Differentiating first and second printings of Conan the Barbarian #1 (2-3)

[blutobc]

Very convincing and plausible arguments all. i am almost totally persuaded to believe them for a fact although what's said about Stan Lee and publicised announcements, we may never know all there is to know, do we.

 

Now, hypothetically if the rumors are not at all false, and we all know how astute Stan can be in the way he ran Marvel back then, surely he knew that by making an announcement on a issue 1 reprint would devaluate its worth when the objective is to make the readers happy with their collection and continual patronage. With this logic, I would not at all be surprised whether Marvel would have gone that extra mile to print additional issues of those mentioned bks so as to give the segment of existing readers who had missed out the first time round a chance to own them.

 

I smell Balogna(baloney), and it's not frying in the kitchen.

 

Stan Lee this and Stan Lee that. Speculation. Agenda. Whatever.

 

Conans #1-3 were not reprinted.

Warehoused - yes

Comic Mafia stolen - maybe

sneaky unpublicized reprint - nope

 

I could understand if you were saying that some of the warehoused books were distributed in 3-packs or so by an independant sort, but they would have sold for a premium by the mid-late 70s. Comic collectors, dealers, and mafia don't let nice books go for cover price.

 

At best I could see an uninformed store putting stored early Conans on the newstand at a later date with no idea of their value.

 

[Loki]

At best I could see an uninformed store putting stored early Conans on the newstand at a later date with no idea of their value.

 

I could definitely see this happening. When I was collecting as a kid in the 70s / early 80s, there was one store in town that never returned their unsold issues. They just left them on the spinner racks until they eventually sold. They sometimes found the occasional box of old books in their storeroom. Whenever that happened, they just put them out on the racks with the new stuff.

 

It was not uncommon to see books up to a year old (often older) on their rack next to the new releases. This store was my first stop when looking for back issues that I might have missed...

[jools&jim]

 

Here are two excellent (and very recent) blog posts from Jim Shooter on the subjects of comics distribution, affidavit return scams...and the mob:

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution.html

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution-part-2.html

 

 

[Whizzer]

Here are two excellent (and very recent) blog posts from Jim Shooter on the subjects of comics distribution, affidavit return scams...and the mob:

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution.html

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution-part-2.html

 

 

Thanks for posting. That was a very interesting read. Chuck's Tales from the database recollections re the so called Mile High 2 collection are in a similar vein. This sure was a murky era for distribution.

 

It seems quite plausible that old books could turn up on newsstands months or years after their original publication.

 

I can remember seeing, (and buying from) piles of old comics in cheapo shops in various seaside towns in the UK in the late seventies and early eighties. So the same dubious activities were probably prevalent over here at the time.

 

 

[blutobc]

Here are two excellent (and very recent) blog posts from Jim Shooter on the subjects of comics distribution, affidavit return scams...and the mob:

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution.html

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution-part-2.html

 

 

The Jim Shooter Blog is a must weekly read for me. Good Stuff. (thumbs u

[rodan57]

Here are two excellent (and very recent) blog posts from Jim Shooter on the subjects of comics distribution, affidavit return scams...and the mob:

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution.html

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution-part-2.html

 

 

Thanks for the links.

[rjpb]

In early 1973 I picked up a Conan #1 in a sealed three pack ( dont ask me how I remember - but it was around the time Demon #10 came out). There were only a couple stores that sold these and we used to look through them - sliding them in the bag to check to middle book - to see if anything valuable was hiding. The majority of the books in these three packs were 2-3 years old - obviously some sort of unreturned stock. Most of it wasn't particularly interesting - but I was excited by this score - as Conan #1 was a $5 book at the time.

[rjpb]

Another common three pack around that time ( 1973) were ones containing Marvel reprint squarebounds from around 1965 - early issues of Marvel Superheroes, Marvel Collector's Item Classics and Fantasy Masterpieces. None were particularly valuable at the time - but it was cool to come across uncirculated copies of these books at 69¢ for 3.

[telerites]

In early 1973 I picked up a Conan #1 in a sealed three pack ( dont ask me how I remember - but it was around the time Demon #10 came out). There were only a couple stores that sold these and we used to look through them - sliding them in the bag to check to middle book - to see if anything valuable was hiding. The majority of the books in these three packs were 2-3 years old - obviously some sort of unreturned stock. Most of it wasn't particularly interesting - but I was excited by this score - as Conan #1 was a $5 book at the time.

 

I miss those days

[greggy]

Another common three pack around that time ( 1973) were ones containing Marvel reprint squarebounds from around 1965 - early issues of Marvel Superheroes, Marvel Collector's Item Classics and Fantasy Masterpieces. None were particularly valuable at the time - but it was cool to come across uncirculated copies of these books at 69¢ for 3.

[telerites]

Those are great, Greggy

[ComicConnoisseur]

Sounds like nonsense to me, though I suppose it's remotely possible that there could have been an uninformed rumor of the books being counterfeited somehow in the '70s...

 

The rumor wouldn't surprise me - based upon the amount of hoarding of issue #1 that went down. When the stashes started to come out over the years, rumors of them being reprints would comport with the random stupidity and baseless nature of most rumors.

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of this book,and that also means hoarding has been around at least 40 years when it comes to comic books.

Pretty interesting thoughts are we is getting old and I wonder how many other comics got hoarded like Conan #1 did in that same time period?

[ComicConnoisseur]

Here are two excellent (and very recent) blog posts from Jim Shooter on the subjects of comics distribution, affidavit return scams...and the mob:

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution.html

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution-part-2.html

 

 

The Jim Shooter Blog is a must weekly read for me. Good Stuff. (thumbs u

+ 1 the best comic book blog on the net! (thumbs u

[RockMyAmadeus]

Favorite new word learned - "devaluate"

 

I wish someone had saved a "case" from the early 70's.

 

Before the advent of the Direct Market, I just don't believe these were "cased" (boxed), but rather bundled, as they had been for 40 years.

 

 

[John R]

Here are two excellent (and very recent) blog posts from Jim Shooter on the subjects of comics distribution, affidavit return scams...and the mob:

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution.html

 

http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/11/comic-book-distribution-part-2.html

 

 

The Jim Shooter Blog is a must weekly read for me. Good Stuff. (thumbs u

+ 1 the best comic book blog on the net! (thumbs u

 

+1 - I look for new entries daily.

[rjpb]

Those are great, Greggy

 

Okay, 2 for 36¢ - not 3 for 69¢ - forgive my failing memory - but thanks for posting those - takes me back to junior high days. amazing to see them still in the bag!

[hockeyboy13]

Another common three pack around that time ( 1973) were ones containing Marvel reprint squarebounds from around 1965 - early issues of Marvel Superheroes, Marvel Collector's Item Classics and Fantasy Masterpieces. None were particularly valuable at the time - but it was cool to come across uncirculated copies of these books at 69¢ for 3.

 

 

i was in canada and i bought a three pack. i had a choice of different ones. one had a conan 3 in it (i believe) and the one i ended up buying was with marvel superheroes 1 (goldenage reprints). however i remember it being earlier,more like 1971.

 

jamie

[SOTIcollector]

Greggy, those are amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

In case anybody needs further proof that Marvel didn't do reprints of Conan #1 in 1974 or later, just think back to Conan #22, January, 1973 (cover date, so actually late '72). This book was a reprint of Conan #1.

 

Conan #22 was not shot from the original art, but from photostats of the art... probably photostats of the published art. I know that, because only a few years ago I owned most of the photostat pages that were used to make Conan #22. I bought them from Tropic Comics in the 90's and sold them over the last 5 years or so.

 

Just open up Conan #22 and you'll see that it looked like a typical Marvel reprint at the time: very muddy and easy to distinguish as a reprint. If Marvel could have made the reprint look better (if, for example, if they still had the original art to #1 lying around and accessible) they would have done so.

 

To believe that Marvel could create a reprint in 1974 or later that is barely-distinguishable from the original printing means you'd have to believe they couldn't create a good-looking reprint in 1972, but somehow by 1974 they were able to create a reprint that looked just like the original. Nope, I can't imagine anybody swallowing that story. Unless it's one of those people who feels that aliens have been probing their nether regions. Those people will believe anything.

[Whizzer]

Greggy, those are amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

In case anybody needs further proof that Marvel didn't do reprints of Conan #1 in 1974 or later, just think back to Conan #22, January, 1973 (cover date, so actually late '72). This book was a reprint of Conan #1.

 

Conan #22 was not shot from the original art, but from photostats of the art... probably photostats of the published art. I know that, because only a few years ago I owned most of the photostat pages that were used to make Conan #22. I bought them from Tropic Comics in the 90's and sold them over the last 5 years or so.

 

Just open up Conan #22 and you'll see that it looked like a typical Marvel reprint at the time: very muddy and easy to distinguish as a reprint. If Marvel could have made the reprint look better (if, for example, if they still had the original art to #1 lying around and accessible) they would have done so.

 

To believe that Marvel could create a reprint in 1974 or later that is barely-distinguishable from the original printing means you'd have to believe they couldn't create a good-looking reprint in 1972, but somehow by 1974 they were able to create a reprint that looked just like the original. Nope, I can't imagine anybody swallowing that story. Unless it's one of those people who feels that aliens have been probing their nether regions. Those people will believe anything.

 

 

You come on here with your reason and your facts, destroying a perfectly enjoyable conspiracy theory...

 

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

Greggy, those are amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

In case anybody needs further proof that Marvel didn't do reprints of Conan #1 in 1974 or later, just think back to Conan #22, January, 1973 (cover date, so actually late '72). This book was a reprint of Conan #1.

 

Conan #22 was not shot from the original art, but from photostats of the art... probably photostats of the published art. I know that, because only a few years ago I owned most of the photostat pages that were used to make Conan #22. I bought them from Tropic Comics in the 90's and sold them over the last 5 years or so.

 

Just open up Conan #22 and you'll see that it looked like a typical Marvel reprint at the time: very muddy and easy to distinguish as a reprint. If Marvel could have made the reprint look better (if, for example, if they still had the original art to #1 lying around and accessible) they would have done so.

 

To believe that Marvel could create a reprint in 1974 or later that is barely-distinguishable from the original printing means you'd have to believe they couldn't create a good-looking reprint in 1972, but somehow by 1974 they were able to create a reprint that looked just like the original. Nope, I can't imagine anybody swallowing that story. Unless it's one of those people who feels that aliens have been probing their nether regions. Those people will believe anything.