American Update: A Torrent of DC Tabloids! Batman, Superman, and the Legion of Super-Heroes
*DC: In the 1970s, both major companies experimented with tabloid formats, and DC’s was the Limited Collectors’ Edition, selected reprints in oversized format, which proved popular enough to spread to subsidiary series – Famous First Editions (reprinting historic issues in full), All-New Collector’s Edition (with, as the name implies, non-reprint stories of major characters). We have selections from all these gargantuan behemoths new in. Their unusual dimensions meant that they were not well-distributed by newsvendors in the States, nor have they generally fared well in long-term storage. Added to that the fact that they barely saw any distribution in the UK at all, and their rarity will be appreciated. We have one Famous First Edition new in, C-61, reprinting Superman #1 from 1938, FN p £10. From the main Limited Collectors’ Edition series, we have C-31 GD £5, reprinting a selection of vintage Superman stories, GD £5; C-37, a Batman All-Villain Special, (pictured) with an all-star roster – Catwoman, Joker, Two-Face and the Penguin; this is a beautiful VF at £25; C-47, Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, is FN/VF £10 and the star of the update is one of thee most sought-after issues – and by a long way the most contentious – All-New Collectors’ Edition C-55, starring Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, at that time one of DC’s strongest-selling series. Featuring the wedding of two founding Legionnaires, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, this was completely undistributed in the UK and not commonplace in the US, with the result that rabid completist Legion fans (yes, like us!) had to have it, and sought it out regardless of expense or effort, despite the fact that, frankly, the expanded page size did the Grell & Colletta ‘artwork’ no favours whatsoever. Didn’t matter to the diehard Legion folks – and still doesn’t, decades later, as every copy to come through our hands has vanished as if abducted by the Time Trapper! This copy (pictured) is an outstanding VF/NM at £50. SORRY, PICTURED ITEMS NOW SOLD