Hint: It's a Better Comic Book!

[@JerryYamamoto-q4s]

Your videos are always supremely pleasurable and insightful!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks so much Jerry! I'm glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@rwc3500]

Keston bringing the HEAT, as always! - I respect everyone's right to collect as they choose, but I'm not sure I could give up those beautiful Alex Schomburg books.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Ralph. Definitely some tough sacrifices there.

[@KozysGhost]

Tough call. I’ve given up several of my favs chasing a grail and have had mixed emotions after trading or selling to move on. For me, it’s the chase and I have a hard time giving up my previous hard sought after wins for a singular title. For some, the hobby is owning a book, enjoying it and then letting it go when it is time to enjoy another. All work in the space for those that enjoy chasing, owning, buying or selling. Congrats on getting a MASSIVE grail Keston. Love the channel.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks Kozy for the thoughtful and kind words. Yeah, I thought pretty carefully about this purchase and what books I would have to give up. Like you, I've had situations where I certainly had buyer's regret because of the books I had given up. In my experience, it rarely has to do with value, but more with an emotional bond. And, unfortunately, sometimes I don't know how much I love a book until it's gone. For example, giving up my restored copy of Superman 1 didn't bother me so much, but I still yearn for my Catman 31, 9.0. True story, haha.

[@chrisfrost5646]

Great book. Showcase 4 is definitely a milestone issue. Congratulations.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you Chris. Glad to finally have a copy!

[@kmo7909]

I ended up getting the Exciting 66 so thank you for making it available. I've started collecting the Schomburg run entirely from seeing your videos. Wallet is emptier but comic box is fuller!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Awesome. Congrats. It went for a very reasonable price. It’s a beautiful book! I hope you enjoy it.

[@kmo7909]

​@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 about half what I thought it'd go for. Watching the prices for the Schomburg airbrush covers the last 2 years they are generally consistent with infrequent jumps or crashes. Can't figure out why but that's comics

[@ajguez]

Sweet pickup! I picked up one this year and love it

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, Ag! Proud to join you in the Show 4 club.

[@ajguez]

Great copy! Nice colors too. My copy is a 3.5 mostly bc of some mild sun damage (fading).

[@michaelsaritelli]

Somehow 🙂there you were in my feed... and after my first visit to your channel, I am glad I stopped by. This was a fun video, thank you for sharing.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks for the kind words, Michael. Welcome to the channel, and I hope to see you around again, soon :-)

[@Supervillian4]

Awesome pickup!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks Supervillian! I'm very happy with it.

[@SonOfCrom-1932]

Happy to have found your channel! This is the first time it has appeared on my recommended screen. I feel your pain (and joy) at getting rid of Keys for a better overall grail. I have recently traded away my TOS #39, and literally almost 1000 other books to focus mainly on Conan (and Batman as well). I did this to make space though, and just narrow my focus on 2 runs. If I didn't, I would probably go broke trying to buy every character's Key book lol. I looked up Showcase #4 on MyComicsShop, and their 5.0 (listed at 34K or best offer) also has that little Yellow mark between Flash's eyes. So maybe it is just a printing error on many copies (since I don't see it on other graded ones I looked up). Overall, it's a Wonderful Grail Keston! Love it! Currently working on finishing up my Conan story cover's for Weird Tales (have 2 to go), and lastly the holiest of grails for Conan would be the Dec. 1932, first story printed of course. Looking forward to your next video and Happy to be *Your new Subscriber!* Best wishes on your journey to 4K! Stay Safe, but always Stay Savage! ~ Son of Crom

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks SonofCrom! Nice to meet you, virtually. That's interesting about the MyComicShop copy. Yeah, maybe it was an error for a certain batch in the print run? BTW: love your story about pursuing Conan. Very cool! I did check out one of your videos: where you went to Australia. Very cool. And, also very cool you are supporting your daughter's passion!

[@SonOfCrom-1932]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 Thank you for replying! Also, I appreciate you stopping by my channel for a spell. Have a great evening sir!

[@brute_nm]

Congrats on the pickup, Keston! She's a beaut!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Derek! I love her :-)

[@marclapuma]

Congrats on the Showcase!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Marc!

[@clintstevens6831]

I agree. Certainly one of the most important comics in the history of comics.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Clint!

[@johnmoran6418]

Gorgeous 😍..congratulations

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, John! Much appreciated.

[@MetalBum]

Great graph showing the marvel silver age keys. That’s why I highly value first ant man Tales to astonish. It is scarce for sure.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, MB. Yeah, TTA 27 is substantially tougher than the other SA books. Also, I like the fact that it seems more like it's part of the monster genre than the superhero genre. The cover has a great vibe :-)

[@RedRockShane]

Holy cow Keston, That's a huge book. Congrats! My heart hurts for what you had to give up though. /cries

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, Shane. For sure. I still have the Okajima copy of Exciting 66 which is super nice so I didn't mind giving up the Exciting 66. The Wonder 15 was the toughest because I love the book. Even though I have an undercopy, it's not nearly as nice. Chamber of Chills 19 is a GREAT book and I'm sorry to let it go. If the book ever cools off -- which I'm not sure it will any time soon -- I might have to get another copy :-)

[@reprintranch]

Congratulations, Keston, that’s a great-looking 5.5 and a heck of a milestone comic. For kicks, I did some online research re: the Showcase title and this issue. Potential points of interest… The first three issues of Showcase were “real-life adventure” sort of stuff. First ish focused on firefighters, next on North American wildlife, then underwater demolition team (UDT) stories. Issue four, then, is a shift to imaginative fiction, and DC never looked back, though Showcase did run a few police strips and a re-imagined UDT strip in Sea Devils. But the title launched the Silver Age Green Lantern (issue 22) and Atom (ish 34) and debuted sci-fi strips Challengers of the Unknown and Adam Strange, plus the first solo Lois Lane strip. All of this before Fantastic Four issue 1 hit the stands. The decision to launch a new Flash, as opposed to a new Green Lantern or Atom, I wonder if the editors at DC thought the Flash had a better chance of success owing to worldwide publicity about runner Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile record in May 1954. I also wonder if the design and color scheme of the new Flash costume were intended to duplicate some aspects of the Fawcett Captain Marvel costume - bright red with yellow accents, thunderbolt symbol. If so, perhaps this was a reaction of sorts to Fawcett’s agreement in August 1953 to stop publishing any material depicting Captain Marvel, as part of settlement of a lawsuit DC mounted. It kinda seems like DC treated the character as an inoperable car that could be used for parts. Lastly, the film strip on the cover of Showcase 4 fascinates me. I used to be a movie-theater projectionist, that’s one reason. But I think the film strip is meant to evoke the idea “this guy is so fast that only high-speed cameras can capture what he does” and now, to bring the excitement to a new level, as the film strip gets closer and the images on film speed along, WHAMMO, here’s the new Flash in full color, breaking through the film strip like it’s finish-line tape and he’s headed directly toward you, the reader. He’s looking right at you, as a matter of fact. Compelling and unusual stuff for a comic book cover. It tells me clearly what this guy does, and demonstrates that he looks cool. I might risk a dime. During my research, I found that a couple of online resources indicate that writer Robert Kahniger not only scripted the Flash origin story for this issue, he somehow contributed to the cover design. I didn’t realize Kahniger got involved in the artwork, but he apparently did here. Curiosity now piqued, I looked through credits for about the first 30 issues of Showcase and found no other example of a writer - Bob Kahniger or anyone else - who helped out with cover design. Here’s the punchline - when I did a search for Bob Kahniger covers, I found one other example. He helped design the cover to Shield/Steel Sterling issue 3, a 1983 super-hero comic from Red Circle, the short-lived offshoot of Archie Comics. On that cover are film strips, running across the top and down the right side.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Dear Tom, Wow, what a post! Did you ever work as a writer or a researcher? You have a knack for uncovering uncommon details and explain concepts in a dynamic way. "If so, perhaps this was a reaction of sorts to Fawcett’s agreement in August 1953 to stop publishing any material depicting Captain Marvel, as part of settlement of a lawsuit DC mounted. It kinda seems like DC treated the character as an inoperable car that could be used for parts."...LOVE IT Appreciate the deep dive into Kahniger and the film tie in. Fascinating!

[@reprintranch]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 Hi Keston -- Thanks, I'm really glad you enjoyed the comment. Yes, I have writing experience out the wazoo. In the '80s I worked as a music journalist (mostly writing about metal, punk and other loud stuff) and a bit later moved on to science-oriented public-relations writing (mostly with the University of Florida's medical and agricultural programs). In those gigs I did a lot of background research and loved it. These days I channel my writing impulses into comic art history stuff, and will put together these sorts of lengthy "here's something I know/found..." comments for YT vids if it seems like it'd be fun for others to read. Your videos provide a lot of inspiration. :) One addendum to my earlier comment -- there are a LOT of comics from the '40s and '50s that use a "film strip" across the top or down the side of the front cover, with each frame depicting the face of one of the characters inside the comic. So the film actually serves as a series of picture frames. Clever concept. I'm sure you've seen examples. I'd love to figure out who actually used this idea first.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Tom! Thanks for sharing your background. Cool to hear you worked in music then for academe. Translating science to a larger audience is not an easy task! Good observation about the "film strip" on comic covers. Now that you say it, I do recall seeing this device used frequently. I'll keep my eye out for more. Always appreciate your thoughtful responses, my friend. -Keston

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

2 things. I love how u lit a candle when u opened the book. 😂. You hit the nail right on the head on why we buy books. HISTORY!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Laurence! Thank you, my friend. I had to put a little romance into my comic game! Haha :-)

[@kryptoniterocks8245]

Congrats Keston.. I had a 5.5 back in 2014 and yes I sold it off to get something even bigger lol. The best part of collecting is the chase then once Pokémon is caught let it go and chase another ..

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Kryptonite. Agree. I don't like to part with books but that's the cost of the pursuit :-). BTW: What was the bigger book you obtained?

[@kryptoniterocks8245]

Aah my biggest achievement was Superman 1 I got back in 2022 I traded over and over for 10yrs to finally acquire my dream book. Once I achieved it anything else I didn’t want to bother chasing anymore as the hobby has become to expensive in its own right with golden age top 10 books. Once your reach a Rolls Royce of comics you pretty much can’t top it unless it’s a Action 1.. That books is just too far gone now.. Aah we can dream can’t we we.. 😊👌

[@kryptoniterocks8245]

Also I’m getting into more and more Superhero cels.. The big key ones from episodes that are iconic.. Why? Because they are paintings of 1/1 and I don’t have to worry about a shift in speculation or MCU hype pushing it from Fomo. 1/1 makes it rare and more desirable in my collection right now..

[@tec31kid]

Congrats 🎉Keston - we both picked up ⚡️S4 💨 this year 😊 - the Gary Carter influence 😊

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, my brother. Haha. Yeah, Ol' Gary got us. Looking forward to our next collabs.

[@wazdakka1342]

Congrats! That's a beautiful copy.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate it, Waz!

[@hazeldan1216]

Making some big moves my friend. Can't wait to see the other one you got too. Congrats!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks my friends. I know you two have some exciting arrivals as well :-)

[@KingLegendary1]

YOU WERE THE ONE WHO OUT BID ME?!!?!?!?! tip of my hat to you sir

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, King. Aww man. Happens to the best of it. Heritage has a nice 6.5 coming up for auction, which I'm sure you've seen. Perhaps you'll score that one! Let me know when you land a copy of Show 4!

[@KingLegendary1]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 Yes, I'm currently in the hunt for it right now I'm waiting for the day of to make my winning bid, as of right now they're going to just bid it up so hopefully I can come away

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

@@KingLegendary1 My fingers are crossed for you! Good luck.

[@AutomaticComics]

Congratulations on the new pickup 👍

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, Ryan. I appreciate it!

[@2ndbestbob28]

I've got to say, I would rather have the books you gave up, but glad you're happy. 👍🏼 😊

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Bob! They were tough to give away for sure.

[@half_a_kman977]

Congrats, Keston! Great pickup, though I know it was tough to let those other beauties go!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Half_a_kman! Great to hear from you! It was tough, indeed.

[@marclapuma]

W O W! Any day Keston uploads a video is a GOOD day

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

That's so nice to hear, Marc. It was a fun video to make.

[@brychology]

Congratulations Keston! That high level stuff right there! Appreciate the rarity comparison to other silver age keys! I sold my X-Men 1 CGC 4.0 because I realized that it’s not rare and that I could take that cash and buy several cool GA books that have less than 50 on the census! Always enjoy your content!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Bry. Yeah....that's usually what I have done: moved from silver to gold. Like you, I'm a sucker for gold, especially rare gold. Though, I tell ya, the silver-age grails do pull on the heart strings :-). I would like to have a copy of X-Men 1 in my collection, I just think the book has been riding too high.

[@VaryingViewpoint]

Nice video! Very sad to see Exciting Comics 66 go. Personally I would never give up Golden Age comics for any Silver Age. Too bad I wasn't around to have talked some sense to you before you going off the deep end. 😅

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

VV! Haha. I can tell this video moved you. I've commented to a few other folks that I own the Okajima copy of Exciting 66, which is exceptionally nice as well. I would not have let the 9.6 go without the other copy! Wonder 15 was really tough to let go too.

[@User8vfjhejf]

I would have gone Pre Robin Detective, SC 4 still awesome though

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Bruce Wayne. On brand, I see. Haha. I do love those early DCs! Have you ever been interested in the pre-Batman DCs? A few of those books are really nice imho :-)

[@sird2333]

After they made Jane Foster Thor-gal, I was done.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

That was a controversial move. I didn’t mind Jane Foster turning into Thor per se, but the overall love and thunder movie was too goofy for me.

[@MetalBum]

Holy cow. You got first SA flash in 5.5 wow. This isn’t incredible. Yes historic book there congrats!!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, MB. I'm very happy with it!

[@unkle_Enkil]

At first i thought you had gone crazy..but as the tale unfolded it all made sense. Well done on the acquisition, now is it a forever keep, or would you trade it up for something else ?.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Unkle Enkil. Thanks so much. I have no intent of selling Showcase 4 anytime soon. I typically buy comics with the intent of keeping them for many years. If I sell a book relatively quickly -- within a year of purchase -- it's almost always because I don't like the particular copy. Usually, I HATE to give up a book, and when I do sell it is only to get a book I really want. Long story short, I love this copy of Showcase 4, and it would take something truly special to give it up :-)

[@gregahunt]

the schomburg is listed on heritage now and bidding begins nov 1

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, Greg! Yep, Exciting 66 and Wonder 15 are both listed on HA.com now.

[@timreierson26]

Giving up Chamber of Chills #19 would have been a deal breaker for me.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Tim. Definitely a tough one to give up.

[@oacomics5956]

Very nice brother

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Much thanks, OA :-)

[@collectiblestoastonish]

Congrats Keston on your pick up!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, CTA! I've started to watch your videos since you appeared on Allan's show. Keep up the good work!

[@Kid-Comics]

Pretty awesome book! Sad to see the JIM 83, to go, but the upgrade is a million times sweeter! 🎉

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Kid! I do like JIM83 but feel confident I can get another copy later. The other books were tougher to let go.

[@dagrcards3075]

For shame. Long live Thor!!!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Haha. Yeah, I though I might anger some Asgard purists. I would certainly welcome another copy of JIM83 down the road. Thanks for the comment DAGR Cards! BTW: Much respect regarding your beard.

[@Fenimore.Cassidy]

Exciting Comics is such a beautiful book. Is it being auctioned or a private sale? Congrats on your addition. It certainly seemed like a tough decision to make but you'll always regret what you didn't do. Great book.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks Fenimore! Yeah, I do have another really nice copy of exciting 66! :-). Show 4 is one of the books I decided I could sacrifice deeply for.

[@timmarshall2062]

man that wonder comics 15 i have the davis crippen wonder comics 12 so you know i would dig the crippen wonder 15

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Tim! Wow. Wonder 12 is super sweet. My Wonder 15 copy is posted on Heritage now. It's a really nice copy with deep colors. I'm sad to let it go but would love for a friend of the channel to pick it up :-)

[@adamleitman8116]

Mmm Showcase #4 my DC holy grail

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Adam! Super happy to have it in my collection. BTW; I did land another huge DC grail...much older and rarer. When I get it back from ComicConnect, I'll post a video about it.

[@roywatson7916]

Congratulations

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Roy! Thanks for the comment.

[@horvathsogranfume658]

congrats

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, Horvath!

[@michaeltan4204]

Congratulations it is a huge accomplishment . I would not have parted with the Chamber of chills unless I plan to upgrade it. I'm basically a cover guy and despite the history and relative rarity of Showcase 4 for me it has zero cover appeal. Still I admire those who strive and work towards their collecting pursuits.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thank you, Michael. Chamber of Chills 19 is a special book. Definitely hard to give up. I think Showcase 4 has more sentimental appeal to me and that's why I went for it. Who knows, I may go for another copy of CC19 in the future.

[@michaeltan4204]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 I respect all collectors choices of books they choose to collect I myself collect some books that have little or no intrinsic value due to nostalgia I enjoy your channel. It is well researched keep up the outstanding work 👆

[@uFELLA]

Different strokes for different folks and all that, but zero? Did you LOOK at this cool cover? :) With Flash so fast he literally bursts out of the old-school film reel (a nice touch there, especially now that we're in digital age!) that dared tried to record/capture him. That cover also employs a rare combo of colors that just pops---it will always stand out (in a good way) on any display of holy grails. Like the Flash is on fire. And i write this being an owner of great SA covers like Incredible Hulk 1, Silver Surfer 1 and 4, and great GA covers like Startling Comics 49, Seven Seas Comics 4, and Batman 11. I just want to make sure you actually took a good look at a SC4 (ideally, in hand....trust me).

[@mrflynn-v2x]

Smart move. Sophie's choice, with less drama.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Heh, heh. Yeah, that's a good to put it!

[@kevinc809]

Congrats. What happened to the COC 19?

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Kevin. It's being processed by Heritage. It hasn't been posted yet.

[@DanSchawbel]

I dumped my 4.0 too

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi, Dan. Did you trade it for another book?

[@DanSchawbel]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842no, I’m being patient right now :)

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Cool. Let me know when you re-up :-).

[@wg8561]

Don't kill me for this, but I'd rather have journey into mystery 83. I honestly don't get why first appearance in a different age is that big of a deal. If course it's just my opinion so who cares what I think. Congrats

[@uFELLA]

As I wrote above, the cover to Showcase 4 is awesome in so many ways. And it's not just a first appearance book in a SA. It is THE book that is credited with starting the SA of comic books with its focus on superheroes. And why is that important? Because of the dire state the superhero genre was in after WWII and continuing after SOTI and the resulting Comics Code Authority. All that negatively affected the perceived viability of genres, with superheroes having been left behind for over a decade. It was Showcase 4 that demonstrated to big publishers' satisfaction (including Marvel) that the superhero genre was not only viable once again, but could be very popular, and the rest is history. A great history all thanks to Showcase #4. My goodness. Have you been living under a rock? : )

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Great to hear you, WG. I respect your opinion, of course. To each their own. I was and still am a big Marvel fan and, at one time, had all the major silver-age Marvel keys. Showcase 4 is one of those books that slowly grew on me and then became an obsession.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

HI, Just a Quantum. I share your opinion now. But not too many years ago, I was more in the WG camp. I sort of thought of Showcase 4 as a footnote in Marvel's Silver Age. If I had to rank order the most important comic books of all time, Action 1 is #1...but it wouldn't be hard to argue that Showcase #4 is #2 :-)

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

BTW: I saw another post you wrote about the beauty of the cover, but can't locate it. I appreciate the time you took to write it. BTW: you've got great taste re covers. Startling 49 and Seven Seas 4 are among the favorite books I own!