Suggestions for Overstreet #35

[liam_hails-migration]

Ah, widdle Liam wants attention.

Baby talk...baby talk...it's a wonder you can walk.

 

- Buddy Hinton

[goldust40]

Ah, widdle Liam wants attention.

Baby talk...baby talk...it's a wonder you can walk.

 

- Buddy Hinton

 

[ArAich]

BLBs are (sadly) just a cut above platinum age comics in the minds of 99.99% of the public at large....nobody's interested, nobody cares.

 

I'm interested:::...BLB's are cool little pieces of nostalgia with sometimes bright and colorful hard covers...and inside are neat little stories with b&w artwork strewn without...

I care:::...I love 'em...and I really don't care if they appreciate in value...I just like owning and collecting them...

 

Their inclusion in the OSPG and least presents them to the masses as a viable collectable....lotsa people probably just don't even know they exist..

[liam_hails-migration]

[goldust40]

 

Credit where credit's due.

[Forbush-Man]

This is the only price guide you need!

 

 

 

 

I remember reading that the cover art for that catalogue (which contained a large amount of the then uncirculated Church books) was done by Edgar Church himself. I think I'm right here.....

 

I don't know about that. Anyone else know?

 

The prices are extremely accurate for TODAY'S market!

[liam_hails-migration]

[sterlingcomics]

Thanks for the feedback, Arnold.

[sterlingcomics]

Besides, we still publish the BIG BIG spiral-bound version of the annual pricing every year as well, and that's pretty much exactly what you're talking about - big size pages, larger type, spiral-bound, easy to read.

 

Arnold

 

I did not know that.

 

Me neither. I'm kicking the "kill a tree" habit anyway, preferring to go electronic. I hear computers have been around since the 1960's...

[Forbush-Man]

I like the Big Big Guide because the print is larger and my eye sight, while reading, is a little strained.

 

I do wish they would include the Market Report though.

 

 

I said " I do wish they would include the Market Report though." Arnold?!?

 

[Mister_Comics]

I'd like to see something added on SCARCE IN HIGH GRADE. Maybe some kind of note. Books like TREASURE CHEST that were written on because of the puzzles, and names written on the covers. Or the mailing address labels that were affixed to the covers making it almost impossible to find in high grade. One of the most common TC issues Volume 24 #4 has a puzzle cover. But try and find it in high grade. Its just not that easy.

 

Others would be books with cut-out doll cloths and such. Kathy Keene come to mind and some of the DELL comics.

 

Just because a book may not be rare doesn't mean it isn't scarce.

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

The main problem with including the market report in the BIG BIG book is a sad but practical one, which is the size, or page count, of the book. You see, we can only make the book so thick before the printer can no longer bind it with the spiral binding. We've literally reached the limit already, and obviously if we shrunk the type to fit in more pages, we'd be defeating the purpose of having the big-size type version in the first place. So we have to work with the space we have.

 

Arnold

[PovertyRow]

My big complaint is Overstreet's use of the terms Fantasy, Supernatural and Horror, allowing EC to take 1st place in Horror even though the REAL FIRST ALL HORROR COMIC was the Avon Eerie #1 1-shot from 1947.

 

I will list these complaints chornologically:

 

1) Published 1947: OS made Eerie #1 the first Supernatural comic.

 

2) Published 1948: Adventures Into The Unknown - 1st continuous series Supernatural comic.

 

3) Published 1949: OS made Atlas' Marvey Tales #93 "Horror/Weird stories begin" - no first of anything.

 

3) Published 1950: OS made Crypt of Terror 17 and Vault of Horror 12 tie for first horror comic.

 

Consider something like the 1941 movie THE WOLF MAN (Chaney Jr). Is that horror or supernatural? Supernatural forces made the WOLF MAN so is it actually a Supernatural movie? Take the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN - many consider it Horror but it is not - it is Science Fiction. The origins of "the monster" are based in science, not the supernatural. The same can be said for the 1956 movie THE WEREWOLF. Yes, the man turned into a werewolf, but it was done by scientists via injections of a formula. Hence, even though it features a true werewolf, it is Science Fiction.

 

I find it amazing Overstreet makes a distinction between "Weird", "Supernatural" and "Horror" with no explanation. I would love to know the criteria, and what people contributed to that criteria OUTSIDE OF THE COMIC COLLECTING COMMUNITY for the defintions of Horror, Supernatural and the truly absurd Weird appelations.

 

Arnold - would like to know where to properly send this. As a pre-code horror collector for almost 20 years, I find these definitions appalling.

 

Also, not getting on your case Arnold. But this does rub my rhubarb!

[lou_fine]

A suggestion: Put the top grade in the guide back to 9.4. There was no need for a back door price hike.

 

A question: Why did Geppi buy all the Big Little Books he could get his hands on just prior to them being listed in the Guide?

 

I think Geppi has been collecting BLB's for a long time since I saw a complete super high grade run of everything during the Diamond Gallery opening way back in 1995. I don't mind BLB's since the only one that I have (Big Little Mother Goose Book HC) was listed as scarce and valued at around $1,500.

 

As for additions to the guide, I believe that OS should include the GA reprint books published by Alan Light back in the early 70's. These books seem to be trading on eBay and even on some of the Heritage auctions. Especially when other reprint books such as EC's and other publishers are included.

[Forbush-Man]

My big complaint is Overstreet's use of the terms Fantasy, Supernatural and Horror, allowing EC to take 1st place in Horror even though the REAL FIRST ALL HORROR COMIC was the Avon Eerie #1 1-shot from 1947.

 

I will list these complaints chornologically:

 

1) Published 1947: OS made Eerie #1 the first Supernatural comic.

 

2) Published 1948: Adventures Into The Unknown - 1st continuous series Supernatural comic.

 

3) Published 1949: OS made Atlas' Marvey Tales #93 "Horror/Weird stories begin" - no first of anything.

 

3) Published 1950: OS made Crypt of Terror 17 and Vault of Horror 12 tie for first horror comic.

 

Consider something like the 1941 movie THE WOLF MAN (Chaney Jr). Is that horror or supernatural? Supernatural forces made the WOLF MAN so is it actually a Supernatural movie? Take the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN - many consider it Horror but it is not - it is Science Fiction. The origins of "the monster" are based in science, not the supernatural. The same can be said for the 1956 movie THE WEREWOLF. Yes, the man turned into a werewolf, but it was done by scientists via injections of a formula. Hence, even though it features a true werewolf, it is Science Fiction.

 

I find it amazing Overstreet makes a distinction between "Weird", "Supernatural" and "Horror" with no explanation. I would love to know the criteria, and what people contributed to that criteria OUTSIDE OF THE COMIC COLLECTING COMMUNITY for the defintions of Horror, Supernatural and the truly absurd Weird appelations.

 

Arnold - would like to know where to properly send this. As a pre-code horror collector for almost 20 years, I find these definitions appalling.

 

Also, not getting on your case Arnold. But this does rub my rhubarb!

 

 

Yeah, what he said!

 

Plus, what's with the Classic Comics # 13 Dr. Jeykl & Mr. Hyde (1st horror comic?) and # 26 Frankenstein (2nd horror comic?)?

 

If these are listed so, wouldn't a better listing for Crypt of Terror 17 and Vault of Horror 12 be "tie for first new trend horror comic" be more appropriate?

[PovertyRow]

Yeah, what he said!

 

Plus, what's with the Classic Comics # 13 Dr. Jeykl & Mr. Hyde (1st horror comic?) and # 26 Frankenstein (2nd horror comic?)?

 

If these are listed so, wouldn't a better listing for Crypt of Terror 17 and Vault of Horror 12 be "tie for first new trend horror comic" be more appropriate?

 

Go Fuel!

 

And both Jekyll and Hyde AND Frankenstein are Science Fiction - not horror. They are both grounded in science, not weird, not supernatural, but in scientific methods. They may have horrific ELEMENTS but they are Science Fiction.

[Forbush-Man]

I went back and looked at a recent Overstreet Price Guide. Eerie # 1 is listed under "Top 10 Horror Books".

 

Arnold, do an old man a favor (not me, POV!) and right this unholy wrong!

 

 

Eerrie # 1.

 

 

Love that cover!

[goldust40]

Eerie 1 looks like a horror book to me. More gruesome than Adventures Into The Unknown 1, too.

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

As for this whole genre debate - horror, supernatural, etc. - that goes waaaay back before me, so I have no idea about the determining of those distinctions, I'm afraid. That ultimately comes down to Bob, so if you feel strongly about it, by all means send him a letter at our mailing address. Hey, it can't hurt to say what you think.

 

Arnold

[shadroch]

Arnold;

Why not inform Mr Overstreet of this intense controversy and insist that he come on here himself and explain to the dozens of people who are being wronged here just why he did what he did.

The world,or at least a very small part of it,is waiting