Apologies folks, I caught something bad, not sure if I can get one up tomorrow, I’ll see how I feel. These things take time and energy.
Anybody brave enough to submit just one Spotlight candidate for today? No argument needed. Make it Bronze Age if you can and the cheaper the better so more of us can go out and get one – maybe a half sentence on why you like the book?
Oh and anybody brave enough to offer one up isn’t allowed to be yelled at by everyone else, play nice..
If only modern technology allowed you to write the post ahead of time instead of having to wait until late Monday night…
Walt, Scott is unduly harsh, I have heard that it is a dog-eat-dog country up north, I am sorry that you have to live in such an environment in your infirmity. I hope you quickly improve and can enjoy a trip south to where all people are valued and treated fairly and kindly.
I am better at critiquing picks than making them. One needs to be more in touch with the nooks and crannies to be good at undervalued picks. I did some Bronze Age “first appearance” searches and the only unmentioned characters that I found were decidedly third-rate. (Of those I found, I thought Thundra was the best. I think the proximity to Big Barda is a problem, because all the money seems to be headed in that direction.)
So I will just mention a personal favorite that maybe has been the subject of prior analysis, which is Warlock #1. This books stands at many crossroads although it is clearly not a major key. Some arguments: Warlock (of course), first issue of individual title, Bronze Age Marvel #1, great Kane picture frame cover, similarity to Dr. Strange #1 and Iron Fist #1, but years earlier than both and worth less on a scarcity-adjusted basis. GPA shows a 9.4 selling recently for less than a 2003 price, while FF #67 at this price level currently (about a 7.0) is 8x its 2003 price. If Warlock shows up for real in a movie (Guardians II tried to assure this) I think this will at least double, and if not I think the downside risk is very low for the near term.
Walt, just think of Curt Swan’s Supergirl from the Action the other day. That should help you get one up.
Seriously, how about the Christmas and Archie treasury edition. It’s timely for Christmas, it’s a neat treasury edition and it’s scarce, according to Overstreet. January 1975, valued at $85. in 9.2 but reasonably hard to get yet still around, if you’re adamant about finding one.
I just want to point out that one comment was a thoughtful and serious response that followed the commenting rules, while the next was rude and inappropriate, in its taunting suggestion that mere thought is capable of such action at your advanced age, let alone your weakened condition.
I put the emphasis on “keep it real”.
Get better mister!!! For my spotlight from the early Bronze I would actually pick two linked books… Daredevil 73 and Ironman 35. We have both hero’s in each others books with the addition of Nick Fury against Zodiac and Madam Hydra! These books have great crossover status, when this was still a rare thing, and great art as well.
The warm-hearted bickering over me is sweet, I’m gonna print and frame this thread.
So DD #73 with Iron Man #35, Archie Christmas Treasury and Warlock #1 – a pretty good haul from the comments field I’d say.
I like Hulk 161 (hoping it hasn’t come up before). Awesome cover featuring the Grey beast. Solid X-men crossover story and the death of the mimic. Lots of niches there.
The Archie treasury is interesting and sparked Marvel Treasury 26. Contains a rarely reprinted Wolverine story, at a time where his appearances outside X-men weren’t super common. Those treasuries are a pain to find in good shape.
Yeah Chris, I’m liking that Archie Treasury suggestion more and more
I think it might be the only treasury ever released by Archie. I can’t recall another one at this time.
It seemed each company excelled in different ways; Archie had major success with their digest line while their treasury and magazine attempts fizzled; DC did treasuries in a big way but their digests and magazines didn’t take off. Marvel had a successful magazine line where their digests and treasury line never really developed the way the other companies’ outputs did.
The trouble with treasuries, like all stiff cardboard covered books, is that you can only open them an inch or so before causing damage. Attempting to open a treasury passed that point often results in permanent spine creasing and, often, fingernail dents in the cover, most noticeable on black and dark covers.
A 10.0 or even 9.8 treasury would have to be unread and carefully handled from the point of purchase; difficult to do because the treasuries were usually displayed in undersized magazine slots and made to fit those slots by bending the books, in many cases.
Tony, I hear you, I bought five Superman vs. Muhammad Ali and stored these as carefully as I could through the years, but the combination of the cardboard covers, black ink, and oversize format means these would be lucky to get 9.2.
Chris, you picked, probably, the best DC Treasury to invest in. These are solid contenders (pardon the pun) for the best return on your investment. I bought 3, mainly due to the fact I couldn’t find any more that were in nice shape.
After all these years, they might grade at 9.0, if I’m lucky. They tend to settle after a while, and slowly deteriorate, even with your best preservation efforts. They are 40 years old, after all, and the cardboard seems to go to pot.
Look on YouTube for a video on Pawn Stars, where they buy a GVG copy for $135. USD. Wow!
Get well soon Walt! I’m going to opt for TV Comic No. 674, published by Polystyle in the UK on November 14, 1964. It contains the first comics appearance of Doctor Who, in a black and white two-page story. This appears a whole two years before Dell’s Movie Classic Dr Who and the Daleks issue of 1966 (itself a candidate for UVS I would say) and the first UK Dr Who annual of the same year. Now it’s very scarce – I’ve only seen two on sale in the past ten years – but it sells for $300 to $500, which is not much considering… well, that is the question, isn’t it?