just musings

[1950's war comics]

I have had some back and forth discussions with some modern collectors .

because I can't fathom todays young generation spending $20.00 + to slab modern books (99.9% drek) and they always tell me they collect what they love and they can slab what they want blah blah etc etc.....

the thing I don't get is I am 53 yrs old and collected as a teen in the 70's , I loved my comics back then , Marvels always ruled but DC had Flash and Sgt Rock, my allowance was always spent on comics (and Mad magazines).

but never for a second did I not wish I could have the older stuff , heck every kid in the neighborhood dreamed of somehow getting comics way older than the ones we had , there was rumors in the neighborhood of some older guys with the old desirable books but alas they were priced way out of our measly allowance anyways, heck most us kids quit collecting when the price of a comic skyrocketed to 35 cents we couldn't afford them !

so whats up with todays modern collectors who think this new stuff is awesome when it isn,t the OLD stuff has always ruled as far as I'm (and every kid in the 70"s) is concerned and this modern drek is about as desirable as a modern baseball card just saying

[whomerjay]

FWIW it often takes time to see and appreciate "older" books. Much easier to get into the hobby collecting current. I was in the hobby (collecting and dealing) for over 10 years before I started to collect Golden Age. Stopped buying current books 1990.

[Cat-Man_America]

I have had some back and forth discussions with some modern collectors .

because I can't fathom todays young generation spending $20.00 + to slab modern books (99.9% drek) and they always tell me they collect what they love and they can slab what they want blah blah etc etc.....

the thing I don't get is I am 53 yrs old and collected as a teen in the 70's , I loved my comics back then , Marvels always ruled but DC had Flash and Sgt Rock, my allowance was always spent on comics (and Mad magazines).

but never for a second did I not wish I could have the older stuff , heck every kid in the neighborhood dreamed of somehow getting comics way older than the ones we had , there was rumors in the neighborhood of some older guys with the old desirable books but alas they were priced way out of our measly allowance anyways, heck most us kids quit collecting when the price of a comic skyrocketed to 35 cents we couldn't afford them !

so whats up with todays modern collectors who think this new stuff is awesome when it isn,t the OLD stuff has always ruled as far as I'm (and every kid in the 70"s) is concerned and this modern drek is about as desirable as a modern baseball card just saying

 

 

Those kids today!

 

Seriously, I hear where you're coming from, but my experience is that as collectors mature their collecting interests mature as well. IOW, collectors buy according to their means and the older collectibles become more appealing because of their rarity and historical significance within the larger hobby. My (adjusted for inflation).

 

 

[mrmyst]

I collect Golden Age. But there are a lot (more than ever before) of very high-quality modern comics being published, with stories far more sophisticated, by and large, than what I started reading in 1978. I cannot re-read what were my favorite books as a kid -Marvel Two-in-One, Team-Up, etc from the 70s. Bad. But many series from the 80s and 2000s (notice I don't mention the '90s) have far more 'staying power' with me as far as storytelling goes.

[eman13]

I bought my first golden age when I was 9, I saved up for months and paid $35. It was an Action 51 in poor condition I loved getting it and wanted the old stuff since day one of collecting actually. The local comic store actually made me a special card that gave me 10% on any book that wasn't new, the owner was a cool guy and knew how my head ticked. I am in my 20's right now, so it really wasn't that long ago, but I never really fit in with my age group I guess

[justin]

I started with Modern age and Copper age books years ago and now have almost gotten everything I want out of the Silver age. My next step is will be my first Golden age book. I've wanted for a while a WWII cover by Schomburg but a Captain America Comics is out of my price range. However I just discovered Black Terror and Exciting Comics which got me very... excited! I got my eye on this:

 

[1950's war comics]

that's also what I am getting at .. maybe todays comics have compelling stories but that just means that the modern slabbers are buying TWO issues,. one to read and another to waste real money on by slabbing at $20.00+ which 99.98% will never be worth a cent in the future, dealers will not even look at the stuff and these slabs will be in dollar boxes in the future with NO takers because you can't even read them , poor foolish modern comic slabbers.........

[mrmyst]

I started with Modern age and Copper age books years ago and now have almost gotten everything I want out of the Silver age. My next step is will be my first Golden age book. I've wanted for a while a WWII cover by Schomburg but a Captain America Comics is out of my price range. However I just discovered Black Terror and Exciting Comics which got me very... excited! I got my eye on this:

 

 

That would be a very nice start, indeed.

[rodan57]

the thing I don't get is I am 53 yrs old and collected as a teen in the 70's , I loved my comics back then ...

but never for a second did I not wish I could have the older stuff , heck every kid in the neighborhood dreamed of somehow getting comics way older than the ones we had

 

I started collecting Marvel in December 1969. I remember wanting the old stuff. But in the days before eBay, comic book stores and auctions, 1965 was old to me.

 

Finding a copy of FF45 in 1969 was a big deal to my 12-year-old self. FF96 was on the newsstand. FF45 was half-way back to the beginning!

 

In fact, finding a copy of Tales to Astonish 16 in the local Smoke Shop in 1970 was like discovering a new world -- monsters and a 10¢ cover price. A nine year old comic!

[fifties]

I am 53 yrs old and collected as a teen in the 70's , I loved my comics back then , Marvels always ruled but DC had Flash and Sgt Rock

 

so whats up with todays modern collectors who think this new stuff is awesome when it isn,t the OLD stuff has always ruled as far as I'm (and every kid in the 70"s) is concerned and this modern drek is about as desirable as a modern baseball card just saying

LMAO! It's all in one's perspective, my young friend.

 

I got heavy into reading war comics about 1956, but for the good stuff, i.e., pre-code, I had to buy in coverless fashion (cellophane bagged, 3 coverless comics for a silver quarter).

 

Now those were some books with realism; continual swearing (indicated by symbols), along with graphic scenes of shootings, bodies being blown up, torture, corpses on the battlefield, sadism, etc. They were certainly aimed at a bit older audience than the eventual CCA requirement (aimed for 10 year olds).

 

I remember seeing a post code version of a story in I think it was "Our Army At War", in which I also had the pre-code version. To say that it was "sanitized" would be putting it mildly. Gone was the swearing, graphics, and therefore the intensity.

[ciorac]

I bought my first golden age when I was 9, I saved up for months and paid $35. It was an Action 51 in poor condition I loved getting it and wanted the old stuff since day one of collecting actually. The local comic store actually made me a special card that gave me 10% on any book that wasn't new, the owner was a cool guy and knew how my head ticked. I am in my 20's right now, so it really wasn't that long ago, but I never really fit in with my age group I guess

 

You are the future of the hobby! It is always heartening to see folks your age collecting golden age. When I was your age I was a GA nut, and still am 30 years later

[The-Collector]

I am 25 and would much rather have a nice GA book with Lee Elias art than an infinity gauntlet mini series. I think you have complained about a stereotype that is not wide spread.

[eman13]

I bought my first golden age when I was 9, I saved up for months and paid $35. It was an Action 51 in poor condition I loved getting it and wanted the old stuff since day one of collecting actually. The local comic store actually made me a special card that gave me 10% on any book that wasn't new, the owner was a cool guy and knew how my head ticked. I am in my 20's right now, so it really wasn't that long ago, but I never really fit in with my age group I guess

 

You are the future of the hobby! It is always heartening to see folks your age collecting golden age. When I was your age I was a GA nut, and still am 30 years later

That is encouraging to me! I cannot afford much right now, but I enjoy the hobby none the less!

 

I love the stories behind the books almost as much as the books themselves, which most modern books have nothing but the story inside the book. They haven't had the time to get interesting stories to them yet, but I doubt they will have anything near the amount that GA do. Simply put, the GA era was before comics were popular, so the preserved copies almost always have an interesting or intriguing story behind them.

[fifties]

Simply put, the GA era was before comics were popular

Well, not really. By the early '50's, there were five hundred different comic book titles published monthly.

The Lev Gleason title, "Crime Does Not Pay" had a circulation of over 5 million books each month, all by itself.

 

Television sets were not as prevalent as they would become in the near future, and many ppl relied on comic books and pulps for their low cost entertainment.

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

I have had some back and forth discussions with some modern collectors .

because I can't fathom todays young generation spending $20.00 + to slab modern books (99.9% drek) and they always tell me they collect what they love and they can slab what they want blah blah etc etc.....

the thing I don't get is I am 53 yrs old and collected as a teen in the 70's , I loved my comics back then , Marvels always ruled but DC had Flash and Sgt Rock, my allowance was always spent on comics (and Mad magazines).

but never for a second did I not wish I could have the older stuff , heck every kid in the neighborhood dreamed of somehow getting comics way older than the ones we had , there was rumors in the neighborhood of some older guys with the old desirable books but alas they were priced way out of our measly allowance anyways, heck most us kids quit collecting when the price of a comic skyrocketed to 35 cents we couldn't afford them !

so whats up with todays modern collectors who think this new stuff is awesome when it isn,t the OLD stuff has always ruled as far as I'm (and every kid in the 70"s) is concerned and this modern drek is about as desirable as a modern baseball card just saying

 

I'm about the same age and was heavily into DC's and Disneys back in the seventies. But what was cool about the DC's were all the reprints which brought to life the characters of the Golden Age (and allowed publishers to make a quick buck!!) I was lucky enough to be at plenty of flea markets and buy lots of silver age books and the odd Golden Age book. Then I found the Seuling shows and could buy 1950's Barks books for $1-$10. I was in heaven. The Steranko books came out and I was hooked on the history of the medium.

 

Great stuff has come out over the years in all the ages and I can appreciate a good story no matter what the era. True, I don't buy regularly but I am always looking for the next good story. I think there is some wheat in what you see as chaff out there; just take a hard look.

[vaillant]

Well, as much as one can find good works in modern comics (not just in the USA), it’s quite objective that the market dictates in a different way now, and more than often artists and writers passively accept the situation, and thus is hard to see good and properly artistic content being produced.

 

If one is not exposed to what has gone before at a young age, and able to get critical skills and to recognize value, it is unavoidable that you will start from what you have at hand.

 

I also question the point brought out by fifties, as realism do not stem from lack of rules. The abolition of the Comics Code has brought more damage than good, as it was unnecessary since you could always specify products suitable to adults alone.

The CCA requirements, although stemmed from generalization and influenced by quite acritical writings, were aimed to both safeguard and educate. Definitely not aimed at ten years old alone.

 

Myself? Well, I have already said it several times, but I started to collect contemporary Disney, then went ahead to "Silver Age" period Disney and when I discovered the earliest stories I was entirely hooked. The continuity of Disney production and publishing in Italy continuously allows for young readers/collectors to jump in, and discover the past. Not happening with Marvel, with the choices done, or maybe just harder…

Independent publishers are somewhat a different matter, as the books are aimed at an adult audience, so you can find good work, but definitely it depends on the writer, and on his choices. In today’s culture… hard to find something not partial, and possibly uplifting.

[eman13]

Vaillant, I feel similarly. Many modern storylines have a "deflated" feel to them, as if it was rushed or uncared for. The 1990's in general feel that way to me. One series of recent I have thoroughly enjoyed is "Fables" published by vertigo. It uses very old characters from mythologies and fables from throughout history and weaves an interesting plot that is wonderfully thought out.

 

That being said I find many Captain America plots to be the same "Oh look, more Nazis!". Everything from a drug ring to missing people to odd noises coming from a castle, it is always the Nazis. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy many cap stories but it can get repetitive if you read a lot of them in a row.

[vaillant]

Obviously Timely, although it produced memorable characters which would have formed the Marvel mythos, wasn’t the best in keeping the quality of stories consistent.

There are other publishers (Quality, for example) and many gems to be found everywhere else, but you can’t get rid of nazism as it dominated the imagination of people over there (but even here, well!).

 

I think I can be somewhat balanced as I read most of the late 1980s and early 1990s Marvel output as I was getting adult, and there is a larger cultural problem in evaluating the quality of current comics, and the respect which was implied in doing good works which were also suitable for children.

 

Besides Fables (which I have not read) I could advise the OP to read Kurt Busiek’s Arrowsmith and the unique mini-series WE3 from Grant Morrison. They are among the few modern comics I have really enjoyed, besides Hellboy (especially early Hellboy) and some independent works like Optic Nerve, which was pretty good and interesting to catch the mood of modern culture in a certain way.

[vaillant]

P.S. When I was 16 I started to collect Disney comics from the 1930s, so we definitely had a similar path. My first "costly" purchase was a 1950s Disney book I wanted badly, for about $50-60 in 1985. A lot of money for me back then, but so happy to have it!

[rjpb]

Simply put, the GA era was before comics were popular

Well, not really. By the early '50's, there were five hundred different comic book titles published monthly.

The Lev Gleason title, "Crime Does Not Pay" had a circulation of over 5 million books each month, all by itself.

 

Television sets were not as prevalent as they would become in the near future, and many ppl relied on comic books and pulps for their low cost entertainment.

 

CDNP didn't actually sell 5 million copies a month, "circulation" often referred to the estimated number of readers, some multiple of the actual number of copies distributed back in those days. A number larger then than now, when most comics were still passed around after purchase..