Tecs 1-26 In Grade -- The Quest Is Finally Over

[RareHighGrade]

Heading down the home stretch, here is the penultimate issue in the run: the Church copy of Tec #25 (CGC 9.0).

[walclark]

 

Outstanding! This whole thread is full of gems!

[ciorac]

Heading down the home stretch, here is the penultimate issue in the run: the Church copy of Tec #25 (CGC 9.0).

 

 

That book is just plain gorgeous!

[nearmint]

#25 is awesome. Love those blue bricks!

[Dark Knight]

One of my favorite covers of the run! Beautiful copy man!

[bane]

Beautiful copy!

 

Colours look so fresh.

[porcupine48]

Wonderful thread

 

[sacentaur]

Love those blue bricks!

 

Me too, they're almost mesmerizing.

[shrunkenhead]

I hereby proclaim this to be thread of the year.

[circumstances]

very tough book as well. forget about in grade.

[RareHighGrade]

The pre-hero Tec covers were very unique for DCs. They were unlike the covers of any of the other DC titles in, or even after, that time period.

[tb]

The pre-hero Tec covers were very unique for DCs. They were unlike the covers of any of the other DC titles in, or even after, that time period.

 

I can relate to that. Not only do I find the Detective 1-26 covers exceptionally attractive, several as much so as the most famous Batman covers, but I've also enjoyed my own quest for high grade Mickey Mouse Magazines because their covers from the 1936-39 period had a similarly unique and attractive look. Following your progress over the last 10 years has been a major inspiration for my own collection that helped me sharpen my own focus and become a smarter collector. It is humbling to realize that you've spent twice as long as I have putting together a run that has less than half the number of issues. Wow, what an achievement!

 

Finally, it is wonderful to hear that Jon Berk helped with the #3. That was a real class act.

 

 

[tth2]

Heading down the home stretch, here is the penultimate issue in the run: the Church copy of Tec #25 (CGC 9.0).

Another cover that I'm pretty sure I've never seen before.

 

Although I have to say that the Guardineer covers really suffer in comparison to those that came before. Still makes me wonder why his art gets broken out at all.

[Bronty]

what do you mean broken out? Noted in overstreet? I think just about every from this early time gets broken out.

 

Pricewise I don't think there is any break out at all (?) so I don't think that's what you mean.

 

I don't know much about guardineer really but its hard to argue that he was the weakest of the three artists here. That said he has done better work than this.

 

His Action covers are much better - but then again pretty much all of those have been shown to have been swiped / heavily referenced.

 

If I had to guess what we are looking at in Flessel and O'Mealia is two guys who were comfortable drawing from imagination and in Guardineer someone who was not.

 

I'd be interested to hear the opinion of those more familiar with him than me? I just know him from some of the early DC covers and haven't seen hardly any of his interiors.

[sacentaur]

Guardineer is one of my absolute favorites from the GA, but yes I generally like his interiors better than his covers. His cartoony and colorful style really resonates with me.

 

Guardineer did some truly remarkable work, including Zatara for DC and Dan Hastings for Centaur (Chesler).

[adamstrange]

Here are some scans that Boardies have posted.

 

His art is naive but often energetic and always mindful of the narrative.

 

 

 

 

[adamstrange]

Guardineer's later work -- late 40s, early 50s -- often utilizes a flattened perspective within which composes sophisticated designs.

 

This is a good example of his later work.

 

[RareHighGrade]

Over the last 20 days I've posted the fruits of my 20+ year quest, and now I'm at the end of the run.

 

#26 is the last pre-hero issue. It contains an announcement that the next issue of Detective Comics will include a strip introducing a new character called "The Batman."

 

Here is the Allentown copy of Tec #26 (CGC 9.0), which also holds the distinction of being the earliest book in the Allentown collection:

[RareHighGrade]

I also have the Church copy of Tec #26 (CGC 8.0):

[RareHighGrade]

That's all folks.