This time around in comic news we are looking back at the Journey into Mystery comic auction from Heritage Auctions.
What made this auction particularly interesting is the fact that pricing was reasonable and grading conditions were meticulous. Not always the case on other online auction sites (E-something, Kiji-something), Heritage Auctions or “HA” take great pride in the fact that their faculty includes not only comic fanatics but also experts in antique books and printing. It’s safe to say that ‘what you see and what you read’ here is ‘what you get’.
What about the comics?
In my opinion, Tales of Mystery starring the Marvel character Thor is still an undervalued comic book, even with all of the Marvel movie appearances. Consider that the first run Thor series was benefited by the pencil skills of Mr. Jack Kirby. Jack is an icon in the comic book collector world. Unique style? Check. Quality character poses? Check.
Sure, we all know the main reason for the comic was to set the stage for Thor (introduced by the way in 1962’s Tales of Mystery #83) but there’s also the less considered crossover appeal of major stories (and covers) utilizing such Marvel characters as Magneto , The Incredible Hulk and even Hercules.
Tales of Mystery, like other comics from the early 1960’s, has a naivete and a simple message: Good guy half-god deals with life and an identity crisis. And that’s the fun factor.
It’s been almost sixty years since Marvel introduced the comic character Thor.
That’s a long time. Thor is still around, starring in major motion pictures and wielding the mighty mjolnir. He’s not going away. So if you have the money, investing in one or more of these books is not only a fun move, it’s a wise move. Sure to increase in value. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.
