Comic book collecting with a foreign variant focus

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While I was sorting my magazine sized italian editions I just realized the cover used here it’s not the very same image of the original…

Recent acquisitions:

Chilean Star Wars

Colombian Star Wars

Chinese Star Wars

Wow...need to go change my underwear

Amazing Ron!!!!

Some new Dr. Strange stuff from the UK and Germany:

Is this what the cover to Doctor Strange #184 would have looked like? Maybe. This image wasn't published in the US:

This is a reprint of Dr. Strange #181. I think the cover looks much better here in red than the American version, which was printed in yellow. (Google it to see what I mean):

Next 2 are from Germany. Never saw this title before. Interiors are full color:

Interior page from #12 has a history of Dr. Strange:

Finally, an early issue of Super Spider-Man, which featured black and white reprints published horizontally in the UK:

And a pin-up from that issue never published in the US:

Great books wdb23!

I love the #91 – #81 would have been even better in purple or some other darker color… red is strange. I almost prefer the original yellow, also because the coloring on Doc is not so great here (they seem watercolored in a rush… )

Thanks Claudio. I guess I got lucky (again). I will start a sales thread for most of the US books after Comic-Con.

I know quite a few guys who collect GA in Paris, but most collectors concentrate on SA to current here.

There are a lot of people who collect OA over here.

I have met some Italians who collect US books though, but they all say that US books are not easy to find in Italy.

You lucky guys – I should have imagined (in some way) that with the kind of culture you always had associated with the b.d. in France, there might have been a nurtured collecting base for original non-french comics as well.

Unfortunately it’s not just a matter of SA: the collecting base in Italy is almost non-existent for all ages: people are mostly just not prone to appreciate things in their original language and form. That is why I find wonderful that you can dig out GA and SA comic books from France.

 

OA is another matter: I have an acquaintance which has several Sienkiewicz pages (even some painted ones from "Love and War") and there are many OA collectors here as well.

 

As for the Cap: there is to say that rare and super-rare does not necessarily coincide with "sought after": value is often "impossible" to determine, or better it should be determined at one’s best upon request as well.

For example, this is one of a few Superman "apocryphal" italian comics, which came out as a follow up of the very first story published here (very likely unauthorized) in 1939. They are super-rare and I would not know how to price it – I just picked it as the occasion arised, but they are pretty much "priceless".

 

Hey Claudio, do you know it this series has been reprinted? Something like Ristampe Anastatiche? I saw a couple with two staples and in suspicious amazing condition, and I belive those are reprints, but I am not sure.

Hi Matteo,

honestly I don’t know. They might have reprinted the Albi dell’Audacia issues (the first and this one) but I do not believe they have reprinted in full the Albi Juventus with the other apocryphal stories.

Hi Matteo,

honestly I don’t know. They might have reprinted the Albi dell’Audacia issues (the first and this one) but I do not believe they have reprinted in full the Albi Juventus with the other apocryphal stories.

This one looks like a reprint to me, it's just too White.

Is there anyone out there that would be able to lend me a hand

I'm trying to track down a run of Miracleman from Brazil... I have been warned against using MercadoLive...

PM me if you m can help.

Thanks!

I have some casual interest in a comic book. I am looking for a copy of Amazing Spider-man 1 (Italian Series) with the poster. (I do not know what the poster actually looks like.) I know the cover looks like this and it was published in 1970. Are these readily available meaning do they turn up from time to time? I have not seen a complete one on eBay with the poster in awhile.

l'uomo ragno 1

Hi Matteo,

honestly I don’t know. They might have reprinted the Albi dell’Audacia issues (the first and this one) but I do not believe they have reprinted in full the Albi Juventus with the other apocryphal stories.

 

This one looks like a reprint to me, it's just too White.

 

You’re right, it does (as we also know how scarce it is).

So in the end they may have reprinted just these two. Do you have it in hand or just the picture?

I have some casual interest in a comic book. I am looking for a copy of Amazing Spider-man 1 (Italian Series) with the poster. (I do not know what the poster actually looks like.) I know the cover looks like this and it was published in 1970. Are these readily available meaning do they turn up from time to time? I have not seen a complete one on eBay with the poster in awhile.

 

l'uomo ragno 1

 

Andrew,

I can try to find one for you if you want, but with the poster it will be very expensive.

This is a copy I managed to find for Tim, without the poster. I obtained it from a dealer that is my friend for around 100 Euro, but it usually goes for more (at least 150 Euro) in decent grade.

The poster looks like this, and can be very expensive. This is a copy on eBay.it priced at 700 Euro, which I guess it’s pretty crazy and of course it’s still there.

I can ask to my friend dealer if you want, I also know the poster has been reprinted so maybe you could settle with an original and the reprinted poster?

PM me if you want me to ask him.

P.S. L’Uomo Ragno #1 is also the first italian appearance of Dr. Strange.

I have some casual interest in a comic book. I am looking for a copy of Amazing Spider-man 1 (Italian Series) with the poster. (I do not know what the poster actually looks like.) I know the cover looks like this and it was published in 1970. Are these readily available meaning do they turn up from time to time? I have not seen a complete one on eBay with the poster in awhile.

 

l'uomo ragno 1

 

 

Andrew,

I can try to find one for you if you want, but with the poster it will be very expensive.

 

This is a copy I managed to find for Tim, without the poster. I obtained it from a dealer that is my friend for around 100 Euro, but it usually goes for more (at least 150 Euro) in decent grade.

 

The poster looks like this, and can be very expensive. This is a copy on eBay.it priced at 700 Euro, which I guess it’s pretty crazy and of course it’s still there.

I can ask to my friend dealer if you want, I also know the poster has been reprinted so maybe you could settle with an original and the reprinted poster?

PM me if you want me to ask him.

 

If anyone can do it Buzzetta Claudio can! The Italian cornos are wonderful foreigns especially when you can find them with posters are stickers intact! Hope you nab one!

Was the poster attached within the comic or was it loose?

I see a couple of nice looking copies of the actual book on eBay for what would be around $200 american but who knows as I cannot really see what is going on with those books.

If the poster is that hard to find though... then I wonder what that would do to the designation of the comic. Would it be like an unbagged Superman 75 that is missing the pin and the armband or would it be like an ASM 238 without the Tattooz?

Was the poster attached within the comic or was it loose?

 

I see a couple of nice looking copies of the actual book on eBay for what would be around $200 american but who knows as I cannot really see what is going on with those books.

 

If the poster is that hard to find though... then I wonder what that would do to the designation of the comic. Would it be like an unbagged Superman 75 that is missing the pin and the armband or would it be like an ASM 238 without the Tattooz?

This is a good question and it's one I struggle with myself. The Italian books have a stable market demand and price for books without stickers and posters. You wouldn't be buying something you would not be able to resell. The books themselves had a micro print run compared to the two books mentioned above, so that's a big difference to keep in mind.

I have many Italian books and I do not own any with original inserts. From what I can tell, having the inserts adds a super premium price to a book. Much like a CGC 9.9 would add an amount way over the normal value of the book. At the end of the day, it's one of those things you have to figure out how you feel about it.

Is it an incomplete book? yes. Is it a bad investment you won't be able to resell? No. Not like the Superman or Hobgoblin book.

I know the stickers came attached, but I dont know about the posters. Anyone here know if those came loose or how they were attached and if a loose poster could be reattached?

The poster that Claudio showed doesn't appear to have staple holes where it was attached. But, then again we can get real up close. Like others have said books with stickers and posters included do demand a premium. The stickers were attached at the staple. I own 2 books with stickers both loose and attached and I gotta tell ya.... these 2 books because of this are the jewels of my Italian collection.

I think Tim(LSComics) might have the first Corno Thor with a poster included? Ill ask him…..

If the books were to be slabbed they would get the incomplete designation but honestly it doesn't matter like with the tattoz. Like others said the print runs were so small there is still a market for a nice Corno in decent shape!

Claudio will know if the posters were attached… Corno also glued little medals/coin thingies on some covers… the Italian Spidey 50 comes to mind….. imagine trying to find one of those with the medal still glued to the cover!

Andrew, Matthew,

there’s been an ongoing discussion on the italian forum where I participate recently about how the posters and stickers were distributed. I did not bookmark the discussion, but roughly there were three periods: in the first one (this one) the posters were just paired with the books and distributed within the book, loose, and stickers were stapled in the inside pages.

In the second period they were polybagged, and in the third both stickers and posters were stapled, but stickers were between the cover and the first wrap (like in Matthew’s Dracula ASE above).

So, to answer Andrew's question, I don’t know how CGC or CBCS would handle this specific case… in fact the poster is part of the book, but was not physically attached to it. Same goes for the polybagged period.

To attempt an answer for Slim Pickins: first, these were by no means "micro print runs". Italian print runs were always pretty huge when a main publisher was involved, and Corno, except for its final years, was a big publisher. These books are not scarce by any means. In grade, maybe, but not in general.

As far as potential resell value goes, I believe the best thing is to pick books in nice grade, letting aside the presence of stickers and posters. The resell value holds in both cases, it’s just different.

For example, the Uomo Ragno I picked for Matt above, is a 15-20 Euro book without the stickers, but with them is a 80 Euro book.

But this is a less sought after one. The ones for which the posters are effectively scarcer (one coming to mind is ASE #28, corresponding to Defenders #4, which had a Ghost Rider poster and a sticker), can go for a lot, but not having a Guide and the americans' precision here it’s a bit of a gamble.

Also, here in Italy, although technically "incomplete", the books without the stickers and posters are the norm, and they are considered complete regardless. The posters and stickers are a "plus" and most collectors do not care about them.

If you want, Andrew, I can just ask my friend dealer if it happens he finds a decent copy of #1 and then we can see about the poster. I would not worry about the poster for the value: a Uomo Ragno #1 is always in demand, with or without the poster.