| Slot: |
Showcase 4 |
| Item: |
Showcase #4 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.2 |
| Cert #: |
1032387001
|
Owner Comments
This is the biggie and probably the most rapidly appreciating book in the comic book world. It features the introduction of Barry Allen, the Flash, and Central City.
The book contains two stories: “The Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt” and “The Man Who Broke The Time Barrier”.
The first story introduces readers to Barry Allen, a police scientist who is doused with chemicals that are struck by lightning. Barry soon finds that he has been endowed with super-speed and creates a costume which contracts and hides in his ring). He takes on the name of his favorite comic book character: The Flash.
In his first mission as the Flash, Barry goes after the criminal known as the Turtle Man, dubbed the world's slowest man. The Turtle Man tries to rob a bank. However, he is ultimately thwarted by the Flash, despite the fact that his super-speed often worked against him going after the plodding Turtle Man. Ultimately, the Flash captures his opponent and turns him over to the police.
In ‘The Man Who Broke The Time Barrier”, Central City is hit with a number of strange crimes where a series of items begins vanishing from people's possessions. Barry Allen becomes involved as the Flash when a beaker he's experimenting with vanishes as well. Tracking down the culprit puts Barry up against Mazdan, a criminal from the future who was supposed to be sent to the 50th Century to serve his sentence on a desolate Earth but was sent to the past by mistake instead.
Able to avoid Mazdan's weapon, Flash captures the crook. However, he manages to break out of prison using his superior scientific knowledge. Catching up with Mazdan again, the Flash tries to capture him again but stops when Mazdan petitions the Flash to allow him to return to his own time. Instead of allowing him to go in his own time capsule, the Flash instead breaks the time barrier by running at super speed, turning Mazdan over to the authorities in the future. Mazdan is sent to the correct era to serve out his punishment. The Flash then returns to his own time and resumes his civilian life once more.
This copy is a very clean 9.2, one of the top 5 graded overall and certainly the best we can afford in today's market. We acquired the book from Vintage Comics, who is an old friend and knew I wanted a better copy. He bought the book raw and I received it directly from CGC. It is thus one of the few books I Oen, which has never been owned by anyone else as a graded book. As an aside. I really wish I had done an all-cash deal and not traded by Nick Cage copy as part of the transaction, which because of the appreciation of this book would be more valuable today than the 9.2 was when I bought it. But I have never been that smart LOL.
Unfortunately, I do not have a scan, but hope to add one soon.
|
| Slot: |
Showcase 8 |
| Item: |
Showcase #8 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.2 |
| Cert #: |
1198563002
|
Owner Comments
Showcase #8 represents the second try-out issue of the SA Flash. It is unique in that regard, in that almost all try-out issue of superheroes run consecutively. Notably one of the two stories in the book introduces the DC world to Captain Cold, alias Len Snart, who will be a recurring Flash villain.
Len Snart was a down on his luck guy until one day, after reading a newspaper story that theorized that a cyclotron could possibly stop the Flash, Snart breaks into a science lab and uses the Cyclotron on a weapon of his own devising. Mostly by accident, Snart creates a freezing weapon that leads to the birth of his costumed identity: Captain Cold.
As Cold, Snart hopes to use his cold gun (and its abilities to create mirages) against the Flash and defeat the worlds fastest man. Going up against the Flash, Captain Cold's weapon works at first disorientating the Flash. However, Flash figures out the truth behind Cold's powers and is able to stop him by spinning him around at super speed, and turns him over to the police.
This copy is highest graded and one of only two 9.2s. It probably the toughest book in the whole run as the next best copies are 8.0s. The book was purchased from CL in a brokered transaction in 2014. It wasn’t cheap LOL.
|
| Slot: |
Showcase 13 |
| Item: |
Showcase #13 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 8.5 |
| Cert #: |
1157246001
|
Owner Comments
This time there was a gap of four issue until Flash makes another appearance in Showcase #13. It seemed the Flash was going to make annual appearances, as Showcase #4 was published in 1956, Showcase #8 in 1957, and Showcase #13 in 1957. Obviously DC was not yet fully committed to SA superheroes just yet.
As in #4 and #8, this issue contains two stories: “Around the World in 80 Minutes” and “Master of the Elements”.
In the first story, after taking Iris on a date to see the film "Around the World in 80 Days", Iris muses how long it would take Flash to run around the world before reminding Barry that they have a date and he shouldn't be late.The next day Flash races to Paris to stop the Black Cat from blowing up the Eiffel Tower, travels to Egypt to saves Princess Tara from El Claw, stops an avalanche near Mt. Everest, and stops a pirate submarine. After recovering the crew targeted by the pirate sub, they tell him it's Tuesday. Fearing he's late for his date (Which was for Monday evening) Flash races back to the States and changes into Barry Allen, and finds to his relief that it's still Monday on his side of the world and he's just in time for his date with Iris.
The second story introduces us to Mr Element, a scientist with a bipolar personality. Interestingly, he discovered the Philosopher’s Stone many years before JK Rowland. Needless to say, Flash still always wins.
This is currently the only book in this set where our copy is graded below a 9.0 by CGC. It is nonetheless one of the top 6 copies overall trailing a single 9.2 and a single 9.0.
Purchased from ComicConnect on 6/21/2013.
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| Slot: |
Showcase 14 |
| Item: |
Showcase #14 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.0 |
| Cert #: |
1131201001
|
Owner Comments
Flash’s appearance in Showcase #14 is notable in that it is the time that there is no break between Flash issues and the last Flash Showcase appearance.
In the feature story, “Giants in the Time World”, a new jet is captured by a UFO during a test run. Witnessing the abduction on his wrist watch, Barry changes into the Flash and chases after the ship aboard a rocket, but the ship disappears. Realizing that it must have traveled through time, Flash speeds through the time barrier and ends up in a strange world where the people start out small but grow in to giants. Told that he is in the fourth-dimension, the giants tell the Flash that they intend to invade the Earth and take it over. Braking free of the hour-glass they have imprisoned him in, the Flash saves Iris and destroys the giant's invasion fleet with speed-vibrations, before returning himself and Iris to their own dimension.
This copy is highest graded tied with two other 9.0s.
2020: There has has been a substantial change in the census on this book. There are now three 9.0s and a single 9.2, even though I have seen no high grade copies on the market for years. I purchased my book on E-Bay more than 10 years ago. I hopefully will add a scan soon.
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| Slot: |
Showcase 22 |
| Item: |
Showcase #22 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.0 |
| Cert #: |
1027965002
|
Owner Comments
Showcase #22 is the debut issue of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, and one of the major Silver Age keys. With a career spanning from the 1940 release of All-American Comics #16 (and the Golden Age Green Lantern title) to the Silver Age relaunch of the series in Green Lantern #1, the groundbreaking O’Neil and Adams run starting in Green Lantern #76, through the controversial “Emerald Twilight/Dawn” story arc and right up to the recent blockbuster “Blackest Night”, Green Lantern is one of the most popular and dynamic characters in the DC Universe. Green Lantern is also just the third major DC hero to be featured on the silver screen-OK Ryan Reynolds was probably better as Deadpool, but poor Flash is still waiting.
Time has not been kind to my issue. When I acquired this book in the 3/13/2012 ComicLink auction, it was one of the three highest graded copies. Needless to say, it was not cheap. Shortly thereafter, in August 2012, a 9.2 emerged as was also auctioned off on ComicLink. It made about $20,000 more than I paid, a relative bargain. That book has had quite a history. It was purchased by a friend of mine who sold it for more than twice what he paid in 2017. But since then, the book has bounced around several auctions and just sold again for $87,000 plus the buyer’s premium on Heritage in their May 2020 auction. That is still more than what the book made when it first emerged in August 2012, but considerably less than what my friend sold it for in 2017. Of course, one major problem for that book now is that it is no longer highest graded, as out of nowhere a 9.4 has popped onto the census. Nobody I know has seen that book or knows it’s origins. But all this means that my book, which started out highest graded when I bought it in March 2012, is now tied with three other books for third highest graded with a single 9.2 and 9.4 above it. Oh well, it is still top six, at least for now........
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| Slot: |
Showcase 23 |
| Item: |
Showcase #23 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.2 |
| Cert #: |
1197334001
|
Owner Comments
Showcase #23 is a rare one. The second appearance of SA Green Lantern and, IMHO, the most interesting of the three Showcase covers #22-24. There is only one 9.0, two 9.2s and a single 9.4 in the census. The OW/W pages are a rarity in these early tryout issues, as most feature C/OW pages.
Acquired in the September 29, 2013 ComicConnect auction.
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| Slot: |
Showcase 24 |
| Item: |
Showcase #24 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.0 |
| Cert #: |
1059545009
|
Owner Comments
The last of the three Green Lantern try-out issues, this book is tied with six others as highest graded as of 5/2020.
Purchased in the 12/4/2014 ComicConnect auction.
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| Slot: |
Showcase 30 |
| Item: |
Showcase #30 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1345315004
|
Owner Comments
Showcase #40 marks the first Aquaman try-out issue. Of course, it should be noted that Aquaman was previously introduced to the DC Universe as a member of JLA in Brave & Bold #28. Our copy is one of four highest graded and bears the Bethlehem Pedigree. It was acquired off the CL Exchange on 11/2/2017.
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| Slot: |
Showcase 31 |
| Item: |
Showcase #31 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1272979001
|
Owner Comments
Second Aquaman try-out issue in Showcase from 1961, this is the single highest graded copy as of 2/2020. Acquired in a private transaction with Pedigree Comics.
|
| Slot: |
Showcase 35 |
| Item: |
Showcase #35 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1465452001
|
|
| Slot: |
Showcase 36 |
| Item: |
Showcase #36 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1273675007
|
Owner Comments
Atom’s third appearance in Showcase, this book is second highest graded trailing three 9.6s.
|
| Slot: |
Showcase 59 |
| Item: |
Showcase #59 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1495578008
|
|
| Slot: |
Showcase 61 |
| Item: |
Showcase #61 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
0079205008
|
Owner Comments
One of seven 9.6s with none higher from the prestigious Pacific Coast Collection. Acquired in a private transaction with a friend in 2019.
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