Gallery 7: A Potpourri of Signature Series

[BradleyX2]

Continuing our evolving look at the CGC DigiGallery, here's what That Guy Who Controls Quality said about books added around June 2008!

 

 

Michael McFadden here with a quick look at the latest additions to the CGC DigiGallery. Let’s get right to it.

 

Early on, Fantastic Four billed itself as “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Well, this month we could easily boast “One of the World’s Greatest Copies of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” We offer for your approval Fantastic Four #1, the book that inaugurated the Marvel Age of Comics, in a stunning 9.4 with white pages. And this copy also has a clean, white cover. We have only certified one 9.6 copy, so this is truly an elite book. Other noteworthy Number-Ones now featured on the DigiGallery include Avengers #1 (9.4); X-Men #1 (9.0); Amazing Spider-Man #1 (9.4); Crime Does Not Pay #22 (#1) (7.0); Masked Marvel #1 (9.4); Justice League of America #1 (9.6), also #2 (9.6) and #3 (9.4); Superboy #1 (8.0); and Hawkman #1 (9.2).

 

 

 

 

The valley between Memorial Day and Fourth of July is an appropriate time to check out a dynamite run of Captain America from the Golden Age of Feel Good Patriotic American War Propaganda, and — oh, yeah — comics, too. These extremely attractive issues include #s 21 (8.5), 25 (8.5), 27 (8.0), 28 (7.5), 29 (8.0), 31 (8.5), 34 (9.0), 35 (9.0), and 38 (9.2). Another Timely War book we added is a lovely 8.0 copy of the classic Human Torch #12. Subduing a Japanese executioner, the Torch’s flaming hand burns right through to the dude’s white bone, barbequing the barbarian’s bicep meat. What can I say except … well done!

 

 

 

 

Among Mile High entries this month are Exciting Comics #9 (8.5), the origin and first appearance of the Black Terror and his Brylcreem-laden pompadour, and more of the seminal Flash Comics run, including #s 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 24. Speaking of Flash, the Silver Age part of the run, we also added superb copies of #s 107, 108, 119, 127, 130, 133, 136, and 138.

 

 

 

 

A particular fave this session is Little Audrey TV Funtime #23, a 9.6 Harvey File Copy. While the ever precocious Little Audrey is sneaking an illicit peek at a ballgame, her young friend Melvin, though annoyed, is getting an illicit peek at Little Audrey’s panty-clad bottom. Apparently, Melvin is also a pervert. Nobody noticed this stuff much in March of 1969, but if this happened in 2008, Melvin’s next peek would be through a cell door deep inside of Juvenile Hall. “Melvin, my name is Chris Hansen and you’re on Dateline NBC…”

 

 

 

 

The Bureau of Statistical Inevitability was busier this month than the pimple-pussed popcorn slingers at the Iron Man premiere. Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1 rose to 9.9, as did Batman #661, Batman: Secrets #1, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #nn, Grimm Fairy Tales (aren’t all comics essentially grim fairy tales?) #25 Wizard World Con Edition, Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #2, porn princess Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter #2 (a lot of Oscar buzz for Jenna for her thespian turn in Zombie Strippers), Metal Gear Solid #1 Retailer, masochistic fun fest Kick #1 Second Print, Death of Superman #nn, Star Trek: Y4 Enterprise Experiment #1 Retailer and Wormwood Gentleman Corpse: Calimari Rising #2 Retailer (how novel, a zombie book… you think they’re on to something here?). Copies of Invincible Iron Man #1 Wizard World Edition and Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1 New York Comic Con Edition might have ascended to the coveted ten, but had a pronounced icing problem at higher altitudes when we tested them. Marvel has Obadiah Stain working on it, we hear. And here’s something unusual, Ultimate X-Men #42, with a double cover, a 9.8 wrapped around a 9.9!

 

 

 

 

We’ve rounded up many of the usual suspects for our ten-O offering. Angel: After the Fall #6, Angel: Illyria #1, Angel: Masks #nn, all Retailer Editions, all tens; Dark Tower: Long Road Home #1 Sketch and #2; Ghost Whisperer #2 Retailer, Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Romulans #1 Retailer, and Locke & Key #3. Also reaching the exclusive CGC-certified summit were copies of Scarface: Scarred for Life #2, Wormwood Gentleman Corpse: Calimari Rising #1 Retail Edition, and Deathmate Preview #nn Advance Comics Edition.

 

 

 

 

It may already be a sizzling hot SigSeries season out there, but it’s still a Cool World. Number 4, to be precise, signed by veteran animation director Ralph Bakshi. Tinseltowners Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams are among those who signed Star Wars #107, Marvel’s last issue, along with Marvel’s own lovable Yoda, Smilin’ Stan Lee. Other summer silver screen sensations include an Incredible Hulk #1 — the original — also autographed by Lee. The Joker was imaged originally by Jerry Robinson and defined in the 1970s by Neal Adams, both of whom sign the classic cover of Batman #251. Do drink in Iron Man #128’s famous cover of wild-eyed alcoholic desperation, a frozen moment where Tony Stark realizes his libation once so mellow has fermented to melodrama. This 9.2 copy is signed by John Romita Jr., David Michelinie, Bob Layton, Johnnie Walker Red, and the Grey Goose.

 

 

 

 

You’ll be decidedly dazzled by Dazzler #1, signed by cover artist Bob Larkin, whose work usually graces magazine covers. Who would have guessed a decade of disco multiplied by excessive fashion accessories could lead to the creation of a new superhero? Oh, wait … this is a Marvel book, right? Also for you True Believers is a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #326 inscribed by writer Michelinie and indie favorite, artist Coleen Doran. A rarely seen promotional oddity, a Marvel Value Stamp Book #nn from 1974 displays signatures from Marvel bullpen members Lee, Darling Ayers, John Romita, Jim Steranko, Frank Brunner, and Joe Sinnott. Too bad all 100 “stamps” were glued inside … somewhere a collector looks through the stamp-sized hole in the interior of his Hulk #181 and cries.

 

 

 

 

DC devotees will dig the most ripped-off cover this side of Action #1. 1987’s retread Justice League #1 bows with the members posed for their team photo right after their anger management class. This copy features certified signatures of J. M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire, and Keith Giffin. A Wizard: The Guide to Comics Special Edition #nn is signed by most of the original Image founders: Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Jim Valentino, Marc Silvestri, and Marat Mychaels.

 

 

 

 

Summer Cons also star Silver and Golden Age creators. What’s not to love about signed All Star Comics, especially #36, the only Justice Society of America adventure with Superman and Batman as active participants, and #33, the unequivocally classic Solomon Grundy cover. Irwin Hasen drew both and signed both covers, as did Joe Kubert, who drew Hawkman in each issue. Hasen also signed a copy of his cover on the GA Green Lantern #5. An 8.5 Aquaman #1 was personalized by Nick Cardy and a Flash #105 by Carmine Infantino. And while we’d need a medium and an ouija board to certify Jack Kirby’s scrawl on Young Allies #1, we did manage Stan Lee’s and Joe Simon’s autographs. Just as well … Jolly Jack would probably be signing in chalk these days.

 

 

 

 

DigiGallery’s most popular book, Fallen Son #3 has its blank cover filled this month by Bob Layton’s fully penciled and inked Dr. Doom and Duncan Fegredo’s bold and uncompromising sketch of a shield toting Hellboy. Cap’s shield is as close as we’re getting to any illos of Steve Rogers this month. This bureau expects to receive an avalanche of cloyingly reverential, low camera looking up at a triumphant Captain America cover sketches when Marvel inevitably revives the original Classic flavor of its Star Spangled Product just in time for the heavily invested Avengers movie. Until then, Secret Invasion #1 blank covers offer fresh opportunity to enjoy Marvel’s varied roster visualized by top artists like, this month, Thor by Walt Simonson. But this month’s sketch winner is Dynamite’s Red Sonja #25 blank cover filled in — twice — most admirably by the buxom barbarian herself, as superbly illustrated by Frank Brunner.

 

 

 

 

My favorite book this month is Doll Man Quarterly #10, only the fourth we’ve certified in more than eight years. It’s lame enough if you’re a super hero named “Doll” Man and between your hot pants and silly red sandals, you show more leg than Barbie does. On this cover, the living action figure is held in humiliating, life-and-death bondage under a bathtub faucet, tethered to the hot and cold controls. Sorry, but I don’t really see this happening to DC’s Atom. I can hear Doll Man’s gloating captor. “Had enough shampoo, Doll Man? Are your eyes stinging enough yet? Nyah hah hah!” If this diminutive cretin is so easily subdued in a bathroom, why go to all this trouble? Simply toss him screaming into the toilet, put a dictionary on the lid, and flush the red-and-blue-garbed crime buster to his so appropriate demise. Man, are you ever gonna look stupid in the morning paper.

 

 

 

 

Comments and questions regarding the gallery? We’re fans, too. We enjoy hearing from you. You can contact me at mmcfadden@cgccomics.com. Thank you for your time and do remember — be good to yourself. Be CGC-ing you!

 

[Transplant]

Bradley:

 

Is every book scanned or just ones deemed interesting for the Gallery? Also, I'm curious if CGC seeks the permission of the book's owner before scanning and/or publishing to the Gallery?

[DrWatson]

Bradley:

 

Is every book scanned or just ones deemed interesting for the Gallery? Also, I'm curious if CGC seeks the permission of the book's owner before scanning and/or publishing to the Gallery?

No.Yes. No.

[seanfingh]

 

I want to know who got Bob Larkin? I've been looking for him for a long time.

[Par2ch]

Larkin was set up at NYCC 09.

[MagnetoWasRight]

Nice books, Layton's Doom sketch is pretty sick. That's a lucky owner.

[mmcfadden]

Bradley:

 

Is every book scanned or just ones deemed interesting for the Gallery? Also, I'm curious if CGC seeks the permission of the book's owner before scanning and/or publishing to the Gallery?

 

Greetings, all-

 

Michael McFadden here, CGC’s QC Doctor, pinch hitting for the lovely and loquacious Bradley. We thought I might answer your query since I’m the decidedly fannish employee who selects the books for inclusion in our world-renowned CGC DigiGallery.

 

Only a select few books are scanned for the DigiGallery. Thousands of books cross my desk each week and, cool as it would be, we don’t have the resources to image them all. Plus, Gemma, whom we trust to do our sizzling scans, would kill me… or even worse… should I even suggest it. And really, there is a lot of duplication. If Siege #1 Sketch Variant is hot, then I’m going to see a lot of 9.8 Siege Sketch Variants. We would only need one for the DigiGallery. If we have that 9.8 on board, then we really don’t need to scan that 8.5 copy. And collectordom assembled is, this is my guess, not waiting with electric anticipation to be dazzled by that that 7.5 copy of Gene Autry’s Champion #15 or Little Max #38. Not every book we see in the fabled CGC Secret Sanctuary is exactly Action #1, gang.

 

So, yes, the books selected for the DigiGallery are those I “deem interesting.” These are elite books that I see on any given day that we don’t have a superior copy already on exhibit. What constitutes an elite book in my estimation considers history, scarcity, value and fan interest… and its grade. My instincts are pretty well-honed on this by now. I’ve been in comic fandom since 1966 and have collected even longer. My comic collecting interests are the broadest in the CGC grading stable. For a brief insight into this process, you could refer to my monthly DigiGallery column a couple of months back, which Bradley kindly posts on the boards. Here's a handy link to that purple prose.

 

We don’t ask permission to post a book on the DigiGallery. A book is a book is a book. On the gallery, we don’t tell you who owns it. I don’t care. We don’t tell you how much it’s worth. I don’t care. What we do tell you is that this is the grade of this extant copy at the moment we have certified it. That, we care about passionately. We want to give you the up close opportunity to see what we see, amazing copies of books that most of us would not normally see at all.

 

Occasionally, a submitter specifically asks us not to scan his or her books. Your Q.C. Doctor may grumble about this, in fact, you may count on that, but it is a request that we do honor. Those instances are rare, like two or three times a year rare. Sometimes we are trusted with important books that are going to be auctioned or sold with a big PR announcement. We don’t want to spoil that submitter’s surprise, so in appropriate instances, we image the books and Gemma holds them in a top-secret file until their existence is announced to fandom. Then we can put those scans on exhibit in the DigiGallery.

 

I don’t write about those books in my monthly CGC newsletter column until then, either. We certainly wouldn’t want a certain fannish columnist gushing rapturously about an Action #1 or Detective #27 or even a Marvel Mystery #nn “annual” before its debutante party. Good business and primarily good manners would assess that as a monumental faux pas. If I’m captured, I will not talk!

 

Thanks for your patience allowing me to answer a great question. We’re very proud of our DigiGallery. I do hope you are reading my column each month, available in our newsletter and in the “Comics General” portion of our Chat Board, which often highlights the “Why you should care?“ of our new exhibits.

 

[DrWatson]

My Sayger Wendigo already got digitized, so what do I care about the rest?

 

So, you're the QC guy. Interesting...

[Silver Surfer]

The Torch #12 is fantastic.

[Transplant]

Good to have you here Michael and thanks for the note on the last batch. I did tell the guys hello last night for you.

 

You kind of addressed what I was shooting at. That is, some people aren't going to want their books publicized now or ever. I was also curious whether they were drawn only from people who had requested CGC image the slab. Apparently not.

[BradleyX2]

Greetings, all-

 

Michael McFadden here, CGC’s QC Doctor, pinch hitting for the lovely and loquacious Bradley. We thought I might answer your query since I’m the decidedly fannish employee who selects the books for inclusion in our world-renowned CGC DigiGallery.

 

 

 

Alright! Welcome to the chatboard Michael.

[plitch]

You kind of addressed what I was shooting at. That is, some people aren't going to want their books publicized now or ever. I was also curious whether they were drawn only from people who had requested CGC image the slab. Apparently not.

 

There are pleanty of people who have requested that we not image their books for the gallery. We are always happy to comply, just let us know!

[DrWatson]

Owned by cgcmod5 since 6/4/10

Bless your heart.

[seanfingh]

Owned by cgcmod5 since 6/4/10

Bless your heart.

 

Are you cheating on cgcmod6?

[DrWatson]

One of these days, I will discover the identity of the scoundrel known as cgcmod6. One of these days...

[NewtSamson]