DC Entertainment/ Warner Brothers Film Release Schedule

Fill in the blanks

So what movie do you want to see?

A Quick History of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

When I was younger I was a huge fan of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles although I admit I did not catch on until early 1985 at which time I picked up a TMNT issue #2 and third printing of issue #1 I still have them, the Turtles were different en anything else I was reading at the time, the comic was in black and white, the stories were fantastic and the Turtles weren't, well, like other superheroes.

Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their first appearance in Mirage Studios 1984 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, which became so popular it had 5 printings. The first print run was only 3,000 copies and is now worth about $10,000 in a high CGC grade. Subsequent print runs were increasingly higher, 4th was 50,000. The second printing which I still own was only 15,000 copies.

First ad or TMNT in Comic Buyers Guide #542

The Turtles are named after famous Italian artists, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello. They are trained by a rat named Splitter and their arch-enemy is Shredder.

Following the success of the comic book the Turtles soared to new height in the late 1980's with their first animated series which premiered in 1987 and ran until 1996. The animated series led to load of merchandise, and when I say load I mean load. They could be found on everything. Toys was the most popular piece of merchandise, at one time I had almost all the figures and accessories that were produced.

The toy line remained popular for almost two decades generating billions of dollars in revenue. Unopened figures continue to be sought after even today. Some of the action figures are extremely rare such as Genghis Frog or Scratch which can sell for thousands.

Next up for the heroes in a half shell were the movies, three of them released between 1990 and 1993.
This just increased the Turtles popularity. They even had a concert tour sponsored by Pizza Hut in 1990, yeah Turtles in concert live at Radio City Music Hall summer of 1990 and I was there.  

Music Tour Poster

Today, the Turtles are still in comics, they still have a cartoon, they still have a ton of merchandise and they have a new movie coming out this weekend. I probably will not see it as I have long grown out of the Turtles, I am all about the superheroes now.

If your looking to begin hunting for turtle stuff check out local conventions, comic shops or flea markets for toys and comics, but be ready to pay serious money. I just came across all the figures at a local flea market and they weren't cheap.
They really are still after all this time a true phenomenon.

Notice how I didn't mention the Archie series, was such a waste of my money but I still bought every issue.

Good Luck on Your Hunt!
jointhhunt!

Bereet in Guardians of the Galaxy

So you ought be scratching your head right now thinking " I saw GOTG and I don't remember anyone named Bereet. I know who Groot is, and who Rocket was voiced by, I even know Nebula was played by that girl from Doctor Who. Don't recall a Bereet." Here at Comic Book Hunter and Gatherer we help you sought out even the most obscure characters, see in our Guardians of the Galaxy Character Guide.

So who is Bereet and why should we care. Bereet first appeared in Marvel comics way back in January 1977 in the short-lived Rampaging Hulk magazine issues #1. She appeared after that in the Hulk comic throughout the early 1980's. If you can find her first appearance you can add it to your collection for less than $25.

About Bereet 
Bereet is a female Krylorian. She made her living as techno-artist and produced films concerning fictional adventures of herself and the Hulk. The Krylorians are obsessed with the escapist movie-like fantasies of techno-art films, which led to Bereets massive popularity. at one time Bereet traveled to Earth inorder to became involved with the Hulk .

First Appearance

Bereet first appeared in the magazine Rampaging Hulk #1 which was created by Doug Moench and Walt Simonson.  A later version of Bereet which was revealed to be from the main Marvel Universe, Earth-616 (Rampaging Hulk stories were not) first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #269  and continued to appear in the series.

In Guardians of the Galaxy

After Peter Quill successfully steals the orb on the planet Morag and is flying away in his ship, Bereet wakes up and reminds him that she is still there. The two were apparently together the night before. Bereet is played by Melia Kreiling.

Including Bereet in this small role is just another one of Marvels homage to die hard Marvel zombies,   Adam Warlocks cocoon was another. They really know how to keep these fans happy.

So now you can add another first appearance to your Guardians of the Galaxy collection. Next we will look at Cosmo the Space Dog. 

Good Luck on Your Hunt!

#jointhehunt

Action Comics #1- 50 Year Anniversary Reprint

We continue our indept look at Action Comics #1 you can view previous post in "Stories of Action Comic #1".

 In 1988 the 50th Annivesary of the first appearance of Superman was celebrated with a reprint of Action Comics #1. Like previous reprints this one also only contains the 16 page First appearance of Superman story.

This reprint was sold both on newsstands and comic shops for 50 cents, which is the price listed in a white box in place of the original 10 cent price. The cover also either includes a small box in the left corner with a 50th Anniversay message  (direct market) or a UPC bar code (newsstand). It is important to note that because these small left side boxes appear the sweating man from the original cover has been removed.

The inside cover has a Daily Planet newspaper article describing how Action Comics is going weekly.

The back cover shows Superman on a bright yellow background.

This issue routinely sells for between $25 and $75 ungraded depending on condition. High CGC graded copies can sell for a couple of hundred. The direct market copy is more commonly found.

Hopefully you can find one of these reprints to help continue to build your Action Comics #1 collection. Yes there are a bunch of reprints but what do you expect it is the most important comic ever produced, Full reprint list.

We are starting a new ongoing spotlight post here at CBH&G entitled "Hunting for Action Comics #1" but we need your help, so send us your story of Action Comics #1 via email, Farleyclan003@yahoo.com

Good Luck on Your Hunt!
#jointhehunt

Amazing Fantasy #15 - Six Copies Up for Auction

Amazing Fantasy #15 is to the Silver Age of comics what Action Comics #1 is to the Golden Age of comics (see more in our "stories of Action Comics #1"). That means a bunch of things in the world of comics. Both are the most sought after issue of their period; both are the most valuable issues of their period; and both contain the first appearance of the most popular character of the era - Superman in the Golden Age and Spider-Man in the Silver Age.

Amazing Fantasy #15 is the first appearance of Spider-Man. In this historical issue, written by Stan Lee with art by Steve Ditko, High School student Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, he gains great power and becomes Spider-Man.

This month Comicconnect, the premier on-line comic marketplace and auctioneer, has not one copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 up for auction, not two copies, they have six copies, count them SIX copies for auction. ComicConnect is the same auction house that sold a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 for $1.1 million, Guinness World Record, you can read more about that in our previous post "The Most Important Silver Age Comic".
Lets look at each one of the Super Six up for auction this month, you can bid on them by going to Comicconnect today.

CGC Graded 0.5

Yes this copy is as low a grade as you could get but that makes it affordable. Just owning any copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 legitimizes your collection that much more. You can tell your friends "I own a copy of Spider-Man first appearance, no big deal."

CGC Graded 2.5
Copy has a small piece of the cover missing otherwise it look good for a comic that is over fifty years old. Another example of a lower grade that could be added to your collection for a reasonable price. Won't do to much damage to your bank account.

CGC Graded 3.0

Still a grade that would make a fine addition to any collection with a little something special added. This copy from CGC signature series includes Stan Lees authentic signature. The creator of Spider-Man signed the cover of the first appearance of Spider-Man. This would be the center of most collections.

CGC Graded 4.0

Starting to get into the more pricey grades, 4.0's usually sell for around $8,000. Everyone wants an Amazing Fantasy #15 in their collection and ComicConnect offers a 3-month time payment plan so "You can do it!" 

CGC Graded 4.5

The best part about having six copies of such an important issue up or auction at one time is many collectors will have a chance to own one. Six collectors are better than only one. This copy have been restored which basically means it will be more affordable.

CGC Graded 7.5

This is the big daddy of this auction, you'll need to take a loan or crash your bank account or this one. This one will sell or about $50,000 and will make any collection a memorable one. You need to make some pre-arrangements with ComicConnect to bid on this one because it truly is an awesome copy.

Good luck on this really unique online hunt. Auctions are a great place to get a great deal on a great comic. Especially if it is one of the big three issues (Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27 and yes, Amazing Fantasy #15). SO what are you waiting for, start bidding, ComicConnect Amazing Fantasy #15.

If you happen  to win any of these and I truly hope that our readers do please send me a photo of you with the issue and we will do a collectors showcase piece on you, email us at Farleyclan003@yahoo.com

Thank you ComicConnect for sending us such clear photos of Super Six copies of Amazing Fantasy #15.

Good Luck on Your Hunt!

#jointhehunt

Green Lantern Custom Leather Vest

Spotted this gem at Wizard World Philadelphia. It was all custom made leather cost was about $300.
Actually looks like something Guy Gardner would wear.

Batman #2 - Golden Age Variant Covers

Today variant covers are common place, each week numerous covers are released for each title. I happen to be a fan of this phenomenon, I like the idea of two or more artists designing a cover.

Back in the Golden Age if comics variants were not done to help sell additional comics, publishers didn't need any gimmicks as they were selling so well on their merit. The existence of a Golden Age cover variant is externally rare.

Batman #2 is a highly sought after comic, the variant versions of the issue is nearly impossible to find, so here is the story.

Released in the summer of 1940, Batman #2 written by Bill Finger with art by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. The issue contains four separate Batman stories which includes the second appearance  of the Joker and Catwoman.

There are three different covers for this issue:

DC Logo/10 cent
The most common, if you can call a Golden Age issue of a comic common, has the DC logo on it and  price is 10 cents, this issue sells today for over $35,000 in CGC grade 9.8 less for lower grades (obviously). A CGC 3.5 is currently up or auction at Comic Connect, your chance to own a copy.

No DC Logo/ 10 cents
The first variant is also a .10 cover price but is missing the DC logo is the left corner. We did not find any copies of this version graded or for sale.

DC Logo/15 cent
This is the rarest of the three covers, we are not sure why this cover was priced at 15 cents, 10 cent covers would be the norm in comics until 1963 when the price went up to 12 cents. This issue is nearly impossible to find, we did not find any for sale. Most likely it is a Canadian version but this has not been confirmed.
If you have or see a copy of this issue send us some more information about it farleyclan003@yahoo.com

 

So now you can start hunting or these issues and sell your car to pay for them. If you would like to add to this story please share in the comments section below.

 

Good Luck on Your Hunt!

#jointhehunt