Rusty staples and sunken treasure! by Hibou

[Hibou]

Before I get to Stan Lee, I thought I would backtrack a little and add a few things to a post I made above, regarding the comic shop that I would frequent as a teenager in the mid 80's.

 

I created a thread on these already (some time ago) but thought I would add them in here to try and keep the 'collecting timeline' somewhat consistent.

 

Anyways, it was 1984 / 1985 when the comic shop I mentioned earlier, Dream Days, held a couple of 'annual' comic conventions at a local historic theatre here in town. I believe it was around Halloween that these occurred. Anyways, to someone like me, these were something spectacular... even though now looking back, they were probably quite small in relation to many other national or regional conventions.

 

Still, they contained so much magic to me back then and these are the sketches and signatures I acquired from that time period...

 

 

...

 

 

 

George Perez

 

 

John Totleben

 

 

Joe Orsak

 

 

Joe Orsak

 

 

Tom Peyer

 

Tom was a local artist doing political cartoons in the paper here and of course Ronald Reagan was a current subject for him back then... I asked if he could do a 'Reagan as Wolverine' for me!

 

 

Sergio Aragones

 

 

Sergio Aragones

 

 

Roger Stern

 

 

Paul Smith

 

 

J.A. Fludd

 

 

Joe Sinnott

 

 

Tom Mandrake

 

[Hibou]

I just couldn't help myself with this next one.

 

For most of us on here, we've heard it all when it comes to Stan Lee...

 

"He would sign a copy of Batman 1 if you put it in front of him."

 

"There are so many Stan Lee SS books out there that they might make the book less valuable!"

 

"Two words... Cockroach Spiderman"

 

 

 

 

Okay, so maybe I took some liberties with the quotations as they may not actually exist outside of my own mind but I'm sure some variations of those are out there.

 

It is true that there are many Stan Lee SS books out there and yes, at times it looks like he would sign anything, but still... it's my opinion that we wouldn't be here on this board viewing, chatting, writing or whatever if it wasn't for Stanley Martin Lieber. There was an interesting thread created within the last week on the interaction of DC and Marvel Comics...

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7807064#Post7807064

 

Would DC still be around today if it weren't for the competition that perhaps perpetuated and grew the industry to what it is?

 

Anyways, I do believe Stan Lee contributed greatly to what we call our hobby and he'll turn 92 this year.

 

Ninety two!!

 

It seems like he's been around forever and well... he has, but he won't be and in this nice 4 minute video, he talks a little of the time just prior to the formation of Marvel Comics.

 

You can see that yes, he's aged quite a bit. Most of us have that singular image of him in our head that seems to defy time.

 

 

 

 

And so, with that being said... when I just happened to see this book in last months MCS auction, I thought it would make a nice addition. The more I looked at the cover, the more I really liked it and it's done in such a way to create a neat little 3D effect... well to me at least.

 

Jann of the Jungle 14 features a cover credited to Carl Burgos and there's really a sense of depth here and I believe that's attributed to the complimentary color scheme of the warm yellows and browns at the top to the cool blues and purples on the lower half of the book. I've included a 'clean' image as well to hopefully illustrate that.

 

Normally with Signature Series books, I like the individual whose signature appears on the cover to have a direct relation to the work created within... and I think many of us are like that... but in this case, it was quite alright with me to have Stan's signature on it. He was the Editor-In-Chief at Atlas during this time so it made a little sense at least.

 

"There are so many Stan Lee SS books out there that they might make the book less valuable!"

 

Is that perhaps really true?

 

I was a little surprised at what this book ultimately sold for... OSPG lists this book in VG/F (5.0) at $50.00 and the final auction price on this one was only $10 more than that... basically the cost getting the book graded.

 

 

Anyways, this one scores a 55 on my scale although it's a tricky one because that just may be a treasure chest in the boat... but it's not sunken! Maybe it's just an ornate suitcase and yes, I looked up SKODA to see if it had any significance but couldn't find anything except for the automobile.

 

Was this guy smuggling auto parts through the jungle until Jann put an end to it?

 

I'll have to find a way to read the story on that one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

And finally, these series of videos that Stan Lee did in 1991-1992 are really enjoyable. This one in particular changed a lot of my perspective towards Stan Lee as he interviews Bob Kane.

 

If you have the time, I'd recommend watching the 35 minute segment!

 

 

Part 1:

 

 

 

Part 2:

 

 

 

 

Part 3:

 

 

 

Part 4:

 

 

 

 

And if you make it to part 4... you can hear Bob Kane say that he'd like to give Michelle Pheiffer "something more than a drawing"!

 

[Treco]

Great stuff, David. Thanks again!

[Hibou]

Thank you, Colin!

[vaillant]

And if you make it to part 4... you can hear Bob Kane say that he'd like to give Michelle Pheiffer "something more than a drawing"!

[Hibou]

"Maybe flotsam junk will do just fine

The jetsam sunk, I'm left behind..."

 

 

 

 

 

(To me, Justin Furstenfeld, along with all the backing vocals - if present, sound a lot like Peter Gabriel!)

 

 

 

 

As changes come and go, one thing that I've been struggling with is just how much, or rather how tightly, I've put myself into this themed focus.

 

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been evaluating this small collection but I've also been thinking about something that (almost equally) appealed to me prior to starting this journey. There was a subfocus that I've been drawn to and for some time now, all I've done is brushed it aside but recently the pull has intensified and yes, it is somewhat related.

 

When I initially made my parameters so tight, I thought that decision would protect me and keep me 'focused'. Well it did, but what I found myself doing was looking more at books that somewhat appealed to me but weren't 'must haves'.

 

And so in these past couple of weeks I thought to myself...

 

"What if I were to tighten up the actual books that I get... focus on the ones that I REALLY, REALLY like and loosen up the constraints on the GA / Early SA thing?"

 

In other words... allow myself to branch out beyond 1959... go after a couple Aquaman books or Sea Devils... maybe even go beyond and into Bronze Age!

 

And then it hit me.

 

What's really pulling me?

 

What's pulling me out of the water?

 

And it certainly is a pull... a very strong one.

 

And that's when I decided that maybe it was time to find a nice way to embrace this other theme or subfocus.

 

And that's what I've decided to do.

 

I will start selling off some of these books that are in this collection!

 

The ones that I will hang onto are the ones that I really enjoy and let the others drift away for someone else to enjoy.

 

But what of the stories?

 

There have been stories to all of these and many, I've really enjoyed writing!

 

But all stories have a beginning (where they were purchased) a middle (where I talked about them here) and an end (where they are passed on).

 

And so thus begins another story... or rather another chapter...soon to be written.

 

 

 

But in the meantime, these 25 books shown below will be sold off here as well as possibly eBay.

 

The sales thread is here:

 

(CLOSED)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[newshane]

[Hibou]

... I think I need some popcorn too.

 

And a drink!

[miraclemet]

WOW!

 

So you are sticking with your underwater theme, but loosening the era restrictions (so you will add SA/BA book that you love the look of), while only getting the ones that you really love?

 

Did I get that right?

 

I certainly remember with my LiW collection there were a few I got not because I loved them, but cause they fit the theme, granted my theme was so tight once I got about 40 books there was not much left to look for.... you on the other hand have a plethora of underwater covers from the GA to collect! So I get the daunting nature of "gotta catch them all" when part of them you dont even love...

 

so congrats, it sounds like your decision will lead to a collection you love even more, which is always awesome to watch happen.

 

now over to the marketplace

[Hibou]

I think you summed it up perfectly and I'm not surprised.

 

This allows me to eventually go after a book I really love, like Daredevil 7 AND opens the door to tie in another theme which I'm equally attracted to!

 

[vaillant]

And what about Maureen Marine?

[Hibou]

I like her.

 

A lot...

[n2wdw]

My initial reaction was how I felt when the Lady in White collector decided to sell off his collection. Kind of sad at seeing a great collection like that breaking up.

 

But I guess you're still collecting and it's completely understandable why you'd what to broaden the horizons. How do you decide which to sell / keep? Do you use a point system or just eye balling it?

[Hibou]

A lot of it is by feel and yes, eyeballing it a bit... not necessarily a point system.

 

 

 

There was quite a bit of thought going into the parameters I set up and the thoughts surrounding a book like Sea Devils 1.

 

I love that book but when I set this up, I thought that it wouldn't be wise to go into the 60's and that's where I made a big mistake.

 

I think there was a part of me that thought I had to acquire EVERYTHING!

 

And that was the flaw...

 

"Collect what you really like"

 

I see that written so often on this board, yet I didn't really think about that statement.

 

I was starting to feel that I was losing focus on what I initially set out to do and just started to 'find' books for the sake of finding them.

 

Some of the books I've put up for sale I still have a bit of attachment to... BUT... this other theme that I've been wanting to get to has me thinking along the lines of, "Would you rather have this one book that you really like of this underwater theme or this other book that you love from this complimentary theme?"

 

If finances weren't an issue, then I wouldn't even be having this conversation but unfortunately that's not the case and so some tough decisions were made.

 

I feel that I'm allowing myself to now focus on these two themes but keep it VERY tight in terms of the books I acquire and seek going forward!

[miraclemet]

My initial reaction was how I felt when the Lady in White collector decided to sell off his collection. Kind of sad at seeing a great collection like that breaking up.

 

hey that Lady in White collector has a name!

 

[vaillant]

My initial reaction was how I felt when the Lady in White collector decided to sell off his collection. Kind of sad at seeing a great collection like that breaking up.

 

hey that Lady in White collector has a name!

 

 

I was about to say that!

I seemed to remind it was you…

[porcupine48]

That is very nice! Never saw that issue before.

What’s the "secret Santa", BTW?

 

My entrance in the Golden Age happened thanks to Biro's Daredevil, I have just a pair of Boy Comics, among which this one which is one of the most offbeat early stories:

 

 

I am still on the lookout for this one, I would need a nice front cover as I want to scan it, so if it happens you see one around, give me a whistle…

I am trying to remember some underwater themed cover/stories for you but hard to recall…

 

I know have that top cover on my want list!Well,all Iron Jaw covers.

Happy collecting gang.

[n2wdw]

My initial reaction was how I felt when the Lady in White collector decided to sell off his collection. Kind of sad at seeing a great collection like that breaking up.

 

hey that Lady in White collector has a name!

 

 

Sorry! Whenever I see these books for sale I wonder if they're from your collection. I'll probably think the same about Hibou when I see underwater books for sale.

[Hibou]

And the changes keep coming...

 

"The summer of change"

 

I went up to pay a visit to my local comic shop that I wrote about here:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7781379&fpart=20

 

... only to find out that the store was changing hands and it was now under new ownership. The store was in the process of being reorganized and relocated.

 

And so apparently, the dust storm hasn't cleared just quite yet!

 

...

 

The sale was a success and one book found it's way back into the collection that I originally listed.

 

Piracy 7

 

I just love that cover way too much to part with it!

 

And so this is what I am left with as I refine the collection and theme...

 

 

 

...

 

I have one underwater book at CGC right now that I'm pretty excited about and I still have another underwater one here that I have yet to get to.

 

Also, I just purchased a book that fits the complimentary theme and I'm really happy about that one... it's a book that I just can't ignore and keep going back to.

 

Believe it or not... it's a Marvel Bronze Age book!

 

[vaillant]

Believe it or not... it's a Marvel Bronze Age book!

 

Don’t forget the aforementioned Subby "The sea that time forgot"…