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Action comics 1 color guide

Started by Ravencomics,

53 posts in this topic

Ravencomics

Ravencomics

Posted
Posted

Anymore info on this item would be great

have many of u seen it is it authentic

is it comic book size?

Anyone have a scan or picture of it in the

dc offices

sounds like a real cool piece.

What type of price do u think it would go

for!

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bluechip

bluechip

Posted
Posted

The one I saw advertised for sale said it dated to 1938 and that the car was changed from red to green after editors thought it clashed with the cape.

 

I was talked out of buying the thing and regretted it fairly quickly

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sfcityduck

sfcityduck

Posted
Posted

I've seen a picture of it. My recollection is that it was auctioned. For a while I was buying old auction catalogues because I liked to see the original art, etc., and was doing market research, and I may have seen it in one of those. Could've been Sotheby or Christies, but I checked the Heritage archives but couldn't find it. Don't have time to pull the catalogues out of storage to check. The story I recall was that Sol Harrison or some other DC Exec had it framed on his wall for ever.

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JiveTurkeyMoFo

JiveTurkeyMoFo

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Reading this thread made me get out my old Sotheby's catalogues. In the one that featured the first Superman cartoon, they also auctioned off an unrestored Tec 27. (back in 1994, I believe). I remember looking at that book in person during the preview in Beverly Hills, and wishing I could scrape up the $30+k it eventually would sell for. The ACG committee called it a VG+, because of a small spine split in the upper part of the front cover, but the rest of the book looked like a very sharp F/VF.

 

Wonder what ever happened to that book and what it might sell for today. hm

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bluechip

bluechip

Posted
Posted
I've seen a picture of it. My recollection is that it was auctioned. For a while I was buying old auction catalogues because I liked to see the original art, etc., and was doing market research, and I may have seen it in one of those. Could've been Sotheby or Christies, but I checked the Heritage archives but couldn't find it. Don't have time to pull the catalogues out of storage to check. The story I recall was that Sol Harrison or some other DC Exec had it framed on his wall for ever.

 

If I'd heard that story I would have bid hard for it. But I wouldn't be surprised if the people who talked me out of going for it knew the story and led me to believe otherwise.

 

 

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Moondog

Moondog

Posted
Posted
I've seen a picture of it. My recollection is that it was auctioned. For a while I was buying old auction catalogues because I liked to see the original art, etc., and was doing market research, and I may have seen it in one of those. Could've been Sotheby or Christies, but I checked the Heritage archives but couldn't find it. Don't have time to pull the catalogues out of storage to check. The story I recall was that Sol Harrison or some other DC Exec had it framed on his wall for ever.

 

Jack Adler maybe?

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sfcityduck

sfcityduck

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I'm leaving town until Sunday. I'll look through my auction catalogues early next week. My recollection is that it wasn't anything that special looking. And the car being the wrong color was jarring.

 

What makes you say that it was Jack Adler's wall? Have you found a discussion of this thing (obviously sans picture) somewhere on the internet? I know about Adler and his color guide collection, but his name isn't ringing any bells for me.

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bronzilla

bronzilla

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I know the guy that bought out the Adler collection. Im 99% positive that was not in it.

 

That would have been post Adlers Tenure Im pretty sure.

 

Edited: pre Adler tenure, (obviously) :blush:

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sfcityduck

sfcityduck

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My recollection, and its been awhile, is that it was, for lack of a better description, a hand-colored stat. Think coloring book.

 

It was not a painting. It was ok looking, but I don't think it was as nice as a printed cover.

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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In a recent book about Hal Foster, it mentioned that Adler was the colorist for Action 1 and was highly thought of, even rising to the notice of William Randolph Hearst who wanted to know who was coloring many of the Sunday pages.

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BangZoom

BangZoom

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Posted

 

Jack Adler Interview

 

Prof: It was obvious to me when I learned how early you graduated high school that you had a lot of brainpower. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, didn't you have some involvement in the first issue of Action Comics?

 

JA: Correct. I was working at the engraver doing color separation.

 

Prof: Wow. That's quite a milestone to be there right at the beginning like that.

 

JA: I have a sad story to tell you about that. I worked on that first issue and I took three copies and put them away. Some years later I began to have a health problem and the doctor said to me, "Do you have any old paper in the house?" I said, "Yes," and he said, "Get rid of it, because you're allergic to the fibers and that's causing your problem." So, I threw them out.

 

Prof: Oh, no!

 

JA: Do you know what the last copy of that sold for?

 

Prof: Not off the bat, but I know it's a tremendously expensive thing to have.

 

JA: $185,000.00 was what the last one sold for and I had three of them!

 

 

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Sardo Numspar

Sardo Numspar

Posted
Posted

Jack Adler Interview

 

Prof: It was obvious to me when I learned how early you graduated high school that you had a lot of brainpower. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, didn't you have some involvement in the first issue of Action Comics?

 

JA: Correct. I was working at the engraver doing color separation.

 

Prof: Wow. That's quite a milestone to be there right at the beginning like that.

 

JA: I have a sad story to tell you about that. I worked on that first issue and I took three copies and put them away. Some years later I began to have a health problem and the doctor said to me, "Do you have any old paper in the house?" I said, "Yes," and he said, "Get rid of it, because you're allergic to the fibers and that's causing your problem." So, I threw them out.

 

Prof: Oh, no!

 

JA: Do you know what the last copy of that sold for?

 

Prof: Not off the bat, but I know it's a tremendously expensive thing to have.

 

JA: $185,000.00 was what the last one sold for and I had three of them!

 

 

I just threw up.

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