CGC Members Choice: Most Single Undervalued GA Comic book your opinion and mine! 7 7

[N e r V]

On 10/21/2022 at 7:42 AM, sfcityduck said:

I am serious, the very first appearance of the one of the most important pop culture and comic characters of all time.  Thought by many to have first appeared in film, the reality is that this is his first appearance (pre-dates the cartoon).  Nothing - in any medium - came earlier. First Donald Duck and super undervalued:

 

On 10/24/2022 at 2:02 PM, Professor K said:

I thought you were joking at first but I looked it up. Yeah, Nice. It really is the first appearance. The first cartoon he was in was The Wise Little Hen -  May 1934, which is Spring. The first comic strip he was in was Sept. 1934. 

 

On 10/21/2022 at 1:43 PM, bounty_coder said:

 

This is a good one, and one that very few know of (outside of our elite comic knowledge circles). 

The one difficulty with this book is that it was a comic strip; inserted into the pages of a Published Magazine.  The fact that CGC doesn't grade them also makes it difficult to have a good "index" on whether it is valued appropriately or not.  But, I definitely do agree it is probably "undervalued" due to being "under-known".  Though I think the format does turn a majority of comic collectors off especially since it cannot be "slabbed".

With that said, I do have a piggy-back entry to yours @sfcityduck 

The Adventures of Mickey Mouse Book 1 (David McKay, 1931) First Disney book by strict definition with a first printing of 50,000 copies.

• Illustrated text refers to Clarabelle Cow as "Carolyn" and Horace Horsecollar as "Henry".
• The name "Donald Duck" appears with a non-costumed generic duck on back cover and inside, not in the context of the character that later debuted in The Wise Little Hen.
• Check out this writeup by the D23 (Official Disney Fan Club) site: https://d23.com/donald-duck-early-appearance/

 

11 Copies Graded.  Top VF/NM 9.0 

 

I think you can find a decent entry level copy still for around $200.00 and up if you’re watchful. I got a few and settled on a VFish copy years ago for under $20.00. Are we sure these aren’t capable of CGC grading? I collect so many mags from Life to Time to Sports Illustrated I don’t remember the exact measurements on 1930’s Good Housekeeping?

[sfcityduck]

On 10/24/2022 at 2:00 PM, Sauce Dog said:

Yup, though I've found the ones I've dealt with actively don't want sexist or problematic books, avoiding ones that outright depict sexual harassment or problematic dynamics, but rather are 'spicy' and enjoyable in their own right (barn make out sessions, fun text). I do think the prices are still high for many of these books and do see them correcting, but the demand is there so perhaps it will enough to sustain it at more reasonable price points.

I actually think Romance has a stronger upside, but I think of them as being about a lot more than just GGA. They are a ripe target for those who like social commentary and history.

[sfcityduck]

On 10/24/2022 at 6:36 PM, N e r V said:

 

 

I think you can find a decent entry level copy still for around $200.00 and up if you’re watchful. I got a few and settled on a VFish copy years ago for under $20.00. Are we sure these aren’t capable of CGC grading? I collect so many mags from Life to Time to Sports Illustrated I don’t remember the exact measurements on 1930’s Good Housekeeping?

I just bought a Lot (single Lot) of Good Housekeeping Silly Symphony pages off of Heritage a few weeks ago for less than a $100.  Included in the 30+ pages was the Wise Little Hen.  No one else noticed.  I debated just framing it, as I have long wanted a single page to frame up because I just couldn't bring myself to take a razor blade to the magazine.  But with this purchase my conscience is clean!  Still, due to another thread on submitting single pages to CGC, I have decided to submit my single page to CGC to get them to acknowledge the book's significance as the very first DD appearance.  Ironically, there are a few copies of recent Good Housekeepings on the CGC census (Deadpool cover) so I know they will slab an issue of the magazine and the size of the page should fit given it was trimmed.  You can thank me when the page comes back from CGC and the run-up begins!

Edited October 25, 2022 by sfcityduck

[thehumantorch]

On 10/8/2022 at 9:58 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

Great thread! I'll probably make several entries to this as it progresses. There are a number of undervalued books which are respected and valued but haven't peaked or reached their actual full level of appreciation yet. The way I assess this criteria-wise is general cover appeal followed by content and scarcity. I see Mitch's point about HT #3 given the ad for Cap and it only being the 2nd quarterly issue.  It probably is a bit undervalued. 

My short list of undervalued books includes HIT Comics #18, sporting a brilliantly composed & signed Reed Crandall cover (he rarely signed his covers), the first featuring of Stormy Foster.  There have been precious few of these books in the marketplace, less than 10 graded the last time I checked. Quality Comics publisher "Busy" Arnold was known for hiring great artists and paying the best rates. This book is no exception with consistently high quality art throughout.  The Japanese saboteur cover anticipates war, ironically pre-dating Pearl Harbor (the issue having a cover date of Dec. 1941 and newsstand on sale date of October 3). I'm a fortunate owner of two graded copies of this book, the first being the Pennsylvania pedigree:

 

I think you could argue that the first 20 issues or so are undervalued.  Wonderful covers.

[Sauce Dog]

On 10/24/2022 at 9:52 PM, sfcityduck said:

I actually think Romance has a stronger upside, but I think of them as being about a lot more than just GGA. They are a ripe target for those who like social commentary and history.

Yup, and bonus they are some of the only GA books that can still be picked in super high grade for cheap (you can still find top-census / file copies for a few hundred bucks)

[woowoo]

On 10/16/2022 at 6:20 PM, Ameri said:

ahhh but Detective 26 came out a month earlier than Action 12 here's the text

Yes Tec 26 came out first but had no image of Batman Action 12 has image 

[Ameri]

On 10/24/2022 at 10:34 PM, woowoo said:

Yes Tec 26 came out first but had no image of Batman Action 12 has image 

yes but both Tec 27 and Action 12 came out the same month (May 1939) so how does Action 12 gets "tagged" as a first appearance? Seems simultaneous to me 

[Cat-Man_America]

My third "single" entry (LOL) in this pantheon of undervalued books is PRIZE Comics #20;

In my estimation the run itself is undervalued, but here's my rationale for this particular issue...

1. Very low census numbers; extremely rare in grade.

2. Two featured characters from this flagship title were awarded S/T books of their own.

3. Whimsical cover features all of Prize's main characters in non-combat patriotic theme foreshadowing U.S. entry into WWII.

4. Strong interior art (Paul Norris, Chs. Sultan, Jack Binder, D. Briefer, et al.) and cover.

Artistically, Jack Binder's cover is a masterpiece of Winsor McCay-like architectural detail. ...IOW, this book is a real PRIZE!  

[comicnoir]

On 10/26/2022 at 2:01 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

My third "single" entry (LOL) in this pantheon of undervalued books is PRIZE Comics #20;

In my estimation the run itself is undervalued, but here's my rationale for this particular issue...

1. Very low census numbers; extremely rare in grade.

2. Two featured characters from this flagship title were awarded S/T books of their own.

3. Whimsical cover features all of Prize's main characters in non-combat patriotic theme foreshadowing U.S. entry into WWII.

4. Strong interior art (Paul Norris, Chs. Sultan, Jack Binder, D. Briefer, et al.) and cover.

Artistically, Jack Binder's cover is a masterpiece of Winsor McCay-like architectural detail. ...IOW, this book is a real PRIZE!  

What I want to know is why there are no women on this cover? Was this unnamed city populated entirely by men? Even the sidewalks?

[Cat-Man_America]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:14 AM, comicnoir said:

What I want to know is why there are no women on this cover? Was this unnamed city populated entirely by men? Even the sidewalks?

It's clearly a windy day; the guys were probably better prepared for the draft. 

[Primetime]

On 10/25/2022 at 6:06 PM, Ameri said:

yes but both Tec 27 and Action 12 came out the same month (May 1939) so how does Action 12 gets "tagged" as a first appearance? Seems simultaneous to me 

Distribution timing will always vary region to region and newsstand to newsstand, but Action 12 may have hit the stands a few weeks prior to Tec 27. 
 

http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/newsstand.php?type=calendar&month=4&year=1939&publisher=all&sort=alpha&checklist=null&variantex=null&collectionex=null

[woowoo]

On 10/25/2022 at 6:06 PM, Ameri said:

yes but both Tec 27 and Action 12 came out the same month (May 1939) so how does Action 12 gets "tagged" as a first appearance? Seems simultaneous to me 

  April vs May Action 12 is first image 

Edited October 26, 2022 by woowoo

[Robot Man]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:01 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

My third "single" entry (LOL) in this pantheon of undervalued books is PRIZE Comics #20;

In my estimation the run itself is undervalued, but here's my rationale for this particular issue...

1. Very low census numbers; extremely rare in grade.

2. Two featured characters from this flagship title were awarded S/T books of their own.

3. Whimsical cover features all of Prize's main characters in non-combat patriotic theme foreshadowing U.S. entry into WWII.

4. Strong interior art (Paul Norris, Chs. Sultan, Jack Binder, D. Briefer, et al.) and cover.

Artistically, Jack Binder's cover is a masterpiece of Winsor McCay-like architectural detail. ...IOW, this book is a real PRIZE!  

I LOVE Prize comics and have collected them for years. I actually have a decent copy of #20 myself. I will attest that it is indeed a very tough one. As are many in the run. “Undervalued”? Not so much any more. I sure miss the days when they were. 

I always feel a little sorry for poor Frankie on that cover. Paraded around in bondage in the back seat of a roadster…

[Ameri]

ok I surrender, back to the subject at hand. I think All Star 4 is woefully under-valued. The 3 is the first meeting where they get together to trade tales of valor but the 4 is the first time they actually performed as a team in a multi-chaptered adventure which became the standard format till the end of the run. It's also a great cover with the Capitol and American flag in the background.  A 4.0 recently sold for a paltry $3200.

[Sauce Dog]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:24 PM, Ameri said:

ok I surrender, back to the subject at hand. I think All Star 4 is woefully under-valued. The 3 is the first meeting where they get together to trade tales of valor but the 4 is the first time they actually performed as a team in a multi-chaptered adventure which became the standard format till the end of the run. It's also a great cover with the Capitol and American flag in the background.  A 4.0 recently sold for a paltry $3200.

I always pegged this as the one to get as it felt like the actual important first for the team as the previous issue was them just sitting around telling stories. I much prefer the cover as well (that and I actually own this issue since #3 is far out of my budget. I hope to upgrade my copy before it gets really expensive)

[PRTeckie]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:37 AM, woowoo said:

  April vs May Action 12 is first image 

Folks,

Here is the timeline for the first Batman house ads:

The two-line, black text house ad appears in the following comics. (The release date in parentheses for each book comes from The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals.)

Cover date April, 1939:

Action Comics #11 (3/2/39)
More Fun Comics #42 (3/5/39)
Detective Comics #26 (3/8/39)
Adventure Comics #37 (3/10/39)

Cover date May, 1939:

The last-panel house ad featuring an image of The Batman's head appears only in:

Action Comics #12 (3/24/39)

A one-line text only house ad reading "THE BATMAN appears every month in DETECTIVE COMICS! Don't miss him"" with THE BATMAN, and DETECTIVE COMICS printed in red ink appears in the following comics:

More Fun Comics #43 (3/28/39)
Adventure Comics #38 (4/3/39)

Detective Comics #27 was released (according to The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals) on 3/30/1939.

Therefore, the winners are:

First published mention of The Batman character: Action Comics #11
First published image of The Batman character: Action Comics #12
First appearance of The Batman character: Detective #27

National Periodical Publications printed one other comic title which could have contained a Batman house ad printed before the release of Detective #27:

Movie Comics #1 (Cover date April 1939)
Movie Comics #2 (Cover date May, 1939)

I was unable to find a copy of both online to examine. I was also unable to find either book in The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals. The only other piece of info I could find was that Movie Comics #1 contained an ad for All-American Comics #1. Like both Movie Comics, I could not find an entry in The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals, so the only time frame is its April, 1939 cover date.

Perhaps a boardie owns a copy of Movie Comics #1 and/or #2 and could check to see if an ad for The Batman appears there?

[Robot Man]

On 10/26/2022 at 6:24 PM, Ameri said:

ok I surrender, back to the subject at hand. I think All Star 4 is woefully under-valued. The 3 is the first meeting where they get together to trade tales of valor but the 4 is the first time they actually performed as a team in a multi-chaptered adventure which became the standard format till the end of the run. It's also a great cover with the Capitol and American flag in the background.  A 4.0 recently sold for a paltry $3200.

A sentimental favorite. One of the first real GA books I ever bought. Found it at the Rose Bowl flea market in the late ‘60’s. I didn’t know the characters and remember being a bit confused with the Flash. And who were the Justice Society?

[Ameri]

On 10/26/2022 at 11:21 PM, PRTeckie said:

Folks,

Here is the timeline for the first Batman house ads:

The two-line, black text house ad appears in the following comics. (The release date in parentheses for each book comes from The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals.)

Cover date April, 1939:

Action Comics #11 (3/2/39)
More Fun Comics #42 (3/5/39)
Detective Comics #26 (3/8/39)
Adventure Comics #37 (3/10/39)

Cover date May, 1939:

The last-panel house ad featuring an image of The Batman's head appears only in:

Action Comics #12 (3/24/39)

A one-line text only house ad reading "THE BATMAN appears every month in DETECTIVE COMICS! Don't miss him"" with THE BATMAN, and DETECTIVE COMICS printed in red ink appears in the following comics:

More Fun Comics #43 (3/28/39)
Adventure Comics #38 (4/3/39)

Detective Comics #27 was released (according to The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals) on 3/30/1939.

Therefore, the winners are:

First published mention of The Batman character: Action Comics #11
First published image of The Batman character: Action Comics #12
First appearance of The Batman character: Detective #27

National Periodical Publications printed one other comic title which could have contained a Batman house ad printed before the release of Detective #27:

Movie Comics #1 (Cover date April 1939)
Movie Comics #2 (Cover date May, 1939)

I was unable to find a copy of both online to examine. I was also unable to find either book in The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals. The only other piece of info I could find was that Movie Comics #1 contained an ad for All-American Comics #1. Like both Movie Comics, I could not find an entry in The Catalog of Copyright Entries For Periodicals, so the only time frame is its April, 1939 cover date.

Perhaps a boardie owns a copy of Movie Comics #1 and/or #2 and could check to see if an ad for The Batman appears there?

Well done!! Movie Comics 2 doesn't appear to have a house ad. Not sure about #1. I didn't realize that so many April issues contained the text ad. I like the text ad in the Detective 26 best since Batman is associated with Detective Comics and Bob Kane's name appears under that ad. Here are the 4 text ads in the order that you identified. Thank you for that information 

Edited October 28, 2022 by Ameri

[ChillMan]

How could I forget about Action Comics #12 ??

Look for it to challenge for the top spot in my list in the yearly Top-20 thread.

[ChillMan]

On 10/21/2022 at 6:24 AM, bronze johnny said:

Whenever I see the question about an undervalued comic book, it’s easy to come up with “nuance” books like a character’s appearing in an in house ad prior to the actual first appearance of that character in a comic book story. A nuance book tends to be the focus for the advanced collector of a specified area in comics. That focus takes the collector deeper into the area and in this case, the Golden Age (which ended with the defeat of the last of the Axis Powers in 1945). What needs to be further pointed out is that the value of a nuanced book that has the character’s in house ad appearance is really being compared to the issue with that character’s defined first appearance. Superman is an example because what’s really said about his first in house ad appearance in terms of value and it being undervalued is when it’s primarily compared to the value of Action Comics 1. The same can be said about Timely’s “lesser tiered” books like Young Allies and how it’s really compared to the Marvel Mystery Comics and Captain America titles. DC golden age collectors and those focused on Fawcetts, Fox, Nedor, and etc. are not nuanced Timely collectors comparing values between first and second tier Timely books. The other significant point here is what the impact a book had on the industry and those that followed it. None of the books mentioned come anywhere near the impact Crime Does Not Pay 22 had on the entire history of comic books and is one major reason why it’s the most undervalued GA key. 

To me, it's the opposite.

My eyes seeing a character is a fact.  The first published image is a fact.

Everything else is nuance and opinion.