The First Annual CGC Comics Registry Awards
 We’re
looking for the world’s greatest sets. Make sure yours are
among them, and see if your
collection has what it takes! Deadline for set registration is June 30.
Registry Set Awards
Awards will be presented
in the following categories:
- The Three Best Golden Age Sets
- The Three Best Silver Age Sets
- The Three Best Bronze Age Sets
- The Three Best Modern Age Sets
- The Three Best Presented Sets (Sets with the best descriptive
text and images)
Take the honors in one of these
categories, and you’ll receive a personalized plaque, an icon
of recognition next to your set’s registry listing, and one
year of free access to functionality normally offered through a paid
membership in the Collectors Society (Submission tracking, Cert Verification,
and Direct Submission Privileges). To participate, just enter your
set online in the Comics Registry.
Additionally, collectors with
the top set in each set type category will receive an icon of recognition
by his/her set in the registry and a certificate of achievement.
Overall quality, balance, and
completion in addition to registry score will all be important considerations
when judging sets in competitive categories.
Message Board Awards
The message boards have become
a vibrant community where collectors can come together to share their
passion for comic books. It is a resource created and maintained
by you, the collector, and the CGC awards would not be complete without
the recognition of the top contributors. This year we will award
three outstanding forumites. We will consider a forumite’s
complete history of posts in determining the winners. The winning
forumites will receive a personalized plaque and an icon of recognition
in their profile on the message boards.
Click
here to learn more about the CGC Registry.
The deadline for set registration
is June 30, 2006. Winners will be announced on July 20, 2006.
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Stan Lee CGC Signature Series Signing in LA 3/20/06
Kevin A. Boyd
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On March 20th, Peter Dixon of Paradise Comics, Jim McLauchlin
of A.C.T.O.R., Scott Talmadge from CGC, CGC Signature
Series Member Dealer Shockwave
Comics (Carlos Camara), and I went
to the POW Entertainment
offices in Los Angeles for a special
signing with Stan "The Man" Lee for the prestigious
CGC Signature Series label.
The special signing had been
set up by Paradise Comics and A.C.T.O.R. due to Stan being
unable to attend the upcoming April 28-30 Paradise Toronto
Comicon in Toronto, Canada (a show that I organize and promote
in my spare time). A donation to A.C.T.O.R. - A Commitment to Our
Roots was to be made for every item signed, and Paradise collected
just under 400 items from fans and collectors for this special event,
approximately 325 of which were to be submitted to CGC for
the Signature Series.
Being that Stan is the busiest
man in comics, he could only spare a half-hour from his hectic schedule
for the signing before heading off for a screening. Could it be
done in a mere 30 minutes? It seemed an impossible task!
While "amazing", "incredible", and "uncanny" are
adjectives that can be used to describe his most famous creations,
they can also be applied to "The Man" himself. With the
help of five able-bodied assistants unbagging and rebagging the
comic books and graphic novels, Stan transformed from humble comics
statesman to the Invincible Signing Machine!
Stan was in fantastic humor,
chatting away about different comics and covers. Since Stan had
direct supervision over all Silver Age Marvel Comics covers he was
able to point out many specifics on why he did or didn't do something
on the covers of the comics he signed. He touched
upon some of his spectacular new projects in the pipeline and what
it was like to be the industry's premiere statesman. He would also
pause to note the occasional signature already on some of the books — Rascally
Roy Thomas, Jumping Jim Lee, Jazzy John Romita... and he was amazed
at some of the books that people had submitted from Amazing
Fantasy 15, to multiple copies of Fantastic Four #1, Amazing
Spider-Man #1, and X-Men #1, just to name a few! Nearly
every Silver Age key was present and a stunning array of modern
Marvels.
"You've got a lot of the good ones here!" he proclaimed.
Then came the countdown,
3 minutes... 2 minutes... 1 minute... 30 seconds, it was going to
be close... 10 seconds, and right down to the wire, we finally got
the last book done with no time to spare! No mere mortal could have
achieved this sensational signing spotlight!
Then it was time for a quick
group picture, a handshake or five, and Stan was off to stop Galactus
from eating a delicatessen on Santa Monica Blvd.!
The signing was a great success,
and a great testament to the interest that a legendary creator like
Stan "The Man" Lee stimulates in collectors of Signature
Series books from all eras and tiers. Very few creators active these
days have the breadth and scope of material available that Stan
has available for Signature Series — literally the possibilities
encompass comics published between 1941 and 2006 — over 65
years of comics — all ripe opportunities for the prestigious
CGC Signature Series! Peter Dixon was lamenting to Stan that
he could not find a copy of Stan's first published work, Captain
America #3 (May 1941), in time for the signing!
As for myself, I submitted
my own copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1, Amazing Spider-Man #18
(my first Silver Age Marvel Comic), Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2
(Canadian Edition) and What If...? #1 (previously
signed by writer Roy Thomas and artist Jim Craig). I also had Stan
sign my copy of Fantastic Four Omnibus #1 and a Deluxe
Edition Gerber Photojournal to Marvel Comics hardcover.
The books are currently being
graded and encapsulated and should be available in time for the
Paradise Toronto Comicon in late April!
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Chesler Comics
Michelle Nolan
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Chesler Comics, also known as Dynamic Publications, was one of
those fly-by-night outfits that drove collectors of Golden Age Comics
nuts in the 1960’s.
The Harry ‘A’ Chesler studio supplied art for several
minor publishers during the early days of the Golden Age, including
Chesler’s own short-lived group for a few months in 1941.
It’s these scarce issues we’re concerned with here.
Collectors who enjoy a challenge — not to mention truly obscure
costume heroes — have often tried collecting the entire original
output of Chesler. This includes Yankee #1-4 (Sept. 1941
through March 1942), Dynamic #1-3 (Oct. 1941 through Feb.
1942), Scoop #1-3 (Nov. 1941 through March 1942), and Punch #
1-2 (Dec. 1941 though Feb. 1942). These 12 issues all contain colorful
heroes and equally colorful covers.
Chesler’s timing, however, couldn’t have been worse.
All four of these titles went out of business at about the same
time the original run of Fox and Centaur comics
titles expired as the United States entered World War II. That left
more room on increasingly crowded newsstands for expanding companies,
such as DC, Quality, Timely, and MLJ.
It’s doubtful anyone missed any of these Chesler titles, since
none of their characters were destined for anything but obscurity.
But that doesn’t mean they were all bad. They were, however,
generally odd and pretty poorly written. Art by the likes of Charles
Sultan and George Tuska still makes them interesting to collectors.
The Chesler group tried a
generally unsuccessful comeback in 1944 with several oddly numbered
one-shots along with Dynamic and Punch Comics. It
took collectors several years to figure out the numbering system,
which resumed with #8 for Dynamic (#8-25) and #9 for Punch (#9-23),
and for one more issue of Scoop (#8 only). There
were some reprints, but also much original work, albeit pretty bad
work except for the covers.
The first Chesler title to
hit the stands, Yankee Comics #1 (Sept. 1941), is not only
one of the first almost purely patriotic titles, but also one of
the few Golden Age comics to feature no less than six costume heroes.
Yankee Doodle Jones, The Enchanted Dagger and The Echo lasted all
four issues. But the three most colorful heroes - The Scarlet Sentry,
The Firebrand, and Black Satan — appeared only in #1 before
disappearing forever. They were replaced in #2-4 by Yankee Boy,
Johnny Rebel, and Barry Kuda.
The art and costumes are
interesting, but the stories are about as bad as they ever came
in the Golden Age — poorly plotted and conceived. To compare
a 1941 or 1942 issue to say, Batman with any Chesler comic is like
comparing a classy MGM film with the worst of Hollywood’s
Poverty Row. Still, any issue of Yankee Comics is a worthwhile
curiosity. The rarity of these issues has driven up the price, not
the quality.
Dynamic Comics had two good patriotic type super heroes,
Dynamic Man and Major Victory, in all three issues of the original
run. The Black Cobra — not the 1950’s character from
Ajax — also appeared in #1, while Dynamic Boy, Lady Satan,
and The Green Knight filled out #2-3 from the standpoint of minor
heroics.
Some collectors are interested
in the reappearance of Dynamic Comics, which began with
#8 and lasted through #24. It took years to learn there was no #4-7.
Dynamic Man appeared in every issue, along with a different Dynamic
Boy starting in #11. There was a combination of reprints, apparent
inventory art, and probably some new stories for The Echo (#8-23),
Mr. E (#9-23), Yankee Boy (#8-12, 16-22), The Master Key (#8-9),
Yankee Doodle Jones (#8), along with single stories of Dynamic Boy
(#13) and Yankee Girl (#23). Again, these are generally curiosity
pieces, along with several esoteric covers that appeal to fans of
the bizarre (see the Gerber Photo-Journal).
For some reason, Dynamic Comics #23 (Nov. 1947) and #24
(March 1948) were published by Superior Comics, the only Canadian
publisher that circulated identical titles in both Canada and the
United States.
Scoop Comics was the oddest of the four original titles,
with the super detective The Master Key appearing in all three issues,
along with Rocketman and Rocketgirl, and the witch-like Mother Hubbard.
There were plenty of adventure strips, like Globe Trotter and Corporal
Grant. Rocketboy appeared in #2 and 3.
The two original issues of Punch Comics had Captain Glory
(a lower-ranked version of Major Victory), Sky Chief, and Mr. E.
There were no Punch #3-8. When Punch resumed with
#9 (July 1944) with a mixture of reprints and original material,
there was a polyglot of features until the title expired with #23
(Jan. 1948). Again, for some reason Superior Comics published #20-23.
Rocketman appeared in every issue except #12 and #23. The Master
Key was in every issue except #17, 22, and 23, and Rocketboy was
in #12.
Although the Chesler covers
can be enticing, I recommend looking through these very carefully,
because they all tend to be overpriced, considering what you get
for your money. You can usually do much better with the same bucks
by looking for interesting titles from DC, Harvey, or Nedor, for
example.
In 1944, Chesler published
a one-shot, Bulls Eye Comics #11, with reprints of Yankee
Doodle Jones, Lady Satan, and Johnny Rebel from Yankee #3,
along with reprints of The Green Knight and Mother
Hubbard. Other reprints appeared in the cool patriotic
title Major Victory #1-3 in 1944-45 with Major Victory
in every issue, Spider Woman in #1, Dynamic Boy in #2, and Rocketboy
in #3. The Spider Woman story is an oddity, since it is the
only appearance of the character.
In the late 1960s, Comic
Book King Phil Seuling enjoyed a great price list pun, advertising
an issue of Major Victory for the price of 10.66!
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CGC to Attend Super-Con in Oakland, CA
On May 20th-21st, Oakland’s number one comic show, Super-Con,
will be held at the Oakland Convention Center. Super-Con promises
to offer everything a comics fan could ever want from a comic convention
with guests that include Adam Hughes, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ken Kelly,
and Travis Charest (just to name a few). Come on down and meet some
of your favorite creators/artists. Also, representatives from CGC
will be on hand to takes submissions! Tickets are $15 for one day
or $20 for both days. Be sure to visit http://www.super-con.com for
more information and updates. See you there!
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David Finch A.C.T.O.R. Charity Art Raffle
David Finch has generously offered to sketch an art piece of
Moon Knight vs. Wolverine to be raffled off for A Commitment To
Our Roots (A.C.T.O.R.).
This great piece is available
internationally with all proceeds to be donated to A.C.T.O.R with
a $5.00 (per ticket) minimum donation. Everyone has a chance to
win this great piece that David will draw the weekend of May 13th,
2006.
Tickets can ONLY be purchased
through the Paypal account finch-huston@sympatico.ca.
There will also be three
sketches that will take place at the signing. In order to win, you
must be present at the signing. Therefore, these sketches are only
available to those that live in Toronto. Tickets are $2.00 (per
ticket) and can be obtained at participating stores.
For times, directions, and
more information on the prestigious CGC Signature Series event and
the charity raffle, please visit www.onemillioncomix.com.
For more information on the
prestigious CGC Signature Series, please visit www.cgccomics.com/signature.
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Heritage Presents a Daring Mystery!
This Certified 9.4
Copy Stands Alone at the
Top of the CGC Census
One of the earliest comic books ever issued by fledgling publisher
Timely Comics, predating the first issues of such well-known titles
as Captain America Comics, The Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner
Comics, was Daring Mystery Comics, with a cover date
of January 1940. An anthology title, as was common in comics' earliest
days, the first issue of Daring Mystery presented the adventures
of such eager young heroes as The Fiery Mask (who, ironically, was
maskless in his first cover appearance), Monako, The Master Magician,
John Steele, Soldier of Fortune, and Doc Doyle, Daring Underworld-Buster.
"This was one of Timely's earliest efforts," said Ed Jaster, Vice President
of Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries. "Following their maiden title, Marvel
Comics, by only a few scant months. While it doesn't hold as lofty a place
in comics' history as some of its Timely brethren, Daring Mystery #1 has
a lot to recommend it, not the least of which is a stunning cover by the legendary
Alex Schomburg featuring bondage, hooded bad guys and action galore!"
"The Denver copy of this book, which we're pleased to offer in our upcoming
Signature auction, is a real stunner," Jaster continued. "It could
easily have hailed from that 'other' premier Colorado pedigree collection. This
is one of those Golden Age greats that is rarely seen by even the most avid collectors,
with only a relative handful known to exist. In fact, only five unrestored copies
have been evaluated by CGC to date. Currently, this copy stands alone at the
top of the CGC census, with its nearest rival a distant 6.0!"
Click
here to read more
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