Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Love this one "Murder at the World Series" with a skeleton cover. Great story and nice art here. I've been looking for one of those for a long time...it seems to be fairly difficult to find... That's an interesting name on the book. In the WW2 internment records, a Tomoyuki Tanaka born in 1932 and from Santa Barbara was interned at the Gila River (Pima, Sacaton) Arizona camp in 1942. The Gila River internment camp was closed in November 16, 1945. Tanaka would have been 14 years old when he owned that comic and out of the camps. Interestingly, Tomoyuki Tanaka (1910-1997) is also the name of the film producer who created the Godzilla series in 1954. That is very observant, I can barely read the name. Is this someone you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Here's a classic. A note, upper right corner "Rex" wrote his name. This book came from the best estate sale I ever went to. The whole attic was filled with his toys, comics, books ect. He had polio and in the late '40's and early '50's he was a poster child for this disease. He was given two of everything. He usually played with only one of the toys and the other usually stayed un-used in the original box. There was everything. Vehicle toys, Cap Guns, Playsets, Western stuff, Character toys and over 1,000 comic books of all genres. I bought them all sight unseen. Had a wonderful few weeks going through them. He wrote his name on them all but kept them in very good shape. The usual western, funny animal stuff but also tons of superhero, horror, crime, jungle ect. It was fun to pick up a pile and flip through them not knowing what the next book would be. I sold most of them pretty quickly but kept about 75-100 for myself. The lady threw in a Donald Duck tells about kites for free because she thought it was just pages from another comic. Oh, and being one of the first people in my wife and I got a ton of toys as well. Made 5 trips to the car. A friend of mine who didn't know any better got the baseball cards. A big box including a lot of 1952 Topps. Yes, there was the Mantle rookie. When I pointed it out, he about wet his pants. I even got the Forbidden Planet Robby the Robot battery toy. So, if you ever see the name "Rex" or "Rexford Parker" on a comic, think of me. I just bought one of these on Ebay to surprise my dad. He's not a comic book guy, but he was 10 when this came out, and he's a huge Yankees fan. I'm dying to find out if he saw it as a kid. You are a very good son! A very thoughtful gift that I'm sure he will get a big kick out of either way. And, if you two live close, take him to a game. I treasure the days I spent with my dad at the ball park... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmyst Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Here's a classic. A note, upper right corner "Rex" wrote his name. This book came from the best estate sale I ever went to. The whole attic was filled with his toys, comics, books ect. He had polio and in the late '40's and early '50's he was a poster child for this disease. He was given two of everything. He usually played with only one of the toys and the other usually stayed un-used in the original box. There was everything. Vehicle toys, Cap Guns, Playsets, Western stuff, Character toys and over 1,000 comic books of all genres. I bought them all sight unseen. Had a wonderful few weeks going through them. He wrote his name on them all but kept them in very good shape. The usual western, funny animal stuff but also tons of superhero, horror, crime, jungle ect. It was fun to pick up a pile and flip through them not knowing what the next book would be. I sold most of them pretty quickly but kept about 75-100 for myself. The lady threw in a Donald Duck tells about kites for free because she thought it was just pages from another comic. Oh, and being one of the first people in my wife and I got a ton of toys as well. Made 5 trips to the car. A friend of mine who didn't know any better got the baseball cards. A big box including a lot of 1952 Topps. Yes, there was the Mantle rookie. When I pointed it out, he about wet his pants. I even got the Forbidden Planet Robby the Robot battery toy. So, if you ever see the name "Rex" or "Rexford Parker" on a comic, think of me. I just bought one of these on Ebay to surprise my dad. He's not a comic book guy, but he was 10 when this came out, and he's a huge Yankees fan. I'm dying to find out if he saw it as a kid. You are a very good son! A very thoughtful gift that I'm sure he will get a big kick out of either way. And, if you two live close, take him to a game. I treasure the days I spent with my dad at the ball park... Ha! We battled - him a Yankee fan, me a Red Sox fan. The Sox always came up short when I was a kid. We did go to Fenway a few times, and a couple times to Yankee Stadium. My own son is 11 and lives/breathes baseball - playing it that is, not watching it on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Oh, that's rough... I'm a National League guy. (Dodgers). My nephew is a Giants fan. We get into some spirited ribbing at games. I wouldn't take any young kids to one of those games. So, take your son and your dad to a game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpepx78 Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Love this one "Murder at the World Series" with a skeleton cover. Great story and nice art here. I've been looking for one of those for a long time...it seems to be fairly difficult to find... That's an interesting name on the book. In the WW2 internment records, a Tomoyuki Tanaka born in 1932 and from Santa Barbara was interned at the Gila River (Pima, Sacaton) Arizona camp in 1942. The Gila River internment camp was closed in November 16, 1945. Tanaka would have been 14 years old when he owned that comic and out of the camps. Interestingly, Tomoyuki Tanaka (1910-1997) is also the name of the film producer who created the Godzilla series in 1954. That is very observant, I can barely read the name. Is this someone you know? This isn't anyone I know but I am interested in WW2 history and wondered if this person with a japanese name was in the internment camps. An object is a little more interesting if there is a name or story behind it and books with identifiable names or markings have a history since they were a part of someone's life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Mann Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 An object is a little more interesting if there is a name or story behind it and books with identifiable names or markings have a history since they were a part of someone's life. (thumbs u mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 (edited) Hmmm...I think I'll write my name on all my books... Edited February 24, 2015 by tricolorbrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 In the immortal words of Monty Python's Flying Circus "Now for something completely different". I was digging through some files in the garage this weekend and found some old comic related newspaper articles that I thought you'd get a kick out of. First one is from 1974. It is a feature article on Rick Durell. Rick the first "adult" collector I ever met. At the time, he was the one to sell your high end GA to. Not only did he have the best collection I had ever seen, but he was a condition freak at a time when nobody else really cared. One time when I was at Cherokee books he brought in 3 copies of Action #1 as trade bait for Bert Blum. (These were his under copies). As a little kid, I was floored. I'd never seen one let alone 3! Rick was the man to both Cherokee and Collector's Book Stores at the time. To the best of my knowledge, Cherokee might have been the first comic book store in the US? It opened around 1965 I believe. I have heard sad stories about what happened to his collection after he died but I really don't want to stir up bad vibes. Just want to salute one of the first visionaries in this hobby. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Next up is "The King of Schlock" (as the article says...) from 1981. Has a mention and photo of John Verzyl. I don't know who gave him the title, I would suspect it was John. Just look at that wall of comic goodness. I believe this was a Bruce Schwartz con (now at the Shrine auditorium). But in these days it was at the Biltmore hotel basement. John had a comic store in Alhambra, CA before he moved to TX. Bought a lot of old books there in the day. I wonder if he still has one million comics? Oh, to be young again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat-Man_America Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Next up is "The King of Schlock" (as the article says...) from 1981. Has a mention and photo of John Verzyl. I don't know who gave him the title, I would suspect it was John. Just look at that wall of comic goodness. I believe this was a Bruce Schwartz con (now at the Shrine auditorium). But in these days it was at the Biltmore hotel basement. John had a comic store in Alhambra, CA before he moved to TX. Bought a lot of old books there in the day. I wonder if he still has one million comics? Oh, to be young again! Naw, this was all he had left after our last visit! Seriously, John has all the books that count, ...IMO (which is very Timely biased). BTW, JV is on the GA boards now, although I think he's only posted once. Here's another shot of Jolly John from a couple of years back making a delivery during the holidays. He also made a New Year's resolution to lose a few pounds after getting stuck in our chimney... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Hi Cat. I figured if any one even cared or posted about this it would be you. I know you guys are pretty good friends. Tell him to check this out. I'm sure it will bring back some fun memories for him. I only know a couple of guys on the boards (tricolorbrian) and a couple others maybe that would appreciate the Rick Durell article. I know the Carters would drive up from San Diego once in a while as well. Not many of us left that got to walk up that crooked stairway to Burt Blums lair at Cherokee or stare in awe at the stuff in Collector's Bookstore. A few of us know and rest of you, you really missed out. Hollywood was a meca for comic collectors in the late '60's-early '70's. There was also Bond Street books around the corner that was full of old books for us poor kids. I would save as much money from cutting lawns, yardwork, paper route and recycling pop bottles until my dad would drop me off for a few hours while he was doing buisness in the area. Good times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timely Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Next up is "The King of Schlock" (as the article says...) from 1981. Has a mention and photo of John Verzyl. I don't know who gave him the title, I would suspect it was John. Just look at that wall of comic goodness. I believe this was a Bruce Schwartz con (now at the Shrine auditorium). But in these days it was at the Biltmore hotel basement. John had a comic store in Alhambra, CA before he moved to TX. Bought a lot of old books there in the day. I wonder if he still has one million comics? Oh, to be young again! I too spent many a nights in John's Alhambra store. Nan was always there out front while john hid in the back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Very nice. Rick was one the very first collectors I corresponded with when I discovered comic fandom in 1963. Several years ago I was digging through some boxes in my basement and I found two copies of that newspaper supplement which Rick had sent me. He was very proud of it. I wish Rick was still around. He was a great guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Check out this link for more about Rick and fan get-togethers at his home in 1965. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOT Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 OK, it's that time of year when our minds start thinking of spring. Hey Robot Man, been enjoying your posts! Been meaning to start a Sports Comics thread. Your posts gave me a push. Why don't you post your sports beauties over there, too? It will be nice to see what sports comics people have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Done deal Boot. I wouldn't really call 'em "beauties" but OK. I wish I'd known a week ago while I had my box out. I'll let it simmer a few days and see what you guys come up with. I'll try and fill in the holes but it looks like you have it covered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Next up is "The King of Schlock" (as the article says...) from 1981. Has a mention and photo of John Verzyl. I don't know who gave him the title, I would suspect it was John. Just look at that wall of comic goodness. I believe this was a Bruce Schwartz con (now at the Shrine auditorium). But in these days it was at the Biltmore hotel basement. John had a comic store in Alhambra, CA before he moved to TX. Bought a lot of old books there in the day. I wonder if he still has one million comics? Oh, to be young again! I too spent many a nights in John's Alhambra store. Nan was always there out front while john hid in the back! [/quote) Yeah, I think she gave me a little better prices than John did... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Check out this link for more about Rick and fan get-togethers at his home in 1965. Link Thanks for that link Bang. I was never invited because I was just a snotty nosed little kid then. Rick was very cool to me though. I remember him explaining where my Marvel heroes came from. He even gave me a beat up Tales from the Crypt because he knew I liked them and could't afford many. Funny seeing Richard Kyle in those photos. I used to haunt his new comic store when he was in business. We became pretty friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciorac Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Check out this link for more about Rick and fan get-togethers at his home in 1965. Link Thanks for that link Bang. I was never invited because I was just a snotty nosed little kid then. Rick was very cool to me though. I remember him explaining where my Marvel heroes came from. He even gave me a beat up Tales from the Crypt because he knew I liked them and could't afford many. Funny seeing Richard Kyle in those photos. I used to haunt his new comic store when he was in business. We became pretty friendly. I never did get a chance to meet Rick, but Chuck McCleary on the other hand I did. In fact, some friends of mine and I bought his entire, formidable, collection of golden age back in 1996 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I never did get a chance to meet Rick, but Chuck McCleary on the other hand I did. In fact, some friends of mine and I bought his entire, formidable, collection of golden age back in 1996 What was his reason for selling his entire collection at that point in time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
