Congratulations, 2024 CGC Comics Registry Award Winners! 3 3

[CGC Mike]

The CGC Comics Registry has nearly 700,000 books registered across more than 100,000 sets. Its steady, continued growth is thanks to all of our passionate collectors!

CGC Comics is excited to announce the 2024 CGC Comics Registry Award winners! In choosing our winners, our mission was to select three sets each in five competitive categories: Best Golden Age, Best Silver Age, Best Bronze Age, Best Copper Age and Best Modern Age. Additionally, we had the task of choosing two winners for Best Magazine Set, two Best CGC Signature Series Sets, two Custom Sets, two Best Presented Sets, one Best International Set, three outstanding message board contributors and just one collector for the John Verzyl Sr. Registry Masterpiece Award.

Our team of judges reviewed all of the top sets across every category in the CGC Comics Registry and, after much deliberation, selected the following winners. Congratulations to all!

 

John Verzyl Sr. Registry Masterpiece Award

 

Sweet Lou 14 – John Verzyl Sr. Registry Masterpiece Award

John Verzyl was one of the most incredible comic collectors the hobby has ever known. His expertise and knowledge were invaluable, his instincts unmatched, and his collection unparalleled. His devotion to the hobby was only matched in passion by his devotion to family and friends. As friends of John Verzyl, CGC has the honor each year of paying tribute to him by recognizing a Registry member who shares his qualities, and this year CGC is proud to award Sweet Lou 14 with the John Verzyl Sr. Registry Masterpiece Award.

Since joining us way back in 2009, Registry member Sweet Lou 14 has been hard at work building a collection of comic books over 2,800 entries strong across nearly 200 sets — of which half are in ranked in the top 5 — and has risen to the top 3 in rank for overall scoring. This expansive collection of primarily Marvel title runs touches all comic eras, and the examples in many of these sets are nothing short of stunning. But this is more than just a collection. It’s an ever-evolving testament of devotion to the hobby, and we’re fortunate to have it here on the Registry.

Kicking off in the summer of 2020, the Marvel Bronze Age 1st Appearances (1970-1979) set is a newer addition to the collection but is already top ranked for completion and teeming with gorgeous examples throughout. Seeing all the keys from this era together in the same place is a real pleasure. The trio of Amazing Spider-Man #129, Incredible Hulk #181 and Marvel Spotlight #5 are real bangers in this amazing set, all gorgeous 9.6 white page copies!

The Marvel Super Hero Comics (1961-1965) set is incredible! Assembling the early issues of Marvel’s top-of-the-line characters, this set really has it all. The majority of the books are graded 9.4, and with high-grade Silver Age books becoming increasingly difficult to acquire, this is a set that’s truly mindboggling to see. Aside from the grails in Amazing Fantasy #15, Tales of Suspense #39 and Incredible Hulk #1, we also appreciate some of the other keys in this outstanding collection.

The first appearance of Mysterio, Amazing Spider-Man #13 graded 9.4 with white pages, is very impressive; there are only 25 entries on the census in that grade. And if we’re talking rare, the first appearance of Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four #5 is unreal in 9.0! Only 16 entries in this grade on the census for this mega key!

The #3 ranked X-Men (1963) 1-201 set is another complete run of beautiful, high-grade copies in Sweet Lou 14’s colossal collection. Issues #2 to #100 come in at 9.4 or 9.6, and from issue #101-#201 it’s a straight run of stunning 9.8’s. This set also includes Giant-Size X-Men #1 and the set copy is graded an enviable 9.6 with white pages. We really like X-Men #4 for its introduction of the Scarlet Witch and iconic Jack Kirby cover — and the 9.4 grade doesn’t hurt either! Of course X-Men #1 is the crown jewel of this set graded 9.0, one of only 51 entries in this grade. A gorgeous trio of mega keys!

We’ve only highlighted a handful of the sets and keys here and would like to encourage everyone to stop by and check out the dozens of others. Congratulations to Sweet Lou 14 for all the amazing sets in this collection, and the 2024 win for the John Verzyl Sr. Masterpiece Award!

 

Best Golden Age Sets

 

Steppenwolfscomics – Justice Traps the Guilty (Prize) – “Trapper Keepers”

Looking at the covers of this crime title, you can hear police sirens and the screeching tires of a Mercury coupe full of gangsters on the lam! Justice Traps the Guilty had a good run at 97 issues, kicking off in 1947 with none other than comic legends Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Boy Commandos artist Marvin Stein and National Comics’ Mort Meskin would eventually take the baton, providing gorgeous art and covers for nearly all the issues before Joe Orlando and Ted Galindo brought it over the finish line.

Justice Traps the Guilty is full of cinematic storytelling, particularly with Meskin’s brilliance with alternating close-ups and tight action sequences. Meskin’s style was among the most innovative and his work on Justice Traps the Guilty was well-suited to the brutal impunity of both gangsters and police.

Such was the depiction of this brutality that Justice Traps the Guilty was not spared the spotlight during the congressional inquiry that led to the Comics Code Authority. Issues 13 and 58 were mentioned in Fredric Wertham’s precipitative Seduction of the Innocent. The opening sequence of the story “Two-Bit Touch Off” in issue 13 is particularly memorable, where a scorned ex-employee gloats from the street as his former boss goes up in the flames of a building fire he set.

Steppenwolfscomics is among the Registry veterans whose collections are exemplary and inspirational to seasoned and newcomers alike. Steppenwolfscomics made short work of putting this one together beginning in 2021, but still assembled stunning high grades and several examples from the Promise Collection pedigree. We also agree with Steppenwolfscomics that issue 2 from the Promise Collection in 9.2 is our favorite of the run — gotta love Simon and Kirby!

Congratulations to Steppenwolfscomics on this gorgeous collection and the 2024 award for Best Golden Age set!

Ghastly542454 – All-Star Comics 1-57 (1940) – “Ghastly’s All Star Comics”

One of the most iconic titles of the Golden Age, All Star Comics was the first to feature a superhero team in the Justice Society of America. The innovative move by publishers All-American and National to combine characters from their own books into All Star would influence and define superhero teams and stories into the modern era.

All Star Comics is also well known for debuting one of the most beloved superheroes of all time, Wonder Woman, whose appearances in All Star would lead into her run in Sensation Comics and eventually her own title.

Earlier issues of All Star featured JSA in an anthology of wartime adventures, and even saw the team officially enlist in the military after Pearl Harbor (except Spectre, of course) in issue 11. Their adventures bring them both abroad and stateside, where they take on Nazi operatives and secret spy organizations. Post-war, the JSA find themselves investigating fraud, stopping time-traveling thieves and foiling the plans of power-hungry criminal masterminds.

Registry member Ghastly542454 registered the Ghastly’s All Star Comics set in 2019 and finished it out in 2023. This set is full of beautiful examples with fantastic grades.

Issue 4 features the first JSA adventure as a team and this cover really pops in 9.0! Issue 28 in 7.5 is from the Promise Collection and looks wonderful with the Pedigree label. Our favorite of the set is issue 8 graded 5.0 — the first appearance of Wonder Woman — with the beautiful cover by Everett Hibbard.

Congratulations to Ghastly for such a gorgeous run and the 2024 award for Best Golden Age set!

Satyr – Chamber of Chills (1951) – “Satyr Collection”

Among the cavalcade of pre-code horror comics, Harvey published some of the most recognizable titles of this storied genre, and Chamber of Chills tops the list as one of the most sought after. Pre-code collectors are often cover-focused, and this ghoulish title has some of the most coveted. It’s not hard to see why collectors are willing to give — or sacrifice — their arm, leg (or perhaps that of someone else!) — to get them!

Harvey, like many other publishers, were nipping — and sometimes gnawing — at the heels of pre-code horror pioneers E.C., but their creative team was a powerhouse of writers and artists not to be underestimated in their skill. Bob Powell, who had worked at the legendary Eisner & Iger studio, provided writing and interior art on the lion’s share of Chamber of Chills. Powell was known to take new creatives under his tutelage, as was the case with fellow Chamber artist Howard Nostrand, who had worked as Powell’s assistant and also provided pencils for just about every issue in the run. With Powell, Nostrand, and a host of others, the stories in Chamber are among the most fiendish!

Front and center is comic superstar Lee Elias, whose work on Harvey covers, including Chamber of Chills, is some of the absolute best in its approach and rendering. Elias was both a penciller and inker and worked on plenty of mainstream titles, but his ability to capture the depraved at Harvey showcases his genius.

Registry member Satyr began this spine-tingling set back in 2018 and remains top-ranked for completion. This set contains many gorgeous examples in high grades, including our favorite, issue 19, in a jaw-dropping 8.5! This notoriously desirable Lee Elias cover is not only a crown jewel in this collection, it’s also a pop culture and comics phenomenon. We never tire of seeing it!

Congratulations to Satyr on this wonderful collection and the 2024 award for Best Golden Age set!

 

Best Silver Age Sets

 

EMazman – Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (1962) – “Ed’s Doctor Solar Collection”

When Western Publishing dissolved their relationship with Dell and began Gold Key, they did so with a combination of licensed characters and original titles. Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom was the very first among the originals. Doctor Solar was an extraordinarily popular title, and at certain points sold more copies than even Superman. It would also become one of the most important wells of influence for many other titles.

Despite a common nuclear accident origin, the creative team took a unique approach in giving attention to detail with the science in the writing when avoiding explanation was the more common approach. Doctor Solar went through a slow burn as well, and for the first several issues he was forced to gain understanding and control over his powers. During this formative period, Doctor Solar dons a simple lab coat and sunglasses until issue 5, when his costume was introduced after much urging from readers.

Those new to this title may find the raw panel layouts and coloring of the interior art oddly familiar. These would be later mimicked in the Watchmen, and Doctor Solar’s character traits seen in Dr. Manhattan. As well, “The Volcano!” story tells of local civilians protesting and taking action against the recklessness of the experiments at a local laboratory, a bite that Alan Moore took out of Paul S. Newman’s style and applied heavily as a main thread throughout the Watchmen.

Registry member EMazman has assembled this set in wonderfully high grades. Gold Key are notoriously beat up and tough to find above the mid-grade range, but this set has multiple pedigrees and books in the high 9’s.

It was tough to choose favorites among these awesome painted covers. Issue 5 from the Big Apple pedigree in 9.4 shows Solar in his costume for the first time, and issue 3 in an unreal 9.6 with the classic image of Solar as a radioactive man in sunglasses melting through a block of ice is (aptly) too cool!

Congratulations to EMazman for this superior collection and the 2024 award for Best Silver Age set!

Icculus308win – Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men – “His name was Jeremiah Johnson…”

The adventures of this unsung hero of the Silver Age took place in the American colonies. Ben Bowie, a trapper making his way — and doing more than just surviving — in the harsh wilderness, was joined in his pursuits by the orphaned Jim, the older and wise Zeke Boss, and Nakah, a Native American from the Iroquois.

This title is unique in that there was a high level of historical accuracy in the storytelling. Often in Western titles, Native Americans were typically blanketed as enemies, but the creatives of the Ben Bowie title understood the complexities of early settler relationships and alliances with certain tribes. This knowledge resulted in superior storytelling with much time invested in the development of characters and plot. Unfortunately, many of the excellent writers of Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men are uncredited, though some have been identified, including Jon Small, Frank Thorne and William Overguard.

After several appearances in Four Color, Ben Bowie got his own title and the storytelling grew even richer. Each issue also included the shorter back-up story of Yellow Hair, an orphaned settler adopted by the Sioux who is taught to survive while navigating prejudice for his position as an outsider. It can’t be said enough that this was not a typical read during the Silver Age; the wonderful storytelling and layouts coupled with excellent covers make this title special.

Registry member Icculus308win has assembled this collection of books in near-impossible high grades over a period of 12 years. There are excellent descriptions, a wonderful synopsis of his relationship with the title, and callouts to fellow Registry members who helped him achieve the set goals. A true labor of love has gone into this one!

Highlight issues include #13 in 9.6, #7 in 9.6, and Four Color 443 — the first appearance of Ben Bowie — in 9.6! These gorgeous painted covers are well worth checking out!

Congratulations to Icculus308win for this outstanding collection and the 2024 award for Best Silver Age set!

Dikko – Australian Editions of US Sci-Fi Comics

During the post-war Atomic Era, a shared belief in the power of scientific exploration gripped imaginations across the world. The US in particular saw this influence in everything from the design of cars and household appliances to pop culture milestones like Forbidden Planet and radio programs like Dimension X. And of course, if you were a kid who loved comics, sci-fi was a major theme in those stories.

Kids in the US were spoiled for choice when it came to science fiction comic titles, but down under in Australia, it was a little trickier to get your hands on US comics due to an import ban that lasted until 1959. Publishers sought to obtain reprint licensing and K.G. Murray was one of the dominant companies at the time to do so, bringing reprints of DC and other US published comics down under.

In the Australian Editions of Sci-Fi (1950-1970), Registry member Dikko has put together a wonderful Silver Age set representing International comics on the Registry. What’s more, this set contains several higher-grade examples. Many of the comics published outside the US were made using inexpensive material unsuited to the test of time. The majority of these books are extremely hard to find in any grade, and this set contains many single-graded and highest-graded examples.

Our favorites include the great Gil Kane and Joe Giella cover of Strange Adventures 84 in 7.5, the Murphy Anderson cover of Strange Adventures #1 (reprinting issue #44) graded 8.5, and the outstanding 9.2 copy of Outer Space #1 — an unbelievable grade for such a tough black cover, let alone an International comic.

We look forward to seeing more additions to this one! Congratulations to Dikko for this rare and unique collection and the award for Best Silver Age set!

 

Best Bronze Age Sets

 

Tornadohunter – Banana Splits (1969) Gold Key – “Honk Hunk Fshhonk!!”

Tra la la! In 1969, Hanna-Barbera launched a Saturday morning children’s variety show featuring four costumed characters. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, starring Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky, saw this rambunctious foursome meet each episode in a clubhouse where they jammed in their band, played games and horsed around. The Splits also hosted cartoons and episodes of live action programs like Danger Island. Between comedy routines and songs were colorful special effects from designers Sid and Marty Krofft that gave the show a happenin’ psychedelic atmosphere!

Gold Key launched the 8-issue Banana Splits comic book series in 1970. In each issue, the Splits get into hijinks and adventures, look for gig work for the band, and are often outwitted by the Sour Grapes Bunch, a group of girls that pull pranks and tricks on the Splits. For fans, these books were a fun read!

Despite running for only 8 issues, this title is a tough collecting challenge. Census numbers are very low. Tornadohunter worked for nearly a decade to complete the “Honk Hunk Fshhonk!!” run, and it comes as no surprise. Gold Key titles rarely yield high grades, particularly those targeting a younger children’s audience, but lots of cherries top this Banana Splits set! Most of the groovy photo covers in this cool collection are file copies graded in the higher 9’s!

We’re pleased to award Tornadohunter the 2024 award for Best Bronze Age set! We fell head over heels for this one! Congratulations!

Rockblazer – Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery – “Killer Karloff’s”

During the better part of the 20^th century, across dozens of stage roles and nearly 200 films, Boris Karloff carved out his status as an icon analogous with horror. Among these, it’s his iconic role as the Monster in 1931’s “Frankenstein” for which he is most well-known.

During the 1960s, Karloff was credited with work on several horror anthologies, some based on his voiceover roles, and this may have led to the 97-issue Gold Key series that bore his name. Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery compiled several full-color stories in each issue, with Boris Karloff featured as pansophical host at the beginning or end. These stories were wrapped up in beautiful painted covers that this series is well known for, rendered by some very fine talents of the time.

Rockblazer has been working on this top-ranked set since 2011, and it is full of gorgeous examples, particularly through the Bronze era, many of which are Pedigree and file copies, some the first ever graded by CGC.

Issue 36 from August 1971 is one of only four graded and sits at the top of the CGC Census at 9.2. On this George Wilson cover, we see a screaming scientist carried off to his doom by several spotted, many-armed creatures. A very fun cover!

Issue 60 from April 1975 is a stunning 9.6, hails from the Manitoba collection and was the first ever graded by CGC.

Issue 76 is a stunning 9.8 and our favorite of the set. The cover artist is uncredited, but we love the use of color on the plant-monsters from the title story “Seeds of Treachery”. A beautiful cover and a fun read!

Boris Karloff once said: “The Monster was the best friend I ever had.” Killer Karloff’s is one of the best sets we’ve had on the Registry! Congratulations to Rockblazer for the 2024 award for Best Bronze Age set!

Dikran – Champions (1975) All Variants – “World’s Greatest Champions Set Ever”

Marvel’s Champions title was a series at odds with itself from its inception. Writer Tony Isabella set out to create a true funny book, envisioning a humor title starring a handful of heroes on the open road getting into hijinks and helping everyday folks along the way. It’s interesting to think about what that could have looked like! Editor Len Wein put the ship on a completely different (but very familiar) course, and in 1975, the Champions was launched as an unlikely alliance of heroes that come together to defend the West Coast from immortal gods, Soviet agents and demon hordes.

Though plagued with problems behind the scenes, the creative roster behind Champions were made up of all-stars like Don Heck, John Byrne and Mike Esposito, who put out some awesome art and fun stories in the pages of this underappreciated title. Though short-lived at only 17 issues, the Champions, led by the mighty Hercules, still packs a punch, and retains a devoted fanbase today.

Among them is Registry member Dikran, who put together a complete run of this childhood favorite with the help of some family members and Registry friends. Dikran has retained the top rank from 2009 to 2022 and remains the top-ranked complete set.

There are five tough price variants in this run and Dikran’s set has them all, with none below 9.0. The rest of the collection is a straight run of 9.8’s and these classic covers are gorgeous to see!

Our favorite of the set is issue 6 with cover art by none other than Jack Kirby! This 9.8 beauty really pops, and we love Jack’s rendering of the team battling villain Rampage!

Congratulations to Dikran for completing the run of this terrific title! We’re pleased to pin the award for 2024 Best Bronze Age set on it!

 

Best Copper Age Sets

 

13 – Action Comics 501-800 – A13-G

After DC’s longest running title marked its 500^th issue and closed out the ’70s, Action Comics moved into the ’80s with a cast of heavy-hitting creators, ushering Superman into a new era. Writers Cary Bates, Marv Wolfman, Mike Barr and a host of others scripted Supes while Curt Swan, Gil Kane, Dick Giordano and many others brought their talents to the art.

Toward the start of this run, themes familiar to the ’80s era abound. The rise of and subsequent fear of technology, nuclear catastrophe and even the erosion of the Daily Planet loomed. Eventually, the creative team pivoted to more traditional DC storylines with Supes thwarting alien invasions and battling a packed roster of villains. There are some great covers in this run that unite classic lines with the depth of modern layouts.

Back in 2011 Registry member 13 set out on a very difficult challenge: gather the finest examples available for this run of Action from #501 - #800. This would have been tough to do in the high 9’s, but 13 has tackled this challenge and knocked it out of the park by putting together one of the most incredible Copper Age runs on the Registry.

This set contains many of the single-highest-graded examples — including a trio of 9.9’s as well as a 10 — many Pedigree copies and Signature Series books. Time and effort are front and center in this set in the books themselves and a detailed, informative presentation. This extraordinary collection is as impressive as it is an obvious labor of love.

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing the A13-G set, and the Registry is fortunate that 13 has shared it for everyone to enjoy. Congratulations to 13 for the 2024 Award for Best Copper Age set!

Parabellum – Punisher Limited Series (1986)

The Punisher first appeared in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man 129 from 1974, but the curtain was really pulled back on Frank Castle in the Punisher Limited Series in 1986. Castle’s appearances in Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil and Marvel magazines had only whetted the appetites of fans, and Marvel didn’t realize just how eager they were for more of the controversial anti-hero. Against a backdrop of doubt from senior Marvel management, writer Steven Grant, artist Mike Zeck, and editor Carl Potts went ahead with the mini-series and brought it to the stands in January 1986.

The premiere issue of the Punisher Limited Series hit the stands with a stunning Mike Zeck cover, and readers found Frank Castle pitted against nemesis Jigsaw in Ryker’s Island at the start of a prison break. This later unveils a larger plot to recruit the Punisher into a shadowy organization called The Trust, which unfolds into the Circle of Blood storyline. The series became an instant classic, synonymous with the grittier side of Copper Age storytelling, and rocketed the Punisher to his place as a powerhouse character in Marvel’s roster.

Parabellum is a well-known member of the Registry whose sets often include colorful graphics and wonderful, high-res images, and are some of the best we’ve ever seen. What’s special about this set is the detailed, personal story shared of how this series hooked Parabellum into collecting comic books. We definitely recommend giving it a read!

The set itself is a straight run of 9.8’s, all Signature Series signed by the creative team, and are displayed alongside an additional 9.8 blue label set of Newsstand Editions. What’s more, Parabellum has also included images of a 9.8 run of tough-to-find Canadian Price Variants. Stunning to say the least!

We’re thrilled that Parabellum joins the 2024 winners with the award for Best Copper Age set! Congratulations on the years of hard work and thank you sharing this very cool set on the Registry!

Turtle – Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) – Let me tell you a story…

What was true in 1987 is true today: fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can never get enough of this team! Back when Turtlemania was first gripping the country, insatiable demand coupled with lack of help meant Eastman and Laird could only put out six issues of the Turtles per year. Fortunately, Jim Lawson, Ryan Brown and Steve Lavigne were recruited to pencil, ink and letter respectively. Together, they brought the Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles anthology series to rabid readers in May of 1987.

When considering the challenges Eastman and Laird faced at the beginning stages of their iconic rise, we feel fortunate that “Tales” made it to print. This is one of those titles that showcases the heart of the comic creator community and the wealth of talent and ideas of this team.

Each issue of Tales was a unique story introduced by one of the Turtles in the manner of Uncle Creepy or the Crypt Keeper on a splash page. The Turtle led into each tale with the line “Let me tell you a story…” The creative team penciled the splash pages, and notable guest artists Eric Talbot and Stephen Bissette worked on issues six and seven respectively. Tales also introduced several key characters that would go on to be featured in the ongoing monthly TMNT title.

Registry member Turtle began this short but very sweet run back in 2011. Eventually signatures from the creative team and some very cool sketches were added through Signature Series to the entire 9.8 run. These beautiful books are featured in high-res images and each has a highly detailed synopsis of the story.

Congratulations to Registry member Turtle for the work that went into this great set and the 2024 award for Best in Copper Age!

 

Best Modern Age Sets

 

Betterthanezra – Nintendo Comics (Valiant) – Nintendo BW

Ah, to go back to the ’80s…there was nothing better than pulling out your favorite game, blowing the dust from the circuit board and popping it into your Nintendo. School, chores and pesky parents be gone! When it was time to beat the bosses in Mega Man or figure out the warp world in Super Mario Bros. 3, nothing could get in the way…except maybe your sibling’s turn!

Nintendo is arguably the greatest gaming console ever conceived and offered some of the most influential games of all time. The gameplay still seared to this very day into the memory of kids lucky enough to grow up with them. During its heyday, Nintendo went far beyond gaming itself to touch all corners of the kid world, with licensing for everything from cereal to Saturday morning cartoons and, of course, comic books.

Valiant was the purveyor of the Nintendo Comics System which published several comic titles based on Nintendo characters between 1990 and 1991. These were some of the first comic books based on games and paved the way for the genre of game-based comics that followed.

Betterthanezra says in their set description that they’re “Working on it!” and they certainly have. In short time it’s nearly complete and boasts an awesome collection of high grades. Valiant comics are incredibly common for staple rust, creating a challenge to find copies in the 9’s, but this set contains many books in the higher 9’s! Most impressive!

Our favorite of the bunch is the 9.8 copy of Game Boy 3, one of only 16 graded that high! Great cover on this one; we love Mario’s plane!

We look forward to seeing this set level up! Congratulations to Betterthanezra for this super set and the 2024 award for Best Modern Age!

Evil Jin – Spider-Man (1990) – “Spider-man (1990-1998)”

Todd McFarlane’s seminal run as writer and artist for Spidey launched with one of the best-selling Marvel comic books of all time in issue 1. If you collected comics in 1990, chances are the first issue was in your stash! And if you were a real Web Head or fan of McFarlane, you may have had all the variants. This was one of the earlier titles catering to the collector’s market in offering variant covers and collector’s issues later in the run.

With McFarlane at the helm, this series set the ’90s-era comic trend in motion of elevating the art while keeping the writing somewhat sparse. It’s not hard to see why; McFarlane’s art had exploded in popularity. The series was an instant classic from the outset and still looks great nearly 35 years on. McFarlane’s famously detailed style paired well with the darker world he put Spidey in, captivating an ever-growing fanbase with every page and setting the stage for Spawn’s world later on.

McFarlane fan Evil Jin has assembled what he’s called his favorite collection in the Spider-Man (1990-1998) set. This nearly complete run of Marvel’s favorite super-hero is an absolute labor of love nearly 20 years in the making! This set boasts multiple 9.9’s in all but one of the variants for issue 1, and the rest of the run is all 9.8 beauties. It is definitely worth checking out!

Congratulations to Evil Jin for this awesome set and the 2024 award for Best Modern Age!

GeeksAreMyPeeps – Static (1993) All Variants – “Static”

Milestone Media was founded in 1993 by a group of incredibly talented comic creators who set out to produce comics with African American characters and superheroes at the forefront. The team of Milestone creators painstakingly drew up detailed backstories for each of their characters and constructed a complete history for the “Dakotaverse” continuity in which all the titles were set. These titles were beautifully crafted, well-written, and rendered artistically with gorgeous skill and color.

Static is arguably the most popular title in the Milestone Dakotaverse lineup. 15-year-old metahuman Virgil Hawkins represented teenagers distinctly in his shared interests of real world video games, RPGs, comics and TCGs like Pokémon. The Static storylines also regularly touched on some of the tougher issues teens navigated as they juggled school, friends and the turmoil of growing up.

GeeksAreMyPeeps has put together a beautiful, top-ranked Static set featuring a nearly straight run of 9.8’s, and it would have been no easy undertaking. Most of these books have extraordinarily low Census numbers overall, and those in 9.8 are often represented in single digits.

We love Noelle Giddings’ phenomenal cover for issue 32 that finds Static surfing a stormy sky. Giddings was the color editor at Milestone Media, and her unique flavor and style touched all of the Dakotaverse characters.

Issue 19 features a close-in action scene of Static zooming into the street by Mark D. Bright. “Doc” Bright was an artist with a distinct style and a long tenure at the big two, and also co-created Quantum and Woody at Valiant.

This is a very tough set to collect and GeeksAreMyPeeps has done a phenomenal job putting it together! Congratulations for the 2024 award for Best Modern Age!

 

Best International Set

 

 

Robin Bain – Avengers U.K. Editions/Price Variants

The CGC Comics Registry is proud to announce that the first-ever Best International Set award goes to Registry member Robin Bain! Robin is a very active collector on the Registry focused on collecting International comics. Robin brings a wealth of information about these books to the Registry and we’re delighted to pin the very first award for International comics on the Avengers U.K. Editions/Price Variants set.

Through their many evolutions, the Avengers remain one of Marvel’s most beloved and well-known superhero teams. It’s impossible to imagine Marvel without them, and their influence across comics and pop culture globally is immeasurable.

Robin has been working on this expansive U.K. Price Variants set since 2023 and has made excellent progress in that time, adding many great books, images and a wealth of information about these tough-to-find variants. U.K. Price Variants represent a very small fractions of the US counterpart print runs, so acquiring them in a growing, competitive market is no easy task in just about any grade, but we know if anyone has the drive to complete this run, it’s Robin! Definitely stop by this set and learn more about these fantastic books!

We look forward to seeing more additions to this awesome Avengers set in the future! Congratulations, Robin Bain, in joining the 2024 winners as the first-ever recipient for Best International set!

 

Best Magazine Sets

 

Patrick Horn - Vampire Tales (1973) – “KrackenKomic’s Vampire Tales”

Marvel made a cannily good move when they brought the Marvel Monster Group magazine titles to the stands in the ’70s. With the booming interest in horror during the Bronze Age, here was a place where Marvel’s darker characters could be showcased broadly to an adult audience with the benefit of more serious artistic treatment and storytelling freedom. Among the Marvel Monster Group titles was Vampire Tales, starring Morbius the Living Vampire alongside a cast of likened characters such as Satana and Blade.

The published black-and-white interior of each issue was wrapped in beautiful painted covers rendered by a rotating creative cast, and alongside stories by Doug Moench, Chris Claremont, Marv Wolfman and others, Vampire Tales featured cool interviews, film reviews, and adaptations of pulp horror tales. This bloodsucker title ran for 11 issues before climbing into the coffin, but the characters of course live on.

Registry member Patrick Horn started this complete, high-grade run in 2020 and finished it over three years. These magazines are so cool! And they’re not easy to come by in higher grades — most of the 9.8 populations have less than 10 examples on the Census, and this set boasts 9.8’s in more than half of the issues!

We love issue 10 with the stunning cover by Richard Hescox that gives us Morbius carrying the limp body of a woman in white against a backdrop of a red-eyed vampire bat. Graded 9.8, this beauty pops! Issue 2 ushers in Satana, and this 9.6 stunner features the iconic Signature Series label, with Roy Thomas added in 2022.

Congratulations to Patrick Horn on this wicked collection and the 2024 award for Best Magazine set!

lamorelie – Howard the Duck Magazine – “Spitting Feathers”

After escaping the Florida Everglades, running for President and trying desperately to hang on to his sanity, Marvel’s cantankerous space duck found himself once again among “the hairless apes of Earth” in 1979’s Howard the Duck Magazine. With an all-star cast of creative brass at the wheel, this short run was as potent as it was preposterous!

Howard may have been best suited for magazines. The formatting afforded generous storytelling and breathing room for more adult-oriented humor of the sort found in Mad and Cracked. Howard is a character constantly pushed to the precipice along the winding road of existential crisis, but Bill Mantlo hurtled him right over the edge while Gene Colan, John Buscema, Klaus Janson and Dave Simons made every tumble down look phenomenal.

Registry member lamorelie started working on this fine feathered set back in 2012 and completed it over several years in a straight run of 9.8. It’s presented with terrific high-res images of the wonderful covers, and the additional graphics really add extra charm.

Our favorite of the bunch is the 9.8 Christmas-themed issue 3, with satire juggernaut Jack Davis rendering the cigar-chomping Howard atop Santa’s lap with a Christmas list certainly longer than any hairless ape’s arm!

Congratulations to lamorelie for this fabulous collection and the 2024 award for Best Magazine set!

 

Best Custom Sets

 

goldkey – Pink Panther

He may be the only cartoon character originating from the opening sequence of a live-action movie, but for the Pink Panther it just makes sense. Effortless, incomparable and always one step ahead, this cool cat never fails to charm.

After making his brief debut on the silver screen in 1963, the Pink Panther starred in a series of cartoon shorts. He was uniquely silent in the vast majority until he finally spoke when prolific voice actor Rich Little gave him a posh British accent in the “Sink Pink” and “Pink Ice” episodes. This went all too well with the Pink Panther’s cheeky, cavalier style.

Pink Panther went to print in the 1971 Gold Key comic series. Funnily enough, it was here that he “spoke” regularly. Those readers who’d seen the cartoon episodes would easily hear his high society accent in the pages of the comics while casually harassing his high-strung cohort, the Inspector — or “Little Man.”

Registry member goldkey has put together all 87 issues of the Pink Panther series from Gold Key and Whitman, and just looking at this set you can hear Henry Mancini’s slinky, orchestral theme from the cartoon series. The vast majority of books in this set are beautiful high grades. This would have been no easy feat to put together!

Our absolute favorite of this set is issue 26 in 9.2. On this cover, a leaking pipe has flooded the basement, and while the Inspector works to repair it, the Pink Panther gets ready for a swim, complete with inflatable floats. This kind of understated humor is as timeless as it is funny!

We’re pleased that Registry member goldkey has brought this polished Pink Panther presence to the Registry, and we’re happy to present them with the 2024 award for Best Custom set!

MAR1979 – 1977-1987 Last/Final Issues

All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes, and this is particularly true in comics! But in this interesting collection, Registry member MAR1979 has sought to preserve these endings, assembling an excellent, high-grade set of final issues from 1977 to 1987. Many of the titles in this collection hold a special place for owner MAR1979, and this set is a heartfelt ode to the series that brought fun and good memories to all who appreciated them.

As MAR1979 notes in their set description, last issues are often difficult to find and are especially challenging in high grade. Knowing that titles were coming to a close, publishers put far less copies to print, and if a title had lost readership, fewer people would have picked them up. This said, the existing books in this collection would have been tough to find, and we’d bet any future additions will be as well.

Set owner MAR1979 gives some great descriptors for these issues, sharing memories that will likely feel familiar to other collectors. Ghost Rider 81 from 1983 was picked up at a local comic shop with a group of bike-riding friends. Later on, he was able to acquire a notoriously tough 9.8! This book is tough in any variation, but the set copy is a Canadian Price Variant and especially rare as one of only 7 represented in the grade.

Hanna-Barbera’s Laff-A-Lympics 13 is a fun addition to this set and one of only 9 to sport a 9.8. Those who grew up with Hanna-Barbera cartoons and comics will appreciate this beauty!

MAR1979 shares a great story for Secret Society of Super Villains 15 that he initially bought for a quarter — ah, the good old days! The story cliffhanger had him hooked and he waited for the next installment for years…we’ll let you see how it ended when you stop by the set for a look!

We loved this eclectic and challenging set and hope to see more additions to it! Congratulations to MAR1979 for the 2024 award for Best Custom Set!

 

Best CGC Signature Series Sets

 

AJRodriquez – Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985)

One of the greatest crossover events in comic history, Crisis on Infinite Earths was not only a wildly successful series, but it’s been credited with saving DC’s slumping sales and furthering the path to the rich storytelling DC became known for during the Copper Age.

Conceived by Marv Wolfman in 1981 as a way of making DC more inviting to new audiences, Crisis took years to develop and suffered many delays, due in large part to the exhaustive research into the catalog of material published up until that point. Once the story began to take real shape, George Perez fell into drawing the series somewhat by chance, in large part because it didn’t occur to editors that he would be interested. Thankfully Perez enthusiastically jumped on board, later stating he had “the time of his life” with the series, and not surprisingly, Perez’s work on Crisis is often lauded as a favorite by fans.

That DC’s top executive brass were on board with the idea of a crossover event that would kill off so many characters and destroy the “Earths” longtime readers followed was fairly radical. Nothing like Crisis had been done before and it was certainly risky, but ultimately paid off to become one of the best-selling DC series of all time, and despite almost no promotion outside of the comics themselves.

AJRodriquez has put together this amazing Crisis on Infinite Earths run as a Signature Series set. This straight run of 9.8’s are all signed by Wolfman and Perez, and Len Wein was added to issue 3 as well. As set owner AJRodriquez says, the crown jewel of this set is the #11 graded 9.9, one of only a handful of books in that grade across the entire series.

Congratulations to AJRodriquez for this awesome set and the 2024 award for Best Signature Series set!

cgcsketchers – Scooby-Snacks Scooby Sketches

Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you? Right here in this super Signature Series sketch set! Registry member cgcsketcherz began this Custom set with the goal to collect as many renditions as possible of Hanna-Barbera’s most beloved mystery-solving gang and their snack-loving mascot, Scooby Doo. This set boasts an awesome artist lineup including Joe Staton, Neal Adams and Greg Woronchak (amongst many others) who’ve linked Scooby and the gang up with everyone from Optimus Prime to Marvin the Martian to Alice Cooper?! Zoinks!

It was very tough to pick a few favorites from this one! The more we looked through the gallery, we were spoiled for choice amongst these Signature Series sketches, but we did narrow it down to our top three in no particular order.

We actually laughed out loud when we saw Scooby chowing down on Pizza the Hut from the Mel Brooks comedy classic Spaceballs! This hilarious sketch by Len Danovich and signed by Spaceballs “Dink” actor Ed Gale is too tasty!

Greg Woronchak depicts Velma hitching a ride with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark on her broom! Set owner cgcsketcherz mentions the Bewitched reference here, and we were reminded of Dave Stevens’ classic cover of Elvira’s House of Mystery #11. We hope you get that Elvira signature you want on this one, cgcsketcherz!

Scooby may have found himself in the zaniest scene yet on the sketch cover of Scooby Apocalypse 1! The Muppets mash up with Kaa the Snake from Jungle Book, Dr. Finkelstein from Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice Cooper in this wonderfully wacky, cobwebbed dungeon drawn by Matthew Parton!

We’ve had such a laugh with this one! And we hope cgcsketcherz keeps these funny books coming in the Scooby-Snacks Scooby Sketches set! Congratulations for the 2024 award for Best Signature Series!

 

Best Presented Sets

 

Murdo81 – TMNT: The Last Ronin (2020) – ANDO’S Ultimate Ronin Collection

Sometimes a detour is one of the best parts of a trip, and in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird and Tom Waltz take us off the beaten path. This five-issue mini-series follows Michelangelo on a quest to avenge the deaths of his brothers in an alternative universe New York City ruled by Shredder’s grandson Oroku Hiroto. Though it’s likely that Eastman and Laird’s idea for The Last Ronin was simply another dip into their endless well of creativity, the story seems tailor-made for the longtime Turtles fan base. Ronin reads like classic, and fans are aptly rewarded with another illustrious peak of storytelling genius from this beloved comic team.

Registry member Murdo81 fell for Ronin after picking up issue 2. Completely hooked, he set the goal of putting every variant of the series together in 9.6 or better, and he has smashed that goal in beautiful style! ANDO’s Ultimate Ronin Collection is a testament to this collector’s love for the series and renewed passion for collecting, presented with a wonderful introduction, images, graphics and outstanding descriptors that take you along the journey he took to complete this set.

All the books in this collection showcase the superstar cast of artists who worked on these covers. We love the Ben Bishop cover of issue #1 for Cyn City Comics in 9.8, the gorgeous Aaron Bartling cover of issue #1 for Linebreakers Comics, and the awesome Kevin Eastman and Simon Bisley team-up on issue #5 for the Kevin Eastman Fan Club A cover — superb in a 9.9!

Congratulations to Murdo81 for putting in the tremendous effort to complete this set, and the 2024 award for Best Presented!

Fantastic Firth – Marvel Comics Super Special – Super Special Elusive #7

The time frame of the ’70s leading into the ’80s was an era packed with phenoms of pop culture, and with the unbelievable success of 1977’s Star Wars comic adaptation, Marvel wanted to continue the trend by crossing over more films, television shows and eventually toy properties into comics.

But for some of those cultural landmarks, Marvel sought to bring a higher-quality product to the stands that allowed more than comic formatting could. Enter Marvel Comics Super Special in the fall of 1977. With larger magazine formatting and full process color, special interviews, painted covers and gorgeous pin-ups, this 41-issue series of one-shots was definitely something special in the world of comics at the time and today.

The first 13 issues of the series were inspired by a mix of film, television, licensed characters and music, but from issue 14, all were devoted solely to film adaptations. Many of these mags have a story to tell beyond the pages themselves, most notoriously issue #1, with rockers KISS supplying vials of their blood that were added to the printing inks!

Registry member Fantastic Firth has presented this complete, high grade set with gorgeous graphics, beautiful images, issue descriptors and wonderful fun facts about several films. The set description is an excellent story spanning the timeline from growing up with the cultural milestones of childhood in the ’80s to enjoying them today with his own children. Definitely check out this very special set for a real treat!

Our favorites all happen to be films released in 1984! Issue 33 graded 9.6 adapts the zany, cult sci-fi adventure Buckaroo Banzai. We love the gorgeous Bill Sienkiewicz cover for issue 36 boasting a 9.6, adapting David Lynch’s Dune, and of course the universally loveable Muppets in issue 32 graded 9.2, adapting the hilarious Muppets Take Manhattan.

We’re so glad this wonderful set is here on the Registry for everyone to enjoy, and we’re pleased for Fantastic Firth to win the 2024 award for Best Presented! Congratulations!

 

Best Forumites

 

 

jimjum12

This user has shared his vast knowledge with other collectors here for more than 20 years. His mild-mannered and friendly attitude has made it easy for him to fit in and be highly respected in the community.

thehumantorch

This user is always providing helpful information to newcomers and veteran posters alike. His vast knowledge and experience do not go unnoticed. The same can be said about his unique sense of humor.

marvelmaniac

This user is very helpful to others in the hey buddy can you spare a grade forum, by supplying a highly detailed grading tutorial to support his grade in every post. In turn, this educates other users about comic grading.

The CGC Registry is a place where comic book collectors come together to share their collections and knowledge with one another. It's a valuable resource for new collectors and experienced fans alike, with a wide range of collections on display. There is no charge to join, and your CGC-certified comics are eligible for inclusion in hundreds of categories.

To participate, all you need is a free CGC membership. View other members' sets and explore the Registry >>

 

 

[Chip Cataldo]

Congrats to all you very rich people.

[CGC Mike]

Aside from the Registry, I wanted to personally congratulate the 3 forumites of the year.  @jimjum12 @thehumantorch  @marvelmaniac

jimjum12

This user has shared his vast knowledge with other collectors here for more than 20 years. His mild-mannered and friendly attitude has made it easy for him to fit in and be highly respected in the community.

thehumantorch

This user is always providing helpful information to newcomers and veteran posters alike. His vast knowledge and experience do not go unnoticed. The same can be said about his unique sense of humor.

marvelmaniac

This user is very helpful to others in the hey buddy can you spare a grade forum, by supplying a highly detailed grading tutorial to support his grade in every post. In turn, this educates other users about comic grading.

[thehumantorch]

On 7/26/2024 at 11:05 AM, CGC Mike said:

Aside from the Registry, I wanted to personally congratulate the 3 forumites of the year.  @jimjum12 @thehumantorch  @marvelmaniac

jimjum12

This user has shared his vast knowledge with other collectors here for more than 20 years. His mild-mannered and friendly attitude has made it easy for him to fit in and be highly respected in the community.

thehumantorch

This user is always providing helpful information to newcomers and veteran posters alike. His vast knowledge and experience do not go unnoticed. The same can be said about his unique sense of humor.

marvelmaniac

This user is very helpful to others in the hey buddy can you spare a grade forum, by supplying a highly detailed grading tutorial to support his grade in every post. In turn, this educates other users about comic grading.

Thanks Mike.  You're very kind.

[kimik]

On 7/26/2024 at 11:05 AM, CGC Mike said:

Aside from the Registry, I wanted to personally congratulate the 3 forumites of the year.  @jimjum12 @thehumantorch  @marvelmaniac

jimjum12

This user has shared his vast knowledge with other collectors here for more than 20 years. His mild-mannered and friendly attitude has made it easy for him to fit in and be highly respected in the community.

thehumantorch

This user is always providing helpful information to newcomers and veteran posters alike. His vast knowledge and experience do not go unnoticed. The same can be said about his unique sense of humor.

marvelmaniac

This user is very helpful to others in the hey buddy can you spare a grade forum, by supplying a highly detailed grading tutorial to support his grade in every post. In turn, this educates other users about comic grading.

Congrats, @thehumantorch

I can attest that he is the same way at shows as well, even leaving his booth at times to help people find books that he knows other sellers have.

[grendel013]

On 7/26/2024 at 1:05 PM, CGC Mike said:

Aside from the Registry, I wanted to personally congratulate the 3 forumites of the year.  @jimjum12 @thehumantorch  @marvelmaniac

jimjum12

This user has shared his vast knowledge with other collectors here for more than 20 years. His mild-mannered and friendly attitude has made it easy for him to fit in and be highly respected in the community.

thehumantorch

This user is always providing helpful information to newcomers and veteran posters alike. His vast knowledge and experience do not go unnoticed. The same can be said about his unique sense of humor.

marvelmaniac

This user is very helpful to others in the hey buddy can you spare a grade forum, by supplying a highly detailed grading tutorial to support his grade in every post. In turn, this educates other users about comic grading.

Outstanding! I was happy to see some familiar names in this section! Congrats @jimjum12 @thehumantorch @marvelmaniac!

Also special shoutout to @Parabellum for the win on that awesome Punisher collection!

[seanfingh]

On 7/26/2024 at 1:20 PM, kimik said:

Congrats, @thehumantorch

I can attest that he is the same way at shows as well, even leaving his booth at times to help people find books that he knows other sellers have.

I mean, he's OK.

[thehumantorch]

Congrats to all of the registry set winners.  I've looked through some of these wonderful sets and time and effort required to build these sets is amazing and they are true collectors and lovers of this hobby.

[thehumantorch]

On 7/26/2024 at 11:39 AM, seanfingh said:

I mean, he's OK.

Mom?  Is that you mom?

[MAY1979]

I am truly honored and humbled, and a bit choked up to have had my Custom set selected. 

I never would have even hazardered a guess that anyone but me even had viewed it.

Not sure whom to thank, but Thank You!

 

P.S. Congrats to all the 2024 winners

Edited July 26 by MAR1979

[Azkaban]

Congrats everyone  job well done

[jbpez]

[jbpez]

Congrats to all winners!!! 

[ADAMANTIUM]

very well established sets. and some with 100% descriptions throughout all sets. time and dedication well deserved

Congrats on @jimjum12 @thehumantorch and @marvelmaniac for the respectable post history, jokes, and giving descriptions of grades in the "spare a grade" forum; admirable to say the least  

[Mississippi Mudcats]

Congrats to Lou! His collection is stunning and I really thought his winning of the overall award was several years overdue. 

However, at the risk of being labeled poor losers, the way the individual set award winners are determined remains a total mystery to us. Let me say upfront that I don’t think anyone collects comics to win these awards, they really are not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. But this year the three winners of the best SA set, which we are focusing on only because we are primarily SA collectors, all came from rather obscure titles. Two of the sets were not complete and one of those was ranked third in the title. All three sets had less than 6000 registry points and one should have been in a different category. No offense intended to the collectors who owned those sets, we don’t know any of them, but the criteria CGC employs to select the set award winners every year defies logic, because it is clearly not based on total points, set ranking, completeness or presentation. There were at least 1000 better SA sets based on those criteria than the three that won. 

Maybe we are just ignorant, but it seems to us that these awards have become more participation trophies than anything else, which is fine, just tell us that upfront. Otherwise, how is it that a set that is incomplete, ranks third in its title behind two complete sets, and scores less than 6,000 registry points is judged better than ones that are first in a title, are 100% complete, and contain full descriptions of every book with front and back pictures and hundreds of thousands of registry points?  If nothing else, it certainly draws into question how CGC scores books in the registry. 

Admittedly, these are CGC’s awards and they can do with them anything they like, but at least they should explain the criteria for judging the sets so that we collectors can decide whether to make our sets public for the competition. 

Congrats again to Lou and the other winners, but I think these awards should either be discontinued or winning sets judged based on some objective standard of merit, which is clearly not the case currently. In fact, I think the entire registry point system is in dire need of revision, what exactly are registry points supposed to signify anyway?  Currently, books that have higher populations and are regularly traded are scored much higher than rarer books that may well be more valuable if they ever appeared on the market. 

Sets should also be scored based on some percentage of completion component, which we have argued for years. And then there is the problem that the collection that stands second in the total point standings was sold several years ago, but still tops the registry in several sets-there are several other similar examples. At the very least, CGC should make each competitor confirm that they still own the books in their sets. I know of several occasions in the past where awards have been given to people who have already sold some or all of the books in their award winning sets. 

At any rate, sorry for the rant and I am sure now that some people here will attack this post or us personally and come to bat for the integrity of the registry points and/or judging system, but they are certainly a mystery to us-and we’ve been collecting CGC comics for over two decades and have been on the registry since 2010. 

 

Edited August 12 by Mississippi Mudcats

[Pitboss]

Congrats to all!

[grendel013]

I'm happy with my award! Back on top two years in a row now... until the 9.9s start coming out...

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 7/26/2024 at 4:51 PM, grendel013 said:

I'm happy with my award! Back on top two years in a row now... until the 9.9s start coming out...

You have a cool name too! Mine is too common but good stuff!

[grendel013]

On 7/26/2024 at 6:03 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

You have a cool name too! Mine is too common but good stuff!

Unfortunately no relationship to Maria or Bill...

[ADAMANTIUM]

I went to find out if I had any, but my titles don't automatically show the nature of the set by the title haha

On 7/26/2024 at 5:21 PM, grendel013 said:

Unfortunately no relationship to Maria or Bill...