Smorgasbord of Ultra-High Grade Silver Age DCs

[tth2]

The third of the Atom Showcases...

 

Showcase #36--CGC 9.6 Off-White Pages, Western Penn pedigree, top of the Census

 

Another insanely nice copy which has defied the tests of time, all alone at the top of the Census. Gorgeous Western Penn copy, lustrous inks, yada yada yada. I guess the Showcase appearances were popular with fans, as Atom got his own title shortly afterwards.

 

Purchased directly from Tom Hanlin back in 2004.

 

[tth2]

Very very nice books Tim! Good luck with the sale...

Thanks Jeff!

 

definitely out of my meager price range.

Exercise some of your options!

[namisgr]

Absolute stunners, Tim, and they're even early Silver Age DCs with cool covers to boot!

 

Best of luck with the auction. It is indeed the best sale of early silver age material in recent memory.

[brasseye]

It is indeed the best sale of early silver age material in recent memory.

 

Heritage have a bit of thanks owed to you Tim. With your consignment items and the other goodies on offer, it's looking to be the best offering in over a year from my reckoning.

 

...we won't have to see 2 guys bidding/blowing $5K over Swamp thing #1 this time round!

[tth2]

Thanks guys. It's definitely the first Heritage auction in a while that has got a lot of SA collectors energized.

[tth2]

Last of the Showcases:

 

Showcase #38--CGC 9.8, Off-White to White Pages, all alone at the top of the Census.

 

What can I say about this book? It is an absolute stunner with unbelievable color and gloss. The scan doesn't do justice to how incredibly fresh the book looks. Last time I checked with Valiantman, it was still the earliest SA DC book to have received a 9.8 from CGC. Next best copy is a "lowly" 9.4. I believe it originally came from a 3-pack, which might explain its fantastic preservation.

 

It's also the second appearance of the Metal Men. The Metal Men's appearances in Showcase are extremely undervalued, and rarely appear in the market in NM. A real bidding frenzy broke out a couple of years ago when a 9.6 copy of Showcase #40 (4th Metal Men appearance) was put up on Heritage.

 

Purchased from Steve Lauterbach in 2001 or 2002.

 

[tth2]

Moving on, we come to probably THE hottest SA DC title around, Flash!

 

Flash #126--CGC 9.4, Cream to Off-White Pages, top of the Census with one other copy

 

I've just got one Flash in this auction, I'm afraid, but what a Flash it is! I was fortunate to procure this recently raw from a collector. Having seen it in person I was confident that it would get a 9.4 grade from CGC, and that's exactly what it received! It is a beauty, with great preservation. This copy is as nice as the Western Penn copy (which is the other 9.4 copy in the Census and which I also owned), which sold for $4182 in November last year. If you're a HG Flash completist, snap this baby up, because it may be a lo-o-ng while before another NM copy comes on the market! The nosebleed prices being paid recently for HG Flash indicate that they're going into collections, and not to dealers.

 

The collector has owned the copy raw for many many years and he has told me that he has not pressed or manipulated the book in any way and to his knowledge it had not been pressed or manipulated prior to his getting it.

 

[tth2]

Finally, the last set of comics that I've consigned to Heritage, and in my opinion one of the most underrated and undervalued titles, The Atom! Featuring great covers by the master, Gil Kane, and the early issues are incredibly scarce in NM, and yet Atoms, even in 9.4 and above, usually go for a song.

 

First up...

 

Atom #2--CGC 9.4, White Pages(!), top of the Census with one other copy

 

This is a notoriously difficult issue to find in NM. This copy came from the same collector who owned the Flash #126 listed above. It's not often I say this about a pre-1963 SA DC, but having seen it in person I was disappointed it didn't get a 9.6 from CGC. It's that nice. Its incredible preservation is reflected in the White pages that CGC has noted.

 

The collector has owned the copy raw for many many years and he has told me that he has not pressed or manipulated the book in any way and to his knowledge it had not been pressed or manipulated prior to his getting it.

 

[Dad&Son-migration]

Damn Tim !!! That Showcase 38 and Atom 2 are BEAUTIFUL !!!! I always loved the Atom and always loved Metal Men because it was my Dad's favourite.

[tth2]

Thanks! Stay tuned, many more nice Atoms are on the way!

[tth2]

The end is in sight for this posting marathon!

 

Atom #4--CGC 9.6, Off-White Pages, Massachusetts pedigree, top of the Census with one other copy.

 

A stunning book from a highly-coveted Silver Age pedigree. 9.6 SA DCs from 1963 don't grow on trees, so snag this beauty while you can!

 

Purchased from Showcase New England on eBay in 2001 or so.

 

[musicmeta]

That Showcase 34 is UN-FREAKNG-BELEIVABLE! What a GORGEOUS book! I wish I had several thousand dollars to spare.

[tth2]

That Showcase 34 is UN-FREAKNG-BELEIVABLE! What a GORGEOUS book!

Thanks! You should see how nice it looks in person!

 

I wish I had several thousand dollars to spare.

Sell some of your awesome BA collection!

[adamstrange]

Here's what it will look like if you win all of the B&Bs!

 

 

 

does that mean you're throwing in the chairs? i guess i've gotta bite the bullet and get on line at my PO to pick up the dang catalogue. Great books as always- good luck.

 

Those are stunning. I looked for years and was never in the right place/right time to get a copy as nice as any of those -- and it wasn't for lack of trying. Those Kubert Hawkmans were among the most beautifully drawn superhero comics EVER and I have no idea why it never caught on.

[tth2]

Those are stunning. I looked for years and was never in the right place/right time to get a copy as nice as any of those -- and it wasn't for lack of trying. Those Kubert Hawkmans were among the most beautifully drawn superhero comics EVER and I have no idea why it never caught on.

Thanks, I agree. Kubert doesn't fire up a lot of people for some reason. I don't know if it's his sort of rough, "sketchy" style or what. People seem to either really love him or really dislike him.

 

He's clearly one of the best when it comes to conveying dynamic action, but sometimes his work just isn't that aesthetically appealing. It can depend on how much time he spent on a piece and who inked it. I personally don't like his style when he gets too "sketchy", like on a lot of his work on the DC Tarzans and Koraks, but I love his earlier, "tighter" work in the superhero genre and the war books.

[adamstrange]

Those are stunning. I looked for years and was never in the right place/right time to get a copy as nice as any of those -- and it wasn't for lack of trying. Those Kubert Hawkmans were among the most beautifully drawn superhero comics EVER and I have no idea why it never caught on.

Thanks, I agree. Kubert doesn't fire up a lot of people for some reason. I don't know if it's his sort of rough, "sketchy" style or what. People seem to either really love him or really dislike him.

 

He's clearly one of the best when it comes to conveying dynamic action, but sometimes his work just isn't that aesthetically appealing. It can depend on how much time he spent on a piece and who inked it. I personally don't like his style when he gets too "sketchy", like on a lot of his work on the DC Tarzans and Koraks, but I love his earlier, "tighter" work in the superhero genre and the war books.

 

Throughout his career he rarely had anyone else ink his work so that scratchy stuff is his. For me his peak periods are 57 - 62 and then his Enemy Ace work. Lots of good stuff before and after but those are the times when he could do almost no wrong. I happen to like his Tarzan work as I think his style is well-suited to Burroughs, while I think his style is less suited to telling more ordinary stories like Fax From Sarajevo (I'm sure I'm in a minority on this one but when I was reading it I got the same feeling as if Pavarotti was singing "Happy Birthday" -- the notes are all there but it was a bit much).

[tth2]

Moving on...

 

Atom #5--CGC 9.4, Off-White Pages, top of the Census with one other copy.

 

A beautiful book that's not easy to find in grade. Don't know what Heritage were doing with the color settings on their scanner, but believe me this book does not have the dull, washed out look of the scan.

 

Acquired from Josh Nathanson in a trade in 2002.

 

[Aman619]

Those are stunning. I looked for years and was never in the right place/right time to get a copy as nice as any of those -- and it wasn't for lack of trying. Those Kubert Hawkmans were among the most beautifully drawn superhero comics EVER and I have no idea why it never caught on.

Thanks, I agree. Kubert doesn't fire up a lot of people for some reason. I don't know if it's his sort of rough, "sketchy" style or what. People seem to either really love him or really dislike him.

 

He's clearly one of the best when it comes to conveying dynamic action, but sometimes his work just isn't that aesthetically appealing. It can depend on how much time he spent on a piece and who inked it. I personally don't like his style when he gets too "sketchy", like on a lot of his work on the DC Tarzans and Koraks, but I love his earlier, "tighter" work in the superhero genre and the war books.

 

Throughout his career he rarely had anyone else ink his work so that scratchy stuff is his. For me his peak periods are 57 - 62 and then his Enemy Ace work. Lots of good stuff before and after but those are the times when he could do almost no wrong. I happen to like his Tarzan work as I think his style is well-suited to Burroughs, while I think his style is less suited to telling more ordinary stories like Fax From Sarajevo (I'm sure I'm in a minority on this one but when I was reading it I got the same feeling as if Pavarotti was singing "Happy Birthday" -- the notes are all there but it was a bit much).

 

IMO it was never Kuberts art's problem, it was Hawkman! A guy who wears huge wings to fly?? We have Superman and a million other guys who hover and fly all by themselves w/o stupid wings... and his villains never made it for me either. Just not a well utilized character. Kubert could draw th ephone book and Id love it...but Hawkman? yawn. Wait, did I forget to mention he uses ancient weaponry?? Why? Just a gimmick that made no sense in modern times. If he were a super caveman, maybe, but an alien scientist weilding a mace, cause he thinks its cool??

 

I bought emall 8 times a year of course, but I cant rememn=bera single plotline like I can for Atom, GL Flash and the rest.

[Aman619]

as a followup, I think as much as we admire and covert the comics with outstanding artwork, and we trumpet the artistic quality of comics we love, its by and large the stories that we really like about comics. We will cherish a great story even when drawn by Don Heck (to name just one underappreciated SA artist) we might suffer thru the panels as we read along. And if Neal Adams draws a lousy story his art will elevate the experience, but it will still be forgettable soon after. Its only when the two merge that we get a true classic.

[adamstrange]

as a followup, I think as much as we admire and covert the comics with outstanding artwork, and we trumpet the artistic quality of comics we love, its by and large the stories that we really like about comics. We will cherish a great story even when drawn by Don Heck (to name just one underappreciated SA artist) we might suffer thru the panels as we read along. And if Neal Adams draws a lousy story his art will elevate the experience, but it will still be forgettable soon after. Its only when the two merge that we get a true classic.

 

I guess I like the whole ancient weaponary and sci-fi villains and, most of all, the wings . The Hawkman stories as a memorable/readable as the other DCs. imho. The Adam Strange and early Flash stories were probably the only other ones I liked as much -- not that I was old enough to buy them off the stands