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Your narrator, the Leader
The Leader attended the Virginia Comic Con in Richmond on 20 November 2021 with his traveling companions Jim Frost and Richard Delmer for the first time since 26 October 2019. He did attend a smaller “dealers only” show by the same promoter Brett Carreras in early 2020 in Goochland, Virginia but the Leader did not bring his camera to document that show so it will be totally forgotten by posterity. This was a better than average show since three important comic book dealers were there who don’t often setup at this show: Rick Fortenberry, Banks Robinson and Shelton Drum. Of course the Leader was also pleased to see his dealer friends Gene Carpenter and Guy Rose and company who always attend this show.

Click here to return the Main Introduction Page for the Leader’s Report on the Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest 2021
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Saturday 20 November 2021
Carl Tietz
Carl Tietz is a collector whose photos at Guy Rose’s booth have been included in previous installments of the Leaders Report. I never knew his name or spoke with him until now and had annotated him as the Retired Navy Guy in the previous photos he was in. I was told by Jim Frost who sold him a Batman comic in Guy Rose’s booth in 2016 that he had a complete collection of Batman comics. At this show at Guy Rose’s booth he appeared again, this time with a CGC graded copy of Batman #1, 1940. So this time I introduced myself and took this photo of him with his Batman #1. I asked him what grade his Detective Comics #27 was in and he told me didn’t have that one or a complete run of Detective Comics though he did have some early Detective issues. Ok, so Carl doesn’t have a complete run of Detective Comics but having a complete run of Batman still confers better bragging rights than most collectors will ever have.
Donald Jones
Donald Jones along with Julio Crespo and Michael Lantz are Guy Rose associates who usually setup with Guy in his booth. Donald always has a few interesting Golden or Silver Age comics for sale. Here he is showing off two desirable specimens: A CGC graded copy of the EC comic Weird Science #20, 1953. This comic has a cover by top EC artist Wally Wood. The cover story is the famous “50 Girls 50” drawn by EC’s other top artist Al Williamson and inked by Frank Frazetta. Donald’s asking price for this copy is $600. The CGC graded Fantastic Four #25, 1964 is also always in high demand due to its spectacular cover and the longest battle between the Thing and the Hulk in the Silver Age.
Guy Rose and Ed
Guy Rose is the original founder of the Virginia Comic Con but now his former partner Brett Carreras owns the entire show. Guy always sets up at this show and has interesting Golden and Silver Age comics. Here is he with a new employee of Brett Carreras, a fellow named Ed. If Ed isn’t a flash in the pan and continues going to this show the Leader will eventually learn his last name.
Guy Rose
Guy with three Golden / Atomic Age comics: Planet Comics #1, 1940 published by the famous Fiction House who had a large comic line in the 1940s. I love science fiction but I don’t care much for the “space opera” variety exemplified by Planet Comics so I never tried to collect that title. It’s just as well. I couldn’t afford to. Strange Adventures #1, 1950 with the photo cover from Destination Moon. I have this famous movie produced by George Pal on DVD and I’m hoping for an upgrade to Blu-Ray some day. Captain America #78, 1954. The regular Captain America comic died out along with the rest of the Timely (Marvel) Comics superheroes in the late 1940s but Cap, the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner were brought back briefly in the mid 1950s in a failed attempt to permanently revive them. So the Silver Age of Comics had to wait until DC revamped their Flash superhero in Showcase #4, 1956 to make superheroes popular again. Guy’s copy of this Captain America #78 is low grade but is signed by Stan Lee and has a John Romita cover so he’s still asking big money for it.
Linda Redmond and Tony Albert
Linda Redmond is a veteran comic collector who I’ve always seen attending this show as a fan but this is the first time she has setup as a dealer. I was pleased and surprised to see her friend Tony Albert with her. I used to see Tony who is a toy and art dealer at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con in Maryland which until now is the only show I had seen him at.
Rick Fortenberry
Rick Fortenberry of North Carolina is a veteran comic book dealer and co-promoter of the Charlotte Comic Con who sets up a comic show nearly ever weekend of the year. I hadn’t seen him and his dealer friend Banks Robinson since last July at the Savannah Mega Con and I was glad to see both of them again at this show. At far right is Jim Frost looking through some comic boxes on Banks Robinson’s table.
Rick Fortenberry
Here’s Rick showing off the newly printed second edition of author Tom Lammers’s softcover book Tales Of The Implosion. I’ve always been interested in the Atlas Implosion and have written some about it myself. But the first edition sold out years ago and it never turned up on ebay or anywhere else. Atlas collectors never seem to let go of anything. I was pleased to hear from Banks Robinson who knows Tom Lammers at the Savannah Megan Con last July that an improved second edition would be out soon. A few days before this show I saw on Rick’s Facebook page that he had a stash of this second edition and I knew he would be bringing some to this show. I bought three copies and sent my friend Richard Delmer over to Rick’s table to buy another. Jim Frost and I had explained the significance of the Atlas Implosion to Richard on the drive up to Richmond and he was intrigued. The cover of this edition is a parody of the Atlas comic Journey Into Unknown Worlds #37, 1950 with Atlas (Marvel) executives Martin Goodman and Stan Lee replacing the original characters on the cover.
Banks Robinson
I was pleased to see South Carolina dealer Banks Robinson whom I hadn’t seen since the Savannah Mega Con last July. Here’s Banks showing off thee examples of the Atlas title Uncanny Tales. Banks has a large selection of Atlas comics, many of them on consignment from Tom Lammers. Marvel cancelled its Atlas Era line of hardcover reprints several years ago to my dismay. I still hope that someday Marvel will license out the reprint rights to their Atlas comics to some smaller company like PS Artbooks, Darkhorse or IDW instead of letting those wonderful old Atlas stories continue to languish in obscurity. At least recently Marvel has released hardcover omnibus collections of all the Pre-Marvel fantasy / science fiction stories by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
Banks Robinson
Banks with his high grade copy of the Bronze Age Marvel comic Night Nurse #1, 1972 which is considered to one of the rarer Bronze Age comics. Recently this comic character has been featured in some kind of recent Marvel movie or TV show so as usual the price has just skyrocketed. Banks’s asking price is $3,000.
Shelton Drum
I haven’t seen Shelton Drum since the last Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2019. Shelton promotes that show which for many years has been the largest comic convention in the Southeast United States. Here’s Shelton serenely presiding over his huge inventory of Golden Age and Silver Age comics. Shelton is the only dealer in this room who can slug it out toe to toe with Gene Carpenter over who has the biggest and best inventory of vintage comic books.
Shelton Drum
Shelton with some of his 1950s EC comic books. The Mad comic with the Basil Wolverton cover is copying the cover design of Life magazine. The Tales Of Terror annual is much higher grade than you usually see them and you don’t see EC annuals often in any grade. The EC annuals were made up of EC story reprints and the contents of each annual is different depending on which reprints are included.
Shelton Drum
Shelton with some flyers for his next Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina. We’re all looking forward to it since the last two were cancelled due to the Plague.
Richard Delmer, Jim Montgomery, Gene Carpenter, Jim Frost
One of the Leader’s traveling companions Richard Delmer looking on as Gene Carpenter and Jim Frost engage in their usual trading. They both just had three days trading comics at the Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest only a week ago but they never get tired of it. Jim Montgomery is Gene’s partner at this show. Jim sells the bargain comics in the comic boxes on the tables and Gene sells the expensive comics on the display walls. Over 20 years ago when I used to setup as a dealer on the road I sometimes saw Jim Montgomery at the comic or collector shows in the Baltimore area.
Gene Carpenter and Jim Frost
Gene watching and waiting patiently as Jim evaluates one of his comics.
Gene Carpenter
Gene was pretty busy at this show but during a brief slow moment I pulled him aside to pose with this low grade copy of the Pre-Marvel comic Worlds Of Fantasy #17, 1959. The cover art is by Jack Kirby as usual and the story it illustrates “Guardian Of The Stars is drawn by Steve Ditko. I have some of the World Of Fantasy comics but I could never get my hands on this one.
Gene Carpenter
The show is just about over late Saturday afternoon. At far left is Jim Frost still lurking around Gene’s table still looking for last minute deals to be had. I probably won’t see Gene or Jim again until the Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest in March 2022. On the way home from the show the Leader, Jim and Richard had dinner at their beloved Sal’s Restaurant in Williamsburg in keeping with their long observed tradition.
Click here to return the Main Introduction Page for the Leader’s Report on the Williamsburg Nostalgia Fest 2021