Auctions: comic books September 1963

Action Comics (1938 DC) 304 VG 4.0 (R)

Restored (see item notes)

RESTORATION. Cover cleaned. Water damage.

Cover pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Sheldon Moldoff. "The Interplanetary Olympics!", script by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein; Superman and Lana are taken to the planet Vorn, where Superman is invited to compete in the Interplanetary Olympics. Supermen of America ad. One-page Shorty story by Henry Boltinoff. Origin & 1st appearance of Black Flame in "The Maid of Menace!", script by Leo Dorfman, art by Jim Mooney; Black Flame, a super-powered villainess, tells Supergirl she is her descendant from the 40th century, but Supergirl eventually deduces that she is really from Kandor, and wipes out her powers with Gold Kryptonite. 36 Pages, Full Color. $0.12 Cover price $0.12.

Action Comics (1938 DC) 304 GD 2.0 (R)

Restored (see item notes)

RESTORATION: Staples replaced. Tape under staples & alone spine.

Cover pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Sheldon Moldoff. "The Interplanetary Olympics!", script by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein; Superman and Lana are taken to the planet Vorn, where Superman is invited to compete in the Interplanetary Olympics. Supermen of America ad. One-page Shorty story by Henry Boltinoff. Origin & 1st appearance of Black Flame in "The Maid of Menace!", script by Leo Dorfman, art by Jim Mooney; Black Flame, a super-powered villainess, tells Supergirl she is her descendant from the 40th century, but Supergirl eventually deduces that she is really from Kandor, and wipes out her powers with Gold Kryptonite. 36 Pages, Full Color. $0.12 Cover price $0.12.

Amazing Spider-Man (1963 1st Series) 4 CGC 3.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4638124004

Cover art by Steve Ditko. First appearance of the Sandman in Nothing Can Stop The Sandman!, script by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko; The Sandman tries to hide from police in the high school where Peter Parker goes to school. Intro Betty Brant and Liz Allen. Reprinted in Marvel Tales # 141. 36 pgs. $0.12. Cover price $0.12.

Avengers (1963 1st Series) 1 CGC 4.5

Paper: White

Label #4622125001

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers. In this first landmark issue, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Ant Man form the Avengers in "The Coming of the Avengers!", script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; Loki, having been previously captured by Thor, is being held prisoner at the Isle of Silence in Asgard; His physical form may be confined there, but by means of thought projection his disembodied self travels to Earth in search of revenge; He spots Thor in his human identity of Dr. Don Blake, but resists defeating him as it would be a hollow victory compared to defeating him as Thor; After hours of searching, Loki happens across the Hulk and devises a wicked plan to entice Blake to transform into Thor; Hours later, newspapers print articles about the Hulk being on the rampage again and a manhunt begins; The Hulk's friend, Rick Jones, reads the article with disbelief and meets with members of the Teen Brigade in order to find help to track Hulk down to find the truth; They attempt to contact the Fantastic Four but Loki interferes with the radio signal, diverting it to Don Blake; He decides to transform into Thor to help the Teen Brigade; Unknown to Loki, the radio signal is also picked up by Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Iron Man, who also travel to assist; Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp pursue the Hulk to an auto factory in Detroit; Thor appears with Loki to clear Hulk's name; Suddenly Loki makes himself radioactive forcing the heroes to retreat; Luckily, Loki stands over a trapdoor and Ant-Man's ants trigger a switch, dropping him into a lead-lined tank; Upon celebrating their victory, Ant-Man and the Wasp point out how well they could work as a team, and that they should work together in future; The Wasp decides they should call themselves the Avengers, and everybody agrees. 36 pgs., full color. $0.12. Cover price $0.12.

Fantastic Four (1961 1st Series) 18 VG- 3.5

1" cumulative spine split. Cover loose at one staple. Oxidation.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Paul Reinman. Origin and first appearance of the Super Skrull in "A Skrull Walks Among Us!", script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; The Skrull Emperor sends the Super-Skrull, a Skrull possessing all the powers of the Fantastic Four, to conquer Earth. In answer to a question from Paul B. Weinstein about who originated the corner cover symbol box, Stan Lee replied: "Steve Ditko dreamed up the idea, and we're sure glad he did!" 36 pgs. $0.12. Cover price $0.12.

Justice League of America (1960 1st Series) 22 CGC 6.5

Paper: White

Label #4646437012

Cover art by Murphy Anderson. Crisis on Earth-Two!, script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Bernard Sachs; The JLA and JSA fight their own villains on the opposite Earths until they are mystically transported to cages in space; They escape and take down the gathered villains. 36 pgs. $0.12. Cover price $0.12.

Justice League of America (1960 1st Series) 22 GD/VG 3.0

Cover art by Murphy Anderson. Crisis on Earth-Two!, script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Bernard Sachs; The JLA and JSA fight their own villains on the opposite Earths until they are mystically transported to cages in space; They escape and take down the gathered villains. 36 pgs. $0.12. Cover price $0.12.

Star-Studded Comics (1963 Texas Trio) 1 VG 4.0

Only one staple (manufacturing) with back cover detached.

Star-Studded Comics 1 - September 1963 (Following content information for this issue, see a "Brief History of Star-Studded Comics" written by Rick Kelsey) Format: Four-color photo offset for cover and ditto interior Staple bound on side of pages. Original price was 35 cents Color cover by Howard Keltner features the Changling, the Defender, Doctor Weird, and the Astral Man. This was the first color cover EVER for a fandom-produced publication. "Let's Talk It Over!" column with notes and discussion by the Texas Trio. Stories:"The Defender in Slaves of the Brain Ray" A text story by Larry Herndon and illustrations by Richard "Grass" Green "Introducing Dr. Weird" Comic story with script and art by Howard Keltner "The Astral Man" A text story by Tommy Fisher "The Changling In Fearfull [sic] Weapon!" Comic story with script and art by Buddy Saunders A BRIEF HISTORY OF STAR-STUDDED COMICS by Rick Kelsey THE BEGINNING: On February 15, 1963, three young men who loved comic books met at a Carrollton, Texas home to talk about the hobby and the possibility of starting their own comic book. They did just that. The comic was called Star-Studded Comics and those three young men, Larry Herndon, Howard Keltner, and Buddy Saunders, became the "Texas Trio." When the "Texas Trio" started Star-Studded Comics in the early 1960s, it was an exciting time in comic books. New heroes and new teams were premiering like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Magnus Robot Fighter, the Justice League of America. And old heroes were being revived like the Flash, Green Lantern, and Captain America. This was a time before VCRs, DVDs, CD-Roms, personal computers, and cellular phones and when checking your mail meant looking in the mailbox in front of your home not turning on the computer and logging onto the internet. Even comic books stores didn't exist. You got the latest issues of Batman, Superman, the Hulk, or Donald Duck from wire racks in convenience stores, drug stores, grocery stores, and the "five-and-10" shops such as Winn's, Ben Franklin's, and TG&Y. And comic book conventions weren't happening yet. All of that helped to make the entertainment value of comic books all the greater and all the more precious. Fans wanted to meet one another and one way to do that was to publish your own comic book or magazine. Many tried but few succeeded as well as "Star-Studded Comics." The problem? A fan-published comic or magazine didn't usually last or appear with the regularity and dependability of a professional comic. Many fan publications ended or went AWOL after one issue. If you think self-publishing today is a tough job, imagine doing that in the 1960s without computers, desktop publishing software, word processing programs, Fax machines, photo-copiers, a home printer, the internet, or even an electric typewriter. Then toss in the fact that there was little, if any, profit to be made publishing your own comic or magazine. So you couldn't make a living from that. Most of these fan publications were done out of the love of the hobby. And when all of your spare time from your job or school is spent working on a comic or mag, your enthusiasm and dedication can quickly fade. Yet, the "Texas Trio" published 18 issues of Star-Studded Comics and in its time became well-known among fans and professionals alike, gave many future comic writers and artists a start in the industry, and entertained many, many people. And today the comic is a collectors' item and a reminder of a wonderful time when comic books were one of the best entertainment sources and a great escape for youngsters. If you want to know more about the history of Star-Studded Comics and the super-heroes, villains, stories, and artwork that appeared in this publication, check out the book "The Best of Star-Studded Comics" by Bill Schelly which is available at the author's website www.billschelly.com Cover price $0.35.

Thirteen (1961-1971 Dell) 8 CGC 9.8

Paper: Off white

File Copy

Label #0913692003

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36 pages, full color. Cover price $0.12.