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DCs and Bronze Market: The Greggy Report

Started by sterlingcomics,

95 posts in this topic

Aman619

Aman619

Posted
Posted

Its cool seeing all the interest in these Tomahawks! I loved buying them even thoughit felt "wrong" to be buying a run with so little con=llector interest, Whats next, will Blackhawks get hot too? But the run of Adams covers were striking, especially the sunset covers.

 

the coloring reminded me of the Sgt Fury run in the teens with those colorful covers, like the desert one (16?)

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tth2

tth2

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Posted

Yup, Sgt Fury 16.

 

Greggy, excellent report. Now I'm all fired up to see the cover of WW 199. Can anyone put up a scan?

 

You make an interesting point about DC #1s from the period being so common. I think you're absolutely right, but I've never thought until now about how strange that is. Everyone says Marvel was more popular, Marvel was more popular, Marvel was more popular, so why is it that the DCs from this period got hoarded in greater numbers than Marvel #1s from the same period? Or is it that the numbers are about the same, it's just that there's a lot more demand for the Marvels?

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Zonker

Zonker

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It's the old combination of supply & demand. I think in the early 70s collectors/hoarders were trying to anticipate the "next Conan #1." So while people hoarded Conan #1 at X level, that worked out so well, when the DC #1's later came out, they were hoarded at (guessing) the 2.5X level. Then, once the DC's crashed and burned, demand dried up and those unopened cases never got cracked. The DC crash & burn happened fairly quickly, unlike the Conan phenomenum, which built through the 1970s, and wasn't even phased by the departure of Barry Smith. In contrast, looking at the DC #1's:

- Wrightson left Swamp Thing after #10

- Kaluta left the Shadow after #6

- Weird Worlds, Sword of Sorcery, and a bunch of other stuff got axed in 10 issues or less

- Kirby's titles (apart from Kamandi) all were cancelled within 18 issues or less

- Shazam! turned out to be radically, intentionally un-cool by the standards of the 1970s

- And though Kubert's Tarzan was quite well-executed and enjoyed a lengthy run, the combination of being a continuation of a series already 200 issues old, and the general fading of interest in Tarzan in the pop culture (this was years before Greystoke ), put a damper on that series' potential.

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Forbush-Man

Forbush-Man

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Well said, Zonker. You hit on all valid points! thumbsup2.gif I'm still surprised Conan went as far as it did, post Barry-Windsor-Smith. For me, the collecting interest falls off afterward with all the later issues blending together into a forgetable mass.

I lost interest in Swamp Thing post Wrigtson, as the art was just too much of a change (in the wrong direction). Same with post Kirby, Kamandi's. I would have continued any 4th world titles if they would have lived further.

 

I'd like to add that, as a mainly Marvel collector during the 1965-1976 period, around 1971 I began to get a little tired from Marvel's excessive use of word-ballons on the cover announcing the impending:Die/Death/Doom/Kill of all involved. Stories were not as well written, in MHO, as previous and art was less interesting too. Again, my oppinion.

 

Due to the above, I started to re-discover DC's during this period and found them to be very rewarding reads.

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greggy

greggy

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Yup, Sgt Fury 16.

 

Greggy, excellent report. Now I'm all fired up to see the cover of WW 199. Can anyone put up a scan?

 

You make an interesting point about DC #1s from the period being so common. I think you're absolutely right, but I've never thought until now about how strange that is. Everyone says Marvel was more popular, Marvel was more popular, Marvel was more popular, so why is it that the DCs from this period got hoarded in greater numbers than Marvel #1s from the same period? Or is it that the numbers are about the same, it's just that there's a lot more demand for the Marvels?

Here's a scan of the WW199!

 

568433-WW199.JPG

568433-WW199.JPG.0ba7277be38d9d97ba32992dde1d34a9.JPG

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greggy

greggy

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Just checked out the census for this, it`s not hard to find in high grade. Now I really can`t believe I`ve never seen this cover before! 893frustrated.gif This is going on the want list now.
Like I mentioned in the article, it was identified earlier so there are lots of copies out there. I recall seeing the original cover art selling at an early Sotheby's auction back in the 90s for around $4,500. Seems cheap now though! frown.gif
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Bonds25

Bonds25

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Now there are some covers that the consensus will agree that look cool, regardless of what your tastes might be. Greggy's article is based upon covers that he likes, not really covers that are well regarded. Great article though.

 

I would disagree with this. Most of the covers that Greg wrote about are highly regarded as classic covers.

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helionaut

helionaut

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I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a ocpy of WW 199 at a show last month. It was nice but not great, with some light spine crinkles, and I didn't know if $27 was a good price for it or not, so I held off. By the time I went back the next day, it was gone.

 

I've always thought the nature of the CGC service will contribute to books with memorable covers becoming more valuable, or at least more coveted, over time. Being enslabulated, the main appeal of the "commodity" is the one part we can still see. If the slab was more aesthetically pleasing, it'd be an even greater effect.

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