ComicLink is closing out the year with a monster catalog—featuring blue-chip Captain America keys, elite pedigree survivors, Todd McFarlane Venom original art, and two interior pages from Absolute Batman #1!

In this extended preview, we dig deep into both the graded comic book and original art sections of the upcoming ComicLink auction. From Golden Age Timely cornerstones to modern heavyweights, here is what stood out across the entire catalog:

Graded Comic Book Highlights:

Captain America Run: Captain America Comics #1 (CGC 8.5), the mysterious 2012 one-week flip copy of Captain America Comics #2 (Billy Wright Pedigree, CGC 9.4), Avengers #4 (CGC 9.8, 1 of 7), and Captain America #117 (Oakland Pedigree, CGC 9.8, 1st Falcon).

Elite Golden & Silver Age Pedigrees: Exciting Comics #65 (Okajima Pedigree, CGC 9.6) and #66 (Edgar Church / Mile High, CGC 9.6), Wings Comics #28 (Allentown Pedigree, CGC 9.4, single highest graded), Fantastic Four #45 (White Mountain Pedigree, CGC 9.4), and Green Lantern #59 (Rocky Mountain Pedigree, CGC 9.8).

Modern Error Rarity: Venom: Lethal Protector #1 Black Cover Printing Error (CGC 9.8).

Original Art Highlights:

Todd McFarlane Amazing Spider-Man #300 (Page 27): A four-panel showstopper featuring both black-costume Spider-Man and Venom in every single panel.

Nick Dragotta Absolute Batman #1 (Pages 21 & 33): Two interior pages from the hottest modern debut in comics—including Page 21 featuring Batman himself.

Murphy Anderson Hawkman #4 (Page 1 Title Splash): Historic Silver Age debut splash introducing Zatanna.

John Byrne Originals: Incredible Hulk Annual #7 Page 14 splash (X-Men vs. Master Mold Sentinel) and Captain America #251 Page 1 Manhattan skyline splash.

90s & Modern Icons: J. Scott Campbell’s Gen 13 #1 double-page origin splash (Pages 2–3), Mike Mignola’s Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment (Page 3), Paul Smith & Terry Austin’s Doctor Strange #73 (Page 8), Jim Starlin’s Captain Marvel #26 cosmic battle splash, a classic Michael Turner & D-Tron Witchblade pinup, and Matthew DiMasi’s 78-pound shattered tile mosaic cover for Invincible #1 Foil Edition.

What do you think Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman #1 page and McFarlane’s ASM #300 Venom page are going to hammer for? Did I miss any hidden gems in the ComicLink catalog? Drop your predictions in the comments below!

🎙️ Edgar Church’s Basement Podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edgar-churchs-basement/id1872746765
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IdlxY2AB8ExWRPwzWCIde?si=dd5837d35faa4dee
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/620e2e28-9264-4485-bfad-bcba7471fabf/edgar-church's-basement

📊 The Edgar Church Data Project
The ultimate resource for tracking the most important pedigree collection in history.

Official Site: http://edgarchurchdata.com

📝 Deep Dives & Analysis
The Main Blog: https://itsalljustcomics.com/
The $100,000 Club: https://itsalljustcomics.com/100000-club/
Timeline of Record Sales: https://itsalljustcomics.com/a-timeline-of-world-record-comic-book-sales/
Silver Age Key & Pedigree Data:https://itsalljustcomics.com/existence-and-grades-of-silver-age-key-books-from-the-major-pedigree-collections/
Most Valuable Comics: https://itsalljustcomics.com/the-most-valuable-comic-books-in-the-world/

🛒 Support & Shop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsalljustcomics/
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_ssn=rob_react

The raw books from August’s $1.4M Minnesota find have been slabbed—and a historic CGC 9.9 Edgar Church Mile High survivor has officially hit the auction block!

In this preview of ComicConnect Event Auction #68, we examine the rapid turnaround of the newly designated Minnesota North Star Collection, along with major Golden Age blue chips, post-bubble price tests, and premier original art lots.

Standout Auction Lots & Forensic Highlights:

The Lost Mile High 9.9: Spy Smasher #7 (CGC 9.9). After vanishing from Chuck Rozanski's original 1977 catalog and resurfacing raw at Luther Auctions in August, this book is now certified as one of only three Mint 9.9 Golden Age copies from the Edgar Church pedigree.

The Minnesota North Star Cohort: Several certified books from the estate have entered the catalog, led by an L.B. Cole classic—Mask Comics #2 in CGC 8.5 (tied for highest-graded on the census).

The Long-Term Slab Check: All-Star Comics #3 (CGC 9.4), sitting in an original 2001 third-party holder for a quarter-century, testing its $358,800 pandemic high.

Revisiting 2023 Benchmarks: Two major keys that hammered on the same day in March 2023 return to market: the Edgar Church More Fun Comics #55 (CGC 9.6, 1st Dr. Fate, previously $264,000) and Detective Comics #33 (CGC 6.5, origin of Batman, previously $288,000).

Pedigree & Modern Volatility: Auditing Marvel Family #1 (CGC 9.4) from the 2021 Promise Collection auction ($186,000) alongside the modern white whale: the elusive 1:100 Amazing Spider-Man #667 Gabriele Dell'Otto variant.

Doctor Doom Original Art Highlights: Two incredible production pieces: Page 18 from Mike Mignola's legendary 1989 graphic novel Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, and Sanford Greene's standout cover art for Doom #1 (2024).

🎙️ Edgar Church’s Basement Podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edgar-churchs-basement/id1872746765
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IdlxY2AB8ExWRPwzWCIde?si=dd5837d35faa4dee
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/620e2e28-9264-4485-bfad-bcba7471fabf/edgar-church's-basement

📊 The Edgar Church Data Project
The ultimate resource for tracking the most important pedigree collection in history.

Official Site: http://edgarchurchdata.com

📝 Deep Dives & Analysis
The Main Blog: https://itsalljustcomics.com/
The $100,000 Club: https://itsalljustcomics.com/100000-club/
Timeline of Record Sales: https://itsalljustcomics.com/a-timeline-of-world-record-comic-book-sales/
Silver Age Key & Pedigree Data:https://itsalljustcomics.com/existence-and-grades-of-silver-age-key-books-from-the-major-pedigree-collections/
Most Valuable Comics: https://itsalljustcomics.com/the-most-valuable-comic-books-in-the-world/

🛒 Support & Shop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsalljustcomics/
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_ssn=rob_react

Following up on our recent discussion of the foundational figures who built the organized comic market, we are taking a forensic look inside the very beginning of standardized pricing: The 1970 Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 (via the 1993 *Comic Book Marketplace* 30-page reproduction edition).

Decades before third-party grading, population censuses, and million-dollar realized prices, Bob Overstreet published the first serious attempt to establish market consensus for vintage comic books. Looking back at the raw listings from 1970 reveals a fascinating snapshot of what the hobby actually valued—and what it completely ignored:

The Insane Compression of Condition: Long before the market separated 9.0s from 9.8s, the spread between Good and Mint on blue-chip grails was microscopic. Action Comics #1 sat at $200 (Good), $250 (Fine), and $300 (Mint). Amazing Fantasy #15 was $12, $14, and $16. X-Men #1 was just $4, $5, and $6.

Silver Age Keys Didn’t Exist Yet: Because early Silver Age books were only 6 to 8 years old at publication, fandom treated them as disposable recent reading. Amazing Spider-Man #1–62 had essentially zero keynote callouts—no 1st Green Goblin, no Lizard, no Kingpin. Fantastic Four didn't even mention Doctor Doom or the Galactus Trilogy (#48–50).

Artist Stardom in 1970: Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, and Joe Simon were among the very few creators deemed important enough to be credited by name on book listings.

Puzzling Curiosities: Why Animal Man and Deadman received explicit key notations while Silver Surfer and Archie (Pep Comics #22) were completely omitted; why Mad #5 was singled out as uniquely rare; and why early DC listings routinely noted "Origin" while ignoring "First Appearance."

🎙️ Edgar Church’s Basement Podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edgar-churchs-basement/id1872746765
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IdlxY2AB8ExWRPwzWCIde?si=dd5837d35faa4dee
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/620e2e28-9264-4485-bfad-bcba7471fabf/edgar-church's-basement

📊 The Edgar Church Data Project
The ultimate resource for tracking the most important pedigree collection in history.

Official Site: http://edgarchurchdata.com

📝 Deep Dives & Analysis
The Main Blog: https://itsalljustcomics.com/
The $100,000 Club: https://itsalljustcomics.com/100000-club/
Timeline of Record Sales: https://itsalljustcomics.com/a-timeline-of-world-record-comic-book-sales/
Silver Age Key & Pedigree Data:https://itsalljustcomics.com/existence-and-grades-of-silver-age-key-books-from-the-major-pedigree-collections/
Most Valuable Comics: https://itsalljustcomics.com/the-most-valuable-comic-books-in-the-world/

🛒 Support & Shop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsalljustcomics/
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL38oEyvwqlxrQDskQ9xGIA/join
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_ssn=rob_react

Is Fantastic Four #39–60 the single greatest run in comic book history?

In this long-awaited deep dive, we break down Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the absolute height of their creative powers—covering all 23 issues (including Annual #3) issue-by-issue, auditing the groundbreaking story arcs, and breaking down the exact real-world cost to collect this legendary run across four distinct budget tiers.

From Daredevil defending a powerless Baxter Building in #39 to the cosmic clash of Doctor Doom wielding the Power Cosmic in #60, this single stretch redefined world-building in American sequential art:

The Story Arcs: The heartbreaking conditioning of Ben Grimm (#40–43), the star-studded wedding of Reed and Sue in Annual #3, the secret debut of the Inhumans (#44–47), the immortal Galactus Trilogy (#48–50), the emotional high-water mark of the Silver Age in "This Man, This Monster!" (#51), the landmark geopolitical introduction of the Black Panther and Wakanda (#52–53), and the epic 4-part cosmic Doom saga (#57–60).

The Market & Collecting Math (What Does It Cost?):
The Apex Tier (Top Registry): Chasing the unique 9.9 unicorns (#48 & #55), peak 9.6s where no 9.8s exist (#40 & #51), and 9.8s across the board runs $850,000 to $1,000,000 at historic highs, or ~$450,000 based on recent sales.
The Investment Grade (Uniform CGC 9.4): Assembling a clean 9.4 run totals $60,000 to $70,000—with over two-thirds of that budget tied up in just five mega-keys (#45, #48, #49, #50, #52).
The Collector Sweet Spot (CGC 8.0): Scoring incredible cover eye-appeal without the punishing 9.4+ registry multipliers lands the complete run between $10,000 and $18,000.
The $100 Entry Level (Accessible Silver Age): The most shocking realization of this run: 19 of the 23 issues can be acquired for $100 or less! You can land 14 issues in respectable 6.0 to 8.0 condition and another six in solid VG 4.0 holders—leaving only the Galactus Trilogy and the first appearance of Black Panther out of reach at the century mark.

Which issue in this run is your absolute favorite? If you had the budget, which mega-key would you buy first? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

🎙️ Edgar Church’s Basement Podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edgar-churchs-basement/id1872746765
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IdlxY2AB8ExWRPwzWCIde?si=dd5837d35faa4dee
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/620e2e28-9264-4485-bfad-bcba7471fabf/edgar-church's-basement

📊 The Edgar Church Data Project
The ultimate resource for tracking the most important pedigree collection in history.

Official Site: http://edgarchurchdata.com

📝 Deep Dives & Analysis
The Main Blog: https://itsalljustcomics.com/
The $100,000 Club: https://itsalljustcomics.com/100000-club/
Timeline of Record Sales: https://itsalljustcomics.com/a-timeline-of-world-record-comic-book-sales/
Silver Age Key & Pedigree Data:https://itsalljustcomics.com/existence-and-grades-of-silver-age-key-books-from-the-major-pedigree-collections/
Most Valuable Comics: https://itsalljustcomics.com/the-most-valuable-comic-books-in-the-world/

🛒 Support & Shop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsalljustcomics/
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL38oEyvwqlxrQDskQ9xGIA/join
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_ssn=rob_react

Join us as we go through both the comic and comic art catalogs of the upcoming November 2026 Heritage Signature Auctions