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[CLOSED] Josie and the Pussycats #45 - 1st Pussycats! 1st Valerie! - one time PRICE DROP!
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Started by Crimebuster,

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Crimebuster

Crimebuster

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Posted (edited)

one book today. A couple rules first:

 

1. no HOSers, etc.

2. PayPal only

3. shipping is USPS

4. US only, sorry, international friends!

5. take it in thread trumps PM conversations

6. I'm sure there's more I am forgetting, but you guys know how this all works...

 

 

Josie and the Pussycats #45 - 2.0 - $80  $70 shipped! 

1st Pussycats!

1st Valerie!

1st iconic cat costumes!

1st issue of the new title!

you get the drill...

 

This issue introduced the Pussycats. Up until #45, the book was just called Josie, and was basically another Archie companion book similar to Wilber or Ginger or whatever. With this issue, the series 1) changed the title to Josie and the Pussycats 2) introduced the Pussycats band 3) debuted the new character Valerie, one of the first major African-American characters in comics 4) and introduced the iconic cat costumes!

 

Sadly, the cover sucks, as it's a regular gag strip cover. There are three stories in this issue, and for some reason they decided to have the cover feature the third story, which is not about the Pussycats, rather than the first two stories, which are both about the Pussycats. The cover does have both the new logo ("and the Pussycats") and a reference to the new direction in the corner box, where it says "GOES MEOW!"

 

Here's a look at the first story, introducing the band, and Valerie:

 

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And here's a look at the start of the second story, where they introduce the iconic costumes

 

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I have this copy as a 2.0. The spine is split from the bottom up to the bottom staple, and there is also a spine split at the top about 3/4" long. Amazingly, the cover is still somehow attached at both staples! It's complete, nothing missing from the interior. 

 

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This is a low grade copy, but this book has finally been getting some well deserved attention recently for its broader cultural significance. I'm asking $80 $70 shipped! It's not quite so easy to get as some other Archie books from the period, as one of the reasons they made this change was an attempt to boost sales by copying the formula of the successful Archies band/cartoon. Safe to say, this change worked!

 

 

Edited by Crimebuster
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Crimebuster

Crimebuster

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15 hours ago, Readcomix said:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Valerie precedes Chuck Clayton and coach Clayton. She is the first black character in Archie Comics; this is their FF52/GL87. Not the easiest book to find, either. I have a couple or it would be gone. GLWTS! (thumbsu

 

Thanks!

Yeah, this is a big one that I think has been unfairly overlooked. I should maybe also make clear to those who don't know about it that this came out before the TV series by a full year. I don't think Valerie's importance can be overstated, as she was apparently the first recurring African-American woman in Saturday morning cartoons. And in terms of comics, this  predates characters like John Stewart and Luke Cage by two years. The Falcon made his debut just a couple months prior to this, but wasn't a regular character yet. 

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox! Suffice it to say I think this is a great comic. I find it a little odd that speculators chase every upcoming movie appearance in the hope that something will strike a chord, but a book like this - which has already had a huge cultural impact in TV and film and music even - is still somehow under the radar!

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