that convention, I purchased my very first comic book from Sparkle City. They

had a very nice selection of books but I selected a copy of Hulk #1 for $800

primarily due to the Bill Bixby Hulk T.V. show that was popular. I also met the

Dentist at this convention who turned out to be the primary source for my

collection prior to my learning about the internet and eBay. This was the start of

my long love affair with comics.

[Harvey Dude]

Please, please - if you didn't in part II - inquire with Jay

about the origins on how he obtained the Catechetical Guild books ...

 

I would also love to learn more about the history of the guild material as there is

very little in the way of information that I can glean frrom my neck of the woods.

On a related subject, I would love to know the history of this small B&W comic

published by The Cathechetical Guild. It is smaller (5 1/2" x 7 1/4) than the color

distribution noted in Overstreet.

 

 

[Neurosis138]

Excellent episode. I listened to it at the gym, and the commute to and from work. Never lost interest once. I can't wait for part 2.

 

-Chris

[metropoliscomics]

great to hear- thanks! Part II will be up tonight!

[HouseofComics.Com]

Definitely looking forward to it.

[esquirecomics]

great to hear- thanks! Part II will be up tonight!

 

Vince, what time does the segment get posted?

[NewWorldOrder]

great to hear- thanks! Part II will be up tonight!

 

Vince, what time does the segment get posted?

 

It's up right now!

 

Go Listen!

[thehumantorch]

Finally got around to listening to your interviews with Jay Maybruck. My wife came down at 5:30 a.m. and wanted to know why I wasn't in bed yet. Actually she kinda yelled at me. Thanks for nothing! Still have most of part 3 and all of part 4 to go. Fascinating interview I just can't stop listening. It sounds like Jay made a lot of mistakes and has spent a lifetime regretting his actions.

 

I think CZ is of great importance to the comic collecting community and in the future it will become a treasure trove of comic collecting history. Just the Maybruck interviews alone contain oodles of interesting tidbits.

[cloudofwit]

These interviews on Comic Zone Radio (via the Metropolis website) are absolutely astounding. Done just over 2 years ago, they are required listening.

 

It took me repeated visits to the Metropolis website (metropoliscomics.com) to listen to all 4 of 'em (search engine blues--and I don't think it's my incompetence )...but it was well worth it...

 

Why?

 

1) Morality tale to the nth degree!

 

2) Vincent Zurzolo lets his guard down and we, the listeners, eventually realize that Brad Savage ain't gonna make Vincent's best friend category.

 

3) Jay Maybruck, former dealer extraordinaire, is pretty contrite (and odd and intelligent and humorous)...but occasionally articulates his disdain toward a character or two in his narrative...Todd McFarlane and Ernie Gerber, take a bow. ::

 

4) Maybruck's comment on his reprimand letter as a junior high teacher, re: asking the gals in the classroom who gets "horny" was so wild that his explanation/defense of the context, i.e, the womens' lib movement just didn't cut it. This reprimand letter was a part of the Sparkle City Comics portfolio (a limitied version) that was then (in 2008) being auctioned off on eBay. He rightfully let listeners know that this letter didn't add any "value" to the said product, just that he'd include it for what sounded like bemusement purposes.

 

5) Maybruck's calling down of Bob Dylan lyrics to express what he felt was the comic dealers' lot--that they (essentially) are liars and thieves, quoting Dylan's 1966 composition, "Absolutely Sweet Marie"--"to live outside of the law you must be honest"...and later quoting Dylan's 2006 composition "Thunder on the Mountain" via the lyric "I've already confessed, no need to confess again"--to articulate his view on what should happen after this rather extraordinary mea culpa (his sins in the comic book industry).

 

6) Learn about Metropolis founder Stephen Fishler, who Maybruck has a high opinion of--Maybruck knew Fishler since he was a 15-16 year old kid.

 

7) Hear one of the segments (:think: I think Part II) where Maybruck takes phone calls from Mark Zaid (esquirecomics), Michael Carbonaro (neatstuffcollectibles), and John Chruscinski (Tropic Comics). Zaid is pretty serious and asks a number of ashcan-related questions; Carbonaro is so ecstatic and his laughter so embedded in my psyche that I'm still recovering, and Chruscinski simply says he has fond memories of Maybruck and they're all good.

 

8) Conclude that the interviewer--and co-partner in the Metroplis biz--Vinny Zurzolo--has a hankering for Led Zeppelin as seemingly every commercial break meant that the listener would have to endure an excerpt from their rather mediocre song of "Dancing Days".

 

These 4 interviews, though, comprising approximately 5 hours, are epic and absolute requisite listening for any collector, dealer, and/or historian of the funny book landscape. Thank you, Vincent.

Edited July 26, 2010 by cloudofwit

[DR.X]

I cant wait until I have the time to listen to this. Sparkle City was always one of the first dealers I would stop at from the old Chicago Comic Con. They always brought just a ton of high grade books with them. I always wondered what happened to them. I'll find out soon enough.

 

DRX

[chromium]

I listened to this last year and it was one of my all-time favorite interviews on the comic zone... Can never get enough of the seedy side of comic wheeling and dealing of yesteryear (thumbs u

[Larryw7]

I can't find the Maybruck interviews on Comiczone anymore. But I did listen to Vincent's interview with Chuck about the Church Collection yesterday. Interesting stuff, and Chuck seems very likable.

[ComicConnoisseur]

I listened to this last year and it was one of my all-time favorite interviews on the comic zone... Can never get enough of the seedy side of comic wheeling and dealing of yesteryear (thumbs u

agreed (thumbs u

I started listen to some of this last night some amazing knowledge can be gained from a historic and a modern perspective about selling comics.

Edited July 26, 2010 by ComicConnoisseur