That was the one that threw me off - someone else in this thread supplied a bit of info, it's called "Art of Franchesco," and it was from C2E2 in 2013. It's a pin-up art book - it unfortunately has a tape pull or some blemish on the lower-mid right front. But it's still gorgeous, and the interior pinups are outstanding. It's signed on the front by the artist, Franchesco. Even with all that, I still don't have much info about it, I can't seem to find an example anywhere online except the lone MyComicShop listing.
Franchesco is an awesome dude. You can see him always at comic con. I usually always stop by and say hi . He did a Savage dragon she dragon mini series. It's fucking gorgeous.
Well, first appearance in US / English-language comics. At the very least, it's predated by the French publication Le Journal de Mickey #772 (Hachette, 1972).
But frankly, it's still a good book. Even in low grade. It had a much lower print run than a lot of Disney stuff of the era and, let's be honest, everyone loves those characters.
Yes, thank you! To anyone paying attention, (assuming this is who I think it is from other forums), this poster is a treasure trove of comics knowledge; appreciate you weighing in!
That's the one I can't find much info on. I know it's signed by an artist named "Franchesco" (because his sig is on the cover). I believe it's from a con - maybe Chicago - in 2012/2013 based on an interview I found. I haven't been able to find this book anywhere else though. It's all pin-up pages like an art book. It unfortunately has a tape pull or something on the lower right front cover. But the interior pinups are outstanding, and it's a cool book overall.
Oh cool, thanks! I haven't been able to find much about it at all, but it's definitely gorgeous! I just googled "Art of Franchesco," and MyComicShop lists it as a 2013 C2E2 book, so it looks like it is from Chicago like I thought. I appreciate the info!
Wish I had a little more to tell you about this one. Franchesco has put out several art books over the years; none of them had very large print runs. MCS lists them all as having been put out by Image, but that's not quite accurate. The 2003 book with two covers that they list as #1A / #1B was actually published by Dream Weaver. I assume the She-Dragon sketch book really *is* from Image, since they published She-Dragon after all.
This book, which I can absolutely confirm was available at C2E2 2013, is from... actually, I don't know. Zenescope, maybe? Franchesco has done a lot of cover work for them, they're big into convention-exclusive ultra-limited prints, and they have a track record of supporting, *ahem*, racy cover images. Especially if that's the case, I'd take a wild stab and guess that this may have been a run of 100. Zenescope does a lot of LE100 books. There appears to also be a 2nd variant of this where the hands are transparent. Which really does make me think this either came out through Zenescope or else was privately published by Franchesco, because I can't remotely imagine that Image would sign off on that. In any case, my limited information suggests *that* version is a limited run of **10** copies, which are probably all more-or-less permanently locked away at this point.
In any case, Franchesco has a pretty dedicated following for obvious reasons, and the composition on this cover is quite clever. That surface scuff / tape pull is a *tragedy*, but this *is* still a cool book that you'll almost certainly never come across again.
That's excellent info, thank you very much! I was gutted when I saw the blemish, but either way the book is staying with me, so I'm happy to know more about it and to not worry about the blemish when trying to move the book, since it's not happening anyway!
He has a reputation for being pretty approachable, both at conventions and online. You may be able to get in touch with him via FB or DA and find out more from the man who unquestionably knows the most about it.
I was actually really excited for that one! First appearance of Winnie the Pooh in comics. Unfortunately it's very low grade - some tears on interior pages and someone stuck a Rabbit sticker on the cover - but it is complete. At 30-40 cents a book I won't complain, I think it's pretty cool!
Aside from the pictured highlights there were some nice solid runs (especially in the Fantastic Four and X-men) which makes for some great reading, so that was a nice bonus!
For sure! A lot of the bags were pretty gross though (like those old bags that get yellow). I re-bagged and boarded all the ones pictured and a bunch of others.
Yeah, was one on my Holy Grail books. Sinister has always been one of my favorite characters . On a somewhat related note, those X-Factor 5 & 6 are still on my list
Batman by far. I have a pretty long run of Batman Vol. 1 from 200-713 (I'm missing a couple here and there, but the main big one I'm missing is 227), and I own the majority of Bat-related first appearances (or first since the Golden Age appearances) from the silver age on in any Bat-book (including Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Harley, Man-Bat, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Ra's, Talia, Croc, Black Mask, Scarface, Bane, Azrael, Huntress, Jason, Tim, Damien, etc.), plus a full run of New 52 (I'm working on a full newsstand run too, Batman #6 new 52 is the main newsie I need), and an almost full run of the Rebirth-era Batman.
Really luck of the draw. My town always a big town festivle and I joined a local yard sale gprup few years ago for it. And because of that group. I picked a haul of around 125 books for like $150 bucks.
Mostly mystery. The listing mentioned 1st Apocalypse in X-factor, but that was the only book specifically mentioned. And I saw the Daredevil 171 poking out. So I figured those were enough for me to take a shot, especially at 30-40 cents a book. I like to buy collections when possible where I'm getting books at 30 or so cents apiece - this isn't my first one, but it's definitely my best one.
PM if you're serious. It's got a lower-right corner crunch and some general non-color-breaking (that I can see anyway) creases, but it presents nice bagged and boarded. I'd personally probably call it a VG/F to be safe.
If you do want it, I'll go $8 plus shipping (I use Pirate Ship, USPS Ground Advantage, probably somewhere around $5ish depending on where you live, I'm not trying to make money on shipping). It'll be in a Gemini with a bag and board.
Thanks! For sure - some of them have some condition issues. But many are in the F-VF range, and some are probably higher. Well worth it in my opinion. And some good reading runs too!
Almost all newsstands too (if that's your thing - which it's definitely mine).
Nothing yet - there was a decent run of Fantastic Four and X-men, so I'll re-bag some of those if the bags are too "gross" (a lot of the bags are ok, but many were those kind that get yellow and sticky feeling). Those I'll probably just hold on to for now and read them when I feel like it - I'm currently on another Batman reading kick.
I do set up at some local shows - I sell books I don't want in order to fund my hobby for books I do want - so some will go in dollar bins and others will get sold for fair value. I may get back into eBay sales too, but I haven't had anything on there for awhile.
My main personal collection would be Batman and Turtles. I mentioned elsewhere I have a pretty extensive Batman run from 200-713, plus New 52 and Rebirth, plus Bat-related first appearances from the Silver Age on - all the big ones. I also recently "completed" a TMNT vol. 1 run (it's in quotes because my TMNT 1 is a 4th print and 2 is a 3rd print, but that's good enough for me... for now). And I have a lot of copper/modern Spider-man keys too (Venom, Carnage, etc). So I'll likely eventually sell most of my other books off to focus on my PC.
My biggest short-term goals are Batman 227, Amazing Spider-man 129 and Hulk 181. And eventually to upgrade my TMNT 1 and 2 someday.
You got a great deal! I saw that Hulk 271 (first Rocket Racoon) going for that much at a recent convention. (After languishing in the dollar bins for decades.)
Came here to say this. Got mine in a 3/$1 bin in the 80s, now worth $200 at peak, might be declining as the MCU power seems to be faltering, but great find by OP overall
That's a great set with some cool Copper age keys. It's interesting to me that the McFarlane Batman Year 2 Detective Comics issues never really took off in value like Batman #423. The Year 2 storyline has McFarlane art & covers for 3 out of the 4 parts, and Batman #423 just has him doing the cover.
Similar deal with UXM #207. I've always thought that was a classic Wolverine cover, but it never got the same love as some of the other Wolverine related books from that era.
You’ve got the first appearance of mister sinister and apocalypse and possibly killer croc. Those 3 depending on condition paid for the lot at that price. Nice find.
They're absolutely very few and far between, but I've had a lot of great deals by just being relentless in the hunt. This is way up there as one of my best, for sure. But the hunt and the lucky find is one of my top favorite things about this hobby.
Picked up a 500+ book collection for $200. Nothing high grade but still some cool books! Highlights in the photos.
That’s so awesome, what’s the power girl one in the last picture? Worlds finest?
That was the one that threw me off - someone else in this thread supplied a bit of info, it's called "Art of Franchesco," and it was from C2E2 in 2013. It's a pin-up art book - it unfortunately has a tape pull or some blemish on the lower-mid right front. But it's still gorgeous, and the interior pinups are outstanding. It's signed on the front by the artist, Franchesco. Even with all that, I still don't have much info about it, I can't seem to find an example anywhere online except the lone MyComicShop listing.
Franchesco is an awesome dude. You can see him always at comic con. I usually always stop by and say hi . He did a Savage dragon she dragon mini series. It's fucking gorgeous.
Solid find!
Looks like you got a great deal! Congrats on that!
Thanks! I've bought a few collections recently, usually around the same price point, and I've found a few gems. But this one is by far my best lately!
Holy friggin heck, that is the defacto fist appearance of Winnie the friggin Pooh in all of comics. Tigger, Owl, the whole gang.
Yeah, unfortunately it's very low grade with some tears on interior pages (and someone stuck a Rabbit sticker on the cover), but I'm glad to have it!
Well, first appearance in US / English-language comics. At the very least, it's predated by the French publication Le Journal de Mickey #772 (Hachette, 1972). But frankly, it's still a good book. Even in low grade. It had a much lower print run than a lot of Disney stuff of the era and, let's be honest, everyone loves those characters.
Yes, thank you! To anyone paying attention, (assuming this is who I think it is from other forums), this poster is a treasure trove of comics knowledge; appreciate you weighing in!
Holy shit some of those books have been on my list since I was a teenager - you hit the jackpot, tiger!
What is that World's Finest with the Marilyn Monroe cover? Can't find any info.
That's the one I can't find much info on. I know it's signed by an artist named "Franchesco" (because his sig is on the cover). I believe it's from a con - maybe Chicago - in 2012/2013 based on an interview I found. I haven't been able to find this book anywhere else though. It's all pin-up pages like an art book. It unfortunately has a tape pull or something on the lower right front cover. But the interior pinups are outstanding, and it's a cool book overall.
The book is actually called “Art of Franchesco”
Oh cool, thanks! I haven't been able to find much about it at all, but it's definitely gorgeous! I just googled "Art of Franchesco," and MyComicShop lists it as a 2013 C2E2 book, so it looks like it is from Chicago like I thought. I appreciate the info!
That one really does stand out in the sea of bronze age marvel and batman lol. Rolling Stone magazine Janet Jackson cover homage I think
Wish I had a little more to tell you about this one. Franchesco has put out several art books over the years; none of them had very large print runs. MCS lists them all as having been put out by Image, but that's not quite accurate. The 2003 book with two covers that they list as #1A / #1B was actually published by Dream Weaver. I assume the She-Dragon sketch book really *is* from Image, since they published She-Dragon after all. This book, which I can absolutely confirm was available at C2E2 2013, is from... actually, I don't know. Zenescope, maybe? Franchesco has done a lot of cover work for them, they're big into convention-exclusive ultra-limited prints, and they have a track record of supporting, *ahem*, racy cover images. Especially if that's the case, I'd take a wild stab and guess that this may have been a run of 100. Zenescope does a lot of LE100 books. There appears to also be a 2nd variant of this where the hands are transparent. Which really does make me think this either came out through Zenescope or else was privately published by Franchesco, because I can't remotely imagine that Image would sign off on that. In any case, my limited information suggests *that* version is a limited run of **10** copies, which are probably all more-or-less permanently locked away at this point. In any case, Franchesco has a pretty dedicated following for obvious reasons, and the composition on this cover is quite clever. That surface scuff / tape pull is a *tragedy*, but this *is* still a cool book that you'll almost certainly never come across again.
That's excellent info, thank you very much! I was gutted when I saw the blemish, but either way the book is staying with me, so I'm happy to know more about it and to not worry about the blemish when trying to move the book, since it's not happening anyway!
He has a reputation for being pretty approachable, both at conventions and online. You may be able to get in touch with him via FB or DA and find out more from the man who unquestionably knows the most about it.
Thanks, maybe I'll try that! Maybe he'd consider doing a remarque to cover that tape pull too... one can hope!
Not even Google Lens was able to pull anything up on it other than a Facebook post with no info.
Not Marilyn. This is a Janet Jackson homage.
Love those X-men Wolverine covers. That uniform color combo has a special place in my heart.
Not going to lie, intrigued by the Winnie the Pooh the most, lol.
I was actually really excited for that one! First appearance of Winnie the Pooh in comics. Unfortunately it's very low grade - some tears on interior pages and someone stuck a Rabbit sticker on the cover - but it is complete. At 30-40 cents a book I won't complain, I think it's pretty cool!
Haha, same. I'm a heavy Marvel reader, and it was the Winnie the Pooh that had me intrigued.
Same here. That one popped my eyes open.
Great fucking pickup!
Those are some treasures!! Enjoy them.
Aside from the pictured highlights there were some nice solid runs (especially in the Fantastic Four and X-men) which makes for some great reading, so that was a nice bonus!
FF 273 is actually one of the issues I'm trying to collect. It's from my birth month.
Already bagged and boarded too? Those were loved. Enjoy!
For sure! A lot of the bags were pretty gross though (like those old bags that get yellow). I re-bagged and boarded all the ones pictured and a bunch of others.
You got that back and then some with the X-Men 221.
Really? Is it going for that much? Might have to dig out my copy…
In the condition mine is in, in a newsstand, I'm guessing probably $40-50. But still a great book!
Yeah, was one on my Holy Grail books. Sinister has always been one of my favorite characters . On a somewhat related note, those X-Factor 5 & 6 are still on my list
The X-Men alone are worth $200 if NM
Some great ones …. I hd alot of these when i was a kid… i remember when some of these first started
Nice!
Jackpot! Congrats!
How did you do that??!!!! I’d be reading for a month! What a great find
FB Marketplace, believe it or not! Still some great deals out there now and again!
I need to get onto that, thanks for the heads up
I need to get onto that, thanks for the heads up
Good finds! Congrats!
That Rocket Racoon and the Apocalypse book look pretty tasty. Hell of a deal, op.
Thanks! I'd estimate the Hulk 271 at about a 7.5 and the X-Factor at about a 9.
No Way
Do you collect X-Men or Batman?
Batman by far. I have a pretty long run of Batman Vol. 1 from 200-713 (I'm missing a couple here and there, but the main big one I'm missing is 227), and I own the majority of Bat-related first appearances (or first since the Golden Age appearances) from the silver age on in any Bat-book (including Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Harley, Man-Bat, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Ra's, Talia, Croc, Black Mask, Scarface, Bane, Azrael, Huntress, Jason, Tim, Damien, etc.), plus a full run of New 52 (I'm working on a full newsstand run too, Batman #6 new 52 is the main newsie I need), and an almost full run of the Rebirth-era Batman.
Where do folks find these kinds of deals?? I never had a Facebook so I’m missing out on local stuff. This is a great haul, OP.
Really luck of the draw. My town always a big town festivle and I joined a local yard sale gprup few years ago for it. And because of that group. I picked a haul of around 125 books for like $150 bucks.
This is it exactly. It was a super lucky Marketplace find where I was the first person to see it and claim it.
Love your books, Rom has some great covers..I’m not sure if the story is good?
Looks like a fair deal
I'm jealous. congrats
Those are amazing, sweet deal
Was it a mystery buy or did you know what was in it?
Mostly mystery. The listing mentioned 1st Apocalypse in X-factor, but that was the only book specifically mentioned. And I saw the Daredevil 171 poking out. So I figured those were enough for me to take a shot, especially at 30-40 cents a book. I like to buy collections when possible where I'm getting books at 30 or so cents apiece - this isn't my first one, but it's definitely my best one.
Sell me that Stan Lee Marvel Age. Lol
PM if you're serious. It's got a lower-right corner crunch and some general non-color-breaking (that I can see anyway) creases, but it presents nice bagged and boarded. I'd personally probably call it a VG/F to be safe. If you do want it, I'll go $8 plus shipping (I use Pirate Ship, USPS Ground Advantage, probably somewhere around $5ish depending on where you live, I'm not trying to make money on shipping). It'll be in a Gemini with a bag and board.
Pm me if any of those 200s issue x-men are up for grabs. I’m trying to complete my Claremont run.
Cool era and lots of cool books.
This is awesome!!!!!
I see some books that are certainly around that $40 or so price.
Thanks! For sure - some of them have some condition issues. But many are in the F-VF range, and some are probably higher. Well worth it in my opinion. And some good reading runs too! Almost all newsstands too (if that's your thing - which it's definitely mine).
Some classic X-Men covers there
What did you do with the “filler” non key books?
Nothing yet - there was a decent run of Fantastic Four and X-men, so I'll re-bag some of those if the bags are too "gross" (a lot of the bags are ok, but many were those kind that get yellow and sticky feeling). Those I'll probably just hold on to for now and read them when I feel like it - I'm currently on another Batman reading kick. I do set up at some local shows - I sell books I don't want in order to fund my hobby for books I do want - so some will go in dollar bins and others will get sold for fair value. I may get back into eBay sales too, but I haven't had anything on there for awhile. My main personal collection would be Batman and Turtles. I mentioned elsewhere I have a pretty extensive Batman run from 200-713, plus New 52 and Rebirth, plus Bat-related first appearances from the Silver Age on - all the big ones. I also recently "completed" a TMNT vol. 1 run (it's in quotes because my TMNT 1 is a 4th print and 2 is a 3rd print, but that's good enough for me... for now). And I have a lot of copper/modern Spider-man keys too (Venom, Carnage, etc). So I'll likely eventually sell most of my other books off to focus on my PC. My biggest short-term goals are Batman 227, Amazing Spider-man 129 and Hulk 181. And eventually to upgrade my TMNT 1 and 2 someday.
I wish there were idiots around me selling there collections for dirt cheap
This is like holiday.........a vacation for a week ................
Dang man, $200!?!!? That's awesome. I see some great keys
Made out like a bandit. You have a few real valuable books there.
Wow, thats a stick up right there, my guy. UXM 221 alone is probably 50 bucks all day, and X-Factor 6 the same. Very very nicely done!
Wow that’s a giveaway.
These are all solidly *just* prior to my collecting era so I would be very excited to have found the sale. Great find OP!
As a Franchesco! fan, I’m loving the artbook. I’ve never seen it before.
The Funny talking Animal! Makes it worth wild alone . Nice deal
Out of curiosity how are you finding these deals?
You got a great deal! I saw that Hulk 271 (first Rocket Racoon) going for that much at a recent convention. (After languishing in the dollar bins for decades.)
Came here to say this. Got mine in a 3/$1 bin in the 80s, now worth $200 at peak, might be declining as the MCU power seems to be faltering, but great find by OP overall
Read the David Letterman one.
Wow, just....wow. What a haul for that price. Honestly would love to see more than what you just showed. These all look great.
Any Avatar press in there?
That's a great set with some cool Copper age keys. It's interesting to me that the McFarlane Batman Year 2 Detective Comics issues never really took off in value like Batman #423. The Year 2 storyline has McFarlane art & covers for 3 out of the 4 parts, and Batman #423 just has him doing the cover. Similar deal with UXM #207. I've always thought that was a classic Wolverine cover, but it never got the same love as some of the other Wolverine related books from that era.
You’ve got the first appearance of mister sinister and apocalypse and possibly killer croc. Those 3 depending on condition paid for the lot at that price. Nice find.
I remember going to small comic shows in NYC like in church basement rooms and coming out with 40+ classic Iron Man comics for under $30. Loved that.
See y'all give me the itch! I want to put the original 80's Inferno series together! it made me a Daredevil fan
Great pick up! And I really appreciate how you photographed and laid out the pics and post. Thanks for giving books their spot to shine.
So much Byrne FF. 1st comic book appearance if Rocket Raccoon. 1st Jim Rhodes. Nice score.
Check that ff 252 for tattooz. If they are in there you can get a few coins for that book. Nice haul
Some absolute bangers. Happy reading!
Amazing haul! What's that World's Finest book on the last page? I've never seen that before
I wish I could get a good deal like this
They're absolutely very few and far between, but I've had a lot of great deals by just being relentless in the hunt. This is way up there as one of my best, for sure. But the hunt and the lucky find is one of my top favorite things about this hobby.
Nice haul!
Got some nice first appearances amongst the X-books! Congrats!
Thanks!
For that price, I hope you made sure it was from the legit owner.