I learned a lesson with this one. The hard way, you might say.
First, the obligatory praise of this particular comic, Fantastic Four #60. I don’t think I have to break any ground and educate people about the many-splendored thing that was the Lee/Kirby 100+ issue run on FF. Apply whatever superlatives you want. It was great storytelling, flat out, pure and simple. The particular arc of which this issue is a part, the “Dr. Doom steals the Silver Surfer’s board” storyline, is a classic among classics. I mean, just look at that cover. The Thing and the good (bad?) Doctor with their heads down wailing away at each other with such force that it’s tearing the ground to pieces. You have to love it. You really do.
So, imagine my delight when I found a copy at a show a few months back for a good price.
Now the copy that you see above isn’t immaculate by any stretch of the imagination, but the wear is pretty mild at first glance. It still has some eye appeal. When I was debating whether or not to get it from the dealer, I did my due diligence. I opened up the bag, checked the interior, checked the centerfold, kicked the tires, the whole shebang. It looked good. And like I said, the price was right.
Sold.
So I got home later and was going through my haul for the day and putting my new comics in my Mylites when I came to this one. That’s when I had a “son of a …” moment. Look at the cover again. Maybe you spotted it already. Look just below the Torch’s left elbow.
There are chunks out of the cover.
At first I couldn’t believe that I had missed that. I mean there’s a good bit missing. Two chunks. Then I realized that they had been camouflaged by the rocky background of the cover art. I hadn’t seen that when I looked at the cover, and when I opened it up to check inside I didn’t bother to make a closer inspection of the outside. I thought it already had passed muster.
Wrong. Oh well, lesson learned. So much for my good bargain, but I look at the money spent as payment for a little bit of education. Maybe it’ll save me some cash down the road. Yeah, I’ll hang my hat on that hope. And I should make it clear that I don’t feel that the dealer was trying to put one over on me – I mean, the damage was right there on the cover. This one is totally on me, and if you’re reading this, with luck I’ve perhaps helped you avoid a similar mistake. You have to be vigilant and thorough when it comes to this stuff, or you end up kicking yourself later.
And you know what, even with the damage that’s still a pretty great cover.
Wait – those things are REAL? – Super Powers #3
The title of this post refers, as one can guess from the cover image above, to the statues on Easter Island, the Moai, and no, that wasn’t a question that I’ve asked recently. I can’t even remember the exact time period that I asked it, though it must have been when I was very little. But there was a time when I had no idea where or what Easter Island was. It took me even longer to realize just who this Jack Kirby fella was and longer still to understand that he had a long relationship with those big stone heads out on a small spot of land in the Pacific.
Let’s start with the issue above. It came out in the fall of ’85, when I was about seven years old. I think most people would agree that that’s a magical time for a kid to be buying comics – your imagination is never going to be as wide open as it is when you’re that young. Nothing is impossible. I suppose it didn’t hurt that I was a big fan of the Super Powers TV show, not to mention that I had a whole pile of the tie-in action figures for which these comics were a shill. So this comic had me from the get-go, and I just thought those giant rocky monsters were oh so cool looking. Icing on the cake, as it were.
The story in retrospect is kind of lacking – these were The King’s down years, after all. His work by this point just wasn’t up to the level of his Marvel or earlier DC runs. I can remember thinking how different the art in these books was from other books I read back then. I thought it was a bit ugly. I’m sorry to say that, but I did. Now I can see the merit in it as a latter-day effort of a master of the form, but even acknowledging that there’s no getting around that the plot is kind of a paint by the numbers mash-up of things Kirby had done a lot better years before.
Here’s the gist of the plot and where the Moai come in. The cover is misleading as to their involvement – they don’t come alive and attack GL, WW and Dr. Fate. Instead our heroes are thrown back in time by a seed of doom or whatever the hell weapon Darkseid and his minions were using to destroy Earth this time around, and while there fend off an invasion of alien living stone giants bent on – you guessed it – conquering the Earth. Seems to be a popular idea. Our heroes get the job done, and when they return they find the natives in the past erected stone heads of them honoring there efforts, which GL promptly obliterates, leaving only the statues which are really just the giants that were frozen in their tracks. And on the miniseries goes from there. There are some time-travel conundrums created by all this that make my head hurt, so I won’t get into them right now. Suffice it to say I don’t think Kirby thought things through all the way before he sent this one to the printers.
But man, I loved the look of those statues.
It’s only in recent years, since I’ve been into comics in earnest, that I’ve come to know of Kirby’s association with the Moai of Easter Island and how their inclusion in this book was only a last link in a long history of homage. Volume 3 of The Collected Kirby Collector goes through it all pretty extensively, from his DC days to the most famous incarnation of his giant stone dudes, Thor’s first nemesis, the Stone Men of Saturn in Journey into Mystery #83. It’s really a no-brainer that Kirby would mine Easter Island’s most famous denizens so thoroughly. When you see pictures of them lying on grassy hillsides they look like Kirby creations – blocky, enigmatic, intimidating and ancient. They’re tailor made.
As an aside, high up on my wish list for comics I’d like to get my hands on is Tales to Astonish #5, one of the many Stone Men prototype issues. I just love the cover. Kirby always was the grandmaster of perspective, and he uses it to horrifying effect on this one – it’s like the stone giant is going to reach through the cover and wring your neck.
So there we go, a short primer of Kirby’s (and my) bond with these guys. There are a lot of things I want to do before I die, and one of them is get to Easter Island to see the Moai up close and personal. I have a feeling that when you stare into their shadowed eyes you’re staring into eternity itself. I have Kirby to thank for first introducing me to them, and hopefully they won’t climb up out of the ground and chase me all over the island.
Hopefully.
How the mighty have fallen – World’s Finest Comics #169
I don’t usually need any extra oomph to pick up an old World’s Finest that’s in real nice shape. It’s Batman and Superman in action together – what else do you need? This one jumped out at me though when I bought it back in December. It’s one of those goofy Silver Age covers that you just can’t help but love, with the two premier heroes looking like bums and their female counterparts reveling in their discomfort. But there’s more going on.
There are really two things that stand out for me. One is Batgirl’s costume. If you’ve ever read Alex Ross’s Mythology he talks about how great her outfit is with the yellow gloves and boots, and how it’s a little strange that her costume is closer to Batman’s than his sidekick Robin’s. I suppose that that’s mainly due to the names – if Robin was Batboy I’m sure his costume would hew a little closer to the big guy’s. Ross is right that it’s a cool outfit, though. The bright yellow is a nice contrast to Batman’s more somber color pattern, though I have to say that she does look a little bit unsteady on those heels.
What always draws my attention first on this one is Superman. I know he’s pumping up the flat tire, but every time I see him I get the impression that he’s bouncing up and down on some kid-sized pogo stick. It think it’s the motion lines above his head – instead if implying that he’s rocking a little bit as he works the pump they tell my eyes that he’s bouncing up and down. Maybe that’s just me, but that’s what my peepers see, and honestly I prefer the idea of a down and out Superman pogo-ing around – it cracks me up.
Thats gets me to thinking… Has there ever been a cover with Superman on a pogo stick? I think this deserves a Google search. Be back in a minute…
I’m back. Okay, so I didn’t find any pogo Supes covers, but I did find an actual Superman pogo-stick. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I’ll take it.
Mylites – are they worth it?
When a person gets serious about collecting, how one preserves their comics becomes a serious consideration. You spend money on your comics, and that money adds up quickly and then you’ve outlayed some serious cash on pieces of paper that even in the best of circumstances tend to degrade. That’s a concern. But if you use the right products you can protect your comics for years.
Mylar. There. I said it. It’s the only way to go. Yes, it gets pricey, but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for. The standard polybags that are the workhorse of comic storage just don’t cut it. They wrinkle over time, the turn yellow, and I’m no chemist, but when the bag is turning yellow that can’t be the best thing for the fragile paper product sealed inside. Mylar doesn’t have those problems. It’s the stuff the Library of Congress uses. Lets be frank here – if it’s good enough for protecting letters between the Founding Fathers, then it’s good enough to protect your copy of The Fantastic Four #45.
You’re going to have to bite the bullet a bit. There’s a degree of sticker shock that comes when you buy any sort of mylar product, and you’re going to be facing prices that are more than double what you’d likely pay for polybags. If you’re looking for the most economical mylar sleeve for your books, then E. Gerber Products and their house brand, Mylites, are for you. They’re the least expensive out there. Period. End of statement. Other companies have mylar sleeves. BCW and Bill Cole Enterprises both sell similar products, but their prices can’t compete.
It’s important to note that Mylites are very similar to polybags in that they have a foldable flap on top that you can seal with tape. This is important, especially if you’re storing your comics in standard cardboard comic boxes. The cardboard that’s used usually has acids in it, and while sleeves block the acid, there are other mylar products that are open on top, without that foldable flap. That flap is like the opposable thumb on a human – it’s vital. Without the flap the comic is still exposed to the elements surrounding it and you can have acid migration. That kills comics, making them brown and brittle. E. Gerber sells flapless sleeves under the name Archives. I’ve never bought those because of these concerns, and I never will. Mylites, Mylites+, Mylites2 and Mylites4 comprise the entire line of foldable-flap mylar from E. Gerber.
Back to singing the praises of Mylites. I stick to buying the Mylites2, which are the intermediate thickness sleeves. To paraphrase Goldilocks, this sleeve is just right, and strikes the best balance between protection and price. The Mylites2 line has the largest range of sizes available for comics, from Current size comics up to Super Golden Age and even sleeves for more oddball products like digests. I generally stick to buying the 725M2 line, which are designed for Standard Comics. Regular Silver Age sized boards fit nicely in these sleeves and they accomodate comics from the current size back to the early days of the 12 cent books. For older comics I buy the Super Golden Age (825M2) just so the books have some room in there – those older comics tend to get a little delicate and I like the book to go in and out smoothly. You may have different preferences – I stick to the 725M2 for most comics just for the sake of consistency. You may want to tailor your sleeves more closely to the comics inside. If that’s the case, then go for it.
The bulk discounts that E. Gerber offers are excellent. When I order the 725M2 size I get a thousand at a time. That’s a big honking chunk of money but the savings are worth it and that holds me for quite a while. I’d definitely recommend going the bulk route, but once again, your requirements may be different. Order according to your own needs. Even without that bulk discount the prices are still reasonable compared to everyone else that offers analagous products.
There is one thing about ordering from E. Gerber Products that may give some people pause. They don’t take orders online. Before I first ordered from them that left me with a raised eyebrow. In this day and age it seems strange when a mail order business isn’t taking advantage of the internet, but whatever. I’ve found their customer service for phone orders to be excellent, and the orders are generally shipped via UPS the next day. I’ve never had a problem.
I hope this review has helped clarify some of the issues with whether or not to start using mylar and, more specifically, Mylites. It really is the way to go. If you need one last thing to convince you, consider this: Mylites are crystal clear. They even make your comics look better, like a coat of wax on your car. That’s a pretty nice extra.
A personal favorite – The Amazing Spider-Man #33
When I was little I used to have a lot of the Marvel Tales reprints of the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko run on The Amazing Spider-Man, so in a way I grew up discovering the character in the same way as someone back in the 60’s. This was one of the issues that was reprinted that really stuck in my memory. There was just something about it – maybe it was because poor Peter was at one of his lowest moments, having struggled to get a life saving cure for dear old Aunt May but finding himself hopelessly trapped under a mountain of machinery as water slowly rose around him.
Good stuff.
Years later – actually decades later, yikes – I was more than a little gratified to find that I wasn’t alone in my reverence for this one issue. There’s this little BBC documentary out there called “In Search of Steve Ditko” that’s absolutely fantastic. If you haven’t seen it before, someone has posted it on YouTube and I’ve embedded part 1 below – parts 6 & 7 deal with ASM #33. Watch the whole thing, though – it’s a great look at one of the greatest and most reclusive creators the comic book world has ever had. And speaking of great creators, no less than Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman talk about how, well, amazing (sorry) this issue is. I like what I like and it’s not as if my personal tastes need validation, but hearing these two guys wax rhapsodic about an issue that I’ve always dug makes me happy inside. Call me crazy.
I picked up this issue at one of my local stores. I got an OK deal – not a steal but I wasn’t fleeced either. Condition wise, as you can see by the scan above, it has some wear on the spine and there’s a crease in the lower left hand corner, but it still has quite a bit of eye appeal. Somewhere between a VG and Fine. And while your eyes are there, just look at that great cover. I love the way Ditko draws the water coming down on Spidey (even though it seems to come from nowhere), the way it doesn’t splash so much as branch off into solid rivulets. The lines he uses for the water kind of remind me of those psychedelic backgrounds he would draw in his Dr. Strange stories. Nice. Maybe the highest compliment I can offer the cover is that it makes you want to look inside to see how the hero gets his way out of this one. It makes me want to look inside, and I’ve read the thing already.
A word about prices
When it comes to comic book price guides, there’s really only one that anyone ever uses. Overstreet. It’s the Industry Standard. The King. The 40th edition is coming out this year and never once have I ever seen either man or beast using anything else. In book stores I’ve seen other guides on the shelf. I think one is published by CBG (Comic Buyer’s Guide) and if I’m not mistaken there’s another one out there whose publisher I can’t recall. As far as I can tell those guides are like chemical compounds that can only exist in a lab – they don’t do so well out in the open. Like I said, at no point have I EVER seen anyone referring to them.
So case closed, right? Overstreet is the unquestioned master of the field, and no one else can even come close – right? Not quite. I don’t want to disparage Overstreet here. It’s the only guide that offers price breakdowns for different grades: Good, Very Good, Fine, Very Fine, right up to that nice sharp Near Mint that we all love so much. Its listings are extensive and go all the way back to the 19th century, and you’ll find everything from super-hero books to romance comics, Spidey to Mr. District Attorney. That’s all great. So what’s my problem?
I find the prices in Overstreet to be inaccurate. That’s kind of an issue when you’re dealing with a PRICE GUIDE.
In Overstreet’s defense, they always offer the disclaimer that it’s only a guide, not a rigid code of prices to which we collectors have to adhere or risk the penalty of death. Fair enough. It’s just that I rarely, if ever, PAY the Overstreet price for a comic, and that’s sans haggling. In fact, if I do pay guide for something I kind of feel cheated. It often works out that the price I pay for Book X, if Book X is in, say, Fine condition, is the price that Overstreet lists for Book X when it’s in Very Good condition.
So maybe inaccurate is too harsh a word. Is Overstreet inaccurate? OK, I won’t go that far. Is Overstreet inflated? Yeah, maybe that’s it. Inflated seems right. I’ll grant that I do all my buying in the DC area, so I’m not up to date on what people are paying for books in Spokane or Topeka, but it seems to me that DC would have prices as high as they might be anywhere else. I could be wrong on that. So if they seem inflated in this market, I can’t imagine a lot of markets where they wouldn’t seem inflated.
A quick side not…Before I mentioned the CBG guide that’s published annually. As useless as that seems to be, I have to say a word about the short guide that CBG puts at the back of it’s monthly magazine. It only lists prices for Near Mint condition, so you have to do some mental math to figure out what, for example, a Very Fine book would be according to their prices (they list it as 2/3 of NM). But the crazy thing? The prices I come out with tend to be a lot closer than those that Overstreet has to offer. Maybe my math is fuzzy, but I don’t think it is. Their listings are very limited – a selection of higher profile super-hero comics, but I find them to be very helpful. When I pay X for something and it’s in accord with this little guide, I don’t feel ripped off. I feel that I paid a fair price.
Weird.
Anyway, I guess the moral of all this is to take Overstreet with a grain of salt. Despite their disclaimer I sometimes worry that people might get a little carried away with what they list things at. I just adjust the prices down a grade – the VG price for a Fine, a Fine for a VF, etc.
But you should only use my adjustments as a guide. And yes, I do see the irony there.
What this is going to be about…
A few years back I got into collecting comics. I had done so off and on as a kid, in spurts before my short attention span dragged me off in some other direction. I had never really put much effort into it back in those days, and buying the new stuff as it came out never held my interest for any length of time. I always saw reprints and stories about the classic Golden and Silver Age books and thought that they looked really cool, but then I’d see the prices listed in the back of some rag like Wizard and the dollar amounts would make my hair stand on end. They seemed to be out of my price range. Check that. WAY out of my price range.
Then a couple of years ago I got the urge – one of those old sporadic urges from back in the day – to pick up some comics. The new stuff left me cold. With the high prices I felt like I was pouring money down the drain. Then I found a few places that sold back issues. I figured that I’d pick up some stuff from the 80’s, when I was a kid, have a nolstalgic blast, and then call it a day. But I stumbled over some old 60’s super-hero Marvels. The classic Lee/Kirby/Ditko/Romita stuff. And lo and behold, the prices weren’t insane. I discovered to my delight that there was this little thing called “condition” that could make these great things affordable. The old hair-on-end values still applied, but only to the most pristine of each issue. I could pick up something like a great old Amazing Spider-Man for relative peanuts.
And I did.
So I’ve been having fun buying old stuff for a while now. Thor. Supes. Spidey. Batman back when he used to smile all the time. And all kinds of stuff in between. What I’d like to do here is share some of the fun of this. Maybe somebody will stumble by and check in with what I’m doing. Maybe I’ll just be shouting into the night. My hope is that some folks, and you if you’re reading this, will share with me questions, comments, and let me know what your interests are. I’ll just be posting things about this great, fun hobby, and showing how you can get a lot of bang for your buck and not feel like your money is dissappearing into thin air when you sink some money into comics.
And before I go, I thought I’d share the comic that really started it all for me. My first ever “old” comic buy, from back in November of ’07. My tastes about condition have evolved, but this is the one that primed the pump.
Stan had me at the “‘Nuff Said!”
Jared
blog into mystery 