Am i going insane????

[Boba]

The registry was simply created by CGC to sell more slabs.

 

I mostly use it to help plan out my future career financing home invasions, but I suppose it does help sell some slabs.

 

 

I just got a certificate for the best registry set with only 1 book in it

[Hepcat]

I look at the registry and see that not one person has a complete early run (1-50) of any of the famous 2nd tier DC issues like: Mystery in Space, Strange Adventures Tomahawk, big 5 DC war, House of Mystery, etc etc.. I see that not one person has attempted any of these sets and I start thinking to myself that I want to be that one person to complete one or more of them and be proud of having the only CGC graded set in the world but then it dawns on me that there must be a reason why nobody else wants to collect these CGC graded sets and how stupid I must be if my idea is to do something that nobody else has ever done...

I dunno why there aren't graded CGC registry sets, but there have to be a lot of people who have put together full runs of those titles.

 

Strange Adventures, for example, is a wonderful sci-fi comic.

 

Quite simply the collectors with deep runs of those titles are interested in neither slabbing their comics nor in having them listed in the CGC registry.

 

 

[sfcityduck]

My biggest problem with the concept behind this thread is that I've read and really really enjoyed early issues of MIS and Strange Adventures. Neither title has been archived by D.C. (unlike the fabulous Atlas Masterworks), so if you want to read them you have to have the originals. So if you are only going to get one copy of each issue, why on earth would you make those CGC slabs you couldn't read?

 

Now if you're going to get a reader also, I'm ok with that.

[jimjum12]

I look at the registry and see that not one person has a complete early run (1-50) of any of the famous 2nd tier DC issues like: Mystery in Space, Strange Adventures Tomahawk, big 5 DC war, House of Mystery, etc etc.. I see that not one person has attempted any of these sets and I start thinking to myself that I want to be that one person to complete one or more of them and be proud of having the only CGC graded set in the world but then it dawns on me that there must be a reason why nobody else wants to collect these CGC graded sets and how stupid I must be if my idea is to do something that nobody else has ever done...

I dunno why there aren't graded CGC registry sets, but there have to be a lot of people who have put together full runs of those titles.

 

Strange Adventures, for example, is a wonderful sci-fi comic. I've really enjoyed reading many issues. If you do put together a CGC-graded set, at least from #1 through let's say #40 or so, then hat's off to you.

 

 

 

[AnkurJ]

Forget what other folks do/don't do. Collect what makes you happy.

 

x100!!!

[BB-Gun]

I like the early MIS issues. I am also a fan of Adam Strange.

I prefer having both in the box. DC sci-fi was kind of special. Early issues of MIS were some of the best.

 

BTW, was Mystery in Space one of your favourite titles when you were a kid? How long have you been pecking away at the run? Which are your best or most prized issues?

 

 

Mystery in Space was one of my favorites before I started seriously collecting. When DC started revival of golden age heroes, I collected almost exclusively Superheroes, like The Atom and Hawkman. After a year, I started collecting MIS with Adam Strange. I didn't catch the first issue with an Adam Strange story but I continued to collect them in spite of the giant deluge of Marvel superheroes that hit the market. I did manage to find the first Showcase appearance of Adam Strange but it was published long before I started accumulating Green Lantern and Atom issues.

 

Most of the newer MIS issues (from 1962-1965) were purchased off the news stand and I have kept them all of these years.

 

I have been collecting MIS since 1962, I think. MIS 75 with the Kanjar Ro story was my favorite. I enjoyed the art and the strange villains in the stories. Covers by Anderson and Infantino were always a plus.

 

 

 

[1950's war comics]

My biggest problem with the concept behind this thread is that I've read and really really enjoyed early issues of MIS and Strange Adventures. Neither title has been archived by D.C. (unlike the fabulous Atlas Masterworks), so if you want to read them you have to have the originals. So if you are only going to get one copy of each issue, why on earth would you make those CGC slabs you couldn't read?

 

Now if you're going to get a reader also, I'm ok with that.

good answer ! I just recently checked to see if DC had an early run archive anthology for House of Mystery,.. but as you mentioned they do not , nor do they for many of the other early fifties issues, so no wonder nobody is grading them ,.. except that they DO have an archive for Our Army at War issues 1-20

(usually only $10,00 on ebay) and nobody is grading that series either (except foolish me, hee hee) so now back to square one , why are there virtually NO graded sets of these great early DC issues and in many cases not even one graded issue of a particular number , especially considering that many modern drek series have 50 to 100 graded examples of each issue

[sfcityduck]

My biggest problem with the concept behind this thread is that I've read and really really enjoyed early issues of MIS and Strange Adventures. Neither title has been archived by D.C. (unlike the fabulous Atlas Masterworks), so if you want to read them you have to have the originals. So if you are only going to get one copy of each issue, why on earth would you make those CGC slabs you couldn't read?

 

Now if you're going to get a reader also, I'm ok with that.

good answer ! I just recently checked to see if DC had an early run archive anthology for House of Mystery,.. but as you mentioned they do not , nor do they for many of the other early fifties issues, so no wonder nobody is grading them ,.. except that they DO have an archive for Our Army at War issues 1-20

(usually only $10,00 on ebay) and nobody is grading that series either (except foolish me, hee hee) so now back to square one , why are there virtually NO graded sets of these great early DC issues and in many cases not even one graded issue of a particular number , especially considering that many modern drek series have 50 to 100 graded examples of each issue

 

Two points:

 

First, the Our Army at War volume you mentioned is not a HC color Archive, it's a soft cover "phone book" b&w compilation (yech!). Not a substitute for the comics.

 

Second, I love the stories from the late 40s and early 50s, especially the back-ups and lesser features that few pay attention to any more. But to read the stories, you can't encapsulate them. The CGC mentality focuses on covers, and the DC covers just aren't viewed as desirable as some of the other publishers of the same time period. They aren't overly salacious or violent, generally don't feature fan favorite artists, and generally conform to a house style that many fans seem to think is lesser. Yes, there are exceptions, but not many. So I'm not surprised that the late 40s and 50s DCs are probably collected by readers, not speculators or folks just interested in covers. I also think that the best late 40s and 50s DCs were absorbed into collections by long-time collectors decades ago and will only start emerging as those folks start to retire (why CGC a book, even if you don't read it, until you want to sell?).

[Hepcat]

This!

 

I also think that the best late 40s and 50s DCs were absorbed into collections by long-time collectors decades ago and will only start emerging as those folks start to retire (why CGC a book, even if you don't read it, until you want to sell?).

 

Plus these comics are legitimately scarce. Only a handful in any kind of decent shape exist.

 

[1950's war comics]

My biggest problem with the concept behind this thread is that I've read and really really enjoyed early issues of MIS and Strange Adventures. Neither title has been archived by D.C. (unlike the fabulous Atlas Masterworks), so if you want to read them you have to have the originals. So if you are only going to get one copy of each issue, why on earth would you make those CGC slabs you couldn't read?

 

Now if you're going to get a reader also, I'm ok with that.

good answer ! I just recently checked to see if DC had an early run archive anthology for House of Mystery,.. but as you mentioned they do not , nor do they for many of the other early fifties issues, so no wonder nobody is grading them ,.. except that they DO have an archive for Our Army at War issues 1-20

(usually only $10,00 on ebay) and nobody is grading that series either (except foolish me, hee hee) so now back to square one , why are there virtually NO graded sets of these great early DC issues and in many cases not even one graded issue of a particular number , especially considering that many modern drek series have 50 to 100 graded examples of each issue

 

Two points:

 

First, the Our Army at War volume you mentioned is not a HC color Archive, it's a soft cover "phone book" b&w compilation (yech!). Not a substitute for the comics.

 

Second, I love the stories from the late 40s and early 50s, especially the back-ups and lesser features that few pay attention to any more. But to read the stories, you can't encapsulate them. The CGC mentality focuses on covers, and the DC covers just aren't viewed as desirable as some of the other publishers of the same time period. They aren't overly salacious or violent, generally don't feature fan favorite artists, and generally conform to a house style that many fans seem to think is lesser. Yes, there are exceptions, but not many. So I'm not surprised that the late 40s and 50s DCs are probably collected by readers, not speculators or folks just interested in covers. I also think that the best late 40s and 50s DCs were absorbed into collections by long-time collectors decades ago and will only start emerging as those folks start to retire (why CGC a book, even if you don't read it, until you want to sell?).

brilliant deduction and I happen to love 1950's DC covers even if they are bland/ non-salacious !!!!

[MusterMark]

My biggest problem with the concept behind this thread is that I've read and really really enjoyed early issues of MIS and Strange Adventures. Neither title has been archived by D.C. (unlike the fabulous Atlas Masterworks), so if you want to read them you have to have the originals. So if you are only going to get one copy of each issue, why on earth would you make those CGC slabs you couldn't read?

 

Now if you're going to get a reader also, I'm ok with that.

good answer ! I just recently checked to see if DC had an early run archive anthology for House of Mystery,.. but as you mentioned they do not , nor do they for many of the other early fifties issues, so no wonder nobody is grading them ,.. except that they DO have an archive for Our Army at War issues 1-20

(usually only $10,00 on ebay) and nobody is grading that series either (except foolish me, hee hee) so now back to square one , why are there virtually NO graded sets of these great early DC issues and in many cases not even one graded issue of a particular number , especially considering that many modern drek series have 50 to 100 graded examples of each issue

 

Two points:

 

First, the Our Army at War volume you mentioned is not a HC color Archive, it's a soft cover "phone book" b&w compilation (yech!). Not a substitute for the comics.

 

Second, I love the stories from the late 40s and early 50s, especially the back-ups and lesser features that few pay attention to any more. But to read the stories, you can't encapsulate them. The CGC mentality focuses on covers, and the DC covers just aren't viewed as desirable as some of the other publishers of the same time period. They aren't overly salacious or violent, generally don't feature fan favorite artists, and generally conform to a house style that many fans seem to think is lesser. Yes, there are exceptions, but not many. So I'm not surprised that the late 40s and 50s DCs are probably collected by readers, not speculators or folks just interested in covers. I also think that the best late 40s and 50s DCs were absorbed into collections by long-time collectors decades ago and will only start emerging as those folks start to retire (why CGC a book, even if you don't read it, until you want to sell?).

brilliant deduction and I happen to love 1950's DC covers even if they are bland/ non-salacious !!!!

 

I couldn't agree more. And I do NOT find them bland/non-salacious.

[Hepcat]

And I do NOT find them bland/non-salacious.

 

I agree that Atom Age DCs aren't salacious. If you disagree, please post some of the salacious covers. I'd really like to see them!

 

They are not, however, bland. And the cover (and interior) art is in general really good compared with that on competitors' covers.

 

[sfcityduck]

And I do NOT find them bland/non-salacious.

 

I agree that Atom Age DCs aren't salacious. If you disagree, please post some salacious covers.

 

They are not, however, bland. And the cover (and interior) art is in general really good compared with that on competitors' covers.

 

 

Take note: I said "not overly violent or salacious," not "bland." I don't think anyone can really dispute that DC covers are in a different category than the PCH and St. John romance covers that attract a lot of attention from CGC collectors of the same time period.

 

I wholly agree that the DCs of that time feature stunning stories by great artists who never did a DC cover (Frazetta and Krigstein), and the vast majority of DC stories of that time period are just flat out entertaining. But, with some exceptions, I'd say that the vast majority of DC covers follow a house style that ensures you rarely would want to buy a DC of that time period solely because of the cover -- which is what a lot of CGC collectors seem to be doing.

[Hepcat]

But, with some exceptions, I'd say that the vast majority of DC covers follow a house style that ensures you rarely would want to buy a DC of that time period solely because of the cover -- which is what a lot of CGC collectors seem to be doing.

 

To which years precisely would you be referring?

 

[sfcityduck]

For example, looking at February of 1952, the covers of Action, Adventure, Batman, Detective, and Superboy are all by Mortimer, the covers of Strange Adventures, All-American Western, and All-Star Western are all by Kane in a vert similar aethetic, and even House of Mystery (Swan), Mystery in Space (Infantino), Secret Hearts (Infantino), and Star Spangled (Starr) have a very similar look and feel (generally a G rated look and feel).

 

For me, the notable outlier that month is Toth's cover for Girls' Romances, which actually looks a little steamy.

 

In my view, for example, if you look at Capt. Comet covers of Strange Adventures, you generally know that they are published by the same company doing Superman. Ditto for MIS of that era.

 

Which does NOT, I emphasize, mean that they aren't good covers. Just that they aren't, for example, the style of covers that PCH and Baker collectors drool over. The Atlas covers of the same month are light years apart.

[MusterMark]

For example, looking at February of 1952, the covers of Action, Adventure, Batman, Detective, and Superboy are all by Mortimer, the covers of Strange Adventures, All-American Western, and All-Star Western are all by Kane in a vert similar aethetic, and even House of Mystery (Swan), Mystery in Space (Infantino), Secret Hearts (Infantino), and Star Spangled (Starr) have a very similar look and feel (generally a G rated look and feel).

 

For me, the notable outlier that month is Toth's cover for Girls' Romances, which actually looks a little steamy.

 

In my view, for example, if you look at Capt. Comet covers of Strange Adventures, you generally know that they are published by the same company doing Superman. Ditto for MIS of that era.

 

Which does NOT, I emphasize, mean that they aren't good covers. Just that they aren't, for example, the style of covers that PCH and Baker collectors drool over. The Atlas covers of the same month are light years apart.

 

Beauty is, as always, in the eye of the beholder. So is that which may inspire or excite the senses in some way.

I know the above is your opinion. It may also be the opinion of many.

To me (again, my opinion and only that), the Atlas or Baker covers are not miles apart in terms of aesthetic or appeal. They are just different. I like many of the Atlas covers a lot. Some I dislike. And exactly the same is true of the DC covers. Some I like a lot, some not so much. In fact, as a whole, I prefer the DC covers.

[sfcityduck]

If you think I am disparaging DC covers, you are incorrect. Perhaps this will better express my point. From April 1952, two comics, both featuring "strange stories," both issue No. 19, but that's where the similarities end.

 

 

 

Anyone looking at Strange Adventures could easily surmise that comic was put out by the same publisher as Batman and Superman. Venus, however, is an entirely different aesthetic.

 

Use Mike's Time Machine to change the publisher between DC and Marvel for a 1952 month. It really makes clear what the respective "look and feel" of the two publishers was.

 

http://www.dcindexes.com/features/timemachine.php?site=dc&year=1952&month=4&sort=alpha&type=cover&checklist=off

[Scrooge]

Compare those two covers above and you can even express the difference in a much simpler manner:

 

It's (almost) always sunny on a DC cover

 

unlike Atlas books where War covers are splashed with mud, Horror covers take place at night, Romance covers might be stormy.

 

That said, there are many DC covers that I'd love to own, sunny weather or not.