Flash collectors thread 23 23

[flashlites]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:06 PM, Jaylam said:

Ok Flash fans, over Christmas I had the good fortune of getting a duplicate gift. After some discussions with a CGC moderator, I am creating a contest/raffle here on the Silver Age Flash collector's thread to give away this cool Flash item. It is the DC house advertisement for Flash #105 from 1958. It is a custom-made print on canvas wrapped on a frame. It's 17" x 12". It looks really sharp overall, but because of the limitations of the source image, up close, you can start to pick out some pixelation, an effect that is made a little more apparent by the texture of the canvas. The only cost to you will be the shipping/packaging cost. I'll be shipping from within the USA, so I estimate shipping costs to most US locations using USPS Priority Mail to be around $20-$30 dollars. International shipping is pricier, and I will only use Priority Mail Express International for this transaction and to give you an idea of the costs, estimated shipping to UK is around $88 USD and to Australia is around $95 USD, so please consider this before entering the contest/raffle (actual shipping costs will be determined once actual destination is known). For international transactions, I am only set up to receive payments through PayPal and for domestic transactions, you can use PayPal or send me a certified check or money order. I will exchange necessary information with the winner through private messaging here on the boards. 

Now for the fun part. To give everyone interested a fair chance, just pick a number between 1 and 1,000. The person who selects the number exactly or gets the closest without going over, will win the canvas print, (for example, if the winning number is 500 and we have an entry of 495 and 502, the person who selected 495 will be the winner). Post your selection here on the "Flash collectors thread". You only get to select one number and once selected, you cannot change it. You cannot pick a number someone else has already selected. I will try to keep a running list of entries posted as time permits. If by chance, someone picks the number exactly, I will close the raffle at that time before the end date as there is no need to continue at that point. The winning number has been pre-selected and is known only to me, a moderator and one other Flash boardie (of course, we are excluded from participating). The contest/raffle runs from now and will close on Sunday, Jan. 30 at 11pm Eastern time. Good luck! 

This is Awesome!!!

[frozentundraguy]

Great contest Jaylam. 

The possibilities are mind boggling.

 

[Terry E. Gibbs]

One of these days I am going to track down some copy of My greatest adventure and pay rubbish money just to get that add .... sigh

anyway finally did my five favourites. Finally I made time to dig these out and make my final choice. First three were easy for me, last two seem to change every time I think of them.156 is one of my all time favourite comics, Flash or otherwise. That and 155 are probably what turned me into Flash as my no. 1 character. 156 is the only cover with Iris drawn by  Cinf in the SA, (165 is by Murphy Anderson) and as he only did one in the bronze age that makes it pretty unusual. Even today Iris covers are incredibly rare. I doubt there has been 10 of them in the 65 years of the Flash.

[Jaylam]

@Terry E. Gibbs That full page Flash #105 ad also appeared in House of Secrets #17, Lois Lane #7, Mystery in Space #49, Tales of the Unexpected #34, Strange Adventures #101, Superman #127, and Wonder Woman #104 to name a few. There may be more, but this is all I had time to look into right now. Oh, it's also in Batman #121, you know, that first appearance of Mr. Zero.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Jaylam

[Terry E. Gibbs]

thank you Jaylam next time I do a mycomic shop order one of those will be in it.

[flashlites]

On 1/19/2022 at 7:14 PM, Terry E. Gibbs said:

One of these days I am going to track down some copy of My greatest adventure and pay rubbish money just to get that add .... sigh

anyway finally did my five favourites. Finally I made time to dig these out and make my final choice. First three were easy for me, last two seem to change every time I think of them.156 is one of my all time favourite comics, Flash or otherwise. That and 155 are probably what turned me into Flash as my no. 1 character. 156 is the only cover with Iris drawn by  Cinf in the SA, (165 is by Murphy Anderson) and as he only did one in the bronze age that makes it pretty unusual. Even today Iris covers are incredibly rare. I doubt there has been 10 of them in the 65 years of the Flash.

Nice choices!!! Love them all! I may have to change my mind on a few of mine

[jmg3637]

Probably will be way too low  buy I will pick 123  as that is my favorite issue of  the Flash  One of my first GOTTA have it issues when I restarted collecting 30 years ago

[frozentundraguy]

On 1/19/2022 at 7:54 PM, Jaylam said:

@Terry E. Gibbs That full page Flash #105 ad also appeared in House of Secrets #17, Lois Lane #7, Mystery in Space #49, Tales of the Unexpected #34, Strange Adventures #101, Superman #127, and Wonder Woman #104 to name a few. There may be more, but this is all I had time to look into right now. Oh, it's also in Batman #121, you know, that first appearance of Mr. Zero.

When I saw Tales of the Unexpected #34 on your list that rang a bell, as I thought I might have that issue.

Turns out I do have a rough reading copy, with a publish date of February 1959.

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by frozentundraguy

[Jaylam]

On 1/21/2022 at 10:47 PM, frozentundraguy said:

When I saw Tales of the Unexpected #34 on your list that rang a bell, as I thought I might have that issues.

Turns out I do have a rough reading copy, with a publish date of February 1959.

 

[flashlites]

The importance of Flash 105 is often overlooked. As Terry has said before, the success of this run would jump-start the whole comic book industry! Superman may have created the industry but in the late 1950's, with the comics code, mystery, Sci-Fi, westerns and romance sales waning, there was the real chance that comics may have just fizzled out. Neil Adams once said about his first attempts showing his portfolio in late 1958/59: "The guy told me look you've got some great stuff here. I'm going to give you some advice kid. Try your hand at something else because this time next year they wont be printing comic books anymore." (paraphrased) Flash 105 was a real gamble, sure the Showcase issues sold well but could a stand alone new superhero title really make it? Sales of course were amazing! Then came Green Lantern and the Justice League. And then the flood gates to the Silver Age were opened. And for those that know the famous story about Marvel, well of course none of it would have happened if not for the success of the Flash run. One documentary I've been watching 'Superheroes The Never Ending Battle' - when they get to the Silver Age, somehow they start with Marvel?? Then they mention Flash after??? Makes me so mad!

[jmg3637]

Just got both of these back from grading

One was a 7.0  and the other was an 8.0

Sadly, both with restoration

 

 

[flashlites]

On 1/21/2022 at 11:45 PM, jmg3637 said:

Just got both of these back from grading

One was a 7.0  and the other was an 8.0

Sadly, both with restoration

 

 

Very nice copies there! Even with resto, you are truly a very fortunate Flash fan indeed! To be a Flash fan and have any of the Showcase issues is amazing in my book! I may go after a SC14 this year, it will pair nicely with my SC13. But I'm afraid I may never own a SC 8. And as far as SC 4 goes....well I can dream...

[Jaylam]

On 1/22/2022 at 12:42 AM, flashlites said:

The importance of Flash 105 is often overlooked. As Terry has said before, the success of this run would jump-start the whole comic book industry! Superman may have created the industry but in the late 1950's, with the comics code, mystery, Sci-Fi, westerns and romance sales waning, there was the real chance that comics may have just fizzled out. Neil Adams once said about his first attempts showing his portfolio in late 1958/59: "The guy told me look you've got some great stuff here. I'm going to give you some advice kid. Try your hand at something else because this time next year they wont be printing comic books anymore." (paraphrased) Flash 105 was a real gamble, sure the Showcase issues sold well but could a stand alone new superhero title really make it? Sales of course were amazing! Then came Green Lantern and the Justice League. And then the flood gates to the Silver Age were opened. And for those that know the famous story about Marvel, well of course none of it would have happened if not for the success of the Flash run. One documentary I've been watching 'Superheroes The Never Ending Battle' - when they get to the Silver Age, somehow they start with Marvel?? Then they mention Flash after??? Makes me so mad!

What is amazing to me is there is a gap of 2.5 years between Showcase #4 and Flash #105. It seems they would have figured out sooner the success they were having with the Flash before letting him go to his own title. It's almost like the Silver Age started with a whimper and it took some time to get to the bang. Of course, I've got to remember, super-hero titles were very much in the minority at that time, and it could be that the Superman TV show saved super-heroes through the 50's, as Superman titles were and remained top sellers for DC for years with Batman and Wonder Woman barely hanging on, so I could see they were reluctant to try and relaunch any super-hero stuff, even after revamping the Flash. Cartoon, Western, War, Sci-Fi, TV and mystery titles dominated the market back in the 50's after the Comics Code strangled many of the more adult, top sellers of the time, running EC clear out of business except for Mad which they changed to a magazine format.

[flashlites]

This house ad we've been talking about, appearing in so may of their books shows how much they were betting on the Flash. It really needed to be a success. The whole industry was really on shaky ground at the time.

[Terry E. Gibbs]

On 1/22/2022 at 4:45 PM, jmg3637 said:

Just got both of these back from grading

One was a 7.0  and the other was an 8.0

Sadly, both with restoration

 

 

Two copies over 7.0!!!! You can't come here and not give us some details. When did you pick them up. Resto must be small. The usual one with this book is a green market pen, but that does not look the case. An 8.0 is incredibly rare rest or not.

[Terry E. Gibbs]

On 1/23/2022 at 4:29 AM, flashlites said:

This house ad we've been talking about, appearing in so may of their books shows how much they were betting on the Flash. It really needed to be a success. The whole industry was really on shaky ground at the time.

Yep that Adams quote (para quote) is spot on. Even the success of the 4th Flash try out  after SC 14,  DC look like they were still trying to fire up more Sci-Fi titles, before they would embrace super heroes again.

Flash 105 March 1959.

Challengers got their book in May, 58, Space Ranger SC 15 Aug 58,  Adam Strange SC17 Dec 58, Rip Hunter SC 20 June 59, before GL debut end of 59, Even Cave Carson BB 31 was before Atom or Hawkman.

The top brass at DC were still focused more on Sci-Fi adventure than super-hero for quite a while together with the very successful war books. The super Hero stuff was basically Julie Schwartz and co (Fox & Broome). The other editors Kanigher brought us Metal Men, and Jack Schiff brought us Rip Hunter and continued the Challengers after Kirby left.

Stan took what Julie had been successful with and refined it without being restrained by other DC baggage. It is a pity though that so many perceive him to be the match that lit the silver age.

I always laugh when I read Kanigher taking credit for the Flash. Yes he was given the task of the origin story --script, but more villains like the Turtle and Flash would have gone the same way as his Suicide Squad and Sea Devils and he could have gone back to writing his exceptional war books.

I really don't know enough to make too many comments but I often wonder how Jack Schiff got to stay at DC for so long. The Batman books under him in this period were so dated compared to Flash & GL, Rip Hunter, Cave Carson, etc. When I hear a Marvel fan bag DC SA I can understand it, as Wessinger, Schiff and Kanigher were way out of touch with what readers in the 60s wanted.

Edited January 22, 2022 by Terry E. Gibbs

[Jaylam]

So far I only have one entry for this Flash canvas:

jmg3637 has picked 123 as their choice.

Get on board Flash fans, we have one week left. See the earlier post from January 16th on page 203 of this Flash thread for all the details and more images.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Jaylam

[flashlites]

On 1/22/2022 at 9:08 PM, Jaylam said:

So far I only have one entry for this Flash canvas:

jmg3637 has picked 123 as their choice.

Get on board Flash fans, we have one week left. See the earlier post from January 16th on page 203 of this Flash thread for all the details and more images.

AWESOME! I can't wait to see who wins!

[frozentundraguy]

On 1/22/2022 at 9:08 PM, Jaylam said:

So far I only have one entry for this Flash canvas:

jmg3637 has picked 123 as their choice.

Get on board Flash fans, we have one week left. See the earlier post from January 16th on page 203 of this Flash thread for all the details and more images.

You could post this contest over in Comics General & probably get lots of action.

 

[Math Teacher]

Well, once again, I'm a day late and a dollar short.

Here are my favorite Flash covers:

 

 

                   

I would have added in #123 and #155, but both of those have already been mentioned.

Why did I pick #133? Because of this classic line of dialogue: "I've got the strangest feeling I'm being turned into a puppet!" C'mon, Barry. Tell us what it feels like!

For my favorite cover, I'm going with #152. First, I really like the Trickster. Second, the absurdity of Flash throwing thumbtacks to stop the Trickster, who is riding a tricycle, is just too much. Third, this cover has exquisite art by Infantino and Anderson.