...Conan #3-"Limited" or "Lower Distribution"-Effect on Current Prices? 1 1

[namisgr]

Overstreet is notorious for having hyped a few issues as having "low distribution".  Another is Silver Surfer #4, which rightly commands a premium price in the marketplace for its amazing cover art and for pitting the Surfer against Thor, but it's actually more common in high grade than Silver Surfer #1.

 

Edited May 11, 2018 by namisgr

[The Lions Den]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 10:36 AM, Brian48 said:

I never noticed any real scarcity with #3 either since I started collecting again back in 2011.  Back in the day though (late '70s/early '80s), all Smith Conans were tough in that pre-internet era so you really couldn't tell one way or the other. 

Issue #3 is a great story so I wouldn't be surprised that it's a more popular book than #2.  Maybe the notation should change to "first REH story adaptation in comics"? 

It's too bad Conan and the genre in general has gone down so low in popularity.  My guess is that times have changed and the character might be a bit too misogynistic for mainstream tastes.  The last [awful] Conan movie didn't make things better either.  Dark Horse did a really superb job with the character, but interest is still limited to core fans.  Let's hope the move back to Marvel gives the character a boost. 

In the meantime, it's a great buyer's market even though prices have gone up slightly in the last couple of years.  I completed my high grade Smith run (to include the magazines) in less than year.

Dude, I like your style. I think I'm actually the one responsible for the "Spears of Clontarf" comment being on the CGC label for Conan #3 (I worked at CGC from 2002 - 2006 and at that time I may have been the biggest REH fan in the grading room). I was reading "The Ultimate Triumph" one night, and suddenly noticed the stunning similarity between "Spears" and the story in Conan #3---an almost exact match. So I entered the rather obscure key comment in order to give REH some credit for his uncanny ability to rewrite entire stories (apparently he rewrote "Spears" because it was rejected for publication the first time around). I'm pleased that CGC has never altered the comment, but I wouldn't mind if they replaced my comment with the one you suggested. 

[Artboy99]

On ‎2018‎/‎05‎/‎01 at 10:44 PM, HouseofComics.Com said:

I love so many of the early Conan stories but #3 is my favorite.

Yes it is a great story. My favorites are issue 16, and 24. I absolutely love the interaction between Conan and Sonja after the brief swim after escaping the tower.

[Brian48]

Next to #24, I think #6 is my favorite story.  Reprinted in Giant-Size Conan #3. I think it either won or was nominated for best story for that year.  Either way.  Great story and I don't believe it was based on any of REH's tales.

[Ken Aldred]

3's a very sad story, 6 is another great choice, but the one, other than 24, which turned me into a Conan run collector of 1 to 100, is a very predictable pick; issue 4's 'Tower of the Elephant'.

[picon3]

On 5/11/2018 at 6:52 PM, Ken Aldred said:

3's a very sad story, 6 is another great choice, but the one, other than 24, which turned me into a Conan run collector of 1 to 100, is a very predictable pick; issue 4's 'Tower of the Elephant'.

The two-parter in Conan number 14 and 15 with the Elric story did it for me. Paul

[Ken Aldred]

56 minutes ago, picon3 said:

The two-parter in Conan number 14 and 15 with the Elric story did it for me. Paul

Yup. That's a good one, as well.