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DC Comicpacs of 1962!

Started by Hepcat,

21 posts in this topic

Hepcat

Hepcat

Posted
Posted

DC's first offering of Comicpacs was in 1962. Each pac consisted of four comics for $0.47:

 

Comicpac.jpg

 

Nov62ad1.jpg

 

In the past I always thought DC's intent was to offer a "deal" on the purchase of multiple comics as a sop to comic fans following the increase in price from ten to twelve cents. I can now think of several other reasons why DC introduced these Comicpacs.

 

1. One was to introduce comic readers to titles they might otherwise never have tried since each Comicpac usually mixed comics of more than one genre.

 

2. Another was to get more display space in supermarkets and the burgeoning suburban discount department stores such as K-Mart and Woolco which favoured rack pack displays of items. Publishers by the early sixties were already beginning to see some push-back from retailers about using valuable shelf space to display low-profit publications such as twelve cent comic magazines. In addition, these Comicpacs were often displayed right near checkout counters to encourage impulse sales stemming from parents being prodded by their kids at an opportune moment!

 

3. Finally, I take it these pacs were sold on a nonreturnable basis unlike the comics sold through normal newstand distribution channels.

 

Warehouse finds of these Comicpacs may have been made at some point since I've noticed that the comics these Comicpacs contained are now somewhat more plentiful in grade than other comics from 1962. Moreover, unopened Comicpacs are now hot collectibles.

 

1. Does anyone recall buying any of these Comicpacs? Where did you buy them? Do you remember the comics yours contained?

 

2. Does anyone have any unopened Comicpacs in their collections these days?

 

3. Does anyone recall any other DC house ads for these Comicpacs?

 

4. Each Comicpac contained a certain select group of four comics. Does anyone know of a listing of the various groups of four comics contained in each different Comicpac?

 

???

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Sqeggs

Sqeggs

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I wonder if it was a Christmas only thing? Not being able to see the covers/contents of any but the top comic had to be a disincentive to buying them, particularly when the discount was just a penny.

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Silver

Silver

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I was always fascinated by these as well from the house ads in DC comics from 62. I did see an upopened one once in San Diego at the comic con. It was one that contained Action 288 in it. I agree with you that the issues in these comic pacs are more readily found in high grade than surrounding issues.

 

I wanted to buy that one in San Diego, but it had a book in it that really drove up the price (I think Aquaman 3) and of course they wanted like double guide for the whole thing, In the end I said I would buy the Action 288 once he opened it and I did. Here is the book, I saw it pulled from the bag myself. I sent it to CGC a few years ago, it came back a 9.0. It is a really awesome book, only read once by myself. I got to be the first person to ever open it, that's kind of cool:

 

act288.jpg

 

I always liked comic book packs. This is the only one I have, it is the last of the 12 centers. Another find at the comic con:

 

bag1.jpg

 

bag4.jpg

 

bag5.jpg

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Stevenrams

Stevenrams

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When I was a kid a Food Giant market in North Hollywood sold comicpacs. That was the only retail outlet that sold them in my neighborhood. The drugstore down the street and the newstand in Studio City did not sell them. I remember buying a few. At SDCC some years ago I bought a comicpac that included an Aquaman 3 and a Batman 147 ( I think that was the number) In fact, I think this was the pack that Danny opened; he took the Action and I took the other two if memory serves me correct. They're still raw--and I think I'll keep them that way for now.

 

SLR

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paperheart

paperheart

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i've owned one 3 pac- had Adventure #296, Aquaman #3 and Showcase #38. They all came back 9.6. In my opinion, the Adventure #296 was the nicest silver book i've ever subbed and i've subsequently received at least 20 9.8's. That book was nicer than any of them.

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plady69

plady69

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I also remember seeing them growing up as a kid in Hacienda Heights, CA in that time period. They always had the Action book listed first. Never bought one because I only had 12 cents to spend when we getting milk or bread!

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jimjum12

jimjum12

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....I wasn't buying comics yet.....the first one I bought was a Marvel one in '68. Never knew about the earlier DC ones.....thanks for posting. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

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Hepcat

Hepcat

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I wonder if it was a Christmas only thing?

 

No, the promotion started fairly early in 1962 and lasted most of the year. It was revived periodically throughout the sixties, although on subsequent revivals the cardboard header card was eliminated and the entire bag was just plastic with coloured graphics on top.

 

Not being able to see the covers/contents of any but the top comic had to be a disincentive to buying them, particularly when the discount was just a penny.

 

That's precisely why the Comicpacs weren't a big hit with kids. They were targeted at moms in supermarket checkout lines.

 

I'd really like to find a Comicpac from 1962 with a NM/MT header card regardless of contents since I would not be opening it anyway, although it would be nice to have something really cool such as the Fox & the Crow or Green Lantern visible on the front or back.

 

:)

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paperheart

paperheart

Posted
Posted
I wonder if it was a Christmas only thing?

 

No, the promotion started fairly early in 1962 and lasted most of the year. It was revived periodically throughout the sixties, although on subsequent revivals the cardboard header card was eliminated and the entire bag was just plastic with coloured graphics on top.

 

Not being able to see the covers/contents of any but the top comic had to be a disincentive to buying them, particularly when the discount was just a penny.

 

That's precisely why the Comicpacs weren't a big hit with kids. They were targeted at moms in supermarket checkout lines.

 

I'd really like to find a Comicpac from 1962 with a NM/MT header card regardless of contents since I would not be opening it anyway, although it would be nice to have something really cool such as the Fox & the Crow or Green Lantern visible on the front or back.

 

:)

 

GL #12 was a 3 pac book, don't know if it was in the front or back

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BOOT

BOOT

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When I was a kid, there was a comic book vending machine in one of the grocery stores near us. It was right at the foot of the checkout lines, to tempt kids before their parents could pocket the change from their purchase. If I recall, at one time the vending machine sold the packs. I've attached a pic of a comic book vending machine. It's from this cool blog post, which has some great info about comic book vending machines.

132074.jpg.242c7d1e1d0f9fe0b917e54258f9723d.jpg

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rjpb

rjpb

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Not quite old enough to recall the '62 comic packs, but in the early 70s there was a grocery store that sold comic packs with comics that were a year or two old, and I used to peek at the hidden books by separating the tops inside the plastic. It was a major score when I discovered a Conan #1 which was a $5 book at the time.

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