A second copy of CGC 9.0 Action Comics #1 on the census (7/22/14)

[otherworldsj33]

I know...just stirring it up. Trying to keep the thread lively, and thoughtful. I respect you, your opinions, I'm sure you know that.

[CycleGirl]

Interesting discussion. I've been trying to think what to add. A lot of comparisons have been made to Action #1 and historical documents and great works of literature. I've noticed that fine art has not come up.

 

I looked up what some artwork was going for and noticed that Norman Rockwell's "Saying Grace" fetched $46M and Andy Warwhol's "Coca Cola" 1961 sold for $56M.

 

While Rockwell's painting is very nice, I'll take Superman picking up a car any day. I mean, think about it, a man picking up a car! Can you imagine the impact of that image the first time it appeared on the newsstand?

 

Did Rockwell's Saying Grace have more impact on art and culture than Action #1? I think that you could make an argument that Action #1 has made a profound impact on the landscape of American fiction. In ancient cultures, gods, demi-gods and heroes like Perseus, Hercules and Samson had super-powers and performed heroic feats to save the people from the bad guys. Now super-heroes like the Avengers, Spider-man and Superman have become our mythology. And we all know it started with Action #1.

 

If anything, I don't think Action #1 gets nearly the respect it deserves. I would put those Andy Warwhol's in the basement to make room for the Action #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

 

 

[jimjum12]

Interesting discussion. I've been trying to think what to add. A lot of comparisons have been made to Action #1 and historical documents and great works of literature. I've noticed that fine art has not come up.

 

I looked up what some artwork was going for and noticed that Norman Rockwell's "Saying Grace" fetched $46M and Andy Warwhol's "Coca Cola" 1961 sold for $56M.

 

While Rockwell's painting is very nice, I'll take Superman picking up a car any day. I mean, think about it, a man picking up a car! Can you imagine the impact of that image the first time it appeared on the newsstand?

 

Did Rockwell's Saying Grace have more impact on art and culture than Action #1? I think that you could make an argument that Action #1 has made a profound impact on the landscape of American fiction. In ancient cultures, gods, demi-gods and heroes like Perseus, Hercules and Samson had super-powers and performed heroic feats to save the people from the bad guys. Now super-heroes like the Avengers, Spider-man and Superman have become our mythology. And we all know it started with Action #1.

 

If anything, I don't think Action #1 gets nearly the respect it deserves. I would put those Andy Warwhol's in the basement to make room for the Action #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

 

 

.....well put, R........ there was a little bit of talk about the Fine Art angle in the GA Forum.... and I find the comparisons and different viewpoints to be fascinating.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

..... it's in the Action 1 Predictions thread....

[trmoore54]

Interesting discussion. I've been trying to think what to add. A lot of comparisons have been made to Action #1 and historical documents and great works of literature. I've noticed that fine art has not come up.

 

I looked up what some artwork was going for and noticed that Norman Rockwell's "Saying Grace" fetched $46M and Andy Warwhol's "Coca Cola" 1961 sold for $56M.

 

While Rockwell's painting is very nice, I'll take Superman picking up a car any day. I mean, think about it, a man picking up a car! Can you imagine the impact of that image the first time it appeared on the newsstand?

 

Did Rockwell's Saying Grace have more impact on art and culture than Action #1? I think that you could make an argument that Action #1 has made a profound impact on the landscape of American fiction. In ancient cultures, gods, demi-gods and heroes like Perseus, Hercules and Samson had super-powers and performed heroic feats to save the people from the bad guys. Now super-heroes like the Avengers, Spider-man and Superman have become our mythology. And we all know it started with Action #1.

 

If anything, I don't think Action #1 gets nearly the respect it deserves. I would put those Andy Warwhol's in the basement to make room for the Action #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

 

 

.....well put, R........ there was a little bit of talk about the Fine Art angle in the GA Forum.... and I find the comparisons and different viewpoints to be fascinating.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

..... it's in the Action 1 Predictions thread....

 

V

CycleGirl

I don't know you...but I nominate your post as an XLNT post. I am not the arbiter of taste for the world but I am an arbiter of XLNT posts!

 

[CycleGirl]

 

 

 

.....well put, R........ there was a little bit of talk about the Fine Art angle in the GA Forum.... and I find the comparisons and different viewpoints to be fascinating.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

..... it's in the Action 1 Predictions thread....

 

V

CycleGirl

I don't know you...but I nominate your post as an XLNT post. I am not the arbiter of taste for the world but I am an arbiter of XLNT posts!

 

 

Thank you. I haven't posted very much in a long while so I'm probably unknown to a lot of people.

[VintageComics]

 

 

 

.....well put, R........ there was a little bit of talk about the Fine Art angle in the GA Forum.... and I find the comparisons and different viewpoints to be fascinating.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

..... it's in the Action 1 Predictions thread....

 

V

CycleGirl

I don't know you...but I nominate your post as an XLNT post. I am not the arbiter of taste for the world but I am an arbiter of XLNT posts!

 

 

Thank you. I haven't posted very much in a long while so I'm probably unknown to a lot of people.

 

Can I take some credit in bringing you back?

[Dale Roberts]

 

 

 

.....well put, R........ there was a little bit of talk about the Fine Art angle in the GA Forum.... and I find the comparisons and different viewpoints to be fascinating.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

..... it's in the Action 1 Predictions thread....

 

V

CycleGirl

I don't know you...but I nominate your post as an XLNT post. I am not the arbiter of taste for the world but I am an arbiter of XLNT posts!

 

 

Thank you. I haven't posted very much in a long while so I'm probably unknown to a lot of people.

 

Can I take some credit in bringing you back?

 

You take credit for everything else. Why not?

[RCheli]

This book (and any comic) should not be compared with fine original art. However, it can be compared with prints/lithographs/wood cuts which were mass produced. (Not at the numbers of comics, but there are many out there.)

 

A Picasso original goes for millions. An early Picasso lithograph could go that high, but likely is in the thousands (or tens of thousands).

[delekkerste]

Interesting discussion. I've been trying to think what to add. A lot of comparisons have been made to Action #1 and historical documents and great works of literature. I've noticed that fine art has not come up.

 

I looked up what some artwork was going for and noticed that Norman Rockwell's "Saying Grace" fetched $46M and Andy Warwhol's "Coca Cola" 1961 sold for $56M.

 

While Rockwell's painting is very nice, I'll take Superman picking up a car any day. I mean, think about it, a man picking up a car! Can you imagine the impact of that image the first time it appeared on the newsstand?

 

Did Rockwell's Saying Grace have more impact on art and culture than Action #1? I think that you could make an argument that Action #1 has made a profound impact on the landscape of American fiction. In ancient cultures, gods, demi-gods and heroes like Perseus, Hercules and Samson had super-powers and performed heroic feats to save the people from the bad guys. Now super-heroes like the Avengers, Spider-man and Superman have become our mythology. And we all know it started with Action #1.

 

If anything, I don't think Action #1 gets nearly the respect it deserves. I would put those Andy Warwhol's in the basement to make room for the Action #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

 

I'm going to copy and paste a couple of the PMs I traded back & forth with Joe (otherworldsj33) that address some of this comparison:

 

Let me clarify my statements a bit. It's like you said yourself - the story contained within Action #1 of Superman is art. Just like the movie "Casablanca" is art. Art made for commercial purposes, to be sure, but still art I agree. The physical Action #1 comic book itself or an old 1940s reel-to-reel print of Casablanca, though? That's just a collectible, IMO, a physical manifestation of art that is experiential (e.g., reading the comic book, viewing the film). It's a subtle, but important, distinction.

 

So no, I don't consider the Action #1 physical comic book to be art, though that has nothing to do about the medium of comics as a whole, which I wholeheartedly agree is art (well, some of it anyway). As for Superman the character...I respect the character and his influence, but I'm just not passionate about him the way I am about other comic book titles and characters. Action #1 was simply never my Holy Grail of comic books and I feel that it's a lot of peoples' simply because of its rarity, importance and status as opposed to people actually being so passionate about the character, art and story contained within. I mean, how many people think Action #1 features the best art and/or story ever told in comics? It's really the 1885 Karl Benz prototype of automobiles (or Model T if you prefer) and is far from the peak expression of the medium, IMO.

 

As for the Action #1 9.0, let's face it - it's a multi-million dollar book because of its condition and rarity; its historic importance and whatever artistic merit it has are largely only the background story of this particular copy. To me, art should stand on its own; it doesn't need a third-party grading service's imprimatur to give it value. I would agree that the original art used to create the book is art in and of itself; the commercial, derivative output of that art, a periodical marketed at kids for 10 cents in 1938...that isn't art in and of itself to me.

 

Furthermore, I've always said that it makes zero sense to justify another asset's valuation by comparing it to high-end fine art, which is in a league of its own as the most egregiously priced material on the entire planet.

[Heronext]

Interesting discussion. I've been trying to think what to add. A lot of comparisons have been made to Action #1 and historical documents and great works of literature. I've noticed that fine art has not come up.

 

I looked up what some artwork was going for and noticed that Norman Rockwell's "Saying Grace" fetched $46M and Andy Warwhol's "Coca Cola" 1961 sold for $56M.

 

While Rockwell's painting is very nice, I'll take Superman picking up a car any day. I mean, think about it, a man picking up a car! Can you imagine the impact of that image the first time it appeared on the newsstand?

 

Did Rockwell's Saying Grace have more impact on art and culture than Action #1? I think that you could make an argument that Action #1 has made a profound impact on the landscape of American fiction. In ancient cultures, gods, demi-gods and heroes like Perseus, Hercules and Samson had super-powers and performed heroic feats to save the people from the bad guys. Now super-heroes like the Avengers, Spider-man and Superman have become our mythology. And we all know it started with Action #1.

 

If anything, I don't think Action #1 gets nearly the respect it deserves. I would put those Andy Warwhol's in the basement to make room for the Action #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

 

I'm going to copy and paste a couple of the PMs I traded back & forth with Joe (otherworldsj33) that address some of this comparison:

 

Let me clarify my statements a bit. It's like you said yourself - the story contained within Action #1 of Superman is art. Just like the movie "Casablanca" is art. Art made for commercial purposes, to be sure, but still art I agree. The physical Action #1 comic book itself or an old 1940s reel-to-reel print of Casablanca, though? That's just a collectible, IMO, a physical manifestation of art that is experiential (e.g., reading the comic book, viewing the film). It's a subtle, but important, distinction.

 

So no, I don't consider the Action #1 physical comic book to be art, though that has nothing to do about the medium of comics as a whole, which I wholeheartedly agree is art (well, some of it anyway). As for Superman the character...I respect the character and his influence, but I'm just not passionate about him the way I am about other comic book titles and characters. Action #1 was simply never my Holy Grail of comic books and I feel that it's a lot of peoples' simply because of its rarity, importance and status as opposed to people actually being so passionate about the character, art and story contained within. I mean, how many people think Action #1 features the best art and/or story ever told in comics? It's really the 1885 Karl Benz prototype of automobiles (or Model T if you prefer) and is far from the peak expression of the medium, IMO.

 

As for the Action #1 9.0, let's face it - it's a multi-million dollar book because of its condition and rarity; its historic importance and whatever artistic merit it has are largely only the background story of this particular copy. To me, art should stand on its own; it doesn't need a third-party grading service's imprimatur to give it value. I would agree that the original art used to create the book is art in and of itself; the commercial, derivative output of that art, a periodical marketed at kids for 10 cents in 1938...that isn't art in and of itself to me.

 

Furthermore, I've always said that it makes zero sense to justify another asset's valuation by comparing it to high-end fine art, which is in a league of its own as the most egregiously priced material on the entire planet.

 

IMO it only makes sense as a reference point for how much money people have to waste, that's all.

[eman13]

Interesting discussion. I've been trying to think what to add. A lot of comparisons have been made to Action #1 and historical documents and great works of literature. I've noticed that fine art has not come up.

 

I looked up what some artwork was going for and noticed that Norman Rockwell's "Saying Grace" fetched $46M and Andy Warwhol's "Coca Cola" 1961 sold for $56M.

 

While Rockwell's painting is very nice, I'll take Superman picking up a car any day. I mean, think about it, a man picking up a car! Can you imagine the impact of that image the first time it appeared on the newsstand?

 

Did Rockwell's Saying Grace have more impact on art and culture than Action #1? I think that you could make an argument that Action #1 has made a profound impact on the landscape of American fiction. In ancient cultures, gods, demi-gods and heroes like Perseus, Hercules and Samson had super-powers and performed heroic feats to save the people from the bad guys. Now super-heroes like the Avengers, Spider-man and Superman have become our mythology. And we all know it started with Action #1.

 

If anything, I don't think Action #1 gets nearly the respect it deserves. I would put those Andy Warwhol's in the basement to make room for the Action #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

 

I'm going to copy and paste a couple of the PMs I traded back & forth with Joe (otherworldsj33) that address some of this comparison:

 

Let me clarify my statements a bit. It's like you said yourself - the story contained within Action #1 of Superman is art. Just like the movie "Casablanca" is art. Art made for commercial purposes, to be sure, but still art I agree. The physical Action #1 comic book itself or an old 1940s reel-to-reel print of Casablanca, though? That's just a collectible, IMO, a physical manifestation of art that is experiential (e.g., reading the comic book, viewing the film). It's a subtle, but important, distinction.

 

So no, I don't consider the Action #1 physical comic book to be art, though that has nothing to do about the medium of comics as a whole, which I wholeheartedly agree is art (well, some of it anyway). As for Superman the character...I respect the character and his influence, but I'm just not passionate about him the way I am about other comic book titles and characters. Action #1 was simply never my Holy Grail of comic books and I feel that it's a lot of peoples' simply because of its rarity, importance and status as opposed to people actually being so passionate about the character, art and story contained within. I mean, how many people think Action #1 features the best art and/or story ever told in comics? It's really the 1885 Karl Benz prototype of automobiles (or Model T if you prefer) and is far from the peak expression of the medium, IMO.

 

As for the Action #1 9.0, let's face it - it's a multi-million dollar book because of its condition and rarity; its historic importance and whatever artistic merit it has are largely only the background story of this particular copy. To me, art should stand on its own; it doesn't need a third-party grading service's imprimatur to give it value. I would agree that the original art used to create the book is art in and of itself; the commercial, derivative output of that art, a periodical marketed at kids for 10 cents in 1938...that isn't art in and of itself to me.

 

Furthermore, I've always said that it makes zero sense to justify another asset's valuation by comparing it to high-end fine art, which is in a league of its own as the most egregiously priced material on the entire planet.

 

IMO it only makes sense as a reference point for how much money people have to waste, that's all.

I don't see it as a waste of money, even if I can think of a thousand other ways I would like to spend it. It isn't MY money, nor do I have any real influence over it, so I sit back and enjoy the show. If I have some say on the other hand...

[51BG-migration]

Noob here, I saw the news and my parents mention they have one in the house, that belongs to a friend. My mom stopped her widow friend from putting it in a yard sale last year. I thought it was the real thing and searched for info, leading me here. I think its a '74 w/o the outside cover?

 

[Chip Cataldo]

An early Picasso lithograph could go that high, but likely is in the thousands (or tens of thousands).

I have a Picasso litho that's just sitting...no idea what to price it at, but it's had zero interest so far on the 'bay. I'd rather turn it into comics so I could actually get some money for it.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[ComicConnoisseur]

I wonder if Action Comics #1 the first appearance of Superman record breaking sale would have an affect on James Bond`s first appearance in Casino Royale?

The James Bond book first print is only 15 years younger then the Action Comics #1, and clearly if we are going by popularity then Bond is up there with Superman, and Batman.

Casino Royale first print might be something to investigate?

[Heronext]

Noob here, I saw the news and my parents mention they have one in the house, that belongs to a friend. My mom stopped her widow friend from putting it in a yard sale last year. I thought it was the real thing and searched for info, leading me here. I think its a '74 w/o the outside cover?

 

 

'88 I would say, sure someone will come along to correct me

[InvstmntComcSuply]

Famous First Edition outer cover removed or Nestle Quick (rabbit on back cover)

[Dale Roberts]

Noob here, I saw the news and my parents mention they have one in the house, that belongs to a friend. My mom stopped her widow friend from putting it in a yard sale last year. I thought it was the real thing and searched for info, leading me here. I think its a '74 w/o the outside cover?

 

 

'88 I would say, sure someone will come along to correct me

 

Looks like the soap version to me.

 

And you need to work on those toenails

[51BG-migration]

^ Keep your foot fetish to yourself, . OK I just looked, its 83 Nestle Quik. Inside front cover has 'Congrats....45 years....Joe Shuster 1983', and back cover is all Nestle Quik.

[Bronty]

I wonder if Action Comics #1 the first appearance of Superman record breaking sale would have an affect on James Bond`s first appearance in Casino Royale?

The James Bond book first print is only 15 years younger then the Action Comics #1, and clearly if we are going by popularity then Bond is up there with Superman, and Batman.

Casino Royale first print might be something to investigate?

 

That's a tough one. A first print will presumably always be in demand but I think what people get excited about are the movies not the books. That is the only bond book I would consider were I speculating. I might prefer to bet on props and artifacts from the early films but I imagine those are tricky to buy and tricky to sell. A first print of the first bet might not be a bad bet long term I guess

 

Whatever the case though, I think action 1 and casino royale are utterly unrelated. CR might go up in time but it won't be because of action 1 comparisons

[Bookery]

I agree that it's nice for the hobby to have something that can generate this level of excitement.

 

The only downside I can see is that the media publicity (generally shallowly researched) and even much of the discussions here are likely to perpetuate even more deeply so many of the myths that have tended to eviscerate actual comics history.

 

Action #1 has become important over time due to both publisher's efforts and comic book fandom. But I doubt the book made any great splash when it hit the stands originally. It was just another splashy bright cover among many others, nearly all aimed strictly at kids (adults would barely have given it a glance). It took over a year before Superman caught on strongly enough that DC felt it made sense to put him on the cover of all later issues. (Action #1 would hardly have been seen as particularly eye-catching when compared to many of the pulp covers of the day).

 

Superman, also, isn't the first of anything. Popeye and Mandrake had super-powers, as did, to some extent, Doc Savage and The Shadow. The Phantom had a costume, The Shadow and Mandrake had capes. Many prior heroes had secret identities. There were lots of varieties of "supermen" in science-fiction literature of the day. Olga Mesmer, an orphan from another planet, had both super-strength and X-ray vision, and appeared a year before Superman from the same publisher that produced DC comics!

 

Also, unfortuantely, it is incorrect to assume that today's blockbuster movies prove that comics, and super-heroes in particular, have reached mass-market popularity.

Nearly every year going back to the silent days, the biggest ticket-selling movies have always been big lavish adventure epics. Comics are handy projects for studios, particulary since Time-Warner owns DC and Disney owns Marvel. Why pay for somebody else's heroic adventures when you already own a bunch?

 

The public simply loves a big splashy good time. Any well-written expensively produced and ultra-hyped action movie will do the same, whether it's the Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Guns of Navarone, Gone With the Wind, Die Hard, Samson and Delilah, Jurassic Park, The Towering Inferno, etc., etc. The public, as a whole, never heard of Guardians of the Galaxy, and likely STILL doesn't know it's comic book based.

 

Superman didn't break any significant ground as a character per se, but broke ground as a merchandising and promotional juggernaut in the same way that Tarzan or The Lone Ranger of Mickey Mouse were. And that IS significant. But comics are too important a medium to let mythology and excitement take away from its true, and fascinating, history.