Set Description:
Action Comics became the main theme of my CGC collection thanks to two pocket books published in 1993 and 1994, Superman in Action Comics: Featuring the Complete Covers of the First 25 Years and Superman in Action Comics: Featuring the Complete Covers of the Second 25 Years. I found these books when I was 12 years old, not long after I started reading and collecting Superman comic books. I spent hours flipping through these two volumes, enjoying the great covers throughout the various decades, my parents also approved and enjoyed many of these covers with me.
The first half of the 1970s (15 to 25-cent cover prices and 52 to 100 Page Giants) is my favorite era of Action Comics to collect. This is a time when the covers went back to simplicity, emphasizing figure drawing against a minimal background; the title header was enlarged again for a time, going back to the title’s original look. After the campy Silver Age of comics in the 1950s and ‘60s, where Superman often looked perplexed, Superman started looking super again.
I also have an interest in collecting issues 501 to 700 (1979-1994), if I can get them for the right price. Issues from this period were printed during a time of increasing popularity of specialty comic shops over newsstands and drug stores. The industry’s finest artists and writers continued to contribute during this period. Ross Andru and Dick Giordano teamed up for several amazing covers from the late '70s to mid ‘80s for example. Veteran artist Gil Kane (Green Lantern, Atom) also brought in several visually spectacular covers around 1983-84. Industry superstar John Byrne (X-Men) also lent his talents to revamp Superman for a new generation in the late ‘80s. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s have some of my favorite covers and stories from my childhood. While these issues are considered common, I still find collecting them to be rewarding, and a little more affordable.
This set contains at least one 9.8 ‘WHITE Pages’ example from 1968 to 1994.
Noted Pedigree Examples:
John G. Fantucchio
Massachusetts (Mass. Copy)
Oakland
Pacific Coast (2x)
Rocky Mountain (15x)
Suscha News
Twin Cities
Western Penn
Winnipeg (2x)
Recommended References:
75 Years of DC Comics: The Art Of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz, 2010.
Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman the Deluxe Edition by Various, 2018.
The Krypton Companion edited by Micheal Eury, 2006.
The Photo-Journal Guide to Comics Volume 1 (A-J), by Ernst Gerber, 1989.
Superman in Action Comics: Volume 1, Featuring the Complete Covers of the First 25 Years, 1993.
Superman in Action Comics: Volume 2, Featuring the Complete Covers of the Second 25 Years, 1994.
~Fourth Annual Comics Registry Awards: Best Set Presentation - July 24, 2009
"One of the qualities that factors into the judging for this category is the participant’s ability to share their set in a unique and personal way. The comments in this set allow us a window into the mind of this collector where we can understand the excitement in acquiring some of these issues."
~Annual Comics Registry Awards: Best Set Presentation - July 23, 2021
"Super, man! The iconic Action Comics, one of the longest running comic books in the business. 9.8s across the board, with an ultra rare 9.9 for issue 581, what an accomplishment! This set just screams “Old School”, and Brandon’s descriptions of each comic bring them to life. Great back story in the set description as well! Thank you for sharing this collection with us all, Brandon, good luck in your search for the rest!"
|