Back in Action

[Brandon Shepherd]

I took a risk, warning, this is a long one...The collecting journey has been a rewarding one, teaching me patience and discipline. The CGC books I have accumulated lately have been more common pieces, small in price and great in print run. While I enjoyed these purchases, and have even written about some of them, it has been awhile since something really special crossed my path. The last time such a piece was added to my collection was in March, 2013. These are the pieces that make me plan. These are the listings that usually show up several weeks or sometimes months in advance. The wheels turn in my head, projecting a course of action about how I'm going to make it work, what I will need to sell, what I need to cut back on, this is where the patience and discipline come in. I needed a special piece, I needed something to reignite my passion, I needed a project. Such a piece finally did appear, but this time the listing appeared only a few days before the online auction opened. I did not immediately jump for joy at first, I knew this book would be expensive and possibly out of my reach; I was looking at two weeks to come up with the funds should I win, and I warned myself not to get my hopes up. As the auction closing time approached within a week, I decided to go for it. I had come up with a plan, it would be risky but I had to take the chance. The book in question is Action Comics #375, cover dated April, 1969, in CGC 9.8 grade with white pages, from the Rocky Mountain pedigree, and is the lone 9.8 to date. I won it; it's mine and it is now the oldest 9.8 in my collection. This book is also my 13th Rocky Mountain example and my only 9.8 Silver Age book to date. It was almost four years ago this time I acquired my first eight examples from the pedigree; it is one I'm attached to. There are 11 more 9.8 Rocky Mountain Action Comics examples that have the right look for my collection that slipped away, I hope to have a second chance at them someday. The Rocky Mountain copy Action Comics #375 belongs in my collection; it belongs back in Colorado where it originally came from. The dark, beautiful cover is perfectly centered, a rare quality in books from this era. "Featuring Superman in 'The Big Forget!'" the cover shows Superman asking himself who he is and why he is wearing such a strange costume inside his Fortress of Solitude. The lighting of the cover art is beautiful, the greens and yellows from the statues of Jor-El and Laura catch the eye, I also like the way Superman's costume is lit. The 'Action Comics' logo encased in white, outlined in blue with the images of Superman and Supergirl standing on each side also catches the eye and compliments the cover art. I dig the late '60s look of this cover, the equipment in the Fortress of Solitude look like something out of Star Trek. I don't how else to describe this, it just has that '60s vibe. Curt Swan and Carmine Infantino team up for a rare collaboration for this cover. This issue is also the second to last 12-cent cover, as well as the second to last Supergirl feature in the title before she moved to Adventure Comics. I had forgotten about how the printing looked on most late Silver Age DC covers, the colors are still bright but the cover look very smooth, like there is no gloss. The printed colors do not look layered on the paper also, I hope this description makes sense. I also noticed how the printing quality is not as defined or sharp. I don't mean this in a bad way, I also lack a better description for this, it's a printing style not done any more on comics, and that's why it's neat. The structure of the piece is impressive, the spine is very tight and the cover is very smooth and flat. I'm also impressed with the page edges, still white, the white back cover is also very clean. The dark tone of this cover would highlight any defects, making high grade examples difficult -- the auction description made sure to emphasize this point. I'm glad I went for this piece; this is a real prize for me. When I first started collecting CGC comics, I never thought I would be able to acquire a 12-cent DC cover in 9.8 grade, they used to be considered something of an anomaly. I always figured if I were able to obtain a 9.8 Action in the 300s that it would be in the 380s or 90s, from 1970/71, the 15-cent covers. Speaking of Action Comics in the late 300s, just four days after winning my #375, another special piece appeared in the form of Action Comics #399 (April, 1971) in 9.8 grade with white pages. This is a book I have admired in another member's registry set for several years, the owner finally put it up for sale, I had to go for it. To date there are only four 9.8 examples and this was the best looking 9.8 of the three other examples I have seen online. I made an offer on the listing and did not hesitate to accept the sellers counter offer, the book was just too good to pass up. Action Comics #399 is a fantastic Neal Adams cover, one of my favorites out of all the Action covers he did in the 60s and 70s. The cover art alone make this a special piece, the condition is icing on the cake. The image of Superman viewing two identical corps of himself and facing his mortality is a striking one. The layout is simple and effective; its covers like these that made me fall in love with Bronze Age Action Comics. The condition of the book is beautiful, the cover is perfectly centered and very clean, the piece is fresh and crisp, a treat to my eyes. The fresh white area of the cover brings out the blue, red and yellow. The white back cover is also very clean, with fresh white page edges to compliment. Within a week, I acquired two show pieces, my two oldest 9.8s to date. Previously, my oldest 9.8 for two years was Action Comics #400 (May, 1971), also a Neal Adams cover. After a year and a half of wondering when the next big piece would show up, I had my answer. Now for the second act, raising the funds. The real risk. Last fall, I decided to refocus my CGC collection, I retired several check lists, outside of Action Comics, concluding that it was very unlikely that I would add pieces to these sets again. I knew that I would sell these pieces someday but I would wait until the right time, a time when sales looked good or for when something special came up for auction. Earlier this year I moved a few books along, they were nothing big. I started to take pictures of the books that I set aside for the next opportunity. I thought I would have a good chance to make something of a profit and that was enticing, but something told me to wait. Right after I won the Action #375, I listed some of my 9.8 X-Men books from the Byrne/Claremont era. I decided to keep two X-books for myself, I loved these books and I enjoyed finding them but they were no longer a part of my focus. When I picked up Action #399 a few days later, I decided to put the other two X-books up for sale. X-Men #142 was a book I was going to save, purchasing it inspired my first Collectors Society journal, I got it for a low price and I loved the cover, I even put it on my purge survival list last year. I had some other Marvel Bronze that I knew I wanted to sell someday but initially held off. When the opportunity for Action #399 appeared, I decided to list all the books I had set aside a year ago. This was a big risk, the books I needed to sell were expensive, I acquired them all over a span of five years and I loved them, some I got for a great deal, some I fought for and paid for that fight. Some of my books would be a loss in terms of profit. I decided to sell my books on eBay, I did not have the time to consign to ComicLink or another online auction site. There would be some steps involved on my part and I was willing to do the leg work to sell these books. I have heard plenty of horror stories about selling online and some getting scammed for partial refunds or worse, and of items being lost or damaged in transit. Then there was the chance that the final prices realized could be much less than what I originally paid, resulting my falling short of my goal of covering the combined price of my two new prize pieces, this was the scary part. Concerning the books I sold, some did well and some did not as predicted. After the fees I was able to make enough to cover my costs without advancing on the line of credit or paying credit card interest. While some books did well, from a book keeping perspective, most sales were actually a loss when I took into account original shipping costs and combined selling fees. Fortunately, the sales that were a loss were within a $20 to $50 loss, something that did not keep me up at night. Some books actually surprised me, realizing twice what I paid. As I packed each book, I took a last look and said goodbye, I loved these books after all, and a small part of me hated to do it but I was worth it. Concerning the big picture, I'm more pleased with the two books I now have, a greater reward that any profits I made from selling the books I listed. I didn't exactly bet the farm, but this is something I do not want to get into a habit of doing and I would advise caution when doing this. Thanks for reading, Brandon

 

See more journals by Brandon Shepherd

[Brandon Shepherd]

 

The books I sold.

 

[n2wdw]

Great story thanks for sharing

 

The cover of 399 has always stuck in head from when I first saw it in my older brothers collection. He eventually gave me his collection so I have it now. It's beat up from reading but will always be a special book

[vane]

Nice story. And Excellent 9.8's Action Comics!

[Silver Collector]

Hi Brandon,

Wow! Beautiful books purchased and beautiful books sold! Collect what you like and you won't go wrong.

 

Mike

[Hibou]

Awesome copies of both of the Action books!

 

I really like that 375 and although it would've been difficult for me to sell those Byrne X-Men books... I can certainly understand why you did it!

 

Great story, Brandon and thanks for sharing!

[Lee K]

That is a beautiful copy to add to your collection Brandon! Well done adding a special piece to your collection, it is obvious it means more to you than the books you parted with and it will continue to mean more over the years!

 

Happy Hunting!

(and that's exactly what I mean by Happy Hunting)

Lee K

[Brandon Shepherd]

Great story thanks for sharing

 

The cover of 399 has always stuck in head from when I first saw it in my older brothers collection. He eventually gave me his collection so I have it now. It's beat up from reading but will always be a special book

 

Nice! I would like to someday track down raw copies of what I have and read some of these stories. The summary of what I have read for #399 actually sounds interesting. It's nice that your well read copy has meaning to you.

[Brandon Shepherd]

Nice story. And Excellent 9.8's Action Comics!

 

Thank you, I really admire your sets. I've also noticed you post in the Bronze Horror thread occasionally. This is something I'm wanting to get into, by acquiring some halfway decent raw copies that is.

[Brandon Shepherd]

Hi Brandon,

Wow! Beautiful books purchased and beautiful books sold! Collect what you like and you won't go wrong.

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike! Killer Lois Lane set BTW.

[Brandon Shepherd]

Awesome copies of both of the Action books!

 

I really like that 375 and although it would've been difficult for me to sell those Byrne X-Men books... I can certainly understand why you did it!

 

Great story, Brandon and thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks Hibou!

[Brandon Shepherd]

That is a beautiful copy to add to your collection Brandon! Well done adding a special piece to your collection, it is obvious it means more to you than the books you parted with and it will continue to mean more over the years!

 

Happy Hunting!

(and that's exactly what I mean by Happy Hunting)

Lee K

 

Thanks Lee! I did think of you when I got the #375, I know it's not exactly a Go Go Check, but it's the closest example I have to that era.

[SW3D]

Welcome back!

 

I know the pain of sacrificing beloved comics to get one which is something of a prized possession. In the end it's all worth it!

 

Great looking AC books! I don't own any Silver Age 9.8's... but I hope to one day... and pedigreed no less!

 

Congrats!

 

SW3D

[Rune]

 

The books I sold.

 

 

Great books with pure WP, and perfectly centered too! Same goes with your sold books, good to see that I am not alone going for such perfectly centered WP books (although it does make collecting those 9.8 books sooo much harder )

 

In the long run, keeping a tight focus may greatly benefit your collection, "less is more" (thumbs u

[Brandon Shepherd]

Welcome back!

 

I know the pain of sacrificing beloved comics to get one which is something of a prized possession. In the end it's all worth it!

 

Great looking AC books! I don't own any Silver Age 9.8's... but I hope to one day... and pedigreed no less!

 

Congrats!

 

SW3D

 

Thank you SW3D. I did think of your journal from last year about your Swamp Thing acquisition as I was composing this journal entry, particularly about how you sold some of your prized pieces to get your top piece - you sold your books first before purchasing if I remember correctly.

 

How's everything else going?

 

Brandon

[Brandon Shepherd]

Great books with pure WP, and perfectly centered too! Same goes with your sold books, good to see that I am not alone going for such perfectly centered WP books (although it does make collecting those 9.8 books sooo much harder )

 

In the long run, keeping a tight focus may greatly benefit your collection (thumbs u

 

Thank you Rune. White pages and cover centering are important qualities to me in certain pieces (and you too). You're right about how that makes certain 9.8 books difficult to find, especially those X-Men, and many other Bronze Marvels, that's why it was somewhat difficult to part with those.

[surfer99]

I think you made the right call selling some things you liked for a couple things you love. I'm sure the 1st appearance of Proteus and that Dark Phoenix cover were hard to part with, but they can easily be purchased again whereas those Superman books are so hard to find. Congrats man!

 

 

[Brandon Shepherd]

I think you made the right call selling some things you liked for a couple things you love. I'm sure the 1st appearance of Proteus and that Dark Phoenix cover were hard to part with, but they can easily be purchased again whereas those Superman books are so hard to find. Congrats man!

 

 

Thanks bro! I'll tell you what, I originally set aside X-Men #125 and #142 to keep for myself. When the second Action appeared, I knew I would have to part with all my X-Men.