Hierarchy of Golden Age Comics (2020 Edition) 1 1

[sfcityduck]

33 minutes ago, Mmehdy said:

I could not of  said it better. But I will add that early on, in 1973 Cap#1 cracked $1000 before Batman 1 and Sup #1. It clearly is a great book  and has in my opinion one of the greatest timely  Hitler covers, the weakness if any is the release date in relation to Bat and Sup #1.Cap#1 might not be Scifyduck"s favorite but in terms of pure value I would take Cap1 over All Star 8 in a New York Minute.  In a way it was ahead of its time as it was not until December 1941 that Germany declared war on us officially.

All fair points.  But, "it was ahead of its time" would not really float with folks at the time.  CA 1 appeared well after WWII had launched, and it was obvious that the US would come in on the side of the allies.  We were already in a shooting war in the North Atlantic.  Other comics had cast Nazis as villains already.

[sfcityduck]

37 minutes ago, Mmehdy said:

I could not of  said it better. But I will add that early on, in 1973 Cap#1 cracked $1000 before Batman 1 and Sup #1. It

You should send the info to Rob React so he can update the timeline on his site (based on a lot of info I pulled from public sources).  See here: https://itsalljustcomics.com/a-timeline-of-world-record-comic-book-sales/

[Cat-Man_America]

14 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

I can't argue with Tier 1 and 2 (although I put Superman above MC 1).  
But, CA 1 is a clear cut or two or three below Batman 1.   IMHO, CA 1 is the most overrated book of the GA.  CA is a second tier character who blazed no new trails in the GA or the SA.  Even as a rip-off of a trend, he's no Captain Marvel in terms of his historical significance or popularity.  His movie heyday has come and gone and he had a less successful movie/tv career overall than Wonder Woman.  CA 1's historical significance is de minimis (not first anything other than CA), it's interiors were rushed, it's cover is not even close to a top 10 Timely cover, it is not rare, desirability is a tautological category on this type of list, FMV is not above AS 8, past impact is not as great as many other books, and projected future impact is not great now that CA is out of the Marvel Movie Universe.   

It is a favorite of dealers because it is sufficiently plentiful that they can keep on churning the sales.  So I expect few here will agree with me. 

There are a lot of comics I'd rather have than CA 1.  Patriotic super heroes are the least popular type of superheroes over the years, and CA was just another Shield rip-off like Uncle Sam, etc.  S&K only handled the art for less than a year (and I'm not a huge S&K fan as I prefer many other GA artists), and the best covers were later in the series (and they weren't Alex S's best timely covers).  Apologies to those who own and love this book, but it's not tier 3 on my list.

If discussing historical significance rather than estimated market value based on a range of other variables including, but not limited to media success and census numbers, then Cap #1 should rank higher than Superman #1 across the board.  I respectfully differ from sfcityduck’s viewpoint. As mentioned previously, Cap #1 has both origin and first appearance of a major villain.  It also has the origin and first appearance of Cap’s young sidekick ally, Bucky.  OK, sidekicks and patriotic costumes originated earlier, but I’m unaware of any in a first appearance book devoted to it’s featured character.  

Superman #1 is a great book, it’s also a reprint book comprised of early Action Comics stories.  If looking for a better first issue from DC, go with Batman #1 (all new material & first appearances of Joker & Cat-woman).  From my perspective Batman #1 is on a parr with Cap #1, even though the art in Cap is arguably much better.

When discussing Captain America one thing too easily overlooked is the groundbreaking work of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.  What’s missed or glossed over is how influential the developing style of Jack Kirby was on other publishers and artists.  In comics, the think outside the panel concept, building on all variety of aspects and perspectives was originated here and copied by just about everyone.  

Personally, I think S&K were inspired by Orson Welles’ groundbreaking film Citizen Kane which came out just prior to Cap’s arrival on the scene. All of the bizarre perspectives are incorporated in Kirby’s work of this period.  That inspiration had to come from somewhere, and this seems the most logical source. The design of the panels reflect Jack’s attempts to convey fluid action in three dimensions while confined to a two dimensional medium.

Cap’s shield ...which first appeared in Cap #2... was a brilliant solution to a sticky legal issue of similarity between his first shield and the costume of MLJ’s biggest superhero character The Shield.  By revising the shield to a round design S&K turned a defensive devise that was also a legal liability into an effective weapon again inspiring imitators including MLJ who employed the round shield as a weapon used by The Shield’s Nazi nemesis.  

These discussions about which character should be more popular with collectors reminds me of the film Ford Verses Ferrari.  How dare an upstart challenge the tradition and success of the first and best performance design, a proven winner. Well, that’s what innovation is all about.  You improve on what works to make a better, more successful design.

i realize this thread has moved on since I started composing this response, but the debate points ...if this is a debate-worthy topic... are valid.  It doesn’t take away from any of the characters being discussed or their critical importance in the history of comics.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Cat-Man_America

[lou_fine]

5 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

Has All Star #8 surpasses Cap #1 in current FMV? I don’t believe it has, but I could be mistaken.  [All Star 8 $936,223.00 on Ebay on 2017/08/27; CA 1 $915,000.00 on Heritage on 2019/08/12 (two years later)]

Now that the hype of the Wonder Woman movie has come and gone, I think most collectors would value a Cap 1 more highly than an AS 8.  

 

5 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

At the end of the day, I struggled to rank the book 6th overall because it has a lot of things that 3rd-5th don’t have.  [Batman 1 has first and second Joker (probably greatest villain of all time) stories, first Catwoman (probably greatest villain/love interest of all time), has both pre-Robin and Robin stories (only comic to have that I think), the Batman origin, a Hugo Strange (notable GA villain) appearance, Batman killing villains with guns, a Bob Kan bio, and a great pin-up.  What else to you want?]

You nailed it here with respect to the Bat 1 and that is why I have stated many times on the boards here that Batman 1 is the best overall GA book out there from a pure content point of view.  

 

5 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

So Action 7, 10 and 13 aren't nearly as high in my hierarchy as you put them.  Pep 1, Pep 22 and Archie 1 outrank them.

Not so sure about the Pep 1 or the Archie 1, but I would definitely place Pep 22 at the top of this group of 6 books here.  As for the Action's, I would place Action 13 over Action 10 from a pure cover point of view.  

 

5 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

Detective 38 is probably the least appreciated GA book IMHO.  

I would probably tend to agree with you here if you are referring to already established and highly recognized key GA books.  

If you are referring to undervalued and under appreciated and more of a minor key, I certainly wouldn't mind a nice HG copy of Ace Comics 11 with the first comic book appearance of the Phantom since it was mentioned earlier in this post here.    

Edited April 23, 2020 by lou_fine

[Chicago Boy]

The AS 8 - Cap 1 sakes are not apples to apples. AS 8 highest grades vs Cap 1 second highest graded. 

[KCOComics]

I'll start by saying I really love this thread. 

There are so many factors to consider in this discussion.  Everyone seems to be in agreement with the top tier. 

With that second tier, I do discount Superman 1 a bit. Obviously not from a $$ standpoint, but there is nothing original about it other than launching a new line of Superman books. 

I've always put Cap 1 over Batman 1 personally.  I think Batman is the greatest hero of all time and when I have this argument (usually with my brother at 2am) I always point to the villains that were created in Batman. I would argue the Joker is more recognized than anything that came out of any other publisher of that era. 

But I still go with Cap for many of the reasons Cat_Man pointed out. It was his first apparence. It was also Kirby and Simon's most important work of the GA, which has to count for something and timely did eventually become Marvel where that Kirby guy did some pretty important stuff. 

[Knightsofold]

I’ll reflect on this annual favorite topic of mine a little differently this time.

My list is heavily weighted by my opinions of:

Historically significant

Projected 

Pop culture

and Cover art. 

In the last 5-10 years I’ve seen collecting trends, changes, in myself and many others. Achieving grails have changed my perception of value in ways I wouldn’t have predicted, but I feel wiser.  I don’t collect to speculate on return of investment, I’ve always thought to myself that if I can get 1/2 of what I paid when/if the time comes for the real “keeper family heirloom type books” then it was worth the price of ownership.  It’s fun to get the books that both you AND others will deem important over time, so it’s not all about me.  The most enriching books to me are ones that inspire interest beyond the comic collecting crowd.  The conversation pieces.  This leads into some of the changes I’ve seen that affect my list the most.

As we move further and further away from reading our comics (for many reasons, not just from slabbing), I find that unless the importance of the book isn’t self evident and represented and recognizable on the cover within seconds, the book will continue declining in value over time.  2nd, 3rd appearances of characters will slip out of relevance as more and more prefer the best of a genre or best classic cover over a substitute for a Tec 27 or Cap 1 etc. I also see books with important interiors, even 1st appearances like All star 8, more fun 73, strange tales 110 becoming passed by for a real instant dopamine rush book where the cover speaks for itself.  A good example of this is All Star 8 vs a Wonder Woman 1.  No one want to have to “sell” why an old piece of paper encased in plastic is cool.  The very success of these books relied on the “Judge a book by it’s cover” motto.  
 

Blah blah, one last thing before my Tiers and list, I purposely devalued fmv, and that’s why many of the usual tops are gone.  Unless a classic cover or significant importance, the books that are just placeholders for the real grail (action 1, tec 27) are gone.

 

All books within a tier I consider equal, so I listed them alphabetically.

Tier 1: 

Action 1

Tec 27

————-

Tier 2: 

Batman 1

Captain America 1

Marvel 1

Superman 1

Whiz 1

————-

Tier 3:

All American 16

Tec 31

Flash 1

Sensation 1

Wonder Woman 1

———

Tier 4: 

Adventure 40

All Star 3

All Star 8

Archie 1

Captain America 3

Tec 33

Tec 38

Marvel Mystery 9

More Fun 52

More Fun 73

Phantom lady 17

Suspense 3.

#25 spot reserved for a book I forgot.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by Knightsofold

[sfcityduck]

1 hour ago, Chicago Boy said:

The AS 8 - Cap 1 sakes are not apples to apples. AS 8 highest grades vs Cap 1 second highest graded. 

But, the AS 8 is may not the best copy out there.  They were same grade, with the AS 8 selling two years prior to the CA 1.  I think the bloom is off the excessive CA hype now that Chris Evans and CA are no longer part of the MCU.  Whereas we are on to another WW movie soon.

Edited April 23, 2020 by sfcityduck

[lou_fine]

58 minutes ago, Knightsofold said:

Tier 3:

All American 1

Is this a typo here or do you really mean All-American 16?  

 

58 minutes ago, Knightsofold said:

Tier 4: 

Archie 1

Well, if you are selecting an Archie 1 and passing over a Pep 22, then you are clearly being too cover-centric, as opposed to being content centric from my POV.  

Then again, I guess it's really a case of to each, their own.  

Edited April 23, 2020 by lou_fine

[Knightsofold]

3 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Is this a typo here or do you really mean All-American 16?  

 

Well, if you are selecting an Archie 1 and passing over a Pep 22, then you are clearly being too cover-centric, as opposed to being content centric from my POV.  

Then again, I guess it's really a case of to each, their own.  

Fixed it, thanks!  Clearly Pep 22 is the better book, but I think that in time the gap between the 2 will get smaller.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Knightsofold

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

6 hours ago, Knightsofold said:

Fixed it, thanks!  Clearly Pep 22 is the better book, but I think that in time the gap between the 2 will get smaller.

Pep 22 is a great book, and I agree it has more value than the Archie 1. It’s also incredibly scarce. But like AS 8, the character is not featured on the cover, and that bothers me and has made me hesitate. I join those who say that with CGC encapsulation, the hobby has grown more cover-centric

Edited April 23, 2020 by GreatCaesarsGhost

[Wayne-Tec]

On 4/22/2020 at 2:33 PM, sfcityduck said:

[CA has had some longetivity.  But, he is way below, to use your example, Robin on that scale.  And even further behind Archie.  CA failed as a character before the end of the 1940s, and had only a very brief 1950s revival, and wasn't brought back until 1964.  Robin was a constant from the 1930s onward, and Archie from the 1940s onward.  And he's fading now.  I'm not sure CA as a comic title has ever been first tier in the Silver/Bronze/Modern ages.  His current import is as an Avenger.]

I believe Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman were the only characters to survive from their creation through the beginning of the Silver Age. I don't believe Robin would have survived without Batman, but he remained nevertheless. I rank Cap below Superman and Batman, but I don't know if I'd rank him below any other GA superhero. I'm not talking about importance "during the GA", I'm talking overall, from their creation through the present day. You could make a strong argument for Wonder Woman over Cap. She's a greater cultural icon with, arguably, greater recognizability. So I have no problem with her being ranked ahead of Cap either. Had the cover art for Sensation #1 been on the front cover of All-Star Comics #8, you'd have a strong argument for her 1st app. being ranked above Cap #1. Put another way, had Action Comics #1 sported the cover art of Action Comics #2, I'd probably have Detective Comics #27 ranked No. 1.

Quote

[Captain Marvel was way bigger from the 1930s-1950s than CA, for example, and he was revived in the 1970s and now is headlining movies.  The upside on Whiz 2's import may dwarf that of CA 1.]

I don't disagree with Captain Marvel being bigger than Cap in the 1930s-1950s, he was also bigger than Batman for a time. Had the character remained at that level over the 60+ years that followed, I'd have Whiz #2 ranked much higher. If we are comparing point of creation through modern day, I don't think that Captain Marvel is very close to Captain America.

Quote

[Marvel was not the only publisher critical of the Germans when CA 1 came out - as you know Centaur was ahead of the curve - and it wasn't that outrageous given the tenor of the time.  But it is a cool facet of the book.  Lots of collectors of Hitler covers - and yes DC did them too.]

Being the "1st patriotic superhero" or the "1st publisher critical of the Nazis" are both very interesting firsts, but neither would be a big reason for me to rank a book towards the top of my GA Top-10. As I mentioned in a previous post, the success of the Captain America character (and the Marvel Universe as a whole) throughout the decades makes those things (even though he was the 1st of neither) more interesting. Which brings me back to my Superman vs. The Phantom analogy.

Quote

[All Star 8 $936,223.00 on Ebay on 2017/08/27; CA 1 $915,000.00 on Heritage on 2019/08/12 (two years later)]

Does anyone know if the overall FMV, grade for grade, favors All-Star #8 or Cap #1? What do we project for the two books over the next 10, 20, 30 years?

Quote

[For me CA 1 is not even close to greatest Timely cover, let alone in comic history.  I much prefer Alex S's Timely covers to S&K.  And there are a lot of great comic covers by great artists.]

If the criteria is "artistic detail", I wouldn't argue. My criteria has Cap #1, Action #1, Amazing Fantasy #15 as three of the greatest comic book covers of all-time. But if "artistic detail" were my criteria, you'd see covers featuring characters few people have ever even heard of ranked well above those three covers.

Quote

[I'm not sure I agree CA's origin is that famous.  Certainly not more notable or well known as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman]

I think his origin is more well known than Wonder Woman's. Definitely not Superman or Batman though.

Quote

[Bucky was just one in a string of Robin immitators.  Timely was a trend follower with CA and Bucky.  And the Winter Soldier is not that big a deal to me.]

The Winter Soldier has become a very big deal in comics during the 2010s. Bucky was no doubt a Robin imitator, down to the mask, but most superhero were imitators of Superman. I don't knock them for that, nor do I knock Bucky. He's probably the 2nd greatest side kick in comic book history. 

Quote

[Not sure "notable superhero" debut is a legit category since what is "notable" changes over time.  He's not even Timely's first superhero to debut in his own book.]

The Human Torch series also featured the Sub-Mariner. I know that The Hurricane is also in Cap #1, but you wouldn't know that without reading the book. It certainly wasn't needed or used to help promote the book the way Subby was for Torch. I'd like to poll the audience on this one though. Do you consider Cap debuting in his own title to be significant, especially when considering all of the great characters who did not?

Quote

[Batman 1 has first and second Joker (probably greatest villain of all time) stories, first Catwoman (probably greatest villain/love interest of all time), has both pre-Robin and Robin stories (only comic to have that I think), the Batman origin, a Hugo Strange (notable GA villain) appearance, Batman killing villains with guns, a Bob Kan bio, and a great pin-up.  What else to you want?]

I ranked Batman #1 just above Cap #1. But it wasn't an easy call and I could definitely see an argument for Cap #1 over Batman #1 and possibly even Superman #1.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Wayne-Tec

[Wayne-Tec]

On 4/22/2020 at 2:00 PM, Mmehdy said:

I could not of  said it better. But I will add that early on, in 1973 Cap#1 cracked $1000 before Batman 1 and Sup #1. It clearly is a great book  and has in my opinion one of the greatest timely  Hitler covers, the weakness if any is the release date in relation to Bat and Sup #1.Cap#1 might not be Scifyduck"s favorite but in terms of pure value I would take Cap1 over All Star 8 in a New York Minute.  In a way it was ahead of its time as it was not until December 1941 that Germany declared war on us officially.

Mitch, do you own a copy?

[Wayne-Tec]

On 4/22/2020 at 3:18 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

If discussing historical significance rather than estimated market value based on a range of other variables including, but not limited to media success and census numbers, then Cap #1 should rank higher than Superman #1 across the board.  I respectfully differ from sfcityduck’s viewpoint. As mentioned previously, Cap #1 has both origin and first appearance of a major villain.  It also has the origin and first appearance of Cap’s young sidekick ally, Bucky.  OK, sidekicks and patriotic costumes originated earlier, but I’m unaware of any in a first appearance book devoted to it’s featured character.  

Superman #1 is a great book, it’s also a reprint book comprised of early Action Comics stories.  If looking for a better first issue from DC, go with Batman #1 (all new material & first appearances of Joker & Cat-woman).  From my perspective Batman #1 is on a parr with Cap #1, even though the art in Cap is arguably much better.

When discussing Captain America one thing too easily overlooked is the groundbreaking work of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.  What’s missed or glossed over is how influential the developing style of Jack Kirby was on other publishers and artists.  In comics, the think outside the panel concept, building on all variety of aspects and perspectives was originated here and copied by just about everyone.  

Personally, I think S&K were inspired by Orson Welles’ groundbreaking film Citizen Kane which came out just prior to Cap’s arrival on the scene. All of the bizarre perspectives are incorporated in Kirby’s work of this period.  That inspiration had to come from somewhere, and this seems the most logical source. The design of the panels reflect Jack’s attempts to convey fluid action in three dimensions while confined to a two dimensional medium.

Cap’s shield ...which first appeared in Cap #2... was a brilliant solution to a sticky legal issue of similarity between his first shield and the costume of MLJ’s biggest superhero character The Shield.  By revising the shield to a round design S&K turned a defensive devise that was also a legal liability into an effective weapon again inspiring imitators including MLJ who employed the round shield as a weapon used by The Shield’s Nazi nemesis.  

These discussions about which character should be more popular with collectors reminds me of the film Ford Verses Ferrari.  How dare an upstart challenge the tradition and success of the first and best performance design, a proven winner. Well, that’s what innovation is all about.  You improve on what works to make a better, more successful design.

i realize this thread has moved on since I started composing this response, but the debate points ...if this is a debate-worthy topic... are valid.  It doesn’t take away from any of the characters being discussed or their critical importance in the history of comics.

To me, Cap #1 is the first comic book to have that "Marvel Universe" feel. That's no doubt due to the influence of Jack Kirby's artwork later during the SA boom. It's not just one of the most recognizable superheroes in comic book history, but it's Kirby's artwork 20 years before the SA boom. I love both Marvel and DC, but for collectors who are "Marvel Zombies", those who are just not interested in DC books (think, Star Wars fans who just don't care for Star Trek), Cap #1 is viewed in a different light. Ditto Marvel #1.

[telerites]

30 minutes ago, Wayne-Tec said:

I believe Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman were the only characters to survive from their creation through the beginning of the Silver Age.

I thought Aquaman and Green Arrow (with Speedy) ran through as well.  But if you are talking about in their own titles, they wouldn't count and they were back-up features.

[Mmehdy]

35 minutes ago, Wayne-Tec said:

To me, Cap #1 is the first comic book to have that "Marvel Universe" feel. That's no doubt due to the influence of Jack Kirby's artwork later during the SA boom. It's not just one of the most recognizable superheroes in comic book history, but it's Kirby's artwork 20 years before the SA boom. I love both Marvel and DC, but for collectors who are "Marvel Zombies", those who are just not interested in DC books (think, Star Wars fans who just don't care for Star Trek), Cap #1 is viewed in a different light. Ditto Marvel #1.

Especially since Marvel #1 is a second printing of the Sub and Human Torch's appearances. I would take Cap #1 over All Star #8, actually both of them.

[Wayne-Tec]

Just now, Mmehdy said:

Especially since Marvel #1 is a second printing of the Sub and Human Torch's appearances. I would take Cap #1 over All Star #8, actually both of them.

Second printing of Torch's first appearance?

It's the second printing of Sub-Mariner's first appearance (sort of).

No doubt that Sub-Mariner is an important part of the Marvel Universe. But Marvel #1 doesn't have that Jack Kirby SA Boom Marvel Universe feel.

Cap #1 does.

[lou_fine]

1 hour ago, Wayne-Tec said:

On 4/22/2020 at 11:00 AM, Mmehdy said:

I could not of  said it better. But I will add that early on, in 1973 Cap#1 cracked $1000 before Batman 1 and Sup #1. It clearly is a great book  and has in my opinion one of the greatest timely  Hitler covers, the weakness if any is the release date in relation to Bat and Sup #1.Cap#1 might not be Scifyduck"s favorite but in terms of pure value I would take Cap1 over All Star 8 in a New York Minute.  In a way it was ahead of its time as it was not until December 1941 that Germany declared war on us officially.

Mitch, do you own a copy?

Clearly, you are asking the wrong question here.  

The correct question to ask Mitch is:  How many copies do you own and are you willing to donate one gratis to a poor cash challenged collector like me?    

Edited April 23, 2020 by lou_fine

[ChillMan]

Tier 1

Action 1

Detective 27

 

Tier 2

All-American 16

All Star 8

Batman 1

Captain America 1

Flash 1

Flash/Thrill Ashcan 1

More Fun 73

Motion Picture Funnies Weekly 1

 

Tier 3

Detective 38

Marvel 1

Whiz 2(1)

 

Tier 4

All-American 19

More Fun 52

Mystery Men 1

New York World's Fair 1939

Pep 22

Police 1

Superman 1

 

First appearances of major characters is what should matter....and what will matter in the future.  Stories, artwork, etc. shouldn't matter.  Arguing about which character is cooler at the moment shouldn't matter much.  Rarity is a factor.  Cameo appearances could be a factor (for More Fun 52 and All-American 19).

Edited April 24, 2020 by ChillMan
Added 3 comics to my list

[lou_fine]

28 minutes ago, ChillMan said:

Tier 4

All-American 19

More Fun 52

Mystery Men 1

New York World's Fair 1939

Police 1

 

First appearances of major characters is what should matter....and what will matter in the future.  

Well, with the exclusion of both Supes 1 and Bat 1 combined with the inclusion of both Mystery Men 1 and Police Comics 1, it looks like you are definitely going with first appearances all the way.  

Although most longer term collectors would have selected Wonder Comics 1 over Mystery Men 1, I actually agree with your selection of MM 1 since it was a much longer run than the 2-issue run of Wonder Comics before DC's lawsuit shut them down.  In addition, Blie Beetle is pretty much still around in the comics today some 80+ years after his first appearance in MM 1.  

I am also in total agreement with your selection of Police Comics 1 since I feel that this has long been a much under appreciated and hence, rather under valued GA key book that has been overlooked by most GA collectors.  Definitely hard to beat when its got the first appearance of Plastic Man and Phantom Lady.  Especially since Plastic Man is still around in comic book form to this day and also supposed to get his own movie in the not too distant future.  Although the Police Comics version of Phanton Lady is definitely not as readily recognizable as the classic Baker GGA sultry cover version which came in the latter part of the 40's, she's another character who has morphed through various alter egos over the decades to still be around in one form or another.   

The one that I would disagree with is All-American 19 since the Atom is a relatively minor and 3rd tier character from my point of view and we already have far too many DC characters on this list here.  Plus I just wanted to make room for Amazing Man 5 since I consider that to be the flagship and key book for the highly desirable and HTF Centaur line.  

As for your Tier 2 selection of the Flash/Thrill Ashcan, I would take that off my list since I personally don't think ashcans should be included in these kinds of list.  In its place, I would definitely put in Pep 22 into Tier 2 since it is a first appearance of a major comic book character (i.e. Archie and his gang) who has basically run uninterrupted in a slew of comic book titles for some 80 odd years now.