Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
It’s time to put the Undervalued Spotlight on the shelf, I’m stopping my weekly column after 10+ years of posts. I’ll leave the door ajar and allow myself to revisit this post if and when the urge and inspiration arises.…
Tally-Ho Comics #nn, Swappers Quarterly, December 1944. My friend Christian was so excited about a recent comic he picked up that he had to call me and tell me all about it. At about the 8-minute mark, I was starting…
Wonder Woman #24, DC Comics, July/August 1947. I think I did a half decent job with my Undervalued Spotlight #134. I think my argument on Wonder Woman #179’s significance still holds water almost 300 Spotlights later. Also, I don’t think…
Mad #1, EC Comics, Oct/Nov 1952. Last week I was offered a mid-grade copy of Mad #1 and I turned it down. In my judgement the book was flat, I thought I’d have trouble selling it, I couldn’t remember the…
Sensation Comics #20, DC Comics, August 1943 I was reading up on the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, lots of hype online and lots of general excitement. I thought I’d comb over some old Wonder Woman comics and see if I…
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #1, America’s Best Comics, March 1999 I think the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LOEG) is one of the best ideas to come out of comics ever! That’s a big statement to make but I believe it…
Blackhawk #117, DC Comics, October 1957 This week’s Spotlight came to me while I was trying to convince the owner of a large Batman collection to sell, or at least trade his books to me. He’s looking for a Spider-Man…
All-American Comics #90, DC Comics, October 1947 I mentioned I thought I was on to something a few weeks back in Spotlight #308. In that Spotlight I wrote that I noticed a trend towards what I called “nouveau iconic” Golden…
Flash #155, DC Comics, September 1965 Used to be that if I went AWOL there was no Spotlight. Not any more thanks to what has become a Rogue’s Gallery of Guest Spotlight writers. These guys are good, get them together in a…
Power Pack #1, Marvel Comics, August 1984 I just read some report that the top CEOs from companies like Disney, Warner and Fox gathered and announced unwavering enthusiasm for comic book inspired movies. Marvel’s CEO Robert Iger said there would…
Power Man #24, Marvel Comics, April 1975 I was pricing some comics for an upcoming Con and came across a nice tight Black Goliath #1. I wasn’t sure how to price it because I knew the Guide was a bit…
Boy Comics #9, Lev Gleason, April 1943 It seems I haven’t posted a 1940s comic in almost a year. Considering my opinion that the 1940s are the largest reservoir of yet “undiscovered” gems this is certainly an oversight I’d like…
Deadpool (2008 Series) Vol. 2, #45, Marvel Comics, December 2011 That new Deadpool movie has turned into a huge, and some would say, surprise hit. I don’t think anybody saw the movie doing that well especially considering the R rating…
Green Lantern #141, DC Comics, June 1981 This week I had a specific approach I wanted to take with the Spotlight. We were talking shop around the shop recently and we somehow ended up discussing concepts/teams/characters that showed a heck…
Detective Comics #27, DC Comics, May 1939. I’ve always wanted to write-up a complicated essay on Detective Comics #27. Over the years I’ve had a couple of abortive starts, giving up when I realized the work needed to do it right. I would like to express my view though. So what’s a guy to do?
Detective Comics #327, DC Comics, May 1964 With all the changes comic book characters go through these days it’s hard to imagine a time when concepts, costumes and even title logos changed little over decades. This week’s Undervalued Spotlight pick…
Tales of Suspense #32, Marvel Comics, August 1962 Tales to Astonish #27’s “The Man in the Ant Hill” story came out in January of 1962. It of course introduced Hank Pym and was a fan favorite right from the get…
Giant-Size X-Men #1, Marvel Comics, Summer 1975. I’m told I have a gift for exaggeration though I don’t believe I’m exaggerating at all when I declare this week’s Undervalued Spotlight pick, Giant Size X-Men #1, to be the 3rd most important super-hero comic ever published!
Space Adventures #44, Charlton Comics, (February 1962) You’d have to go back to the infamous April Fool’s Day post of last year to find a Charlton comic featured on the Spotlight, and I didn’t even mean that one! Still, it’s…
Echo of Futurepast #1, Pacific Comics, May 1984 This week the Undervalued Spotlight features a submission from guest writer Jonathan Winchester. Jonathan picks a beauty from that Copper Age of comics I love so much. There are so many undervalued…