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Showcase #4

Started by thedude,

427 posts in this topic

piper

piper

Posted
Posted
I would say it's a little scarce . but there is also demand for it , One of the best grey tone covers of all IMO!!

 

So what percentage of multiple of guide should I pay for an MIS 55?

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JohnT

JohnT

Posted
Posted
Flash 123 should be fifth. It has an appearance og the Golden Age Flash and the first mention of Earth II.

 

Flash 123 gets a lot of love, especially from younger collectors who were into the Crisis, but to me it's not a major key.

I think it`s a pretty major book. The Earth 2 concept was one of the coolest things about DC, and certainly was behind many of the best DC stories during the Silver Age.

 

Maybe the best stories of the Bronze Age, but not the Silver Age. (shrug)

What were better DC SA stories? I love DC SA, but I'm hard pressed to identify any really great or breakthrough stories from the era.

 

On the other hand, DC had lots of interesting stuff during the BA, and the few Earth 2 cross-over stories didn't really stand out that much, although I did love the issues when they brought back the Seven Soldiers of Victory and also when they went to yet another alternate earth that brought back non-DC characters like Uncle Sam, the Ray, etc. My favorite was the Human Bomb, who had little atomic blasts going off in his palm.

 

I meant the Copper Age, i.e. the Crisis stories, which was when the multiple earth storyline became a big thing. Before that it was just a minor quirk of the DC Universe.

 

As far as the best DC Silver Age stories, I much prefer any of the first runs of the new SA characters (so B&B and Showcase) or the runs that features superior art, like MIS/Adam Strange, Flash, GL, Hawkman, Atom, war books, and some of the sci-fi and horror stuff.

 

My point was that the Earth 2 ones didn't stand out as anything special, imo. And I don't think they were necessarily fan favorites at the time, although I don't know that for sure.

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adamstrange

adamstrange

Posted
Posted
Flash 123 should be fifth. It has an appearance og the Golden Age Flash and the first mention of Earth II.

 

Flash 123 gets a lot of love, especially from younger collectors who were into the Crisis, but to me it's not a major key.

I think it`s a pretty major book. The Earth 2 concept was one of the coolest things about DC, and certainly was behind many of the best DC stories during the Silver Age.

 

Maybe the best stories of the Bronze Age, but not the Silver Age. (shrug)

What were better DC SA stories? I love DC SA, but I'm hard pressed to identify any really great or breakthrough stories from the era.

 

On the other hand, DC had lots of interesting stuff during the BA, and the few Earth 2 cross-over stories didn't really stand out that much, although I did love the issues when they brought back the Seven Soldiers of Victory and also when they went to yet another alternate earth that brought back non-DC characters like Uncle Sam, the Ray, etc. My favorite was the Human Bomb, who had little atomic blasts going off in his palm.

 

I meant the Copper Age, i.e. the Crisis stories, which was when the multiple earth storyline became a big thing. Before that it was just a minor quirk of the DC Universe.

 

As far as the best DC Silver Age stories, I much prefer any of the first runs of the new SA characters (so B&B and Showcase) or the runs that features superior art, like MIS/Adam Strange, Flash, GL, Hawkman, Atom, war books, and some of the sci-fi and horror stuff.

 

My point was that the Earth 2 ones didn't stand out as anything special, imo. And I don't think they were necessarily fan favorites at the time, although I don't know that for sure.

 

Earth 2 was a fan favorite at the time and sold well -- which is why you saw so many stories over the years. If something worked, it was repeated. Tastes vary, but Earth 2 is a significant part of DC comics history connecting the old (GA) and the new (SA) with a sci-fi twist.

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adamstrange

adamstrange

Posted
Posted
They are not aiming at the same spot. Only Adam Strange is firing and it is bouncing off the creature's head.

 

Ken

doh! Someone needs to put their contacts back in.

 

lol

 

Merry Christmas, CF! :hi:

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tth2

tth2

Posted
Posted
Flash 123 should be fifth. It has an appearance og the Golden Age Flash and the first mention of Earth II.

 

Flash 123 gets a lot of love, especially from younger collectors who were into the Crisis, but to me it's not a major key.

I think it`s a pretty major book. The Earth 2 concept was one of the coolest things about DC, and certainly was behind many of the best DC stories during the Silver Age.

 

Maybe the best stories of the Bronze Age, but not the Silver Age. (shrug)

What were better DC SA stories? I love DC SA, but I'm hard pressed to identify any really great or breakthrough stories from the era.

 

On the other hand, DC had lots of interesting stuff during the BA, and the few Earth 2 cross-over stories didn't really stand out that much, although I did love the issues when they brought back the Seven Soldiers of Victory and also when they went to yet another alternate earth that brought back non-DC characters like Uncle Sam, the Ray, etc. My favorite was the Human Bomb, who had little atomic blasts going off in his palm.

 

I meant the Copper Age, i.e. the Crisis stories, which was when the multiple earth storyline became a big thing. Before that it was just a minor quirk of the DC Universe.

 

As far as the best DC Silver Age stories, I much prefer any of the first runs of the new SA characters (so B&B and Showcase) or the runs that features superior art, like MIS/Adam Strange, Flash, GL, Hawkman, Atom, war books, and some of the sci-fi and horror stuff.

 

My point was that the Earth 2 ones didn't stand out as anything special, imo. And I don't think they were necessarily fan favorites at the time, although I don't know that for sure.

 

Earth 2 was a fan favorite at the time and sold well -- which is why you saw so many stories over the years. If something worked, it was repeated. Tastes vary, but Earth 2 is a significant part of DC comics history connecting the old (GA) and the new (SA) with a sci-fi twist.

Yup, what Adam said. The popularity of Earth 2 was reflected in the continued visits by DC back to the same storyline starting with Flash 123 and then JLA 21, and then repeated almost every year in JLA. You can ask some old-timers like Burntboy who were actually buying comics from the stands at that time what a profound impact those stories had on them.

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JohnT

JohnT

Posted
Posted
Flash 123 should be fifth. It has an appearance og the Golden Age Flash and the first mention of Earth II.

 

Flash 123 gets a lot of love, especially from younger collectors who were into the Crisis, but to me it's not a major key.

I think it`s a pretty major book. The Earth 2 concept was one of the coolest things about DC, and certainly was behind many of the best DC stories during the Silver Age.

 

Maybe the best stories of the Bronze Age, but not the Silver Age. (shrug)

What were better DC SA stories? I love DC SA, but I'm hard pressed to identify any really great or breakthrough stories from the era.

 

On the other hand, DC had lots of interesting stuff during the BA, and the few Earth 2 cross-over stories didn't really stand out that much, although I did love the issues when they brought back the Seven Soldiers of Victory and also when they went to yet another alternate earth that brought back non-DC characters like Uncle Sam, the Ray, etc. My favorite was the Human Bomb, who had little atomic blasts going off in his palm.

 

I meant the Copper Age, i.e. the Crisis stories, which was when the multiple earth storyline became a big thing. Before that it was just a minor quirk of the DC Universe.

 

As far as the best DC Silver Age stories, I much prefer any of the first runs of the new SA characters (so B&B and Showcase) or the runs that features superior art, like MIS/Adam Strange, Flash, GL, Hawkman, Atom, war books, and some of the sci-fi and horror stuff.

 

My point was that the Earth 2 ones didn't stand out as anything special, imo. And I don't think they were necessarily fan favorites at the time, although I don't know that for sure.

 

Earth 2 was a fan favorite at the time and sold well -- which is why you saw so many stories over the years. If something worked, it was repeated. Tastes vary, but Earth 2 is a significant part of DC comics history connecting the old (GA) and the new (SA) with a sci-fi twist.

Yup, what Adam said. The popularity of Earth 2 was reflected in the continued visits by DC back to the same storyline starting with Flash 123 and then JLA 21, and then repeated almost every year in JLA. You can ask some old-timers like Burntboy who were actually buying comics from the stands at that time what a profound impact those stories had on them.

 

I'm speaking from a position of ignorance, to some extent, since I didn't begin buying comics off the stands until the 70's, but it still seems like if those stories were really big hits some of those Earth 2 characters would have gotten their own books. I guess the Spectre did, but that's about it.

 

I do believe that the crossovers were fan favorites, but I don't think they had much of an impact on DC other than to give them another group of characters to draw from in their constant quest for new ways to compete. For that reason I'd still put BB 17 and 34 and Showcase 6 and 34 above Flash 123 in terms of SA significance.

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Aman619

Aman619

Posted
Posted

the Earth 2 was a big hit fpr DC. Every year we got a 2-part crossover. And each year they widedned the rift between SA and GA, adding more and more GA characters into the action.

 

However, the stories didnt really appeal to me. For the most part, to me, JLA got pretty boring by issue 30. I think it was 90% the artwork which was too stiff. Plus the formulaic story plots: A new threat appears, the JLA breaks up into teams to fight it, then 3 pages fp reach confrontation, leading to a full on batt;e confrontation. JLA wins. zzzzzzzz

 

But, I always got the impression the the JLA JSA crossovers were an eagerly awaited happening for the creative teams AND their most devout followers.... most fo which were GA fans themselves too.

 

The GA heroes DID get tryout series in Showcase ... I thought they were pretty tame too. Even WITH great art, so maybe I just didnt like those heroes.?

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Aman619

Aman619

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Posted

Flash 123 remains one of SA DCs most important issues. Its events still reverberate in the current DC Universe! Like it or dont, its hard to argue the significance of a comic's story line that is still being written nearly 50 years later.

 

Flash 123 introduces the single gimmick that is the linchpin of the Official DC continuity from 1938 thru 2009.... tying the GA characters to the SA characters's worlds seamlessly. AND, later, even retrofitted to include Imaginary stories and all the publishing lines DC has bought over the years.

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Flash105

Flash105

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Posted

But when you are discussing the importance of an event, the feeling at the time is unimportant to the impact it has decades later. That is why 123 is important. It has impacted sales, stories, and the DC Universe to this day. That is how we value books to day.

 

To illustrate, in 1806 James Madison succeeded Jefferson as President of the United States and that was important then and now. But in that year, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born. You would say that would be a non-event at the time but immensely important to this day.

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JohnT

JohnT

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Posted
But when you are discussing the importance of an event, the feeling at the time is unimportant to the impact it has decades later.

 

Not if you're a Silver Age collector and don't really care what happened in the Copper Age or Modern Age. I'm much more interested in the period for itself.

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Flash105

Flash105

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Posted

That is the point I am trying to get across. Today's trends are important if you are a silver age collector. Importance today determines supply and demand. Importance then did not matter to these two things. Superman and Batman kicked Marvel's butt throught out the 60-70s but would anyone say the silver age Superman and Batman runs are more important than Amazing-Spiderman today.

 

We should care what happens to the hobby today. If there is no interest in modern books we won't have a hobby or buyers in 20 years. Storylines that tie back to the Silver Age or any age for that matter only increase the interest and demand for the those books.

 

What would happen if they attempted to bring back Gwen Stacy in Spiderman today. The Gwen Stacy books would have renewed interest and even greater demand.

 

Bringing back Barry Allen can only help interest in Showcase 4 and the early Flash issues. My hope is that it will bring back collectors as well. ComicLink has a Showcase 4 with a 8950.00 ask and a 7150.00 bid on it. The last 6.0 sold in Oct of 2007 for 5000. That is a very nice bump. I think that trend will continue if Rebirth is a hit.

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JohnT

JohnT

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Posted
That is the point I am trying to get across. Today's trends are important if you are a silver age collector. Importance today determines supply and demand. Importance then did not matter to these two things. Superman and Batman kicked Marvel's butt throught out the 60-70s but would anyone say the silver age Superman and Batman runs are more important than Amazing-Spiderman today.

 

We should care what happens to the hobby today. If there is no interest in modern books we won't have a hobby or buyers in 20 years. Storylines that tie back to the Silver Age or any age for that matter only increase the interest and demand for the those books.

 

What would happen if they attempted to bring back Gwen Stacy in Spiderman today. The Gwen Stacy books would have renewed interest and even greater demand.

 

Bringing back Barry Allen can only help interest in Showcase 4 and the early Flash issues. My hope is that it will bring back collectors as well. ComicLink has a Showcase 4 with a 8950.00 ask and a 7150.00 bid on it. The last 6.0 sold in Oct of 2007 for 5000. That is a very nice bump. I think that trend will continue if Rebirth is a hit.

 

You're interested in the hobby as a investment, while I'm interested in it for the comics themselves. Neither way is right or wrong, just two different perspectives. From my perspective--as someone who loves the Silver Age for what it meant at the time--Flash 123 is a second tier key.

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jkc313

jkc313

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Posted

Wow! I see this thread has turned to an importance thread and Adventure 247 is in it. Any of you that know me know I HATE the Legion Of Superheroes and personally think Adventure 247 one of the worst comics of all time. I could list 50 DCs off the top of my head I like better. But when talking about importance, it's not about what's important to me or my personal likes. The comic in question should be evaluated on what importance it had on comics then, ongoing, and now. Just because I find Bouncing Boy to be an idiotic "superhero" doesn't negate the importance of the Legion which grew in popularity and has tons of fans and collectors. And I don't think you can separate the comics themselves completely from investment. Were Flash 123 worth nothing today it would still be hugely important as it introduced those of us around back then to a whole group of super heroes we jnew nothing about. Peoplw today seem to think there was a seamless coversion from Golden Age to Silver Age. Not true. Most of us 10-14 years old in 1961 had never neard of Cap America much less a Golden Age Flash. Flash 123 started the revival of dozens of superheroes much the way FF 4 and Avengers 4 did.What did Adventure 247 do? SUre it was the first "team" book but no one read or cared about for years. JLA 1 on the other hand was a huge hit as was B&B 28 both of which may have influenced Stan Lee. What a lot of you don'y fully appreciates is how dead comics were becoming. Sales had plummeted. Books were uninteresting. AF 15 saved comics making it the most important. But I digress. I personally think Adam Strange a terrific character and Showcase 17 a wonderful book. But what has this character done over time or what did his appearance do when compared to the Legion? The logical answer is, not very much. So, with all this in mind, here's my most important SA DC

1. Showcase 4

2.Brave and Bold 28

3. JLA 1

4. Showcase 22

5.Flash 123

6. Flash 105

7. Showcase 34/ B&B 34

8. Adventure 247

9. JLA 21 and 22

10.Showcase 60

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