Platinum Comics are not Comic Books

[ft88]

I was thouroughly bored with the overstreet article on the platinum, and now Victorian comics. Can I state for the record that New Fun Comics is the first comic book and Funnies on Parade can raise a flag as first comic book.

 

Ultimately Action Comics #1 represents the first real comic book.

 

Anything prior to that are all lead ups to the comic book genre. I don't care if there are word balloons, art, staples, whatever. The stuff is interesting and valuable but they aren't comic books any more than orignial art is a comic book.

 

A huge part of collecting is sorting and compartmentalizing whats being collected. You could almost say that is one of the reasons comics are so successful when other collectibles, both related to comics and not, fail to have as large a following. To start to drift the genre is not good for the hobby. Cross over to orignal art, toys, posters, or BLBooks is the same as the GA comic collector also collecting platinum age.

 

I say keep it out of the guide and what started this rant was a post by Tom G in answer to the Rarest comic book. All 20 of his books were either not comic books or promotional/giveaways. Here is the definition of a real comic book

 

1. Must be folded paper and stapled, not bound

2. Must have been sold or potentially old to the public

3. More artwork than stories

4. Standard comic size for the era (Insert dimensions, I don't intend this to be a circular argument)

 

 

And here are leading indicators its a comic but not required

 

1. Cover paper is glossy and different stock than the interior paper.

2. Artwork and words are intermingled

3. It immediately passes the "I know it when I see it test" so that when you show the item to your grandmother and ask her what it is. She says "a comic book"

 

A word on promotional comic books. That is exactly what they are - promotional comic books.

 

So annoying to look up the value of Action Comics #1 and I have to surf through all this extraneous "Yellow Kid" BS.

[Rocketeer]

...I agree mostly save for Action #1 being the first real comic book,...that has no merit ,...

[SignatureSelect]

I am sorry but platinum comics are comics. Detective # 1 is platium age Do you consider it a comic? And just because you don't consider yellow kid, buster brown, all-story 12 (Ist tarzan), Funnies on parade and pulps to be comics doesn't mean they aren't important and don't deserve to be in the overstreet.

[FourthWorld]

I read the article too...kinda' stunned how they kept insisting something so FEW people collect (folks NOBODY collects these) was really the first comics...now they have a full price guide in Overstreet with prices that make bronze age prices look completely accurate and on target (hell, maybe underpriced)....meanwhile undergrounds, which YES are comics, continue to Rot....would like to know whose agenda this was, laughable and sad.

[FourthWorld]

I am sorry but platinum comics are comics. Detective # 1 is platium age Do you consider it a comic? And just because you don't consider yellow kid, buster brown, all-story 12 (Ist tarzan), Funnies on parade and pulps to be comics doesn't mean they aren't important and don't deserve to be in the overstreet.

I consider Detective to be a comic book, and a Mighty important one....BUT NO, don't consider the Yellow Kid and whatever to have ANYTHING to do with comic books.

[ft88]

Detective 1 is a comic book no doubt about it. I'll retract my comment on Action #1. Its more the "one that started it all". Plus I'm not trying to define or redefine Platinum, only what to categorize as a comic book.

 

Plus I'm not implying lack of importance of any pre comic paper items just that they shouldn't be classified as comic books.

 

At some point Overstreet would have to put in even Sunday newspaper funnies based on whatever criteria they are using for Victorian.

 

If I draw some stick figures and make fold over stapled copies at the office - thats not quite yet a comic.

[Timulty]

What about Captain Billy's Whiz Bang?

[Ripatwork-migration]

I was thouroughly bored with the overstreet article on the platinum, and now Victorian comics. Can I state for the record that New Fun Comics is the first comic book and Funnies on Parade can raise a flag as first comic book.

 

Ultimately Action Comics #1 represents the first real comic book.

 

Anything prior to that are all lead ups to the comic book genre. I don't care if there are word balloons, art, staples, whatever. The stuff is interesting and valuable but they aren't comic books any more than orignial art is a comic book.

 

A huge part of collecting is sorting and compartmentalizing whats being collected. You could almost say that is one of the reasons comics are so successful when other collectibles, both related to comics and not, fail to have as large a following. To start to drift the genre is not good for the hobby. Cross over to orignal art, toys, posters, or BLBooks is the same as the GA comic collector also collecting platinum age.

 

I say keep it out of the guide and what started this rant was a post by Tom G in answer to the Rarest comic book. All 20 of his books were either not comic books or promotional/giveaways. Here is the definition of a real comic book

 

1. Must be folded paper and stapled, not bound

2. Must have been sold or potentially old to the public

3. More artwork than stories

4. Standard comic size for the era (Insert dimensions, I don't intend this to be a circular argument)

 

 

And here are leading indicators its a comic but not required

 

1. Cover paper is glossy and different stock than the interior paper.

2. Artwork and words are intermingled

3. It immediately passes the "I know it when I see it test" so that when you show the item to your grandmother and ask her what it is. She says "a comic book"

 

A word on promotional comic books. That is exactly what they are - promotional comic books.

 

So annoying to look up the value of Action Comics #1 and I have to surf through all this extraneous "Yellow Kid" BS.

 

I completely disagree and continue to love the additions. Im interested in the development/history of the hobby and field of comic books.

Only a comic if it has staples.

[rob_react]

 

Only a comic if it has staples.

 

The Dark Knight Returns isn't a comic book then.

[Timulty]

You know, there are people who would agree with that statement, RR.

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

"kinda' stunned how they kept insisting something so FEW people collect (folks NOBODY collects these) was really the first comics"

 

This one stuns me. I didn't realize our criteria for exploring the origins of comic books, the comics medium, and history in general should end when it's not collected by enough people.

[FourthWorld]

"kinda' stunned how they kept insisting something so FEW people collect (folks NOBODY collects these) was really the first comics"

 

This one stuns me. I didn't realize our criteria for exploring the origins of comic books, the comics medium, and history in general should end when it's not collected by enough people.

Arnold the EXTENSIVE price guide and articles makes me thinks something is up here, but if you feel this was "crucial" so be it....any idea when Comic Books that are collected, UNDERGROUNDS for example, will get some notice in the "guide" .

[rob_react]

"kinda' stunned how they kept insisting something so FEW people collect (folks NOBODY collects these) was really the first comics"

 

This one stuns me. I didn't realize our criteria for exploring the origins of comic books, the comics medium, and history in general should end when it's not collected by enough people.

 

You didn't get the memo?

[rob_react]

"kinda' stunned how they kept insisting something so FEW people collect (folks NOBODY collects these) was really the first comics"

 

This one stuns me. I didn't realize our criteria for exploring the origins of comic books, the comics medium, and history in general should end when it's not collected by enough people.

Arnold the EXTENSIVE price guide and articles makes me thinks something is up here, but if you feel this was "crucial" so be it....any idea when Comic Books that are collected, UNDERGROUNDS for example, will get some notice in the "guide" .

 

I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Comicdey]

There is definately an agenda in trying to make the items more marketable, similar to adding BLB into the guide and the overstreet price guides themselves. I don't care to speculate who's agenda this is. So is the overstreet guide a comic book?

 

I agree with the "you know it when you see it" theory of comics. When I would go to an antique store in the past 40 years and see these "books" for sale with comic interiors, they were a curiosity, but I never felt, man I've got to have those as a comic book completist.

 

To each their own, call them what you will, but they should have their own book similar to the undergrounds, or the Overstreet should be called the "Overstreet Comic Book and all things related Guide".

 

Just my 2 cents.

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

While undergrounds aren't covered in the Guide, Dan Fogel's new underground comix price guide is a very nice way of trying to redress that gap.

[FourthWorld]

Did he finally come out with that??? I was beginning to think it was a myth.

[Scrooge]

<snip> At some point Overstreet would have to put in even Sunday newspaper funnies based on whatever criteria they are using for Victorian.

 

They already are and have been for a long time. The Spirit Sundays have been a staple in the Guide. Do you want those taken out?

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

Yes, it came out. They did a nice job with it, lots of work went into it.

[ft88]

I can only offer a viewpoint on "what's wrong with Overstreet" and in general it is far and away a magnificent product for comic collectors even in the internet GPA world of today. However, a rule of thumb in business is to find what you do well and keep doing it well. That doesn't mean you can't expand and create additional priceguides, which I also usually enjoy. Compared to almost all other collectibles the Overstreet Price Guide is one of the best price guides out there.

 

Maybe I have old mans disease, in that my first guide was #14 the Katy Keene guide and I still have some of those prices memorized. But the long articles should really be comic book centric. Let the ads show toys and posters and related items - thats fine. I like that the promotional has its own section. But BLB and Victorian need to have their own guides.

 

I think I understand about the Undergrounds since the expertise (possible morality issues by the Gemstone?) isn't there but that ommission and inclusion of BLBs just isn't right.

 

I'm not going to go so far as to suggest a conspiracy to promote a monetary gain in the market. Its likely that the collectors of these items who influence Overstreet want to expand the market. I know the feeling that since I love seeing folks I know enter the comic collecting world. Its not so my comics go up in value I just enjoy the expansion (plus knowing that I got there first is fun too)

 

The main thing is to not dilute the comic collecting world. Comic books are comic books are comic books and thats what Overstreet represents. Or at least I think it still does.....