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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Friday, June 10, 2005
It's June, the anniversary of Superman's first appearance in print, and TOT's ongoing salute to the Man of Steel continues with ACTION COMICS #181 [June, 1953]. The cover is by Win Mortimer, a fine artist and a true gentleman with whom I was fortunate enough to work a few times in the 1970s. The issue's credited editor was Whitney Ellsworth; the actual editor was either Jack Schiff or Mort Weisinger. If either were still with us, I'm not sure they'd want to take credit for this bizarre cover-story.
Turning, as I so often do, to Michael L. Fleisher's THE GREAT SUPERMAN BOOK [Warner Books; 1978], here's what I was able to learn about "The New Superman":
In June 1953, Superman matches wits with DIAMOND DAVE DELANEY. [His foe is] a Metropolis "gang chief" and cunning "arch-criminal" - nicknamed Diamond Dave because of his sparkling diamond stickpin - who is captured along with this henchmen by Superman. Superman's efforts to apprehend the Delaney gang are severely hampered by the fact that weird super-cosmic rays, emanating from a "huge whirlpool of flaming gases" in the "vast loneliness of interstellar space," have temporarily rendered him invulnerable to Kryptonite and able to pierce lead with his X-ray vision, but only at the cost of making him fatally vulnerable to diamonds and unable to see at all through ordinary glass.
The GRAND COMICS DATABASE [www.comics.org] had not identified the writer of "The New Superman" at present, but the tale was drawn by Wayne Boring (pencils) and Stan Kaye (inks). Rounding out this 44-page issue of ACTION COMICS, we had:
"Congo Bill - Coward" by Jack Miller (writer) and Ed Smalle (artist);
Tommy Tomorrow in "The Space-Mail Mystery" with artwork by Jim Mooney;
a two-page Jerry Jitterbug gag strip by the omnipresent Henry Boltinoff;
the Vigilante in "The Forgotten Men of Ghost Town" with art by Bob Brown; and,
"Carelessness Is No Joke!," a Peter Porkchops public service page written by Jack Schiff and drawn by Otto Feuer.
The 35th edition of the OFFICIAL OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE, which I hereby decree as a "prototype" for the 36th edition and thus eligible to have its price jacked up, opines that a near-mint condition copy of ACTION COMICS #181 would sell in the general vicinity of $600.
According to THE INFLATION CALCULATOR, an useful website which can be found at...
www.westegg.com/inflation
...what cost $600 in 2005 would cost $86.21 in 1953. If you'd had $600 to spend on comic books in 1953, you could've bought 6000 of them. Excuse me while I go into my happy place to contemplate that for a while.
I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 06/09/2005 | 06/10/2005 | 06/11/2005 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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