the YOU TUBE comic book videos thread 8 8

[lou_fine]

On 2/5/2023 at 7:48 PM, Professor K said:

Finally at long last.................it's about time that these very early historic comic books which are the real roots of our hobby gets some much long overdue loving from the collecting base here.  Especially since this $5,400 appears to be a relatively strong price for a Moderate Restored copy and pretty much double what it sold for in the Jon berk Auction a few years ago.  More evidence of this strength is the Heritage archives here which indicates another four mid to low grade copies selling for multiples to condition guide during the past year.  Definitely a pleasantly surprising but a welcome uptick in prices on these historic books as compared to back in the day when you could barely get guide for them unless you was really super lucky:    

https://comics.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=52+790+231&Nty=1&Ntk=SI_Titles-Desc&Ntt=1272337&ic3=ViewItem-Auction-Archive-PreviousPricesHeritageExpanded-081514

Looks like the Famous Funnies 3 with the first Buck Rogers along with the Carnival of Comics also didn't do too badly in this auction here as they also sold for multiples of condition guide value, even though they were in raw condition, albeit nicely presenting copies relative to their assigned raw grades.  I still remember when Carnival of Comics was a real laggard and only able to sell at a discount to guide.  Looks like the both the GA and pre-GA marketplaces are still flying high right now based upon some of these auction results that we have been seeing here.  

Edited February 6, 2023 by lou_fine

[lou_fine]

On 2/2/2023 at 5:56 PM, Professor K said:

This man Terry Hoknes did a real nice job on a series called Comic Book History. Not sure if he's a member or if anyone here might know him.

I'll post only part 3 because that starts with Famous Funnies 1934. He shows a lot of books and interior pages and talks about the people who created all this good stuff. It's slow but pretty thorough.

Well, if you like Part 3 of his Comic Book History, then you should really go back to Part 1 to see where it all started from way back in 1933:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrEBWGyDtc4

Especially the part where the often overlooked Harry Wildenberg, the Sales Manager for Eastern Color, is given his due credit for coming up with the concept of the comic book as we know it today.  It was under his direction, that the idea for the printing and successful distribution of the comic book as an business industry in its own right was conceived.  

As you stated, although Terry is rather slow but pretty thorough, it looks like he did make one major boo-boo in this video of his.  He stated that Funnies on Parade, the acknowledged first modern format comic book, had a print run of 1,000,000 copies when in actual fact it had a limited test run of only 10,000 copies as per most recognized authorities like Overstreet and the like.  Highly doubt it would have been a million copies since it was only a test run for Wildenberg and Eastern Color before it was deemed successful enough to come out with Famous Funnies, Series 1 in the following year with a print run of 35,000 copies.  

From a comic book historical POV, a truly highly desirable book but one that appears to be rare and rather hard to find, with the CGC Census Population Report indicating a meagre total of only 14 Universal and a further 5 Restored copies graded and slabbed to date.  It looks like the the last time we had any in the marketplace were from Heritage almost a full decade ago back in 2014, while CC had a couple back in 2017.  So, for those boardies here who might be thinking of acquiring some of these historical books sooner rather than later now that they are finally picking up some steam, it just might not be a bad idea to consider the first one that really started it all and gave us all here the hobby that we all love and enjoy so much:    

Edited February 7, 2023 by lou_fine

[Professor K]

On 2/7/2023 at 2:08 PM, lou_fine said:

Well, if you like Part 3 of his Comic Book History, then you should really go back to Part 1 to see where it all started from way back in 1933:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrEBWGyDtc4

Especially the part where the often overlooked Harry Wildenberg, the Sales Manager for Eastern Color, is given his due credit for coming up with the concept of the comic book as we know it today.  It was under his direction, that the idea for the printing and successful distribution of the comic book as an business industry in its own right was conceived.  

As you stated, although Terry is rather slow but pretty thorough, it looks like he did make one major boo-boo in this video of his.  He stated that Funnies on Parade, the acknowledged first modern format comic book, had a print run of 1,000,000 copies when in actual fact it had a limited test run of only 10,000 copies as per most recognized authorities like Overstreet and the like.  Highly doubt it would have been a million copies since it was only a test run for Wildenberg and Eastern Color before it was deemed successful enough to come out with Famous Funnies, Series 1 in the following year with a print run of 35,000 copies.  

From a comic book historical POV, a truly highly desirable book but one that appears to be rare and rather hard to find, with the CGC Census Population Report indicating a meagre total of only 14 Universal and a further 5 Restored copies graded and slabbed to date.  It looks like the the last time we had any in the marketplace were from Heritage almost a full decade ago back in 2014, while CC had a couple back in 2017.  So, for those boardies here who might be thinking of acquiring some of these historical books sooner rather than later now that they are finally picking up some steam, it just might not be a bad idea to consider the first one that really started it all and gave us all here the hobby that we all love and enjoy so much:    

That is a really cool cover. Good catch on the print run mistake. No publisher listed.......seems odd, They don't know? 

[lou_fine]

On 2/7/2023 at 9:05 PM, Professor K said:

That is a really cool cover. Good catch on the print run mistake. No publisher listed.......seems odd, They don't know? 

I think it's a pretty well known fact that Eastern Color was the printer of the book for Proctor and Gamble, just that it was not listed on the book itself which is the standard practice with all other printed comic books:  

Funnies on Parade[edit]

In early 1933, Eastern Color began producing small comic broadsides for the Ledger Syndicate of Philadelphia, printing Sunday color comics from 7 in × 9 in (180 mm × 230 mm) plates. Eastern Color sales manager Harry I. Wildenberg and his coworkers — salesperson Maxwell Gaines and owner George Janosik — realized that two such plates would fit on a tabloid-sized page.

Soon after, in April 1933, Wildenberg created the first modern-format comic book when, according to legend, he folded a newspaper into halves and then into quarters and, finding that a convenient book size, led him to have to Eastern Color publish Funnies on Parade. Like The Funnies but 32 pages,^[3] this, too, was a newsprint magazine. Rather than using original material, however, it reprinted in color several comic strips licensed from the McNaught Syndicate, the Ledger Syndicate, and the Bell-McClure Syndicate.^[4] This periodical, however, was neither sold nor available on newsstands, but rather sent free as a promotional item to consumers who mailed in coupons clipped from Procter & Gamble soap and toiletries products.^[5] Ten-thousand copies were made.^[6] The promotion proved a success, and Eastern Color that year produced similar periodicals for Canada Dry soft drinks, Kinney Shoes, Wheatena cereal and others, with print runs of from 100,000 to 250,000.^[2]

In addition to Gaines, those associated with the project included Leverett Gleason other future industry notables working under Wildenberg's supervision.

Later in 1933, Gaines collaborated with Dell Publishing once again to publish the 36-page one-shot Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics,^[7] followed in 1934 by Famous Funnies, which ran for 218 issues and is considered the first true American comic book.^[8]

Edited February 9, 2023 by lou_fine

[lou_fine]

On 2/2/2023 at 5:56 PM, Professor K said:

This man Terry Hoknes did a real nice job on a series called Comic Book History.

The other video that I liked from Terry and one that I saw several years ago was his take on the first Overstreet Price Guide:  

I guess it's not really that surprising, but still rather interesting to note how many of the most valuable books in the First Edition of the Overstreet Price Guide were the very early strip reprint books like Feature Book and the books published by Eastern Color before the boys who wear their spandex underwear on the outside took over the comic book marketplace.  

A perfect example of this would be a book like Four Color 10 with the Flash Gordon reprints from Alex Raymond which came in tied in the #9 position with a Good valuation of $85 back in 1970.  I guess it must be quite clear by now that Overstreet went totally ballistics with his price increases for this year's guide as in just this one single year alone, he doubled the valuation increase for this book that he had done in the previous 51 years combined.  In other words, he bumped the Good valuation For Four Color 10 up by another $4 from $89 up to $93 since it took him 51 years to bumped it up from $85 in 1970 all the way up to $89 in 2021.    

 

[sagii]

This was an interesting one, always fascinated to see some where Golden Age just doesn't do anything for them 

 

[Jayman]

On 2/12/2023 at 9:54 AM, sagii said:

This was an interesting one, always fascinated to see some where Golden Age just doesn't do anything for them 

Strange how he concludes that there are only 3 types of collectors. Why cannot I get excited about PCH books and a Hulk 181? 

[RareHighGrade]

On 2/12/2023 at 6:54 AM, sagii said:

This was an interesting one, always fascinated to see some where Golden Age just doesn't do anything for them 

 

The funny thing about this video is that, if anything, it's a pitch for how great GA comics are.  His thesis can be distilled down to: (i) GA books are rare and amazing, (ii) most folks, including him, would love to own GA books, (iii) however, because of the higher value of GA books, he cannot afford them, and (iv) therefore, he is not interested in pursuing books that he is not in a position to obtain, even though he wishes he could afford to do so.  

[Funnybooks]

On 2/12/2023 at 9:54 AM, sagii said:

This was an interesting one, always fascinated to see some where Golden Age just doesn't do anything for them 

 

I don't care about supermodels

I will never, ever date a supermodel. 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Funnybooks

[Professor K]

On 2/12/2023 at 5:00 PM, RareHighGrade said:

The funny thing about this video is that, if anything, it's a pitch for how great GA comics are.  His thesis can be distilled down to: (i) GA books are rare and amazing, (ii) most folks, including him, would love to own GA books, (iii) however, because of the higher value of GA books, he cannot afford them, and (iv) therefore, he is not interested in pursuing books that he is not in a position to obtain, even though he wishes he could afford to do so.  

I don't think he's aware that not all GA books cost a fortune. Thousands of GA books that cost equal, the same, or less than lots of Silver and up keys.

[Funnybooks]

[Ryan.]

On 1/17/2023 at 1:42 PM, Professor K said:

It is a really good channel. They do good work and he is always spot on I think about his advice for newer collectors. He's has some really interesting, knowledgeable, and handsome guests too  

 

 

 

I've been watching my way through all the videos on the Future Past Vintage Collectibles channel. Not quite caught up yet but almost there.

Really digging the channel @zoso99

[nearmint]

 

[Krydel4]

This is one of my favorite channels. This is a good episode. Skip to the 21 minute mark to be spoiled.

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Krydel4
Clarity

[sagii]

 

[Telegan]

On 2/12/2023 at 8:54 AM, sagii said:

This was an interesting one, always fascinated to see some where Golden Age just doesn't do anything for them 

 

 

I watched that video a while back and thought he made some good points, but misses the point.  He speaks of the rarity of the comics, the unattainability of the comics, etc., but Golden Age comics are everywhere - it's only if you look for very specific ones that you may have a hard time finding them.  I mean, yeah, if you're looking for "grail" PCH comics or Action Comics #1, you may not be able to get them, and if you're looking for them in 9.x grade, you're probably going to have a tough time in many cases, but if you're just looking to get into the Golden Age, why should that matter?  So you don't get issue #1 - maybe issue #37 is pretty cool, too.  If I'm looking for a car, I'm not going to go running to a Lamborghini dealership.  Meaning, if you're looking to "get into" an era of comics or genre, get into it without worrying about getting into grails and grades.  I understand people not wanting moldy comics or ones where covers are missing or falling apart, but geez.  Then you consider the "grails" of the Silver Age and Bronze Age, and you see they're going for astronomical prices that far surpass many of the popular Golden Age comics outside of your Batmans, Actions, and Supermans because they've been pumped so high.

He talks of the 3 kinds of collectors in the video, and I think he really gets it, but it's like understanding the question is "what is 2+2?" and giving the answer "blue".  There are more kinds of collectors than that and they don't collect explicitly or solely for the reasons he states.  There are also collectors like me who don't necessarily care about "keys" and "1st appearances", and that's all he seems to be focused on when he, with a wide-sweeping brush, says he can't afford Golden Age comics.  Seriously?  You're talking about Hulk #181 and talking about Golden Age pricing people out?  You can't sniff a 0.5 Hulk #181 without paying 4 figures (ok, so maybe by the time I finish typing this post, it'll be 3 figures, but ...).   The problem with just looking for keys and first appearances and then saying you're priced out of an entire age of comics as a result is that you're basically limiting yourself.  If that's all you're after, then, yes, you're priced out - sorry.  But not everyone who collects comics worries about those things.  I don't really even care about them when collecting Bronze or Silver Age.  Heck, one of my favorite Golden Age comic covers I have is one that I paid less than $30 for - Wonderland Comics #7, and it's not even the first appearance of Alex in Wonderland!  LOL.  Yes, I'm a simple man with simple tastes.

He seems like a nice guy, but like I said, "2+2 = blue" for the most part.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Telegan

[sagii]

On 3/29/2023 at 8:55 PM, Telegan said:

 

I watched that video a while back and thought he made some good points, but misses the point.  He speaks of the rarity of the comics, the unattainability of the comics, etc., but Golden Age comics are everywhere - it's only if you look for very specific ones that you may have a hard time finding them.  I mean, yeah, if you're looking for "grail" PCH comics or Action Comics #1, you may not be able to get them, and if you're looking for them in 9.x grade, you're probably going to have a tough time in many cases, but if you're just looking to get into the Golden Age, why should that matter?  So you don't get issue #1 - maybe issue #37 is pretty cool, too.  If I'm looking for a car, I'm not going to go running to a Lamborghini dealership.  Meaning, if you're looking to "get into" an era of comics or genre, get into it without worrying about getting into grails and grades.  I understand people not wanting moldy comics or ones where covers are missing or falling apart, but geez.  Then you consider the "grails" of the Silver Age and Bronze Age, and you see they're going for astronomical prices that far surpass many of the popular Golden Age comics outside of your Batmans, Actions, and Supermans because they've been pumped so high.

He talks of the 3 kinds of collectors in the video, and I think he really gets it, but it's like understanding the question is "what is 2+2?" and giving the answer "blue".  There are more kinds of collectors than that and they don't collect explicitly or solely for the reasons he states.  There are also collectors like me who don't necessarily care about "keys" and "1st appearances", and that's all he seems to be focused on when he, with a wide-sweeping brush, says he can't afford Golden Age comics.  Seriously?  You're talking about Hulk #181 and talking about Golden Age pricing people out?  You can't sniff a 0.5 Hulk #181 without paying 4 figures (ok, so maybe by the time I finish typing this post, it'll be 3 figures, but ...).   The problem with just looking for keys and first appearances and then saying you're priced out of an entire age of comics as a result is that you're basically limiting yourself.  If that's all you're after, then, yes, you're priced out - sorry.  But not everyone who collects comics worries about those things.  I don't really even care about them when collecting Bronze or Silver Age.  Heck, one of my favorite Golden Age comic covers I have is one that I paid less than $30 for - Wonderland Comics #7, and it's not even the first appearance of Alex in Wonderland!  LOL.  Yes, I'm a simple man with simple tastes.

He seems like a nice guy, but like I said, "2+2 = blue" for the most part.

Very thoughtful commentary and I couldn't agree more.

Probably more out there that also think the era is too pricey to jump into, but like you carefully pointed out with so many ways to approach it, you can piece together a really coo and affordable l GA collection if you really want to 

[SpineTic]

 

[SpineTic]

 

[AJD]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:38 AM, ak47po said:

 

I just came here to post this one. Well worth your 10 minutes. Read the comment from Krigstein's ex student too.