Post Your Top 3 Personal Comic Book/Original Art Acquisitions of 2023! 8 8

[NewWorldOrder]

Hey everyone, 

My only positive contribution to the CGC boards is this, my annual thread!

Show the comic board community your Top 3 Comic Book and/or Original Art purchases for your collection for the year ending 2023!

(Post only personal acquisitions, and not items you have sold, profit books, or books currently for sale etc...)

Provide a little background on each item in relation to why they were your top priority in 2023.

From my family to yours wishing everyone here a Happy Holiday Season!

John (nWo Comics)

 

1.  X-Men #141 CGC 9.8 WP

Just bought this book raw and submitted it to CGC, and I finally have time to work on my Byrne X-Men run for my CGC Registry.

 

2.  Amazing Spider-Man #300 CGC 9.8 WP

    (signed by Todd McFarlane)

Also working on a CGC 9.8 set of Amazing Spider-Man Todd McFarlane run in both Blue & Yellow label.

 

 

3.  Amazing Spider-Man #28 CGC 8.5 OWW

Slowly chipping away on my Silver Age ASM run.  Been looking for this for a very long time in grade, and I feel this book looks closer to a 9.0 its that nice. 

Bought it in 2 seconds at SDCC from Alex & Austin Reece @gregreece (Great dealers and friends)

[NewWorldOrder]

Side note, obviously "Top 3" is just a loose maximum guideline.  If you only bought 1 or 2 of course post them  

[buttock]

Top 3 comics: 

Headline 8 needs little introduction, but finding a copy where the cover isn't gray is next to impossible.  

Cap 77 is absolutely impossible to find in decent shape.  This may be the nicest copy in existence of this issue, which has the awesome anti-commie part.  I love this cold war stuff, and it doesn't get much better than this. 

Marines in Battle 2, finding Atlas war in 9.0 or better is a rare feat, much less a Russ Heath flamethrower cover.  White pages to boot.    

[Dr. Balls]

I landed three really nice items this year, two pieces of art I am proud to own and a cool LB Cole book:

Jim Lee cover for Skye Runner #3 (Variant)

Early J Scott Campbell piece from 1994 - Spawn trading card art featuring Angela

Suspense Comics 8

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Dr. Balls

[Dr. Balls]

On 12/13/2023 at 4:00 PM, buttock said:

Top 3 comics: 

Headline 8 needs little introduction, but finding a copy where the cover isn't gray is next to impossible.  

Cap 77 is absolutely impossible to find in decent shape.  This may be the nicest copy in existence of this issue, which has the awesome anti-commie part.  I love this cold war stuff, and it doesn't get much better than this. 

Marines in Battle 2, finding Atlas war in 9.0 or better is a rare feat, much less a Russ Heath flamethrower cover.  White pages to boot.    

 

 

Cap 77 is a great book! I'd been looking for a nice lower grade one (lost out on auction a month or so ago for a PLOD that looked nice) - the black cover is really tough to find with few blemishes. Congrats on a sweet 8.5!

[buttock]

Top 3 OA

Bernie Wrightson Frankenstein page 1.  This sits in front of my desk where I can look at it every day and never disappoints.  The Franklin Booth in the clouds is great, but the dark texturing of the entire central figure is just wonderful with elements of Booth, Coll, and of course Wrightson.

Virgil Finlay, 'Transient' illustration.  Looked for a long time for a Finlay.  Part of the problem is that there's so much stuff.  I held out for one that really took me, and this was it.  I should have just bought one 20 years ago and saved a bunch of money, but I have no complaints. 

Russ Heath SSWS 72 Frogman page.  Heath was a diver himself and took particular interest in drawing scenes like this.  I've passed on a ton of Sea Devils pages, but this one was too good to pass on. 

 

[badback83]

Wow.  Just a few posts in and it's already blazing!  

[NewWorldOrder]

On 12/13/2023 at 3:16 PM, badback83 said:

Wow.  Just a few posts in and it's already blazing!  

Totally agree. 

This might be the best start I have seen in years!

[Ken Aldred]

There’s always some amazing material posted in this thread.

[NewWorldOrder]

On 12/13/2023 at 3:00 PM, buttock said:

 

Headline 8 needs little introduction, but finding a copy where the cover isn't gray is next to impossible. 

 

 

 

I have been on a WW2 kick lately every night watching documentaries on the subject matter. 

Pretty book, Congrats!

[ADAMANTIUM]

I've been on a journey this year that was ever so present with friends, even getting through trying times praise the Lord!

1st off, I met up with boardie @PunisherPunisherPunisher from Australia, and he had some gifts for the experience! An Amazing Spider-man #361 Aussie variant, among others, but the caveat being with this issue to do Signature Series. 

This last one has come up in the last 30 days! X-men #107 the 1st appearance even, in the "35 cent variant" section! It seems that it previously sold for half of what I paid for, and it was known on the boards too  so idk haha whoever got it on MCS for $150 then put it up for sale at MCS without even shipping?  Well I got it for $365 and I'm happy. 

Then even more recent and in the process of being "in hand" #105 35 cent price variant that makes only 1 other to wrap up ALL the "X-men price variants"  

Tentatively working same as @MagnetoWasRight on Phoenix run issues, where there seems to be an endless amount of "upgrades and etc"

Magnetowasright is doing it up right in higher grade, and yet, I'm super satisfied as they become available in my comfort zone.

[grendelbo]

I bought less than two dozen books this past year. About half were facsimiles or trade paperbacks.

I have a list of about 50 moderately to cheaply priced books that I would like to add to my collection. From time to time I will purchase one if the price and condition is right. At other times something will just catch my fancy and I will buy it if all the previously mentioned conditions are right. There is no real direction to my collecting nowadays.

Here's 3 from 2023. The Daredevil was a good find and important in my collection as Romita's art defined the look of Spider-Man for the world (although still very Ditko-esque in this issue).

I actually never owned a copy of TDKR 1 despite it being the most read and reread TPB in my collection. This one would grade at probably a 9.4 or 9.6.

The Wolverine has my letter to the editor in it. I have a 9.8 and many, many raw copies but what's one more?

 

 

By coincidence, I actually made my Top 10 of 2023 list last night. Here they are.

Spoiler

 

[KCOComics]

On 12/13/2023 at 6:00 PM, buttock said:

Top 3 comics: 

Headline 8 needs little introduction, but finding a copy where the cover isn't gray is next to impossible.  

Cap 77 is absolutely impossible to find in decent shape.  This may be the nicest copy in existence of this issue, which has the awesome anti-commie part.  I love this cold war stuff, and it doesn't get much better than this. 

Marines in Battle 2, finding Atlas war in 9.0 or better is a rare feat, much less a Russ Heath flamethrower cover.  White pages to boot.    

That may be the nicest copy of Headline 8 I've ever seen. That book is high on my want list! 

[D84]

My top 3 favorites of the year.

3) Wow Comics 13: Love this cover

2) All-American Comics 21: Yeah, it's a major beater, but I've been trying to land a copy for a long time.

1) Detective Comics 37: Now I have 3 pre-Robin Detectives. Woo Hoo!

Edited December 18, 2023 by D84

[Dr. Balls]

On 12/13/2023 at 4:13 PM, buttock said:

Top 3 OA

Bernie Wrightson Frankenstein page 1.  This sits in front of my desk where I can look at it every day and never disappoints.  The Franklin Booth in the clouds is great, but the dark texturing of the entire central figure is just wonderful with elements of Booth, Coll, and of course Wrightson.

I did a double-take, I thought that was a Gustave Dore engraving. Man alive, is that an amazing piece.

[Point Five]

I had a great year for GA. Top 3,

[Dr. Balls]

On 12/13/2023 at 5:38 PM, grendelbo said:

I bought less than two dozen books this past year. About half were facsimiles or trade paperbacks.

I have a list of about 50 moderately to cheaply priced books that I would like to add to my collection. From time to time I will purchase one if the price and condition is right. At other times something will just catch my fancy and I will buy it if all the previously mentioned conditions are right. There is no real direction to my collecting nowadays.

Here's 3 from 2023. The Daredevil was a good find and important in my collection as Romita's art defined the look of Spider-Man for the world (although still very Ditko-esque in this issue).

I actually never owned a copy of TDKR 1 despite it being the most read and reread TPB in my collection. This one would grade at probably a 9.4 or 9.6.

The Wolverine has my letter to the editor in it. I have a 9.8 and many, many raw copies but what's one more?

 

 

 

 

 

Now you just need CGC to add "Letter from Grendelbo" on the label!

[KCOComics]

The SS6 I had been after for years. It's a low grade copy, but I'm happy to own it. 

The FF1 was an upgrade from a restored copy. 

And the last one was a tough tough choice. I picked up a few Bakers that I love and a Young Romance #1 (first romance comic by Simon and Kirby) among others. Ultimately I went with a recent purchase from @Readcomix. It was Joe Sinnot's personal copy of Marvel Tales 109 signed by Joe on the story he drew. 

Joe is one of my favorites and I'm really happy to have this little connection to him.  

 

 

[Drummy]

Hey!  Great stuff thus far.  These are probably my favorites for this year...and a few more on the way this month!

Dan

[Dr. Balls]

On 12/13/2023 at 5:58 PM, Point Five said:

I had a great year for GA. Top 3,

 

YESSSSS! That is a killer looking Weird Mysteries - congrats on that!