Dick Tracy Comics Monthly #56 (1954)

A niche area of comic collecting that has grown the past 20 years is pre-code crime (and horror), a label referring to those genre comics published roughly from 1948-1954.  The most sought-after books in this category tend to be those with the most shocking or gruesome cover imagery and graphic story content.  The more violent and gruesome, the better!  This apparently is driven by a nostalgia for and/or interest in the halcyon days before Frederic Wertham and the nanny state revoked toddlers' right to enjoy depictions of beheadings, zombies, lingerie and torture in their comics.  Basically, anything that would be considered not politically correct or inappropriate for kids today is hot and getting hotter.  Books like Fight Against Crime #20 and Crime Suspenstories #22 are examples.  These are well-known (and therefore valuable) books, but here I am going to talk about a run of comics with graphic covers that are cheap and overlooked by many.

Dick Tracy began in newspaper strips in 1931, and was published in comic books starting in 1939.  Dell published his adventures until 1949, when Harvey picked up the series at issue 25. Whereas Overstreet highlights particular issues of other series of the era with notations like "severed head cover" or "torture cover", for the Dick Tracy series only #28 gets a notation for depicting bondage (actually, torture).

I picked out issue #56 as the focus of this post only because I consider it the most graphic of the run, but #28 and #56 are also good (bad?) covers.  Below is a list of several more with graphic-content covers (comic cover blood is actually very rare, but this run features plenty).  Even this list excludes other covers depicting scenes of violence against women and children, for example, and you may want to browse them and see what catches your fancy (sicko!).

Issue	Publ.	Comment
# 28	Jun 1950	Torture cover
# 36	Feb 1951	Man slugs woman
# 37	Mar 1951	Torture cover
# 52	Jun 1952	Man stabs woman with pipe
# 53	Jul 1952	Blood (Dick Tracy's mouth)
# 55	Sep 1952	Dead man lies in trail of blood
# 56	Oct 1952	Mans beats woman with blackjack; woman bleeds profusely
# 58	Dec 1952	Bleeding head wound
# 59	Jan 1953	Dog mauls man; man bleeds from face and torso
# 65	Jul 1953	Criminals bleed from arm and head
# 69	Nov 1953	Criminal bleeds from head
# 70	Dec 1953	Dog mauls criminal's arm
# 71	Jan 1954	Criminal bleeds profusely from head
# 74	Apr 1954	Criminal in pool of blood
# 75	May 1954	Criminal bleeds from face
# 78	Aug 1954	Criminal shot through hand

Here is a copy of #56 which recently sold for $9.98:

Several File copies of these books hit the market a few years ago and generally sold at guide ($40 for a VF, for example).  Guide values are $12 (VG), $40 (VF) and $105 (NM-).  This hasn't changed in at least two years which means these books are really, really under the radar.

April 1955's issue 86 cover is the first to feature the seal of the comics code, and the fun was over!

Why aren't these books more widely known?  I have some theories.  Firstly, the crime genre is not the most widely collected.  Secondly, Dick Tracy is a character much more famous for his newspaper strips.  Thirdly (and this is an important note), many of the stories were reprinted from the newspaper strips. Series featuring fully reprinted material (such as Famous Funnies) have historically been shunned by collectors and guide values reflect that.  The good news however, is that this is vast unexplored territory.  Information at comics.org is scarce, with many of the books containing blank listings.  Archivists/volunteers have not begun to sort through them and figure out exactly what is original material and what is not.  If I had to guess, I would bet that the interiors of #56, to take an example, has a mix of original and reprinted material (would you know, I don't have my copy on hand at the moment to flip through, but I will update this post when I do).  All covers are almost certainly original to the comic.  As an example, here is the original cover art for #28.

Here is a $173,000 sale of a comic with a cover featuring a bound woman with Nazi and KKK imagery by Alex Schomburg. Investment in comics with striking cover imagery is a category of its own which I will discuss more in future posts.  Since attraction to particular cover subject matter is subjective, this can be tricky.  There are certain things that have proven value however, and if you get the hang of it you can be successful at identifying undervalued winners.

Meanwhile, enjoy the gallery below with a couple more of the cheap Dick Tracys, followed by graphic-content covers that will cost you considerably more than $10!

Thanks for reading!

- www.heronext.com

Good Value Golden Age: Flash Comics #88 (1947)

The cheapest ticket to the Detective Comics #27 club is around $100,000; a 3.5-graded Detective #38 (first Robin) sold recently for over 22 grand.  Are Golden Age comics out of your reach?  Fortunately, there are many superhero and villain keys that are still affordable ($200-$300 for a lower grade, complete copy).  Here's one.

The Gentleman Ghost first appeared in Flash Comics #88 from 1947 (which also happens to be the third appearance of the Black Canary).  He may be a character not many think to look up, but almost 70 years after debuting the ghostly Jim Craddock is one of the few big two characters whose alter ego (and costume, mostly) is unchanged since his debut (even Two-Face's name was changed from "Kent" to "Dent", not to mention the Paul Sloane version).  After his debut, Gentleman Ghost appears 5 more times over the next 2 years in Flash Comics.  He is reintroduced in the Silver Age in Atom and Hawkman #43.

Gentleman Ghost is one of Hawkman's best-known villains, but has also faced Batman and the JSA.

He has appeared in animated media across multiple generations:

Super Friends (1970s)

Justice League Unlimited (2000s)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2000s)

 Action figures:

The character explained:

2015 Overstreet Guide values:

GD	VG	FN	VF	VF/NM	NM-
$132	$264	$396	$838	$1444	$2050

The same prices are listed for issues 87 (1st Foil) and 90.  I've seen a couple raw copies sell in the past 6 months for around guide.  Compare the NM- value to that of 1st Solomon Grundy ($20,000), 1st Cheetah ($5,500 guide, true current market value likely $15,000), or 1st Vandal Savage ($4,000, market value likely at least twice that) and you have a true bargain.

Here's the whole Hawkman story in which the Ghost makes his first appearance, from Flash Comics #88!  

Enjoy!

- www.heronext.com

Jungle Comics #2 (1940)

As I've mentioned before, a fun category I like to collect, and which I can see growing more popular in the future, is first appearances of obscure and public domain characters.  In this installment I wanted to highlight Jungle Comics #2, which is the first appearance of Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle.

What makes Fantomah different than any other obscure or public domain character?  The fact that she has gained a cult following that hasn't yet resulted in an increase in value of her debut, and the fact that she is widely accepted to be the first female superhero to appear in comic books.  (Google those three words and check out the blurb at the top of the results page.)

Fantomah was created by Fletcher Hanks, a creator who entered comics late in life, stayed in the industry only a short time, and died on a Central Park bench in 1976.  Many of his modern fans came to appreciate his weird and distinct style from the 2007 book I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! Anyone remotely interested in the child-like, uncomplicated directness of Golden Age comics should check this book out.

For comparison, I am going to offer up just one Golden Age "first", and that is Jungle Comics #1, prized as being the first comic book dedicated entirely to the "jungle adventure" genre.  At $10,500, it's listed as 3 times as valuable as #2 at $2900 (which is in turn only listed as $600 more than issues 3 and 4).  In my opinion the situation should be reversed: the debut of the first female superhero should be valued three times as much as the first "jungle" comic.

Jungle #27 is another nice "key" issue to have, as Fantomah is given a new origin.

I use the following search string to get alerts for the book on eBay:

jungle comics 2 -nyoka -tarzan -"jo-jo" -journal -jim -dvd -sheena -tales -action -zegra -kaanga -ramar -disks -zago

Here is a copy sold on that venue in December for $50, described as missing the back cover with front cover and one interior page detached.  That's a little less than a third of GD price so not greatly out of sync with the guide.  A few hundred should land you a decent, readable copy.

The census shows only 9 graded copies, of which one is the Mile High.

 Below is the entire Fantomah story from Jungle #2 as reprinted in
I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!, in addition to the cover and first page of a Fantomah story from a 2011 issue of Hack/Slash.

For an interesting view of the investment potential of female comic book characters, check out this blog entry by my friend and fellow collector Aaron.



- Heronext

Buy, Sell and Browse Comics of All Eras at Heronext.com

Hack/Slash #5.  Art by Kyle Strahm

Captain Marvel Adventures #22 (1943)

I have a couple of Golden Age picks and a Bronze pick coming up.  First is Captain Marvel Adventures #22 from 1943, the first appearance of the Monster Society of Evil.

This article assumes that the Shazam film franchise due to begin in 2019 will be a success, spawning sequels, with characters crossing over into a wider DC film universe.  If you even slightly agree, begin speculating now.  If you don't, take a "wait-and-see" approach.

The most important Shazam key is obviously the first appearance of Captain Marvel himself, Whiz Comics #2 (#1).  Prospects for that book are beyond the scope of this article.  There are many, many other nice Fawcett keys to speculate on, given that Fawcett books have always been slow sellers and relatively cheap.  For decades, the interest in these books has paled in comparison to the interest in Marvel and DC.

The number one Captain Marvel antagonist is Dr. Sivana.  Given that he first appears in the aforementioned Whiz Comics #2 (#1) and that he does not have a huge modern fan base, we will move on.  The second most important antagonist is Black Adam, who first appeared in 1945's Marvel Family #1, and who of course is to be played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.  The Rock famously teased audiences for more than a year about which character he would be portraying.  To me Black Adam was the clear choice, and I purchased a couple of copies before The Rock's official confirmation.  One I sold for four times my cost, and the other for 10 times.  Had this blog existed at that time, I would have mentioned this book, but today I have another in mind.

The number 3 antagonist for Captain Marvel, in my opinion, is the Monster Society of Evil, first appearing in 1943's Captain Marvel Adventures #22.  In that issue, a long serial started that ran for 22 issues, which features the first appearance of another major Shazam villain, Mr. Mind.  Mr. Mind is an alien worm and only his voice was heard in #22, but it is quite significant nonetheless.  Moreso when you consider his first "real" appearance (#26) he appears in only one panel.

This is a relatively cheap book and I have seen perhaps 15 copies of it for sale in the past year.  For many years in the 1940s, Captain Marvel in his various magazines was the best selling superhero.  CM #22 is more common than you might think so do not be put off by its age.  This book is 52 pages and was manufactured with only one staple, so be sure to check listings for mention of detached staples and loose centerfolds.  There was also a cut-out printed on the back cover and I have seen this missing in several cases.  

Some people say this is the first group of supervillains in comics to consist of characters a hero previously faced.  See here for an interesting and informative analysis of this claim.  Suffice it to say that the Monster Society of Evil is at least among the first supervillain group in comics, in addition to the longest lasting.

Read the story here:

Thanks for reading!  Please drop us a line at team@heronext.com if you have an idea for a book you'd like to see profiled.

www.heronext.com

 

Books to Watch: Wonder Woman #37 (1949)

From a short list of comics I want to spotlight soon I chose this one because I received my first personal copy this week, purchased recently after looking for a copy online for a good long while.  This week I also purchased a run of 300 Wonder Woman comics so I was able to page through hard copies to verify some of the research below.

To some of you the focus on this book won't be a surprise since I have seen chatter about it online and know many others are looking for it.  Others might be completely unaware of what lies within but either way I hope this post will be of interest. It's been almost a year since Warner Brothers confirmed a Wonder Woman movie would be produced for a 2017 release.  This, and the general suspicion many had that a film was coming well before the announcement, has enhanced the profile of all Wonder Woman comics both keys and non-keys.  I wish I had the CGC 3.0 copy of All Star Comics #8 I contemplated purchasing for $7000 three years ago, but I would have missed out on other buying opportunities I'm sure.  And I digress.

The first appearance (Wonder Woman #6) of the antagonist most consider to be Wonder Woman's greatest (the Cheetah) has been expensive for some time, but value still can be found in key appearances of most of her other foes.  This post is about Circe, a character that has faced Wonder Woman a lot in post-Crisis continuity.  She first appeared way back in Wonder Woman #37 in 1949.

Circe of course is based on the Greek mythological figure who was a goddess of magic or in some depictions, a nymph or sorceress.  Comic book characters based on pre-existing legendary or cultural figures often don't have the same fan appeal as original creations, Thor being the obvious exception.  (Did you know that Thor was not the first superhero to be call himself Thor in comics, nor was he the first Thor to appear in Marvel comics, and that DC had its own version of Thor that pre-dated Journey Into Mystery #83?).  It is what Stan Lee and Marvel did with Thor that engendered his fan appreciation.  As far as villains go, Circe should have earned our respect by now in much the same way Loki has.

To wit, Circe appears at #1 in Newsarama's list of top Wonder Woman villains and #1 in What Culture's list of 5 Great Villains For a Wonder Woman movie.  She appears as #3 in this list, this list and this list. So she's the number 1 or a top 3 Wonder Woman villain depending on who you ask.

According to the Grand Comics Database WW 37 is the "first and only Golden Age appearance of Circe in the Wonder Woman series. Circe reappears toward the end of the pre-Crisis period starting at Wonder Woman (DC, 1942 series) #301, and becomes a major adversary post-Crisis." [Note: I don't find her in issue #301, so I either need to look harder or GCD made a mistake].

The DC Wikia can be more difficult to navigate than the Marvel Wikia due to its recognition of different versions of characters in difference periods of DC History.  Wonder Woman #37 hasn't been cataloged yet and no page for the Golden Age version of Circe exists.

I've put this history of the character together mostly thanks to Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics.

Modern & Post-Crisis history:

Wonder Woman #302 (Jan 1983, last two panels: one panel w/ face obscured, one panel with face shown.  1st appearance since 1969?.  Brief appearance only.)

Wonder Woman #305 (Jul 1983, two pages, disguised as the Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol dome)

Wonder Woman #312 (Feb 1984, two panels)

Wonder Woman #313 (Mar 1984) 1st ever cover appearance.  1st full modern appearance?

Crisis On Infinite Earths #12 (Mar 1986)

Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #19 (August 1988).  1st post-Crisis appearance.  A nice bondage/skull cover.

In the New 52, she is around.

The more I read about this character, the more I realize she's an important DC villain. Her Silver Age crossovers to Superman family books and Superman's modern weakness to magic show she's more than just a Wonder Woman foil.

Silver Age History:

includes other versions of Circe not considered to be the main character.
 
[Action Comics #243 (Aug 1958), a "descendant of the original Circe" who "must have been from Krypton" according to Superman]

Showcase #21 (Jul/Aug 1959) 1st Silver Age appearance; 2nd overall appearance (?); also notably the 2nd appearance of Rip Hunter

[Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #13 (Nov 1959) - a stage magician named Circe who made Lois believe she had the face of a cat]

Action Comics #293 (Oct. 1962), where she is tied to the origin of Comet the Super-Horse

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #40 (Apr. 1963), where she foils the marriage of Lois Lane to Achilles in ancient Greece

Action Comics #311 (Apr. 1964) Comet travels back in time to visit her

Action Comics #323 (Apr. 1965) something about a poison antidote and a place called Feminax

Action Comics #331 (Dec. 1965) Supergirl tries to summon Circe to defeat Dr. Supernatural

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #92 (May 1969) Again, time-traveling Comet (last Silver Age appearance?)

Golden Age History

Wonder Woman #37 (1949, 1st appearance, only Golden Age appearance, depicted as blond-haired)

DC interiors can be tough to find online as they don't have a service like Marvel Unlimited.  I've scanned the full Circe story below from my own low-grade copy.  This is the third of 3 Wonder Woman stories in this issue and occupies the last 12 pages of the book.

So where do you get a copy?  I'm not aware of any available in the market right now, but I snagged mine recently for $155 (a GD/VG copy).  Wonder Woman #6 by comparison will run you almost $1000 in the same grade, although this weekend's Heritage auction could change that.

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Thanks for reading, and for reading comics!