JTLarsen

Wow, thank you!

According to the coa that came with mine, there were 586 printed.

Silly question...apologies if it's already been answered...is there a way to tell Canadian price variants without having to look them up? Pence variants are obvious, of course, but how do you know if you're looking at a Canadian one without looking it up?

Great post. And redlining and other discriminatory practices continue today.

Rethink this, please. It's 2017 and they're having a tough enough time as it is without remarks like these belittling them.

Except that Adams got there first. Unless you're saying you see some specific stylistic quirk in this drawing that Adams was mimicking from Aparo? Otherwise, the overall dynamic is pretty clearly that Adams got there first with this style and then Aparo, Novick, and others charted their own way within Adams' penumbra.

True, though I wouldn't want to say that explains the attraction. It certainly helps explain the intensity around the search for it--and the prices. But I tend to think its importance and fundamental draw would've been there without its grade-rarity. Hell, I'd guess the grade rarity only became clear because so many people decided they wanted it in the first place.

First true appearance of Sgt. Rock, the single most prominent character and icon, by far, of an entire genre of comic books. It's the Action Comics #1 of war books. And it's by the definitive war artist, Joe Kubert.

Terrific analysis and spot on. My only adds...let's not underestimate the impact of the cover. And, none of this proves it's why Overstreet raised the value.

I agree. At the risk of sounding like a cranky music fan, I find his earlier work has much more humanity and differentiation to the faces.

Which we know becaaaauuuuse......?

What do you mean? Dodson's run on Quinn was years ago. Is he back on Quinn now???

Definite keeper. And, yes, overshadowed by Adams, especially. One of the definitive Batman artists.

Not TOO much work. I keep a running database that calculates increases as new data comes in. Helps me notice when things are starting to pop...! I do think a Tomahawk 116 in true 9.2 would probably be a thousand-dollar book, but for conservative Overstreet to quintuple the value in just one year is a powerful statement. The Hughes breakouts were, too...with more to come in subsequent years, I'm sure.

That's not what iconic means. It doesn't mean it has to demonstrate impact. And I didn't use it as a substitute for something that one finds to be visually interesting or appealing. Go look up iconic in the dictionary. That's what I meant.

You sure do use a lot of words to tell people to get off your lawn.

An incomplete sampling of huge movers: Catwoman #51. Up 2400% over last year. Hughes Catwoman covers made a huge jump this year. Not just broken out but also values shot up. Recognition of Hughes price increases was spotty, however. Some titles reflect it. Others, such as Wonder Woman, still don't. Batman 635. Up 900% over last year. 1st Jason Todd as Red Hood. Batman and Robin Adventures 21. Also up 900%. Classic Batgirl (animated) cover. Zatanna 16. Also up 900%. Another series where Hughes got his due. Zatanna and other classic female superheroes showed up strong in this year's Overstreet. Interestingly, as noted above, Wonder Woman didn't enjoy a similar surge. It's almost as if the B-list superheroines were the focus. I'm guessing Wonder Woman will flex her muscles in next year's. DC Comics Presents 49. Up 775%. Black Adam, if memory serves. Superman Annual 11. Up 733%. The impact and influence of Moore's standouts are becoming clearer as the years pass. This story, and Moore's last Superman two-parter, are all-time classics that will always speak to people's love for Superman. New Mutants 25. Up 400%. Legion (26 up, too). Richard Dragon 5. Up 400%. First Lady Shiva. Surprised by this one, as I'm not aware of the character having penetrated the market so much to enjoy this kind of interest. That said, I've always appreciated her appearances. Tomahawk 116. Up 400%. An amazing, overdue jump. This stunning, classic Neal Adams cover was long overdue for recognition of just how hard (impossible) it is to find in high grade. It's now a $500 book in 9.2, and I'm guess would sell for considerably more than that. Adams for decades was accompanied by other artists, especially Wrightson, in terms of collector interest and value. That's not the case any longer. The prices in this year's Overstreet suggest that Neal Adams has become the dominant artist of his time, in the way that Jack Kirby was before him. As an uninformed, young collector, I knew this on an intuitive level all along. It's now becoming codified as reality. Firestorm 3. Up 150%. First Killer Frost. Promethea 32. Up 150%. Final issue of a jaw-dropping, stunning, overlooked series of Alan Moore brilliance. Zatanna 1 (Bolland variant). Up 150%. Weirdly, Bolland's Wonder Woman covers remain mired in the surrounding issues. Even 72. Action 835. Up 50%. First in-continuity Livewire. Weirdly, her first appearance AT ALL is not yet broken out. Detective 359. Up 80%. First Batgirl. It won't grow at as fast a pace, but it will keep growing. JLA 75. Up 75%. Green Arrow's new costume. Miscellaneous Harleys, Neal Adamses and other books also got considerable bumps. Other notable individual issues: Batman 423 (McFarlane cover), House of Secrets 92, Some classic Dave Stevens covers. Joker covers...

I enjoy Dodson a lot, too. But I don't think he's distinct enough to break out. At least not yet.

Sorry you feel that way. I used it with the same meaning it's always had.

Exactly what happened with me (including 27!) Same thing is how I started with Bolland and Hughes covers...BEFORE they blew up!

I can't really speak to Middleton, but I'm not sure how consistent covers really have to be. Most great cover runs have their clunkers.

I agree...just so little chatter about them...some of them are real keepers!

I'm amazed how little talk there's been of Jenny Frison's Wonder Woman covers. Yes, #25 got a lot of hooplah, but her whole run is full of future classics. Iconic covers but with a recognizable, distinct style. Great stuff and I'm guessing will always be in demand. (Yes, I picked some up for myself, just like I did with the Hughes run before it took off!)

And an additional way to "own" favorite books that they already have! #Guilty

Keep digging.