Comic Book Collecting

[Mike...In 3-D!]

I'm currently going through the original Amazing Spider-Man run (things really start to pick up when Peter graduates high school), but the relentless onslaught of 60s slang can be a bit much.

I also just started the original Marv Wolfman/George Perez New Teen Titans. When I worked at the comic shop I had a bunch of customers speak very highly of it, but it hasn't quite grabbed me yet.

[Hepcat]

Yeah, I understand. I also find it difficult to read more than a couple of comics at a time in the Marvel Masterworks or DC Archives formats.

[Rex fury]

I hope your having fun rereading those old Spideys. My first memory of Marvel comics comes from Amazing Spider-Man 25. That's the story that hooked me on the company. I really enjoyed Steve Ditko's artwork and Stan lee's scripting seemed fresh and fun.

What about the "college " issues are you enjoying? The new look from Romita, or the progression of the characters?  Maybe something else?

RF

[Mike...In 3-D!]

What about the "college " issues are you enjoying? The new look from Romita, or the progression of the characters?  Maybe something else?

RF

All of the above. I liked Ditko's art, but I've always loved Romita's. The progression of the characters is probably the biggest for me. The melodramatic nature of Betty and Pete's relationship was driving me nuts. It seemed like every issue had an instance where a minor misunderstanding set off a giant "I knew he/she didn't love me" spiel. Gwen and MJ finally in the picture and Betty being engaged to Ned Leeds have settled that down.

[Hepcat]

As a kid romantic melodrama and character development in general was the last thing in which I was interested. It's adults who enthuse about those elements in comics.

[Wolfman]

I have just a few comics, mainly the Fantastic Four. I've got #'s 3, 12, 20, 50. Planning on getting #4 soon. Also have Iron Man #1, Spider-Man #3, #65 Journey into Mystery #89, Captain America #111 (signed by Steranko), Incredible Hulk #105 (my personal favorite), and a golden age Sub-Mariner (forget the issue# on that), Archie comics #3. I sold Spider-Man #50, Sub-Mariner #1, Batman #4 for a nice profit, which I used to buy some of the ones I mentioned here. It's not my main source of collecting, but I definitely enjoy what I've got.

JP

[Mike...In 3-D!]

I have just a few comics, mainly the Fantastic Four. I've got #'s 3, 12, 20, 50. Planning on getting #4 soon. Also have Iron Man #1, Spider-Man #3, #65 Journey into Mystery #89, Captain America #111 (signed by Steranko), Incredible Hulk #105 (my personal favorite), and a golden age Sub-Mariner (forget the issue# on that), Archie comics #3. I sold Spider-Man #50, Sub-Mariner #1, Batman #4 for a nice profit, which I used to buy some of the ones I mentioned here. It's not my main source of collecting, but I definitely enjoy what I've got.

JP

As long as you like what you're buying, any collection is a good one.

[Rex fury]

I got a couple of surprises in a western comic collection I just purchased.  The collection sold for roughly 100.00 dollars and was a mixed bag of titles and publishers. My first treat was that two of the comics were Timely's and both had Black Rider stories in them. I'm a big fan of the character and thought it was a neat coincidence!

Next I opened a Lash Larue  number 2 and found a copy of the real Lash Larue's obituary tucked inside the comic. Many of the issues in the collection had the initials P.N. written on their covers along with a month and day date (alas not a year, but most of the collection dates from '49). Larue passed in 1996, and I have to wonder if P.N. was a big fan who held on to issue 2 all those years in between?

Anyhow, that's why I collect comics; you never know what you'll find tucked away in them!

RF

[BRICK]

I finally got this back from CGC after nearly a year. Now I am going to hang it proudly on my wall! I don't care what anyone says; I'm convinced that this issue will eventually become the Universal Monsterverse equivalent of Amazing Fantasy # 15! 

[Rex fury]

It's definitely a great comic! Hope you read it before slabbing it. I also hope you're right about  it becoming the Universal Monster version of AF 15. I'll never understand why Jughead 79 is more sought after ( or perhaps just more expensive) than this comic. Is your copy a first or second print,? It looks to be in great shape. Enjoy!
RF

[Mike Scott]

Nice looking copy! Surprised they didn't put "First Printing" on the label. Wish I could upgrade my copy, but people want way too much money for them nowadays.

[Hepcat]

I'll never understand why Jughead 79 is more sought after ( or perhaps just more expensive) than this comic. Is your copy a first or second print?

The Dell Creature comic is probably well over ten times easier to find in high grades than Jughead 79.



First of all, Archie comics weren't typically saved/hoarded. They targetted a different market than the super hero or horror/sci-fi/mystery comics which were the genres that precipitated comic book collecting. Therefore basically next to no Jughead comics ended up free of mauling from multiple casual/careless re-reads.

Secondly Archie 79 hit newsstands in October 1961. The Creature comic first hit newsstands in October 1962 and then after being reprinted again in June 1964. Several comic fanzines were already being published by early 1962 and collecting/hoarding was becoming established. By 1964 the collecting phenomenon had really grown due primarily to what Stan Lee was doing at Marvel although the offerings of Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger at DC had certainly helped the phenomenon along. Therefore even within the same title, an issue from 1964 seems to be five to ten times more common these days than one from 1961.

Does anyone here have access to CGC census figures for the two comics?

Nonetheless, I'm confident that the Creature comic is a quantum leap more plentiful than Jughead 79 and prices are set by the interplay of supply and demand.

[BRICK]

It's definitely a great comic! Hope you read it before slabbing it. I also hope you're right about  it becoming the Universal Monster version of AF 15. I'll never understand why Jughead 79 is more sought after ( or perhaps just more expensive) than this comic. Is your copy a first or second print,? It looks to be in great shape. Enjoy!
RF

Mine is, in fact, a first edition, and I did read it several times before slabbing it. Coupled with the fact that I now have the Gwandanaland book that collected all 5 Dell monster comics.

As to the Jughead comic, I would agree that it is the scarcer of the two, and I do like the style & novelty of the cover illustration. However, personally, I would NEVER in a million years consider trading my copy for # 79, even one in mint condition. Granted, I don't care for Archie comics in the slightest; but honestly, apart from the cover, what else about this issue is worthwhile to a Universal Monsters fan or horror comic collector? Sorry, for me anyway, Jughead is just lipstick on a pig while Dell is the whole enchilada. 

[Hepcat]

You've just highlighted the relative scarcity of Jughead 79. Just like you, most monster enthusiasts find the Dell Creature comic far more desirable yet despite the lower demand Jughead 79 fetches higher prices. That's because the Dell Creature is far more plentiful in the marketplace.

[BRICK]

Does anyone here have access to CGC census figures for the two comics?

I looked it up; below are the census figures and grades. While there are about twice as many Dells compared to the Archies; I am surprised at how relatively few of both that have actually been slabbed and graded! It should also be noted that only 16 of the second printing have been graded.