American Flagg #1, First Comics, (October, 1983) I received a nice email after I posted Undervalued Spotlight #111 last week and the jist of it was ‘how come you pick books that are almost impossible to find’?  First off, I thought I was being fair, I thought that for every Pep Comics...

World’s Finest #71, DC Comics, (July/August, 1954) World’s Finest #71 was printed at both an historic low point for superhero comics and a major turning point for the American comic publishing industry. Though crime and horror comics ruled the day, behind the scenes Dr. Wertham and the US...

Tales from the Tomb #1 (02-810-210), Dell Publishing, October 1962 About a month ago I bought a collection of rough shaped old comics. The pile was mostly Charlton War, DC non hero and a hodgepodge of Dells. Hum hum stuff really but about half way through the pile I came across Tales from the...

Doctor Who and the Daleks (Movie Classic #12-190-612), Dell Publishing, December 1966 Here’s another submission from Undervalued Spotlight stalwart Mike Huddleston. Mike sure knows how to pick winners and this week’s submission is no exception, it’s another keeper. Mike was obviously...

G.I. Joe, A real American Hero #21, Marvel Comics, March 1984 It seems that I keep neglecting the 1980s! My last 80s post was over 20 Spotlights ago!! The 80s are a much maligned decade when it comes to collectible comics. Hardcore collecting and speculating ran rampant and accelerated...

Tarzan #25, Dell Comics, October 1951 There’s a nice copy of Tarzan #25 sitting in my comic collection! About 15 years ago I bought a collection of Gold Key comics from the late 60s and early 70s and in the pile was a book called Brothers of the Spear #1. What a cool book I thought! Being...

Pep Comics #36, MLJ Magazines, February 1942 This is the 3rd time I’ve chosen a Pep Comic. Undervalued Spotlights #81 and #5 both featured great Pep issues and Pep #36 belongs right up there with them as far as I’m concerned. Pep Comics #36 is 68 pages of classic Golden Age comics...

Avengers #8, Marvel Comics, September 1964 For this spotlight I though I’d go through the Avengers title and try to pick out a sleeper that no one seems to be focusing on. With the Avengers movie releasing next May a lot of collecting attention has been turning to the Avengers title. Things...

Invincible Iron Man #47, Marvel Comics, June 1972 This week’s Undervalued Spotlight comes recommended by Mike Huddleston. Mike’s email notes that “…this story features great updated origin re-telling from Roy Thomas and artist Barry Smith. These two were in the middle of...

Better Comics #1, Maple Leaf Comics, March 1941 Over the years I’ve owned many “Canadian Whites” the cool Canadian black and white comic books of the early to mid 1940s. These books are hard to find especially in higher grades. As a reseller I’ve never had to sit on one of these comics...

Young Romance #157, DC Comics, January 1969 Comic book collecting is very cover driven. Comic books like Black Cat #50, Fantastic Four #112, Betty and Me #16 and Superman #14 are all sought after for their cover appeal. The cool part is that each of these covers is sought after for different...

Detective Comics #395, DC Comics, January 1970 I meant to post this book right after Undervalued Spotlight #98. The two books go hand in hand as far as I’m concerned since both represent major steps in the development of superhero comics. Alas, Halloween came along as did my 100th Spotlight...

 Famous Funnies #100, Eastern Color, November 1942 Well here we go, my Undervalued Spotlight #100. Famous Funnies #100 (November, 1942) represents the first comic to reach #100 and it did so in style. Added bonus points for the run being unbroken since Famous Funnies #1 (some titles cheat by...

Marvel Premiere #28, Marvel Comics, February 1976 Can’t figure out why but I was compelled to a Halloween theme this week. In my Undervalued Spotlight #84 I mentioned the proliferation of horror based characters right after the Comics Code Authority relaxed some of its very stringent...

Brave and the Bold #79, DC Comics, August/September 1968 Neal Adams knew something was wrong with Batman even during the absolute height of the character’s popularity. In a panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con (with excerpts reprinted in a recent Back Issue Magazine) Adams recalled his...

Alpha Flight #106, Marvel Comics, March 1992. The history of comic books could easily serve as a rich resource for any anthropologist. Studying comic book history can shed light on the behavior, the social and cultural development of humans in the 20th and even this 21st century. Women’s...

Batman #139, DC Comics, April 1961 I’ve honestly had this book on my “future undervalued’ file for at least 6 months and have just never pulled the trigger and posted it. In light of the new Batgirl #1 comic released September 7th getting $10 on eBay I thought the timing was right. Now...

Police Comics #1, Quality Comics, August 1941 This is a great Golden Age key that just does not get the respect it deserves. Thanks to DC’s acquisition of many of the Quality characters back in 1956 most of the characters introduced in Police Comics #1 are still active today. Firebrand, The...

My Love #14, Marvel Comics, November 1971 This is a bit of a deviation from my standard Undervalued Spotlight format. I’m featuring Marvel’s entire November 1971 line up using the worthy My Love #14 as the ambassador book. I’ve chosen My Love #14 to represent the group of books for many...

Blue Beetle #1, Charlton Comics, June 1967 Steve Ditko is one of the true giants of comic books. Ditko’s two major contributions, co-created with Stan Lee, were Dr. Strange and the Amazing Spiderman. In subsequent interviews Ditko has downplayed Lee’s contribution to the Spider-Man...