| Slot: |
Aquaman #1 |
| Item: |
Aquaman #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1197147001
|
Owner Comments
Obviously, Aquaman #1 features the start is the Silver Age run of Aquaman in his own magazine after four try-out issues in Showcase (#30-33). It also features the first appearance of Quisp. Our 9.6 with OW pages is one of four highest graded examples as of 6/2020. This book was acquired in the March 2020 CL auction.
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| Slot: |
Atom #1 |
| Item: |
Atom #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1199061010
|
Owner Comments
Atom #1, his first issue in his own book after three Showcase try-out issues, features the introduction of the Plant Master. Our copy is second highest graded trailing a single 9.6. it was acquired in an E-Bay auction on 7/23/2018.
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| Slot: |
Flash #105 |
| Item: |
Flash #105 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1215045003
|
Owner Comments
Flash #105 is the second most coveted book in the run and the first appearance of the Mirror Master.
In the feature story, at the Central City bank, Sam Scudder walks in with civilian clothes on and walks up to bank teller, Mr. J. Wilkins, to exchange larger bills for singles. As the banker is distracted, Scudder takes out a small pocket mirror to capture the individuals 'image' from all angles before leaving the bank.
Outside the city, Mirror Master develops the bank teller's image with his "camera mirror". Sam thinks about his original discovery of these gimmick mirrors when he was in jail years ago. He remembers he painted the wrong material onto a mirror and thought he had ruined it. When he looked into it and saw images the mirror was looking at earlier, he found that this mirror retained an image for several minutes before disappearing. Since leaving jail, he's improved his techniques and can now print 3-D images from the mirrors. He prints up a mirror image of Mr. J. Wilkins from the bank and sends him back to the bank to steal money for him.
Barry Allen, happening to be at the bank at the time, notices that there is something amiss about the manager as his hair is parted differently than before, and his wedding band is on his right hand, so he decides to follow him.
Barry transforms into the Flash to follow Wilkins but soon finds Wilkins moving just as fast as the Flash can. He soon finds himself at a secluded house. Flash finds many mirrors around the house and cannot tell which is the real Wilkins and which is just a mirror image. Flash grabs a paint bucket and starts painting the walls to remove the mirror illusions. Flash follows Wilkins into another room where he encounters a gigantic mosquito. By moving at the speed of light, the Flash causes a strange affect on the mosquito and disables it. Next the the Flash is chased by a Minotaur. He turns off the power in the house and the Minotaur instantly disappears. Flash finds the Mirror Master in the dark and quickly captures the crook and turns him over to the police. The Flash explains he realized these were items powered by light so if he turned of the power and lights, he figured his mirror creations would disappear.
This copy is the highest graded tied with two other copies. We acquired it in the Heritage auction of 2/22/2012.*
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| Slot: |
Green Lantern #1 |
| Item: |
Green Lantern #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1027968001
|
Owner Comments
Green lantern #1 marks the first appearance of the Silver Age Green Lantern in his own magazine. In the featured story, "Menace of the Giant Puppet!" Green Lantern is puzzled by a series of bizarre crimes that have been plaguing the city. In each case, a law-abiding citizen tries to rob a place and is captured by the Green Lantern. In each situation the person caught claims to have been controlled as if like a puppet. After a series of "puppet master" crimes, Green Lantern is convinced that there is somebody controlling other people. Hal is suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when one of the balloons in the parade -- made to look like a puppet -- suddenly comes to life and starts shooting at him with a giant gun. Hal however, easily defeats the puppet with his power ring.
Later, the Puppet Master uses his hypno-ray to bring Green Lantern to his secret hideout. The Emerald Crusader manages to free himself and the Puppet Master is no match in battle against him and he easily captures him and turns him over to the police.
This book is one of three 9.4s making it tied for highest graded and boasts white pages to boot! We acquired the book from the November 2011 auction on CL of what was at that time the #1 Green Lantern registry set.
8/2019 Update: the census now shows only two 9.4s, which is probably bad news for me, as the copy that sold in the recent Comic Connect auction may have been upgraded to 9.6. I had a chance to buy that one, so I guess I blew it, but it is hard to fork out the money for a second highest graded book in hopes that it will be upgraded, especially when this one has superior pages. Oh well, as Forrest Gump said, it happens.....
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| Slot: |
Hawkman #1 |
| Item: |
Hawkman #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1492311002
|
Owner Comments
I always liked this cover with Hawkeye battling what looks like some kind of Aztec mystic. It is obviously the first Hawkman issue in his own name and also features the origin of Chac. Our copy is tied for second highest graded trailing a single 9.8.
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| Slot: |
Inferior Five #1 |
| Item: |
Inferior Five #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
2003264024
|
Owner Comments
In the late 1960s, both Marvel and DC decided to try their hand at parodying their super hero franchises. The Inferior Five was rather short lived, starting in 1967. Our WO 9.8 comes from the Federal Hill Collection and is the single highest graded copy of this issues, we acquired the book in the 4/28/2021 CL Auction.
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| Slot: |
Justice League of America #1 |
| Item: |
Justice League of America #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1295596001
|
Owner Comments
Issue #1 marks the first appearance of the JLA in their own magazine after three try-out issues in Brave and Bold (#28-30). Issue #1 also features the origin and first appearance of Despero.
In “World of No Return,” Barry Allen investigates a strange blue glow coming from a house, and ends up encountering Jasonar and Saranna, beings from Kalanor a planet in another dimension. Changing into the Flash, Barry learns that these aliens have escaped Kalanor, which has been under the rule of Despero, a despotic ruler who has access to super weapons. Jasonar and Saranna came to Earth to build a device which would absorb Kalanor's weapons' power source. Offering to help, the Flash calls the Justice League together to help Jasonar and Saranna in their mission to stop Despero.
When Saranna is kidnapped by Despero, Flash rushes to the JLA headquarters to find the rest of the team under Despero's power. Despero offers the Flash a chance to save his friends by planning a version of chess, which involves using cards to move the pieces. Each chess piece represents a different JLA member, if they land on a free square each member is set free and Despero will leave Earth and give up his conquest. However, if the pieces were to land on a disaster square, the Flash would have to leave Despero alone to complete his conquest of Kalanor.
Flash eventually loses due to Despero's tampering and is forced to leave in Jasonar's dimensional traveler, while each JLA member was transported to a different world. As Despero gloats over his victory, he is totally unaware that the he has been observed by Snapper Carr.
While in the furthest reaches of the universe pairs of JLA members escape from their various perils: Wonder Woman and Superman escape from a world of primordial creatures resembling the dinosaurs of prehistoric Earth; Green Lantern and Aquaman save an aquatic planet from a super weapon before escaping in a glass submarine lent to them by the indigent population; Martian Manhunter and Batman save another planet from being destroyed as a missile streaks towards the planet's nearby star. Afterwards, all the JLA members reunite and are determined to track down and stop Despero.
Meanwhile, Jasonar had completed his energy absorber weapon to use against Despero, but the villain shows up and uses his powers to immobilize Jasonar. When all seems lost, Snapper emerges from Despero's dimensional transporter (having stowed himself away on it) and uses the energy absorber on Despero, rendering him inert. The Justice League arrives shortly after to find that the villain had been defeated by their honorary member. Jasonar thanks the JLA for their help (who also congratulate Snapper) and Jasonar returns to his home dimension with the inert Despero.
Our 9.6 is one of two highest graded copies of this pivotal issue as of 6/2020. It was auctioned off by Heritage in 2018. We subsequently acquired it in a private transaction with a friend and fellow collector.
Strangely enough, both 9.6s in the census came to auction within a year or so, the first in a Heritage auction and the second in a CC auction, with the first making $100k more than the second. I am not sure I have an explanation for that one, other than the market for many DCs remain very thin and one buyer was eliminated when the second one came to auction. Also, as I mentioned in my general remarks above, the prices on these books have really fallen over the last couple of years. From an investors’ standpoint, I think DCs now represent a far better investment than Marvels, after all, the object is to buy low and sell high and the prices on DCs are very low compared to their Marvel counterparts. I do prefer Marvels myself, but when a FF #4 7.5, of which there are 150 copies as good or better, makes considerably more in the same auction than a JLA #11 9.8, which is highest graded 1/2 and came out the same month as the FF #4, the price disparity becomes absurd (for the record, the auction was on Heritage in November 2020, the JLA #11 9.8 made $7,800, while the FF #4 7.5 made $9,000). Moreover, to be honest, I think the JLA #11 cover is actually cooler than the FF #4 cover, and covers is really all we are collecting when we buy CGC books. I fully realize it goes against the current trends in the market, but if I were a young collector just starting out, I would buy DCs.
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| Slot: |
Metal Men #1 |
| Item: |
Metal Men #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
0959142002
|
Owner Comments
This copy of Metal Men #1 is the second highest graded trailing a lone 9.8. Acquired in the CL auction of 11/1/2011.
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| Slot: |
Spectre #1 |
| Item: |
Spectre #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
0783394001
|
Owner Comments
Although only a 9.6, this is the single highest graded copy of the first issue of Spectre's solo SA run.
Long owned by my friend, Crazy Eddie, this book was acquired on 8/31/2018 in a ComicConnect auction.
|
| Slot: |
Teen Titans #1 |
| Item: |
Teen Titans #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1572608001
|
Owner Comments
Teen Titans #1 represents the first appearances of the quartet of Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Wonder Girl in their own magazine, following three try-out appearances in the Brave and the Bold and Showcase. The issue also features appearances by Batman, Aquaman, Flash and Wonder Woman. Our 9.6 comes from the Northland Pedigree and Federal Hill Collections. We acquired the book from the 5/27/2021 CL Auction.
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