Is DC 100-Page Super Spectacular 5 a key?

[kav]

I don't think the book is a key. I think It falls in the "desirability" category.

 

 

WHO collected romance books in the 1970's and why?????????????

 

 

I collected the Marvel 70s romance comics. Which started me on collecting the 60s romance comics and now I am looking for the 50s romance comics. I find them to be very fun to collect because it's not easy to find issues that I need. Collecting the super hero titles....if you had the money you could put together a set of Amazing Spider Man or FF over night. Every issue is VERY easy to find. Try putting together a set of Love Romances or Millie the Model. All the money in the world will not get you a set of those quick...it takes searching and time to get anywhere on those titles. Then if you do find that issue you need it may be a rag and you might keep looking for a better copy. It's just something that to me makes collecting fun.

 

But not many people collect comics like I do. OCD is bad.

The rarest romance book is 'Horrific Romance', a British book with a very small print run. I own the only copy I've ever seen.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYGwBG44IfU/Tc_ubb7smkI/AAAAAAAAAKA/j2wGm7pzoBw/s1600/Horrific+Romance.jpg

[Crimebuster]

Before Gene Colan took over drawing Daredevil and Iron Man in Tales of Suspense, he was drawing Girls' Romances.

 

I didn't hear that... *plugs my ears and sings to myself*

 

My favorite Gene Colan covers from this period:

 

 

[Crimebuster]

 

A key is an issue that stands out for the significance of its content and/or influence, not an issue that has crossover appeal because Artist X drew it or an issue that gains value due to scarcity.

 

And I don't think this is true.

 

We're just going around and around here. It's ridiculous to have an argument like this over semantics. But I'll say one last time that keys are what the collecting community says they are.

 

Here we are on the CGC forums. Just look at how CGC has changed the way collectors think of books. You say that keys have significant content. But since CGC began, collectors have been gravitating more and more towards books that have cool covers - you know, books with crossover appeal because Artist X drew it. Content is becoming less important in an era where a significant portion of the collecting community doesn't even open the comics. There have been a number of books that have broken out over the past 15 years because of the cover alone.

 

Here's a thread called " Is Batman 227 the "key" Neal Adams Batman book to have? " There are over 2000 entries debating the keyness of the book. What's key about it? The cover looks cool and people want it. There's nothing in the content that's of any importance of significance. Yet it's one of, if not the, most expensive and desirable Bronze Age Batman (and DC) books.

 

You're talking about keys in terms of story alone, divorced from collecting. Which is fine. But in an age where stories are widely available to everyone in reprint form, the reasons for collecting them have changed and are changing. As a result, what is and is not a key to collectors is also changing.

[kav]

I hereby define key as a sought-after, highly priced book. Time factor can be considered, so a $3 book that hits the LCS that is 3 months later selling for $15 would be a key book.

Books can go from key to non-key eg the Howard the Duck fiasco of the 70's. You can get a FN copy for like $5 so even though some argued a 9.8 sold for $1000 I don't think HTD is a 'key' book.

[rjpb]

I don't think the book is a key. I think It falls in the "desirability" category.

 

 

WHO collected romance books in the 1970's and why?????????????

 

 

I collected the Marvel 70s romance comics. Which started me on collecting the 60s romance comics and now I am looking for the 50s romance comics. I find them to be very fun to collect because it's not easy to find issues that I need. Collecting the super hero titles....if you had the money you could put together a set of Amazing Spider Man or FF over night. Every issue is VERY easy to find. Try putting together a set of Love Romances or Millie the Model. All the money in the world will not get you a set of those quick...it takes searching and time to get anywhere on those titles. Then if you do find that issue you need it may be a rag and you might keep looking for a better copy. It's just something that to me makes collecting fun.

 

But not many people collect comics like I do. OCD is bad.

The rarest romance book is 'Horrific Romance', a British book with a very small print run. I own the only copy I've ever seen.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYGwBG44IfU/Tc_ubb7smkI/AAAAAAAAAKA/j2wGm7pzoBw/s1600/Horrific+Romance.jpg

 

I have that comic as well, bought it on a trip to the UK in 1985. It was limited to 800 copies if I remember correctly, all hand collated and stapled by the artist. To call it a "romance comic" is probably a stretch.

 

[kav]

I don't think the book is a key. I think It falls in the "desirability" category.

 

 

WHO collected romance books in the 1970's and why?????????????

 

 

I collected the Marvel 70s romance comics. Which started me on collecting the 60s romance comics and now I am looking for the 50s romance comics. I find them to be very fun to collect because it's not easy to find issues that I need. Collecting the super hero titles....if you had the money you could put together a set of Amazing Spider Man or FF over night. Every issue is VERY easy to find. Try putting together a set of Love Romances or Millie the Model. All the money in the world will not get you a set of those quick...it takes searching and time to get anywhere on those titles. Then if you do find that issue you need it may be a rag and you might keep looking for a better copy. It's just something that to me makes collecting fun.

 

But not many people collect comics like I do. OCD is bad.

The rarest romance book is 'Horrific Romance', a British book with a very small print run. I own the only copy I've ever seen.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYGwBG44IfU/Tc_ubb7smkI/AAAAAAAAAKA/j2wGm7pzoBw/s1600/Horrific+Romance.jpg

 

I have that comic as well, bought it on a trip to the UK in 1985. It was limited to 800 copies if I remember correctly, all hand collated and stapled by the artist. To call it a "romance comic" is probably a stretch.

Wow we should start a club! Ha ha yeah it's not very romantic but it's plenty horrific! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU GHASTLY MOTHER SPOONERS!

[rjpb]

I don't want to threadjack, but can someone quickly summarize what romance comic collectors do look for? Sexy covers? Overly trite covers?

 

Sexy covers, bizarre covers, artistic merit, oddball content, risque content, scarcity, unintentionally funny covers, celebrity photo covers, hippie/psychedelic covers and content, over the top melodrama, and just a general affection for the genre.

 

I don't have too many Romance books, but the ones I do have mostly feature dope smoking or anti-communist themes.

[Crimebuster]

I don't want to threadjack, but can someone quickly summarize what romance comic collectors do look for? Sexy covers? Overly trite covers?

 

Sexy covers, bizarre covers, artistic merit, oddball content, risque content, scarcity, unintentionally funny covers, celebrity photo covers, hippie/psychedelic covers and content, over the top melodrama, and just a general affection for the genre.

 

I don't have too many Romance books, but the ones I do have mostly feature dope smoking or anti-communist themes.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

My favorite romance comic, and the one that got me into collecting romance, Young Love #104:

 

[Silver]

I don't think the book is a key. I think It falls in the "desirability" category.

 

 

WHO collected romance books in the 1970's and why?????????????

 

It's a key in my perspective if for no other reason than it is the first issue of a a very collectible set, DC 100 Page Super Spectaculars.

[icefires]

I don't think the book is a key. I think It falls in the "desirability" category.

 

 

WHO collected romance books in the 1970's and why?????????????

 

It's a key in my perspective if for no other reason than it is the first issue of a a very collectible set, DC 100 Page Super Spectaculars.

 

It was actually the second issue.

 

Weird Mystery Tales #4 was the first.

[rjpb]

In the traditionally super-hero centric world of comic fandom, "key" generally meant any significant appearance, origin, first issue or pivotal issue in terms of continuity. What constitutes "significant" is a whole 'nother argument.

 

For those who concern themselves with genres where continuing characters are less relevant. "Key" is any highly sought after book that fans of a specific genre have largely agreed is almost necessary book to own for a "serious" collection.

 

HTF in grade books are a grey area for me, as they can become highly sought after in all grades, but it is less the book itself than the difficulty of acquisition that becomes the appeal. Scarcity alone doesn't constitute a key, but scarcity + demand can elevate a book's status to the point where it can become a "key" acquisition for those who seek it.

[kav]

If there was only one copy of Woodgod, it would become a key book.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

My favorite romance comic, and the one that got me into collecting romance, Young Love #104:

 

 

What a cover! I've never seen that before.

[Prince Namor]

I don't want to threadjack, but can someone quickly summarize what romance comic collectors do look for? Sexy covers? Overly trite covers?

 

Sexy covers, bizarre covers, artistic merit, oddball content, risque content, scarcity, unintentionally funny covers, celebrity photo covers, hippie/psychedelic covers and content, over the top melodrama, and just a general affection for the genre.

 

I don't have too many Romance books, but the ones I do have mostly feature dope smoking or anti-communist themes.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

My favorite romance comic, and the one that got me into collecting romance, Young Love #104:

 

 

I have to know what happens!

[Crimebuster]

The story actually is pretty much as crazy as the cover. it's written by Robert Kanigher, which will probably tip you off.

 

Basically, the guy is a vet just back from Vietnam who is suffering from PTSD (not that they called it that at the time). He's trying to drown his troubles in earthly pleasures, but it doesn't work. He just keeps dreaming of the horrors of war.

 

So he flees to a vacation retreat, where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman. There's clearly an attraction, but she resists, even after he saves her from a would-be rapist.

 

Confused and hurt, he follows her out to a remote lake to try and talk some sense into her. However, when he dives into the lake to swim out to her raft, he gets caught up in some weeds hidden under the surface. He's about to drown when she rescues him!

 

When he revives in the hospital, he seeks her out - only to find that she's become a nun!!

 

Turns out she was a prospective nun who was on a final retreat to try and decide if she wanted to take her vows or not. And her attraction to him was steering her away from God. But when she saw him drowning, she prayed for the strength to save him, and her prayers were answered. Since God saved his life, she now feels obligated to pay her debt to God by giving her own life in return - in service as a nun!

 

She leaves, both of them broken hearted. But then, in a sudden twist epilogue, a hot waitress form the hotel shows up to comfort him - and you know that our guy has found true love after all, even if he doesn't realize it yet. God works in mysterious ways!

 

 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Thank you for the summary. (thumbs u

[greggy]

People actually read their romance comics?

[kav]

Sounds like the Vision/Scarlet Witch storyline.

[Gotham Kid]

Here's a copy for the enthusiasts

[greggy]