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[tth2]

On 3/19/2023 at 4:21 AM, adamstrange said:

Mystery Men 3 had a darker color scheme and an earthbound, second banana hero who is posed more like a female fashion model.  While it's a great cover because "Lou Fine", I've never thought of it as a great Lou Fine cover, even though I've seen all the premier copies (Allentown, Church and Larson).

   

“It’s like, how much more better a Lou Fine cover could this be? And the answer is none. None more better.”

[adamstrange]

On 3/18/2023 at 11:21 PM, tth2 said:

“It’s like, how much more better a Lou Fine cover could this be? And the answer is lots none. Lots None more better.”

FTFY

[LDarkseid1]

And Batman takes the lead down the stretch 😝
 

[LDarkseid1]

On 3/18/2023 at 10:18 PM, LDarkseid1 said:

And Batman takes the lead down the stretch 😝
 

Just realized I posted in the wrong thread lol, but still applies!

Edited March 19, 2023 by LDarkseid1

[batman_fan]

On 3/18/2023 at 2:21 PM, adamstrange said:

Mystery Men 2's cover feature is Rex Dexter of Mars.  Not a great name (neither is Blue Beetle or Green Mask, for that matter), but as a sci-fi feature with spaceships, ray guns, robots, jet packs etc. it's always going to have a wide appeal.  Mystery Men 3 had a darker color scheme and an earthbound, second banana hero who is posed more like a female fashion model.  While it's a great cover because "Lou Fine", I've never thought of it as a great Lou Fine cover, even though I've seen all the premier copies (Allentown, Church and Larson).

YOU HAVE NO SOUL 

[batman_fan]

My Lou Fine group shot.  I still remember seeing Mystery Men 3 as a young 12yr old.  I thought it was spectacular.  When I saw it in person, I couldn’t believe how awesome it was.  I should have bid harder against Tim for the Mile High copy back during the Berk auction.

[Professor K]

On 3/18/2023 at 4:21 PM, adamstrange said:

Mystery Men 2's cover feature is Rex Dexter of Mars.  Not a great name (neither is Blue Beetle or Green Mask, for that matter), but as a sci-fi feature with spaceships, ray guns, robots, jet packs etc. it's always going to have a wide appeal.  Mystery Men 3 had a darker color scheme and an earthbound, second banana hero who is posed more like a female fashion model.  While it's a great cover because "Lou Fine", I've never thought of it as a great Lou Fine cover, even though I've seen all the premier copies (Allentown, Church and Larson).

I see that now. He does look a little effeminate in that pose, rosey cheeks don't help either. But carrying an unconscious woman on one arm while firing what appears to be a Colt M1911 in the other makes him look masculine, so it all evens out. I'll never look at that cover again without thinking about what you said so thanks for that. 

[lou_fine]

On 3/19/2023 at 10:51 AM, batman_fan said:

I should have bid harder against Tim for the Mile High copy back during the Berk auction.

Well, you did have a second shot at the Church copy when @tth2 put it back out into the marketplace and it sold for $78K in June of 21:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/mystery-men-comics-3-mile-high-pedigree-fox-1939-cgc-nm-96-white-pages/a/7244-94053.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

As for your awesome compilation of Lou Fine cover books here:  

The one Lou Fine cover that I find most undervalued and for some odd reason that collectors have seemingly overlooked is this beauty here:  

Absolutely love this blood curdling red cover with all of its FINE detail and not sure why it seems to have overlooked by the collecting base.  

[Professor K]

Jumbo 11 is similar to MM2. 

[lou_fine]

On 3/17/2023 at 11:58 PM, Professor K said:

Yeah that is something how all but the Church are such low grades. You would think the 1st Blue Beetle cover would have been saved by more people.

Actually, I went back to look at the Jon Berk Auction catalogue the other day and although the Church copy of Mystery Men 7 at a grade of CGC 8.0 is considered to be "high grade" for this issue, it is actually tied only with Mystery Men 30 27 as the lowest graded copy in the entire run as all of the other Church Mystery Men issues graded out into the 9's.    

The only exception to this was the Church copy of Mystery Men 11 which for some unexplained strange reason was not certified and sold off as a raw F/VF copy because it had a 3/4" spine split at the top and a 1/2" spine split at the bottom.    

 

As a aside, since I know you are starting to get into the early pre-hero books, and speaking of impossible to find books except in low grade like the Mystery Men 7, just try finding yourself a copy of New Comics 2.  No Church copy of this super rare book listed in Chuck's Mile High catalog and only 5 Universal copies graded to date, with the only known pedigree copy of this book, namely the Billy Wright being the single highest graded copy of this book at only CGC 2.0 with the other 4 remaining copies below that:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/platinum-age-1897-1937-/new-comics-2-billy-wright-pedigree-dc-1936-cgc-gd-20-off-white-to-white-pages/a/7054-91110.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

Edited March 19, 2023 by lou_fine
Edited for Mystery Men 27 in CGC 8.0, not MM 30

[Professor K]

On 3/19/2023 at 4:01 PM, lou_fine said:

Actually, I went back to look at the Jon Berk Auction catalogue the other day and although the Church copy of Mystery Men 7 at a grade of CGC 8.0 is considered to be "high grade" for this issue, it is actually tied only with Mystery Men 30 as the lowest graded copy in the entire run as all of the other Church Mystery Men issues graded out into the 9's.    

The only exception to this was the Church copy of Mystery Men 11 which for some unexplained strange reason was not certified and sold off as a raw F/VF copy because it had a 3/4" spine split at the top and a 1/2" spine split at the bottom.    

 

As a aside, since I know you are starting to get into the early pre-hero books, and speaking of impossible to find books except in low grade like the Mystery Men 7, just try finding yourself a copy of New Comics 2.  No Church copy of this super rare book listed in Chuck's Mile High catalog and only 5 Universal copies graded to date, with the only known pedigree copy of this book, namely the Billy Wright being the single highest graded copy of this book at only CGC 2.0 with the other 4 remaining copies below that:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/platinum-age-1897-1937-/new-comics-2-billy-wright-pedigree-dc-1936-cgc-gd-20-off-white-to-white-pages/a/7054-91110.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

Yeah that's a tough one to find. I wonder if anyone here has one of the 5 Blue's or 4 Purples. 

[batman_fan]

On 3/19/2023 at 1:17 PM, lou_fine said:

Well, you did have a second shot at the Church copy when @tth2 put it back out into the marketplace and it sold for $78K in June of 21:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/mystery-men-comics-3-mile-high-pedigree-fox-1939-cgc-nm-96-white-pages/a/7244-94053.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

As for your awesome compilation of Lou Fine cover books here:  

The one Lou Fine cover that I find most undervalued and for some odd reason that collectors have seemingly overlooked is this beauty here:  

Absolutely love this blood curdling red cover with all of its FINE detail and not sure why it seems to have overlooked by the collecting base.  

Tim wanted the book more than I did back then and the $78k price tag was too rich for me.

[adamstrange]

On 3/19/2023 at 3:17 PM, lou_fine said:

Absolutely love this blood curdling red cover with all of its FINE detail and not sure why it seems to have overlooked by the collecting base.  

It's a great cover because "Lou Fine", but the scene is a bit confusing and, while ostensibly a sci-fi cover, our hero is dressed more like Indiana Jones. It doesn't help that it was part of the Jumbo run, which had only three Fine covers, and switches genres from one issue to the next.

[lou_fine]

On 3/19/2023 at 12:25 PM, Professor K said:

Jumbo 11 is similar to MM2. 

Maybe a bit from a si-fi cover art POV, but definitely not so much from a collector appreciation and hence marketplace valuation yet.   

[lou_fine]

On 3/19/2023 at 2:39 PM, adamstrange said:

It's a great cover because "Lou Fine", but the scene is a bit confusing and, while ostensibly a sci-fi cover, our hero is dressed more like Indiana Jones. It doesn't help that it was part of the Jumbo run, which had only three Fine covers, and switches genres from one issue to the next.

Feom a collector appreciation POV, I actually think the Jumbo 11 cover is a bit like National 7 which seemingly took a long time to regain marketplace valuation, and no doubt hurt by the fact that after the Church copy sold for $20K back in 2004, it was sadly unable to find a buyer in 3 subsequent HA Signature Auctions over the following 3 years even though the Reserve Price was dropped each time until it hit only $11,500 in 2007 and still could NOT sell:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/national-comics-7-mile-high-pedigree-quality-1941-cgc-nm-96-white-pages/a/823-41352.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

I believe it was eventually sold through a private transaction and all I can say is that it would have no problems at all blowing right through that initial $20K number and much higher in today's GA classic cover driven marketplace.  

Back to Jumbo Comics 11, heck.........it's not even broken out in the Overstreet guide yet and simply lumped in there as a group as Jumbo 11-13.  

Edited March 20, 2023 by lou_fine

[Professor K]

On 3/19/2023 at 6:04 PM, lou_fine said:

Maybe a bit from a si-fi cover art POV, but definitely not so much from a collector appreciation and hence marketplace valuation yet.   

No not lke that. Look at the men on each cover. Same angle, arms forward heading toward the bad guys. That's all I meant.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Professor K

[tth2]

On 3/20/2023 at 1:51 AM, batman_fan said:

My Lou Fine group shot.  I still remember seeing Mystery Men 3 as a young 12yr old.  I thought it was spectacular.  When I saw it in person, I couldn’t believe how awesome it was.  I should have bid harder against Tim for the Mile High copy back during the Berk auction.

You sir, are a man of exquisite and immaculate taste.  

Unlike certain boardies named after DC SA sci-fi heroes who suddenly seem to be suffering from problems with their vision. 

[Professor K]

On 3/20/2023 at 12:14 AM, tth2 said:

You sir, are a man of exquisite and immaculate taste.  

Unlike certain boardies named after DC SA sci-fi heroes who suddenly seem to be suffering from problems with their vision. 

So you're saying Green Mask isn't posing like a female fashion model on MM3 and the guy on the cover of Jumbo 11 doesn't look like Indiana Jones? I don't know, I think he's making good points. He's got me convinced.

[tth2]

On 3/20/2023 at 1:49 PM, Professor K said:

So you're saying Green Mask isn't posing like a female fashion model on MM3

Through the wife and girlfriends before her, I've probably seen many many issues of Cosmo and Vogue over the years, and can't say I ever recall a model posing like that (not that there'd be anything wrong with that).  

On 3/20/2023 at 1:49 PM, Professor K said:

and the guy on the cover of Jumbo 11 doesn't look like Indiana Jones?

Wouldn't it be the other way around, and it's Indiana Jones that looks like the guy on the cover of Jumbo 11?  In any event, why is the resemblance a bad thing?

In summary, many of the finest comic collecting minds on the planet agree that MM 3 is the best cover that Lou Fine ever drew and all those who owned the Mile High copy of MM 3 are awesome people who stride the Earth like gods.

[batman_fan]

On 3/20/2023 at 7:13 AM, tth2 said:

Through the wife and girlfriends before her, I've probably seen many many issues of Cosmo and Vogue over the years, and can't say I ever recall a model posing like that (not that there'd be anything wrong with that).  

Wouldn't it be the other way around, and it's Indiana Jones that looks like the guy on the cover of Jumbo 11?  In any event, why is the resemblance a bad thing?

In summary, many of the finest comic collecting minds on the planet agree that MM 3 is the best cover that Lou Fine ever drew and all those who owned the Mile High copy of MM 3 are awesome people who stride the Earth like gods.

Obviously you aren’t a subscriber to “Hot Chicks Holding Guns Weekly”.