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Your narrator, the Leader
The Leader with his traveling companion Jim Frost attended the Virginia Comicon on 18 February 2017. This show was held at the Richmond International Raceway as usual but the regular large exhibition hall that holds the dealers’ room was under repair so for the first time the dealers set up in the Torque Club which overlooks the racetrack. The Leader was pleased to see his usual dealer friends Gene Carpenter, Guy Rose, Donald Jones, Harry Hopkins who always attend this show. Other dealers the Leader’s knows from other shows but who don’t always don’t make the Richmond show were also there: Rick Fortenberry, Philip Hillis and Robert Griffin. The Leader and Jim made their customary stop at Sal’s Italian Restaurant on the way home.

Enrique Fernandez Roberts
I last saw Enrique Roberts at the RVA Collectors’s Con in Richmond 10 December 2016. I was pleased to see him return to Richmond. He’s showing here a nice copy of X-Men #5, 1964 with the second appearance of the Evil Mutants.
Zeno’s Books
Wayne Ehrmann aka Wayne Zeno and his assistants: Magicmo Cosplay, Bill Smith, Craig Davis. Wayne, the owner of Zeno’s Books in Cheseapeake, Virginia always sets up at this show. I’ve been buying all my comic book related hardcover books, magazines and supplies from Wayne since about 1993.
Bill Smith
I’ve known Bill Smith for about 20 years. He is a veteran comic book and pulp magazine collector. He doesn’t usually attend comic book shows but recently he has been traveling with Wayne Zeno and selling some duplicate copies of his science fiction pulps. Here’s Bill with two copies of Famous Fantastic Mysteries pulps with the typical eye-catching covers.
Dealers’ Room
Enrique and Wayne were set up along a row of dealers facing the main entrance to the Torque Room. All the other dealers of consequence who merited the Leader’s attention were set up behind this front row and had the Richmond racetrack behind them.
Dealers’ Room
Reverse angle of the photo shown at left.
Rick Fortenberry
I know three big conic book heavy hitters from the Carolinas: Rick Fortenberry, Shelton Drum and Dave Hinson. Shelton and Dave rarely attend shows in Richmond but Rick still sometimes makes it. I last saw him at the Virginia Comicon in Richmond last June, 2016. Rick told me this Hopalong Cassidy #1 from 1943 is one of the rarest of Western comic books. The Roy Rogers #1, 1948 doesn’t grow on trees either. Click here to see a photo of Rick selling the Watcher a Marvel Masterworks hardcover book with Fantastic Four #48 on the cover featuring the Watcher.
Rick Fortenberry
Here’s Rick with CGC graded copies of two spectacular Fantastic Four issues from 1964: #25 with the second and longest battle between the Hulk and the Thing and #26 which continued the battle and has an Avengers cross-over. They didn’t call Fantastic Four “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” for nothing in those days.
Philip Hillis
Phillip Hillis of Richmond Comix with a copy of Marvel Super-Heroes #18, 1969 starring the original version (not the movie version) of the Guardians of the Galaxy. This was a routine Marvel comic until the movie was released causing the price to jump substantially. With other Marvel movies featuring the Guardians the price will continue to climb.
Robert Griffin
I last saw Robert Griffin at the Virginia Comicon last October, 2016 and I’ve seen him at the Baltimore Comic Con. Robert has this DC comic Our Army At War #82, 1959 marked as as a “prototype” of Sgt. Rock of Easy Company. Rock’s first true appearance was #83.
Robert Griffin
Robert with two Marvel prototypes. Two-Gun Kid #77, 1965 with a character whose costume resembles the Black Panther introduced in Fantastic Four #52, 1966. The Journey Into Mystery #73, 1961 is thought to be a Spider-Man prototype but I’ve always considered that a spurious claim since the story really has next to nothing in common with Spider-Man. Some dealers like to claim that some “pre-Marvel” comics are prototypes for later Marvel characters. Sometimes there is validity to the claim (Strange Tales #97, Journey Into Mystery #66 for example) and sometimes the dealers are exaggerating to try to make more money on a book.
Brett Carreras
Brett Carreras promotes the Virginia Comicon shows but until recently had not been setting up as a dealer. He did so at his RVA Collector’s Con in Richmond last December and again at this show so I wonder if he is going to continue. Here he is with two nice condition Marvel Journey Into Mystery comics: #109, 1964 with Thor battling Magneto and his Evil Mutants who normally appeared in The X-Men, and #112, 1964 featuring the first and most famous battle between Thor and the Hulk. As noted on the cover blurb, the Marvel fan letter pages had been asking for such a battle for a long time.
Brett Carreas, Rick Fortenberry
Brett and Rick engaging in some comic book dealer shop talk. Rick looks a bit like the cat who ate the canary.
Sheryl Luebke
Sheryl Luebke of Richmond Comics, Inc with two Marvel The Avengers #12, 1963 and #14, 1963. I’ve always been sentimental about the #14 since it was the first Avengers comic I remember having. The story is also above average with a race of underground aliens and the Watcher being featured. Sheryl is the widow of big time collector and long time owner of Richmond Comics, David Luebke who passed away about a year ago.
Linda Redmond, Harry Hopkins, Mariane Hopkins
Harry was to busy to pose with one of his comics this time around but I did stop him long enough to pose with his two charming assistants, Linda and his wife Mariane.
Guy Rose
Guy always sets up at this show with his partner Donald Jones. Both of them always have interesting Golden Age and Silver Age books. Here’s Guy with two issues of the popular title Weird Tales Of The Future: #2 and #1 both from 1952 and both with covers by Basil Wolverton.
Donald Jones
Donald with a heavy hitter book, the Timely Golden Age comic The Human Torch #1, 1940. Donald’s sticker price is $3,900 but he says you can have it for $3,000.
Guy Rose, Donald Jones, Al Stoltz
Al Stoltz of Basement Comics was set up as a dealer and dropped by to chat with Guy and Donald for a few minutes.
Jim Frost, Gene Carpenter
My traveling companion and friend for over 20 years Jim Frost always bring lots of books (garnered from the CGC chat boards and elsewhere) to trade with Gene Carpenter who I’ve also known for over 20 years. Note the flyer on the table for “Pulpfest 2017” which Gene and I will be attending in Pittsburg, PA this year.
Gene Carpenter, Jim Frost
Check out all those rare and delicious Golden and Silver Age comic books on Gene’s display walls. None of the other dealers in the room could match Gene’s inventory. You have to go to the Baltimore Comic Con or some other big show to find dealers who can do that.
Gene Carpenter
One of my favorite genres of comic books is the “pre-Marvel” comics of the late 1950s and early 1960 which featured science fiction and fantasy stories with art by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Here’s Gene with two examples: Amazing Adult Fantasy #10, 1961 with the dreaded Tim Boo Ba and Tales To Astonish #7, 1959.
Gene Carpenter
I used to collect EC comics in the 1970s but haven’t bought any in many years due to the high prices. But I still like to look at them. Gene with Incredible Science Fiction #33, 1955 with one of the most ornate and opulent Wally Wood covers he ever did. Thankfully I’ve got a copy of this one tucked away in my safe and don’t have to try to buy it at today’s prices.
Jim Frost
Jim with two of the comics he got from Gene: Space Action #1, 1952 (love those 1950s science fiction covers) and Exciting Comics #45, 1946. Look for Jim to post these for sale on the CGC chat boards.
Al Stoltz, Jim Frost
After finishing with Gene Carpenter, Jim stopped by Al Stoltz’s table to look over his inventory. I don’t know if they did any business.
Jim Frost, Guy Rose, Donald Jones
After finishing with Al, Jim did paid a quick visit to Guy and Donald. It was near the end of the show with night closing in over the Richmond racetrack seen in the background. Next stop for the Leader and Jim - Sal’s Restaurant in Williamsburg, VA of course!