The August Heritage Auction

[tth2]

Exactly. While there is no shortage of American duck fans, the Europeans (this includes the Germans, too) are duck fanatics! The internet has tapped into this huge customer base. As Don Rosa was telling Robyx at the SD Forum Dinner, in the US's superhero-centric comic world, he gets no attention, but when he goes to Scandinavia he's treated like a rock star.

 

I still don't quite understand this. I mean, Donald was an American creation. Disney is as American as Superman, no? Maybe even moreso.

 

Well, for now, I'll try and continue my small collection. I can try and keep some of the high-ish grade duck books here in the US!

 

Disney books have been popular in Europe for over fifty years. That pretty much says it all

 

Donald may have been an american creation but he went global VERY quickly. If I recall correctly Italian Donald Duck magazine started being published in 1946(?) and has been published WEEKLY since... it's at over 3000 issues now. And you thought Action had a long run When I was a kid in Italy (lived there until 5 yrs old) I had STACKS of duck books, and brushed my teeth with strawberry Donald Duck toothpaste

Yup, this is not an uncommon phenomenon. Jerry Lewis is American, but is thought of MUCH more highly in France than the US. I can name a dozen obscure American rock and blues bands that are virtually unknown in America but are gods in Japan.

 

Just because DD is an American creation doesn`t mean that other cultures can`t appreciate him, and maybe even appreciate him even more. I think Carl Barks in particular generates the real Duck fanaticism among European collectors, because the appeal of his stories and art is so universal.

 

Oh, I think my post is being misread. I fully get why Donald is popular in Europe. I just don't get why the comics are so unpopular (or at least they have a tiny fraction of the popularity experienced in Europe).

 

DD is owned by a giant corp for which the incremental profit accruing from comics sales is a drop in the bucket. The European comic companies have managed to keep DD and Disney comics continuously available to the kids -- maybe one of European friends can speak to why this is so. Last I knew, Archie Pubs was a family owned concern and so works hard to keep Archie comics on the stands and at the checkout counters.

I don't think it's just that. I think the primary answer is that the American comic book market is all about superheroes and the predominant market demographic has been males aged 5 to 25. Everything else was/is considered to be "girls' books", "kids' books" or niche. If you were a 12 year old boy growing up in the US, you wouldn't be caught dead reading an Archie or Richie Rich or Donald Duck in public, particularly among other boys who were superhero collectors. Take a look at these boards, where I bet at least 80% of the members have ZERO interest in non-superhero books.

 

Culturally, this same kind of resistance/peer pressure didn't seem to exist in continental Europe, where it seemed to be okay for a young boy to read Marvel superheroes AND Donald Duck. I would be curious what the attitude was in the UK, which often culturally sits somewhere between the US and Europe.

[tth2]

It has a very early Superman story, Superman with blond hair on the cover, first published Sandman appearance, & the cool World's Fair tie in.

 

I think it sells for under guide simply because Overstreet overpriced it, and it's not a terribly hard book to find.

 

thanks, now I want one.

 

New York World's Fair 1939 is an incredibly cool book IMO...1939 Superman plus the NYC and World's Fair connections nearly make it a grail for me. But as Brian alludes to, the Guide prices for this book are off the charts and have pretty well cooled my interest. The book also has a rich dark blue cover, which makes Fair to Good copies look pretty awful! It would still be fun to own one someday, but I doubt I'll ever want it enough to take the plunge.

 

Pt5;

 

To me, the case of the WF '39 is a claasic example of what happens when OS makes a blunder in the guide. For 50 years, everybody thought that Adventure #40 was the first appearance of the Sandman and the marketplace priced it accordingly. It was not until the late 80's or early 90's before comic historians finally figured out that WF '39 was actually the first appearance.

 

Any bets that if the timeline in OS was correct from the start, WF '39 would be priced higher than where it is now and we would not be saying that it was way overpriced in the guide. I also believe it's quite likely that WF '39 would be priced higher than Adventure #40, instead of the current situation where it is priced at less than half of Adventure #40. This timeline error by OS has now been so ingrained into our collecting mentality that we find it hard to reverse our thinking and see Adventure #40 as not being quite the icon that history has given it.

 

Generally in every area of comic collecting, the first appearance is seen as the most important and the most valuable. This is defintely not the case with WF '39 and Adventure #40. Since this thread seems to have been taken over by Ducks, we have a classic example here. FC #9 is the first Barks DD and is valued and priced much higher than WDC&S #31 which is the first issue of a continuous run by Barks. Could anybody imagine paying more for the WDC&S #31 as opposed to the FC 9. Same thing with AF #15 versus ASM #1 and many other examples throughout comic history.

 

So, maybe WF '39 is not so overpriced if the comic history books had recorded everything correctly in the first place.

 

A big part of the relative pricing is scarcity and cover quality. NYWF isn't terribly scarce, while Adventure 40 is brutal to find. NYWF has an ok cover, while Adventure 40's cover is phenomenal. All things considered, even if Overstreet had gotten it right all along, I wouldn't be surprised if Adventure 40 still wouldn't be priced solidly higher. Demand comfortably outstrips supply for it, while supply of NYWF '39 is pretty decent.

Totally in agreement.

[nearmint]

At the end of the day, most collectors are cover "hos"

 

[FlyingDonut]

At the end of the day, most collectors are cover "hos"

 

 

Nah, can't be

 

[robyx-migration]

Hi!

 

I got more then a fair share of the ducks this time

 

tb: I'm not sure if the USD($) have anything to do with it. We all knew for years that it was overpriced. Even someone with the slightest idea of investment could predict the USD to drop like a rock. The only ones to miss out of the profits where the common people (typical financial corruption). Add some hefty oil prices, and Norway, the sheiks of Europe strike once again

 

tth2: Don Rosa is indeed a Rock Star when over here. It was kind off strange on the dinner. Such tragedy how the publishers treat him. Then again, he have XXXXXX of kids going to sleep, dreaming about his Ducks. Converting this into money is impossible; that’s why he is an artist

 

bronty: You are indeed right! Italy and Scandinavia (Including Finland) was very fast to catch on to the ducks. Even if I love the art and the whole setup, it might have been a coincidence given that they where released first. If Superman and Batman came along earlier, or the same time, it might have ended different. As an example, the first Spideys where first released in Norway in B&W (no kidding!).

 

adamstrange: Like it's been pointed out in this and other treads; its history how DD came to Europe and got loved so fast. American culture was popular and they started with the Disney stuff. Little did they know at that time; that the mother company should turn out into such a [embarrassing lack of self control] company as it did.

 

robyx

[HouseofComics.Com]

I don't think it's just that. I think the primary answer is that the American comic book market is all about superheroes and the predominant market demographic has been males aged 5 to 25. Everything else was/is considered to be "girls' books", "kids' books" or niche.

 

Very interesting stuff to think about and I'm sure that's part of it just as what everyone else is saying is part of it.

 

Btw, I voted for the Adventure cover as one of my top ten.

 

Marc

[tb]

I got more then a fair share of the ducks this time

 

So that's where your Oil Fund money is going! I always thought it was a big

mistake to give you guys independence from Denmark. Big mistake!

[tth2]

I got more then a fair share of the ducks this time

 

So that's where your Oil Fund money is going! I always thought it was a big

mistake to give you guys independence from Denmark. Big mistake!

I hear them's fightin' words in Oslo!

[Bronty]

I don't think it's just that. I think the primary answer is that the American comic book market is all about superheroes and the predominant market demographic has been males aged 5 to 25. Everything else was/is considered to be "girls' books", "kids' books" or niche.

 

Very interesting stuff to think about and I'm sure that's part of it just as what everyone else is saying is part of it.

 

Btw, I voted for the Adventure cover as one of my top ten.

 

Marc

 

Yeah, there's no doubt that the books are seen by some people in the US/Canada as 'kid's books' - I just don't understand the attitude here. Talking ducks (that are otherwise human and have mostly real life situations) are a lot more realistic than superheroes reversing time but flying counterclockwise around the earth or what have you. And titles like x-men with their friggin teen soap opera storylines are frankly aimed at a really juvenile audience while the ducks books can at least be appreciated by all ages. It's just such a narrow way of thinking as any genre can be excellent if handled the right way be it superhero/western/funny animal/horror, whatever!

 

 

 

[goldust40]

I would be curious what the attitude was in the UK, which often culturally sits somewhere between the US and Europe.

 

I remember reading and enjoying Disney reprints (and the occasional Gold Key) from the early to mid 1970s (Donald And Mickey was the main title) - I have no idea what happened to those books, but would certainly like to reread them.

 

At some point in the mid 70s I changed interests in my comic reading and gave up on the Duck books, but I've noticed that Disney reprints have been continually available since that time on newstands in London.

 

Despite Disney films always doing very well in the U.K. (especially when I was growing up) there was, and is, no fanbase for Barks and Rosa in the U.K. - as you say, the U.K. straddles the line between the U.S. and Europe and was far more heavily influenced by the super-hero stuff, hence Fleetway and IPC's shift to 2000 AD and Warrior in the late 70s/early 80s. Mad Magazine was very popular during that era, too.

 

I only really became aware of Barks and Rosa when I got back into collecting in the early 90s, when I started reading CBM (plenty of Duck fanboys there) and going to U.S. shows.

[tth2]

Yeah, there's no doubt that the books are seen by some people in the US/Canada as 'kid's books' - I just don't understand the attitude here. Talking ducks (that are otherwise human and have mostly real life situations) are a lot more realistic than superheroes reversing time but flying counterclockwise around the earth or what have you. And titles like x-men with their friggin teen soap opera storylines are frankly aimed at a really juvenile audience while the ducks books can at least be appreciated by all ages. It's just such a narrow way of thinking as any genre can be excellent if handled the right way be it superhero/western/funny animal/horror, whatever!

I don't think it's an issue of realism or sophistication. It's an issue of what is/was considered socially acceptable for an American adolescent male to read. Even with soap opera storylines like ASM or X-Men, superhero books are socially acceptable for them because there are explosions and ray beams and people beating the krap out of each other. So sci-fi, horror and war books are similarly acceptable because they have "macho" elements socially acceptable for adolescent males, although less mainstream.

 

Not acceptable were romance books (girls' books), Archies (girls' books/kids' books), Dennis the Menace (kids' books), Harveys (kids' books) and "cartoon characters" like Ducks, Bugs Bunny, etc. (kids' books). I know that if I didn't have a sister, I would never have read and appreciated Archies, Richie Rich, Dennis the Menace and most importantly, Duck books growing up. Even if I had bought them on my own as a kid, I definitely would've stopped buying them around age 8 or 9, once comics and superheroes became things I discussed with my other friends. Hell, even as an adult I still get quizzical looks from many of my superhero-focused collecting friends when I talk about Duck books or talk about how great Dennis the Menace was.

[Bronty]

. It's an issue of what is/was considered socially acceptable for an American adolescent male to read.

 

But that's exactly my point - its ironic that the stuff that IS socially acceptable (eg xmen) is actually MORE adolescent than the stuff that ISN'T considered socially acceptable (ducks, lulu, archies).

 

Sadly, I think you're dead on when you say that male-targeted soap operas become acceptable when they have explosions and raybeams

[skybolt]

. It's an issue of what is/was considered socially acceptable for an American adolescent male to read.

 

But that's exactly my point - its ironic that the stuff that IS socially acceptable (eg xmen) is actually MORE adolescent than the stuff that ISN'T considered socially acceptable (ducks, lulu, archies).

 

Sadly, I think you're dead on when you say that male-targeted soap operas become acceptable when they have explosions and raybeams

 

The same soap opera comment can be made towards anything we watch on TV or in the theater (similar to a "Terminator" movie). My personal belief is that superhero books at least have grown men and women being placed in perilous situations that appeal to children and some adults. On the otherhand, it's a little more difficult to make the same comment with duck and lulu books. Archie is a different story though.

[skybolt]

In addition to what I stated above, my main argument is not about the content between a duck and X-Men book, but the preception. The duck book could actually have more mature writing than the superhero book, but try telling that to a 16-year old male.

[nearmint]

I think a crossover is definitely in order.

[skybolt]

I think a crossover is definitely in order.

 

 

Anyone for some barbecued ducks?

[adamstrange]

Yeah, there's no doubt that the books are seen by some people in the US/Canada as 'kid's books' - I just don't understand the attitude here. Talking ducks (that are otherwise human and have mostly real life situations) are a lot more realistic than superheroes reversing time but flying counterclockwise around the earth or what have you. And titles like x-men with their friggin teen soap opera storylines are frankly aimed at a really juvenile audience while the ducks books can at least be appreciated by all ages. It's just such a narrow way of thinking as any genre can be excellent if handled the right way be it superhero/western/funny animal/horror, whatever!

I don't think it's an issue of realism or sophistication. It's an issue of what is/was considered socially acceptable for an American adolescent male to read. Even with soap opera storylines like ASM or X-Men, superhero books are socially acceptable for them because there are explosions and ray beams and people beating the krap out of each other. So sci-fi, horror and war books are similarly acceptable because they have "macho" elements socially acceptable for adolescent males, although less mainstream.

 

Not acceptable were romance books (girls' books), Archies (girls' books/kids' books), Dennis the Menace (kids' books), Harveys (kids' books) and "cartoon characters" like Ducks, Bugs Bunny, etc. (kids' books). I know that if I didn't have a sister, I would never have read and appreciated Archies, Richie Rich, Dennis the Menace and most importantly, Duck books growing up. Even if I had bought them on my own as a kid, I definitely would've stopped buying them around age 8 or 9, once comics and superheroes became things I discussed with my other friends. Hell, even as an adult I still get quizzical looks from many of my superhero-focused collecting friends when I talk about Duck books or talk about how great Dennis the Menace was.

 

I had a older sister from whom I stole the kind of books your sister had. I just read Scoop and noticed that the Richie Rich 1 in NM sold for 10K. I remember turning down a 9.0 or better copy years ago because the person wanted 1K -- and I thought no one is EVER going to pay that much money for that book -- it's not a superhero.

[Silver Surfer]

So who won all these great books because I haven't seen too many scan yet?

[143ksk]

I don't know about great, but here's what I won

 

[143ksk]