kryptonitecomics Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 (edited) Beautiful!!!!!! I probably won't mess with it since I won't be taking it out of the back multiple time. I had not heard of the archival tape before so that might be a good option. The cover is detached anyway, but maybe I could use that tape to secure the cover to the book as well Edited May 29, 2004 by kryptonitecomics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Wow, that's awesome! You've got to show us what Daredevil's face looks like. Lev Gleason's have such great covers. From Silver Streak to Boy Comics to Daredevil, they really did a great job. I'm a Silver Streak guy myself, but I think some of the early Daredevil comics are fantastic. A lot more violence in there than people realize. A very undervalued publisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 (edited) Wow, that's awesome! You've got to show us what Daredevil's face looks like. You mean you want me to actually open this copy!?! Just kidding! Here you go, with excellent art by Dan Barry: The cool thing about this issue is that it involves DD's identity being revealed to the public by the press. The twist is that it is actually revealed. No imaginary story, no erasing people's memories, no tricking them into believing they are wrong. Biro was so far ahead of his time as a writer, it's scary. Edited May 28, 2004 by dmgcsr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Awesome!!! Thanks for showing those interior panels. I can't enough of that type of stuff. The writing in my early issues of Silver Streak is also a cut above that of many other stories published in the 1939-1942 time frame. Some neat twists and excellent characters. If Lev Gleason comics had just come out a bit earlier, I'd collect them voraciously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Awe, come on Centaur, don't be an ageist! There's a great introduction at the start of that DD story. Biro would often stick these at the front of his books and often there is some great stuff there about his feelings towards the industry, his audience, and his competition. Here's a transcription: "No one likes violent change- unforced humor, the natural result of a situation is always more hilarious. Tree-ripened fruit is tastier than a hot-house quickie! Daredevil takes it's time but gets there just as fast and stays longer and will continue to do so as long as we retain our close touch with the desires of America's comic audience. This is no simple thing for some publishers to do! It necessitates having to concede that the average reader is above a moronic IQ- that he is, on the whole, logical and has a brain to think with. The mistake of some of our competitors, evidenced by your countless letters that we have carefully digested, is that they underestimate your intelligence! We don't bat 1000, but our average is constantly climbing. That proves we're on the right track- as long as you readers keep us abreast of your taste. This Daredevil story is "Evidence #1"! I'm sure that after you've read it, you'll see my point- and you are responsible! It was your wish- therefore my command!" -Charles Biro. Heady stuff for 1947... Like I said, the guy was way ahead of his time. He pre-saged much of what Stan Lee went on to do with Marvel I think. He really put a personality behind the product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Awe, come on Centaur, don't be an ageist! If I didn't set artificially imposed limits on my comic collecting, I'd be pursuing virutally every pre-code book in existance. And then my wife would divorce me. There's a great introduction at the start of that DD story. Biro would often stick these at the front of his books and often there is some great stuff there about his feelings towards the industry, his audience, and his competition. Here's a transcription: "No one likes violent change- unforced humor, the natural result of a situation is always more hilarious. Tree-ripened fruit is tastier than a hot-house quickie! Daredevil takes it's time but gets there just as fast and stays longer and will continue to do so as long as we retain our close touch with the desires of America's comic audience. This is no simple thing for some publishers to do! It necessitates having to concede that the average reader is above a moronic IQ- that he is, on the whole, logical and has a brain to think with. The mistake of some of our competitors, evidenced by your countless letters that we have carefully digested, is that they underestimate your intelligence! We don't bat 1000, but our average is constantly climbing. That proves we're on the right track- as long as you readers keep us abreast of your taste. This Daredevil story is "Evidence #1"! I'm sure that after you've read it, you'll see my point- and you are responsible! It was your wish- therefore my command!" -Charles Biro. Heady stuff for 1947... Like I said, the guy was way ahead of his time. He pre-saged much of what Stan Lee went on to do with Marvel I think. He really put a personality behind the product. Holy smokes!! That's fantastic. I want to support that kind of attitude, even if it's too late to save that publisher. I'll go out and get me a Biro-written Gleason, even though it violates my pre-1941 constraints. When I find one I like and buy it, I'll post it. And obviously it can't be slabbed, because I'm buying it to read it. Nice avatar swap, by the way. If you keep it, I bet a month from now no one will have any clue where you got it from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 (edited) I'll go out and get me a Biro-written Gleason, even though it violates my pre-1941 constraints. That pretty much would be any Lev Gleason. Biro was a one man army. Along with Bob Wood (an interesting character in his own right), they wrote, drew, and/or edited a large part of LG's product. Personally, I think that the height of their output was the Daredevil's, Boy's, and Crime Does Not Pay's from the second half of the 40's. I've also taken quite a liking lately to the very late DD's (#100 and up). These are sort of like the Little Rascals, but with more involved stories. Great article about Lev Gleason, Biro, and Wood here, in particular about Crime Does Not Pay: Linky Edited May 28, 2004 by dmgcsr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 I also recently discovered that Biro & Wood created Boy King (you know, from Clue) for Hillman. They were also the creative force behind the first Airboy stories. My collection is beginning to make a bit more sense to me now. Centaur, you probably already have some Biro scripted books already and don't even realize it. For instance, one of the first publishers he worked for was... Centaur! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Yeah, I figured as much when I saw that he came from the Chesler studios. I need to go back through my web sites and see if I can find any Centaur stories attributed to him, because I certainly don't remember seeing his work (credited). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 I did a search on the GCD and there are no hits for Biro on any Centaur books. But... This article from Scoop says that Biro did work on Star Rangers and Star Comics. Checking OS, Biro is listed as having done the covers for Star #6, #9, & #10. #10 is actually a Centaur book, as opposed to a "Chesler/Ultem". No art credits for Biro on Star Rangers, but Bob Wood is listed as having done art in issues 8 to 10 (10 also being the first "Centaur" in this title). No info on whether Biro was scripting stories in either title, but it's a good bet that he was. So whatta say Centaur, do you have some scans for me on that Star #10? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 I did a search on the GCD and there are no hits for Biro on any Centaur books. But... This article from Scoop says that Biro did work on Star Rangers and Star Comics. Checking OS, Biro is listed as having done the covers for Star #6, #9, & #10. #10 is actually a Centaur book, as opposed to a "Chesler/Ultem". No art credits for Biro on Star Rangers, but Bob Wood is listed as having done art in issues 8 to 10 (10 also being the first "Centaur" in this title). No info on whether Biro was scripting stories in either title, but it's a good bet that he was. So whatta say Centaur, do you have some scans for me on that Star #10? I have in my possession eight issues of Star Comics: 7, 9, 12, 15, and 16, as well as Volume 2 issues 1, 6, and 7. It looks like my collection only intersects with Mr. Biro in issue #9. I'll dig it out tomorrow, confirm the artist, and post the scan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUNYHUMAN Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Centaurman,post those Star Comics sometime, love to see them. Dmgcsr, more Lev Gleason's underated comic company. I jut picked this up myself in the last week,Classic Lou Fine cover,Jan. 1941!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Ok, here's Star Comics #9 from 1938, with the Biro cover. I don't see any evidence of Biro interior art, although there are a ton of single page unsigned strips. Bob Wood contributed a few pages. There's a TON of fantastic Fred Guardineer work. I've taken a couple of interior shots: the centerfold, and a title page for a text story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Great Hit Comics, Puny! Those Lou Fine covers are fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttock Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Don't you love the early Centaur centerfolds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CentaurMan Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Don't you love the early Centaur centerfolds? God yes. I'd start an entire thread on them, if they were just easier to get to. I hate opening some of these books all the way to take a good picture. 1930's Centaur centerfolds: Yet another reason to love those comics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Centaur- Thanks for the scan. Nice to see this early example of Biro's work! He was a far better writer than he ever was an artist, but I've always had a soft spot for his drawings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUNYHUMAN Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Speaking of Biro, didn't he do the cover of Zip # 9 Classic Golden Age cover??? Maybe Shield knows,if anybody does. I don't have my Gerber Books nearby to verify,I just always remember that cover ,Awesome!!! If any of you guys have never seen it ,chek out the Gerbers!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjpb Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Yes he did, here is a link to Zip 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgillock Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Here's a complete change of pace. 1951 Ziff-Davis baseball comic, marked #10 but it is actually a 1st issue. In my 20+ years of collecting, I've never seen a copy of this book before. "Edited by Bob Feller", no less. $5 at a flea market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
