One of you Golden Age geniuses : help me out with identifying this auction item. 2 2

[Telegan]

So, apparently there is a Monster #2 for sale in ComicLink's current auction.  There is a "Fiction House" issue and apparently a Canadian re-print by Superior.  The description says "1953, Fiction House; Maurice Whitman horror cover".  The description also says "CGC 4.0 VG, One of the Top 2 Graded Overall!" which would be true for the Superior edition, but not for the Fiction House edition.  The CGC label says "Superior".

Here is the certification lookup of the comic with scans of the front and back.  Note the back has an ad for that poor morbidly obese lady trying to lose weight (bless that poor woman - hope she found a mate who loved her for who she is).  Again, it says it's the Superior (Canadian) edition on the label.

Here is an old eBay auction where MCS was selling a Superior/Canadian edition.  It seems to have a drill ad on the back.  Every Fiction House sale I saw seems to have the exercise lady on the back.

So ComicLink's description seems to be saying it's both, which can't be true.  CGC's label says it's the Superior/Canadian edition, but based upon other sales this looks like a Fiction House comic with a CGC label saying it's a Superior edition?

Are there any other identifying marks to look for in this to determine which edition this is?

Thanks!

[Frisco Larson]

On 1/28/2024 at 9:51 PM, Telegan said:

So, apparently there is a Monster #2 for sale in ComicLink's current auction.  There is a "Fiction House" issue and apparently a Canadian re-print by Superior.  The description says "1953, Fiction House; Maurice Whitman horror cover".  The description also says "CGC 4.0 VG, One of the Top 2 Graded Overall!" which would be true for the Superior edition, but not for the Fiction House edition.  The CGC label says "Superior".

Here is the certification lookup of the comic with scans of the front and back.  Note the back has an ad for that poor morbidly obese lady trying to lose weight (bless that poor woman - hope she found a mate who loved her for who she is).  Again, it says it's the Superior (Canadian) edition on the label.

Here is an old eBay auction where MCS was selling a Superior/Canadian edition.  It seems to have a drill ad on the back.  Every Fiction House sale I saw seems to have the exercise lady on the back.

So ComicLink's description seems to be saying it's both, which can't be true.  CGC's label says it's the Superior/Canadian edition, but based upon other sales this looks like a Fiction House comic with a CGC label saying it's a Superior edition?

Are there any other identifying marks to look for in this to determine which edition this is?

Thanks!

It seems pretty likely that Comiclink just made a mistake in the description by writing "Fiction House" at the top of the listing, because in the field where it says "publisher" they have it listed as Superior. 

[Telegan]

On 1/28/2024 at 10:08 PM, Frisco Larson said:

It seems pretty likely that Comiclink just made a mistake in the description by writing "Fiction House" at the top of the listing, because in the field where it says "publisher" they have it listed as Superior. 

Yes, but beyond that, is that really a Superior comic in the slab or is it a Fiction House comic based on the back cover ad?  Unless the ads were "random", it looks like it's a Fiction House comic in that slab even though it says Superior.  Or am I mistaken?  Still trying to figure out any other way to identify that book.

[Frisco Larson]

On 1/28/2024 at 10:11 PM, Telegan said:

Yes, but beyond that, is that really a Superior comic in the slab or is it a Fiction House comic based on the back cover ad?  Unless the ads were "random", it looks like it's a Fiction House comic in that slab even though it says Superior.  Or am I mistaken?  Still trying to figure out any other way to identify that book.

The only way I know to be sure would be to see the indicia and I don't know that CGC takes pics of that before encapsulation. 

[comicnoir]

Ask Comic Link for a back cover scan. I'm surprised there's no Superior logo on the cover, but neither does the MCS copy.

Edited January 29 by comicnoir

[Telegan]

On 1/28/2024 at 10:45 PM, comicnoir said:

Ask Comic Link for a back cover scan. I'm surprised there's no Superior logo on the cover, but neither does the MCS copy.

Yeah, that's what's weird - both seem to have a "Fiction House" stamp on the front which kind of confused me more.  But I don't know if that's just how they did things on this particular comic book and its Canadian variant.  I was hoping I'd see a maple leaf or something. lol.  I'm assuming the back cover scan will just be the same one on the CGC cert website which also has the scan of front and back - which is really what made me think it may be a Fiction House edition with a Superior label, but I don't know enough to state with certainty.  In any case I went ahead and asked for a scan of the back cover, as well.

[adamstrange]

Going by the scan on GCD, the Superior cover stock has a matte finish when compared to the glossy FH edition.  The copy in the clink auction looks like the FH edition.  If I wanted a Canadian copy, then I would want this book verified by CGC before bidding.

https://www.comics.org/issue/729528/cover/4/

[Telegan]

On 1/28/2024 at 11:20 PM, adamstrange said:

Going by the scan on GCD, the Superior cover stock has a matte finish when compared to the glossy FH edition.  The copy in the clink auction looks like the FH edition.  If I wanted a Canadian copy, then I would want this book verified by CGC before bidding.

https://www.comics.org/issue/729528/cover/4/

Interesting.  I hadn't even considered that after looking at both cover images on GCD.  I just assumed one was just from a beat up copy.

I just got burned (kind of) on another purchase where a comic in the slab wasn't what the label said.  I kind of blame myself even though it may have originally been a CGC issue.  I had that comic on my wishlist for a while and just decided to bid without closely looking at what I was bidding on.  In that instance what was on the label was clearly not what was in the case, but it didn't click until I had it in my hands after winning it.  Luckily I was able to recoup my money with little effort on that one.  But it has me paranoid. lol.  As for this comic, I think I'll just pass for now.

[adamstrange]

On 1/29/2024 at 12:34 AM, Telegan said:

Interesting.  I hadn't even considered that after looking at both cover images on GCD.  I just assumed one was just from a beat up copy.

Superior competed with Charlton as the worst printer of comic books ever.  Even the comics produced for the American market at this time are almost always on really cheap paper.

[AJD]

On 1/29/2024 at 7:00 PM, adamstrange said:

Superior competed with Charlton as the worst printer of comic books ever. 

Australian comic book producers of the 1940s and 50s on line one for you.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 1/29/2024 at 8:00 AM, adamstrange said:

Superior competed with Charlton as the worst printer of comic books ever. 

 

[fifties]

How about some first hand information, AKA, my copy.

[Telegan]

On 1/29/2024 at 8:31 PM, fifties said:

How about some first hand information, AKA, my copy.

Yeah, there's a scan of that Fiction House edition (I guess) of the book online, but the problem is the one that was up for auction had the same back cover but was listed as the Superior/Canadian edition on the slab.

Never got a response back from ComicLink, and I decided not to bid on it, anyway.  Thanks for posting that, though.

[Telegan]

Update : I got a response back from ComicLink.  After they reviewed it, they said it looked like it was a Fiction House (original) version of the comic book in a case that was calling it a Superior (the reprint).

Edited January 30 by Telegan

[fifties]

On 1/29/2024 at 8:55 PM, Telegan said:

the problem is the one that was up for auction had the same back cover but was listed as the Superior/Canadian edition on the slab.

 

That merely proves that the grading entity got it wrong.