E.C. Fan Addict THREAD 27 27

[eman13]

12 seems to be the mode of the data though, but yea, very inconsistent at best

[TheSurgeon]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies. Gaines saved them for himself and his family, and for others as well. Could you imagine if Lloyd Jacquet, Vincent Sullivan, Martin Goodman or any of those guys saved 12 issues of their titles in perfect condition? Or did they? Maybe there is a pile of NM copies of Marvel Comics 1 lying around. I think a find like that would be great for the hobby. Not good for the few people holding onto high grade copies, but good for the rest of us and the hobby as a whole.

[29dukedog]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies. Gaines saved them for himself and his family, and for others as well. Could you imagine if Lloyd Jacquet, Vincent Sullivan, Martin Goodman or any of those guys saved 12 issues of their titles in perfect condition? Or did they? Maybe there is a pile of NM copies of Marvel Comics 1 lying around. I think a find like that would be great for the hobby. Not good for the few people holding onto high grade copies, but good for the rest of us and the hobby as a whole.

 

Actually, it was copies ranked 6, 7, and 8 (when present) that were sold individually. Gaines kept the "bottom four" sets for himself (9 through 12, where twelve copies existed). That's what was so cool about the way he decided to divide them up; he didn't insist on keeping the best copies, himself. It's copies 9 through 12 that have finally been showing up on the market in recent years, as the Gaines kids slowly decide to liquidate them, here and there.

[Sarg]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

[Brad Tabar]

Awesome!

[originalisbest]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

 

No doubt Al Feldstein was correct to a point, but while Gaines may have saved the issues just as proof of publication "file copies," in case postal authorities inquired as to mailing permits, etc. -- that wasn't the only reason.

 

If it were, then he didn't need to be as meticulous with them as he was, selecting the nicest copies he could find, and carefully packaging them up. Just throwing them roughly in a file cabinet/folder system would've accomplished the same purpose. So I would say that he definitely felt a pride in his product, and not a little bit of OCD as he carefully socked them away.

 

Also a pity that there happened to be no (or perhaps just one) copies of VOH #12 (1) put aside. The story I've heard on these boards was that Gaines had to buy/trade for that one on the open market, as perhaps any copies he has originally set aside had been lost/given away/discarded? Would be nice to know the answer to that one.

 

I'll always remember the VOH #21 GFC #2 (!) that I saw raw at Ed Jaster's office in the late 90's in Chicago. Couldn't afford it, but wish I had, I recall the price was about $500. Someone out there has that sweet copy now, probably has been slabbed, but perhaps not.

 

Pity there were no Gaines copies saved of the annuals!

 

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

[29dukedog]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

 

No doubt Al Feldstein was correct to a point, but while Gaines may have saved the issues just as proof of publication "file copies," in case postal authorities inquired as to mailing permits, etc. -- that wasn't the only reason.

 

If it were, then he didn't need to be as meticulous with them as he was, selecting the nicest copies he could find, and carefully packaging them up. Just throwing them roughly in a file cabinet/folder system would've accomplished the same purpose. So I would say that he definitely felt a pride in his product, and not a little bit of OCD as he carefully socked them away.

 

Also a pity that there happened to be no (or perhaps just one) copies of VOH #12 (1) put aside. The story I've heard on these boards was that Gaines had to buy/trade for that one on the open market, as perhaps any copies he has originally set aside had been lost/given away/discarded? Would be nice to know the answer to that one.

 

I'll always remember the VOH #21 GFC #2 (!) that I saw raw at Ed Jaster's office in the late 90's in Chicago. Couldn't afford it, but wish I had, I recall the price was about $500. Someone out there has that sweet copy now, probably has been slabbed, but perhaps not.

 

Pity there were no Gaines copies saved of the annuals!

 

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

 

I'd always read that it was EC staffer Jerry DeFuccio, not Bill Gaines, who was entrusted with the task of wrapping up twelve copies of each new EC as it was published, and storing it away with the others.

 

As the story goes, the File Copies resided at the EC/Mad offices until 1962, at which time they were taken by Bill and stored in the closet of his own New York apartment. In 1989, when the packages containing multiple copies of each individual issue were opened by Bob Overstreet and Russ Cochran, it was discovered that many of these "packs of 12" had been broken into, and carefully resealed. Since Bill knew this couldn't have happened while the books occupied his closet, it had to have happened at the EC/Mad offices, prior to 1962.

[originalisbest]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

 

No doubt Al Feldstein was correct to a point, but while Gaines may have saved the issues just as proof of publication "file copies," in case postal authorities inquired as to mailing permits, etc. -- that wasn't the only reason.

 

If it were, then he didn't need to be as meticulous with them as he was, selecting the nicest copies he could find, and carefully packaging them up. Just throwing them roughly in a file cabinet/folder system would've accomplished the same purpose. So I would say that he definitely felt a pride in his product, and not a little bit of OCD as he carefully socked them away.

 

Also a pity that there happened to be no (or perhaps just one) copies of VOH #12 (1) put aside. The story I've heard on these boards was that Gaines had to buy/trade for that one on the open market, as perhaps any copies he has originally set aside had been lost/given away/discarded? Would be nice to know the answer to that one.

 

I'll always remember the VOH #21 GFC #2 (!) that I saw raw at Ed Jaster's office in the late 90's in Chicago. Couldn't afford it, but wish I had, I recall the price was about $500. Someone out there has that sweet copy now, probably has been slabbed, but perhaps not.

 

Pity there were no Gaines copies saved of the annuals!

 

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

 

I'd always read that it was EC staffer Jerry DeFuccio, not Bill Gaines, who was entrusted with the task of wrapping up twelve copies of each new EC as it was published, and storing it away with the others.

 

As the story goes, the File Copies resided at the EC/Mad offices until 1962, at which time they were taken by Bill and stored in the closet of his own New York apartment. In 1989, when the packages containing multiple copies of each individual issue were opened by Bob Overstreet and Russ Cochran, it was discovered that many of these "packs of 12" had been broken into, and carefully resealed. Since Bill knew this couldn't have happened while the books occupied his closet, it had to have happened at the EC/Mad offices, prior to 1962.

 

Ah ha! Another dimension of the story, of which I wasn't aware. Thanks 29dukedog!

 

Perhaps Jerry was the one with OCD then; still, Gaines took good care of them while in his possession (not casually throwing them around, keeping out of moisture, etc.)

 

I wonder who at the EC offices delved into the "stash", only taking a few copies here and there? It seems a rather random grab from various issues. I would think that if anyone wanted a copy of a current or recent-ish issue and they were an EC staffer, probably they would have been allowed a complimentary copy (though perhaps not a huge stack, etc.) So that aspect of the story may remain lost in time. Of course, the "raid" probably could have happened after EC the comics publisher was done after 1955, but before 1962 -- perhaps by a staffer who wanted a then otherwise unobtainable copy of whatever EC comics they could dig into. And then sealing the packages back up to make it seem undisturbed. Even back then EC books were seen as "special" by a devoted fan base/fandom, so I'd suppose it was done with profit in mind. Wouldn't seem like a lot of profit? But maybe for the time, it was.

[TheSurgeon]

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

 

Wow.

[Sarg]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

 

No doubt Al Feldstein was correct to a point, but while Gaines may have saved the issues just as proof of publication "file copies," in case postal authorities inquired as to mailing permits, etc. -- that wasn't the only reason.

 

If it were, then he didn't need to be as meticulous with them as he was, selecting the nicest copies he could find, and carefully packaging them up. Just throwing them roughly in a file cabinet/folder system would've accomplished the same purpose. So I would say that he definitely felt a pride in his product, and not a little bit of OCD as he carefully socked them away.

 

Also a pity that there happened to be no (or perhaps just one) copies of VOH #12 (1) put aside. The story I've heard on these boards was that Gaines had to buy/trade for that one on the open market, as perhaps any copies he has originally set aside had been lost/given away/discarded? Would be nice to know the answer to that one.

 

I'll always remember the VOH #21 GFC #2 (!) that I saw raw at Ed Jaster's office in the late 90's in Chicago. Couldn't afford it, but wish I had, I recall the price was about $500. Someone out there has that sweet copy now, probably has been slabbed, but perhaps not.

 

Pity there were no Gaines copies saved of the annuals!

 

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

 

I'd always read that it was EC staffer Jerry DeFuccio, not Bill Gaines, who was entrusted with the task of wrapping up twelve copies of each new EC as it was published, and storing it away with the others.

 

As the story goes, the File Copies resided at the EC/Mad offices until 1962, at which time they were taken by Bill and stored in the closet of his own New York apartment. In 1989, when the packages containing multiple copies of each individual issue were opened by Bob Overstreet and Russ Cochran, it was discovered that many of these "packs of 12" had been broken into, and carefully resealed. Since Bill knew this couldn't have happened while the books occupied his closet, it had to have happened at the EC/Mad offices, prior to 1962.

 

The plot thickens! That would explain why the numbers were so inconsistent. It suggests Gaines really did keep 12 of each, but "mice" found their way into the packages to extract some of the hidden cheese.

[Sarg]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

 

No doubt Al Feldstein was correct to a point, but while Gaines may have saved the issues just as proof of publication "file copies," in case postal authorities inquired as to mailing permits, etc. -- that wasn't the only reason.

 

If it were, then he didn't need to be as meticulous with them as he was, selecting the nicest copies he could find, and carefully packaging them up. Just throwing them roughly in a file cabinet/folder system would've accomplished the same purpose. So I would say that he definitely felt a pride in his product, and not a little bit of OCD as he carefully socked them away.

 

Also a pity that there happened to be no (or perhaps just one) copies of VOH #12 (1) put aside. The story I've heard on these boards was that Gaines had to buy/trade for that one on the open market, as perhaps any copies he has originally set aside had been lost/given away/discarded? Would be nice to know the answer to that one.

 

I'll always remember the VOH #21 GFC #2 (!) that I saw raw at Ed Jaster's office in the late 90's in Chicago. Couldn't afford it, but wish I had, I recall the price was about $500. Someone out there has that sweet copy now, probably has been slabbed, but perhaps not.

 

Pity there were no Gaines copies saved of the annuals!

 

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

 

I'd always read that it was EC staffer Jerry DeFuccio, not Bill Gaines, who was entrusted with the task of wrapping up twelve copies of each new EC as it was published, and storing it away with the others.

 

As the story goes, the File Copies resided at the EC/Mad offices until 1962, at which time they were taken by Bill and stored in the closet of his own New York apartment. In 1989, when the packages containing multiple copies of each individual issue were opened by Bob Overstreet and Russ Cochran, it was discovered that many of these "packs of 12" had been broken into, and carefully resealed. Since Bill knew this couldn't have happened while the books occupied his closet, it had to have happened at the EC/Mad offices, prior to 1962.

 

Ah ha! Another dimension of the story, of which I wasn't aware. Thanks 29dukedog!

 

Perhaps Jerry was the one with OCD then; still, Gaines took good care of them while in his possession (not casually throwing them around, keeping out of moisture, etc.)

 

I wonder who at the EC offices delved into the "stash", only taking a few copies here and there? It seems a rather random grab from various issues. I would think that if anyone wanted a copy of a current or recent-ish issue and they were an EC staffer, probably they would have been allowed a complimentary copy (though perhaps not a huge stack, etc.) So that aspect of the story may remain lost in time. Of course, the "raid" probably could have happened after EC the comics publisher was done after 1955, but before 1962 -- perhaps by a staffer who wanted a then otherwise unobtainable copy of whatever EC comics they could dig into. And then sealing the packages back up to make it seem undisturbed. Even back then EC books were seen as "special" by a devoted fan base/fandom, so I'd suppose it was done with profit in mind. Wouldn't seem like a lot of profit? But maybe for the time, it was.

 

That would explain why only 1 copy of Vault 12 survived -- but you would think Gaines would have noticed how thin that wrapper was long before Cochran cleaned out his closet.

 

I'm not sure how many 9.2 copies of Vault 12 are out there, but perhaps most of them are Gaines File Copies incognito.

[Sarg]

According the letter enclosed with the list, comics were sold as complete sets for sets 1-5. Gaines was going to keep 6-9 for himself, then the rest(10-12, if present) would be sold as individual issues. I think Gaines really felt pride in EC's comics. No other Editors saved so many copies.

 

Feldstein refuted that interpretation in an interview, claiming that Gaines only saved them for legal reasons, thinking he would need them if he got sued, got in postal trouble, etc.

 

But there's no doubt Gaines had great pride in EC comics, and probably would have stayed in the comic business had Wertham and the Comics Code not intervened. Just listen to the transcript of the 1972 EC convention, where he dominates all conversations and has razor-sharp recall of nearly everything.

 

No doubt Al Feldstein was correct to a point, but while Gaines may have saved the issues just as proof of publication "file copies," in case postal authorities inquired as to mailing permits, etc. -- that wasn't the only reason.

 

If it were, then he didn't need to be as meticulous with them as he was, selecting the nicest copies he could find, and carefully packaging them up. Just throwing them roughly in a file cabinet/folder system would've accomplished the same purpose. So I would say that he definitely felt a pride in his product, and not a little bit of OCD as he carefully socked them away.

 

The other aspect of saving perfect copies of the EC books, that makes me disagree with Feldstein, is that Gaines clearly recalled his father (Max) having literally stacks of Action #1, bundled up around their home, that were ultimately discarded. Not a stretch to imagine that a grown-up William recalled that and decided that he might like to save some of his "babies" for posterity.

 

He didn't need to select the nicest copies he could find -- when they were new, they were all nice copies.

 

Have you read "The Mad World of William M. Gaines"? He was the king of OCD. He bought/kept multiple copies of everything.

 

Gaines would have had no reason to think there was anything special about Action #1 during 1950-55. He certainly did later, but not then. So I don't think "future collectible status" had anything to do with Gaines's file copies. It was a combination of legal fears and off the charts OCD.

[Sarg]

 

Was Feldstein doing the title logos for the horror books? Or Ben Oda? I never got that clear. The lettering in "Terror" is brilliant.

[Sarg]

Ohio

 

 

Sure wish somebody would reprint Moon Girl ... in color, too!

[29dukedog]

 

Was Feldstein doing the title logos for the horror books? Or Ben Oda? I never got that clear. The lettering in "Terror" is brilliant.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say that Feldstein was responsible for all the free-handed lettering of the EC logos. They all utilize that bold, heavy, Feldsteinian style.

[Sarg]

That's what I think. Considering how striking the lettering is on the horror covers, I'm surprised it never came up in any Feldstein interviews I read. I guess people just take lettering for granted, but I don't! Ben Oda's brilliant lettering for Mad's story titles was one of the first things I noticed about them.

[mrmitchgro]

That would explain why only 1 copy of Vault 12 survived -- but you would think Gaines would have noticed how thin that wrapper was long before Cochran cleaned out his closet.

 

I'm not sure how many 9.2 copies of Vault 12 are out there, but perhaps most of them are Gaines File Copies incognito.

 

There's 1 9.4 on the census, which is the Northford copy. It apparently sold on ComicLink in February for $14k.

 

I believe Steve said at the time of that sale that Halperin is rumored to own the lone 9.2, which is the Gaines copy.

 

There are 2 at 9.0, 2 at 8.5, and 5 at 8.0 according to the census.

[originalisbest]

Gaines (or Jerry) was no doubt ocd, but the comics were selected for niceness. Not every book off the press is perfectly centered, cut & trimmed, especially for a early 50s era.

[AJD]

Gaines (or Jerry) was no doubt ocd, but the comics were selected for niceness. Not every book off the press is perfectly centered, cut & trimmed, especially for a early 50s era.

 

Dunno about that. I have a lot of ECs and there isn't a badly cut or centred copy among them. And I don't recall seeing any.

[originalisbest]

Gaines (or Jerry) was no doubt ocd, but the comics were selected for niceness. Not every book off the press is perfectly centered, cut & trimmed, especially for a early 50s era.

 

Dunno about that. I have a lot of ECs and there isn't a badly cut or centred copy among them. And I don't recall seeing any.

 

There are definitely some out there, you just have to look for them (and then avoid, as why not try for nicer.)

 

Steve is heavily into EC Gaines copies so he'd know better than I, but the range I've seen has been uniformly superb. There was also a #40 in an early CGC slab Jaster had once that was called a 8.0 I think, due to a weird/abraded corner cut. But it was still a superior and flat/basically unread copy, much, much nicer than you'd expect from any "normal" 8.0.

 

GFC's are special.