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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jun 25, 2022 5:54:47 GMT -5
Those who have tried collecting some Golden Age or even Silver Age titles can go a bit bonkers with how the numbering was handled by publishers. Sometimes they start with a random issue number or a continuance from a cancelled title. Then they get caught by the Comic Issue # Squad and revert back suddenly to the real number. For instance The Adventures Of Horseface begins with # 6 and goes to #9. The Comic Issue # Squad steps in and instead of #10 the next issue is #5 (Because there were 4 Horseface comics already). Then comes a second #6 followed by seconds of 7,8 & 9.Got to be on your toes trying to get a complete run of Horseface Now, currently I just collect digital files so I can afford to error since it's easy to corect it. But today I was going a bit nuts for different reasons Red Band Comics had 4 issues from Nov 1944 to May 1945 published by Enwil Associates. The site I use for downloading had all 4 issues with some issues with multiple links. But looking at the results, #1 and #2 are the same cover and contents and the same goes for # 3 and #4 being duplicates of each other. Tried downloading all the different links and got the same results. Not until I went to the GCD website did I learn that was the way they were originally published, a reprint a month after #1 but called #2, a reprint a month after # 3 but called # 4. At least they could have given us a variant cover
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 25, 2022 6:32:57 GMT -5
Red Band was one of those titles printed on black market newsprint that were seized by the federal government. Its publisher, L.L. Baird, was a crook of the first order who had no compunctions about ripping off his readers. Sorting this crap out has been one of the chief challenges of writing my books.
Cei-U! I summon my imminent ulcer!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jun 25, 2022 6:39:36 GMT -5
Red Band was one of those titles printed on black market newsprint that were seized by the federal government. Its publisher, L.L. Baird, was a crook of the first order who had no compunctions about ripping off his readers. Sorting this crap out has been one of the chief challenges of writing my books. Cei-U! I summon my imminent ulcer! Sorry about dredging up some bad memories of your comic research. Thankfully I didn't mention things like missing/skipped issue #s For instance, there were many Dell Four Color collectors who for years were searching for issues that did not exist
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Post by foxley on Jun 25, 2022 7:02:48 GMT -5
For unknown reasons, Zoot Comics from Fox brought out two issues numbered 13 (February and April 1948) and two numbered 14 (March and May 1948). Among collectors, there are usually referred to as 13a and 13b and 14a and 14b, but obviously the potential for confusion is rife.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jun 25, 2022 10:40:53 GMT -5
There were two Daredevil Annual #4's and no #5.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jun 25, 2022 20:28:39 GMT -5
Old time collectors here had a hard time compiling their acquisitions before the internet and even further back without fanzines or print resources alerting them to how long a series ran, changed it's title etc. New collectors, eeven with all these tools , still have it rough
I frequent a board that has many newbie collectors absolutely flummoxed with modern comic roadblocks The frequent re-numberings and special events throw them into a frenzy of questions They don't know where to start, what order things are in, what are essential to read for a favorite character or event It's understandable that most don't want to start with 60-80 year old issues just to get a taste of, let's say Iron Man But that character has multiple volumes with that title and multiple titles he starred Newbies get so confused with jumping on points and what continues from what Either they have to do some serious internet research or they just give up and go back to manga
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2022 21:30:35 GMT -5
I am always perturbed by comics that don't put issue numbers on the cover. Gold Key of the 70s is especially bad for this. It makes it very difficult to figure out which issue is which if you are in the wild, especially with dealers who throw a hissy fit if you ask to take a book out of its bag and board before buying it. It's worse as I get older, and as my eyes have more trouble reading the small print of the indicia without having to change from my regular glasses to my reading glasses. I don't care about numbering changes and such, I can usually figure that out, but I do care about easily identifying the issue on the cover (or spine for larger issues).
-M
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Post by tartanphantom on Jun 25, 2022 23:08:17 GMT -5
I am always perturbed by comics that don't put issue numbers on the cover. Gold Key of the 70s is especially bad for this. It makes it very difficult to figure out which issue is which if you are in the wild, especially with dealers who throw a hissy fit if you ask to take a book out of its bag and board before buying it. It's worse as I get older, and as my eyes have more trouble reading the small print of the indicia without having to change from my regular glasses to my reading glasses. I don't care about numbering changes and such, I can usually figure that out, but I do care about easily identifying the issue on the cover (or spine for larger issues). -M
Charlton comics from the late '50s and early '60s are also particularly bad about this... I'm referring primarily to issues with the compass/red triangle corner box. A few do have numbers, but on many issues you have to refer to the indicia.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jun 26, 2022 22:56:36 GMT -5
This could be the most convoluted comic series to collect Moon Girl And The Prince #1 came out in late 1947 from EC Comics. The title was shortened to just Moon Girl for #s 2-6. Then it switched genres and the title was lengthened again to Moon Girl Fights Crime # 7. All of a sudden, with #8 it switches genres and title to A Moon, A Girl, Romance. It settles down for a spell for #9-12. Except suddenly, with #13 it morphs into Weird Fantasy, continuing on till #17. Then the Bureau of Accurate Comic Numbering steps in and demands that Weird Fantasy must number itself as it's own book. So # 17 is followed by # 6. And a year or so later Weird Fantasy has it's 2nd comics numbered # 13-17. Then it's clear sailing through issue # 22. Weird Fantasy and Weird Science are thrown into a blender and out pops Weird Science-Fantasy #23. This 2-headed behemoth shambles on until #29. Once again, like a comic on the FBI's most wanted list, it adopts a new alias and is now known as Incredible Science Fiction #30. And on it goes it's merry way until early 1956 with # 33. There have been rumors of sightings of this rascally series, moving from publisher to publisher, always under assumed names. Be on the lookout
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 26, 2022 23:15:18 GMT -5
I definitely find modern books more confusing than Silver and Golden age stuff (though that mess Ish just posted is a puzzler!). Between multiple volumes in a short period of time and variant covers, you really have to show by author and not title, but even there, Marvel has re-started some series while still keeping the same writer after events a few times.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,051
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Post by Confessor on Jun 26, 2022 23:59:35 GMT -5
I hear that finding all 3 issues of Brother Power, the Geek can be pretty tough.
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Post by tonebone on Jun 28, 2022 8:59:49 GMT -5
I definitely find modern books more confusing than Silver and Golden age stuff (though that mess Ish just posted is a puzzler!). Between multiple volumes in a short period of time and variant covers, you really have to show by author and not title, but even there, Marvel has re-started some series while still keeping the same writer after events a few times. I was just going to post this. And it doesn't get any easier to figure out which collections collect which series... and god forbid they number the volumes of the TPBs... that would make it too easy. Actually, it makes it easy to just skip it all.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2022 11:38:38 GMT -5
Every modern Marvel title.
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Post by DubipR on Jun 28, 2022 14:47:59 GMT -5
Every modern Marvel title. At least they put the legacy coding underneath but yes, it's a pain in the ass.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2022 3:53:18 GMT -5
I’ve got to work out which Darth Vader title to look at next via Marvel Unlimited, there seem to be two that started in 2017. At least according to a Wikia Fandom page or something. Oh, if they’d just have numbers, even when an arc starts. Something like Darth Vader #55 or something would be much more accessible than trying to determine which volume is the new one.
It won’t take forever, but it’s homework. Same with Thor. I think I remember the last arc I read - Jason Aaron - but as there’s not a quick and easy way to look something up, it’s frustrating.
I haven’t accessed comiXology for a while - hasn’t it now been absorbed by Amazon? - but looking up something such as Detective Comics #311 was so easy and quick (first appearance of Catman for anyone interested). Yet what if I want a ‘first’ issue of a particular Deadpool comic? Search boxes on sites may not lend themselves to finding legacy numbers. In that scenario, I’d just forego the “homework”. No desire to sit there trying to find the right Deadpool #1 (or Wolverine #1), not when I can perhaps just look up Batman #309 and find that within seconds.
They haven’t helped themselves. And I know it’s not just me. I saw at least one comment - might have been here - from a person struggling to find the right Thor volume. And although this is on me, my LCS ordered the wrong Aquaman book for me once, it was a New 52 rather than Rebirth. I mentioned this previously here, but Aquaman Vol. 25 or something might have been easier to find.
I get that they want to distinguish between runs, hence renumbering and the like (in which case, why not get rid of numbers altogether?). I get it’s not exactly akin to The Walking Dead. But even when a new creator takes over, why not just keep the numbering? If Bob Smith or John Doe take over on Thor with issue 700+ or something, why not just let Bob Smith’s first issue be #701 or something? And when the trade paperback time comes, why not just let Bob Smith’s run be Vol. 35, collecting issues 701-706 or something? Would it really be a problem? Wouldn’t it not be easier to keep hold of? While it’s not necessarily the same as The Walking Dead, I know exactly where I am with that comic, I know the arc. It’s “New World Order” and I believe that’s Vol. 30 when I can afford it. But if I need to work out where i am with Aquaman, Thor and others, I guess it’ll be “homework” time - or not.
Marvel just wants to eat its cake and then still have it too.
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