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DC 48, & 52 Pagers

Started by brasseye,

113 posts in this topic

brasseye

brasseye

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Hi, I see there's a new set on the registry particularly for these books. Which I think is fantastic.

 

Just wondering if anyone here can provide some background on these, why the format was established, and why it lasted by the look of things less than a year (shrug)

 

There does seem to of been a few new titles launched under this format, going onto variable success. But in all, they all seem like great books of the BA (thumbs u

 

DC 52 pagers!!

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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I believe it was a marketing strategy by DC to get more readership; the experiment failed from what I recall and helped increase the gap between DC and Marvel. Higher production costs, more value wasn't what people were looking for...they were looking for Marvels. I'm sure the reprints didn't help. Sad but true. I might be intepreting the DC 100 pager timeframe...but all in all...DC had interesting formats but never really worked out. I remember loving the Dollar Comics growing up but saying for myself "Man---I could get three comics for the price of one" which I believe was DC's actual marketing slogan for the comic! Of course, a buck was a good bit to a 9 year old back then.

 

I never really paid attention to the format until recently...and agree with Arex that it's a great "wine tasting" of a lot of titles and issues within a short time frame...and helps a horror head like myself be able and expand my collecting horizons yet keep it (somewhat) confined.

 

Which titles start with the format? Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, Sinister House of Secret Love, Ghosts and Weird War Tales stand out---any others?

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brasseye

brasseye

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Sterling, thanks for the info, it does seem that price sensitive buyers were the key, not big-is-better. Oh well, now we can enjoy them as they are now. With Arex's remark ringing true.

I did notice the Batman issues kick off with a bang, with the first SA apperance of two-face...in the BA hm

 

And the 2 titles you mention went on through very long run's, so not a complete failure in that respect, but I guess spurred on by returning to normal comic-book format.

 

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arexcrooke

arexcrooke

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One thing too is that they were always 52 pages. The early GS books were titled 48, but to make it seem like a better bargain DC began to count the cover, outside and inside, to come up with the 52 pages.

It is also a great time for several titles. Bats and Tec see the beginning of the Ra's storyline, in All-Star Western you get the first Jonah Hex, Adams is all over this period from JLA to Bats to Tec. Wonder Woman has some of her iconic covers as well.

 

 

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seanfingh

seanfingh

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I believe it was a marketing strategy by DC to get more readership; the experiment failed from what I recall and helped increase the gap between DC and Marvel. Higher production costs, more value wasn't what people were looking for...they were looking for Marvels. I'm sure the reprints didn't help. Sad but true. I might be intepreting the DC 100 pager timeframe...but all in all...DC had interesting formats but never really worked out. I remember loving the Dollar Comics growing up but saying for myself "Man---I could get three comics for the price of one" which I believe was DC's actual marketing slogan for the comic! Of course, a buck was a good bit to a 9 year old back then.

 

I never really paid attention to the format until recently...and agree with Arex that it's a great "wine tasting" of a lot of titles and issues within a short time frame...and helps a horror head like myself be able and expand my collecting horizons yet keep it (somewhat) confined.

 

Which titles start with the format? Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, Sinister House of Secret Love, Ghosts and Weird War Tales stand out---any others?

Weird Western Tales 12, I consider a #1. It is retitled from AS Western. Also, I believe Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion 5.
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brasseye

brasseye

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Originally Posted By: seanfingh">Weird Western Tales 12, I consider a #1. It is retitled from AS Western. Also, I believe Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion 5. >Correct...also Secrets of Sinister House #5 is "first" in that series too.

 

Arrh, the ever elusive Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion 5...BA grail if ever there was one :cloud9:

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JohnT

JohnT

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Good idea for a BA thread!

 

I've always loved the 52 pagers. As a kid, I started buying comics right after DC went back to the standard format, and the 52-page "back issues" seemed so much cooler than the skinny offerings at the drug store. If I could find one at a used book store or trade for one off someone it was a big deal.

 

About a year ago I decided to start putting together a collection of them. This won't be a registry collection, just a nice raw collection. For most issues you can fine a nice copy for $10 bucks or less, so that's cool. The romance titles seem to be the hardest to come by.

 

I looked at the registry list, and my handmade list actually has more issues. DC tried out going oversize on a number of books before converting its whole line to the bigger size. For example, Strange Adventures, DC Special, Super DC Giant, and From Beyond the Unknown went to 64 pages months ahead of everything else. If this was an experiment to see how the 25 cent price point was received, it must have been deemed a success

 

 

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JohnT

JohnT

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 Originally Posted By: JohnT
I looked at the registry list, and my handmade list actually has more issues.

 

Please send Arex and I your list, cause if the registry needs to be changed I think we'll be all over that.

The registry uses the dates for when DC made its whole ling 52-pagers, which makes sense. I think that's August 1971-June 1972. My personal list adds in the other "precursers" that I mentioned. They're from late 1970 through early 1971. And I probably don't have them all.
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bigfiver69

bigfiver69

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I really love the 48/52 pagers - and a nice collection of all of them would certainly give you a great cross section of DC from one of its greatest eras.

 

Here are a few of my war ones... I really do love these books. And some are notoriously difficult to find in grade, among them this one.... at 9.0, it's the highest graded copy.

 

ooaw235.jpg

 

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