What's new in your Silver Age collection this week 44 44

[N e r V]

Upgrade today. I have a CGC 5.0 with white pages I picked up in 2023 so moving up to a 6.0 now. Very first Sabrina cover appearance and there wouldn’t be another until the end of the 1960’s due to Archie’s lack of faith in the character.

 

[Straw-Man]

downgraded from a high-grade slab to a purdy raw copy.  i like it!

[Math Teacher]

Here are some recent Justice League of America books that I have picked up:

Justice League of America #6 CGC 6.5 from Ebay:

Justice League of America #9 CGC 6.5 from Ebay:

Justice League of America #10 CGC 7.0 from ComicLink:

Justice League #12 CGC 7.0 from ComicConnect:

[silverseeker]

I shared this over in the Flash collectors thread...first time owning a #105!

[N e r V]

White paged golden record copy. Interesting in that is actually a third version cover to the Fantastic Four #1. There was the original printed cover, the slightly different original art and the golden record version which combines some of the two.

 

[N e r V]

White paged Jonny….

 

[Sweet Lou 14]

On 7/17/2024 at 9:32 PM, N e r V said:

White paged Jonny….

 

I'm just spitballing here but I think I've solved the mystery ... those lizard men look like they might not really be lizards!!!

(Really nice book BTW.)

[Frisco Larson]

A new batch on its way to me!

[Frisco Larson]

A tough book in mid-grade or above.

[Frisco Larson]

Super happy to get this!

[ADAMANTIUM]

[N e r V]

A couple of late 60’s dupes just because I like them…

 

[EMazman]

Phantom #1 

[Robot Man]

Grabbed these from Blazing Bob Storms at Torpedo on Sat. So cool and cheap. Love the flying saucer cover!

[BuscemasAvengers]

A tough Ditko Charlton to find

[Sweet Lou 14]

On 7/23/2024 at 10:46 PM, BuscemasAvengers said:

A tough Ditko Charlton to find

I'm a big fan of covers with no text to explain what's going on.  It's one of the reasons I am instinctively repulsed by most Silver Age DCs, because it seems every cover has the hero saying some horrible exposition to explain the art like "Good gravy!  That green alien in the blue shirt is using its bizarre glowing sucker-probe to turn my friend Billy into a mindless tree creature, and I can't get there in time to stop it!!"

When a cover image makes absolutely no sense, like a solar system sized guy in a trenchcoat and fedora carving a slice of pie out of North America, I'm not sure if that's a terrible editorial decision ... or maybe the greatest thing ever.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 7/24/2024 at 3:16 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

I'm a big fan of covers with no text to explain what's going on.  It's one of the reasons I am instinctively repulsed by most Silver Age DCs, because it seems every cover has the hero saying some horrible exposition to explain the art like "Good gravy!  That green alien in the blue shirt is using its bizarre glowing sucker-probe to turn my friend Billy into a mindless tree creature, and I can't get there in time to stop it!!"

When a cover image makes absolutely no sense, like a solar system sized guy in a trenchcoat and fedora carving a slice of pie out of North America, I'm not sure if that's a terrible editorial decision ... or maybe the greatest thing ever.

Part of me gets what you're saying but then what you open the book and aghast because words? But rare for the time and I get how that may seem childish or gimmick or other apropos like playing chutes and ladders and complaint about all the chutes and ladders, ha, but I understand there is more seriousness and etc or even ominous to entice a reader! Lol cest la vi but did make me crank my head to the side.

What with most complaints being the same kind of thing with moderns, with no description nor speech in the cover. Been a while since I've heard this pov is all.

[BuscemasAvengers]

On 7/24/2024 at 4:16 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

I'm a big fan of covers with no text to explain what's going on.  It's one of the reasons I am instinctively repulsed by most Silver Age DCs, because it seems every cover has the hero saying some horrible exposition to explain the art like "Good gravy!  That green alien in the blue shirt is using its bizarre glowing sucker-probe to turn my friend Billy into a mindless tree creature, and I can't get there in time to stop it!!"

When a cover image makes absolutely no sense, like a solar system sized guy in a trenchcoat and fedora carving a slice of pie out of North America, I'm not sure if that's a terrible editorial decision ... or maybe the greatest thing ever.

It is indeed an interesting piece to act as the cover for this issue's stories. It may be North America from which the piece of the 'pie' is extracted (although the shape of the land is a little questionable). The stories inside take place in Australia, England, a forested area known by an indigenous tribe (could be the US), Mexico and Spain. GCD credits the cover to Maurice Whitman, and we know he did some amazing covers in his day. I believe Whitman started working for Charlton in 1954, so about 4 years before this issue came out (March, 1958).

If Whitman was aware of the story plots, then perhaps he wished to capture some of the themes appearing in the stories. What if a man was lucky all the time? What if a magic potion to heal all ailments did exist? I'm likely stretching it here, but perhaps the experiences of the characters in these stories allow them to grossly over-speculate the potential these 'gifts' will give them (a large piece of the pie).  Perhaps I should just refill my glass of red and continue speculating.

Interestingly enough, the concept of a 'mysterious traveler' seems to go back to a radio series that ran between 1943-1952. There was the one-shot 'Mysterious Traveler' comic that was published in 1948 (pic below). The idea then appeared in digest magazines (pulps?) for 5 issues in 1951-1952.  I think Norman Saunders did some/all of the covers (example below). There may be more specific answers to the reason(s) why Whitman decided to go with such a unique cover in these original sources.

[Sweet Lou 14]

On 7/24/2024 at 4:53 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Part of me gets what you're saying but then what you open the book and aghast because words? But rare for the time and I get how that may seem childish or gimmick or other apropos like playing chutes and ladders and complaint about all the chutes and ladders, ha, but I understand there is more seriousness and etc or even ominous to entice a reader! Lol cest la vi but did make me crank my head to the side.

What with most complaints being the same kind of thing with moderns, with no description nor speech in the cover. Been a while since I've heard this pov is all.

I think the best covers let the art speak for itself.  Here's my all time favorite:

In the case of Silver Age DCs, there was clearly an editorial decision not only to put major amounts of exposition on the covers, but to literally put it in dialogue balloons spoken by the characters instead of, say, in some kind of banner or caption.  I've heard people say that this was an explicit acknowledgment that they were targeting a younger audience, and maybe that's true.  But a lot of the time it reads to me like the editor(s) simply didn't trust in the art to tell the story.  Much of the dialogue is literally explaining the action that the art is trying to convey, betraying that maybe the art isn't good enough to make that obvious.

Just my $0.02.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 7/24/2024 at 5:46 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

I think the best covers let the art speak for itself.  Here's my all time favorite:

In the case of Silver Age DCs, there was clearly an editorial decision not only to put major amounts of exposition on the covers, but to literally put it in dialogue balloons spoken by the characters instead of, say, in some kind of banner or caption.  I've heard people say that this was an explicit acknowledgment that they were targeting a younger audience, and maybe that's true.  But a lot of the time it reads to me like the editor(s) simply didn't trust in the art to tell the story.  Much of the dialogue is literally explaining the action that the art is trying to convey, betraying that maybe the art isn't good enough to make that obvious.

Just my $0.02.

Ya I wasn't knocking it, it was more cathartic for me to type it out, as most miss those from time to time or kinda, when they've been abandoned for so long in moderns. But now that I think about it, most of mine fit the illustration cover, except certain era's of asm and batman, but cap 100 forward, early avengers or #4.

 I guess other than boxes of description, which are even more prevalent than word bubbles, cause just word bubbles would be hard to find in my collection. I suppose I focus only on those as a change of pace sometimes

Cathartic! @Sweet Lou 14

Edited July 24 by ADAMANTIUM