shaxper
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Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Nov 15, 2024 7:12:19 GMT -5
I've only recently developed an appreciation, and now full-blown love, for this classic publishing format. At first, I was only buying ones where the art really popped because I knew it would be even more exciting BIGGER, but I picked up some cheap Famous 1st Editions last month, have now gotten around to reading them, and I get it. I really get it. This is an ultimate love letter to comics. You can feel it.
With DC just recently beginning to re-reprint their key Golden Age books (pretty faithfully), it's interesting to compare the treatments. The format of the new books is certainly more accurate, but the 1st Editions blow them up and just make every panel and grain of newspaper pulp feel more magical.
I haven't looked closely enough to determine if there are drastic differences in the reprints, themselves. I know, for example, that the reprint of Case of the Chemical Syndicate from 'Tec 27 that DC had been printing for years had been fully redrawn, so I don't know if that is the case with some or all of the Famous 1st Edition content, nor if they are still using such sources for the new reprints. I don't have both versions to compare. If anyone else does, I'd love to know for sure!
Anyway, I wish they'd bring back this format, and I figured it made sense to start a thread about this and see if anyone else felt the same.
Side note: I'd always assumed Golden Age comic book (not comics page) artwork was more primitive because page rates were so low and readers hadn't come to expect more yet, but seeing the FULL Books from whence the stories we know so well have been reprinted, I'm amazed to discover that Kane, Shuster, Moulton Marston, and the like just sucked compared to what their contemporaries were churning out on the non-superhero features. Some of the action, detective, and pirate features in those anthology books were positively visually breathtaking. Even Mr. Terrific, Black Cat, and The Crimson Avenger looked amazing in comparison. Was the concept of a guy dressed as a bat so powerful that folks were demanding more of him even with the substandard artwork?
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Post by jtrw2024 on Nov 15, 2024 8:09:41 GMT -5
DC has recently been putting out Facsimile Editions of some of their classic Treasury size comics. There have been a few released over the past few months, my favourite being the re-issuing of "Superman vs Muhammad Ali" which is one of the few I had as a kid. In my opinion this is Neal Adams best work ever! There have also been a few others, mostly ones featuring DC's top characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but hopefully there are more on the way.
The price is obviously a little more than these things cost back when they were originally released, but not as high as you'd expect. Only about $14.99 US which is still a better bargain than most newer comics. The original size is retained, with paper similar to newsprint. Each one comes in a regular facsimile format resembling the original, and also that foil-cover variant which seems to be all the rage these days
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Post by kirby101 on Nov 15, 2024 8:20:16 GMT -5
Almost all the Treasury Editions I bought were the originals, not reprints. Superman/Spider-Man, Batman/Hulk, Superman/Ali, Captain America Bicentennial...
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Nov 15, 2024 8:26:52 GMT -5
DC has recently been putting out Facsimile Editions of some of their classic Treasury size comics. There have been a few released over the past few months, my favourite being the re-issuing of "Superman vs Muhammad Ali" which is one of the few I had as a kid. In my opinion this is Neal Adams best work ever! There have also been a few others, mostly ones featuring DC's top characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but hopefully there are more on the way. The price is obviously a little more than these things cost back when they were originally released, but not as high as you'd expect. Only about $14.99 US which is still a better bargain than most newer comics. The original size is retained, with paper similar to newsprint. Each one comes in a regular facsimile format resembling the original, and also that foil-cover variant which seems to be all the rage these days I didn't know this! Thanks for sharing. I'm assuming they are not reprinting the Famous 1st Editions alongside their new reprint editions, though? |
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Post by majestic on Nov 15, 2024 8:41:04 GMT -5
DC has recently been putting out Facsimile Editions of some of their classic Treasury size comics. There have been a few released over the past few months, my favourite being the re-issuing of "Superman vs Muhammad Ali" which is one of the few I had as a kid. In my opinion this is Neal Adams best work ever! There have also been a few others, mostly ones featuring DC's top characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but hopefully there are more on the way. The price is obviously a little more than these things cost back when they were originally released, but not as high as you'd expect. Only about $14.99 US which is still a better bargain than most newer comics. The original size is retained, with paper similar to newsprint. Each one comes in a regular facsimile format resembling the original, and also that foil-cover variant which seems to be all the rage these days I didn't know this! Thanks for sharing. I'm assuming they are not reprinting the Famous 1st Editions alongside their new reprint editions, though? The only one they reprinted was New Fun Comics #1. The very first DC comic from 1935. |
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Post by jtrw2024 on Nov 15, 2024 8:43:44 GMT -5
I didn't know this! Thanks for sharing. I'm assuming they are not reprinting the Famous 1st Editions alongside their new reprint editions, though? I’m not sure what DC’s actual plans are, or what’s been solicited, but I’ve picked up the first three already, and hope to get the most recent one first chance I get. Considering the ones they’ve reprinted so far are Treasury Editions that featured original material, as well as ones that collect classic stories, the Famous First Editions could very well be a possibility if they keep it up. This is what I’ve got so far, all released within the last half-year or so. I think this is everything Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978) DC Treasury Facsimile Edition Superman vs. Wonder Woman (1977) DC Treasury Facsimile Edition There have also been 2 Batman Treasury Edition facsimiles. One reprints issues from the Ra's al Ghul saga, and another collects classic stories with the main villains. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 15, 2024 12:48:56 GMT -5
If you have the time and inclination, I'd recommend listening to TreasuryCast - a podcast dedicated to treasury-sized comics. Otherwise, though, there will only be three more episodes, as the show's creator and host Rob Kelly announced earlier this year that he will be ending it with the 100th episode. However, it's worthwhile to go through his back catalog (all at the link I provided). |
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Post by Ricky Jackson on Nov 15, 2024 13:19:03 GMT -5
If you have the time and inclination, I'd recommend listening to TreasuryCast - a podcast dedicated to treasury-sized comics. Otherwise, though, there will only be three more episodes, as the show's creator and host Rob Kelly announced earlier this year that he will be ending it with the 100th episode. However, it's worthwhile to go through his back catalog (all at the link I provided). I second this recommendation. And if you have the patience to dig through the back catalogue of the Fire and Water Network, which hosts TreasuryCast (they are putting out less shows these days, and more non-comics ones) there are a lot of really fun shows, including retrospectives of Who's Who and Secret Origins |
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Post by tarkintino on Nov 16, 2024 20:00:10 GMT -5
Any of the tabloid-sized books added another "something" to collecting in the 70s. Although reprints were nothing new to comics, the Limited Collector's Editions / Famous 1st Editions and Marvel's Treasuries were an example of smart repackaging, usually with the sales point of the selected comics being rare or the most important, which was especially attractive when F1E's boasted reprinting the entire comic. That said, the tabloid format was so much fun and informative, with special features ranging from talent biographies, character history, how-to superhero art instruction pages, etc., similar to the information one would find in The Amazing World of DC Comics and FOOM sans the reprints. A few favorites:     |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 16, 2024 22:42:25 GMT -5
I used to make trips up to Charlotte, NC, periodically, when I was stationed in Charleston, SC (about a 3 hour drive), to shop at the heroes Aren't Hard to Find main store. One weekend, I was there and they were having a warehouse sale, nearby and I went over and found a treasure trove of Treasury/Limited Collector's Edition comics and bought a big ol' stack of them, including most of the Famous First Editions. Just great material. I have said it before, but the DC 100-pg and 80-pg Giants, the Marvel Giant Size, the Digests and the Treasury/Limited Collector's Editions were the TPBs of the 70s, giving you a slew of great comics, in one affordable package. Plus, the tabloid pages really brought some stories to life, like Ditko's Sinister 6 reprint in Spectacular Spider-Man TE, or the Secret origins of Super-Villains, with Infantino pinups (and a few interiors), or stuff like the first Galactus tale, or the wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. Amazing art, at huge scale.
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Post by berkley on Nov 17, 2024 0:34:35 GMT -5
A Thor Treasury Edition reprint was the first time I was able to read all four issues of the Mangog saga: I had read only the last issue when it was new on the stands so it was very gratifying to have the whole thing in this oversize format - though as usual I think they should have used one of the original covers, probably the last one.
The Doctor Strange, Defenders, and Conan Treasury Editions were among other personal highlights I read at the time. I've picked up a few others over the years since then but haven't read all of them yet. The DC oversize books that I saw on the stands back then - e.g. Superman vs Ali, Superman vs Spider-Man, etc - didn't interest me, but looking at Tarkantino's post there are a few I'd like to find now - The House of Secrets and the Neal Adams Batman reprints, for example.
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Post by nairb73 on Nov 17, 2024 5:17:08 GMT -5
Superman-Muhammad Ali was one of my first comics, back in '78. I also had the FFE for Superman # 1(1979), and DC's last couple of tabloids from '81, a Fortress of Solitude special, and the Batman-Hulk team-up.
I also had a couple of Hulk reprints, a Spider-Man team-up edition, and the 1980 Spidey-Hulk Winter Olympics tie-in.
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Confessor
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Posts: 10,197 
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Post by Confessor on Nov 17, 2024 6:11:02 GMT -5
Treasury Editions are something I'd like to collect more of. I have the two Star Wars film adaptation ones, the Empire Strikes Back one, and the two Oz ones that adapt the Wizard of Oz movie and the Land of Oz book.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 17, 2024 9:45:40 GMT -5
My copy of Marvel Treasury Edition #4 (the one reprinting Red Nails in colour for the first time) came from the UK and was probably stored in a humid place for a long time; its paper is somehow softer, and there's the slightest whiff of mold about it. But like the name says... I still consider it a treasure!  Most of the other MTE I own are B&W translations of the early issues. I really enjoyed the Hulk and Spider-Man ones at the time, mainly thanks to the diversity of material featured; back then I thought the Thor and FF ones, being all Kirby, didn't feel as special. I also remember being quite upset at one passage in the Captain America Bicentennial Special: it's the scene where Cap and Mr.Buddha visit a young student living in poverty. Cap is enthusiastic, saying that the kid is an example to follow: life dealt him a lousy hand, but he's not complaining; he's working to make his life better. 12 years old me thought that it was scandalous! The state should provide for that kid and all the others like him! The American system is wrong! Yeah, I was more of an idealist back then. |
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Post by kirby101 on Nov 17, 2024 11:05:54 GMT -5
While you are right Raider, and this was an idealistic view of America, sans the racism inherent in the culture and the poor social safety net. At the same time, a good education has been shown to be the best way out of poverty.
This much loved book is Kirby's Birthday gift to America.
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