Comics have been around for a long time and there is no shortage of fascinating stories in the history of the medium. This column looks back at select events that occurred during the calendar month from years long gone. Here are a few from Januarys past.
January 1950 (Cover date)Television was invented in 1939 but wasn’t immediately a mass medium. In 1948, only 1 million American homes had one. By 1950 though, the number had spiked to more than 5 million. The introduction of a new competing medium didn’t have a noticeable impact on the comic industry – surveys found that households with a television bought more comics than those without one. Considering how often film and radio had been adapted to comics, it was inevitable for television content to appear in comics as well.
Dell became the first company to base a comic on a television series when it released “Howdy Doody” #1 with a January 1950 cover date. The first five issues all featured a photo cover. The sixth issue had the dubious distinction of being excerpted in Fredric Wertham’s 1954 book attacking the comic industry, “Seduction of the Innocent”. The series ran for 38 issues over six and a half years, plus two issues of Dell’s “Four Color” anthology in 1957.
It wasn’t a huge hit, and another television adaptation wouldn’t appear on newsstands for almost a year. In the 60s, however, the genre boomed when Dell and Gold Key flooded the market. Between them, virtually every popular show was offered to comic audiences. While less common today, TV-based comics continue to play a significant role for publishers like Dark Horse, IDW, Boom!, and Bongo.
January 1979 (Cover date)
In 1976, the Mego Corporation brought some Japanese toys to America under the brand name Micronauts. Marvel writer Bill Mantlo discovered them when his son received some for Christmas. The primary gimmick for the toy line was interchangeable parts. Inspired by the design, he persuaded Editor in Chief Jim Shooter to purchase the license and let him write a comic about them. This was a novel idea at the time, since toy-themed comics had rarely been tried before, and never successfully. The first issue of “Micronauts” was released with a January 1979 cover date and art by Michael Golden.
Although the toy line was discontinued in 1980, “Micronauts” became an influential top seller that started a trend of comics based on toys. When Marvel wanted to show support for the fledgling direct market, “Micronauts” was turned into a comic shop exclusive starting at issue #38. Top artists such as Howard Chaykin, Steve Ditko, and Gil Kane contributed before Mantlo’s tenure ended at #59 in August 1984. The series was relaunched with a new writer and the subtitle “The New Voyage” two months later and lasted an additional 20 issues.
The property has been revived by other publishers since then, and is currently being developed as a feature film. Its influence also lives on in other toy-related comics like “Transformers” and “My Little Pony”.
January 4, 2000
From the moment comic fans turned their hobby into a profession by selling their collection at conventions, through mail order, and in specialty shops, there has been a battle between dealer and buyer over the condition of the books and its value. When the Overstreet Guide debuted in 1970, it attempted to provide standards for evaluating condition but the decision was still determined by the sellers. They had an inherent conflict of interest, but there was no alternative until January 4, 2000.
That’s when the Certified Collectibles Group, a company specializing in evaluating and preserving currency and trading cards, launched the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC). CGC was the first third-party grading service for the comic industry. For a fee, comics submitted to them are independently inspected by three experienced graders before being given a final score between 0.5 (poor) and 10.0 (mint). The comic is then sealed inside an archival plastic well that protects it from damage, ensuring the grade will not change. To avoid a conflict of interest, none of CGC’s 30 or so employees are allowed to buy or sell comics commercially.
Continued belowThe company was accepted by some fans rather quickly, in part because its founders sought endorsement at the 1999 Overstreet Advisor Conference. Before long, CGC books were selling for significantly more money than “raw” copies. Within a year of CGC’s founding, “Wizard” magazine dedicated a section of its price guide to CGC books with an emphasis on their higher prices. In their January 2002 issue, many CGC 9.8 comics were listed for ten times the value of their non-CGC counterparts. Because CGC takes the guesswork and expertise out of grading, investors are particularly drawn to them.
The new service was not without detractors, however. The practice of sealing comics inside a plastic shell sparked an immediate debate in the fan community. While necessary to guarantee the condition of the comic, it also prevents a buyer from reading the comic. The industry was still recovering from the speculator bust of 1993, and charging higher prices for an unreadable comic struck some fans as a terrible idea. Mile High retailer Chuck Rozanski took issue with CGC’s proprietary standards for being more strict than the Overstreet guidelines that had been in use for thirty years, retroactively decreasing the values of most collections. He also felt the differences between grades above 9.2 were minuscule enough to be illusory.
Despite these criticisms, CGC has become a seemingly permanent element of the comic industry. They now process 100,000+ comics annually and led the way for other third-party graders like CBCS and PGX.
Like these stories? Find previous articles in this series here