Post Your FOUR COLOR Comic Covers Here 15 15

[Sqeggs]

7 hours ago, 4GEMWORKS said:

You saw the first Leave it to Beaver in the Four Color run. This was the last and "missing".

[4GEMWORKS]

Incidentally, this is the missing issue 1318

[jmg3637]

Amazing Missing books Glen.  

Certainly at least a few of those I had never seen or even heard of previously, especially the Blue Phantom

So with all of these new images do you have any more under copies  to pass on?

 

Here is my latest slab,  and a First Series to boot.  I think I have a dozen slabbed issues, but even after these last two additions I am still in 25th place on the registry.

[AJD]

On 7/24/2018 at 5:38 PM, 4GEMWORKS said:

That's all for now folks....

Thank you - that was great!

[sfcityduck]

On 7/23/2018 at 11:47 PM, 4GEMWORKS said:

Another super tough book I believe there are 2 higher graded copies though none has ever sold.

Plentiful in low grade.  Black cover makes it harder to find in a decent grade, and it is not a popular book.  I was the under bidder on this copy, would have gone up another $100 but, even though it is no. 3 on the Census (which makes it the lowest rated of the three on the Census), I am convinced there are some decent non-CGC'd copies out there which I can get.  We'll see.

[Sqeggs]

1 hour ago, sfcityduck said:

Plentiful in low grade.  Black cover makes it harder to find in a decent grade, and it is not a popular book.  I was the under bidder on this copy, would have gone up another $100 but, even though it is no. 3 on the Census (which makes it the lowest rated of the three on the Census), I am convinced there are some decent non-CGC'd copies out there which I can get.  We'll see.

I could have sworn I had a high-grade copy of that one, but my spreadsheet says no. 

[jmg3637]

Glen

 

Your research and analysis on the subject of missing four colors has caused me to delve onto the situation.

 

It seems as though you have renumbered some of the books between your earlier list and the scans you recently posted.

 

While I agree with most of the books published I think there is a different way to analyze  their order.  If you look at the publishing number they are usually broken up into 3 sets of numbers.  The last set is always an indication of the month and year published 

so therefore all books ending in 207 were published in the seventh month of the year ending in 2  or July 1962.

 

The middle three digits vary, but seem to be able to be used as an ordering and for the 207 issues the numbers run from 053 (  Ken and Barbie which you ID'd as the first missing issue 1217) to 879 The Untouchables which you picked as 1327.  Lining the books up as i suggest   matches quite nicely with your listing  with the major difference being the Mother Moose would drop from 1277  to 1322  and the books up to Follow the Sun  would each jump on spot on the missing list..Part of this analysis also slots in Gyro Gearloose  which has a # of 01-329-207  as filling spot 1315.  The Numbers from 1316 through 1327  now match your list.

I have not yet understood the first 2 digits which are always 01  or 12, but treating the 12's as coming after the last of the 01's  seems to agree with your work.

A similar analysis of the 208 issues lines the first 4 of those exactly as you have, but would bump Three Stooges from issue 1356  all the way up to 1340 

Moving on to the 209 issues.  The first of those 057 Beany and Cecil would fall to 1342, and each other issue you mention would  fall one slot.

Treating the 210 the same way reorders the 1357+ issues with the series finally dying with the lone 211 issue Goofy Scoutmaster coming in at 1363.

I believe there are other books which could be slotted into this revised list  such as Barbie and ken #2  with a number pf 12-053-210

 

 

 

[Sqeggs]

Very interesting.  I would love to see us come up with a consensus list of missing FCs. 

[Montezuma]

It's an interesting topic and I enjoy it. Going by the Dell codes and issue numbers has it's problems. Below is a list of the issues from1200 to 1250, their cover date and year, and the Dell code (Library of Congress data thanks to GCD). As you can see, 1202 was from 1962, but 1250 was still a 1961 issue so Dell didn't ship these consecutively. I don't have enough data to draw conclusions, but Disney licenses appear to be treated differently. I'll dig for more data, unfortunately most of my four colors are stored in a location I don't have quick access to.

 

[Montezuma]

I knew there was an article in CBM on this at one point, See attached link. Their conclusions on the missing issues come close to matching 4GEMWORKS

Missing Four Color Article

They also explain the numbering system

01-090-209

01 is for 15 cent comics, 12 is for 12 cent

090 is a designator for a spcific comic title

209 is YMM so Sep 1962

 

[4GEMWORKS]

Most of this is art versus science as you can see. The reason that there are probably not more likely candidates is that Four Color unwound very quickly, within 3-4 months. The primary giveaway is the indicia which uses the coding instead of the issue number, most of the time. You can’t really find many of those past the 207; 209 series. Goofy Scoutmaster , as I recall shows number 1 in the indicia and goes past 209 so I am doubtful it was missing. But I found a good copy with Gene Carpenter and couldn’t resist.

i can post a copy later, but one book I though could possibly be missing is “Kit Karter”. Almost impossible to find outside of VG just like many others.

[Pickie]

A big "thank you" from a lurker. It's a great pleasure to see all those covers for the first time and in such pristine conditons to boot. Beautiful things ...

[Sqeggs]

Another Western issue with a painted cover. 

[4GEMWORKS]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 1:25 PM, Montezuma said:

I knew there was an article in CBM on this at one point, See attached link. Their conclusions on the missing issues come close to matching 4GEMWORKS

Missing Four Color Article

They also explain the numbering system

01-090-209

01 is for 15 cent comics, 12 is for 12 cent

090 is a designator for a spcific comic title

209 is YMM so Sep 1962

 

Incidentally, the one reason I am doubtful of even my own numbering series is that the middle three numbers are code for the title. In the link provided by Montezuma you will notice that the alphabetic titling takes the sort preference and thus, the issue numbers are based on alphabetical order of the titles shown. I have no doubt that the missing issues are correct. But if you go back the past couple of years I do not b believe the Four Coloring numbering sequence is alphabetical at all. For example:

 

1299 Deputy Dawg

1300 The Comanches

1301 Adventures in Paradise

1302 Johnny Jason Teen Reporter

 

Had alphabet had anything to do with issue number it would almost certainly have shown up in earlier years sequencing of numbers.

So this leads me to believe that the numbering sequence in the article , as well as my own is speculative at best. I firmly believe that the  missing issues all belong in the slots somewhere, I just don't know the exact sequence. Take a look at this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2sUg2KCMzSBOTE4YmZkZDctMWRlNS00ZDZmLTgyNjgtYzg2MGQ2ZmVmMjFh/view

There is no doubt that this unexpected discovery of the cover art for Beany and Cecil had this originally set as FC 1339. Most of the other schemes have it as 1340. Not a lot of difference, but it illustrates the point.

The second very important point to me is that the Beany and Cecil issue mentioned her,, as noted in t he article, shows #1 in  the indicia. Therefore, it is not a certainty that an issue cannot be missing just because it is given issue #1 status. On the other hand, one thing we can say is that if an issue has a #2 listed, or higher it is not a missing FC.

 

[jmg3637]

Just got another set in from Blissard.  Starting from reverse order, the first few are upgrades, 

 

I was so happy to upgrade the Bonanza.  The first copy I got at the end of a local con, and I really did not look at how bad the cover was.  Wanted to upgrade  as soon as I was home

[sagii]

..Cross posted from the Looney Tunes Thread: Four Color #33, 1st Bugs Bunny issue in the series.

@Sqeggs @jmg3637 @4GEMWORKS

Do any of you FC diehards know who are the top 5 characters to grace a Four Color cover in terms of number of cover appearances (devoted issues) ? 

[4GEMWORKS]

Tjis is out of my Four Color Set description:

 

Series Highlights

Tracy: 10 issues within Four Color, continuing with Dell and finishing with Harvey this would produce another 135 issues.

Donald Duck; Starting with First series #4 Donald Duck has 33 Four Color appearances. Carl Barks is born out of the Four Color series. The series continues all the way until 1994 and issue # 305. Many of the Four Color stories were reprinted repeatedly. Hundreds if not thousands of other Duck related titles came out of the original Four Color cauldron.

Smilin’ Jack : One of the first stories to appear in Four Color it ran a total of eight issues before branching out on its own for a short run.

Tillie the Toiler: Unknown today this series ran in a total of seven Four Color issues.

Mickey Mouse: Thirty Three Four Color appearances also puts Mickey Mouse near the top of Four Color appearances. It later breaks off on its own and runs a total of 255 issues into the early 90’s. The original Four color stories were reprinted often, as in the case with Donald Duck.

Popeye: Popeye was extremely popular back in the day it was being published. It ran a total of seven Four Color issues before branching out. It would eventually finish at 171 in the late eighties.

Marge’s Little Lulu: Lulu was on fire back in the day and this series lasted 11 issues in Four Color before branching off and publishing a total of 205 issues.

Bugs Bunny: Bugs showed up 35 times over the course of his Four Color career. It would go on to finish at issue 245 in the mid 80’s.

Porky Pig: Porky Pig lasted 27 issues within the Four Color series. It went into its own format and lasted until issue 109.

Santa Claus Funnies: This was heavily created by Walt Kelly originally and later had a bigger variety of talent. It ran a total of seventeen appearances within Four Color. It’s one of the few to span nearly the entire stretch of Four Color; from 1944 all the way through to the early sixties.

Woody Woodpecker: The series goes 15 issues within Four Color before going its own way. It lasts all the way to # 201 in the mid eighties.

Oswald the Rabbit (Walter Lantz): This series lasted 20 issues and covered all the way from 1943 to the early sixties. Yet it never branched off or got any play time anywhere else.

Roy Rogers and Gene Autry: These were the first of the Four Color Cowboys. Gene Autry lasts six issues before branching off and going to number 121.Roy Rogers manages to fill out the pages of 14 issues before going it alone. Solo he lasts to issue # 145. These were the first of many cowboys to come.

Zane Grey, Stories of the West lasts a surprising total of 27 issues. Zane had another 8 issues published with the “King of the Royal Mounted” storyline. Outside of Four Color, neither went anywhere.

Frosty the Snowman: This title last 11 issues within Four Color before shutting down.

The Brownies: Started by Walt Kelly this lasted 10 issues.

Francis the Famous Talking Mule. Despite the fact that nobody has heard of Francis today. It lasted a respectable 17 issues within Four Color.

Goofy: Goofy lasts a solid 15 issues within the Four Color series. 

[sagii]

4 minutes ago, 4GEMWORKS said:

Tjis is out of my Four Color Set description:

 

Series Highlights

Tracy: 10 issues within Four Color, continuing with Dell and finishing with Harvey this would produce another 135 issues.

Donald Duck; Starting with First series #4 Donald Duck has 33 Four Color appearances. Carl Barks is born out of the Four Color series. The series continues all the way until 1994 and issue # 305. Many of the Four Color stories were reprinted repeatedly. Hundreds if not thousands of other Duck related titles came out of the original Four Color cauldron.

Smilin’ Jack : One of the first stories to appear in Four Color it ran a total of eight issues before branching out on its own for a short run.

Tillie the Toiler: Unknown today this series ran in a total of seven Four Color issues.

Mickey Mouse: Thirty Three Four Color appearances also puts Mickey Mouse near the top of Four Color appearances. It later breaks off on its own and runs a total of 255 issues into the early 90’s. The original Four color stories were reprinted often, as in the case with Donald Duck.

Popeye: Popeye was extremely popular back in the day it was being published. It ran a total of seven Four Color issues before branching out. It would eventually finish at 171 in the late eighties.

Marge’s Little Lulu: Lulu was on fire back in the day and this series lasted 11 issues in Four Color before branching off and publishing a total of 205 issues.

Bugs Bunny: Bugs showed up 35 times over the course of his Four Color career. It would go on to finish at issue 245 in the mid 80’s.

Porky Pig: Porky Pig lasted 27 issues within the Four Color series. It went into its own format and lasted until issue 109.

Santa Claus Funnies: This was heavily created by Walt Kelly originally and later had a bigger variety of talent. It ran a total of seventeen appearances within Four Color. It’s one of the few to span nearly the entire stretch of Four Color; from 1944 all the way through to the early sixties.

Woody Woodpecker: The series goes 15 issues within Four Color before going its own way. It lasts all the way to # 201 in the mid eighties.

Oswald the Rabbit (Walter Lantz): This series lasted 20 issues and covered all the way from 1943 to the early sixties. Yet it never branched off or got any play time anywhere else.

Roy Rogers and Gene Autry: These were the first of the Four Color Cowboys. Gene Autry lasts six issues before branching off and going to number 121.Roy Rogers manages to fill out the pages of 14 issues before going it alone. Solo he lasts to issue # 145. These were the first of many cowboys to come.

Zane Grey, Stories of the West lasts a surprising total of 27 issues. Zane had another 8 issues published with the “King of the Royal Mounted” storyline. Outside of Four Color, neither went anywhere.

Frosty the Snowman: This title last 11 issues within Four Color before shutting down.

The Brownies: Started by Walt Kelly this lasted 10 issues.

Francis the Famous Talking Mule. Despite the fact that nobody has heard of Francis today. It lasted a respectable 17 issues within Four Color.

Goofy: Goofy lasts a solid 15 issues within the Four Color series. 

 Thank for this!

...unless i'm reading wrong, i think my boy has the 'crown'...

[Sqeggs]

20 minutes ago, sagii said:

 Thank for this!

...unless i'm reading wrong, i think my boy has the 'crown'...

He does -- by a hare!  

[4GEMWORKS]

Just got this back from CGC, Missing 1351....super tough to find