Dr. Love Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Now...let me turn to the "how-to." I've had people (well, maybe it was just one person ) ask me how I do it. That would be me! I was always extremely nervous about hitting the inner well with scissors because of the torquing, or a straight blade because of the margins and the hands. Then Ed mentioned in passing once about the guillotine method and that made perfect sense to me. His pictured tutorial was perfect and easy to follow. I ordered that model off amazon and have used it extensively since. Also, again as Ed pointed out, the paper cutter is perfect to mass cut micropaper so that it fits perfectly - no peeking out. It's great for GA, SA, digests, or the very small rectangular promos. So wonderful to free certain books - the CGC case is frankly, disgusting. Murky and prone to getting scuffs and just weird marks that cannot be buffed out. Believe me, I've bought all kinds of compounds to use. Also, though as a subject it's been dropped, the puddling of the backside of the inner well is still happening. Joeypost and others have reserved judgement as to the long term effects of that manufacturing defect - which it surely is. Gotta say this about Voldy's cases - the books look 1000 X better in them then CGC's. Now ask Ed which brand of exam gloves to buy for handling the precious! Post that pic, Ed...if you dare! (actually brother, I do want that information ) 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vorpal Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 (edited) Gotta say this about Voldy's cases - the books look 1000 X better in them then CGC's. Care to elaborate? Inquiring noob minds want to know... Edited December 31, 2015 by Vorpal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Love Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Sorry, Ed, this has been addressed offline. This thread is a treasure, and I wouldn't want any off-topic prejudice or God forbid rant to derail it from its Primary Mission: EC: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the boardie edowens71. His fifty-year mission: to explore strange new sub-genres, to seek out new comic books and new auction sites, to boldly go where no collector has gone before. Make it so! 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vorpal Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 (edited) Sorry for the de-rail! Turns out it's not something I am interested in anyway. Please carry on, edowens71 Edited December 31, 2015 by Vorpal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Sorry for the de-rail! Turns out it's not something I am interested in anyway. Please carry on, edowens71 No worries. I don't mind derailments (and sometimes encourage them!)...just not ones that are verboten by our CGC message board hosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Well, Dr. Love has asked to see the precious. After getting my mind out of the gutter (my "precious" + "what glove do I use" ), I realize that we're talking about a comic book... It's indeed fitting to close this year of posting by showing the book that is my most incredible acquisition of 2015. I bought the book from a handsome, kind, generous boardie. It's the rarest EC I own...rarer than Tales of Terror Annual #1...rarer than Shock Illustrated #3...rarer than Lucky Fights it Through...and, it's the highest graded copy of that rare issue... I know of only 4 copies of this book in existence...all CGC graded. There's a 1.0 (brittle), a 2.5 (slightly brittle), Halperin's 6.0 (CR/OW), and then the copy that I'm the caretaker of... I present to you...the EC promo Desert Dawn...featuring Johnny Jackrabbit (who looks strangely like an early Bugs Bunny), telling us all about how life goes down in the desert... Produced for the Department of Education of the American Museum of Natural History (Educational Comics, remember...). No date on it, but I'm guessing it was early 1945. Back to the discussion of cracking books out...this is an nice example of a book that I will never crack out. It represents the polar opposite of all my "crack out" criteria...it's expensive, the highest graded copy, delicate. When it comes time to change the microchamber, I might just drive it down to Sarasota myself...and I don't need to crack it out to read the story... ...because, it's reprinted in Land of the Lost #1 (July 1946): Enjoy the read, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Hi Ed, thanks for the tutorial on cracking out. I might just have to stop using my teeth to get into the inner well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasyland15 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Hi Ed, Just happened upon this Stunning Journal. Its an excellent piece of work. Very informative and well written. Massive Kudos to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 Hi Ed, Just happened upon this Stunning Journal. Its an excellent piece of work. Very informative and well written. Massive Kudos to you. Hi Don! I was hoping you'd find your way here...thanks for stopping by! Speaking of Don...Don deserves a special honorable mention in this journal...Don has been a key contributor to the present state of my EC collection, both in terms of providing me with sweet upgrades (his undercopies, as he has upgraded into the EC high grade stratosphere), as well as some really tough books (for example, as already mentioned, I got 2/3 of my Tales of Terror Annual run from Don...including the ultra-scarce issue #1). His name will pop up again as I get to some other titles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 And now, another upgrade update...just in from ComicLink (won in a recent auction).... Shock SuspenStories #14 CGC 8.5, upgrades a raw midgrade copy... Issue #14 contained two of the title's most controversial stories, "The Orphan", which featured a ten-year-old girl murdering her father and framing her mother, and "The Whipping" which featured a bigoted father mistakenly beating his daughter to death under the impression that she was her Hispanic boyfriend. Gaines was questioned extensively about both stories by the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in April 1954. -wikipedia Here's some of Gaines' Senate testimony with regard to "The Whipping" (the issue's second story - -script by Feldstein, art by Wood): "[Dr. Wertham] said there is a magazine now on the stands preaching racial intolerance. The magazine he is referring to is my magazine. What he said, as much as he said, was true. There do appear in this magazine such materials as 'Spik,' 'Dirty Mexican,' but Dr. Wertham did not tell you what the plot of the story was. This is one of a series of stories designed to show the evils of race prejudice and mob violence, in this case against Mexican Catholics...This is one of the most brilliantly written stories that I have ever had the pleasure to publish." While I'm on the subject of Shock SuspenStories, might as well lay out the run...the title lasted 18 issues. Again, from wikipedia (why re-invent the wheel here ): Shock SuspenStories originated in early 1952 as a "sampler" featuring stories of various genres. Gaines and Feldstein explained the comic's origin and the source of its title in the first issue: "We've tried to satisfy every one of you readers who have written us insisting that EC increase its output! Many of you wanted another science-fiction mag... you horror fans wanted another horror book... and you suspense readers wanted a companion mag to Crime SuspenStories! We decided, therefore, to make this new mag an "EC Sampler" ...and to include in it an S-F yarn, a horror tale, a Crime SuspenStory, and... for you readers of Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales... a war story!" The war story would be immediately phased out with the second issue, replaced with a message story – the "Shock SuspenStory". Bhob Stewart discussed the "Shock SuspenStory" in his notes for the EC Library, which reprinted all 18 issues of this title: "It was evident from the cover of #2 that Gaines had conceived this title for matters of deeper concern. With "The Patriots", the "Shock SuspenStory" was born. And far from being just a label of meaningless hype, the concept proved to be a major step for EC, providing Gaines and Feldstein with a forum for expressing their views on the human condition just as Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat were for Harvey Kurtzman. The Shock SuspenStory was characterized by a running theme of mob violence and an art style best described as Heightened Realism." Over the next three years Shock SuspenStories tackled many controversial issues. The sampler format remained for the remaining three stories in the title until the end of 1953. With #12, the horror and science fiction stories were phased out, and the comic then focused primarily on shock and crime stories for the remainder of its run. Here are some quick stats from my current complete title-run set (18 issues): Acquisition source: 14 from other boardies (78%) (shout-outs to clorox, Columbia Comics, GermanFan, mycomicbookart, stevemmg, TheSurgeon, tfa1998, and trmoore54 ) 3 from eBay sellers (17%) 1 from ComicLink/ComicConnect/Heritage (5%) Raw vs. Graded: 12 have never been graded by any grading company (67%) 6 have been graded by CGC (2 cracked out) (33%) Pedigree Copies - 0 total (0%): Grade distribution: Mean grade 7.1; Median grade 7.0 There's an obvious dangling 4.0 book down there that desperately needs an upgrade The group shot: 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagii Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 That Desert Dawn would fit right in with a certain sub set of my collection..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmitchgro Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 That Desert Dawn would fit right in with a certain sub set of my collection..... I won't presume to speak for Ed, but the phrase, "from my cold, dead hands" came to mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagii Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 That Desert Dawn would fit right in with a certain sub set of my collection..... I won't presume to speak for Ed, but the phrase, "from my cold, dead hands" came to mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifties Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Shock 15 was one of, if not the, best of the run. Four very good stories! Shock 9 would be a close runner up, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 That Desert Dawn would fit right in with a certain sub set of my collection..... I won't presume to speak for Ed, but the phrase, "from my cold, dead hands" came to mind Damn straight. Shock 15 was one of, if not the, best of the run. Four very good stories! Can't go wrong with the stories in any of these issues, but can't say that #15 was my favorite...I'd have to give that award some more thought. Great cover, though...I've got my copy down as a VF+: Actually, on the subject of #15...I have a bone to pick with OSPG (not my only EC-related informational bone to pick with OSPG, actually...but let me stay on point with SSS #15 for now). In its listing for Shock SuspenStories #15, OSPG says "Used in 1954 Reader's Digest article, 'For the Kiddies to Read'." Well, in my opinion, that's...how should I say...flat out wrong. I believe that the issue of Shock SuspenStories referenced in that 1954 Reader's Digest article is actually #14...NOT #15. Keep in mind that in that article, no specific book is mentioned by name or issue...it's just descriptions of stories... Here's page 2 (of 4) of that 1954 Reader's Digest article: In the last paragraph of the left column, where it starts talking about Lucy...that story is "The Orphan"...the first story in issue #14. Continuing in the right column, where the article reference other stories "in the same book"...reference (1) is "The Whipping"...the second story in issue #14. Reference (2) is "You, Murderer"...the third story in issue #14. Reference (3) is "As Ye Sow"...the fourth and final story in issue #14. Back to #15...the first story is about a guy who eats his new bride while stranded out at sea; the second story is about a mob killing a priest; the third story is about a man's conscience bothering him to the point where he starts confessing his crimes, and the fourth story is about some detective who harasses a murderer about the gruesome death he will receive in the electric chair. While these are indeed four shocking stories, I don't see them referenced anywhere in the 1954 Reader's Digest article...and, I've read that article 3 times. Who do I call? 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azkaban Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 And now, another upgrade update...just in from ComicLink (won in a recent auction).... Shock SuspenStories #14 CGC 8.5, upgrades a raw midgrade copy... Issue #14 contained two of the title's most controversial stories, "The Orphan", which featured a ten-year-old girl murdering her father and framing her mother, and "The Whipping" which featured a bigoted father mistakenly beating his daughter to death under the impression that she was her Hispanic boyfriend. Gaines was questioned extensively about both stories by the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in April 1954. -wikipedia Here's some of Gaines' Senate testimony with regard to "The Whipping" (the issue's second story - -script by Feldstein, art by Wood): "[Dr. Wertham] said there is a magazine now on the stands preaching racial intolerance. The magazine he is referring to is my magazine. What he said, as much as he said, was true. There do appear in this magazine such materials as 'Spik,' 'Dirty Mexican,' but Dr. Wertham did not tell you what the plot of the story was. This is one of a series of stories designed to show the evils of race prejudice and mob violence, in this case against Mexican Catholics...This is one of the most brilliantly written stories that I have ever had the pleasure to publish." While I'm on the subject of Shock SuspenStories, might as well lay out the run...the title lasted 18 issues. Again, from wikipedia (why re-invent the wheel here ): Shock SuspenStories originated in early 1952 as a "sampler" featuring stories of various genres. Gaines and Feldstein explained the comic's origin and the source of its title in the first issue: "We've tried to satisfy every one of you readers who have written us insisting that EC increase its output! Many of you wanted another science-fiction mag... you horror fans wanted another horror book... and you suspense readers wanted a companion mag to Crime SuspenStories! We decided, therefore, to make this new mag an "EC Sampler" ...and to include in it an S-F yarn, a horror tale, a Crime SuspenStory, and... for you readers of Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales... a war story!" The war story would be immediately phased out with the second issue, replaced with a message story – the "Shock SuspenStory". Bhob Stewart discussed the "Shock SuspenStory" in his notes for the EC Library, which reprinted all 18 issues of this title: "It was evident from the cover of #2 that Gaines had conceived this title for matters of deeper concern. With "The Patriots", the "Shock SuspenStory" was born. And far from being just a label of meaningless hype, the concept proved to be a major step for EC, providing Gaines and Feldstein with a forum for expressing their views on the human condition just as Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat were for Harvey Kurtzman. The Shock SuspenStory was characterized by a running theme of mob violence and an art style best described as Heightened Realism." Over the next three years Shock SuspenStories tackled many controversial issues. The sampler format remained for the remaining three stories in the title until the end of 1953. With #12, the horror and science fiction stories were phased out, and the comic then focused primarily on shock and crime stories for the remainder of its run. Here are some quick stats from my current complete title-run set (18 issues): Acquisition source: 14 from other boardies (78%) (shout-outs to clorox, Columbia Comics, GermanFan, mycomicbookart, stevemmg, TheSurgeon, tfa1998, and trmoore54 ) 3 from eBay sellers (17%) 1 from ComicLink/ComicConnect/Heritage (5%) Raw vs. Graded: 12 have never been graded by any grading company (67%) 6 have been graded by CGC (2 cracked out) (33%) Pedigree Copies - 0 total (0%): Grade distribution: Mean grade 7.1; Median grade 7.0 There's an obvious dangling 4.0 book down there that desperately needs an upgrade The group shot: That's beautiful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Ed, This is really great stuff. And when you finish this journal, we can all eagerly await your motorcycle cover journal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Ed, This is really great stuff. And when you finish this journal, we can all eagerly await your motorcycle cover journal! Thanks again! Yeah, the motorcycle covers are on the journal agenda, but no telling when I'll get around to that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Another new upgrade arrived yesterday, fresh from a ComicConnect auction win... Happy Houlihans #1 CGC 8.0, upgrades (slightly) a raw midgrade copy: This is an odd series..."America's Craziest and Most Lovable Family!" This came out in the Fall of 1947, just after Max's death....this was during the transition to Bill. At this point, it seems like a core part of EC's strategy was licensing properties from other creators and turning them into comic titles...best I can tell, that's what happened here. I found a reference that indicates Don Cameron (a Golden age comic writer/artist) received a copyright on the Happy Houlihans in March 1947. Reading between the lines, I'm guessing that Don went looking for a buyer for his newly copyrighted characters, and found Gaines...just not clear whether the deal was struck with Max before his death, or with Bill after Max's death. The title lasted only two issues...probably for the best. Here's the splash page (pic from my raw undercopy)...so let's see here...we have Tom, Fanny, Micki, Danny, Winky, and Mush Houlihan: The first appearance of the Happy Houlihans is technically credited to another concurrent EC one-shot title, "Blackstone the Magician Detective Fights Crime" (both Blackstone and HH #1 show Fall 1947 in the indicia). The HH story in Blackstone is exactly duplicated in HH #1. Here's my copy of Blackstone (the Houlihans get a shout-out right there on the cover)...this is a raw midgrade that could use an upgrade: When I find a Blackstone upgrade, I'll celebrate with another post about him...but for now, let's stick with the Houlihans... The other noteworthy thing about Happy Houlihans issue #1 is that it introduced Moon Girl, who would get her own series (more on her another time)...also in the fall of 1947. So, Bill was still trying to figure out what direction to go in, right after he took the reins...here we had three new titles (Blackstone the Magician Detective Fights Crime, Happy Houlihans, and Moon Girl) all being launched more or less concurrently, all cross-promoting each other - what an odd trio. This was before Al Feldstein started pitching in his influence...probably good that Feldstein came along when he did. Anyway...Happy Houlihans...two issues...here's my run: Acquisition source: 1 from other boardies (50%) 1 from ComicLink/ComicConnect/Heritage (50%) Raw vs. Graded: 2 have been graded by CGC (100%) (1 cracked out) Pedigree Copies - 0 total (0%): (not aware of any pedigree copies in existence) Grade distribution: Mean grade 6.5 Issue #2 is a cracked out old label CGC 5.0 slab...could use an upgrade, but not the easiest book to find Seems silly to do a histogram with 2 data points, so I'll skip that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newshane Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 God I love EC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
