|
| |
|
| Al Stolz of Basement Comics in Baltimore rarely sets up at this show and Jim delayed his usual visits to Gene Carpenter and Guy Rose so as to see what Silver and Golden Age comics big time operator Al might have. I used to see Al when I set up at the Tyson’s Corner comic show in the late 1990s and also some of the other collector’s shows in the Baltimore area in those days. Now days I usually only see him at the Baltimore Comic Con once a year. |
|
|
|
| |
|
Al’s partner Chuck Mayfield also of Baltimore is an old time comic fan and dealer that I’ve seen and talked to briefly over the years at the Baltimore Comic Con. I’m a bit envious of Chuck since he is the only person I know who once long ago met the legendary Marvel Comics artist Steve Ditko at Ditko’s apartment in Manhattan.
The After Hours #1, 1957 Chuck is holding here was a girlie magazine published by Jim Warren shortly before he began the legendary monster fan magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. After Hours only lasted four issues and the last issue is expensive and highly sought after by collectors since it is a sort of “prototype” of Famous Monsters; that’s because the #4 issue contains articles about old monster movies by FM’s editor Forrest J. Ackerman. The Leader doesn’t mind divulging this vital tidbit of information because he already has his own copy of #4 salted away. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Guy Rose, Donald Jones, Julio Crespo |
Guy Rose is a veteran comic fan and dealer who used to promote the Virginia Comic Con before turning that duty over to its current promoter Brett Carreras. Here’s Guy with his partners who usually are with him at this show before Jim Frost arrives for his usual wheeling and dealing. Jim was delayed by his visit to Al Stolz and then Gene Carpenter. Julio Crespo is holding his copy of a CGC graded 8.0 of Amazing Spider-Man #28, 1965 with the famous black cover. I bought one back in the day when it was still affordable. I’d hate to come up with the money now to buy one. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Guy Rose with two nice copies of DC Comics science fiction titles Strange Adventures #7 & #10 from the early 1950s. I’ve been reading reprints of these type of stories in DC’s softcover black & white book format and waiting patiently for DC to reprint them properly in hardcover and in color but I guess it will never happen. |
|
|
|
|
| Gene Carpenter & Jim Frost |
|
| Gene Carpenter of All American Comics is my favorite comic dealer and along with Guy Rose is the dealer who receives the most of Jim Frost’s attention at this show. After finishing with Al Stolz Jim headed over to see Gene. I’ll see Gene next at the Williamsburg Film Festival in March, 2016. |
|
|
|
|
| Jim Frost & Gene Carpenter |
|
| After a long process of serious horse trading Jim stands by patiently while Gene tallies up the tab. Three months from now at the next show they will be doing the same thing all over again. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| When he wasn’t busy with Jim Frost Gene had time to pose for his official photographer, yours truly, the Leader. Here’s Gene with something really special: the original art to a 10 page DC Batman story with art by Frank Robbins. Gene told me the story apparently is an unpublished anti-drug story. There is no issue number noted so he doesn’t know what Batman comic this might may have been slated for. Asking price is $6,000. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Gene always has the best selection of Silver and Golden Age comics at this show. Here he is showing off an Avon science fiction comic Captain Science #2, 1950. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Jim really came loaded for bear at this show. After pillaging Al and Gene’s inventory he still had money and books to throw against Guy Rose’s comic inventory. Here’s Guy watching Jim appraise a possible acquisition. Jim didn’t leave Guy’s table empty handed. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| I have three friends who are big movers and shakers in the comic book dealing realm of North Carolina: Rick Fortenberry, Dave Hinson and Shelton Drum. Dave and Shelton haven’t attended the Virginia Comic Con in a long time but Rick Fortenberry still makes it to the two day show every November. I last saw Rick at the Tidewater Comic Con in my town of Virginia Beach last May. Rick says he will be at the next Tidewater show in 2016. Rick always has interesting Silver Age comics and these three Marvel Westerns all from 1962 each have something unusual about them. The Gunsmoke Wester #68 is a price variant with the old 10 cent price colored over and the new 12 cent price printed underneath it. The Kid Kolt #107 isn’t any kind of variant but it is one of the few Marvel Westerns that features a big alien monster like the type were currently starring the Marvel fantasy comics like Tales To Astonish, Strange Tales and so forth. The Two-Gun Kid #60 features his origin and has an anomalous “number box” with the #60 hand written over the month of November instead of being printed as normal. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Mario Russo of Mario’s Comics in Atlanta, Georgia missed the last two Virginia Comic Cons because they were the usual one day shows but he was back for this two day show. Mario with two Golden Age Superman comics: #40 & #41 from 1946. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| I liked this nice Black Magic #1, 1950 with art by Jack Kirby. I have one of these stashed away that I bought in the 1970s. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Harry Hopkins from Northern Virginia is the long time owner of Fandata. He always attends this show and he always wears this Make Mine Marvel button and he always refuses to sell it to me. This button is from the second M.M.M.S membership kit sold through Marvel comic book advertising pages, circa 1967. Oh well, at least I still have my red M.M.M.S from the first kit in 1965 to console me. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Gary “Bubba” Williams from the Richmond, Virginia area always sets up at the Western themed Williamsburg Film Festival every March where I first met him. At the Virginia Comic Con three months ago he was set up with a restored car model of the “General Lee” from the Dukes of Hazard TV show. This is the first time I’ve seen him set up at this show with some of his horror and science fiction movie masks. He hand makes them by making a clay sculpture which serves as a mold to pour the rubber or resin or other material into. I’ve been looking for a sculptor who can make me a model of Rama Tut’s time machine with small figurines of Rama Tut and Doctor Doom inside as shown in Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964. I talked to Bubba about the project and he says he thinks he can do it for me. |
|
|
|
|
| Jim Frost and Wayne Ehrmann |
|
| Wayne Ehrmann of Zeno’s Books in Cheseapke, Virginia always sets up at this show. Wayne is my regular comic store guy who gets all the new hardcover books and magazines that I order from the Diamond Previews catalog. Shortly before this show he turned up a small collection of Silver Age DC science fiction comics like Strange Adventures, Mystery in Space, Tales of the Unexpected. Near the close of the show on Saturday Gene Carpenter tipped off Jim Frost that Wayne had the books. So Jim, still with some money left even after drilling through Al, Guy and Gene stopped over to see Wayne. That’s Donald Jones and Guy Rose on the left looking on. Wayne is at the far right. |
|
|
|
|
| Jim Frost and Gene Carpenter |
|
| Here’s Jim and Gene showing off the little run of Strange Adventures Jim had just bought from Wayne a few minutes earlier. The issue at far left with the blue astronaut cover is the #1 issue from 1950 with the Destination Moon movie photo cover. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Here’s your humble narrator, the Leader, in the clutches of Doctor Octopus! Where’s Spider-Man when you need him? |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Gene Carpenter, Jim Frost, Rick Fortenberry, Chuck Mayfield, Guy Rose, Lewis Forro |
Here’s about 300 years of comic book reading and collecting experience arrayed in front of Gene Carpenter’s table. Each of these men has been reading comic books for the better part of 50 years! When you’ve been doing something for 50 years and can still smile about it then you know you were born to do it! |
|
|
