Some interesting listings this week. I'm a big fan of the above cover.

Original BATMAN cover by P. Craig Russell

Just a great image. Everything you want from PCR. Would look phenomenal framed.

Showcase 6 CGC 5.5 OW/W Pages

I've never owned this book. Just sayin'

(no, I'm not bidding on it. There are about $50,000 worth of Daredevils I'm trying to sort through bidding on between ComicLink and Pedigree this month, so whatever I target amongst those is going to be my entire comic budget)

Daredevil 1 CGC 9.2 NM- Stan Lee Everett Jack Kirby

There are a lot of Daredevil #1s available right now. Really nice ones. Hopefully Filter will get a good price for his. Clearly people in the market for a 9.6 aren't going to go after a 9.2 so he's probably got a shot.

SANDMAN #1 Page 11 Original Art – NEIL GAIMAN SAM KIETH

Not the best Sandman page…. BUT, it's a page from #1. That's pretty cool.

Seduction of the Innocent, first, with bibliography

A great piece of comic book history.

Hopefully I'll be able to get through a few of these before the auction closes. This is such a great auction it deserves attention beyond the obsessive refreshing of the Detective 27 page to see if it's received any new bids.

Anyway, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of the Gainers file copies, when Jerry Weist and Bob Overstreet were putting together the books for sale they grouped and ranked the books in sets based on condition. The #1 set was the best, the #2 was second best and so on. Many of these sets have been subsequently broken up, so it's interesting to see one with such a low number come up for sale, complete, with a single owner post-Gaines sale.

As you can see from the grades, these books were truly the cream of the crop. So many 9.6s and 9.8s.
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Click through for the golden numbered goodness:

Anyone want to guess at what it's worth? $40,000? $50,000? Does the minty freshness and novelty of being a mint key push it higher?

If not, this is a good place to start:

The Harvey Kurtzman Estate

For me, Kurtzman is best remembered as the driving force behind two of the greatest comic series of all time Two Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat. Frontline Combat, especially, ranks as one of my favorite series.

Jack Kamen, best known for his work at EC Comics, died yesterday at the age of 88. The cause of death is being reported as cancer.

A native of Brooklyn, Kamen was born May 29, 1920 and at one point in his life was heading for a career in illustration and sculpture. In 1941, he began getting work as an illustrator for pulp magazines…an endeavor that was interrupted by a draft notice. Upon his discharge, he found the pulp market in decline and so began picking up work for comic books, primarily for Fiction House where his clean style fit in well with the preferred look of their line. He was especially good at drawing pretty women, a skill that often typed one as an artist for romance comics.

There's a slideshow of EC covers on CNN:

The pictures that horrified America – CNN.com

Jerry Weist Bidding on Dave Anderson's Shock Suspenstories #2 Mile High Copy – EC Comics

Let's see if I can take him out

Mission Accomplished! Albeit by only one bid increment.

eBay: WEIRD SCIENCE 12 (1) GAINES COPY 1 CGC NEAR MINT 9.4 (item 250084548265 end time Feb-21-07 09:01:13 PST)

Winning bid: US $5,705.00 Seller: execsec2( 252)

Description:
This week our offering of books from the number one sets of WEIRD FANTASY and WEIRD SCIENCE comes to a spectacular conclusion. We present seven exceptional books from the sets comprised of what Robert Overstreet considered the best copies of the sci-fi titles publisher Bill Gaines had preserved. WEIRD SCIENCE 12 (1), the May-June 1950 edition, is the first issue of EC's iconic comic. It boasts an Al Feldstein cover with a scene from Harvey Kurtzman's lead story "Lost in the Microcosm". Feldstein himself draws the concluding story, "'Things' from Outer Space". In between Wally Wood has a "Dream of Doom" and Jack Kamen an "Experiment … in Death". CGC has graded this Gaines copy Near Mint 9.4 and noted "off-white to white pages". Only two examples of this issue rate higher in the census . They are both 9.6s. The certificate of authenticity accompanies the book. Please see our other auctions for more items that might interest you. Overstreet 2006 Price Guide Value: Near Mint Minus 9.2 $3000"

Here's a picture of the book:

What follows are some notes on the covers I submitted for the top Golden Age Covers Contest over on the forums (a surprisingly Hater Free zone ) These are REALLY off-the-cuff. I know you guys won't hold that against me.

I'm starting from the top down. Why? Because it's more fun for me if I do that.

1. Weird Science Fantasy #29

Only the most dedicated contrarian would argue against Frank Frazetta being one of the most talented artists to ever work in comics. What he accomplished in his short time in the industry was remarkable. Of course, what he went on to do when he left for greener pastures was far more impressive- he became a true legend in his field and went on to inspire and influence an entire generation of artists.

What does that have to do with WSF29? Well, for my money this image is the purest comic book expression of the Frank Frazetta that the world would come to know in later years. This drawing compares favorably with anything in his entire oeuvre in terms of the kind of raw power that makes Frazetta "Frazetta." He has an uncanny knack for capturing a freeze frame moment of savage action and that knack is in full display here.

Of course, beyond that, it's just a cool-ass drawing, inked beautifully. Frazetta was the best pure inker in comic books in his time and this cover shows ALL of his inking chops brilliantly. I especially like the intricate, sinewy musculature; the craggy, perfectly delineated rocks; and the patches of wonderful, Raymondesque feathering.

All in all, just a masterpiece.

2. Spirit #22

Eisner created some of the greatest femme fatales in comics history and this image represents the very essence of the archetype that he knew so well.

In other words "She's sexy, but she's got a knife!"

One thing I really like about it is the bold contrast in the image. She's lit by what might as well be a spot-light from two angles which creates bright white highlights and a pool of black that runs down the center of her figure. It adds weight to her form and created a decidedly cinematic feel.

3. Startling Comics #49

Schomburg + airbrush= one of my favorite things in comics. This cover is a perfect example of why that is: it's beautifully rendered with a primary color palette that screams "Golden Age;" it's got a damsel in distress in bondage (another GA hallmark); it's got that dimensional "airbrush" feel; and it's got a FREAKING ROBOT front and center.

As we all know, robots rule the school.

4. Weird Science #16

This one is a really personal choice. For starters it's Wally Wood and I love Wood's art. He's probably my favorite of the EC regulars for his EC work(when I consider the breadth of Al Williamson's career he takes over the top spot) Something about Wood just works for me. Here everything does: the kids, the dog, and especially the aliens just have a certain spark that brings a smile to my face.

Another thing that I love about it is the subject matter. It's got such a 50s feel to me- big head aliens in glass-dome helmets landing here to take over the world. That's some cool stuff right there.

Finally- I just love the Sci-Fi ECs. I devoured them when I was a kid and still love them to this day.

5. Man O'Mars #1

No logic behind this one. I just love the image. It's a neat drawing and the coloring is so garish and strange I just can't help but like it. Everything is all purple and green and freaky. Too cool.

I actually own a copy of this as well, which has to count for something.

Right?

It's interesting that this is the only Fiction House book I voted for. I love Fiction House books more than any other GA publisher besides EC. It's strange because the overall level of their covers was so good. There are really no singular standouts in my mind.

Odd, that.

6. Thrilling Comics #63

See my answer for Thrilling 49 and swap out the robots and the bondage for a jungle girl and a big cat.

I'm a sucker for jungle girls and big cats on comic book covers.

I like the rendering on this cover more than the rendering on the Thrilling cover, by the way. This is really some sweet airbrush work.

7. Suspense Comics #3

Nazi Clansmen + Bondage + that crazy blue and red color scheme = crazy cover.

8. Reform School Girl #nn

There's a part of me that thinks that this is the greatest comic book cover of all time. Obviously, it's not, but there's so many crazy things about it the part of my brain that thrives on the outrageous desperately wants to throw caution to the wind and make the claim.

I'll tell you on thing, I wish I were old enough to have had my youth damaged by seeing this lurid cover on the newsstand.

9. Mister Mystery #12

Brazen cruelty! Right there on the newsstand!

An image worthy of Takashi Miike.

10. Crime SuspenStories #20

Nothing fancy, just a straightforward, close-up rendering of a hanged man. It's that direct, unadorned approach that makes it work so very well. Of all the EC covers this might be the one that sticks with me the most.

Plus, ECs rule.