Rusty staples and sunken treasure! by Hibou

Hibou · July 27, 2014

How did they end up underwater?

Well, the ship crashed.

Were there any survivors?

...

It's hard to say right now.

One element that sort of ties in this underwater theme with the new one is my fascination with the unknown.

The new theme is not so foreign... as it's something that's always been there but when I think about what lurks in the depths of the ocean, I'm also wondering what else is 'out there'.

And no, my new theme isn't based around the X-Files even if the "Truth Is Out There"!

But how hard would it be to tie in an underwater theme and science fiction?!

Not too hard based on this next book.

You see... maybe the engines failed.

Maybe it was a malfunction.

Regardless, they crashed and ended up in a foreign world they probably didn't think about. The world that lies beneath.

What's below is as above.

This next book successfully ties science-fiction into an underwater theme as beautifully illustrated by Wally Wood!

Even though the illustration is restricted, to me it's just an amazing piece in itself!

I found this book a few months back while browsing a site that I wasn't too familiar with...

Ted's Superworld.

http://superworldcomics.com/index.php

I had heard about some boardies who had acquired books from there and so I thought I would take a look to see what they had in terms of GA books.

When I saw that they had a copy of this next book (and a pedigree nonetheless), I was immediately intrigued. But there wasn't a scan of the book... only a grade and price. I sent an email to them requesting a scan and was promptly sent a couple (FC / BC) through email.

I certainly liked what I saw as there were a few hallmarks that I was looking for in this one.

A clean, white cover and nice centering.

Based on what I saw, this would suit me just fine.

The book was graded raw as a VF- (7.5)

When I got the book in hand, the first thing that concerned me was the condition of the spine. I hadn't seen anything like that before. It was almost 'blown out'... for lack of a better description. It was a Lost Valley pedigree and not being too familiar with that one, I sort of brushed it off.

I did create a thread on it to ask opinions but that didn't seem to go anywhere.

And so I decided to send it off to CGC and hope for the best.

Well, it came back as a 6.5 (Fine+) and I wasn't surprised at all as that's what I had put it at.

I debated contacting Ted but just let it roll as grading is subjective anyways and this copy still had a lot of eye appeal.

I'm still not sure what could've caused the spine to have so much stress but that's irrelevant at this point.

And so... back to the focus of the book.

The amazing cover by Wally Wood.

What a way to combine Sci-Fi with underwater and it was the perfect title to do so with.

Weird Science-Fantasy #23 ... 1954.

...

Now here is something interesting about this book.

The almost 3-D illusion, the depth and complexity of the cover...

Was Wally Wood that good?!

Well, once I found the original illustration of the cover online;

(Taken from Google Images)

It became clear to me that there was something else to this cover that I was missing.

And that would be the colorist who did a masterful job in creating such a diorama effect in this piece.

And that colorist was none other than Marie Severin.

This site here, (and from where the above image was taken from) talks specifically on her contributions...

http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/2012/08/marie-severins-due/

...

But back to the physical book.

What about that spine?

Here is that thread I started along with my close-up pictures...

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=50&Number=7627880&Searchpage=2&Main=338014&Words=Hibou&topic=0&Search=true#Post7627880

As for the 'Lost Valley' pedigree...

(Again, taken from: http://www.comicpedigrees.com/pedigrees#LOST_VALLEY )

"One of only three collections that represent a significant portion of the ultra-rare 1930's period of comic books (the other two being Lamont Larson and Mile High). Since both of those collections were discovered in the 1970's, it had been nearly 30 years since the hobby had seen such a substantial unearthing of rare, high grade pre-hero comics belonging to one owner. The Lost Valleys rank second overall in terms of scarcity, thanks to near-full runs of Detective #1-27, More Fun, Adventure, Famous Funnies, and ultra-rare titles like Wow and Funny Pages. Because it surfaced in 2003, the Lost Valleys were one of the first collections pedigreed by CGC.

The collection was amassed by a cryptographer in the Army Air Corps during WW II. Unlike most kids, he didn't stop reading comics when he reached a pubescent age, continuing to buy on and off for many years...even during the '90s! Al Stoltz and Jeff Weaver, who together bought the collection after the family sold a few books on eBay, even found a hoard of old CBG's among the hundreds of comics, strips and big little books. The original owner had clearly kept up with the hobby over the years."

...

That's a nice little bit of information on this one!

miraclemet · July 27, 2014

Well color me jealous, thats a beaut!

And I agree that cover has always struck me with its depth, and yes so much of it is thanks to Marie's color work.

I also think amazingly tight pencils by Wally with such a conservation of line left plenty of room for her to do her job.

great book, and a ped to boot!

Hibou · August 1, 2014

Going back to the past a little...

Okay, well maybe a lot!

As the dust continues to settle around the transition and refinement of this collection, I decided to go ahead and step out for a 'breather'.

Maybe this was part of the reason I felt I needed to loosen things up a bit.

Actually, this book does have some connection to the underwater theme, albeit a very loose one.

...

I'm thinking it was around the ages of 6-10, for me, that I found a world of comics that were 'larger than life' in the sense of how they were presented in these 'Treasury' formats. Whether it was King Kong, Wizard of Oz, Marvel or DC, I absolutely loved these. They were HUGE (to someone that young) and the pictures just seemed to pop right off the page.

One of my favorites was this one:

(Image taken from: http://www.comicvine.com/marvel-special-edition-featuring-the-spectacular-s/4050-39272/ )

This was my first exposure to Steve Ditko's art and although I didn't know it at the time, I'm thinking it was this that formed the direction for my first 'focus' when I started to seriously get into comics and chase after the early issues of Spider-Man.

This one was published in 1975 and upon opening the cover, you were immediately hit with the sense that this was going to be good... nearly all of Spider-Man's deadliest enemies in one large comic!

I do remember being captivated by a couple scenes within these pages and those scenes came from Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1 and Amazing Spider-Man 6... the first appearances of the Sinister Six and the Lizard, respectively.

I talked a little of the scene featuring the Lizard back at the beginning of this journal and how I was really attracted to it.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=6904729&fpart=1

Looking back at a few events of my childhood, I can trace back to one in particular that perhaps made me appreciate the struggles of being underwater.

I might've been around 7 or 8 and was taking swimming lessons one summer. One of the 'tests' we had to do was to go into the water with all of our clothes on and remove them until you were down to your swimming trunks.

That included shoes too..

Well, to say I failed would be an understatement.

Actually, I panicked when I felt the resistance of the water and the effect it had on the clothing... the weight that it added.

I couldn't swim and I couldn't manage to remove any article of clothing while underwater. That was the key. You had to hold your breath and submerge yourself.

So that event would always play out in my head as I would read these issues and see these fight scenes depicted in the comics. These super-heroes must be extraordinary to be able to do that and as most kids fantasize about being a hero, it was clear to me that I would never be like that because of my failed survival test.

It's no wonder that one of my most reoccurring dream when I was younger was being underwater and having to fight off some menace only to find that my limbs were ineffective against the resistance of the water.

...

So back to the comics.

Of all the stories in this Treasury Edition.. ASM 6 was by far my favorite!

The way Ditko drew the Lizard was terrific and I thought the story was brilliant and entertaining. The splash page alone just seemed to set the mood for the entire story!

So, all this being said, it was back in March when I saw board member n2wdw post his restored (but stunning) copy of ASM6:

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7894455&fpart=9

Just seeing that book again started me thinking as to why I didn't have a copy as it was my favorite Spider-Man cover. It was back then when I think I started to have some second thoughts and realized that maybe I wasn't being true to myself here.

If that was an absolute favorite book of mine, why didn't I own a copy?

Simply because it wasn't an underwater cover?!

Yes.

So it was then when I decided I needed to change things up a little and be a bit more true to myself and to the things that I knew I loved but was repressing.

And so now... nearly 5 months later... I did just that.

I had been looking for a lower grade ASM 6 just so I could say to myself that yes, I have this book and I KNOW that it's a favorite. Just recently a relatively nice low grade copy came up for sale and I jumped on it for a couple of reasons...

The CGC 'old label' mystique and...

'Marvel Chipping'?

Yep.

(By the way, the back cover to this copy is really nice!)

Just recently there was a thread regarding a copy of Hulk 1 that had some chipping and it was graded by CGC as a 3.5. The owner of the book decided to have the book pressed and subbed to PG_ where it supposedly received a grade of 6.0.

With that fresh in my head, I started to wonder...

What would happen if I resubbed this book as sort of a 'test'?

No, not to PG_ .

There's a certain belief that the CGC old label meant a bit tighter grading than what we're seeing today and that may be somewhat true.

I've purchased 2 old label books in the past and resubbed them, straight 'as-is' with no pressing and these were the results.

Action Comics 252 was an old label 5.5 and that came back as a 6.0.

X-Men 129 was an old label 9.4 and that came back as a 9.6... again, straight resubs with no pressing.

So what about this ASM 6... Marvel chipping and all?

I haven't decided yet if I'll 'test the waters' with this book or not...

...besides, if I decide to do it, I probably wouldn't be able to share the results.

newshane · August 1, 2014

Yes. Wally Wood was that good. :grin:

Hibou · August 1, 2014

Well color me jealous, thats a beaut!

And I agree that cover has always struck me with its depth, and yes so much of it is thanks to Marie's color work.

I also think amazingly tight pencils by Wally with such a conservation of line left plenty of room for her to do her job.

great book, and a ped to boot!

Absolutely agree with both of you on that one!

Yes. Wally Wood was that good.

Hibou · August 5, 2014

So I just got the grade on the last book I submitted and I was very surprised!I thought it would be a 6.0 (it was purchased as 'Fine') and it was just graded...6.0 hmThere is a lot more to this story and hopefully I should have the book back later this week or early next week.Anyways, I was thinking of starting another journal for the new theme but that really didn't make sense to me. This is all connected and has been a journey so it's best to simply continue the story here...

THE POLICE - WALKING ON THE MOON by FRKS

Hibou · August 7, 2014

EDIT: Book was sold - February 2015.

Once in a Blue Moon...

... something really nice comes out of eBay!

I wasn't sure what to focus around on this entry.

I was going all over the place almost to a point of telling a story of Cinderella.

Hopefully that reference will be made clearer shortly!

So this post is made possible thanks to board member, Vaillant... and the story of how a Fine was a Fine but this Fine is so Fine!

:luhv:

Not too long ago, Vaillant made a passing remark in this thread and mentioned Maureen Marine. Now she wasn't a character that I was familiar with at all but upon looking at and reading the page he provided, well to say I was deeply attracted would be an understatement.

For lack of a better term, I was hooked!

She appeared in Blue Circle Comics (issues 1-5).

Taken from: http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Maureen_Marine

"Golden Age Origin

Maureen was the daughter of a fishing boat captain from Gloucester, Massachusetts. She had stowed away aboard his ship, when it was sunk by a Nazi U-boat attack. Maureen drowned, but she was revived by Father Neptune. He gave her the ability to breathe underwater and also made her queen of Atlantis. Maureen Marine protected her new home from the likes of Nazis and the Miromen."

So I began to look at the covers to Blue Circle Comics... she had to be on one of them!

I was quickly getting disappointed. She wasn't on issue 1 or 2... or 4 or 5 but there she was on issue 3 and what a cover!

Actually, the image is quite simple but when you're putting Maureen Marine on the cover with a swordfish AND an octopus... with Hitler's head...

:ohnoez:

I punched in the book at ComicSeeker ( http://www.comicseeker.com/ ) and came up with 2 hits. Comic Connect was auctioning off a copy and there was a raw copy on eBay.

Obviously, I chose the CC copy as it was already CGC graded and was a solid 5.0. I thought it was perfect for me and once I checked the limited GPA numbers on it, I figured it wouldn't go for much over $175.

And so, I did what I had to do to secure some funds and watched and waited for the auction to count down the days remaining.

The night the book was to end, I saw it make some considerable jumps. I started thinking back to Prize Comics 18... "Here we go again", I thought to myself.

So I looked the book up again to see if there weren't any other copies circulating for sale that I might've missed.

It was just that one on eBay.

From the description I read that it was restored and got discouraged.

As the minutes ticked away on the Comic Connect auction, I kept jumping back and forth between that book and the one on eBay. The eBay copy had a lot more eye appeal as the CC copy had some erasure marks dead center in the blue field. I read and re-read the short book description on the eBay copy when I started to realize a few things all at once.

For starters, this book had an identical marking in the top left corner as the CC copy. It was a 5 or S mark...

... "Sisters", I thought to myself. "Obviously, one was taken to the ball and this one stayed home."

I was impressed that the seller (eBay ID: microbia ) disclosed that the book was likely pressed! But then I started to think of the rest of what was mentioned...

It might be considered a candidate for CGC's new Conservation label!

And how cool would that be to get a new label to add to this collection. And so I tucked that in the back of my head but went right back to the CC copy and saw that the book was now sitting at $270! That was about $100 more than I wanted to spend and the next bid increment would have the book nearly touching $300!

http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=516085

I thought that I could go for the 'restored' copy on eBay for nearly half that amount and it did have better eye appeal to me. Plus, the possibility of getting a Conservation label on the book intrigued me more and so as soon as the CC auction ended... I bit.

I used the BIN on the eBay copy and was sent the book shortly after.

When I received the book, it looked just as nice as the pictures posted on eBay and I was really happy with how the pages looked.

It was listed as an Apparent 'Fine' (6.0) and while looking at the book closely in hand... I certainly agreed. Looked like a very nice 'Fine'.

When I sent the book into CGC, I actually stuck a 'post-it' to the mylar indicating that I hoped they would consider the book for their Conservation label due to what might be tear seals on the book.

...

After 20+ long days, I finally got the book back and this was what I was surprised at!

Now what could possibly make this book even more awesome?

Bogart.

I'm not sure where this photo originated from but it's very cool, nonetheless!

And finally for Vaillant... once again, thank you for introducing me to Maureen Marine!

http://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=13722

HouseofComics.Com · August 7, 2014

Great story! We had some tough challenges at swimming lessons but nothing like that!

Love the treasuries too. One of the pleasures of growing up in the 70s.

Looking back at a few events of my childhood, I can trace back to one in particular that perhaps made me appreciate the struggles of being underwater.

I might've been around 7 or 8 and was taking swimming lessons one summer. One of the 'tests' we had to do was to go into the water with all of our clothes on and remove them until you were down to your swimming trunks.

That included shoes too..

Well, to say I failed would be an understatement.

Actually, I panicked when I felt the resistance of the water and the effect it had on the clothing... the weight that it added.

I couldn't swim and I couldn't manage to remove any article of clothing while underwater. That was the key. You had to hold your breath and submerge yourself.

So that event would always play out in my head as I would read these issues and see these fight scenes depicted in the comics. These super-heroes must be extraordinary to be able to do that and as most kids fantasize about being a hero, it was clear to me that I would never be like that because of my failed survival test.

It's no wonder that one of my most reoccurring dream when I was younger was being underwater and having to fight off some menace only to find that my limbs were ineffective against the resistance of the water.

miraclemet · August 7, 2014

Great grab on the BCC3!

Hitler Octopus?!??! Cant beat that.

Hibou · August 8, 2014

Thanks Charles!

And HouseofComics... yes, the Treasuries were certainly one of the pleasures of the 70's but based on some of the things that people got away with... I think being a kid was a dangerous thing! lol

Hibou · August 17, 2014

Part 1:

As I was putting this together, I can tell that this is going to be the most bizarre story or lead-up to a book that I've posted yet.

...

It was reported that Ophelia drowned...

Between heartbreak and her father's death, Ophelia goes mad, climbs a Willow tree and falls into the brook. The above image, painted by John Everett Millais, is Iconic.

But what of Ophelia's father?

Polonius...

And that's where this story begins.

Polonius, through Shakespeare, gives us this everlasting advice as it was passed on to his son as he left for France.

[font:Book Antiqua]"To Thine Own Self Be True."[/font]

And that's perhaps where my focus now takes me... being true to myself and what I know I like. When I first started this journal I was in the throes of these underwater books. Maybe feeling like I was underwater myself. Well, at this point, I'm still into them as much as I was before but seem to have fine-tuned that desire. For instance... I know that there were a few books that I'd regret selling in my sell-off, but already for one of those books, I've replaced it with a nice upgrade! And so that's where I am right now. A few of those underwater books will be replaced with upgrades... or maybe even downgrades... depends on the book.

One of the things I kept casting aside when thinking about my underwater focus was my equal attraction to the Moon books.

And what are those?

Well, there are A LOT of books that I absolutely love and just recently I realized that they all had one thing in common... the ever-present mysterious moon!

Before I decided to focus on the underwater books, I (unknowingly) was being pulled to these 'moon books'.

Maybe it was how they would exude this sense of mystery...

Who knows for sure.

Anyways...

On these boards, one can get caught up in all sorts of discussions and there was one recently talking about the Swamp Thing series by Alan Moore and John Totleben.

(To be continued in Part 2...)

Hibou · August 18, 2014

Part 2:

Those discussions on the Moore / Totleben Swamp Thing series had me going back to some of the issues I still have and of course the compilations.

I pulled out the book shown above (Swamp Thing 33) and re-read it. Aside from the awesome homage cover to House of Secrets 92, the story itself is fantastic.

I forgot that within that issue is a full reprint of the House of Secrets 92.

After rereading the story I started thinking a lot about that book (HoS 92)... it has been one of my favorite books for a long time and I didn't currently have a copy. I've had a few in the past but ended up selling all of them. I don't believe I ever owned an issue higher than a Fine (6.0).

Looking at the cover got me thinking about the elements within and I started to think back to Miraclemet's Lady in White collection.

It was then when it hit me just how many favorite books of mine all shared then same element.

The moon.

Without thinking too hard about it I ran off about a half dozen books that were absolute favorites of mine all featuring a variation of an ethereal moon somehow incorporated into the composition.

I guess that's when I decided to add this new focus… I thought that it kind of fit anyways… as the moon affects the tides, it would also affect this collection.

I remember the first time that I actually understood how powerful the moon's pull was in terms of the tides.

It would've been around 1977, as I was 8 years old.

My parents and I were all visiting my father's family in France and one day we took a day trip to Mont St Michel.

http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/horaire-marees/mont-saint-michel.htm

When I heard how the sun and the moon affect the tides, I was fascinated.

And very worried.

I just remember thinking to myself that we had to get out of there fast before the tides came in and we would be stranded on this 'island'.

The imagination of youth...

...

And so back to the comics.

When I started thinking about House of Secrets 92, I started to think a little on the speculation side of it. What would happen if a successful movie on the Swamp Thing character was released? Would the book enormously jump in value?

The answer I came up with was obviously, yes.

I've been paying attention to what has happened to certain books due to the Guardians of the Galaxy movie and especially this guy:

GOTG spoiler...

I watched as the first appearance of Groot, in Tales to Astonish #13 (Nov. 1960), has made some enormous jumps in value since this movie was released. Of course the same can be said for Rocket Raccoon but I was fixated on Groot.

As you can see here on this GP Analysis page, the prices being realized on that TTA 13 are incredible compared to the sales figures of 2 years ago...

A 7.0 sold for $3500 in July of this year, while an 8.0 sold for $1200 just 2 years before.

Could something like this happen with the House of Secrets 92?

Take these factors into account and yes, it's easy to say that the book would make some startling jumps.

1. Major DC character

2. Dark cover.

3. Grey-tone.

4. Bernie Wrightson!

And so I decided to go after a nicely centered copy... centering is a big issue for me on this particular book and a lot of other 'moon-books' as well.

I also wanted a copy that was a little nicer than previous ones that I had owned and so when I found this one, it seemed to fit my criteria. The PQ wasn't where I wanted it, but I could live with that.

And so... the book that basically transformed my current collecting focus.

[font:Verdana]House of Secrets 92[/font]

...

I found this very nice write up on HoS 92 here:

http://modernmythologies.com/2013/10/23/retro-review-house-of-secrets-92-1971-swamp-thing/

Hibou · August 18, 2014

And I forgot to add...

I figured that as long as I was somewhat speculating on the House of Secrets 92 and the first appearance of the Swamp Thing, I should also go and grab a very nice copy of Swamp Thing 1 and the first appearance of Alec Holland.

House of Secrets 92 tells the tale of Alex Olsen as the first Swamp Thing.

Again centering is a big issue for me on this book as it's tough to find one without a major miswrap and especially one that shows near full circles with the DC logo and the 20 cents.

When this copy was put up for sale by joeypost, I had to grab it!

Number 6 · August 19, 2014

Congratulations on the Swamp Thing books!

They're such great books, I've sold off runs of the first 10 issues a couple of times trying to narrow my focus but I always come back to them.

I have to say, you have a knack for finding books that present extremely well for the grade. That 9.0 #1 looks better than most 9.2/9.4 copies I see. The 7.0 HOS is exceptional as well. My hat goes off to you.

Hibou · August 19, 2014

Thank you very much!

Yeah, Swamp Thing is just one of those things I can never let go of. :cloud9:

Hibou · September 10, 2014

Things have been a little bit at a stalled position as I rethink my actions some more... I've been debating whether or not to make some more moves and changes but in the mean time, I received some interesting information regarding a book I submitted a little while ago...

It may be a little difficult to discuss this one but I'll find a way once I get it in hand which should be fairly soon.

...

On another note, it seems like this hobby is very healthy right now as books seem to be getting more and more challenging to come by.

Is it me or are more people getting involved?

I make a mention of this as I've been outbid on a few books over these past few weeks and it seems like realized prices keep going up and up.

Of course it always seems that way I guess when you're chasing after a few particular ones!

Hibou · September 11, 2014

Drinking too much.

Depression.

A complicated personality.

The tragic ending to a great talent...

Los Angeles, on Halloween in 1981, Wally Wood took his own life with a single gunshot wound to the head.

This is once again the sad side of learning about these artists... their tragic endings. Be it self inflicted or unfortunate accident or illness.

Matt Baker, Joe Maneely... there are many others.

And Wally Wood.

...

The artist who beautifully illustrated a book I recently talked about... Weird Science-Fantasy 23, was also very instrumental in creating an iconic look for one of Stan Lee's creations.

This next book... back to the underwater theme for a moment, was one that I was very happy to acquire once I decided to break free of my collecting constraints. This was actually the second book I purchased a couple of months ago and it's just such a classic cover as drawn by the aforementioned Wally Wood!

Daredevil 7... featuring the Sub-Mariner!

On my scale, this one would score a 60. There are so many things to like about this book aside from the awesome cover!

Wally Wood creates the infamous red DD costume...

And then the battle between Daredevil and the Sub-Mariner!

This panel depicts what is actually shown on the cover...

And then finally, as only Stan Lee could write...

Just a great book altogether!

Wally Wood

1927-1981

Hibou · September 22, 2014

A Tale of Two Slabs...

Or yet another book that I've owned so many copies of!

The first time that I was first made aware of this next book had to have been around 1985.

I was working at a bank in the downtown area here in upstate New York, when I took my usual 15 minute break and ran down to the local comic shop, (Dream Days) which was just a block away.

One late afternoon, when I went down there to see what new arrivals may have come in, the store owner showed me something that he thought I might have an interest in... mind you, I was only 16. Apparently he got a hold of a whole box of this book and was selling them for $3.00 a piece. They were mostly in the VFN / NM range or what we now call them as 9.2's.

The store owner, Mike, suggested them because he thought that they had potential to grow in value soon.

Well...

The speculative side of me took hold and I actually bought TWO copies... one to sell down the road and one to hang on to.

Unfortunately, I believe I sold both within a span of 3 years.

But I never forgot that book!

As a matter of fact, it enticed me so much that I've been searching for that VFN/NM copy ever since and I keep coming up short.

And so here's the lesson...

Don't let go of that which you know is irreplaceable because chances are... you'll keep chasing after it for years on end.

(And how...)

So since the mid 80's, I think I've bought around 6 copies of this book and here's the thing... I've never found a copy as good as those two I bought for a total of $6.00 in 1985.

Yeah.

But what I've found is that when you start to look out of the window into the past, or your past, you may set yourself up for disappointment as you chase after those ghosts that you left behind. Instead, let the road lead you back to what you know you loved and continue on from there...

And so, my search ended in two graded copies that were recently purchased. A grade and PQ (Page Quality) that I like but with two competing companies.

But what is it about the book that I find so desirable?

Well, for starters... it's the first Silver Age appearance of Solomon Grundy! He's probably one of my top three favorite comic villains... maybe even top two!

And in addition to that, you have the first solo SA appearance of another favorite of mine... the Golden Age Green Lantern!

Along with the origins of Dr. Fate and Hourman, this book has a ton of potential and I think some folks are starting to realize that.

But here's where the discussion shifts a bit...

CGC versus PGX.

We've all heard it before. PGX sucks and you're lucky if you get the same book back that you submitted. Okay, fine... and perhaps I took a few liberties with that statement.

But, could there really be a definitive side by side comparison?

Well, yes there could be and there will be if the powers that be don't nuke this thread and I certainly hope that they don't.

So here is the book that, yet again, I couldn't stay away from and the side by side review.

Showcase 55.

The mysterious Moon shines through the trees as it had in years past, the same way as it did in another 'mini grail' book of mine...

All-American Comics 61.

And yes, I certainly took the backdrop of that book for my inspiration to my Batman CBCA Amateur Art contest a couple of years ago...

As a matter of fact, I think I took the whole tree!

Anyways... here is "the perfect match" in terms of PGX versus CGC...

Same grade and same PQ.

CGC

PGX

So what did I take away from this exercise?

Well...

I'll be labeled as a 'homer' from here on out, but there is no comparison.

Yes, grading is subjective but let's go through the 'minutiae'. (I've really come to hate that expression.)

Anyways...

Centering is big for me on this book as it is on many SA and BA books. I tend to be a little more relaxed when it comes to centering on GA books but for this one in particular, I look for 'breathing room' around the Comics Code logo and both seem to have it.

Page Quality?

Check.

Back Cover? Well, this is where the difference is apparent.

While the CGC copy is free and clear, the PGX copy shows A LOT of foxing and staining.

Not good.

Well if it's only foxing, that can be excusable, right? Unfortunately not, as you can see if you check the front cover again on the PGX copy and perhaps notice the subscription fold that runs down the entire length. It only breaks the color slightly around Solomon Grundy's jacket and may be pressed out if that was what I was in to.

And with those notations, I would've graded the PGX copy as a 5.0 or Very Good to Fine (VG/F)

And what of value?

Well, if this tells you anything... I paid more than double for the CGC copy than I paid for the PGX copy.

...

And so after all these years, for the moment, I have a couple of copies that have 'quenched my thirst' for this book. A great story and read altogether!

And what of those two copies that I purchased in 1985 for $3.00 a piece?

Would the 'speculation' have paid off had I retained those two books and had them graded today?

Assuming that the books were indeed in Very Fine to Near Mint condition (and I'm sure that they were) I'll say that they would've graded at least as a 9.0 for each.

And checking GPA... well, a 9.0 sold just last July (2013) for nearly $350.00 and a 9.6 sold this June (2014) for $3600.00.

If I could only go back in time...

newshane · September 22, 2014

House of Secrets 92 is in my top five greatest list. The amazing cover art is totally iconic and it is one of the greatest keys of the bronze age. Plus, the first appearance of Swamp Thing? You just can't go wrong. I also can't help but to wonder, is it currently undervalued?

I'm also liking the new "moon" theme. Got me thinking about Spawn 100 - Mignola Variant. Perhaps you should grab a copy at some point in the future? :baiting:

Here is a scan of my copy. Mignola's work definitely has its own character.

Hibou · September 23, 2014

Thanks newshane!

I've always been a fan of Mignola's work... I love your signatured copy of Spawn 100.

Very cool cover!

Archived

Rusty staples and sunken treasure! by Hibou

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