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Your narrator, the Leader
The Leader attended the Captains Comic Expo in Mt. Pleasant, near Charleston, South Carolina on 23-24 February 2019. The show was held in a nice building with the enigmatic name of the Omar Shrine Temple. The Leader doesn't often drive this far from his Lair in Virginia Beach, Virginia but he wanted to see two of his favorite comic dealers Dave Hinson and Rick Fortenberry. Upon his arrival at the show the Leader was flabbergasted to learn that Dave Hinson had taken sick and had to cancel at the list minute. The Leader and his remaining friend Rick Fortenberry went to dinner twice after the show and found some time to talk during the show as well and the Leader found this to be ample consolation for his distress over Dave Hinson's absence.

Click on any image below to see it much larger with more detail.

Mario Russom
Like the Leader's favorite comic book dealer Gene Carpenter, Mario Russom of Mario's Comics from Atlanta, Georgia sets up at over 40 shows a year. I'm sure Mario made a lot of money at this show because every time I walked by his table he was swamped with customers like you see here. I'll next see Mario at the South Carolina Comic Con in Greenville and the North Carolina Comicon in Raleigh, North Carolina later in March and he will probably be just as busy.
Mario Russom
In between juggling his customers Mario managed to pose with this graded reprint copy from 1966 of Fantastic Four #1. It originally came with a 33rpm record but Mario didn't have it. Mario also had this nice graded The X-Men #9, 1964 which I like because of its dynamic cover by Jack Kirby showing the X-Men battling the Avengers.
Dennis Turner
I had never met Dennis Turner of Rebel Base Comics & Toys in Charlotte, North Carolina before. I was attracted to his copies of The Amazing Spider-Man #26 and #27, 1965. These are my favorite Silver Age Spidey comics after the famous Master Planner Trilogy in issues #31 - 33. I remember as a kid seeing the #27 new in a train station comic book spinner rack and regretting not having the .12 to buy it. The #26 has a more interesting history with me as chronicled here.
Chris Foss
I last saw Chris Foss of Columbia, South Carolina at the South Carolina Comic Con in Greenville in 2018. Chris said he couldn't make it to that show coming up in March of this year. Chris had the largest inventory of Silver and Golden Age comics at this show. Chris is a veteran comic dealer whose inventory is roughly comparable to Gene Carpenter and other big time comic dealers. On display here is a graded 9.4 copy of the DC comic Rip Hunter Time Master #3, 1961.
Chris Foss
Chris with Motion Picture Comics #110, 1952 featuring the science fiction movie When Worlds Collide produced by George Pal. Pal is best known for producing some of my favorite science and fantasy movies of the 1950s and early 1960s like Destination Moon, War Of The Worlds, Conquest of Space and especially The Time Machine and The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.
Phil Benders
Phil Benders is another dealer I had never seen before. He had a nice selection of Big Little Books you don't see at many shows. He also had some expensive and rare card sets.
Phil Benders
Speaking of rare and expensive card sets here's Phil's set of Civil War News, 1962 from the famous Topps card company. Phil was asking $480 for this set. Like Topps's other card sets Battle and Mars Attacks, made infamous by their vividly bloody and violent images, this set was painted mostly by the legendary pulp magazine artist Norman Saunders.
Rick Fortenberry
Here's veteran comic dealer Rick Fortenberry hobnobbing with a fellow dealer and customer who was showing Rick some comics he had for sale. Rick's copy of Detective Comics #176, 1951 is ungraded and looks a little rough but still had a big price tag of $175. I didn't get a chance to ask him why this comic is so expensive. I'll next see Rick at the North Carolina Comicon in Raleigh, 15-16 March.
Rick Fortenberry
Rick with graded copies of the Marvel comics The Incredible Hulk #6, 1963 and Journey Into Mystery #86, 1962. This Hulk comic is the last one in the six issue run the only one drawn by Steve Ditko instead of Jack Kirby who drew the first five issues. Comic dealer Harry Hopkins told me once that Kirby took sick and Ditko had to pinch hit for him. Later in the show Rick sold this Hulk #6 for $200. Even in low grade these Silver Age Marvel comics command respectable sums of money.
Vic Carrobotta
I was pleasantly surprised to see Vic Carrobotta at this show. I last saw him at the South Carolina Comic Con in 2018 and didn't know he would be attending the Captains Comics Expo. He has a big new display sign. He told me he has a new manager who is having him set up at several shows a year now. I like the 1950s Atlas comics and its a real honor to be able to talk with any of the artists who drew Atlas comics in the 1950s. There aren't many alive today. The only ones I know in addition to Mr. Carrabotta still alive are Timely/Atlas/Marvel artists Allen Bellman, Joe Sinnott, John Romita.
Vic Carrobotta
Any old time Marvel Comics fan should know who the gentlemen are that Mr. Carrobotta is pointing to in this original illustration he did.
Vic Carrobotta
I'm having Mr. Carrobotta do a cover re-creation for me of the Marvel comic Amazing Adult Fantasy #9, 1962 with the "The Terror of Tim Boo Ba" cover. I've always liked this short run of comics because they are drawn entirely by Steve Ditko. Here's Mr. Carrobotta with a rough pencil sketch he did for me at the show. I'll pick up the completed color illustration from him 9 March at the South Carolina Comicon in Greenville.
Dealers' Room
Late Saturday afternoon in the dealers' room. The crowds have thinned out but all the dealers are still hanging in there.
Click here to return to the Main Introduction Page to see the Leader's Report on the South Carolina Comicon and the North Carolina Comicon