CGC Collectorverse: Collector Origin Stories – Lookin4Newsstands

In this issue of Collectorverse “Origin Stories,” Lookin4Newsstands isn’t just hunting key issues, he’s chasing the barcode. From oversized Treasury Editions to high-grade Newsstand copies of Bronze Age bangers, Lookin4Newsstands has spent decades building (and rebuilding) a collection with an eye for rarity, aesthetics and history. He shares his journey through epic finds, missed chances and why some comics just look better with a UPC.

Q&A with Lookin4Newsstands

Let’s talk comic collecting. Tell us how it all started!

My father bought me my first comic, Marvel Treasury Edition #1, with a 'Jazzy' John Romita Spidey cover, from 1975. I then began collecting Marvel and DC Treasury-size editions. Those are much larger than regular-size comics, and while many (but not all) are compilations of previous issues of a given series, they also featured some new material, and ALL of them featured original (and some now iconic) covers, from top-name ’70s comic artists such as John Romita, Neal Adams, John Buscema, Jim Aparo, Frank Brunner and Barry Windsor-Smith. There were also some all-original one-shot issues like the classic Superman vs. Spider-Man, which was the very first Marvel and DC crossover event.

In addition to the Treasury size books, I also had a few of the very first comic compilation books, which further spurred my interest in comics. With DC, it was the Superman and Batman hardcovers “From the 30's to the 70's,” and with Marvel it was the Fireside “Origin of Marvel Comics” and its spin-offs (including “Bring on The Bad Guys”). Those books were the forerunners of today’s graphic novel compilations.

Superheroes in the media and marketing were also ramping up in the mid-’70s — cartoons, action figures and items with comic characters: school folders displaying classic comic covers and even the ever-popular Underoos (lol).

In the ’70s, I don’t believe I owned any regular-sized comics. It may have been the early ’80s when I bought my first regular-sized comic issues, such as Star Wars and Amazing Spider-Man.

Recently, more of these Treasury-size books have started hitting the market. In the last year, DC has begun printing facsimile editions of their originals in the same size format, with foil and blank variant covers as well.

DC has also started printing even larger-sized comics this year, for the first time. Every issue of Hush 2 (Batman #158-163) has a ‘Giant-Size’ version available in both regular cover and foil cover variant. This version of the comic is the size of an original art board, which is much larger than Treasury editions. If CGC ever starts grading that size, sign me up! Reminds me of the song, “I like big books and I cannot lie” … oh wait … LOL

How did things change over time for you with collecting?

I was into regular-sized comic collecting from 1982 through 1984. My first comic sets that I collected were Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1-3 and Wolverine Limited Series #1-4. I was a big fan of Frank Miller and started to collect his Daredevil run at that time. I also liked Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Dave Cockrum. I started to collect their X-Men issues when Byrne was just about to finish his run. I vaguely remember picking up issue #142 off the shelf, but got back issues #108 and a #121-141 run. Completed limited series sets The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars as well.

At the time, I went to a few conventions. At an out-of-town con, I remember waiting in line for over an hour to meet John Byrne and Frank Miller (two of my favorite artists then and now) but had to leave before I got a chance to meet them. At a hometown con, my biggest pick-ups were a copy of Hulk #181 and two copies of X-Men Giant Size #1. I paid a whopping $30 for each of those.

By 1984, I’d filled up one comic box, storing some key issues in mylar sleeves. I stopped collecting at that point. Soon after, my family had to move to a small apartment, and most of our belongings (including my comic box) went to a storage facility.

Really didn’t collect much in the ’90s through the ’00s, but in 2002, upon visiting a local comic shop, the Batman: Hush series caught my attention. I collected the 12-issue run. That became my favorite modern set and still is. Soon after, I bought my first two CGC comics, a couple Bronze Age issues in moderate grades. In 2009, I started collecting again and first submitted to CGC at a show that year.

In 2013, I went back to our storage facility with a family member and dug through boxes. Finally found the comic box after more than two decades! I submitted a bunch from the box to CGC. The top comics – Incredible Hulk #181 graded CGC 9.2, and one of the Giant-Size X-Men #1 graded CGC 9.0 and the other CGC 9.8! I decided to sell those to buy some other issues, and that was perhaps my biggest mistake in comic collecting. Even though the Giant-Size X-Men CGC 9.8 sold in auction for what was a lot at the time, it went up in value exponentially a few years later. I waited over 20 years to find it, but if only I waited another 4 to 5 years…I am still dumbfounded by that. Grrrr. I have not owned either issue since. Oh well. Anyway, I did use the funds I got from those and other issues from my original box to buy some other issues I was interested in, including some whose covers were featured on my old school folders like Amazing Spider-Man #135 and Batman #251 — classic covers by John Romita and Neal Adams.

A big change in collecting started with meeting some of my all-time favorite artists and writers and getting some of my favorite issues signed. Kudos to Brittany McManus and the CGC Signature Series team! Some notable creators I’ve gotten to meet in person and speak with in the past: Jerry Robinson, Stan Lee, John Romita, Neal Adams, Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, Jim Shooter, Walt Simonson, Mike Zeck, Mark Bagley and Jim Lee. Still hoping to meet John Byrne, one of my favorite artists of all time.

Tell us about how you got into collecting Newsstand Editions. What’s the draw for you?

As I mentioned in my Marvel Comics Newsstand Editions custom set, Marvel Comics started distributing Direct Market Editions to comic shops in June 1979 and DC did the same the following year. These Direct Editions showed a slash over the UPC barcode, with the issue number and price in a diamond shape, instead of a box. Starting in March 1980, a Spider-Man face was used in place of the UPC barcode for Direct Editions, along with an 'M'-shaped price box (M stood for Marvel). Later, the Spider-Man face was followed by other Marvel character or logo designs in place of the UPC barcode box, and later still, just the designation Direct Edition stated within the UPC box. Along with the Direct Edition distribution to comic shops, which started in June 1979, Marvel simultaneously distributed Newsstand Editions (with a regular UPC barcode box) to US newsstands and other shops, for most of their titles. Marvel Comics Newsstand Editions continued to be released this way until December 2013.

What was originally the draw to me with Newsstand Editions? Good question. I simply didn’t like the way the Direct Editions looked! LOL. Seriously, though. The slash over the UPC box made it look like it was a reject or discontinued comic. The Spider-Man face on the cover of non-Spidey issues just ‘bugged’ me (pun intended). The Newsstand Edition covers carried on the same appearance of issues of the past three years — ALL Marvel comics had UPC barcodes starting in June 1976. Aesthetically, the Newsstand Editions looked the same as previous issues, and in my opinion, look better as a set — especially from a collector’s point of view.

Most of my original collection from the ’80s were Direct Editions. When I retrieved them after two decades in 2013, I graded and sold a lot of these to purchase their Newsstand counterparts. Since Newsstand Editions were not sold in comic shops upon release, they were typically sitting on racks and handled by many. Thus, they are sometimes harder to find in high grades. I set out to accomplish a very hard task: to complete runs I was a fan of back in the ’80s, and perhaps other runs as well, in the highest grade attainable. I knew this would take years; it’s been 12 years and counting so far. I’ve come close to accomplishing my goals. Even was able to obtain a Newsstand Edition of one of my favorite issues: X-Men #137 in CGC 9.9!

A few years ago, at a con, I actually discussed Direct and Newsstand Editions with Jim Shooter, who was Editor-in-Chief at Marvel at the time when Direct Editions first became available to comics shops. Coincidentally, he had a say in the fate of Phoenix in that particular game-changing X-Men issue.

Have you seen Newsstand Edition comic collecting change since you first started? Where do you see it going in the future?

For a long time, CGC did not designate Newsstand Editions on the label apart from those from the 2000s that were also price variants. In the past decade, some auction houses started to designate them in their listings. Sales for Newsstand Editions in high grade are typically much higher than their Direct Edition counterparts, especially for key issues.

Newsstand Editions seem to be here to stay as they’ve become more sought after. I was very pleased when CGC recently started to designate these on the label. I think that is very important going forward. With education, and the designation of different types of variants of a particular issue, collectors can better choose what they wish to collect.

Last question: money is no object — what are your top three dream books?

Unfortunately, these are only ‘dream books’, since I know I’m never going to own any of ’em — they’re way out of my price range! They are: Detective Comics #27, Batman #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.