Creating a Top Ten

[Tnerb]

Longer ago than I can remember, Surfer 99 asked what ten CGC graded comic books would survive a purge. At the time I answered with five. I felt I didn't have enough to warrant a proper answer. Now that I am closing in on four hundred slabs I feel that I can. Over the next ten journals provided I don't side track and talk about the upcoming Wizard World convention I will list my top ten books that will survive a mass exodus of four color books from my humble abode.

 

I have not yet figured out how I want to truly document these cherished relics. Do I want to discuss the history of the book? Or shall I just discuss the books history with me. Most of these will not be a surprise, but some might be surprising. I hope that you all might have fun with this and write your own list. If you like the idea and have fun with it, please thank Surfer 99 for the idea. If you feel it is cliché or trite, then I take blame.

 

 

To start off...

 

#10 on my list is my New Mutants #47. When I originally created this list I had the only copy. Now there is one more and it is a signature series 9.8 owned by Bagofleas but what makes this book so important is neither the amazing cover, nor the enjoyment of reading it over and over as a teen, or even the rarity of the issue graded. It's because it's the book that helped solidify a friendship. This never would have happened if not for a possible twenty minute lunch break that allowed me to buy the book online.

 

It is this book that opened up fours to friendships through the registry, and indeed it was Bagofleas who I considered to be the first friend I made here.

 

Will this book drop off my list since it is no longer the only one. It might, but I won't cherish it less, it's just that there might be something else I cherish more, currently of which there are nine others.

 

Thanks for Reading

 

Tnerb

 

http://ashotofcomics.blogspot.com/2013/05/iron-man-3-roundabout-review.html

 

[SW3D]

Dear Tneb,

 

I greatly appreciate you providing the link to your blog.

 

I agree with you... Iron Man 2 was a dissapointment. So reading you enjoyed Iron Man 3, just made my day! If it's that good for you, I am sure I am also going to enjoy the experience. I'm psyched!

 

But I am not going to rush off to see it yet... I don't like seeing movies during the height of its popularity/run with such a large audience or crowd. People's chatter, moving about, and infants crying annoy me to no-end when I am trying to focus-in on a movie.

 

I actually started collecting Iron Man with issue 124 back in '79 and collected until about issue 198. I don't know why I would quit just two issues shy of 200... but lamentably I did. I can only imagine that is about the time when I quit comics altogether.

 

My brother had issue 118 which was the 1st appearance of Jim Rhodes. But alas that was lost.

 

I'm a fan of both Tony and Jim donning the armor, but I was particularly bummed when Tony sunk into his hobo-drunk state.

 

Interestingly enough, I found some plot parrallels to Iron Man and Green Lantern from around this time. Both Tony Stark and Hal Jordan, the principle bearers of their weapons of choice (armor and ring respectively), gave up their roles, to be both succeeded by Jim Rhodes and John Stewart (respectively)... who are also coincidentally African-American. It makes you wonder how often both publishers watched and observed each other and tried to copy each other to gain readership.

 

I can think of several other instances... perhaps it deserves its own journal.

 

Anyway thanks for posting your review and history with Iron Man.

 

Happy Collecting

 

SW3D

[miraclemet]

I'll go one further on your Iron Man/Green Lantern parallel.

 

John Stewart & Jim Rhodes were both men with military backgrounds, far more "by the book" soldier types, counter to the anti-establishment Hal & Tony.

[surfer99]

Thanks for the shout out Tnerb. Looking forward to reading the rest of your list! I'm not as well versed as you are on providing backstory and whatnot, so I'm just going to throw mine out there. These are the books I would grab (along with my Mark Silvestri full page splash, and Joe Quesada card art) on the way out of a burning house (after making sure my family was safe of course)...

 

1. Incredible Hulk 181 (a gift from my wife, and the first CGC book I've ever owned)

2. Amazing Adventures 11

3. Marvel Team-up 4

4. Amazing Spider-man 92

5. Avengers 110

6. Avengers 111

7. Fantastic Four 28 (signed by Stan Lee...still waiting for this one to come back)

8. Fantastic Four 48

9. Fantastic Four 104

10. Giant Size X-men 1

 

It's like you said, this list is ever evolving, but for now this is it!

 

SW3D and Miraclemet, jump in, what are your top 10 books?

 

[SW3D]

Wow… that's a great list! You have three comics that make me droll and puts my list to shame!

 

But since you put me in such an awkward situation, and quite honestly, it is an unfair question… a tragic one if you think about it. However, I’ll play along. God forbid such a scenario were to happen... I cry for all the other one's not saved... but here goes... this is the list, in no particular order:

 

1. Swamp Thing Volume 1, No. 1, CGC 9.6 Old Blue Label. Why Save It?: It is the first appearance of Alec Holland… the true Swamp Thing… the Avatar of the Green. Although I have three copies in 9.6, I would save the Old Blue Label since it probably has not been pressed.

 

2. Fantastic Four Volume 1, No. 67, CGC 9.4: Why Save It?: This Lee/Kirby Silver Age classic marks the very the first appearance of HIM… the cosmic messiah who becomes Adam Warlock… which leads to…

 

3. Thor 165 CGC 9.2 Signature Series: Why Save It?: Another Lee/Kirby classic, this is HIM’s (Adam Warlock’s) first full appearance, and the icing on the cake: Stan Lee, who wrote the -script and co-created Adam Warlock, inscribed his beautiful name on the cover in silver.

 

4. Miracleman 15, CGC 9.8. Why Save It?: With a low print run of 7,500, Alan Moore’s controversial and shocking classic see’s London devastated by the psychopathic super-villain Kid Miracleman. Returning hero Marvelman is forced to do the unimaginable: kill his arch nemesis and one time sidekick, Johnny Bates, with a bone shattering turn of his neck.

 

5. Warrior Magazine No. 3: Why Save It?: Although not graded, it represents the best conditioned Warrior Magazine I currently own. I also own issue 2, but in my opinion, that would get a Fine (8.0) at best, where issue 3 stands a good chance of getting a 9.4 or better. Issue 3 includes the third installment of both Alan Moore’s epic V for Vendetta and his infamous Marvelman’s revision.

 

6. Showcase 73 CGC 9.4 Old Blue Label. Why Save It?: This 1968 beauty tells the origin and first appearance of Ditko’s bizarre creation, The Creeper. It is currently the only Steve Ditko classic I own… and although I may not agree with his Collectivism Philosophy, I cannot deny he is a genius and creative tour-de-force. I’m fortunate to have it.

 

7. ACA Comix Number 1 Ungraded/Raw. Why Save It?: I bought this extremely rare piece of comic book history all for the incredibly obscene price of just three dollars! Why is it so special? This gem is John Byrne’s first published comic book. Back in 1971, JB was a student at the Alberta College of Art. He was commissioned by the college to write and illustrate a 20 page comic book for a gallery/exhibition of… you guessed it… comic book art. Just how rare is it? There may have only been a print run of anywhere from 500 to 1,500 copies. But the really big question: How many survived after 42 years? To date, there exists only 1 in CGC census population.

 

8. San Diego Comic Con 2, CGC 9.8, Signature Series. Why Save It? I can’t express how truly happy and grateful I am… perhaps the optimum word is “lucky”… to own this piece of comic book history. SDCC marks the first full appearance of Hellboy. It had a really low print run of just 1,500, distributed for free at the con. The question remains… how many survived? 9.8’s are a challenge to find, not impossible... but none more difficult to to find then with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola’s signature. On top of that, Art Adams and Geoff Darrow grace this issue with their inscriptions.

 

9. Spawn 9, CGC 9.6 Newsstand Variant. Why Save It?: This issue marks the first appearance of Angela (the redheaded heroine who is defecting over to Marvel), Medieval Spawn, and Cogliostro. It is also a rare newsstand variant, the very first of its kind to be graded, where it is currently only 1 of 2 Spawn 9’s registered on the CGC census population. It also represents comic book history for it was the impetus of a lawsuit between Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane over creative control, royalties and rights.

 

10. Last but not least: Savage Dragon 102, CGC 9.8 signature series. Why Save It?: Eventually the comic collecting world will get wise and realize the importance of this comic: SD 102 predates Tech Jacket 1, Nobles Causes 3, and Invincible 1 for the first published appearance of Invincible/Mark Grayson in a 5 page preview. And... it’s signed by creator Robert Kirkman.

 

Whew! That was difficult!

 

SW3D

[surfer99]

Wow cool list, and great insight SW3D, thanks for sharing!

 

 

[miraclemet]

My top 10, is relatively easy, since my Collection focus is very very tight.

 

10. Brave & The Bold #59 CGC 7.0. My first slab purchase, and it was here on the boards. I love Green Lantern and B&B 59 has both Hal Jordan and is the noted start of the B&B Batman team ups that went on for years in Brave & the Bold.

 

9. Green Lantern #144 CGC SS Tripple Signed. Wolfman, Staton & Perez have signed this book which covers 100% of the creative team from cover to interior.

 

8. Night Nurse #2 CGC 9.4. Not even remotely in my collecting focus, but once I get my Night Nurse #4 slabbed I'll have 50% of the Night Nurse title complete. This book came up during fazybones donation drive, and I thought it would be a nice purchase to help one great board member.

 

7. Wolverine #1 CGC SS with John Cassaday sketch. Again, not in my wheelhouse but I won this in the Christmas raffle. And I NEVER win in these type of things, so I better appreciate it cause the next time I win something will be decades from now.

 

6. Witching Hour #56 Don Rosa Ped. Ok Im a big fan of Don, and I love his stewardship of Carl Barks and comics in general. This book took a long and winding path to me which (after buying it off ebay) included it getting lost by USPS for a month, and then miraculously showing up one day after I'd given up all hope.

 

5. Sinister House of Secret Love #4 CGC 9.4. Another early board purchase, and one of my pricier purchases. I watched another copy of this go for less than mine this year, so Im holding this until someone else out there realizes how amazing the Gothic Horror genre is and prices start rising!

 

4. Green Lantern #100 CGC SS Tripple Signed: Denny O'Neil, Mike Grell, Alex Saviuk. I love double and triple signed books.

 

3. House of Secrets #88 CGC 8.0 SS Neal Adams: My favorite Gothic Horror Cover, signed by the guy who drew many of my favorite gothic horror covers. Its the perfect cover in my mind for the genre.

 

2. Green Lantern #89 CGC ?? SS Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams. Wanted to get a double signed copy of one of Denny & Neals great books. Was especially looking at their iconic "drug" arc. Rich Henn got this book signed for me at ECC and Im just waiting for it to come back. The raw book was sold as a 9.0, we'll see what CGC says.

 

1. Flash Annual #1 (Reprint) CGC SS Carmine Infantino. I decided last year that I wanted more books signed by the greats. My first "gotta have" was Infantino on a Flash book. Found a great reprint version of Flash Annual #1 and sent it off to DWC for one of their event signings. I got the book back 1 week before Carmine's passing. The two will always be linked in my mind. For all he did at DC both as an editor and as an artist, I hope he knew how much his fans appreciated him.

 

My next target book is a Nick Cardy Aquaman, and if I can get it at the upcoming Florida SuperCon, it will jump up to top 5 in my list.