• 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.

AJD's comic notebook
7 7

1,132 posts in this topic

Hmm, must get around to the promised Pogo Possum essay...

But until then, here are some pretty books as a distraction.

These days the combination of exchange rate, eBay policy and postage costs is a real killer for us "internationals". Long gone are the early days of my collecting when I could get a $50 book on eBay shipped to me for under $10. These days the shipping is US$28 and up, which turns into A$40 - ouch. Slabs are worse, usually US$40 or more = A$60 or so.

As a result, I've turned to Heritage for most buys. I can accumulate wins and get them shipped in one package, which helps a lot. But there's a stupid catch - if any individual invoice is over $250, it has to go FedEx or UPS, which costs $100 or so. :eek: Then, just for extra and giggles, if the package is over A$1000 (about US$713 today) I get hit with 10% import duty + a $50 processing fee. Joy...

So... I can now buy anything from Heritage under $250, and add them together until I get near the limit for Australian Customs. Man, it's a balancing act. But to show it can be done, here's what will be in my next 'care package', total value US$683 :banana:

Impact #1-5 (average 5.0 - will be interesting to see how they look)

Impact_group_Heritage.jpg.aa0fc21b775d90110751a7f4c2353fee.jpg

Planets #47 and 50

Planet_47.jpg.1ac3b36c7bd61062a5640389de8a15ce.jpg

Planet_50.jpg.cf4e8d168fd53c292618f66dc4772870.jpg

WDC&S #9 (single digit duck - oh yeah baby!)

596979f6e953e_wdcs_009.jpg.2114c39e34d9ef378d87c2371ae9c46d.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got the run 1-5 of Impact in from Heritage. They were advertised as "average VG/F" and the photo only showed one and parts of two others (see above). I think I really lucked out with this group. I already had an 8.5 #4 (CGC, cracked out) and it turned out that the #4 in this lot was the worst, with an ink stain through the whole book on the top edge - so maybe 3.5 at best in my view. Here are the others, and my estimated grades:

#1 first print (5.0)

Impact_1.thumb.jpg.d692643048e3b2e9fc65714458ad2716.jpg

#2 (6.0/6.5) - lovely glossy book in hand

Impact_5.thumb.jpg.11db47ea8b0870c417ef8af1cc3d8f32.jpg

#3 (5.0)

Impact_3.thumb.jpg.18ae899f2da9f3451cf04a3d3d877bd5.jpg

#5 (5.5)

Impact_2.thumb.jpg.b25cdad152a78c897b04ee5f36c18381.jpg

Best of all - I haven't read #2,3 and 5 before, so that will be fun. Yep, happy with this buy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got a few new books in.

I love Dells (Dell comics are good comics), but haven't bought any non-duck Dell books for ages. These nice copies caught my eye courtesy of the good folks at Mycomicshop. These un-numbered issues are #3 and #4, though the first two were #s 1173 and 1288 in the Four Color series. These two are 'missing' Four Colors - there are gaps in the Four Color numbering where they naturally fit.

Twilight_Zone_2.thumb.jpg.103b170c8278743dea48d26b163e7b27.jpg

Twilight_Zone_3.thumb.jpg.2c16a58fa49792c2067c920ac0778a1b.jpg

I also bought this one in the last MCS auction. Having almost finished Mad 1-23, Duffman_comics convinced me I should get the first magazine. Good call Peter. (thumbsu

Mad_24.thumb.jpg.7e4600891d2be0316d39f60a42a6b4a1.jpg

Lots of fun stuff in that one. I might scan a page or two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple more Australian Fiction House reprints to add to my slowly growing collection. Interestingly, the Kaanga is an oversized book. Like the Planets I showed earlier in this thread, it's about an inch bigger in both dimensions than a normal golden age book. The Firehair is standard Fiction House size (though miscut).

I'm also slowly getting a feel for what might be out there. There's an ad inside Firehair for Cowgirl Romances (never seen one) Rangers and Jumbo, while the back cover of Kaanga has 'the big six' ad for Jungle, Jumbo, Fight, Wambi Jungle Boy, Rangers and Sheena. Now, if I could actually find some of those... collecting these is certainly a hobby for the patient!

Kaanga_6.thumb.JPG.0646956713e2b7f184a1e90fe434ef38.JPG

Firehair_14_Oz.thumb.jpg.7c3022eab3591536f10024e443d595c4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple more Australian Fiction House reprints to add to my slowly growing collection. Interestingly, the Kaanga is an oversized book. Like the Planets I showed earlier in this thread, it's about an inch bigger in both dimensions than a normal golden age book. The Firehair is standard Fiction House size (though miscut).

 

I'm also slowly getting a feel for what might be out there. There's an ad inside Firehair for Cowgirl Romances (never seen one) Rangers and Jumbo, while the back cover of Kaanga has 'the big six' ad for Jungle, Jumbo, Fight, Wambi Jungle Boy, Rangers and Sheena. Now, if I could actually find some of those... collecting these is certainly a hobby for the patient!

 

 

 

Given the "Wild West" nature of Oz publishing, isn't it possible the "Also available" stuff was just bumpf to fill in a page and make the book look "better"?

 

Anyway, I have references to check. BRB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still waiting Duffbloke... :taptaptap:

 

Meanwhile, there's no point having one of these without the other. I feel complete now.

 

image_zps0543ed65.jpgCS_3_zpso7pffbi7.jpg

...and just like that one of the Boards best Journals is back! :applause: probably the best fraternal twin covers IMHO Edited by Sagii
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quite a bit happening professionally of late, but :wishluck: I'll have a bit more time in the not too distant future to write some more here.

But I want to mention a little venture that Duffman_Comics and I have just taken on. We got offered a 104 book collection of pre 1966 Australian comics by US-based board Zzutak ( :hi: Jay), which just arrived today. I think we struck a pretty fair deal, and all three parties are happy. Lots more pics to follow, but here's one that is joining my collection. By the late John Dixon, and from 1952 (despite looking like it belongs a decade earlier):

Crimson_Comet_23.jpg.53c89fd20ce7dba6c2f82ee2244d4095.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AJD, you should mention that this book is one of those strange creations that has the staples at the top i.e. one has to flip it sideways, then open the cover (right to left like normal) in order to read it.

 

This is a lot nicer condition than I thought it would be, notwithstanding Colin Webb's claim to ownership, the bold declaration that it's from 1952, and a couple of second-hand book store stamps lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Duffman_Comics said:
AJD, you should mention that this book is one of those strange creations that has the staples at the top i.e. one has to flip it sideways, then open the cover (right to left like normal) in order to read it.

 

This is a lot nicer condition than I thought it would be, notwithstanding Colin Webb's claim to ownership, the bold declaration that it's from 1952, and a couple of second-hand book store stamps lol

Good point. Here's the inside of the Crimson Comet:

Crimson_Comet_23_int.thumb.jpg.dc0d0b6a9142408501615bc2eb7347e2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And here's another book from the same collection. There are plenty of mid to highish grade books in this collection. This is not one of them, but it has a rather striking cover image. Silver Flash #40 is an Australian original by Virgil Reilly. The series ran for at least 54 issues starting in 1949. I've never seen this one before (and I think I've only seen one other issue in the flesh, though the GCD has more here).

Silver_Flash_40.jpg.d857fd25206679ccb7b5ec7381afa574.jpg

The interior is a bit crude. here's the first page. The observant among you might notice the name of the missing miscreant: Dirk Henrik Tampon...

596a127c12517_Impact_group002.thumb.jpg.8788abb2a73e7d48af62747afc753800.jpg

... which leads to an unforgettable panel where our hero the SF walks onstage and shouts... "Tampon"! You couldn't make this up folks. (Though Virgil Reilly did.)

596a1286ea944_Impact_group004.thumb.jpg.c82dc329a19f2224b4342cd08da56091.jpg

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
7 7