Baker Romance 43 43

[Dr. Love]

2 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

Ah! Just checked it out.  Nice looking book.  

Then you also may have noticed that the McLaughlin sold raw for $1400+, graded as a Fine, and a year later, slabbed as a 5.5, sold for half that. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by Dr. Love

[Sqeggs]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Love said:

I think there may have been a tear seal on that one too.  There was a time when It Rhymes with Lust was considered one of the important Baker grails, historically significant as it's considered to be the first graphic novel.  It gets very little traction on this thread though.

A tear seal to the IRWL?  I was surprised that there weren't more bidders, but maybe they (like you) were more sharp-eyed than I am!

[n2wdw]

I recently picked this up on eBay, Nugget 1.  It has a few interior pages of Baker Art.  I especially like the art bordering the 1st page of the Starskin saga.  The Amash book suggests Baker was a driving force behind Nugget, not just an artist (see last pic below).  Anyone know more about this?

Edited March 23, 2017 by n2wdw

[Dr. Love]

On 3/21/2017 at 0:55 PM, Sqeggs said:

I probably should know the answer to this, but by the time romance got rolling, Edgar wasn't still trying to buy every book on the stands, was he? And, of course, whether he was or not, St John's distribution problems probably meant many of them didn't make it to the newsstands in Denver. 

I know there is a boardie who has posted that he owns the TAR 2 and 3 Church copies sold on Heritage 10 years ago (and which were not included in Chuck's catalog).  Not sure whether he's had them graded.  I think my only St John Church is WTR 7 unless I'm forgetting something.

I'll hazard a guess that slabbed and unslabbed, there are 20 known Church copies of St John romance books. 

As far as I can tell, 77 Church St. John romance, one graded and it's Tony's.  On the other hand, Edgar got a fair amount of romance, considering it was at the end of his run.  Over 1000!  Unlike the Crippens, these exist for the most part in raw form - somewhere.

[Dr. Love]

28 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

A tear seal to the IRWL?  I was surprised that there weren't more bidders, but maybe they (like you) were more sharp-eyed than I am!

Front cover right side mid way.  Printer's crease or tear seal. 

[Sqeggs]

9 minutes ago, Dr. Love said:

38 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

A tear seal to the IRWL?  I was surprised that there weren't more bidders, but maybe they (like you) were more sharp-eyed than I am!

Front cover right side mid way.  Printer's crease or tear seal. 

May explain why it wasn't graded.

[n2wdw]

I received my copy of Nugget and wrote the following in my journal.  I thought people here might find it of interest. 

 

Nugget Magazine Nov 1955 - Matt Baker

I also collect non-comic magazines with art by Matt Baker.  Here's one I recently won on eBay, Nugget Magazine #1.   The Playboy-like magazine was published by Archer St. John, which explains how Baker got involved.  The Amash book (2nd picture below) says "Matt Baker had dreamed up Nugget, which was the ancestor to Playboy and all the others."

Matt had at least 2 interior illustrates in the magazine.  He did the border art for Starskin Saga and the art for the first page of Swamp Fever.  The Starskin Saga border was not signed or credited to Baker, but I don't think anyone doubts it's Baker.  The Swamp Fever art is signed by Baker (near the tree trunk).

There are 2 other possible Baker illustrations in the magazine.  This one is the most likely.  It looks Baker-ish.  This rough, unfinshed line art is the kind of sketch you'd get at a con, and for that reason I find it fascinating.

More evidence that this is Baker is the fact that it's also for the Swamp Fever short story.  Since Baker did the other one, it seems to make sense he also did this one too.

Is this next one Baker?  I'm not sure.  I go back and forth on it.  What do you think?

This issue of Nugget has other interesting art.  Ray Houlihan has a few pieces.  Before this I'd never heard of him but I might now try to search him out. 

I also have the 2nd issue of Nugget, that was published 3 months later.  It contains no Baker art, which is a shame, and also surprising, at least to me.  Why issue 1 but not issue 2?  Especially since #2 had repeat artists, like Houlihan.  Interestingly, in #2 Archer St. John is not listed at the Editor and Publisher.  He's listed as founder, but the Editor/Publisher is Michael St. John.  I wonder if that's part of the story. 

[Ricksneatstuff]

 Does anyone know who has the 7.5 copy of this? 

[1950's war comics]

That Nugget magazine from 55 sure beats a National Geographic

[comicnoir]

This just arrived.

[sacentaur]

1 hour ago, comicnoir said:

This just arrived.

Beauty! 

Undercopy? 

[Ricksneatstuff]

2 hours ago, comicnoir said:

This just arrived.

Wow!! I actually felt my heart flutter a little. 

[n2wdw]

4 hours ago, comicnoir said:

This just arrived.

That's a beauty!

[comicnoir]

5 hours ago, sacentaur said:

Beauty! 

Undercopy? 

I sold my undercopy on the boards 2 weeks ago. The thread was up for quite awhile before Third Greenham snagged it.

[MB1952]

2 hours ago, comicnoir said:

I sold my undercopy on the boards 2 weeks ago. The thread was up for quite awhile before Third Greenham snagged it.

great copy Ron

 

[comicnoir]

Thanks Will.

[comicjack]

On 3/25/2017 at 2:42 PM, n2wdw said:

I received my copy of Nugget and wrote the following in my journal.  I thought people here might find it of interest. 

 

Nugget Magazine Nov 1955 - Matt Baker

I also collect non-comic magazines with art by Matt Baker.  Here's one I recently won on eBay, Nugget Magazine #1.   The Playboy-like magazine was published by Archer St. John, which explains how Baker got involved.  The Amash book (2nd picture below) says "Matt Baker had dreamed up Nugget, which was the ancestor to Playboy and all the others."

Matt had at least 2 interior illustrates in the magazine.  He did the border art for Starskin Saga and the art for the first page of Swamp Fever.  The Starskin Saga border was not signed or credited to Baker, but I don't think anyone doubts it's Baker.  The Swamp Fever art is signed by Baker (near the tree trunk).

There are 2 other possible Baker illustrations in the magazine.  This one is the most likely.  It looks Baker-ish.  This rough, unfinshed line art is the kind of sketch you'd get at a con, and for that reason I find it fascinating.

More evidence that this is Baker is the fact that it's also for the Swamp Fever short story.  Since Baker did the other one, it seems to make sense he also did this one too.

Is this next one Baker?  I'm not sure.  I go back and forth on it.  What do you think?

This issue of Nugget has other interesting art.  Ray Houlihan has a few pieces.  Before this I'd never heard of him but I might now try to search him out. 

I also have the 2nd issue of Nugget, that was published 3 months later.  It contains no Baker art, which is a shame, and also surprising, at least to me.  Why issue 1 but not issue 2?  Especially since #2 had repeat artists, like Houlihan.  Interestingly, in #2 Archer St. John is not listed at the Editor and Publisher.  He's listed as founder, but the Editor/Publisher is Michael St. John.  I wonder if that's part of the story. 

Just amazing insides love it all 

[n2wdw]

On 3/18/2017 at 11:23 PM, kat123 said:

I miss my copy, looks you crack it open from its CGC case.

Kat123 - are all the pictures in your signature from Nugget?

[MB1952]

3 hours ago, n2wdw said:

Kat123 - are all the pictures in your signature from Nugget?

yes, different issues also other men magazines with baker art. Matt Baker before his dead did lots of men magazines illustrations. Really sad we lost him so early. Imaging him jumping into Super-Hero art.

 

 

[Yorick]

10 hours ago, kat123 said:

yes, different issues also other men magazines with baker art. Matt Baker before his dead did lots of men magazines illustrations. Really sad we lost him so early. Imaging him jumping into Super-Hero art.

 

 

Wow! Full page ink-wash?!  What magazine is that?