The ALL Schomburg all-the-time thread... 15 15

[Robot Man]

On 6/14/2023 at 4:42 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

Why don’t you go ahead and write $1.00 on it and send it my way

Anybody else remember this. Long before slabs, mylar, and bags, folks often penciled the price on the back cover. I recently found a nice pretty desirable PCH book with $1.50 penciled on the back and realized that was exactly what I paid probably 40 years ago!

Kind of glad I didn’t erase it as I usually did. A fun piece of early comic collecting history. 

[Ameri]

[LadyDeath]

Happy to grab this one! Low grade but I'll take it. Can't beat his airbrushed sci-fi covers.

[Cat-Man_America]

Don't know if this has ever been cleared up to everyone's satisfaction, but the cover of Marvel Mystery #8 appears to me to be by Schomburg and is listed as such in the MarvelFandom.com attributions. Some may think think this an Everett cover, but it doesn't look like his work from this period to me. Note: MM#8 wasn't listed among the covers officially credited to Alex, but that may just be an oversight. If anyone has opinions or evidence one way or the other, please share! 

 

Spoiler

 

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

On 8/6/2023 at 11:27 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

Don't know if this has ever been cleared up to everyone's satisfaction, but the cover of Marvel Mystery #8 appears to me to be by Schomburg and is listed as such in the MarvelFandom.com attributions. Some may think think this an Everett cover, but it doesn't look like his work from this period to me. Note: MM#8 wasn't listed among the covers officially credited to Alex, but that may just be an oversight. If anyone has opinions or evidence one way or the other, please share! 

 

  Hide contents

 

The girl, more than anything else to me, looks Schomburg. The action and style reminds of Schomburg’s early work in the Daring books. So my vote is Schomburg 

 

once this conundrum gets run to ground, I have another which I will be pitching to the thread readers here, which I regard as the greater Schomburg knowledge hive-mind . . . 

[LadyDeath]

On 8/7/2023 at 8:10 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

The girl, more than anything else to me, looks Schomburg. The action and style reminds of Schomburg’s early work in the Daring books. So my vote is Schomburg

Was gonna say the same thing. Schomburg's women always had a pretty distinct look.

[LadyDeath]

Here's one with a similar expression from Captain Easy (1948). MM#8 is more of Schomburg's older style but you can tell it's him.

[Marty Mann]

[MrBedrock]

On 8/7/2023 at 7:10 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

The girl, more than anything else to me, looks Schomburg. The action and style reminds of Schomburg’s early work in the Daring books. So my vote is Schomburg 

 

once this conundrum gets run to ground, I have another which I will be pitching to the thread readers here, which I regard as the greater Schomburg knowledge hive-mind . . . 

It could possibly, maybe, be someone other than Schomburg, but it definitely is not Everett.

[Ameri]

I got this slightly better copy today. 

[Primetime]

On 8/6/2023 at 9:27 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

Don't know if this has ever been cleared up to everyone's satisfaction, but the cover of Marvel Mystery #8 appears to me to be by Schomburg and is listed as such in the MarvelFandom.com attributions. Some may think think this an Everett cover, but it doesn't look like his work from this period to me. Note: MM#8 wasn't listed among the covers officially credited to Alex, but that may just be an oversight. If anyone has opinions or evidence one way or the other, please share! 

 

  Hide contents

 

That is Schomburg all the way. In fact, Schomburg did all the Marvel Mystery covers from 3-11,13-29. 12 is a Kirby. Then Gabrielle takes over for 30-32. Then Schomburg again with a Syd Shores break for 37,38. Then Schomburg again all the way through issue 71 after which it switches up a lot. Goodman loved Schomburg. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Primetime

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

Ok, Schomburg hive-mind. 
 

I only recently obtained and read Chroma, and it contains information that I question. The book was authored by Jon Gustafson, someone I never had the fortune to know. And now that he’s passed away, I can’t ask him. 
 

his book contains a claim that relates to Schomburg’s depictions of real life battle locations(I.e. think Brenner Pass in Cap 33, etc). Gustafson says that the release of Schomburg’s cover to MMC 47 had to delayed because it unwittingly let the cat out of the bag in advance of a planned US attack. This is what I find hard to believe, and am seeking knowledge here.

it’s true that MMC 47 does depict a US attack on a real life German target, and it’s also true the US military did attack this dam. But how on earth would an as-yet-unpublished cover from a comic artist ever have come to the attention of the US military? Conversely, how on earth would a comic artist stumble upon the knowledge - in advance of publication- that his fictional attack was “not so fictional” and could actually jeopardize a planned mission?

I would ordinarily dismiss this as bull carp, and yet I doubt Gustafson just pulled this claim out of thin air. I find it more likely that Schomburg drew his cover after the US attack was made public 

what think you?

Edited August 9, 2023 by GreatCaesarsGhost

[Point Five]

@GreatCaesarsGhost Agreed, it sounds like there's a kernel of truth in there somewhere but 'they were forced to delay publication of the cover' is probably a stretch.

 

[Cat-Man_America]

On 8/9/2023 at 6:15 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

Ok, Schomburg hive-mind. 
 

I only recently obtained and read Chroma, and it contains information that I question. The book was authored by Jon Gustafson, someone I never had the fortune to know. And now that he’s passed away, I can’t ask him. 
 

his book contains a claim that relates to Schomburg’s depictions of real life battle locations(I.e. think Brenner Pass in Cap 33, etc). Gustafson says that the release of Schomburg’s cover to MMC 47 had to delayed because it unwittingly let the cat out of the bag in advance of a planned US attack. This is what I find hard to believe, and am seeking knowledge here.

it’s true that MMC 47 does depict a US attack on a real life German target, and it’s also true the US military did attack this dam. But how on earth would an as-yet-unpublished cover from a comic artist ever have come to the attention of the US military? Conversely, how on earth would a comic artist stumble upon the knowledge - in advance of publication- that his fictional attack was “not so fictional” and could actually jeopardize a planned mission?

I would ordinarily dismiss this as bull carp, and yet I doubt Gustafson just pulled this claim out of thin air. I find it more likely that Schomburg drew his cover after the US attack was made public 

what think you?

This is entirely possible if war related art featuring locations had to be submitted for final government approval before distribution or if someone at Timely ran the cover art past a government official before it went to press. There was cooperation between publishers and the government during WWII especially related to anything involving war related propaganda.  This story obviously came directly from Schomburg as he signed off on adding it to his biography; I'd trust the source in lieu of evidence to the contrary. 

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

On 8/12/2023 at 1:53 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

This is entirely possible if war related art featuring locations had to be submitted for final government approval before distribution or if someone at Timely ran the cover art past a government official before it went to press. There was cooperation between publishers and the government during WWII especially related to anything involving war related propaganda.  This story obviously came directly from Schomburg as he signed off on adding it to his biography; I'd trust the source in lieu of evidence to the contrary. 

You make good points. I never considered plausible any collaboration between a funny book artist and the military, but must allow for its possibility, especially given the public furor caused when Cap first punched Hitler in the nose (Simon & Kirby were on the right side of history for that one)

Edited August 13, 2023 by GreatCaesarsGhost

[bounty_coder]

On 8/9/2023 at 4:15 AM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

Ok, Schomburg hive-mind. 
 

I only recently obtained and read Chroma, and it contains information that I question. The book was authored by Jon Gustafson, someone I never had the fortune to know. And now that he’s passed away, I can’t ask him. 
 

his book contains a claim that relates to Schomburg’s depictions of real life battle locations(I.e. think Brenner Pass in Cap 33, etc). Gustafson says that the release of Schomburg’s cover to MMC 47 had to delayed because it unwittingly let the cat out of the bag in advance of a planned US attack. This is what I find hard to believe, and am seeking knowledge here.

it’s true that MMC 47 does depict a US attack on a real life German target, and it’s also true the US military did attack this dam. But how on earth would an as-yet-unpublished cover from a comic artist ever have come to the attention of the US military? Conversely, how on earth would a comic artist stumble upon the knowledge - in advance of publication- that his fictional attack was “not so fictional” and could actually jeopardize a planned mission?

I would ordinarily dismiss this as bull carp, and yet I doubt Gustafson just pulled this claim out of thin air. I find it more likely that Schomburg drew his cover after the US attack was made public 

what think you?

It is also possible that it was pure coincidence.

Schomburg illustrated a real location where war was taking place and it so happened to be a strategic forthcoming assault point. 
 

Thanks for sharing the info, it is interesting. 

[LadyDeath]

Another sweet acquisition!

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

Schomburgs did well in the recent CC auction

[LadyDeath]

Is this common at all? White pages on a low grade GA book. Looks solid for a 2.5

Edited September 9, 2023 by LadyDeath

[Ameri]

from Detective Short Stories - February 1941 issue