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Your narrator, the Leader

Click here for the Main Introduction Page to see the Leader's Report on The Fayetteville Comic Con and the Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest 2022

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Saturday 19 November 2022

Guy Rose, Julio Crespo, Michael Lantz Richmond area comic book kingpin dealer Guy Rose with his associates Julio and Michael in their usual spot they've had for about the last 10 years at this show. The Marvel Legacy Of Jack Kirby is a hardcover book that came out a few years ago. I have a copy but I don't know what's in the book since I haven't taken it out of the shrinkwrap. I don't normally like landscape format books like this but since it was about Jack Kirby I bought it anyway.	Michael Lantz Michael with two Atomic Age Batman comics Detective Comics #117, 1946 and #188, 1952 and one Silver Age comic Batman #142, 1961. I've been reading the Batman Omnibus reprint collections and I'm looking forward to the next one, The Batman Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 this coming December.	Julio Crespo Julio with two early Marvel annuals. The Marvel Tales Annual #1, 1964 marks the first time Marvel reprinted some of the origins and first appearances of their characters. This annual also has a two page photo of the Marvel Bullpen. Steve Ditko's photo isn't included which gives an early indication of his life long devotion to avoiding publicity. The Fantastic Four Annual #1, 1963 is the only early Fantastic Four Annual with no reprints so you really got your quarter's worth with this one.

Guy Rose Guy with the kind of cool, esoteric comic books he's noted for. DC comics in the 1950s and 1960s loved having dinosaurs on their covers and so a Tyrannosaurus Rex found its way onto this issue of Rex The Wonder Dog #11, 1953. The Prize comic Black Magic #14, 1952 has a cover by Jack Kirby. The Avon comic Robot Men Of The Lost Planet #1, 1952 is an example of the type of "one-shot" comics Avon did in those days. The Charlton comic Mysteries Of Unexplored Worlds #5, 1957 has a cover and five stories drawn by Steve Ditko. The EC comic Weird Science-Fantasy #26, 1954 contains all allegedly true stories about flying saucer sightings.	Guy Rose, Jim Frost Guy hobnobbing with his frequent comic trading friend Jim Frost.	Gary "Bubba" Williams I last saw Bubba Williams only a week ago at the Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest and wasn't expecting to see him at this show. Bubba was helping another dealer sell Star Wars toys and he brought his recent creation of a Boba Fett statue to this show.

David Vollbach I last saw dealer David Vollbach at this show last August. At right is his son Ken.	David Vollbach David with three examples of the Pre-Marvel comic Tales Of Suspense #23, 1961, #26, 1962 and #13, 1960. All of them feature the usual Jack Kirby cover and lead story followed by stories by other artists including Steve Ditko.	Linda Redmond Veteran collector Linda Redmond was setup at this show last August with her friend Tony Albert but Tony couldn't make it this time. Here's Linda with a 1973 example of one of publisher Russ Cochran's EC portfolios. I remember seeing these being advertised in fanzines from the 1970s like The Rocket's Blast Comicollector and The Buyers Guide To Comic Fandom. I've never looked inside one to see if they are only cover reproductions of if they contain reprinted stories.

Shelton Drum Veteran dealer Shelton Drum promotes the largest comic book show in the Southeast, HeroesCon, in Charlotte, North Carolina each year. This is the first time I've seen Shelton setup at a show without any assistants.	Shelton Drum One of Shelton's customers looking a promo card for the 2023 HeroesCon.	Shelton Drum Shelton with two Silver Age Marvel comics: Strange Tales #116 and #118 both from 1964. Both have the usual cover drawn by Jack Kirby with the backup Doctor Strange story drawn by Steve Ditko. Strange Tales is one of Marvel's oldest comics. It started in 1951 as an anthology of horror stories and ended in with #168 in 1968.

Robert Griffin I last saw Robert Griffin at the Fayetteville Comic Con last October. Here's Robert with two Atomic Age Marvel comics: Patsy Walker #6, 1946 with cover and all the stories drawn by later Mad magazine artist Al Jaffee and #26, 1950 with a painted cover.	Ruben Santos At this show last August Ruben Santos had a giant staute of one of the Sentinels. At this show he had this giant staute of Galactus battling the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer and Doctor Doom. He told me soon after I took this picture that he sold this statue for $3,500.	Rick Fortenberry, Daniel Murphy I didn't see my old friend Rick Fortenberry at the Fayetteville Comic show due to a conflicting show so I was glad to see Rick back at the Virginia Comic Con which he frequently attends. Rick still has for sale here the Russ Cochran published Complete EC Library volumes Rick bought from Richard Morgan at the Captain's Comic Expo in Charleston, South Carolina last February 2021.

Earl Shaw I last saw veteran comic book dealer Earl Shaw from Georgia at HeroesCon 2019. I used to see Earl at Roger Mannon's comic shows in Roanoke, Virginia and other Southern comic shows over 20 years ago when I was on the road as a dealer myself. I have never seen Earl at the Virginia Comic Con before and it was glad to see him make an appearance here.	Earl Shaw Earl with two of the types of comic books that could get you into trouble with your parents and school teachers in the 1950s: The Atlas comic Adventures Into Terror #17, 1953 with a cover drawn by DC artist Gil Kane and the Harvey comic Chamber Of Chills #7, 1952 with a cover drawn by Al Avison.	Gene Carpenter The Leader's favorite comic book dealer Gene Carpenter with three examples from his famous comic book inventory. The Charlton comic The Thing #17, 1954 with a cover by Steve Ditko but no inside Ditko stories like previos issues of this title. The Magazine Enterprises comic Thunda #1, 1952 is the only comic book drawn entirely by Frank Frazetta. The Quality Comics Torchy #5, 1950s with cover and all stories drawn by Torchy's inventor Bill Ward.

Gene Carpenter, Shelton Drum, Jim Frost The show is over and the loading doors are open for the dealers to move their merchandise to their trucks and vans. But Shelton Drum can't break his booth down yet. He has to wait for Jim Frost to finish picking some comics for a last minute deal. While waiting, Shelton and Gene Carpenter amuse themselves with a few jovial moments.

Jim Frost After his deal with Shelton, Jim posed for two of the best comics from the deal: the DC comic Action #219, 1956 with a cover by Wayne Boring and the Marvel comic The Mighty Thor #150, 1968 with cover by Jack Kirby. Time now for Jim and I to head out for Sal's Restaurant.