*paull*

Man, that is a huge price. I realize this is a relatively high grade, but a copy sold in 6.0 on HA in 2021 for 10K. When I was actively seeking out Cole books, this was one that I wanted, but I never crossed paths with one for the right price. Maybe I just didn't want it as badly as some of the other covers... in particular his black covers with what he termed "poster colors". I just don't think the Catman covers are his top covers. I'm really surprised by that Comiclink price. A book with a similar composition, but in my opinion, a better cover, is Power Comics 3. This book matches nicely with Captain Flight 11, Contact 12, and Mask 1 and 2. Give me this any day over Catman 28.

Nice copy! I wasn't able to come across the right one for me when prices were still reasonable.

ALWAYS meet your heroes. As long as you are a patient, decent, and kind person. I have always been rewarded with wonderful experiences, especially in the comic book world. Here are some of my favorites: David Mazzucchelli - super lovely and very generous. Just a wonderful guy. I highly recommend the videos on Youtube where he explains comic book storytelling techniques. You'll be better for it. Chris Ware - Love his work and love him. If you have an opportunity to see him give a presentation on comics in general and his work, do it. Jim Steranko - Yes, he's intense. But also super generous to his fans. He wants you to have a memorable experience. I was never so nervous to meet a comic book creator when I first met him around 1991. But he will quickly win you over and you'll enjoy the ride. Norm Breyfogle - Absolutely loved and love his work on Detective and Batman. Just a great guy. Miss him. Rest in peace. Jay Disbrow - Fantastic to meet someone who worked during the pre-code era. I always enjoyed his work and he was a very kind and generous man. Stephen Bissette and John Totleben - Met them around 1990 or so. Always adored their work on Swamp Thing. Still have my Bissette sketch of Swamp Thing. Really nice guys. Bill Sienkiewicz - Such a cool guy. I've always been a big fan. Neal Adams - very fun and easy to talk with, even if he wanted to talk about the "growing Earth theory" Paul Chadwick - Always a Concrete fan... it was a thrill to meet him in the early 90s. Very kind man.

Great cover! I haven't seen this one before. I really like the background with the exploded jeep.

Part of my problem is that I like too much stuff.... comic books, books, pulps/dime novels, records, posters, prints, etc. If I could have had more focus like Robot Man!

Hahahaha... If only I kept going and didn't blow money on other junk! I did buy more books slowly in the early 2000s. But oh... the misery... when I think of the things I could have grabbed!

I had a hard time finding this one and can't afford an upgrade... so this one is definitely a keeper. I couldn't believe it when I first saw the cover to Mister Mystery 12 back in the mid-90s. This book has a lot of wear, but I respect this kind of wear. It's a real survivor with both staples and the cover intact. I love books that look like this as long as they can be handled. An older high-grade book can look like a newer book, but a newer book can never look like this!

I started going to New York shows in the early 90s and saw Golden Age books but didn't pay much attention to anything other than early Tec, Batman, Action, Marvel Mystery, etc. Man, how I wish I saved up to buy GA and pre-code horror books back then and skipped Silver Age books. I didn't really start paying attention until around 1995-1998 when Comic Buyer's Guide had multiple page auction listings for GA and pre-code books. I was mesmerized by the Timelys, Schomburgs, L.B. Coles, and lurid 1950s books in those listings. I will probably create another post about these CBG auctions... The first GA book I bought was Mask Comics 1, after having seen one in the CBG auctions. I just had to have it... fell in love with that cover and am still in love today!

Thanks for the info! Right, a lot of Cap 74 copies are entombed, so it may take a while to find someone with a raw copy.

Great original art posted here! Thanks for sharing!

Here are a few of my Jesse James "thick books" published by Arthur Westbrook circa 1909. These stories are often quite violent, with Jesse portrayed as a psychopath on an endless murder spree. There are around thirty books with really attractive covers, seemingly by the same artist. These books can be challenging to find in good condition. The paper stock is similar to the later pulps and prone to the same issues... but since the books are smaller, may be more fragile when opened. The covers are very thin, thinner than the later, larger pulps. They are often detached or torn on these books.

That's a big price for this book. And I didn't think that copies were that scarce, at least around ten years ago when I was really focused on Cole books. Not one of my favorites of his... there are a bunch of better ones for less money.

I purchased a copy of Captain America Comics 74 many years ago with a split cover and I want to verify that the back cover has the proper advertisements. I'm pretty sure that this cover is correct, but want to verify... could someone please confirm that this is the inside back cover and back cover ads? Thanks! Inside back cover Back cover I think the front cover is correct...

I bet that at least one of the books on that wall are owned by a Boardie today.

Thanks... yeah back cover doesn't matter to me, especially when I'd have to put many multiples to have it. And the Continental spines were often brittle, fragile or split anyway. "That ship" is full of books for me... so much so that only a few stragglers that I could afford (and want) remain on the beach!

Very interesting... I didn't know that about the signature on this cover or that it's usually miscut. Thanks for the info!

Schomburg is an artist that was difficult for me to pursue because there are so many good covers. It's like picking one or two spicy pulp covers... there are so many good ones. This is my only Schomburg and it's one of my favorites of his, and I was lucky to get it in an auction at a very low price due to missing the back cover.

Interior page missing? Don't care. One of my all-time favorite GA covers. A scan of this cover was included in Greg Sadowsky's book:

Bon voyage, Al! His fold-ins are a national treasure. A brilliant way of extending the form and requiring the reader to participate in the reveal. What an artist. We were lucky to have him this long.

When that $1000 copy becomes available, you can make the decision about whether that disparity is too much for you. Don't forget about Terrific 5, Hit 5, Dynamic 8, Suspense 8, and Startling Terror Tales 11. All will be available for you for pennies on the dollar.

Don't forget those dull interior books Fantastic 3 and Suspense 3. You'll get them on the cheap soon, too.

This issue of Voodoo (#5) has a particularly nasty story. Farrell wasn't always lurid, but when they were...

RIP Beatnik Sub-Mariner.

I think that's where Mask 1/2 have an advantage over Fine / Baker / most ECs / and many GA keys for instance. The covers don't need to be explained. There's no "but Baker's women are so well rendered" or "Fine's anatomy and movement, blah blah".