• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Planet Comics
2 2

126 posts in this topic

I've been looking to get into some none typical Marvel/DC superhero golden age comics and Planet comics have really caught my eye. I really like the covers (obviously) and I love the content as well. Was wondering if I could get pointed in the right direction regarding purchasing these. Good sellers, bad sellers, what to look for, any "keys" etc. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take a look over in the Fiction House thread to see lots of Planet comics.

 

There are quite a few people on here who are working on Planet Comics collections, and depending on the grade you are looking for they (generally) can be found outside of the scarce issues.

 

Scarce issues (per Overstreet)

#2, #6, #15

 

Scarce issues based on Gerber

#2,5,6,15,26 (Gerber 7s)

#8 (Gerber 8)

 

I dont think there are any "keys" per se. Market value seems to follow the trend line of earlier issues are worth more than later issues (with the exception of 15 which gets a bump because of scarcity.

 

Others with more experience should feel free to chime in...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Fiction House I'd say the main thing to keep an eye out for is centering. Seems they were not the straightest of shooters when it came to lining up spines, staples and such. A well centered cover is a great find, even if the condition leaves more to be desired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Fiction House I'd say the main thing to keep an eye out for is centering. Seems they were not the straightest of shooters when it came to lining up spines, staples and such. A well centered cover is a great find, even if the condition leaves more to be desired.

Also, finding Fiction House covers with deep color strikes/vibrant reds can be a challenge, regardless of the book's technical grade. Watch out for copies with significant fading, that look good at first sight until you compare them to other copies of the same issue.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Fiction House I'd say the main thing to keep an eye out for is centering. Seems they were not the straightest of shooters when it came to lining up spines, staples and such. A well centered cover is a great find, even if the condition leaves more to be desired.

Also, finding Fiction House covers with deep color strikes/vibrant reds can be a challenge, regardless of the book's technical grade. Watch out for copies with significant fading, that look good at first sight until you compare them to other copies of the same issue.

 

 

Exactly.

 

Wings64.jpg

 

Wings64804x1280_zps6a057251.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Fiction House I'd say the main thing to keep an eye out for is centering. Seems they were not the straightest of shooters when it came to lining up spines, staples and such. A well centered cover is a great find, even if the condition leaves more to be desired.

Also, finding Fiction House covers with deep color strikes/vibrant reds can be a challenge, regardless of the book's technical grade. Watch out for copies with significant fading, that look good at first sight until you compare them to other copies of the same issue.

 

 

Exactly.

 

Wings64.jpg

 

Wings64804x1280_zps6a057251.jpg

when it comes to Fiction House books I am never convinced a book is faded or just simply printed in different color tones.

Here is a great example:

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

when it comes to Fiction House books I am never convinced a book is faded or just simply printed in different color tones.

 

Early in the print run colors were more vibrant than later as they failed to replenish the colors - at least that seems to be the prevailing theory.

 

Accordingly, while few Fiction House books are scarce except the early issues, few are common with fully saturated colors, and it's really only later issues where super strong colors are the rule rather than the exception.

 

FightComics32CGC60_zps2b98e2a6.jpg

 

JumboComics32CGC_zpsc992bbd6.jpg

 

JumboComics62CGC92_zps6b165268.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It may also be that colors may have got replenished with a completely different color. The Planet 17 example above, the girl's sandals and hair are green as opposed to the creamy light orange of the 8.5 cover. That is a massive change

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Fiction House I'd say the main thing to keep an eye out for is centering. Seems they were not the straightest of shooters when it came to lining up spines, staples and such. A well centered cover is a great find, even if the condition leaves more to be desired.

Also, finding Fiction House covers with deep color strikes/vibrant reds can be a challenge, regardless of the book's technical grade. Watch out for copies with significant fading, that look good at first sight until you compare them to other copies of the same issue.

 

 

Exactly.

 

Wings64.jpg

 

Wings64804x1280_zps6a057251.jpg

when it comes to Fiction House books I am never convinced a book is faded or just simply printed in different color tones.

Here is a great example:

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

 

While weak color does appear to be a common problem with Fiction House, fading isn't always responsible. My 2c (observations below) hm

 

 

It may also be that colors may have got replenished with a completely different color. The Planet 17 example above, the girl's sandals and hair are green as opposed to the creamy light orange of the 8.5 cover. That is a massive change

 

I wouldn't say replenished with a different color, but there is a simple explanation for the range of color. Color strikes will vary according to which ink runs low first. In addition to black, the four color process primaries are always red, yellow and blue. Combinations of those colors provide the hues. A faded cover would reflect loss of color brightness across the board. However, a strong color strike with one or more colors running low would change the hue.

 

In the above case, both covers appear to have low running colors in different parts of the press run. The first would appear to be running low on red, the second, running low on yellow. The resulting difference in shades of color (secondary blended colors) would be proportional to the lessened primary color.

 

In one sense, these books might be described as variants as there has been no appreciable color loss (fading) since publication.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This Planet #17 example is a really weird one. The woman's boots are yellow on the first copy but green on the second, but the guys in the background (for instance) are a medium green color across both copies. I'd have to say this particular instance looks like a plate change and recoloring, not just weak inks.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine falls a bit in the middle but the switch of yellow for green seems like a reasonable thought given the differences. I'd like to see a non-Heritage scan of that #17 since Heritage has been known to tweak their scanner every now and then.

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

Planet17_zps3fb3a861.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine falls a bit in the middle but the switch of yellow for green seems like a reasonable thought given the differences. I'd like to see a non-Heritage scan of that #17 since Heritage has been known to tweak their scanner every now and then.

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

Planet17_zps3fb3a861.jpg

 

Another thing to note for the OP is that while it would appear from this thread that Planet 17 is quite common, this couldn't be further from the truth! Going rate for this book right now is about 3.5 times guide, if you can find a copy at all!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine falls a bit in the middle but the switch of yellow for green seems like a reasonable thought given the differences. I'd like to see a non-Heritage scan of that #17 since Heritage has been known to tweak their scanner every now and then.

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

Planet17_zps3fb3a861.jpg

 

Another thing to note for the OP is that while it would appear from this thread that Planet 17 is quite common, this couldn't be further from the truth! Going rate for this book right now is about 3.5 times guide, if you can find a copy at all!

In the 8.5, I believe the magenta has faded, as is common with FH books, especially in this time period. On the 6.5, I think their Yellow has been contaminated on press. These guys weren't exactly the Da Vinci's of the webpress -- they probably got a little cyan in their yellow and decided just to keep printing until it ran through. I say this because there doesn't appear to be any pure yellow on the cover of the 6.5. How is the back cover? Jeff's 7.0 appears to be the right color mix with maybe some light magenta fading.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Central Valley pedigree is deservedly known for its fresh and white books, and I can't recall seeing a single one that is faded.

 

Here's the Planet 4 (not mine) from that collection:

 

CVPlanet4.jpg

 

My Planet 4 (and yes, those who have seen it in person will vouch it really does look like this. Pages are white.):

 

Planet4.jpg

 

I can't explain the discrepancy...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine falls a bit in the middle but the switch of yellow for green seems like a reasonable thought given the differences. I'd like to see a non-Heritage scan of that #17 since Heritage has been known to tweak their scanner every now and then.

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

Planet17_zps3fb3a861.jpg

 

Without actually seeing these books side by side, I'm hesitant to draw too many conclusions from the scans provided. Obviously, differences in scanners and scanner settings can create an additional layer of comparative uncertainty. Some scan colors may be slightly saturated or desaturated. For instance, the 6.5 scan appears to have a slightly greenish bias (judging from the color of the slab surrounding it), but otherwise it clearly lacks a strong yellow strike. My 2c

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine falls a bit in the middle but the switch of yellow for green seems like a reasonable thought given the differences. I'd like to see a non-Heritage scan of that #17 since Heritage has been known to tweak their scanner every now and then.

Planet17comparison_zpsc55cabde.jpg

Planet17_zps3fb3a861.jpg

 

Another thing to note for the OP is that while it would appear from this thread that Planet 17 is quite common, this couldn't be further from the truth! Going rate for this book right now is about 3.5 times guide, if you can find a copy at all!

In the 8.5, I believe the magenta has faded, as is common with FH books, especially in this time period. On the 6.5, I think their Yellow has been contaminated on press. These guys weren't exactly the Da Vinci's of the webpress -- they probably got a little cyan in their yellow and decided just to keep printing until it ran through. I say this because there doesn't appear to be any pure yellow on the cover of the 6.5. How is the back cover? Jeff's 7.0 appears to be the right color mix with maybe some light magenta fading.

 

I think Michael's background color is correct but the green is not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
2 2