BitterOldMan Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Cap 1 for me based on value for my dime.  Cap 1 is filled with wonderful artwork, whereas Tec 31 has the iconic Bob Kane cover with lackluster Kane and Moldoff vampire story and much forgotten additional stories.  As a youngster, I would buy Batman comics, because I got a book filled with Batman stories, not Detective Comics with one Batman story and many filler pages full of drek.  Then I discovered Tec 180, and now have a mere 13 copies😂.   Primetime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primetime Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 (edited) On 8/7/2024 at 7:46 AM, BitterOldMan said: Cap 1 for me based on value for my dime.  Cap 1 is filled with wonderful artwork, whereas Tec 31 has the iconic Bob Kane cover with lackluster Kane and Moldoff vampire story and much forgotten additional stories.  As a youngster, I would buy Batman comics, because I got a book filled with Batman stories, not Detective Comics with one Batman story and many filler pages full of drek.  Then I discovered Tec 180, and now have a mere 13 copies😂.   Yes the 31 has the iconic classic cover and interior art by Kane’s great ghost artist, Shelly Moldoff 😉 Edited August 7 by Primetime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Bronty Posted August 8 Popular Post Share Posted August 8 (edited) Cap 1 for me.  Tec 31 is great but I feel like the premium for the cover is more than it should be, so I feel like Cap 1 is the better value for my money.  I know many will disagree and that's okay.  Edited August 8 by Bronty PopKulture, woowoo, Primetime and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mwotka Posted August 10 Popular Post Share Posted August 10 I prefer Batman the character, and that cover doesn't get much better and I'd love to own one. But I feel like the massive appeal of that cover is more of a recent phenomenon, whereas the Cap 1 has had major impact from day 1 (which I'm sure explains the scarcity of the 31). A major factor for me in collecting these old books is historical impact, and it doesn't get much more significant than Cap punching Hitler on the newsstand a full year before the US entered WWII. It was a major political statement. Imagine walking down the street in NYC and seeing copies on the newsstand, with a country sharply divided on remaining isolationist or interventionist, and some sectors even holding rallies supporting the German expansionist view. Imagine a politician of the day being uncertain where the public mood was and seeing that. And it is not as well remembered that some pro-nazi rallies at the time were quite large, one drew 20,000+ to the old Madison Square Garden in 1939 and featured giant swastika banners flanking George Washington. Goodman allowed his two Jewish creators to make a political statement that at the time was somewhat controversial, and other major publishers were explicitly steering clear of these types of statements.  For Goodman it had to be a tough business decision, as what publisher wants to potentially alienate a sizable portion of their buying audience while launching a new title. It also had life safety consequences, as the publisher received threats and had to have security guarding the offices. Then you consider that Simon and Kirby had friends and/or family in Europe being directly impacted by the nihilistic ideals put forth by Hitler, and I think it easy to say there hasn't been a more explicitly political comic cover ever published. Publishing Cap 1 at the time was an heroic act that had a strong influence on American involvement in WW2. There is a famous quote about Churchill that he had mobilized the English language and sent it into battle. Goodman, Simon, and Kirby have done much the same thing with the tools of the comic creators. They set the template for every WW2 cover to follow. And helped convince a hesitant country that it was time to take a stand against tyranny. Cap 1 for me.  Primetime, Raze, GreatCaesarsGhost and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primetime Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 (edited) Speaking of Goodman and Hitler, it’s interesting that Goodman had already tested the Hitler waters on a cover when he allowed Norman Saunders to put Hitler on this pulp cover - Dynamic Science Stories (April-May, 1939) - nearly two years before Cap 1 was published. Edited August 10 by Primetime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameri Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 Primetime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstances Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 Cap 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyJack Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 Cap 1 is an easy choice for me. I much prefer Tec 29’s cover to 31, and that subjectivity somewhat mitigates the value of classic covers, IMO. PopKulture, RareHighGrade and D84 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telegan Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 @management, I've already given my opinion in this thread, yet it is still open. Why? KirbyJack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
