My Humble CGC Collecting Beginnings

[David Swan]

As I get closer to the number one spot in Captain Marvel Adventures I thought I'd look back on how it all began.

 

It started with Superdickery.

 

Superdickery.com is a hilarious website devoted to covers and interior frames where Superman is being a... well... a . This was common during the Silver and Bronze Age when DC enjoyed having covers where Superman is acting out of character in order to attract the attention of readers. It was inevitably the effects of Red Kryptonite or Superman acting like a jerk in order to teach his friends a lesson or as some strange scheme to entrap a thief. One cover I discovered on Superdickery.com that I really enjoyed (although in this case he wasn't being a ) was issue #54 where Superman is simply engaged as a lifeguard for no apparent reason. I bought a CGC graded 7.5 copy just because I thought it would look cool on my wall.

 

My second CGC comic bought was another cover I particularly liked, Captain Marvel Adventures #30 with Cap as Robinson Crusoe. At this point I really wanted to get more Superman comics because quite frankly I think Superman and Action Comics had much better covers than Captain Marvel Adventures. I love the covers where Superman is doing mundane tasks like working as a lifeguard or helping an old woman with her car. The problem was that the high grade Superman comics were prohibitively expensive as in 10 times the cost of a high grade Captain Marvel Adventures.

 

I started trying out different series including western and war comics but in the meantime I would continue to get Captain Marvel Adventure comics and increasingly aimed for higher grades. My lower grade issues were all bought early on but I've never bought anything lower than a 7.5. At some point I noticed that I had a legitimate chance at having the number one Captain Marvel Adventure collection and decided to put all my chips into that one collection.

 

My dream collection would be Superman and Action Comics but I love my Captain Marvel Adventures and it's one Golden Age collection where I can actually afford the high grade comics. My plan is that this will be the last CGC collection I will put together but a Golden Age set like this can take a lifetime. If I had more money than I knew what to do with I might grab some of my favorite Superman and Action Comics with covers I love but that day is not today.

 

The image below is not the comic I own. Mine is a 7.5 but I didn't capture an image.

 

See more journals by David Swan

[roscoPcoltrane]

cool stuff

[Brandon Shepherd]

I don't recall the Sups #54, nice cover.

 

Speaking of Superman being a , ever hear this one?

 

Two men are sitting drinking at a bar at the top of the Empire State Building, when the first man turns to the other and says "You know, last week I discovered that if you jump from the top of this building, the winds around the building are so intense that by the time you fall to the 10th floor, they carry you around the building and back into a window". The bartender just shakes his head in disapproval while wiping the bar.

 

The second guy says, "What, are you nuts? There's no way that could happen. "No, its true," the first man says. "Let me prove it to you." He gets up from the bar, jumps over the balcony, and plummets toward the street below. As he nears the 10th floor, the high winds whip him around the building and back into the 10th floor window and he takes the elevator back up to the bar.

 

He meets the second man, who looks quite astonished. "You know, I saw that with my own eyes, but that must have been a one time fluke." "No, I'll prove it again," says the first man as he jumps again. Just as he is hurtling toward the street, the 10th floor wind gently carries him around the building and into the window. Once upstairs he urges his fellow drinker to try it.

 

"Well, why not." the second guy says, "It works. I'll try it." He jumps over the balcony, plunges downward passes the 11th, 10th 9th, 8th, floors. . . . . and hits the sidewalk with a SPLAT.

Back upstairs the bartender turns to the other drinker and says, "You know Superman, you're a real jerk when you're drunk".

 

from http://www.funny.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Funny.woa/wa/funny?fn=CAAP

[David Swan]

I have heard that one. It's a classic.

 

Writing this article reminded me of how much I love some of the old Superman covers. The lifeguard cover isn't my favorite but it's close. If I run out of CMA comics maybe I'll grab a couple of those old Superman comics.

[adamstrange]

There are some outstanding covers by Beck, Swayze and others in the CMA run. Good luck!