'PLANET COMICS' (is deserving of its own thread) 29 29

[MattTheDuck]

On 1/7/2023 at 4:10 AM, LadyDeath said:

Thank you for the insight! Very informative. I'm a relatively new GA collector so there is a lot I'm still learning. I have noticed the wild assortment of cover colors with these books - some look like normal tanning or foxing but others I'm not so sure. Some Fight logos I came across appear red, orange or yellow. Backgrounds at times too. Is it solely a Fiction House thing? I haven't seen this nearly as prevalent in other GA books.

Like you, I came to Golden Age collecting only recently.  I'm buying select issues of various titles but have focused on Planet Comics. I grew up in the "Space Age" and love sci-fi like a lot of guys my age so it's an obvious choice.  I've received a lot of good advice on this thread, the bright cover colors being the primary, but also stuff about individual issues (like "watch the wrap on issue #42" - where some of the text on the left bottom is sometimes around on the back of the cover to varying degrees and the first issue I bought 18 months ago...before I knew this).  In any case, it's a very rewarding title to collect, but there was a huge increase in prices during 2022 - unfortunate for those of us who don't already have a full run of high-grade Planets.

 

 

[Flex Mentallo]

On 1/7/2023 at 4:45 PM, MattTheDuck said:

In any case, it's a very rewarding title to collect, but there was a huge increase in prices during 2022 - unfortunate for those of us who don't already have a full run of high-grade Planets.

My guess is prices will calm down somewhat now that The Promise Collection is no longer fanning the flames. At least I hope so, for the sake of new collectors.

[Miamiknight3434]

Here is a poors man rivet run 3 years in

Simply love these books

 

[pmpknface]

There are decent copies out there to be had if you stay in the hunt long enough.  Here are a few I just got back from CGC

 

[Artboy99]

On 1/7/2023 at 9:37 AM, Flex Mentallo said:

Sadly not - its no longer present in the current list.

Pedigree Comic Book Collections

Just for fun, here are CGC's current criteria [I have a feeling there is at least one other 'former' pedigree collection but cant recall which one.]

CGC Pedigree Status Criteria

The collection must be original owner.
This means that the books must have been bought off the newsstand as they came out. For example, a collector cannot buy a high-grade run of 1940s comics from various sources and expect it to be considered a pedigree. The original owner need not currently own the comics for the collection to be considered for pedigree status.

The collection must be of vintage material.
This means that a large collection consisting of comics from the 1970s to present cannot be considered a pedigree. In fact, until the sale of some key White Mountain books in a Sotheby’s auction in the early 1990s, Silver Age comics were not accepted as pedigree collections. Comic books from 1966 and after are relatively common in high grade compared to earlier issues. This occurred as a direct result of a tremendous explosion in the number of collectors in fandom in the mid-1960s. Collections that are primarily from 1966 and after must have average grades of at least 9.4 to be considered a pedigree.

The collection must consist of a considerable number of comics.
Most pedigree collections consist of at least 1,000 books and some number over 10,000 comics. The collections that consist of fewer books, such as the Allentown and Denver collections, must include extremely rare, important, and/or key material.

The collection must be high-grade.
Comics from the Silver Age in general would have to be 9.2 and higher, and a collection of exclusive Silver Age material must have an average grade of 9.4. Golden Age comics would have to be high-grade as well. For example, the Lost Valley collection consisted of many golden age books from before 1941 that were technically mid-grade, but were almost across the board the highest graded copy for that book. Page quality must be nice as well.

Many of the pedigree collections were recognized and accepted by the hobby before CGC came into existence in late 1999.

Yes, the Toledo pedigree was removed from there list but then why did my book get the pedigree designation? I am thrilled that it did.

[Flex Mentallo]

On 1/7/2023 at 5:27 PM, Artboy99 said:

Yes, the Toledo pedigree was removed from there list but then why did my book get the pedigree designation? I am thrilled that it did.

For what it's worth, I think CGC were wrong to retcon Toledo out of Pedigree continuity!

 

[Sarg]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:32 AM, Flex Mentallo said:

This topic is the place to be - lots of knowledge about Fiction House among dedicated fellow collectors here!

The variation in intensity of cover colors is very much a Fiction House thing, and there is an ongoing debate about the reasons which will probably never be satisfactorily resolved, given how little information there is to go on beyond the comics themselves.
 

In CMYK, Magenta combines with Yellow to create Red. [There are fellow boardies with experience of the Print Industry who will be quick to correct me if I get this wrong!] So one possibility is that as many print runs progressed, Magenta ran out quicker than yellow.... But that cant be the whole story, as virtually all colors vary from copy to copy of some issues. [Some collectors regard these as variants.]

But it seems likely [at least to me] that the first copies off the press had far more saturated colors than those at the end, and in addition, saturation varied from color to color within the print runs as well!

But also, this did not happen with every issue! Some invariably have strong colors across the print run. This seems to be the case with most if not all of the later issues for example. But it seems to be true of sporadic issues scattered across decades.

Another aspect of this complexity is that colors were sometimes used to create gradation - say a red/deep orange background that transitions to yellow. In other words, color used as composition.

And in certain covers, magenta was used to create folds in clothing, and when the magenta isn't present, the nuances are lost.

As an example, here are two very different copies of Rangers #25 - neither of them mine. [I did once have the opportunity to acquire one with the deepest colors I'd ever seen and stupidly passed on it because it seemed too expensive - more fool me!]

 

Solid "orange" colors on FH covers usually seem to have started as red. For some reason, the yellow and magenta inks would deteriorate over the course of the run. Good pressmen are supposed to be aware of this, and replenish the ink to maintain consistency. I can't believe that FH's publisher would not have been aware of the problem. Must not have cared?  

The type of ink used on FH seems different than other publishers as well. This may have been a factor.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Sarg
typo

[LadyDeath]

On 1/7/2023 at 12:12 PM, pmpknface said:

There are decent copies out there to be had if you stay in the hunt long enough.  Here are a few I just got back from CGC

 

These are amazing! Love Lily Renee and Joe Doolin. That guy churned out iconic covers like no tomorrow for Fiction House.

I saw a Planet 56 recently listed on eBay and it's soaring in price already.

[Spyder!]

On 1/7/2023 at 9:27 AM, Artboy99 said:

Yes, the Toledo pedigree was removed from there list but then why did my book get the pedigree designation? I am thrilled that it did.

From what I have seen and heard CGC does not recognize Toledo anymore. I think you just got lucky!

[Spyder!]

On 1/7/2023 at 9:11 AM, Miamiknight3434 said:

Here is a poors man rivet run 3 years in

Simply love these books

 

Very nice group!

[LadyDeath]

On 1/7/2023 at 11:45 AM, MattTheDuck said:

Like you, I came to Golden Age collecting only recently.  I'm buying select issues of various titles but have focused on Planet Comics. I grew up in the "Space Age" and love sci-fi like a lot of guys my age so it's an obvious choice.  I've received a lot of good advice on this thread, the bright cover colors being the primary, but also stuff about individual issues (like "watch the wrap on issue #42" - where some of the text on the left bottom is sometimes around on the back of the cover to varying degrees and the first issue I bought 18 months ago...before I knew this).  In any case, it's a very rewarding title to collect, but there was a huge increase in prices during 2022 - unfortunate for those of us who don't already have a full run of high-grade Planets.

Yeah, it's very a satisfying feeling. I started off with gritty 90s comics (Spawn, Lady Death, Punisher, etc.) since I was a kid then, so I'm probably on the younger side of GA collectors - but I was always intrigued by GA stuff because the art was so alluring but collecting it seemed like a daunting task at the time. Finally able to now dive into it and haven't looked back!

[kelholt]

On 1/6/2023 at 2:54 PM, LadyDeath said:

Is there any reason why Planet seems costlier than its Jungle/Jumbo/Fight/Wings/Rangers counterparts? I've been having a tough time tracking down slabs moderately priced. All the covers I want are always astronomical. Is it just because the vintage Sci-fi aesthetic is desirable among collectors? So far Planet remains the only holdout in my collection of Fiction House slabs.

Binding my time and hoping to find the right one eventually!

All great discussion so far by all about this. Many different factors make Planet the most popular/valued of all the FH titles. Two items to add that haven’t been discussed so far is 1. We do have to admit we live in a cover driven comic world (not saying we all abide by this) and Planet has the most consistent style of cover that seems coveted by collectors. For example, I love me some cool FH Fight and Rangers. Early Fight covers is all about War/girl in distress/spy intrigue. Starting about 49, Fight becomes all about the jungle . Same for Rangers, early Rangers covers all about War/save the girl/spy stuff and then about 41 it goes Firehair and western. My point is Planet is 73 issues of consistent sci fi/ crazy aliens/ girl in distress/ new worlds exploration which in my opinion makes it more collectible as a run than others.
2.They did this genre sci fi better than any other publisher. Others did war, others did western just as good as Rangers/Fight but  Planet is tops in this genre of all sci fi GA and that means more people like/collect therefore more value.

Cheers

 

ps. keep the discussion coming. Always fun to hear about colors, certain issue printing abnormalities, etc.

[pmpknface]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:17 PM, LadyDeath said:

These are amazing! Love Lily Renee and Joe Doolin. That guy churned out iconic covers like no tomorrow for Fiction House.

I saw a Planet 56 recently listed on eBay and it's soaring in price already.

Thanks!  I really have no intension of completing a run, just to get the covers I REALLY want.  Besides these, I'm always on the hunt for a decent 41 and 34, although the #34 is tough in just about any grade.  If I sell some of my modern stuff I may turn that into one of those, or another few GA books.  We'll see....

[LadyDeath]

On 1/7/2023 at 5:12 PM, kelholt said:

All great discussion so far by all about this. Many different factors make Planet the most popular/valued of all the FH titles. Two items to add that haven’t been discussed so far is 1. We do have to admit we live in a cover driven comic world (not saying we all abide by this) and Planet has the most consistent style of cover that seems coveted by collectors. For example, I love me some cool FH Fight and Rangers. Early Fight covers is all about War/girl in distress/spy intrigue. Starting about 49, Fight becomes all about the jungle . Same for Rangers, early Rangers covers all about War/save the girl/spy stuff and then about 41 it goes Firehair and western. My point is Planet is 73 issues of consistent sci fi/ crazy aliens/ girl in distress/ new worlds exploration which in my opinion makes it more collectible as a run than others.
2.They did this genre sci fi better than any other publisher. Others did war, others did western just as good as Rangers/Fight but  Planet is tops in this genre of all sci fi GA and that means more people like/collect therefore more value.

Cheers

 

ps. keep the discussion coming. Always fun to hear about colors, certain issue printing abnormalities, etc.

Phenomenal breakdown! Thanks so much. I've noticed the Firehair/western stuff is significantly cheaper. Definitely not as sought after as the others.

[LadyDeath]

On 1/7/2023 at 5:21 PM, pmpknface said:

Thanks!  I really have no intension of completing a run, just to get the covers I REALLY want.  Besides these, I'm always on the hunt for a decent 41 and 34, although the #34 is tough in just about any grade.  If I sell some of my modern stuff I may turn that into one of those, or another few GA books.  We'll see....

I have the same mindset; only for my favorite covers. That goes for any comic era, not just GA.

Completing an entire run/set would be too exhausting and costly for me.

edit: Planet 41 is one that caught my eye as well!

Edited January 7, 2023 by LadyDeath

[kelholt]

On 1/7/2023 at 4:30 PM, LadyDeath said:

I have the same mindset; only for my favorite covers. That goes for any comic era, not just GA.

Completing an entire run/set would be too exhausting and costly for me.

edit: Planet 41 is one that caught my eye as well!

You all have great eye and good taste.

Planet 41 is top ten for me. Cover has so much going on. Bad guy holding a scalpel/knife and has snakes for hair, a robot busting trough the far wall, Mysta not only strapped to a table but even several pins of her hair “nailed” down. All of this and bunch of colorful snakes busting out of a basket with nefarious intentions. 

[Flex Mentallo]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:21 PM, pmpknface said:

Thanks!  I really have no intension of completing a run, just to get the covers I REALLY want.  Besides these, I'm always on the hunt for a decent 41 and 34, although the #34 is tough in just about any grade.  If I sell some of my modern stuff I may turn that into one of those, or another few GA books.  We'll see....

I don't think it's particularly scarce - more in demand perhaps. Though opinions do differ on which issues are scarce. The reds aren't quite there on my copy. [Sorry - couldn't resist!]

Edited January 7, 2023 by Flex Mentallo

[LadyDeath]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:02 PM, kelholt said:

You all have great eye and good taste.

Planet 41 is top ten for me. Cover has so much going on. Bad guy holding a scalpel/knife and has snakes for hair, a robot busting trough the far wall, Mysta not only strapped to a table but even several pins of her hair “nailed” down. All of this and bunch of colorful snakes busting out of a basket with nefarious intentions. 

Absolutely insane details and creativity on that cover. Rangers 14 is another - her hair is clamped down in similar fashion.

[Artboy99]

On 1/7/2023 at 4:02 PM, kelholt said:

You all have great eye and good taste.

Planet 41 is top ten for me. Cover has so much going on. Bad guy holding a scalpel/knife and has snakes for hair, a robot busting trough the far wall, Mysta not only strapped to a table but even several pins of her hair “nailed” down. All of this and bunch of colorful snakes busting out of a basket with nefarious intentions. 

Planet 41 is the first Planet I acquired.

I also love the book.

[Artboy99]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:30 PM, LadyDeath said:

I have the same mindset; only for my favorite covers. That goes for any comic era, not just GA.

Completing an entire run/set would be too exhausting and costly for me.

edit: Planet 41 is one that caught my eye as well!

I started by buying the books I liked, then the next thing you know I had over 40 of them and decided I may as well get them all.