1000 Comic Books You Must Read: A Review by Heritage Auctions' own Barry Sandoval

March 11, 2010

Written by Barry

I’m not sure if you can afford to buy Tony Isabella’s new book, 1000 Comic Books You Must Read.

Oh, you won’t have a problem paying the price on the back cover, a very reasonable $29.99. (In fact, follow this link to snag it for the pittance that is $19.79). I’m talking about the price of all of the comics you’ll end up buying after you read the book.

“Luckily for you, many of the issues chosen are now available in reprint form,” the afterword says.

Yeah, that’s fine if you want to read Fantastic Four #1, but you’re out of luck when it comes to the likes of Jumbo Comics #1, Silver Streak #7, or Crime Does Not Pay #22.

Let’s say you wanted to buy every comic in the book, with no compunctions about substituting reprints to save money and no qualms about buying the lowest of low-grade copies to save dough. Even with those compromises, getting all of the comics couldn’t possibly cost less than $20,000. If you left the Golden Age out of it, you could probably do it for $5,000. Thanks a lot, Isabella!

Well, the fact that so many great comics exist isn’t the author’s problem (Tony Isabella is a veteran comic writer/editor, who among other things has my undying gratitude for giving John Byrne his big break at Marvel). The wealth of material in this book is amazing, with cover scans generously laid out four-to-a-page. What a treasure trove! Many of the scans were taken from Heritage’s own Permanent Auction Archives, with our blessing of course.

Before I get to the positives, there is one thing I would “zing” the author or his publisher about: some of the scans shown in the book don’t show the original comics but rather reprints, including Action #1, Whiz #2, and Tales of Suspense #39. What’s up with that?

That mini-abomination aside, let me tell you what I loved about the book: the author avoided falling into the three traps that compilers of similar (if less ambitious) lists have fallen into.

Trap 1: Making the list too personal, and by that I mean personal in a way that’s boring for the reader. The choices are personal all right, but in a way that’s interesting for the reader, a very difficult feat to pull off.

Trap 2: Focusing too much on “key” issues. Any comic collector already knows what those are. Thankfully, Isabella neither ignores them nor spends too much time on them.

Trap 3: Focusing too much on covers. Lists of the best covers are fun, but anyone with two eyes can easily make his or her own. Admirably, this book is about comics you must read, not covers you must look at.

The result is a book equally fascinating for the beginning comic fan or the advanced collector. I consider myself the latter, but have I ever read Wings #1, All-Winners #9, or Two-Gun Kid #60? No, but I want to now. I think this book will make some collectors rediscover what got them interested in comics in the first place.

Here again the author goes beyond the usual suspects. Everyone knows Fantastic Four #51 has the classic “This Man, This Monster” yarn. But Kookie? Konga’s Revenge? Super Green Beret? Who knew these series even existed, much less that the stories in them were worth seeking out?

Also, the author includes all genres of comics, as well as Spirit sections, promotional comics, Undergrounds, Independents, Warren mags, and even a few non-U.S. classics like Asterix and Tintin.

I’m loath to use that reviewer’s cliché, “A must for any [whatever]’s library,” but this book will certainly be a fixture in mine.

To leave a comment, click on the title of this post.

- Barry Sandoval

Detective #27, first Batman at Heritage, sitting a $500K+ already and looks to rise... Old public auction comic book price, I laugh at you!

Feb. 23, 2010

Posted by Noah

It's been a busy few days here at Heritage, and in the world of high-end, culturally iconic comic books. If you're reading this, then you know that Heritage is on the verge of selling an epic copy of Detective #27, first appearance of "The Batman," this Thursday, Feb. 25. The previous record for a comic book offered at public auction was $317,000, last year, for an Action #1. Right now our Tec #27 is sitting at $507,000, and bidding looks to continue rising a few days from now. Hang on to your plastic sleeves, everyone! It's going to be quite a ride...

There has been much press in the last 24 hours about an Action #1 that reportedly sold (unverified at this point) for $1,000,000 in a private treaty sale in NYC yesterday. I say good for the seller and good for the overall comics business. That book, according to the reporting, was placed on the site where it sold and picked up its $1M price about a minute later.

Impressive, yes, but I wonder what it would have brought had the seller been really smart about it and placed it in a public auction. Imagine, if one buyer was willing to pay $1M in 1 minute, what would at least two buyers be willing to pay for the same book if they were both competing for it, and they had weeks to sit on it... Great price, yes, but in the humble opinion of your blogger, there seems to have been money left on the table...

Our concern here, however, is now with the 8.0 Detective #27. The excitement is certainly building and we're getting a lot of inquiries, not to mention 10s of thousands of page views on the book. It is important to note that this comic will make history for its price not as the most expensive comic ever purchased, but as the most expensive comic ever offered at public auction. It's an important distinction to make, because - at least in theory - everyone has a shot at the Detective #27. If it were a private treaty sale, well, then first come first serve...

The overriding theme in a lot of the press on the recent comics action has been on the pop culture rivalry between Supes and Bats. I prefer Bats, and given a choice I'd take the Tec #27. There are less copies available, and I believe The Dark Knight is simply more relevant to the squeaky clean Man of Steel.

Supes is true blue, and he operates strictly within the confines of good and bad. Batman, however, doesn't mind bending the rules to get what he wants. The line blurs with Batman, and in the world today, with so many competing outlets for our interests, that blurry line is the most relevant thing there is in this comic battle.

Tune in to Heritage Live at HA.com this Thursday, around 2 p.m. or so to see where the Tec #27 lands. It's going to be a public auction record, it's going to be fun, and it could be yours...

To leave a comment, click on the title of this post.

-Noah Fleisher

Revisiting “Blondiegate,” 1982, at Heritage Auctions

Feb. 18, 2010

Written by Barry Sandoval

Blondiegate: The day America lost its innocence, or an event of no consequence whatsoever?

You be the judge.

It was June 20, 1982, when the Associated Press wrote:

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A recent Blondie comic strip showing two husbands sneaking out on a lecture was a slightly altered version of a Blondie strip published 19 years ago, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported Sunday.

From the article, readers also learned:

- The strips were virtually identical except for the final panel, where a quip by Blondie was replaced by a funnier quip by Herb (hmm, 75% repetition!).

- Chic Young’s real name was Murat Young (who knew?).

- Dean Young, who took over writing the strip in 1973, could not be reached because his phone was knocked out by severe weather (suspicious!).

- King Features said “We are very concerned and surprised about this.” (Why, 28 years later, have no heads rolled yet?)

A follow-up story a couple of days later quoted Dean Young as saying: “Who cares?... I mean, golly, give me a break.”

I agree with Dean Young, but King Features obviously didn’t, as I learned from this lot to be auctioned Feb. 27, three boxes full of correspondence from the files of King Features editor Bill Yates.

The documents therein show that King Features launched into damage-control mode, demanding that Young re-do from scratch any strips with partially re-used gags, with the exception of those that had already been published or were too far along in the process to stop.

From handwritten notes, presumably by Yates:

"TOO LATE TO STOP: 6/7/82 redo of 3/10/63
any more?
anything we can pull, we must
Sunday holds (KILL) Aug. 15 + 22"

A few thoughts here:

- Writing a comic strip is one of those things lots of people think they could do well. Many probably could come up with a week’s worth of funny gags. Maybe a month’s worth. Perhaps even a year’s. Dean Young, though, had thought of about 4,000 gags by 1982, the vast majority funny. Try that sometime.

- If someone reminded me of something today that made me smile or laugh in 1991, I would thank him, not criticize him.

- If re-using premises was a crime in 1982, the makers of Three’s Company, the Dukes of Hazzard, and Love Boat should have all been sent to San Quentin.

In closing I quote a King Features memo from June 21, 1982, also part of this auction lot:

“With the exception of the Sioux Falls paper, reporters’ approach to the situation has been casual. The AP writer told Dean, ‘I feel silly calling you.’”

- Barry Sandoval

Human Target TV Show: Can’t Wait… Or Maybe I Can... (A Heritage Auctions comic expert's dissapointment...)

Jan. 14, 2010

Written By Barry Sandoval

(It's always a treat to welcome the writing of Barry Sandoval to the Heritage Blog. Besides being the Director of Comics Operations here at Heritage HQ, Barry is obviously one of the world's foremost authorities on comics and comics art, and an unbelievable font of Pop Culture knowledge.

I've turned over the digital reigns to Barry today so he could express his outrage - of sorts - about a favorite second tier character that is being made into a most likely very bad TV show debuting this weekend - Shocking, I know, to think that TV or the movies would take a character with strengths and a great back-story and make him a dime-a-dozen pretty boy dope. I wouldn't watch the show that Barry talks about, either, and I certainly share his outrage... - Noah Fleisher)

I was really looking forward to the “Human Target” TV show that premieres next weekend and has been heavily promoted during the commercial breaks of football games for weeks now.

I say WAS because while perusing the Arts and Leisure section of yesterday’s New York Times, I read that the show will change one thing about the character: he won’t be wearing any disguises.

What???

Perhaps I should backtrack.

The Human Target is a comic book character, created by Len Wein, who first appeared as a backup feature in Action Comics #419 (1972). The character’s name hints at his original twist: he’s a master of disguise who saves people who think their lives are in danger by disguising himself as the intended murder victim.

Since he can interact with suspects (who think he’s the dead-man-to-be) without arousing suspicion the way a stranger surely would, he’s able to solve the mystery of who’s out to kill his client, and he’s handy enough with his fists to subdue the bad guy. This pose-as-the-victim gimmick was unprecedented (I think), and was the one thing that separated him from the usual dime-a-dozen suave hero.

The Human Target did his thing in tightly plotted short stories running eight pages or so apiece, popping up irregularly in Action from 1972-1974 and returning in The Brave and the Bold in 1978. All of the preceding are great yarns and highly recommended. The Human Target has appeared in comics now and then in the ensuing years (check out his memorable turn in Detective #500), and believe it or not, he has had a TV show before. It ran just a few episodes in the summer of 1992, starring none other than that suitor of Jessie’s girl himself, the one and only Rick Springfield!

As the Times reported yesterday, this new show is dispensing with the whole “disguise” concept, basically because the actor playing the lead was deemed too good-looking to be encumbered with fake beards and the like.

So… the TV producers paid good money (presumably) for the rights to an obscure character, then changed the one thing worth paying for rather than just invent their own good-looking hero for free.

Whatever.

If you’re intrigued by the investment potential of the character: CGC-certified NM/MT 9.8 copies of Action #419 have been selling in the $90 - $150 range in our Sunday Internet Comics Auctions.

To leave a comment, click on the title of this post.

-Barry Sandoval

Me and Detective 27

Dec. 11, 2009

Posted by Noah

What can I say? When in the presence of a comic book like the one you see in my hands in this picture - a pristine 8.0 graded copy of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman, tied with one other for the best copy known - you give in to the geek factor. Tell me you wouldn't do the same?

This comic will be part of the February 2010 Comic Auction, will most likely end up being the single most valuable comic book ever offered at public auction, and will once and for all settle the eternal question of who is the more popular and/or valuable. This picture will tell you what I think. I don't think anyone would argue that Batman is certainly more relevant to this day and age than Super... Sorry...

The amazing thing about this comic book is that, yes, it is actually as gorgeous as it looks. The colors are rich and full, the detail is crystal clear and the thing is absolutely perfectly centered. It is every bit a work of art, and will command a price worthy of such. You can believe the hype on this one. I've said it before in this blog that it takes a lot to make our comic experts sit up and take notice. Needless to say, they - who have seen pretty much every great comic book ever made - did exactly what I did: they whipped out their cameras, handed it to the nearest person, and said, "take a picture of me with it!"

Yes, look at it, enjoy it, love it, but don't get too used to it.... Unless, of course, you have about a half million bucks to spend. Then it's all yours.

To leave a comment, click on the title of this post.

-Noah Fleisher

In Memoriam: Don Ivan Punchatz

Nov. 5, 2009

Written by Don Mangus

The passing of Don Ivan Punchatz (1936-2009) is a hard blow, the loss of a fine friend. Beyond his unparalleled talent for science fiction and surreal fantasy illustration, Don will be lovingly remembered as an insightful, enlightened, and compassionate creative talent who mentored and inspired generations of younger artists. Don Punchatz absolutely obliterated the sardonic wise-crack of “Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach.”

Don grew up in Hillside, New Jersey, and after he graduated from high school he won a scholarship to the famous Cartoonists and Illustrators School in NYC. There, comic strip legend Burne Hogarth took the youthful artist under his wing. When I last saw Don, he reminisced over lunch how much Hogarth’s staunch support and enthusiasm had meant to him. Such warm sentiments, still felt 50-plus years later, must have shaped Don’s own nurturing attitude towards his many students and assistants.

Check the world-wide web or any first-rate reference book on science fiction illustration, and you will quickly recognize the hyper-realistic, magical pieces that Don created. You might even experience a “eureka moment” as you recall the impact they’ve made in popular culture. In his autobiography on askart.com, Don modestly summarized his career, “At first, Punchatz was known primarily as a paperback artist, producing science fiction, fantasy, and horror covers for Ace, Berkley, Dell, Avon, Macmillan, New American Library, and Warner Books among others.

However, as his work became better known, he soon began receiving commissions from many national magazines including Playboy, Penthouse, Esquire, National Lampoon, Time, Omni, Rolling Stone, and Boys’ Life. Many of these commissions were directly related to science fiction and fantasy subject matter.” Among his most celebrated works are his cover paintings for Isaac Asimov’s famous Foundation trilogy from Avon Books, the cover illustration for Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions anthology, and the packaging art for the best-selling video game, Doom.

Don’s autobiography continued, “In 1970, he founded SketchPad Studio where a number of young illustrators began their careers. Later, many of them went on to establish their own national reputations. It was also in 1970 that Punchatz began teaching illustration at Texas Christian University and continued to do so for 35 years. He was also a guest instructor for Syracuse University’s Independent Masters Program since the mid-1980s.”

While Don was a frequent guest at our local Dallas comic conventions, I actually met him at the home of comic book artist Pat Boyette in the early 1990s. Before he turned to a career in filmmaking and comics, Boyette had been a San Antonio based TV/Radio broadcaster. Always intensely interested in Boyette’s variegated careers, I was delighted to learn that when Don had been stationed in San Antonio during an army stint in the late 1950s, he had watched Boyette’s newscasts and was a fan. Thirty years later, when he was first introduced to Boyette, Don had remembered him from those newscasts. It’s a small, wonderful world. As visual artists, Punchatz and Boyette had an immense mutual respect for each other. To me, these two kindred creative souls were “cut of the same cloth,” and it was a pleasure to watch them interact.

During Boyette’s slow, sad decline in health, his friends and family were touched by Don Punchatz’s bottomless emotional support for our mutual friend. However it wasn’t just Boyette who was the beneficiary of such deeply felt compassion. Don felt that way about all of his friends, whether new or old. He was one of the kindest men I’ve ever met. After all is said and done, along with his life’s work of awe-inspiring artworks, those who were fortunate enough to know him will never forget the unsinkable spirit and remarkable generosity of Don Ivan Punchatz.

To leave a comment click on the title of this post.

-Don Mangus

Once in a lifetime moments everyday... All part of the job at Heritage

Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Posted by Noah

As you can see by the pictures in this post, and by comments I have made in previous entries, Heritage is an amazing place to work if you have any sense of Pop Culture and/or history. Just look at the picture next to this graph.

That's one of our top comics experts, Greg Holman, holding not one, but two copies of Superman #1. That's about $100,000 worth of comic books. I'm willing to bet that most collectors will never even see a Superman #1, let alone hold one, let alone pose with two... And I would be remiss if I told you that I didn't pick them up, among others, myself.

Right before I snapped this quick pick of Greg he actually said just what I wrote. He grabbed them, looking down at them with admiration...

"Stay right there," I said. "Hold up those books."

Click.

One of the beauties of running PR here at Heritage is that I do indeed get to get close up and personal with any number of amazing pieces, Be they coins, currency, posters, comics, natural history, Space Exploration, instruments, Americana... You name it, and it's likely that I've been lucky enough to come in close contact with it, and have shortened those degrees of separation between myself and major figures in history and/or Pop Culture... Yep, that's right... Ol' George Washington and I - I like to call him GW for short - we're like this...

I hope that I never ever get jaded - so far so good - because it would be a crying shame given the amazing amount of great stuff in this building... I am indeed a lucky man...

The other picture you see here is the main group of value from last week's comics auction, all told at least $250,000. Again, for so many it would be a dream to simply be in the presence of one of them, forget being able to set them up and group them together for a photo while a local TV crew shot footage for the six o'clock news. Alas, I do not get to take them home, but I do still get to bask in their glory, and - on this day, at this time of life - that's more than enough.

As Bizarro Superman might say: Life am good.

To leave a comment, click on the title of this post.

-Noah Fleisher

Betty or Veronica: Who would you marry? Archie has made his decision...

Aug. 5, 2009

Posted by Noah

This is one of those fundamental questions of pop culture-dom: Who do you prefer, Betty or Veronica? It's right up there with other fundamental personality assessments based in unreality; questions like: Ginger or Maryanne? Which Beatle is your favorite? Which Peanuts Character?

This question - Betty or Veronica? - is one that has been around for almost 70 years and coming up on 600 issues, and it's much deeper than whether your tastes run to blondes or brunettes... Ask which most any man prefers and he'll respond with the ubiquitous: "Yes."

No. This is far beyond that, especially as it's been revealed that in the upcoming 600th issue of the venerable comic title that is Archie that the title character will finally choose between his two ladies and drop to one knee to propose. And let me tell you, the decision has caused no little uproar in the unwashed corners of the blogosphere. Archie will officially propose marriage to wealthy socialite Veronica instead of the blonde girl-next-door Betty.

Now, if you didn't already know that, then you either just crossed your arms and nodded in knowing self-satisfaction, or you shook your head in disbelief and said, "What the What?"

For its part, Heritage is featuring a very rare Archie #1 comic book, in exceptional condition - it is, in fact, the finest copy known - in our upcoming Aug. 14-15 Signature® Comics and Comic Art Auction from Dave Leubke, owner of Dave's Comics in Richmond, VA, who is ostensibly putting it on the block to protest Archie's decision.

“I just feel betrayed,” said Luebke, tongue firmly planted in cheek. “All of these years I have waiting for Archie to man up and realize what a treasure Betty is. Is it the economy? Is Archie’s proposal just for the money? Is Archie really that shallow?”

“I think Dave’s real reason for selling might have something to do with the fact that this comic will sell for thousands of dollars in our auction,” said Barry Sandoval, Comics Division Director of Operations at Heritage.

Yeah, well... Barry's right about that... But it's the principle of the thing, man! The principle! Can someone please get me a principle?!

Archie Comics #1 is considered the first teen comic book. It tells the story of how Archie met Veronica – she’s a Park Avenue debutante and he’s a small-town kid from Riverdale, but he still writes to her to invite her to his prom. It's also interesting to note from the above pictured cover, that the first image of the title that is so well known for its sun, beaches and surfing stories actually has a winter sports scene on its cover. It's actually Archie barrel jumping as his two ladies in waiting watch from the upper left and Jughead, I believe, has slipped on the ice in the upper right, which is nothing compared to frigid fate awaiting Archie as he hovers above a hole in the ice, moments from a freezing fate. (Don't worry, Archie! George Bailey will be right there to pull you out! He'll lose hearing in one ear, but will have a wonderful adventure with an angel years later and you can go on to be a war hero!)

Archie Comics (the title has been known simply as Archie since 1960) is one of only a few series to be in continuous publication since the early 40s.

Now, do I personally have an opinion on Archie's upcoming announcement? Indeed I do, like most any American male, but I first would like to remind everyone getting their knickers in a twist - and there are plenty - that while Archie is proposing, it's not clear yet whether Veronica will actually say yes to the proposal. On the cover of #600 she is saying "Yes," but she's looking at the ring, and not Archie... Mammon or Cupid, indeed... I think she's probably in a clandestine liaison with Reggie... So you can probably suss my opinion: I agree with Luebke. Betty all the way. Veronica is a babe, and obviously smart and cultured, but there's an iciness to her that always gave me pause. She's the one I would choose for a whirlwind romance for a lost month in Manhattan... But if it came to who I would introduce to my parents and friends - based upon my years of reading Archie - there is no doubt it would be Betty. There you have it.

To view the full catalog of the August auction, and to download descriptions and full color hi-res images, go online to the Aug. 14-15 Signature® Comics and Comic Art Auction Catalog.

To leave a comment click on the title of this post.

-Noah Fleisher

The Flash, or Showcase #4, is off to a fast start – No surprise there…

April 30, 2009
Posted by Noah

I think I’ve made it abundantly clear in these pages before that I am, and have ever been, an unabashed aficionado of The Scarlet Speedster. Barry Allen first, Wally West second and Jay Garrick coming along in third. Give me a little Barry Allen, throw in the time travel treadmill and some Prof. Zoom and it’s about all I can do to stay conscious. Like a good scotch, these stories just get better with age.

I’ve also written here before about the upcoming copy of Showcase #4, the most valuable Silver Age Comic of all – which, by the way, is the first appearance of The Flash, as embodied by Barry Allen – that’s featured in the upcoming May Comics Auction here in the hallowed halls of Heritage. That issue, part of the Motor City Collection, is already up to $100,000 and the auction is still three weeks away. Any way you cut it up, that’s still an impressive matzo ball. I’ve asked Barry Sandoval for comment and he is his typical sanguine self about getting excited over such things.

“I don’t really think the early bidding is that significant one way or another,” he wrote.

I can see his point, of course, as the bottom line is ultimately what it brings at auction – at least from a business perspective – and if it raises the bar higher than it already is. That’s saying something about such pricey comics. Barry veneer of comic expert cool did slip a bit in his comments regarding the Fair/Good 1.5 Detective Comics #27 – If I have to tell you why it’s a famous book then stop reading this post right now! – that’s a featured lot in this auction. It’s an unrestored, original owner copy of this second overall most popular Golden Age book, right behind Action #1.

“Look at the Detective Comics #27 at $47,801,” he wrote. “Already higher than the Overstreet value with three weeks of bidding left to go.”

That’s a great price, especially considering the relatively low grade, even for The Batman’s first appearance. Evidently Heritage Grader/Consignment Director Jerry Stephan (whose license plate is TEC 27 by the way) was ribbing him a bit after seeing Barry do the auction highlights video, because he was raving about how nice it looks and yet the grade on it is that Fair/Good 1.5.

“I don’t dispute the grade,” he wrote, “the book does have a split spine. But all 1.5 copies are not created equal.”

The run of the different Motor City Showcase comics in the May auction are quite amazing, even besides the #4. There are definitely some great titles and some choice books in the bunch that will probably go for good prices and probably won’t show up on the market again for quite some time.

“To me it’s all about the Flash issues,” Barry wrote (and with which I agree. “Maybe because he’s also named Barry, but if you ask (Chief Comic Cataloger) Jim Steele, whose nickname is Flash, I think he’s most excited about the Challengers of the Unknown. And I got an email from a bidder who thinks the Showcase #11 – Challengers again - is the cream of the crop.”

I am not one to disagree with any assessment any of these men make regarding comics – does a bug question the blowing wind? – but there’s no chance any of them will come close in price to that Superhero among Superheroes, the one – the only – The Flash.

Have I mentioned yet in this post that no one – no one – is faster than The Flash? No? Well, I’ll see about getting around to that. As an aside, I have an old and dear friend named Dechen who once gave me an old beat up comic in which Superman and Flash race, and the cover has Flash saying, “I give up, Superman. You win. You really are the fastest,” or something to that extent. The truth is, inside, the two tie, which proves nothing to me. See, Superman isn’t even a man – you know it’s true! So The Flash is, truly, the fastest man alive. I am resolute in my conviction, so don’t even bother trying to change my mind, and never speak to me of Quicksilver.

To post comments, click on the headline above and enter comments after the post.

– Noah Fleisher

No one – I repeat – No One is faster than The Flash…

March 27, 2009
Posted by Noah

… and very few are more valuable, at least if you’re talking about Showcase #4, The Flash, 1956, from DC Comics. It’s the book that started the Silver Age, and is easily the most valuable Silver Age comic that exists. Did I mention that Heritage is auctioning off a copy of Showcase #4 in our May comics auction? Did I further mention that it’s from the Motor City Run, and that it’s the single highest graded copy of the book in existence? Forgive me for not saying so sooner.

I know that this was a comic printed in 1956, and that I was but a mote of cosmic dust at that point, but this was the comic book of my dreams as a kid. I also know that the Silver Age ended in 1970, the year I was born, but I bought ratty old Silver Age Flash comics with my meager allowance all through the 1970s, the more beat up the better, as I actually enjoyed reading them. I read many of them until they literally disintegrated in my fingers. The few that survived my slavish reading and re-reading of them, as I was very politely informed by Barry Sandoval when I started working here and brought them in on a whim, are worth maybe a couple bucks each. I think he was being charitable at that, as nice a guy as he is…

Showcase #4 introduces Barry Allen as The Flash, and tells his famous origin story. Many a kid, I imagine, was tempted to douse themselves in a stew of chemicals in the hopes of gaining the same speed. At least I know I was – thanks to my brother Matt for stopping me on that hazy July afternoon.

Barry Allen was The Flash of my childhood, and is still The Fastest Man Alive, in my opinion. Wally West is Kid Flash. Period. I know that very fact has become a big part of Wally West’s character, or was until 1996’s The Return of Barry Allen, but I still didn’t buy it, even as much as I enjoyed watching Dr. Zoom take yet one more thrashing some 3,000 years before he was born.

My passion for The Flash has never really died; it’s just changed over the years. Ii now mainly consists of a plastic Flash figurine on my desk. It’s of a later vintage, so I know it must be Wally West. That doesn’t matter to me, though. One of my oldest and dearest friends in the world gave it to me years ago. It has sat on every desk I have worked at for more than a decade, which is not so interesting. The real story of this Flash, though – and I think this proves that The Flash really does have superhuman powers, in all of his forms, even plastic – is that this one survived a rather nasty flood in 2005.

I had just moved to Amherst, MA to edit a couple antique magazines when I got the call one morning that the basement office where I worked in Palmer, MA, flooded to the ceiling overnight when the Quaboag River overran its banks, travelled across a football field, and a parking lot, to flood the whole street and all the buildings on it. Everything was completely destroyed. When we made our way in two days later, knee-deep in mud, paper slush and office equipment, I went to the area of my desk. There, miraculously, sitting right where my desk once was, was The Flash, stand and all.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a miracle, but it was pretty cool, considering it was really the only thing I was hoping to find.

Here’s a link to all The Motor City run comics in the May Comics Auction. You can look, but you can’t touch…

Who will watch the Watchmen? Hopefully me – and a zillion other devotees – this weekend!

March 6, 2009
Posted by Noah

Okay, so I’ve heard a couple lousy reviews on the radio, and read one this morning that was not necessarily bad, but certainly not good. This, I figure, is to be expected. What I want to do is tell them that they simply don’t get it. You have to go to The Watchmen. It does not come to you!

The thing is, I have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that the reviews I’ve heard have a certain amount of truth to them. Watchmen has been in development of some kind since its first publication in the mid-1980s. If you’ve read it, and gotten through it, then you’ve probably read it a few more times over the years and have a certain reverence for its scope, detail and amazing breadth of story. It’s an epic, sweeping, grueling meditation on politics, religion, salvation and social and moral decay. It’s also essentially a product of its time – again, the mid-1980s.

I, like so many of the deep and abiding fans of the comics, read them originally as high school and college students in the era of their creation. Gen-X came of age just as Watchmen was printed. The Cold War had really not ended, cassette tapes were being replaced by CDs, and urban decay and crack cocaine were among American’s greatest fears. Soon the Internet age would make all this look like a quaint time, but they were heavy days. We live in different heavy days now, with different implications, and those of us who read it originally with devotion to the book have much different lives and perspectives. Is the story, then, still relevant to us? 1980s boredom, anger and ennui were all fine and good before, oh, marriage, children, work and about a million other things that make you grow up.

The movie will be flashy, violent, beautiful and grim. It’s slavishly adapted from the comic, minus the pirate comic book story – available as a separate thing altogether online, I believe – and a giant space squid that destroys NYC and united the world in peace, which the fanboys on the Web have been moaning over for months. It’s a crucial part of the comic, and I lament its loss, but would its inclusion have made the story more relevant now?

Off the cuff, I wrote Jim Halperin, our Co-founder, renowned coin expert and a great fan of comic books in general. He gave an answer that I think I might find if I asked any 100 people who fell in love with the book back when it was first published: “Not sure if I will go; depends on if my kids want to see it.”

If you don’t have kids I reckon you’re still feeling a little bit the same way. Comics Director Barry Sandoval, a guy who knows the Watchmen quite well, and has sold many superb original copies over the years simply said he was curious. After 20 years of waiting, so am I.

The Watchmen does not mean the same to me as it once did, but I still consider it great art. I hope that it is wildly successful, and that it turns on a whole new generation to the comics. If it does, the prices on the comics will benefit, which is good for business. If it tanks, the comics may take a hit of some kind, but they will bounce back, because they aren’t the movie, and are still pure…

I put together a list from the HA archives of Watchmen sold in the past, and the top issue – a 9.9 issue #12 – brought more than $560. That, however, is an anomaly, as there are almost no issues of the comic in that condition anywhere. It is, however, an interesting list. There are also some Watchmen comics in this Sunday’s Internet Comics Auction. It will be interesting to see if the prices on these good copies exceed the normal price, around $50 a copy, for good condition examples.

A close encounter with great children’s art

Feb. 26, 2009
Posted by Noah

Yesterday, at the invitation of David Lisot, our Director of Video, I took a lunchtime stroll up to the executive conference room where he was filming some video lot descriptions for various categories. I walked in right in the middle of filming a few choice specimens from an important California Collection of mostly children’s art from the upcoming Illustration Auction, March 12-13.

On the table were two original drawings from the Madeline series, by Austrian-born Ludwig Bemelmans. Without thinking, I immediately quoted:

“In a little house in Paris, that’s covered in vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines. In two straight lines they broke their bread, brushed their teeth and went to bed. They left the house at half past nine. The smallest one was Madeline.”

Lisot looked at me like I had uttered some arcane phrase from a long dead language. Todd Hignite, Consignment Director for Illustrations and Comics Art, laughed. He knew exactly what I meant. He has a two-year-old daughter. I have a three-year-old. If you have a well-read toddler girl at home, or had one, then you’ve read the great Madeline series.

I subsequently spent the rest of the day thinking about the vast amount of children’s literature and books that populate our bookshelves (and floors and cabinets and closets and cars) at home, and about those that stand out – those that I break out sparingly at my daughter’s bedtime because I personally love them so much. I have to number Madeline as chief among my current delights, and hers. And there I was yesterday, staring at two perfectly prime examples of Bemelmans’ airy, surreal drawings of Madeline and Pepito – that bad hat!

Three years ago I knew quite little of children’s literature and art, now I get weak in the knees at seeing prime examples of my favorites. Trust me, if I were in a position to bid on these paintings – and any number of others, including original Sendak and Seuss art, very rare! – from this specific collection, I would in a heartbeat; I have my daughter to thank for this appreciation. The process of observing the change in my own perspective, as I’ve come to intimately know much of this great art via hundreds of readings, has been refreshing and, dare I say it, delightful. Let it just be one more thing that I am grateful to her for.

The true greats of Children’s literature – see Sendak (In The Night Kitchen is one of my favorite books ever, of any genre. Period.) and Seuss above – don’t go cheap because they are so rare. Greatness on the level of Bemelmans, and many of the others, is relatively affordable to an average collector. Anywhere from $500 to a few thousand dollars can get you something pretty extraordinary. You just have to know what you like.

“The drawings from the first part of the 20th century, value-wise, are not up there with the big magazine guys of the times,” Todd said. “Some, of course, are very well respected and in museums. The peak period of children’s art, like Dr. Seuss, are extremely rare and expensive because they don’t really exist in private hands. In fact, Seuss and Sendak, two of the biggest, both gave their papers and archives to universities and values are quite high for the rare originals that come up.”

Space is short, as is time, so I’ll spare you the list of my favorite kids books, though I’d be happy to hear yours – just for fun – at NoahF@HA.com.

That’s all there is, there is no more.

"If Colossus Should Fall – Who Shall Stop The Juggernaut?"

Feb. 25, 2009
Posted by Noah

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself that very same question…

The fact is that Dave Cockrum’s original cover artwork for X-Men #102 – a seminal 1976 issue smack dab in the middle of the awesome 1970s Chris Claremont-written run of the X-Men that culminated in the single most popular X-Men storyline ever, The Phoenix Saga – is among several examples of classic original X-Men artwork featured in this weekend’s – Yes, this weekend! – Signature Comics & Original Comic Art Auction.

It’s a classic tableau of Bronze Age comics: Juggernaut and Colossus slug it out, toe to toe. Storm shields herself against a wall, paralyzed by claustrophobia, while Nightcrawler springs from a chandelier into action. The issue featured Storm’s origin story, as well as a side battle with Banshee and Black Tom, as well as some classic X-Mansion soap opera with Jean Grey, Cyclops and Professor X. But it’s the fight between Juggy and Colossus, in the very close confines of an Irish castle – Nightcrawler does cheesily end up in the clutches of some leprechauns at the end, if I recollect correctly – that steals this show. As a kid, I always loved when Juggy showed up, though I wished somebody would have just made a massive bottle opener and popped that creepy helmet off his noggin. Just knowing that the original art for this famous cover is in house as we speak is enough to make me want to go on a secret mission to bask in its glory.

In his run of X-Men #101-107, Cockrum established himself as the king of the Space Opera. In this septuplet of issues, Cockrum introduced probably the biggest, most ambitious scope for the X-Men universe yet with the creation of the Shi’Ar Empire, the JLA-parody Imperial Guard, the Starjammers and the M’Krann Crystal. And that’s just the start of the cast of thousands that populated this exciting slice of X-Men pie. It should be noted that Cockrum left X-Men after #107. John Byrne came on board for #108 and quickly brought the focus of X-Men universe back to earth.

I asked our Director of Comics, Barry Sandoval, about this art work a few weeks ago and he was equally animated – as animated as Barry will get, consummate professional that he is – about its presence.

“This is one of the great X-Men covers of all time,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of great X-Men art and comics in past auctions, but this auction is particularly heavy on great X-Men stuff. You have to count this chief among the grouping.”

I was a little more like: “What?!... Did you see-…. No way! I want it! I want it!”

I’ve looked through this auction catalog a few times now, and am quite impressed by the offerings overall, but for fans of X-men comics this one is special. There’s a ton of great Jack Kirby Art, some original Peanuts artwork, a ton of great pulps and original mint Disney comics, but give me this cover any day! This thing has already met its estimate at $20,000, so I’m probably priced out of the running. It will however, be exciting to see how this lot ultimately comes out. It comes up in the Friday, 5 p.m. session.

Re-thinking Superman

Feb. 11, 2009
Posted by Noah

There are so many fantastic things to drool over in the upcoming comics auction – Feb. 26-27 btw – that I would be hard-pressed to choose just one or two lots were a suitcase of cash to fall out of the sky and land at my feet. I still look up every day when I leave the house, but so far nothing… Where was I? Oh, yes… Comics auction, many great lots... There is one lot in the sale, however, that I keep coming back to. It’s one of those things that has wedged its way into my brain in a way that happens only with certain rare and complex lots. I’m talking about Lot 91577, the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster Science Fiction Fanzine "Reign of the Superman" Group from 1932. That’s right, a full five years before Supes appeared in Action Comics #1.

In this very early rendition of what was to become The Man of Steel, Superman is actually a villain, actually looks a lot more like Lex Luthor than Clark Kent and “The Superman” is used more in the sense of Friederich Nietzsche, which I am basing solely on my knowledge of Western Philosophy and my gut feeling whenever I see a maniacal bald man with an evil grit-toothed smile and creepy Montgomery Burns hands menacing me in a futuristic cityscape.

Let me be very clear: I would take The Flash, Mad Magazine or Groo the Wanderer any day over Superman. In my comics reading days – I was never so much a collector as a reader – I made a point of skipping Superman and heading to the latest JLA or Fourth World. There was never much mystery to Superman, as far as I was concerned at least. And he wasn’t particularly given to angst, which I loved dearly about Spidey or Ben Grimm, The Thing. After looking at this particular lot, and after being amazed to witness the sheer fact of its continued existence across the decades – read about it and you’ll do the same – I have definitely have to re-think the man from Krypton. How would the history of American pop culture have been different if Supes had stayed malignant?

There have always been many ways to read Superman. Siegel and Shuster were both Jews, and the comic book came about at a time when the world was heading for war, America needed a hero and the Nazis were starting their march toward world domination. Superman perfectly captured the American zeitgeist of the post-depression era. This original, villainous Superman can be seen also as an early reaction to the influence of Nietzschian thinking on Western civilization in the first half of the 20th century and its slide into totalitarianism. Either that, or it was a couple of kids jazzed by the sci-fi serials they were seeing at the movies and reading in fanzines, and they wanted to make one of their own. You choose.

An email to top all emails, from MAD Magazine

Jan. 26, 2009
Posted by Noah

One of the aspects of doing the job I do at Heritage that I like the best is that I get around, eventually, to all the categories in the company. One of the first I had a chance to work in when I started last fall was the comics category auction of the very best of the MAD Magazine cover art, including Norman Mingo’s cover art for MAD #30 – which went for an astounding $203,000+, btw. It was quite an introduction to the company, and I can assure that I wasted no time in asking our Comics Director, Barry Sandoval, if I could come downstairs to take a look at the art, as it would “help me write better.” Ha ha… Needless to say, I got a little bit weak in the knees looking at all that great cover art. Who wouldn’t?

I grew up on MAD Magazine, and I know I am not alone in this. MAD defined humor and satire, and gave me a million sarcastic comments to use on the playground or in gym class. I jumped at the chance to write an article for the April edition of Heritage’s in-house magazine about the MAD covers, and the MAD-Heritage relationship in general. Part of this story required me emailing MAD editor John Ficarra, an awesome comic talent, with a couple questions.

The funny thing is that I actually expected, for about a whole 30 seconds, to get a straightforward answer to my questions. Then I remembered it was MAD Magazine I was writing to, and I braced myself for the humor. Let’s just say that I wasn’t disappointed, that getting Ficarra’s response was one of the great moments of my professional life, and that I have printed the exchange, framed it and will make sure it hangs in every office I ever work in again.

You’ll have to wait until the magazine comes out in April to see that whole exchange and to read the story, in whatever form it eventually takes, but for now, here’s a single exchange, one small teaser, just because you been so good to me…:

Heritage: After having MAD auctions at all the major houses, including Heritage, what made you decide to come back to Heritage for the MAD Cover Art auction?

Ficarra: It was a combination of things. First, no one at Sotheby’s returned our calls. (You don’t have any contacts over there, do you?) As for Christies, they expressed a tremendous interest and enthusiasm in a MAD auction, before referring us to Sotheby’s. So, in reviewing all the facts, Heritage seemed like the right fit for us.

Awesome. I will never wash this hand, or my keyboard, again…

Picture with link: Norman Mingo’s iconic first Alfred E. Neuman Cover, for MAD #30, which brought more than $200,000 at auction last November.