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Bodnar’s Auction House Pulls DC Comics Bound Volumes From Sale
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40 posts in this topic

11 hours ago, I am not Glenda said:

Funny thing is had one of the members on the board had bought this collection odds are nothing would have come of it and the volumes would have been sold with very little national fanfare ( no harm no foul) It seems like the media attention  tipped off DC and I would think they got there lawyers on it asap.

This is my read on the situation as well. To me this seems very similar to what has gone down in the OA part of the hobby - it seems equally likely that DC gets them as it does they are allowed to be sold but it could all come down to what kind of dialogue the consignor and the DC people have. DC may recognize the name of the late husband but if not then anything could happen especially if there is no police report pertaining to when they were stolen. But DC and the widow might just work it out and leave Bodnars s-o-l.

I was hoping to come home with the Wonder Woman and the Leading Comics volumes at a minimum!

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4 hours ago, I am not Glenda said:

On the Bodnar's volumes which one would have brought the most $$$$$$ had they been sold?

2 of the Adventure Comics were over $1000 at the time it was shut down. I don't think any other ones were at that level (yet?).

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I'm puzzled by this.  I was allowed access to the library (one of the last to be granted that privilege) back in the mid-90s to do research on ashcan editions.  While there I was treated to the entire library and saw their bound volumes.  Action 1 -12.  Captain Marvel Adventures 1-6 (they had all the Fawcett bound volumes too), etc.  No one said that numerous volumes were missing, though I was told that some were.  They had a security guard at the door and locks.  At that time no one was allowed in for any reason without approval of Paul Levitz.

 

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9 hours ago, Moondog said:

I'm puzzled by this.  I was allowed access to the library (one of the last to be granted that privilege) back in the mid-90s to do research on ashcan editions.  While there I was treated to the entire library and saw their bound volumes.  Action 1 -12.  Captain Marvel Adventures 1-6 (they had all the Fawcett bound volumes too), etc.  No one said that numerous volumes were missing, though I was told that some were.  They had a security guard at the door and locks.  At that time no one was allowed in for any reason without approval of Paul Levitz.

 

I have an acquaintance from Chicago who toured in 2016.  Any insight into how many Action 1 ‘s and  Tec 27’s they have ( or had at one time ) ?  Any insight as to why the Tec 27 they currently have is coverless ? 

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9 minutes ago, pemart1966 said:

Does DC still have bound vols Action 1 - 12; Detective 27 (with cover) - ?; and Batman 1 - ?

I’ve only seen pictures of their Action 1 and Tec 27 AFTER they were removed from bound volumes.  ( both copies still had their binder holes ). Action 1 had its cover still. 

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1 minute ago, Chicago Boy said:

I’ve only seen pictures of their Action 1 and Tec 27 AFTER they were removed from bound volumes.  ( both copies still had their binder holes ). Action 1 had its cover still. 

Thanks - any reason that they chose to remove them from the bound volumes?

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somewhere in all this, I think maybe it was Bleeding Cool, I read that DC has 3 copies of every comic bound like this. Then maybe another set was also made, making 6 bound copies of every comic? The facts seem murky though.

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29 minutes ago, Bird said:

somewhere in all this, I think maybe it was Bleeding Cool, I read that DC has 3 copies of every comic bound like this. Then maybe another set was also made, making 6 bound copies of every comic? The facts seem murky though.

The library started in a closet.  That sure seems like a lot of space.  My research hasn’t gone beyond their copies of action 1 & Tec 27. I’ve seen pictures of 2 Action 1’s.  2 Tec 27’s and 1Tec 27 in person (no longer in their possession ) 

Edited by Chicago Boy
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2 hours ago, Bird said:

somewhere in all this, I think maybe it was Bleeding Cool, I read that DC has 3 copies of every comic bound like this. Then maybe another set was also made, making 6 bound copies of every comic? The facts seem murky though.

They must have collected these books as they were printed - no way they would have been able to start collecting books going back to the 30s if they started their archives say in the late 40s/early 50s.

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from bleeding cool

 

Former Manager-Editorial Operations and Senior Editor at DC, Robert Greenberger confirmed that DC would bind six copies of every title, three copies for the general circulation library while three were tucked away for posterity. Noted comics creator and historian Mark Evanier noted that copies had been stolen from the archive at various points, but copies were purchased to replace them – and that at one point DC Comics has a full library, three times over, of everything they’d published. from Detective Comics #1 up. 

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13 hours ago, Chicago Boy said:

I have an acquaintance from Chicago who toured in 2016.  Any insight into how many Action 1 ‘s and  Tec 27’s they have ( or had at one time ) ?  Any insight as to why the Tec 27 they currently have is coverless ? 

I saw the Action 1 - 12 volume.  It was crumbling and falling apart.  I was not shown the Detective volumes. 

There were rumors that a librarian in the mid-80s was stealing ashcans and bound volumes, but this looks like way too many not to be noticed. 

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2 hours ago, Bird said:

from bleeding cool

 

Former Manager-Editorial Operations and Senior Editor at DC, Robert Greenberger confirmed that DC would bind six copies of every title, three copies for the general circulation library while three were tucked away for posterity. Noted comics creator and historian Mark Evanier noted that copies had been stolen from the archive at various points, but copies were purchased to replace them – and that at one point DC Comics has a full library, three times over, of everything they’d published. from Detective Comics #1 up. 

This is not the case regarding DC ashcans.  Many were stolen or erroneously misappropriated and never replaced.

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4 hours ago, Bird said:

from bleeding cool

 

Former Manager-Editorial Operations and Senior Editor at DC, Robert Greenberger confirmed that DC would bind six copies of every title, three copies for the general circulation library while three were tucked away for posterity. Noted comics creator and historian Mark Evanier noted that copies had been stolen from the archive at various points, but copies were purchased to replace them – and that at one point DC Comics has a full library, three times over, of everything they’d published. from Detective Comics #1 up

Edited by Chicago Boy
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2 hours ago, Chicago Boy said:

So 6 copies of each issue or 3 copies of each issue ?  Sorry I need some clarification .....

Sounds like 6 total originally. 3 were for their library and 3 were for “posterity” although I’m not sure where those were stored. 
Either way just like original art in comics (and the related fields) it sounds like a fair amount of theft occurred over the years with it.

Eh, maybe theft is to harsh. Probably people just walked in and “accidentally” left with them or “borrowed” them and forgot to return them. It was a library after all...:nyah:

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17 hours ago, N e r V said:

Sounds like 6 total originally. 3 were for their library and 3 were for “posterity” although I’m not sure where those were stored. 
Either way just like original art in comics (and the related fields) it sounds like a fair amount of theft occurred over the years with it.

Eh, maybe theft is to harsh. Probably people just walked in and “accidentally” left with them or “borrowed” them and forgot to return them. It was a library after all...:nyah:

It is definitely confusing. It could be 6 for those that were stolen but only 3 for others? When these types of things go missing and it goes unnoticed, aka stolen, it seems we only have reports of what remained and not what was originally there. So did they have 3 of everything and then realize stuff was gone and re-acquire 3 more to fill it all out? That seems the case, but what volumes have 3 and which have 6...is there any way to know? Bodnars had 2 of a few volumes (meaning duplicates), which makes it odder still.

They seem ill-gained but will that stop them from being sold without further documentation? Or do the owner and DC reach a settlement and we never hear of them again? I hope we get to find out the answer when all is said and done but it seems another end of Indiana Jones scene is more likely with them boxed up and wheeled away into storage somewhere.

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24 minutes ago, Bird said:

It is definitely confusing. It could be 6 for those that were stolen but only 3 for others? When these types of things go missing and it goes unnoticed, aka stolen, it seems we only have reports of what remained and not what was originally there. So did they have 3 of everything and then realize stuff was gone and re-acquire 3 more to fill it all out? That seems the case, but what volumes have 3 and which have 6...is there any way to know? Bodnars had 2 of a few volumes (meaning duplicates), which makes it odder still.

They seem ill-gained but will that stop them from being sold without further documentation? Or do the owner and DC reach a settlement and we never hear of them again? I hope we get to find out the answer when all is said and done but it seems another end of Indiana Jones scene is more likely with them boxed up and wheeled away into storage somewhere.

If the situation is like it has been with original art stolen whereas it’s changed hands a few times before the current owner took possession I would like to think it could be settled on. DC/WB could afford it and it’s good PR for them. If the current owner is the thief or related I would think not. The right thing for them to do is return it.

That’s kind of the stance Neal Adams and others started accepting with their stolen art recognizing it had changed hands many times before being found out. A whole lot of original art out there was originally stolen. Fans breaking into homes, company employees both high and low in the company with sticky fingers, you name it. 

Edited by N e r V
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