RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books What's the Holy Grail of your comics collection?

I actually thought of two ways to answer this.

What series or issues or other items do you treasure the most in your collection?

Or alternately and at least as interesting, what items did you struggle most to find and purchase to add to your collection? What are the rarest and hardest to find items you have?
What item did you search years for, and maybe not yet found?

I've been collecting since 1972, and one of the most sought-after hard to find items for me was the KIRBY UNLEASHED portfolio, advertised in most 1972 DC books. I finally found and purchased a perfect mint copy of it by mail order (in the waning days of the pre-internet period) in 1996 for $50.00.

Two Morrows reprinted it with additional material about 10 years ago, and I purchased that version too, and for purposes of keeping my original intact, usually flip through the Two Morrows version. Honestly, except for the cover, it doesn't live up as well to expectations as the superior JACK KIRBY: MASTERWORKS portfolio from 1978, which shows a lot more reproduced 60's and 70's unpublished covers and pages by Kirby. KIRBY UNLEASHED has a greater ratio of Golden Age Kirby material.

Another extremely rare item I got on Ebay in 2006 is a limited edition Jack Kirby "Jacob Wrestles an Angel" sculpture.

I still have it on display, and got it for an incredible $20.00 !

It was originally advertised in COMICS JOURNAL 134, Feb 1990. I tried to pre-order it, but was told by my comic shop owner later that the sculptures were flawed and all were destroyed, unreleased. What a lucky find, so many years later!

Another of my treasured items is a Kirby original art page I have from JIMMY OLSEN 148, April 1972, page 11.



One of my all-time favorite series, so nice to have an original page from a series I enjoy so much. And very interesting to see the visible divisions between Kirby pencils, Colletta inks, Murphy Anderson inked Superman and Olsen heads, and even the white-outed corrections.

As for the part of my collection I treasure the most, it would be the Kirby 1970-1976 DC work, that were the first titles I sought out as a serious comics collector when I turned 16 and purchased my first car.
I actually pre-meditated the comic shop I wanted to go to and seek out the back issues, before I even purchased a car, a place called STARSHIP ENTERPRISES in Fort Lauderdale, owned by Kurt Goldzung and another guy named Vince, that used to sponsor re-runs of Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits on Channel 51, hosted by a likeable heavy-set guy with long dark hair and glasses named Dave Dixon.
After 1984, Kurt Goldzung closed his shop and moved to Chicago to be the sales director for First Comics. I didn't see him again until I ran into him at the 1987 San Diego Comic Con.

As soon as I had a car, I immediately tracked their comic store down, and bought complete runs of KAMANDI, THE DEMON, OMAC, and also WARLORD (I was big into Grell at the time, Kirby was a revived favorite from years past).
Very soon after, the Kirby fever continued, and I sought out JIMMY OLSEN, FOREVER PEOPLE, NEW GODS, MISTER MIRACLE, and WEIRD MYSTERY 1, 2 and 3. I already had his FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL and SANDMAN issues.

I guess because these were the issues I first completed my runs of, series that I hungered for years from 1972-1979 to eventually have a complete run of, they'll always be the ones I treasure the most.

Soon after, I expanded into a complete run of Neal Adams' DC books, and then expanded into HOUSE OF MYSTERY and other DC mystery titles.

An unexpected treat when I got the Neal Adams STRANGE ADVENTURES/ Deadman issues, issue 213 is signed by Neal Adams on the centerfold.



It was a Good/VG copy when I got it at Miamicon, and it was only when years later I got a mint copy, I saw that it didn't have the same signature on the centerfold, and I first realized the rare signed issue I had! Probably signed many years before at one of the earliest conventions. And passed through multiple owners and manhandling after that. I purchased it in 1979.

When I got it, it was still only 10 years after Adams' rise to fame with Deadman. Hard to believe it's now 50 years ago in comics history.

Probably my dog eared copy of "origins of Marvel comics" which I purchased back in 1975 or so and which I got autographed in 1988 by Stan Lee.

I had a chance to meet Stan Lee when he was a guest at Orlando Megacon a few years ago. But there was a line for him like for Space Mountain at Disney World.

But I'd treasure that signed copy too.

FF #48. Bought this back in the mid-90's for $200. I sent it to CGC about a year ago or so and came back a 4.0. I doubt I'll get rid of it.

That is an impressive book to have:




I used to have a nice Fine/VF copy of FF 48, which I sold in 1994, and I now regret. I have a steady run of Lee/Kirby FF from 28-102, and scattered issues before that, back to issue 13, a part of my collection that approaches grail status.
I bought my run in the early/mid 1980's, and purposely bought the early issues mostly in good condition, so I could read and fully enjoy them without having to worry about creasing perfect copies while reading them, a choice I've long been happy with. ( A mistake I made with my Lee/Kirby JOURNEY/THOR run, that are in high grade and I rarely look at. As I'm sure you know, the early 1960's Marvel issues are for some reason more fragile than the DC titles of the same period, and much more prone to chipping, even in nicer copies.)

These may be Kirby's most acclaimed works, but I still most treasure Kirby's 1970-1976 DC work.

There's an upcoming omnibus hardcover due to come out in a few months that collects all of Kirby's JIMMY OLSEN, FOREVER PEOPLE, NEW GODS and MISTER MIRACLE work in a single hardcover, that has the potential to become a holy grail item in my collection. But I enjoy them so much in the original form, and DC so often disappoints in how they package their books in collected form.

Among my other most treasured items is THE STUDIO book. For those not in the know, it's a 12" X 12" book in the same format as Roger Dean's VIEWS book (both published by Dragon's Dream, that later continued publishing as Paper Tiger). The book was published in 1979, covering the work of Jeff Jones, Barry Windsor-Smith, Michael Kaluta, and Berni Wrightson. Displaying most of the posters, prints and portfolios they each did in this era, it covers the period from 1975 to 1979 when the four artists shared a studio, and how each at the peak of their talent inspired each other to even greater heights of excellence.



Most of the works I first saw in this book I later purchased in poster or print form, much of which is on my walls. I recently (preparing for hurricane Irma) was moving items to safety, and found a cache of about 100 posters and prints by these artists and others. And was a bit saddened by the fact they had remained in storage for 20 years or so, and were not in frames and displayed on the walls as I'd previously intended. But hey, it's impossible to display everything.

I'd say this 160-page book (split into four roughly 40-page sections spotlighting each artist) is the single best representation of comic book art I've ever seen.

The only other that comes close is BERNI WRIGHTSON: A LOOK BACK, the 1980 book by Chris Zavisa, that gives its sole focus to Berni Wrightson, and displays virtually every poster and print Wrightson had ever done up to that point. But even so, THE STUDIO is still a far more beautiful book.

One item I'd love to have in my collection, and that I've passed up many opportunities to buy, is the figure/model of the
Bottled City of Kandor.



I was just looking at the above linked grand tour of it on youtube by a guy who purchased it, and obviously has a great affection for it. This Kandor model is BY FAR the nicest figure DC ever released. The only other one I like almost as much is the Green Lantern power ring and lantern to recharge it. Both of these take comics mythology and really bring it to life, in an ornately detailed figure.

But alas, for all the comics, decorative hardcovers, posters and prints that I enjoy displaying, I already have hundreds of others tucked away securely, that it's almost tragic such beautiful pages can't also be framed and displayed. And I think that's ultimately what would happen to Kandor if I bought it. I'd enjoy and display it for a while, and then eventually put it in storage, and worry about possibly breaking it.

An aspect I wasn't aware of is that it only stays lit for about 30 seconds before automatically shutting off. And that there's no varied pattern to the lights. This part is disappointing. But overall, still very cool.
The YouTube guy also gives some history of when Kandor first appeared in Superman titles, and images from multiple comics stories over the years, to compare with the sculpted figure. My favorite Kandor story is a Swan/Anderson backup story in ACTION COMICS 400, in 1971.

What do I not have that I would love to have?

1966 Batman Cowl Mask Matty Collector DC Classic TV Series Mattel 2014 Adam West

That would be fun to wear around the house, and talk to your family in a droning Adam West Batman voice!

I remember debating on buying this too. It is pretty cool but I passed for much the same reason. Back when Mattel was making the JLU figures they did release a superman figure with a much smaller scaled bottled city that I do have on a bookcase. Probably the best accessory ever outside of Krypto and Batmite.

Glad you like it too, M E M. Amazing how much we assessed it the same way!

There are several other Kandor models out there in addition to this one. I was amazed, LEGO alone has done several versions of it. And I saw on one site that the replica model appeared in an episode of Big Bang Theory !



There are many other very cool Kandor models, apparently one-of-a-kind models by sculptor/artist types.

• https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/arts/...n-a-bottle.html
  
  https://www.hauserwirthlosangeles.com/exhibitions/mike-kelley-kandors-1999-2011-20171021

Holy grail-worthy indeed!

Another view, lit up:





I hope at some point they do a re-issue of the figure, but with enhanced and more sustained and varied lighting, where it doesn't just shut off after 30 seconds or so. At the price it was initially offered at, I'm surpised it didn't have that in the first place.
Nice as it is already.

The other "holy grail" figure I mentioned above, the Green Lantern power ring, with re-charching lantern.

https://www.shopdcentertainment.com/prod...rRoCfEIQAvD_BwE




Side-by-side with the bottled city of Kandor, the Kandor figure far surpasses the Green lantern and ring.

But still, both would be nice to have. Centerpieces of the DC universe, brought to life.

Updated links


https://www.haveablasttoys.com/prod...-battery-and-ring-1-1-scale-prop-replica

http://www.texastoyz.com/dccogrlapoba.html

This one seems harder to find and less available than the bottled city of Kandor figure.
For the hardcore Green Lantern collector.

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Updated with new images.
Still two of the finest art books you could possibly add to your collection.