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The Absolute Hardest to Find 90's books.
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Started by RockMyAmadeus,

1,246 posts in this topic

mschmidt

mschmidt

Posted
Posted
Strangers In Paradise #2 (1993 edition, Antarctic Press)

 

None of the 1st volume SIP's are particularly difficult to find - in 9.8, sure, but if you don't care about condition, they show up on ebay pretty regularly.

 

I was trusting Overstreet's comment of "2,300 printed".

 

That is probably correct. The indicia usually indicated the print run on Antarctic comics from that period and I was thinking in the 3,000 range. I sold my set, but had an extra of #3 that's still in my collection.

 

DG

 

The only 9.8 (none in universal, one in signature series)...

CGC98SIP2_SS.jpg

 

(I can't afford the better book... the only 9.8 of SIP #1... RMA has it on eBay for $2,000. My SIP #1 is a lowly 9.6.) :sorry:

 

That is one beautiful book - I've been trying to get a 9.8 #2 for years :applause:

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted
Strangers In Paradise #2 (1993 edition, Antarctic Press)

 

None of the 1st volume SIP's are particularly difficult to find - in 9.8, sure, but if you don't care about condition, they show up on ebay pretty regularly.

 

I was trusting Overstreet's comment of "2,300 printed".

 

That is probably correct. The indicia usually indicated the print run on Antarctic comics from that period and I was thinking in the 3,000 range. I sold my set, but had an extra of #3 that's still in my collection.

 

DG

 

I sold a raw #2 in 9.2 for like $25-$30 last year after it had sat in my store for a month and I was mulling over offers. at the time there was a 9.6 slab up I think for some large $#. of course, whether I only got $25 doesn't mean it isn't rare.

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

Posted
Posted (edited)

A good friend of mine likes to say it takes 2 of something to be collectible. If you have the only one of something, it eliminates the chance of another person owning it, so essentially everyone else gives up. Obviously printer samples would be the rarest if they do vary from the final product. How many collectors have opportunities to buy samples? Most publishers don't solicit them in any ads, so they aren't really ever available to the general public. It's all about who you know.

 

I was a fan of a small Canadian publisher by the name of "Catfifish Comics". The art in the early issues is tight. The writer is a fan of 60's DC so they have a light-hearted fell to them. Their characters are sexy. They have realistic personalities. There are some fun celebrity cameos scattered about. To me, it was just a fun book. Nothing intense, just fun.

 

With issue #9, the publisher went all out with gimmicks. The intent was to produce a regular non-foil comic and in addition make various foil covers with staggered rarity. The regular version was to be free of a word balloon. The foil version was to make a comedic statement via word balloon. The word balloon was to say "Curses! Foiled again!"

 

A black foil version was intended to be the rarest. It was to be limited to 75 copies.

 

Here's the certificate of authenticity:

Sinnamon9_Black_Foil_Logo_Certificate.jpg

 

Here is the comic.

009_Black_Foil_WWB_Variant_Limited75.jpg

 

The publisher sent the comics to the printer, pleased with his concept. Guess what? The printer printed up some samples and accidentally applied foil to the wrong cover!

 

Here is a scan of the error comic:

009_Black_Foil_NWB_Variant.jpg

 

Now technically there are three "error" comics for this issue number because the printer messed up on the gold foil and red foil versions also. Normally those would not see the light of day for many years. They be filed away as a tragic mistake. The publisher chose a different course of action. He had within his comic an image of a fake publication. He included a small ad for the error versions and sold the three comics as a set limited to 30 copies.

 

As fate would have it, I ordered the variants straight from the publisher not knowing there were any error comics in existence. I had missed the small obscure ad in the comic. My package arrived damaged. I wrote the publisher and explained what had happened. He kindly replaced the damaged books, beefed up the packaging and included the set of error comics in the package. I was pleased to see the package had arrived without damage and I noticed there were two of each foil color instead of one. I flipped them over and one of each color was missing the certificate. I assumed they were extra copies of the same book that he couldn't sell as part of the limited solicitation. Five years later i was going through my boxes and I discovered the difference between the word balloon on some and the ones that didn't have it. That was when I realized he had solicited the comic in a very obscure manner and that I indeed had some rare printer error comics.

 

What I like about this is that the comic was solicited. It was available to the general public and it is still pretty darn rare.

 

The question is.. Does anyone else care? Probably not.

 

Another odd thing about this publisher is that some of their comics feature early work by Pia Guerra. Lois Small Jr. did some work for them. I think a cover was done by Peter and Jimmy Palmiotti (but he doesn't remember working for them).

 

DG

 

 

 

Edited by dgarthwaite
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B-Smooth

B-Smooth

Posted
Posted
A good friend of mine likes to say it takes 2 of something to be collectible. If you have the only one of something, it eliminates the chance of another person owning it, so essentially everyone else gives up. Obviously printer samples would be the rarest if they do vary from the final product. How many collectors have opportunities to buy samples? Most publishers don't solicit them in any ads, so they aren't really ever available to the general public. It's all about who you know.

 

I was a fan of a small Canadian publisher by the name of "Catfifish Comics". The art in the early issues is tight. The writer is a fan of 60's DC so they have a light-hearted fell to them. Their characters are sexy. They have realistic personalities. There are some fun celebrity cameos scattered about. To me, it was just a fun book. Nothing intense, just fun.

 

With issue #9, the publisher went all out with gimmicks. The intent was to produce a regular non-foil comic and in addition make various foil covers with staggered rarity. The regular version was to be free of a word balloon. The foil version was to make a comedic statement via word balloon. The word balloon was to say "Curses! Foiled again!"

 

A black foil version was intended to be the rarest. It was to be limited to 75 copies.

 

Here's the certificate of authenticity:

Sinnamon9_Black_Foil_Logo_Certificate.jpg

 

Here is the comic.

009_Black_Foil_WWB_Variant_Limited75.jpg

 

The publisher sent the comics to the printer, pleased with his concept. Guess what? The printer printed up some samples and accidentally applied foil to the wrong cover!

 

Here is a scan of the error comic:

009_Black_Foil_NWB_Variant.jpg

 

Now technically there are three "error" comics for this issue number because the printer messed up on the gold foil and red foil versions also. Normally those would not see the light of day for many years. They be filed away as a tragic mistake. The publisher chose a different course of action. He had within his comic an image of a fake publication. He included a small ad for the error versions and sold the three comics as a set limited to 30 copies.

 

As fate would have it, I ordered the variants straight from the publisher not knowing there were any error comics in existence. I had missed the small obscure ad in the comic. My package arrived damaged. I wrote the publisher and explained what had happened. He kindly replaced the damaged books, beefed up the packaging and included the set of error comics in the package. I was pleased to see the package had arrived without damage and I noticed there were two of each foil color instead of one. I flipped them over and one of each color was missing the certificate. I assumed they were extra copies of the same book that he couldn't sell as part of the limited solicitation. Five years later i was going through my boxes and I discovered the difference between the word balloon on some and the ones that didn't have it. That was when I realized he had solicited the comic in a very obscure manner and that I indeed had some rare printer error comics.

 

What I like about this is that the comic was solicited. It was available to the general public and it is still pretty darn rare.

 

The question is.. Does anyone else care? Probably not.

 

Another odd thing about this publisher is that some of their comics feature early work by Pia Guerra. Lois Small Jr. did some work for them. I think a cover was done by Peter and Jimmy Palmiotti (but he doesn't remember working for them).

 

DG

 

 

Great story! :applause:
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Bosco685

Bosco685

Posted
Posted
He ain't lyin'! Only 1100 copies printed and they were given away as gifts. I've only seen 4 copies, mine included. Tough, tough book (thumbs u

 

Don't you go adding logical information to a perfectly good, "What you collect sux..." discussion.

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valiantman

valiantman

Posted
Posted

He ain't lyin'! Only 1100 copies printed and they were given away as gifts. I've only seen 4 copies, mine included. Tough, tough book (thumbs u

1100? That's not even the rarest Jim Shooter 1990s book (and it didn't come with white cotton gloves either). :grin:

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Bo_Hogg

Bo_Hogg

Posted
Posted

There are lots of other comics that have a lesser print run than Miracle on Broadway but you have to understand that practically the entire print run was given away to big shots in the entertainment industry and unless it was given away to all Nicolas Cage type guys, most of the people probably lost the comic or threw it away. It does not mean too much to me when I see a modern comic with a 200 print run because these were given away at conventions or something like that and they always turn up on Ebay. I exclusively collect rare comics and that is why I collect mostly golden age because most modern age comics are not truly rare but I was very lucky to find a copy of Miracle on Broadway which is a truly rare comic.

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valiantman

valiantman

Posted
Posted
I exclusively collect rare comics and that is why I collect mostly golden age because most modern age comics are not truly rare but I was very lucky to find a copy of Miracle on Broadway which is a truly rare comic.

Here's my rule on "rare" comics:

If I have it, or if anyone I know has it... it's not rare.

 

(thumbs u

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spreads

spreads

Posted
Posted
There are lots of other comics that have a lesser print run than Miracle on Broadway but you have to understand that practically the entire print run was given away to big shots in the entertainment industry and unless it was given away to all Nicolas Cage type guys, most of the people probably lost the comic or threw it away. It does not mean too much to me when I see a modern comic with a 200 print run because these were given away at conventions or something like that and they always turn up on Ebay. I exclusively collect rare comics and that is why I collect mostly golden age because most modern age comics are not truly rare but I was very lucky to find a copy of Miracle on Broadway which is a truly rare comic.

 

There's lots of comics with print runs of 100 or less where it's believed the majority were tossed. I guess you haven't read all the posts in this thread, but many of the comics with these low print runs were not con-exclusives.

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Bosco685

Bosco685

Posted
Posted

Here's my rule on "rare" comics:

If I have it, or if anyone I know has it... it's not rare.

 

(thumbs u

 

BIRTH OF THE DEFIANT UNIVERSE. :cloud9:

 

Although I didn't know about the white gloves that came with the book until Shooter posted on his blog.

 

Birth of the Defiant Universe was a one-shot presented to retailers at the 6th annual Capital City sales conference. It was touted as being the most expensive comic book format publication for it's time.

 

It features a translucent paper overlay which wraps a card stock cover. High gloss heavy stock paper was used throughout. These were signed by Jim Shooter and limited to only 1000 copies. The comics were given to retailers with an envelope and a pair of white gloves.

 

The envelope features a letter which states "DEFIANT! THE GLOVES ARE OFF! (But put these on to preserve this incredible collectors' item!)". In this promotional publication it has the characters of the Defiant Universe introduce themselves in first person dialogue. It has an introduction to the Defiant Universe and it lists the upcoming titles including Truth and Beauty and Mongrel which were never published. Contrary to some online reports, this material was not reprinted. It is not the same content which was published in Defiant Genesis.

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

Posted
Posted
There are lots of other comics that have a lesser print run than Miracle on Broadway but you have to understand that practically the entire print run was given away to big shots in the entertainment industry and unless it was given away to all Nicolas Cage type guys, most of the people probably lost the comic or threw it away. It does not mean too much to me when I see a modern comic with a 200 print run because these were given away at conventions or something like that and they always turn up on Ebay. I exclusively collect rare comics and that is why I collect mostly golden age because most modern age comics are not truly rare but I was very lucky to find a copy of Miracle on Broadway which is a truly rare comic.

 

I have it.

 

DG

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