ETERNALS (1976-1978 Kirby) SET COMPLETED !!!!

[XXXPHOENIX]

...in 9.4 and higher!

 

Hello my friends...yes.... I did it!

After a long long search I have finally completed my Eternals Set in high grade!!!

 

The Eternals (1976) is one of my favourite Bronze age runs!

 

Incredibly intriguing plot plus Jack Kirby art = A REAL MASTERPIECE!

 

It was not an easy task to complete this high grade run.

I submitted most of the books to CGC by myself: some of them were purchased from Superworld Comics, some others were found inside a closet in my parents' house...forgotten for at least two decades. The last issue I found....was the last issue #19...purchased from QualityComix.com in November 2013 as a raw NM+ 9.6 from the Tongie Farm Collection.

 

I think I submitted 30 Eternals books in total...some books looked flawless but unexpectely came back home as 8.5 or 9.0...it's the bronze age baby!

 

I am not at the top of the ranking and not even on the podium even if all 20 books range from 9.4 to 9.8...but I am super happy because any bronze age book in 9.4 or higher is hard to find!

 

For those not familiar with this masterpiece I will cut and paste from Wikipedia:

The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which leads to the inevitability of war against their destructive counterparts, the Deviants. The Eternals were created by Jack Kirby and made their first appearance in The Eternals #1 (July 1976).

 

The storyline took elements from the ideas of the Ancient astronauts, which postulate that humanity may have been visited by extraterrestrials in ancient times and interpreted them as supernatural beings. Thus, a recurring topic of the plots was to use the Eternals, the Deviants or the Celestials to provide explanations for myths or obscure events from history. In particular, many points from the book Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken were incorporated into the plot, such as the Nazca Lines being a spaceport or the Incas getting technological advances from them and in turn worshiping them as gods.

 

Kirby began The Eternals when he returned to Marvel after his "New Gods" experience with DC. The Eternals' saga was thematically similar to the New Gods', but the series was also eventually canceled without resolving many of its plots, particularly the Celestials' judgment over humanity.

 

I am now looking to start collecting Kamandi..what do you think? Is there any other Kirby run worth being collected a part from FF1-101 ?

 

CIAO!

FEDERICO - ITALY

 

See more journals by XXXPHOENIX

[meshuggah]

Congrats on achieving your goal.

[Tnerb]

And it is a remarkable achievement. I too at one time wanted to complete this series, but only in raw form. I purchased a few, maybe half the series, but have yet to read them. I want to get the whole story on them. In essence I am dragging my feet.

 

I know I will never go after these in a CGC graded set, and to see you accomplish 9.4 or higher is worthy of being noted? Now, will you keep trying to improve upon the set, or go after Kamandi as stated.

 

Tnerb

[SW3D]

Bravo Federico! Bravo!

 

Your set is most Awesome!

 

When the Eternals first debuted, I was too young to truly understand its Cosmic Message and significance. So, I passed on it in favor of more "Action-Oriented" comic books.

 

But as an adult, I truly see the genius and cosmic wisdom of Kirby! Your beautiful set has inspired me to get a collected edition and re-read this classic! Thank you!

 

As for another Kirby set... Would you consider The Demon? This is another brilliant run by the master and only requires 16 issues.

 

Anyway... Whatever you decide, keep us posted.

 

SW3D

[mackenzie999]

I'd say if you really like the Eternals, go for the New Gods which were his original take on that particular theme. Will cost you a little more but similarly limited run, and not that hard to find AFAIK. Then if you end up liking the NGs there are a few companion series' to expand your focus.

[Griff]

Grats !

[XXXPHOENIX]

Hi!!!

Thanks for the inspirational replies

 

Tnerb...You have to absolutely read this saga!!! I have a raw eternals annual #1 in vf for free for you...if you need it. Anyway there's a marvel omnibus giant tpb with the entire series...definitely worth buying.

The next set I want to complete is New Mutants by Liefeld... with the books sitting at cgc in verified status i should reach third position behind the two MONSTERS ehehe.

 

I must try new gods and the demon...you are right mc and sw3d. It's kirby at its best!!!

 

Ciaoo

Federico

[MacFarlane]

I have to say, I am very jealous! I have a raw set downstairs for reading, and another I'm putting together for one giant grading order. Congrat's on the great feat!

 

Totally do Kamandi for the next one-either that or go for the PC "Captain Victory"- could be more manageable.

 

Gotta’ love the classic Kirby!

 

[surfer99]

Anytime you complete a high grade run from the Bronze Age it IS an accomplishment. Congrats Federico! I saw you noted several sellers advertised as NM+ 9.6 but they came back NM 9.4...overgrading by the sellers, yes, but it could have been worse. Did you have any of them pressed?

 

 

[XXXPHOENIX]

Hi Surfer!

Yes...sellers are rarely as precise as a collector would expect.

Sometimes I think that the raw bronze and silver age books they sell in 9.4 or better are books they don't consider good enough for grading

 

Seriously... I consider physiological a +/- .2/.4 difference between mine or the seller's grading vs CGC's.

I keep a large stats about these grading differences and ( I submitted 60% of my more than 900 graded books) I noticed that in 90% of the cases the CGC grading stays inside the +/- .2 range of my forecasted grade.

Unfortunately many times I received 8.0s or 8.5s for absolutely mint-looking & uncirculated bronze age books, probably for the colour of the pages or for some hidden flaws like minimal rips in the internal pages.

 

And...no I did not have them pressed because the Eternals books I was submitting already looked so minty that did not require additional "care" in my opinion.

 

I experimented pressing on more than 200 books, mainly modern and mainly italian edition, and I noticed that thanks to this technique you can upgrade 8.0 books to 9.2 and 9.2 up to 9.6 if spine stress doesn't break colour. The other defects that get successfully removed are slightly bumped corners, rolled spines and books that don't lie flat.

 

Ciao!

Federico