Batman and Superman in the Special Edition Comics made for U.S. Navy during WWII 1 1

[Cpt Kirk]

I occurred to me that very few people get to see the inside of these Special Edition comic books that were used to help develop reading skills for sailors during WWII.  So I captured the following images showing the Special Edition of Detective Comics 97 along with the regular edition of Detective Comics 97.  The next post in this thread will show the same thing for Superman 33 Special Edition and regular edition.

In my mind, the six Special Edition Comics (along with the two known Overseas Editions of Superman #27 and #28) are among the first "variants" that DC produced. 

p.s. Many copies of the Special Edition of Detective Comics 97 were miscut.  I'm pleased that my copy was had cuts that were about as "square" as any I've seen.    p.p.s.  There is a digital version of Detective 97 that can be seen on those websites that let you read old comic books for free.  However, that digital version is missing images of the inside front cover and inside back cover.   So if you are wondering what those look like, the answer is shown below.   I think it is self explanatory, but the regular version of Detective Comics 97 is shown on the top of each image.

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by Cpt Kirk

[Cpt Kirk]

Following is the Special Edition of Superman 33 alongside the regular edition of Superman 33.   The regular version of Superman 33 is shown on the top of each image.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Cpt Kirk

[Jesse-Lee]

These are amazing! How did you come by them? Thanks for sharing!

[IngelsFan]

Thanks for the interior pics of these. This is fascinating.

[Cpt Kirk]

On 11/26/2023 at 4:01 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

These are amazing! How did you come by them? Thanks for sharing!

Thank you.   Well I most recently bought the Detective 97 from Masteraddams on ebay.   And recently bought the Detective 97 regular edition from ICE collectibles in Ontario.   Both were 7.0's, so they were pricey.

I bought the Superman Special edition and regular edition on ebay in 2016.  If I recall correctly, the Superman Special Edition was about $700 and the regular edition was CGC 5.0 white pages for $377.   I'm glad I bought them back then, as it seems like the price of golden age got crazy a couple years ago (recognizing it softened a little bit at the end of last year).

I also got the Action 80 special edition many moons ago.   I still don't have the Superman 34, Action 81 and Action 84 special editions.   I don't recall seeing copies of any of those for sale in the last few years.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Cpt Kirk

[Cpt Kirk]

On 11/26/2023 at 5:09 PM, Cpt Kirk said:

Thank you.   Well I most recently bought the Detective 97 from Masteraddams on ebay.   And recently bought the Detective 97 regular edition from ICE collectibles in Ontario.   Both were 7.0's, so they were pricey.

I bought the Superman Special edition and regular edition on ebay in 2016.  If I recall correctly, the Superman Special Edition was about $700 and the regular edition was CGC 5.0 white pages for $377.   I'm glad I bought them back then, as it seems like the price of golden age got crazy a couple years ago (recognizing it softened a little bit at the end of last year).

I also got the Action 80 special edition many moons ago.   I still don't have the Superman 34, Action 81 and Action 84 special editions.   I don't recall seeing copies of any of those for sale in the last few years.

Correction.... Masteraddams has a restored Special Edition of Action Comics 81 for sale for $1500 on ebay.  

[Cpt Kirk]

On 11/26/2023 at 4:39 PM, IngelsFan said:

Thanks for the interior pics of these. This is fascinating.

If you liked this thread, you also might be interested in the following thread that describes the Overseas Edition of Superman 28:

 

[Silver Surfer]

Weird that this is the first time I have seen this being discussed here after all these years, so cool. 

[Cpt Kirk]

On 11/28/2023 at 5:06 PM, Silver Surfer said:

Weird that this is the first time I have seen this being discussed here after all these years, so cool. 

Thanks.  In my mind, what is the point of having these rare comic books if you can't share them with fellow collectors?!

[stormflora]

These are so bizarre yet fascinating finds. You definitely did the right thing in showing them off so that the world can know about their historical significance.

[JohnyShot]

Amazing to see a piece of history, I hope the thread continues. I often get this feeling that there were no bans or injunctions in these old comics. And today? And I say this as a fan of black and white comics and my favourite hero, who is and always will be none other than Lobo (although I also have the Punisher in this version). 

[marmat]

Super cool, thanks for sharing