Show us your “one and done” book that encapsulates a genre 4 4

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

None of us have the resources to collect everything we want; all of us are forced to make choices. It’s a big world out there, and every genre we collect is at the cost of another.

is there a book in your collection that, to you, is so representative of a genre that you can look yourself in the mirror and say “I’m done”?  Is there a book in your collection that is so representative of a genre that you feel free to move on?

I was big into WWII war covers, but realized very quickly I couldn’t get em all. So I’ve settled on my favorite cover and released the rest. 

Then, @Ricksneatstuff got me into GGA, and there I went, chasing a different flock of geese. @Gotham Kid got me into Pre-Robin Tecs, same result.

Yesterday there appeared a thread about a piece of John Buscema art that had just sold on the Bay, and @delekkerste said “it’s the closest thing to a one-and-done piece you'll find that encapsulates an era”.   It’s what gave me the idea for this topic. 
 

Anyway, below is the Buscema piece, followed by a couple of books that, for me, scratch the itch for a couple different genres, and releases me to turn my attention elsewhere. 
 

is there such a book in your collection?

 

My favorite WWII war cover!

 

 

my favorite GGA cover

Edited August 31, 2020 by GreatCaesarsGhost

[piper]

That book for me is TEC 37. I bought a restored copy several years ago. I know that if I ever sell it, I cannot really ever afford to pick it up again.

For me it’s the perfect early BM cover. I’ll try and post a photo later today.

As an aside, I love the Buscema art posted above. Was that for a calendar or poster? I’ve been keeping my eye out for a vintage Marvel Bronze Age poster that I can frame and put in my TV room.

[Gotham Kid]

44 minutes ago, piper said:

That book for me is TEC 37. I bought a restored copy several years ago. I know that if I ever sell it, I cannot really ever afford to pick it up again.

For me it’s the perfect early BM cover. I’ll try and post a photo later today.

My fav preRobin cover

[piper]

7 minutes ago, Gotham Kid said:

My fav preRobin cover

Mine too. I know that 31 and 35 get all the love but the kinetic aspect of this cover shouldn’t be overlooked. I love the Crime Noir feel.

[valiantman]

Over 20 years ago, I found a small stack of about 60 different 1946-1947 comic books in an antique mall and sold them all on Ebay in the late-1990s.

They were all under 7.0 condition, there were no key issues, and I can only remember a few of the specific issues, but one that I know I had was a mid-grade copy of Detective Comics #111.

I'm a Superman fan, so I don't spend a lot of time or money on Golden Age Batman comics, but this book represents not only Golden Age Batman for me, it also represents that "stack of 1946-1947 books" I once had.

In my mind, it might even be the same book I sold in the late-1990s.  It doesn't hurt that it looks like the kind of book that would get a significant upgrade with a clean and press... but I prefer it in the old label being slabbed so much closer to the time I had those books.

Edited September 1, 2020 by valiantman

[IngelsFan]

Iconic title, legendary publisher, and an insanely cool image:

[Artboy99]

11 hours ago, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

None of us have the resources to collect everything we want; all of us are forced to make choices. It’s a big world out there, and every genre we collect is at the cost of another.

is there a book in your collection that, to you, is so representative of a genre that you can look yourself in the mirror and say “I’m done”?  Is there a book in your collection that is so representative of a genre that you feel free to move on?

I was big into WWII war covers, but realized very quickly I couldn’t get em all. So I’ve settled on my favorite cover and released the rest. 

Then, @Ricksneatstuff got me into GGA, and there I went, chasing a different flock of geese. @Gotham Kid got me into Pre-Robin Tecs, same result.

Yesterday there appeared a thread about a piece of John Buscema art that had just sold on the Bay, and @delekkerste said “it’s the closest thing to a one-and-done piece you'll find that encapsulates an era”.   It’s what gave me the idea for this topic. 
 

Anyway, below is the Buscema piece, followed by a couple of books that, for me, scratch the itch for a couple different genres, and releases me to turn my attention elsewhere. 
 

is there such a book in your collection?

 

My favorite WWII war cover!

 

 

my favorite GGA cover

the Buscema piece is fabulous. Wish it was in my collection. As to my golden one and done

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

Love that cover. Gets the sci fi, the GGA, and the soti all in one shot

[piper]

Another book like this for me is Planet 71.  I personally think it's the best cover of the run and I have no reason to compile a broader section of the books. @Artboy99 has the entire run, so I can always look at his copies.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

25 minutes ago, piper said:

Another book like this for me is Planet 71.  I personally think it's the best cover of the run and I have no reason to compile a broader section of the books. @Artboy99 has the entire run, so I can always look at his copies.

I’m with you, my friend 

[Ricksneatstuff]

If push came to show of this would be my one and done in the run.

 

[KirbyJack]

Golden age DC hero comics. My only example, if we exclude Boy Commandos. Good representation in here.

 

[KirbyJack]

Humor comics. No better book to capture the genre.

[Joshua33]

14 minutes ago, Ricksneatstuff said:

If push came to show of this would be my one and done in the run.

 

Nice copy Rick!

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

17 minutes ago, Ricksneatstuff said:

If push came to show of this would be my one and done in the run.

 

One of my favorites too

[KirbyJack]

I miss my Four Color 38, but I like how old Single Series 2 is. Westerns make me think of my Dad, and in particular, his very rural childhood in the 1930s. This cover just screams “old comic book!”

[Comics181]

I’ve had several golden age books which I’ve enjoyed, but my latest pick up is something special. A combination of many brilliant artists, still in the infancy of comics, and representative of the gradual pace towards the US joining the war. Also represents the continued consolidation of superheroes in our culture

Edited September 1, 2020 by Comics181

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

Yes @Comics181, this is even before Cap 1. Though the other publishers would only publish enemy soldiers in generic uniforms, Timely came straight at the reader with nazi uniforms 

[OtherEric]

This is actually a pulp, not a comic... but I think it's the issue to get if you only get one issue of Weird Tales.  It has a cover by Margaret Brundage, a new story by Robert E. Howard, and a new story by H. P. Lovecraft, arguably the three names most associated with the magazine.  And it is the ONLY issue with that trifecta... there are other issues with all three of them, but either the Lovecraft story is a reprint, or either Howard or Lovecraft just have a poem, not a story.  On top of that, it has a second Lovecraft story, one of his revisions where he worked with another writer.  It has a Jules de Grandin story by Seabury Quinn, which has fallen out of favor but at the time was the most popular series by the most popular writer in the book.  It has a Hyperborea story by Clark Ashton Smith, as well, making this the only magazine from the 30's to have three mythos stories.  And just to wrap things up, there are stories by Jack Williamson and Edmond Hamilton. 

So yeah, this one ticks all sorts of boxes.

[Robot Man]

14 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Humor comics. No better book to capture the genre.

I might be just a little biased, but nailed it! A totally new concept when it came out. Created an empire, and influenced so many people. In my opinion, easily in the top ten most influential comics ever published.